Friday, July 27, 2007
Welcome to the 14th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is the 20th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
Notes, quotes, trivia, historical information and other items will appear on these pages through Sunday, July 29. Our Media Center staff, headed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Public Relations Director Ron Green and Media Center Manager Bill York, is here to assist you and answer your questions during this event.
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TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times local):
| 8 a.m. | Indianapolis Motor Speedway public gates open |
| 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Chevy Day at the Brickyard activities, Pagoda Plaza, Museum Lot |
| Noon | Tracy Lawrence concert, Coca-Cola Stage, Pagoda Plaza |
| 1:30-2:30 p.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series practice |
| 3:30-4:30 p.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series practice |
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Timing and scoring monitors are located throughout the Media Center with up-to-the-minute times and speeds.
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Allstate 400 at the Brickyard information is available on the World Wide Web this week on the official Indianapolis Motor Speedway site, http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com, and the official NASCAR site, http://www.nascar.com. Included in the information will be practice summaries and performance histories, qualifying results, Daily Trackside Reports, driver quotes, race lineups and results.
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Bobby East led all 100 laps of the J.D. Byrider 100 K&N USAC Silver Crown Championship Series race Thursday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be ESPN's "In Race Reporter" during the telecast of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. On the pace laps and during caution periods, Earnhardt will talk with ESPN analyst Rusty Wallace to share how his day is going with viewers.
ESPN's live coverage starts with a pre-race show at 1 p.m. (ET). Live race coverage starts at 2 p.m.
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: "When I heard that Rusty called my office asking if I would be the In-Race Reporter for this weekend's Brickyard 400, it was a no-brainer for me. It's a privilege to be able to talk to Rusty during one of the biggest races of the year, and an honor to be a part of ESPN's return to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race coverage."
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"Desperate Housewives" actor James Denton is the grand marshal for the Allstate® 400 at the Brickyard.
Denton will be on hand to participate in pre-race activities, including the ceremonial waving of the green flag, signaling the start of the race.
JAMES DENTON: "This is an incredible honor to be named the grand marshal for this year's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. I'm a huge sports fan, so to be able to wave the green flag at one of NASCAR's premier races is going to be an amazing experience."
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will unite with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes during the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard weekend July 27-29.
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH) provides many programs to benefit wounded veterans of the United States Military and their families. Programs include Emergency Relief, Family Support Network, Career Network, Homes for Heroes and Road to Recovery Conference. The mission of CSAH is to assist those who have given so much on our behalf, and to help soldiers and their families overcome obstacles and resume productive and fulfilling lives.
CSAH T-shirts and dog tags will be available for purchase in the Pagoda Plaza from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, and from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 29. The T-shirts are $20 each and come with a free dog tag. Dog tags can be purchased separately for $5 each.
Proceeds from the sale of the shirts and dog tags will benefit CSAH.
The shirts feature the phrase "America Supports You" on the front and the CSAH logo on the back. The dog tags sport the America Supports You program logo on the front and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo on the back.
Fans attending the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard can greet a few of the military members who have benefited from the program in the past and are now national spokespersons. One of the military members who serves as a national spokesperson is Jerry Majetich, of nearby Fishers, Ind. He was on his second tour in Iraq with the 304th Psychological Operations Company when his vehicle hit an improvised explosion device (IED). Majetich suffered severe burns and multiple other injuries.
JOIE CHITWOOD (President and chief operating officer, Indianapolis Motor Speedway): "We're honored to welcome these American heroes to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard weekend. Their selfless bravery inspires all Americans, and we hope that fans will show their support for our troops and CSAH throughout the event weekend by purchasing T-shirts and dog tags."
JERRY MAJETICH: "We want to thank the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and local race fans for making us feel so welcome not only on Race Day, but in our new home state of Indiana. We are especially grateful that IMS is helping the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes bring much-needed attention to the needs of my fellow brothers and sisters in the Armed Forces who come home severely wounded."
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For the third year in a row, fans can help save a life by participating in the Blood and Bone Marrow Drive at the Brickyard on Saturday, July 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Drive will take place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Museum East parking lot.
Sponsored by the NASCAR Foundation, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and the Hendrick Marrow Program, the Drive takes place during the NEXTEL Cup Series Allstate 400 at the Brickyard event weekend. Fans can donate blood for the American Red Cross or sign up for the National Marrow Donor Program's donor list. Everyone who donates blood or joins the marrow donor list will receive a free T-shirt, die-cast car or hat.
Since the Blood and Bone Marrow Drive at the Brickyard is taking place on Speedway grounds, there is a $15 admission fee into the track for the day's activities. Participation in the Drive is free. Track activities for Saturday include qualifying and two practice sessions.
Donor recipients and their families will be on hand to share their stories and to speak with participants. Blood Drop, the official mascot of the American Red Cross, also will attend.
Jeff Gordon could become just the second five-time winner of a major race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a victory Sunday in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Michael Schumacher became the first five-time winner when he captured the 2006 United States Grand Prix. Schumacher has won the USGP in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Gordon is tied with four-time Indianapolis 500 winners A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears on the IMS win list. Gordon won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2004. Foyt won the Indy 500 in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977; Unser won the "500" in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. Mears won the "500" in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991.
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Max Siegel, Dale Earnhardt Inc. president of global operations, was raised in Indianapolis and graduated from Northwest High School in Indianapolis.
MAX SIEGEL: (About growing up so close to the Speedway, and if he ever imagined bringing a major team here to race): "It feels great. I grew up off of 21st and Tibbs, within earshot of here. So I never in a million years imagined working in this capacity and coming here. I've always been around the Speedway and coming here since I was a kid, so it will be real interesting to see how I feel being here. It's already kind of overwhelming." (Were you a fan of this place growing up?): "From the time I was 5 we'd pack up the car and come to the '500,' and then the Brickyard (400) came years later. Been a huge fan, and I became very interested in the business of the sport about six years ago, so my interest grew exponentially then. It's been great." (Was your legal practice locally with Baker & Daniels sports-related?): "Yeah, I started off my career in the sports group at Baker & Daniels doing all the national governing body, Olympics work, Seattle Mariners, and then moved from there to have my own practice managing athletes like Reggie White (and) Tony Gwynn, and the last 10 years in the entertainment business." (It must feel kind of unreal to put everything you've done together and have it bring you back so close to home): "It is weird, and it is interesting to start to see old friends and their involvement. It gives you new perspective on what people like Terry Lingner have been doing for years." (Do you still have family here, and have a chance to get back often?): "Yes, almost every week. I still maintain a home here and Charlotte, as well. It's good to get back, (but) I've been getting back a lot less than I care to."
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Target Chip Ganassi Racing owner Chip Ganassi and driver Juan Pablo Montoya met with the media this morning. Montoya will make history this weekend by becoming the first driver to compete in all three major events at IMS. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 in his only start in that event and raced in the United States Grand Prix from 2001-06. Selected quotes:
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: (How much for this oval can you use from IndyCar experience?): "It is pretty hard to compare. The last time I was here was seven years ago, and we were running wide open all the way around (the track). It is a little bit different with the Cup cars. It is pretty hard. There are a lot of things I remember from winning the Indianapolis 500 that I want to see what works and what doesn't. For me, it is exciting to be here and being able to compete in all three races. At the end of the day, we need to focus on what we need to do. We need to come here, work on the car and get the job done." (About coming to the 2000 Indy 500 with confidence): "I don't think we were that confident. I thought we would have a chance. I don't think we were like, 'We are going to kick everybody's ass.' We did and it was great. That was the plan, and I think it is always the plan. I'm hoping for a good result. With the F1 program, we came here and had two or three chances to win the race and always broke down." (What did the Indy 500 do for your career?"): "I think winning the Indy 500 was a huge deal for me. At the time, I didn't realize how big it was. You spend like three or four weeks going around with nobody. There was maybe a few thousand people, but it was like empty when you can see 400,000 people. On Race Day, you see all the people and say, 'What happened here?' It is funny, because I think people who have done it for a long time get a myth in there head, 'The track narrows down with all the people there.' It is still the same racetrack. There are just people there. It was exciting. Looking back on it, it is good to say that I won it. It's a 'been there, done that' type of deal, and it was great for my career." (Could you describe the experience of swapping cars with Jeff Gordon in 2003?): "They actually wanted me to run the oval. I hadn't run the oval for three years, so I thought, 'No.' (The road course) is fast enough. I'd rather do the road course. I ran the road course well, and I'd be a lot more comfortable driving the car on the road course. They brought the road course car, and it was a lot of fun. I was pretty comfortable from the word go. I think that was one of the reasons when I started talking to Chip (Ganassi) about doing it. That was probably a good thing that I did that." (How much tougher will a stock car be than an IndyCar?): "Probably out of the three, it will be the hardest. The Formula One circuit was pretty straightforward. With the IRL cars, it was a really fast oval and pretty flat, but that's what I drove every week. Coming here, I don't know. I've been asking people what they think and where they brake. That's the kind of thing I try to ask a lot before going out. You just come out and see what you can do. The problem is you have such little time that before you get to qualifying you've only driven 15 laps. And then people wonder why we sucked in qualifying, but then we get in the race and go forward pretty fast." (Is this another race weekend?): "Once the race weekend starts, you can't think about Indy. You just have to get around, drive the car and see what happens. You have to leave it and then see it. You have to go experience the whole race weekend, and then at the end of the race weekend you can go back and think, 'Man we did an awesome job.' You can't go into the place and think this is awesome and say, 'I'm the only guy to run in three races.' I think at 50 (years old), it will be a very cool thing to remember. Today, it's about getting the job done." (Where does IMS rank?): "This and Daytona are the biggest places for fans. Monaco has the yachts and boats. It is like, 'Man, look at that boat!' Here, what is really cool about Indy, is when you come through Gasoline Alley it is really tight. The place from where the grandstands and where you are standing are very close. I think every racetrack has something nice about it. I have a lot of good memories here. I've been coming here every year since 2000. (What would it mean to win at Indy?): "I think every win has had an exciting moment. Like when I won Long Beach, that was huge. When I won Indy, it was huge. Every win at its time was amazing. I actually won in Cup, and that was a huge deal. Yes, we need to win an oval. It kind of puts our job a little easier. Do we want to win more? Yeah, we want to win more."
CHIP GANASSI: (About winning the Indianapolis 500 with Juan Pablo Montoya): "At that time, we were very, very strong as a team. We'd just come off winning four championships. We had a great driver, and we knew that. We also had a great staff of mechanics, engineers and management that really pulled this off. That was certainly a high point in our team's career and in Juan and myself's relationship, and obviously something I'll never forget." (About working with Juan Pablo): "Juan and I have a relationship that I think transcends racing, maybe. We don't talk about racing that much. We never have, and I don't know if we ever will. We just seem to work well together, and it's great to have him back. There's no one else I'd rather have, I can tell you that." (About assessing Montoya's performance so far): "People have a lot of expectations from someone with the background that he has in racing in driving different vehicles and coming into NASCAR now. I would say it's right on, if not a little bit ahead of plan. People will say, 'Gee, why are you qualifying in the 20s or why do you finishing 18th or something?' They don't think that that may be that's good relative to other series or relative to what other people are used to. Juan finished 17th or 16th or something, on the lead lap at Martinsville. I'll tell you right now, if you go over in that garage area and ask how that is, they think that is a superhuman feat for the first time there. So I would put that down and to be able to take that and go from his performance at the superspeedways at Daytona and Talladega, that's a completely different study than how you do at Martinsville. And he did a great job there in the draft and learning how to run in that type of environment.. You get these guys who have 10,000 laps at these places. I'll guess there's barely 100 Cup starts between all three of my drivers combined. So to go there and have that kind of performance is a great feat. Is there a long way to go? Absolutely. Are we going to cover that ground? Yeah. Are we happy where we're at? Yeah, but we have a long way to go, sure. We're not even close to hitting a panic button in terms of where we are in the points. We just have to do good week in and week out. I think we've had a pretty good year so far. Juan has won in every kind of car we've put him in so far this year. What better kind of a rookie year can you have? If the year ended tomorrow, I'd say it was a great year. A lot of open-wheel drivers had a challenge moving over here. There was still a big roll of the dice a year ago in Chicago when we announced this deal and then to have to wait so long to get him in a car. I was sweating pretty hard there wondering when we were going to be able to get him in a car to test and to drive. I was sweating bloody murder through every one of those. I knew he could do it. I just don't want him to have a bad experience early on. That could change his whole perspective. These guys who he's racing with week in and week out - Juan hasn't been in 50 oval track races yet, and most of these guys were in 50 oval track races before they were 14 years old. We're still in a process here of coming along, and by no means are we there yet, but I couldn't be happier with where we are."
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Selected Allstate 400 at the Brickyard statistical notes:
•Juan Pablo Montoya will attempt to be the first driver ever to race in all three featured races at the Speedway - the Indianapolis 500, United States Grand Prix and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. 2000 Indy 500 winner Montoya joins 1985 Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan as the only drivers ever to race in Formula One anywhere and compete in an Indianapolis 500 and Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
•The last two winners of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (Jimmie Johnson '06, Tony Stewart '05) went on to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup title. Others who did are Jeff Gordon (1998, 2001), Bobby Labonte (2000) and Dale Jarrett (1999).
•Five Indianapolis 500 veterans are on the entry list - John Andretti, J.J. Yeley, Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon.
•Roush Fenway Racing has failed to win on only two current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tracks - Chicagoland Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Penske Racing has a record 14 Indianapolis 500 wins and has yet to win an Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
•Juan Pablo Montoya is the first Indianapolis 500 winner to run the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard since A.J. Foyt Jr. and Danny Sullivan in the inaugural race in 1994.
•Kyle Petty makes his 800th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start here. Only five drivers have more than 800, led by his father, Richard's, 1,185. Entrants Ricky Rudd and Terry Labonte are also above 800.
•Jeff Gordon has led the most Allstate 400s at the Brickyard (9), most times (28) and most laps (433). Bill Elliott has led six races and 12 times, second in both categories. Dale Jarrett has led 186 laps, second in that category. Fifty-six drivers have led at least one lap in Allstate 400s at the Brickyard.
•Closest Margin of Victory - Ricky Rudd over Bobby Labonte, .183 of a second, 1997.
•Fastest Race Lap - Tony Stewart, Lap 129, 2005, 179.641.
•Qualifying Record - Casey Mears, 186.293 mph, 48.311 seconds, Aug. 7, 2004.
•Only one pole winner has won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard: Kevin Harvick, 2003.
•Widest separation of field - 1.675 seconds, 2005.
•Closest separation of field -- .746 of a second, 2000.
•Eight drivers have competed in all 13 previous Allstate 400s at the Brickyard - Bill Elliott, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin and Joe Nemechek. Of those, Jeff Burton and Bill Elliott have been running at the finish in all 13 races.
•There have been 15 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup or its predecessors races in Indiana. In addition to 13 Allstate 400s at the Brickyard, races took place at Funk's Speedway in Winchester in 1950 and Playland Park Speedway in South Bend in 1952. Since the inaugural year of 1948, 73 NASCAR drivers have listed their home state as Indiana, although some drivers' hometowns are unknown.
•In 2007, Denny Hamlin leads the series in laps completed with 5,532 of a possible 5,596. Jeff Gordon has led 14 races and Tony Stewart has led 768 laps, most in those categories.
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ESPN on ABC Senior Motorsports Producer Neil Goldberg was asked during a press conference this morning if the network thinks it has a "home-court advantage" for its first NEXTEL Cup Series broadcast since 2000 this weekend at IMS, where ABC has covered the Indianapolis 500 since 1965.
NEIL GOLDBERG: "We definitely have a basic template of coverage coming in here, as far as where main cameras are place. That's definitely a home-court advantage. A lot of us feel very comfortable coming here. I have not produced a lot of races here. I did the Indy 500 and a couple Brickyard 400s, but I watched a lot of other people produce races here while we did qualifying over the years for the Indy 500. I've spent a lot of time here. We've been able to grow not into this place, but with this place in terms of technology. It wasn't like my first time going to produce the Daytona 500. This is a very comfortable palace to walk in to."
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Selected driver quotes from the NEXTEL Media Luncheon today in the Plaza Pavilion:
ELLIOTT SADLER: "It's a fun racetrack. It's cool for us NASCAR drivers to be able to come and race once a year. I wish we raced here twice a year. I'd love to come here once on the oval and once on the road course. I always enjoy coming here. You know everybody brings the best of everything they got, their best car and their best motor. They throw everything but the kitchen sink at it, and we feel like we've done that this weekend. I had so much fun here a couple years ago, sitting on the pole, leading a lot of laps and racing Gordon and Jarrett for the win. It's a cool place to race. It seems like every time you come through the tunnel here at Indianapolis, you just start to get those chills and that adrenaline is flowing. We all showed up with the 2006 noses, and we are going to go back to basics and what worked for Evernham Motorsports last year. We just kind of want to see if we can get back on a roll like we were last year. What we were doing was not working for us, and we decided to take a step back and try again. We are doing that here in Indy."
JEFF BURTON: (How do you figure out how to get around this track?): "I think these corners are like nowhere else we go. If you look at the entry of the corner and how close the exit of the corner is to the entry, we don't have any racetrack like this. The only thing that is similar is the straightaways at maybe Pocono. But this is its own racetrack. It's very unique; it's like nowhere else we go. Comparing it to other places is crazy." (Obviously, Daytona International Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway differ when it comes to their history. Where do they rank in terms of prestige?): "If you look at American motorsports or even worldwide motorsports, Indianapolis is way up on the list. There's no question that the history and heritage of Indy is really large. I don't like to say, this is first and that is second. But I am going to tell you right now that Indianapolis (Motor Speedway) for overall racing is very big. If you wanted to look specifically at Stock Cars, obviously Daytona is the biggest. But if you want to look at the impact that racing has had on North America, you can't separate Indianapolis (Motor Speedway) from that. This racetrack has been here so long, the history is so deep, the heritage is so deep, it's pretty strong." (Do you feel that history every time you drive through the tunnel?): "I do. I view us as visitors and guests of the open-wheel world. My wife's been coming to the Indianapolis 500 since she was a little kid. I feel that we are guests of that. Without a doubt, I feel the history. That's what is so cool about this place. To be honest, if you were to build this racetrack today, you'd be ridiculed. You would be called, "You don't know what you are doing." It wouldn't be any good. What makes it good is the history. If you don't feel that here, then you are missing something." (How much of that difficulty level does it have to do with the fact that the winners here come from that top echelon of drivers in this sport? You don't have dark horses win here.) "It's one of the reasons you want to win. When you step back, when this thing is all done, you want to look at your career and say, "Hey, I did a lot of great things; winning at Daytona, winning at Indianapolis, winning at Charlotte, and winning at Darlington. Those places you want to win. Like you say, there are not many fluke winners at Indy. You want to be one of those guys."
TONY RAINES: (What's the trickiest part about driving this track?): "I think this track is either one you love or hate, because it is unique compared to what we typically run on. One of the first Truck races I ran was the Homestead layout that was similar to this, and I really enjoyed that. The first time I ran here it felt good, but it is a hard track. A lot of the good drivers will tell you that these long straightaways and the tight turns aren't the easiest in NASCAR. The fact we are racing at Indianapolis (is great). It is one of the two biggest races of the year. Everybody gets jitters over it." (About his homecoming, as he is from LaPorte, Ind.): "It is good. It has actually been a lot of fun and somewhat relaxing. When you get here and closer to practice time, you get a little more nervous because you do want to run well. It is more in my back yard and my hometown, so a good year here would mean more to me than some other places. We brought a new car. I'm a little nervous about that. Sometimes when you bring a new car, it is good right off the trailer, and you're glad you brought it. Sometimes you bring a new car and you have to work some bugs out of it." (Why is this so special?): "It's because you're racing at Indianapolis. When my wife, son and I came here last night, I said: 'Think about it. They've been racing here since 1911. I live in Pendleton close by and I'm a native Hoosier, so it means a lot. It is hard to describe. I personally believe this is bigger than Daytona, but I didn't build Daytona. If I had to pick one to win, I'd definitely pick here (at Indianapolis)." (About handling his personal life and racing when home): "When I arrived last night, that's pretty much when it stops. Now when I get up in the morning, you're talking to your crew chief about racing. I don't like to leave the facility once I arrive until the race is over. Once it's over Sunday, I'll let my guard down. But once I'm here until Sunday, I don't answer my phone very much."
KASEY KAHNE: "I always like Indy, always like racing here. It's really special. This is my favorite track to come to each year, the track I want to win most at. The place is difficult to drive. There's a lot to it. Each corner is different, just trying to get your car to handle at each end and making the right adjustments, whether it's in practice or in the race. To do that is the difficult part. It's tough. It's a tough place, but I really enjoy it. I've always ran good here. We've been strong every year. I come into this place happy and wanting to run well." (Does this track hold a place in your childhood memories?): "Yeah, it wasn't even stock cars as much as Indy cars. The month of May, I'd get out of school I think at 3:30, and you know you had final hour on "RPM 2Night" until 6, so I'd have to get home as quick as possible and watch that. The time difference was two hours, so it was hard to make, but I always could make most of it. You just remember little stuff like that, and this was the track I paid most attention to more than any other track that stock cars or Indy cars went to. I remember watching the times, the track, the speeds, their lines on the racetrack. It was so cool to me. That was what I looked forward to. I wanted to get out of school as quickly as possible to watch that. That's probably not what most kids do, but some do, I guess." (About his car): "They've made a ton of changes. You never know how far, how close, what's the same, what's different. It's really tough for so many different pieces to mess with these cars. Supposedly, we're back to how we were last year and we'll get a lot more power, so that will be good. When you go in a wrong direction, you keep trying to make that better and better and better, and you're getting further and further away from where you were. You go back to where you were and go in a different direction to make things better. I mean, you can get lost. It's a tough thing. If it was easy, there'd be a lot more teams winning races. We've gained a lot in a lot of places this week, and it gives myself a lot of hoping going into this race. I think we made a lot of the right changes, and hopefully that pays off." (About trend that teams who do well here at Indy win the championship): "This is a track that good teams run good at it, the teams that are running for a championship run good at. Hopefully this is a year that the trend changes because we're out of the championship. Hopefully, it will change, and hopefully we'll have a good run and mix it up with the teams that have been so strong this year. It's a great place, and all the good teams step up for this race." (Would you be pleased with a top 15, after all the wins last year?): "I'm happy when I don't hit something this year. A top 15 would be great. That would be an awesome weekend for us. Last year, if we didn't win the race, we were a little upset and that kind gets you back to reality and thinking, 'Man, we need to have different expectations, still try to win every race, but a top-10 is really good in this sport." There are so many good teams. You win races in '06, and you don't in '07. You have a lot of hope with the team. The team realizes we can if we keep working together. Hopefully we do."
CLINT BOWYER: "You have to have a well-rounded package when you show up here. It starts in the shop. We had an awesome race car here last year and brought that same race car back. Hopefully, she still remembers how to get around this place. I'd say this is our second-biggest race, for sure. Obviously, the Daytona 500 in our world is the biggest race, but this is a close second. It's very prestigious. A lot of history and tradition behind this track, and this is the one you want to run good at. There isn't anyplace anywhere close to this. You could get lost going to your car or motorhome at this place. It's a very cool place to be at. A lot of people and a lot of focus and attention on this track, you know, media-wise and certainly race team-wise. It would be pretty special to get any checkered flag right now, but to win my first race here would be unbelievable.
MARK MARTIN: (About the Ginn/DEI merger): "It's pretty overwhelming. I think the biggest thing I can say is Monday was my first time at the DEI shop. When I opened the door and stepped in, I really realized the magnitude of this. It's something I could have never scripted or dreamed of happening. It transpired very quickly. I'm really excited about it. There's a lot of distractions right now for my team and I. I really can't wait to get on the racetrack and strap into a race car so we can focus on the performance." (About NASCAR drivers being younger than when he started in the series): "It's different now. Unfortunately for Sterling Marlin and I, we couldn't get a job in NASCAR because we were 25 and you needed to be 40 to drive Junior Johnson's cars. He didn't want a 25 year old. Now that we're over 40, it's kind of flipped. For some of us, we got caught in that transition. When we came into it, no one wanted a young guy. It's a lot more about technology and engineers. When we were 25, we didn't know much about these cars and we couldn't tell a team how to set the car up. After you drove 'em for 15 years, you could. The drivers back then were almost like an engineer. They were the ones who could drive the cars and tell them, 'You need to change that sway bar.' The driver isn't expected to do that anymore. That part of it is not as valuable as it was."
DALE EARNHARDT JR.: (How much would you like this race victory on your resume?): "It's right behind the Daytona 500. It is pretty important." (Do you like coming here?): "Yeah. It is fun. I remember when they first started talking about the cars coming here and testing, I was just interested to see what the stock cars looked like on the racetrack. You see open wheel here for so many years on television, so it was really unique to see the cars on the racetrack and drive through the garage. It was a strange visual, but it has been fun. I enjoy racing here. It is a very historic track and a very big deal to win here." (Does the winner on Sunday leave here as the favorite for the championship?): "I think the guys who win here are the big teams. They are the heavy hitters of the sport. It is sort of like the Daytona 500, but you don't see any fluke winners here. You always see the dominant teams like (Jeff Gordon's No.) 24 or the top car at RCR. Those guys have won this race. It is a hard race to win and to put it all together. It takes a really, really good race car." (How much does the sheer difficulty of the racetrack play into that?): "The track isn't that difficult. It is just hard to get the car to go as fast as you want to beat the other guys. That's the hard part. It is sort of that way anywhere you go, but more so here. It is a hard track to get the car to handle right. The corners are different. Turn 1 is really, really tight. Turn 2 is run wide open because you're coming out with less speed. You go into 1, you're going so fast. The way the grandstands were built control the way the wind goes through the racetrack. It changes the way each corner drives. You actual track itself is not that difficult. It is pretty self-explanatory. You just have to figure out what the wind is doing and how to get your car to go around here better. We don't really work on 90-degree corners any other time of the year except for road-course racing." (How much does the car number 8 mean to you?): "I'd like to take it and use it the rest of my career. I'll give it back when I retire. If we don't run the 8, then we have some other options. I won't be as torn up as the rest of my fans." (Do you feel like NASCAR is accepted here?): "It has been accepted here. The fans have really accepted our series here. They turn out for the race. I still feel like this will always be an open-wheel race track. There's no denying the history of this racetrack and where it came from - all the way back to the (early) 1900s. I've read the books and understand the history. We're just a chip in a block of history, so we have to mindful and respectful of that. A lot of guys have made their careers here. It is just fun to be here and to race around this racetrack."
MATT KENSETH: (About secret to success at Indy): "You really need to have it all. You need the downforce, and you need the horsepower. But the biggest thing, I think, is that you have to have your car loose enough that you don't get your car behind people and get tight underneath people and you can get a run on people out of the corners. But I think the best place to pass is getting off the corners better than the other guys and getting up next to them and finishing the pass down the straightaway. You don't really run side by side here. You do have to be loose enough to get underneath somebody, but not too loose that you have to get out of the gas here." (About the history of IMS and where this race ranks in NASCAR): "I'd say it's in the top two. I think the Daytona 500 and then the Brickyard is how they rank. And then the 600 because it's always a big race, so it's certainly one we look forward, too, for sure. I think it's just the history here. I think it's like going to Daytona. I think Daytona is definitely the biggest race for stock cars, and this place has been here for almost 100 years or whatever, so there's obviously a lot of history here. The Indy 500 is one of the biggest races in the world, and everybody knows about that. We get the privilege of running sock cars here, so being here is one of the biggest races that we run." (About winners of this race going on to win the championship in the same year): "I think you have to be running good to be a contender to win races, and you have to win races to have more of a chance to win championships than guy's who aren't, and this is another race. I've won races that will make or break you in the championship, but that's not before the Chase. So Jeff Gordon would win a race here and finish the highest and still have a shot for the championship. I don't think we look at the stats that six out of the last nine winners won the championship. I think we just wait until we get into the Chase, and then we look at who can be the favorite. But I think you can also look at what has been going on all year in Cup and probably pick up a few favorites, too. I think the 24 (Gordon) and 48 (Johnson) cars have a good shot at winning it. They've been strong all year and the 20 (Stewart), you can never count him out, so those are the three that come to mind, and the 11 (Hamlin). The 11 has been strong, too." (About his past success at IMS): "It gives you a little extra confidence. This year, we're running the same car, but after this year, I don't think it will matter because we'll be in different cars. It will be like starting over, but we certainly have a little more confidence coming in here because we've performed well here. We don't have all perfect finishes, but we've performed pretty well here for three or four years, so it gives us some confidence." (About the growing role of technology in NASCAR): "I keep up with the technology a lot less than I used to because the engineering and models and tire data and all that stuff that we used to do doesn't work the way it used to. So I probably keep track of it less than I ever did. You still have that feel. The feel that you're looking for, and I have to relay that to the chief engineers, about what the car feels like and give them some suggestions and see what they want to try. Maybe if it's opposite direction that you think, they'll try it and see if it's the feel that you're looking for. So you still don't have telemetry and data at the racetrack. You're the only link to the race car, so you still have to get that feel and get them to give you what you're looking for. A lot of it's dependent on the tires these days. They're building tires a lot different than they used to, and it used to be that the lower the air pressure, the more grip you'd have. But they're trying to design tires now that have more air pressure and more grip, just to get rid of their failures, but you take the data that they give you and figure all that out and sort through that and it's less and less that you have to be involved, especially with the COT car. They pretty much tell you how you have to set it up and tell you how you have to put the body on, so there's less and less for the driver to do. I know that they can't drive it, though, so somebody's going to have to drive it, but it's very different with the COT car. It's very technical with the front geometry and the wing. I don't know how I'm going to help with that."
DENNY HAMLIN: (Where does this race fall in regards to races you want to win?): "For me, I'd love to win Richmond. Obviously, that being my home track. This is number two on my list. Probably Daytona is third. Because here the history is so amazing, with all of the people that have raced here. We had this one circled on our list because we knew we'd be strong because of Pocono, on how similar the two racetracks are. When we come here we have a lot more confidence than what we have of winning a big race than what we do winning the Daytona 500." (What does it say that the last two guys that have won this race have gone on to win the championship?): "I see all the guys that have won the championship and the Brickyard in the same year. I think it's because every team just pulls out the best of what they have here at this racetrack. They don't reserve it for next weekend. Where a lot of racetracks we go to, they don't want to race their good car because they want to save it for two weeks down the road. Everyone brings their best here. The guys that win here, obviously, have the best equipment and drivers, it shows. It's really the guys that are upfront every single week that do well here." (Why do you think of yourself as an underdog?): "I think a lot of it is that I am around big names. With Jimmie (Johnson), Jeff (Gordon) and Tony (Stewart). They are going to be hard to beat, without a doubt. I think we (our team) still need to prove ourselves. We feel that last year wasn't a fluke. Maybe some people still feel that way. I definitely still feel like I still have something to prove, which drives me to do better."
JIMMIE JOHNSON: (The last two winners of this race six of the last nine years have gone onto to win the championship. Is that luck or just a silly stat?): "I think it is relative to how difficult this track is. The teams that have been performing well and figure out what it takes to win here and carries over. It's obvious that there is not another track that is shaped like this especially in the chase but I think the top teams really shine here because it such a difficult track." (How did the win last year affect your momentum?): "I think it put a lot of confidence in the team. Coming to a track that has been one of our toughest, if not the worst, and come through that and win did a lot for the team, just boosting out confidence and our momentum." (How special is it to come in as the defending champion?): "It is such a neat situation. Showing up at the track as one as a series champion and of this event. I have pulled into this facility the last five years nervous about what was going to happen, and to come back this time with a smile on my face feeling like we have a chance to win." (Is this a prestige track?): "Absolutely, winning this race can make a driver's career. We've seen it through NEXTEL Cup; we've seen it in IndyCar. If you win at this facility, you've done something very few men have ever done." (Does the winner here become the favorite to win the championship?): "It depends if I win. I'll have a different opinion. I don't know. It would be hard based on the statistics to not favor that person. Stats usually ring true. But there are exceptions, and we have seen that. I think it is now harder with the Chase format, with the re-racking of the seeding process and has the possibility to change the outcome." (Why is this place so difficult?): "There's really one lane, and with the track being as flat as it is and being stuck in traffic, you really don't have an option and you don't have a lane to go outside of someone or try to get around them, and you get stuck. And you've got to be considerably faster to get through that aero push that the cars have to make positions and to pass." (Compare the prestige of the Daytona 500 and the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.): "They are comparable. They are not totally different. They both have a feeling that they each fulfill inside of me. I can say that in my trophy case and they way they line up is I have the NEXTEL Cup trophy as the centerpiece, and on either side of it I have the Daytona 500 trophy and the Brickyard trophy. They are very, very similar. And I think for the history of our sport Daytona has a little more to it, but Indy is right there, if not in part with it."
ESPN announcers Dr. Jerry Punch, Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree talked about ESPN's return to NEXTEL Cup Series broadcasts starting at this event. It will be the first NASCAR Cup event on ESPN since 2000.
DR. JERRY PUNCH: "I know today is July 27, but for me it is Dec. 23. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and Sunday is Christmas Day. I couldn't have asked for a bigger gift than the opportunity we have to come back into NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing. We waited seven years, and I have a memory that I want to go away. And it has taken seven years to go away, and that was the last day we were in Atlanta in 2000. I have never prayed for rain, but I prayed for it that day 'cause I wanted it to last one more day."
RUSTY WALLACE: "I am so excited to be here, it's unreal. I've practiced for this moment. You all know I called the IRL with Marty Reid and Scott Goodyear. I had a lot of time and television production. This is my third time back in Indy. In fact, I was with some of my friends, and they said, 'How did you know how to get around this back corner?' This is my third time here in a row. You come through this gate and go through this door and do this and do that. So I have a lot of time invested in Indianapolis here in the last year and a half."
ANDY PETREE: "We were talking about that on our conference call, about the kissing of the bricks, the ceremony down there. I watch it every year they do it, and I feel like I kind of got cheated a little bit. I never got to. I am probably the only crew chief that won this race and never got to kiss those bricks. The tradition started the third year, and we won it the second year (with Dale Earnhardt). Jeff Gordon and Ray Evernham won it the fist year and then won it again and got to kiss the bricks. It is the biggest accomplishment of a single race of my career, winning here. It was kind of a weird experience. We got into victory lane, and I didn't know anything about this victory lane. There were all of these people packed in there. It was really an overwhelming feeling. All of the sudden, I just didn't feel good. I didn't know what was wrong. I all of the sudden couldn't figure our why. It was turning and nobody told me. I didn't know if I was getting vertigo. Once I figured out what was going on, I was OK. We would like to treat it like another race and we have 20 so far in the Busch series. We've learned a lot. But this is not another race. This is a big race. I am looking very much forward to it."
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Light rain began falling at the Speedway at 1:10 p.m., postponing the start of the practice session scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
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2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Tony Stewart met with the media this afternoon. Selected quotes:
TONY STEWART: (About the momentum after winning at Chicagoland, the last event): "You have to have a string when you don't have a win, and then you get your first win and it's about a week before you come here, and that's the week to do that. That helps the vacation time. That's just a bonus. Coming here makes it all the better. I'm not feeling like I'm not going to have (a streak) here. I think with the GM power, I'm always ready to have one." (About the history of race winners here going on to win the championship in the same season): "I don't know. I think it's probably a sign of the type of person you have to have to win this race. If you get a good package here, it's a good package for other racetracks we have to run in that 10-week stretch that get you to the end, so if you run good here, you got a good shot of doing well the rest of the time. But that's really for (the media) to decide. We still race them one race at a time, so anything can happen. It's a pretty neat stat, though. If you're a betting person, you always bet on the odds. But there's no guarantees, and I'd rather bet on a guarantee." (About being a returning winner): "Definitely last year, the race level wasn't as intense. It wasn't that we weren't trying to win, it's that now, you go out with no pressure on you. Now you can just go out and focus on and have the knowledge of what got you there before. It's actually a lot less stressful. You know what it takes to win, and that's half the battle." (About his teammate Denny Hamlin): "The thing about Denny and I are that we get along really good, and occasionally we have to sit down and get things back to square, and we've never had any big problems and we never will. He could run really well here. In my opinion, he could be one of the guys who could win here. If it comes down to the two of us, we'll both race hard at the end, and the thing is, we'll race each other the best, and that's the main thing." (About being in Indiana) "We're staying here at the track. My family has a suite over in Turn 2, and so my family's here all three days and my close friends are here, and that's something that doesn't ever get to happen that we get to all be together at the same place at the same time. (This year) I don't really have a lot of obligations. This week, I've had four appearances in the last two days and so it's been a busy week, but like I said, having the vacation week that I had coming into it, with all the obligations that you have to do, it's much like hitting a reset button, and I don't feel like I can't get a break when I need one." (About potential practice rainout): "It's the same for everybody and I think the biggest thing is the way we ran at Chicago, the package is pretty good. It's not the same setup, obviously, but the approach is the same, so I feel confident that the shorter amount of practice time that we have, the better opportunity that we have to be of being competitive out of the gate." (About how he is enjoying his career): "Everyday I wake up, I'm pretty happy, so everyday is just a new day. It's not about, really, stretches, you just go out and do what you do and we're having fun as a race team, being able to do what we do. I'm having fun as a driver, being able to go out this time of year and do a lot of midget shows, and that's something I like to do and the vacation fits into it, so it's a good time to just start having fun."
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Robert Yates Racing (RYR) and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) have entered into a letter of intent for a partnership in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series. The team will be named Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, effective immediately.
The announcement was made during a press conference today at IMS.
Since Robert Yates Racing was formed in 1988, the now two-car team has posted 57 victories and 48 poles in addition to winning the 1999 NASCAR championship with Dale Jarrett. Current NEXTEL Cup drivers Ricky Rudd and David Gilliland pilot the No. 88 and No. 38 Ford Fusion's, respectively. The agreement also includes RYR's Busch program with Stephen Leicht, driver of the No. 90 Ford Fusion.
Drivers such as Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, Kenny Irwin, Elliott Sadler and David Gilliland have driven for RYR. Jarrett won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in 1996 and 1999 in RYR cars.
RYR and NHR/NHLR have had close ties with Ford Motor Company for many years. RYR has been powered by Ford all 20 seasons. Of NHR/NHLR's 101 wins and 103 poles, 55 of each have been earned with Ford power.
ROBERT YATES: "This is a wonderful partnership. This gives us a clear vision how to get to the top. It is our goal to continue to build so this team will be better positioned to contend for the championship."
CARL HAAS: "I am very proud of our accomplishments in the Champ Car World Series and hope we can have the same success in NASCAR. We have been looking to add other forms of racing to our Champ Car program and when the opportunity came along to work with Robert Yates Racing, a team that shares the same drive for success that we do, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I think that the NASCAR and Champ Car programs can learn something from each other and only enhance the championship level that Robert Yates Racing and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing have competed at in previous years."
PAUL NEWMAN: "We have always been an engineering-driven team. We think we have something special to add to the benefit of both. This in no way lessens our commitment to open wheel racing - we want to broaden our horizons."
MICHAEL LANIGAN: "The opportunity of joining Robert and Doug Yates is an opportunity of a lifetime. The Yates family has been competing against the best and winning for many years. We look forward to a long and productive association."
DAN DAVIS (Director, Ford Racing Technology): "NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing is rapidly moving, technology-wise, to engineering areas that Newman/Haas/Lanigan has years of experience with already. And Robert Yates Racing brings years of engine development and racecraft in the sport that is invaluable to this operation. Put that expertise together, along with joint ownership that is clearly committed to winning, and we have a Ford program that will be a contender for years to come."
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Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan drivers Ricky Rudd and David Gilliland offered their comments about the partnership announced today between Robert Yates Racing and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.
RICKY RUDD: "Racing today is engineer-based, engineering-driven. Actually, Carl and I talked 10 or 12 years ago about forming a partnership. I wanted to tap his resources then. For whatever reason, it just didn't work out. I went up to Chicago and met with him. I was no part of this. I found out today that this was happening, and I commend Robert. It was a smart move. He could have ridden it into the ground, walked off into the sunset, shut his operation down and built motors. His motors are second to none. By doing this, he is making a statement: 'I don't want to get out of the sport; I know I'm weak, and I need shored up.' What better way is there to get an influx of technology then this deal? It's a separate deal. They've got a tremendous aero-engineer, a guy named Bernie Marcus. He's just brilliant. I worked with him some when I was with the Wood Brothers. There are some bright, talented people over there. Again, I think it's up to each individual team to get their engineering departments in-house instead of relying on the manufacturers."
DAVID GILLILAND: "I'm real excited about it. I think that engineering background that Newman/Haas/Lanigan brings to the table is exactly what Robert Yates Racing needs. I think it's just going to make us stronger. Right now we need to be a little stronger." (How exciting is it for you to have a deal going for next year?): "It's very exciting; it's been weighing on my mind a lot. To have it behind us, we can now move forward. Just like Robert (Yates) said now with this deal with him as a car owner. He's putting it behind him, to where he can keep moving forward again." (Is that a big confidence booster, knowing that the team wants to basically continue on and wants you back?) "Absolutely, everyone has been great. Our performance has been getting better. It takes time to build those relationships and get that chemistry, to get all the right people in all the right places. Robert Yates Racing went through a big change-up last year with both drivers leaving and everybody else. There were some people that didn't want to be there that were there before Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler. So now it's just been a trying process of getting people in for the right reasons and getting all the right people in the right place."
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood presented 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jimmie Johnson with his champion's ring and an original brick from the IMS oval during a ceremony today.
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Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. met with the media during the rain delay today.
CARL EDWARDS: "Just like always, I'm very excited to be here. This is an awesome racetrack with all of the history, and to be able to run over at Raceway Park in a Busch car, that's going to be a blast. I'm just very excited to be here. On Sunday, I dislocated a thumb running a dirt car, so it has been a long week to make sure that was all going to be good. But it looks like everything is going to be fine. They built me a nice little brace, and I sat in the car, so I don't think there is going to be any problem there. I'm definitely excited about the race. We got a new body on the car, some new stuff we haven't run before. I'm pretty excited. Hopefully it works. I think its going to be pretty good. To stand out there during driver introductions at this place, and to ride around the racetrack and know you get to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is unbelievable. I worked for Kenny Schrader for a summer, and they came to a test here. It was when he was driving the No. 25 car for Rick Hendrick. I stayed at the Brickyard Crossing Hotel, and I came over here and just hung out. They had everything in the garage. I'm polishing the wheels on the semi, and they let me put fuel in the car when they came in after runs. And like, Jeff Gordon is driving by and Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader, and I'm thinking this is just awesome to be here. That was really cool. One of the track workers let me walk out on the front straightaway. He was a really cool guy. I just couldn't believe I was standing on the front straightaway at Indy. So, eight or nine years later, I get to drive a NEXTEL Cup car around here. It's really cool. It's neat, to say the least."
MARTIN TRUEX JR.: (About merger between DEI and Ginn Racing): "Well, it's really important, the exchange of information, and the more people that you can bring together and help information flow throughout the team. I think it helps everyone. It's no secret the teams with more cars and more drivers seem to be more successful. We've had three, and I think having a fourth is going to be even better. Especially with having a guy like Mark, who has so much talent. He's been there, done everything. He's one of those guys that have been around for a long time but continues to run at the front of the pack no matter where we are at or what it is in. He's going to be a great teammate, and I am looking forward to it." (Paul Menard said earlier today that merger this week with you guys and Ginn was a huge statement with DEI's commitment to excellence. How big of a statement was that and are you and Dale Earnhardt Jr. very close? Or is it bittersweet that he will not be a part of this team next year?): "Yes, it stinks that he is leaving, with him being a great friend and a great teammate for me. Not just from this year but, the past couple of years. From when I drove his Busch car, I learned a lot from him, just by being with the same team. We are going to miss him, for sure. But we have some great stuff going on. I'm very excited with Mark and his whole team and still looking for that fourth driver for next year. Very excited to see what we can learn here in the short term from the #01 team and what they are doing. To see how much better it can make all of our teams. I think it will end up making all of us better." (About drivers who ran well at Pocono also finishing well at Indy): "We ran very well at Pocono last year and didn't run well here. So I'm not sure how much of that you can translate. But it is sort of similar. But Indy is like no other. There is no other place like this. This racetrack is very unique. But our cars have run well anywhere we have taken them. Whether it has been the COT or the Car of Yesterday, as I guess you would call it. My guys are doing a great job. No matter how good or bad we ran, we just seem to have that extra bit of an edge."
The No. 24 Chevrolet driven this weekend by four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon will sport a special paint scheme featuring "Have No Fear," the canine hero from the Walt Disney Pictures' upcoming comedy "Underdog," on the hood along with logos for The Jeff Gordon Foundation.
Gordon unveiled the car Thursday during the sixth annual Jeff Gordon Foundation Bowling Tournament at Western Bowl in Indianapolis.
Die-cast collectibles and officially licensed merchandise of the Underdog car are for sale at trackside merchandise trailers and online at www.goracing.com or www.jeffgordonfoundation.org. Proceeds benefit children with chronic and life-threatening diseases.
JEFF GORDON: "Underdog was one of my favorite cartoons growing up, and The Jeff Gordon Foundationis excited to partner with Disney on this program. The fantasy paintschemes we've done are very popular, and they seem to get cooler every year."
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NEXTEL Cup Series points leader and four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon met with the media during the rain delay today.
JEFF GORDON: "It's an exciting weekend. It's one of those weekends that everybody gets fired up about, especially coming off of an off weekend. I think we are rested and relaxed and ready to get back after it and start this long stretch of races that's going to decide the championship. I always love racing here at Indianapolis. It's just a cool place with so much history, and we had success here. I look forward to being here this weekend. We had a strong car last year, and we had some issues last year. I think we made up three laps and had a good car. Certainly has me excited about this year." (About the correlation between his victories and season success here and his losses and lack of season success here): "I think it is the evolution of setups, cars changing, technology changing, other teams becoming more competitive. So I think what happens is we build our team up like the team we have this year, and this is a track that really takes a great package. You have to have the total team package here from power to good-handling car, and obviously the driver has to do his part and the pit crew, as well. You got to have the whole package. I think the best teams that win here in those years you know we've won here are times we are really on top of our game. That's sort of the coincidence of the last couple of years. Jimmie winning and winning the championship, and Tony winning and winning the championship." (Do you think that Tony Stewart is about to start one of his mid-summer streaks?): "Anything is possible. Both the 20 (Stewart) and the 11 (Hamlin) are strong teams and are always a threat every weekend. While you guys writing the Hendrick domination, those guys were dominating the laps led and to me were the best cars to beat; they just weren't getting the wins. They are definitely a real threat for this thing this year. I never count them out. When you see them get wins under their belt, it only gives them more confidence. It is important to step up, as well. We are dealing without our crew chief. We've got to fight through these six races. We've got through three of them pretty well. We've got to step up and get to victory lane. No matter what those guys do, I still think we are capable of being the team to beat week end and week out. Whatever types of pressure Tony puts on himself is Tony, and how I deal with it is me. I think that we are both very intense drivers, but we definitely have different personalities. I think that comes out when you come to a race weekend like this where the pressure is high, especially if you are a guy like Tony from Indiana. I am kind of an adopted Hoosier, I was only here 4-5 years, and it's a big, big race and you want to win it, especially with Tony's history here of not winning the Indy 500 and switching to NASCAR. So I guess he just carries it a different way. It definitely did help me by winning early." (In terms of prestige is Daytona or the Brickyard bigger, or are they similar?): "I think that it is a personal preference. Daytona 500 is our biggest event, there's no doubt about that. On a personal note, I like Indy. I like the Brickyard. My biggest win, and I don't think that I will ever top it, is the inaugural Brickyard 400. It's always going to be the biggest win to me personally, and I don't know how other people rank it, but it is the one that stands out in my mind. I want to win the Daytona 500. But there is a little something in the back of your mind that says I really want this one. The other thing is that's (Daytona) is a restrictor plate. Because it is a restrictor plate at Daytona, it takes a little bit away from your chances. It makes it sort of, not anybody can win it, but a lot more guys can win it. Here, the driver plays a really big role, and the team and setup plays a big role. And so, that is why I think that there is a little more consistency with who wins this race, and in my mind, as a driver, makes it a little more prestigious." (Have you seen a difference in Jimmie Johnson now that he has won here?): "They had some struggles here for a while where they had some bad luck where they had some things happen. I'm sure that getting that win under his belt will give him confidence this weekend. When you win at a track that maybe you have struggled at for a while then it gives you this feeling of, "We can do it." There's not like a jinx on us or a curse on us at this track. Then you really go into it as you would any other weekend and just concentrate on doing your thing." (In the last year, your life has changed personally with marriage and a child. How much do you think this has helped you?): "I think what helps you through life and with work is being balanced out. I have a great relationship with Ingrid, and that certainly helps balance out my life. I am happy because of that. Work is going well, so I am happy because of that, as well. I had issues in the past with my family, but now my dad is working with me and my mom is a grandma. Everything is just really come together. All my experiences, good and bad, have just helped me be a better person and know a little more about what I want out of life. I think that these days that I appreciate it more and enjoy coming to the racetrack more than I ever have. I think that having a baby and being married again is only making it that much better."
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All tickets for today's activity will be honored Saturday at IMS.
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SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE:
| 7 a.m. | Public gates open |
| 8:30-11 a.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series practice |
| 2:30 p.m. (tentative) | Gretchen Wilson Miller Lite Rock N Racing concert, Miller Lite Stage, IMS infield |
| 4:05 p.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying (two laps, all positions) |
| Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Talkback | Post Comment |
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