Q. Tony, tell us about your run.
TONY STEWART: It was a long day. We started 25th and got in the Top 10 there on the first run and then we came into pit, we didn’t get the fuel in the car. So it put us I don’t know, 30 some odd laps down on fuel window.
So the next two runs go green all the way, so made us have to short pit there and then, you know, we had to stay on old tires there. It helped us at the beginning but it would cancel out because the pit sequence would cycle around. The bad part is when you go early like that, you’re having to catch all of these lap cars and catch cars that are slower than you and you just burn your tires off getting through there to make up some of the time that you’re losing because you’re a lap down.
Just fought all day and we got to our last fuel window stop there and had to pit I think a lap or two laps I think before Kasey blew up in that post lap down and catch the wave and start at the back and worked our way up.
Q. You talked a few weeks back about being in a twilight zone trying to find something with the team; is it a sign things are going in the right direction and what’s expected anyway?
TONY STEWART: I think we hope it’s a good sign. It’s always been a good track to us but last year we had decent runs and we didn’t have the run like we had today. So I’m hoping it’s a sign that things are turning around a little bit and that we are for sure, we went and did a test to get ready for this race and we think I can definitely attribute today to that test.
So I just appreciate everybody’s work at Stewart Haas. Nobody has quit on the deal. We have all just dug deeper and, you know, it’s hard when you’re down like that. It’s hard to keep motivated and keep everybody pumped up, and we all kind of have to pat each other on the back and keep each other pumped up. I’m as guilty of it as anybody, but I’m really proud. We go back to the shop tomorrow; I’m going to make sure I’m going to take the time to thank everybody.
Q. Not doing the testing on tracks, are you starting to change your idea or do you feel like you have to do something?
TONY STEWART: Well, I think when you’re behind like we’ve been; you’ve got to just go do something. You’ve got to try, at least and try to find something. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to pertain to what you do here or anywhere else but you have to at least try and see if you can find something, a characteristic or feel that you like. When you struggle as bad as we have this year, it definitely wasn’t going to hurt to go do something like that.
Q. Mark Martin said on Friday that racing has really changed in the last few years as far as lack of respect and lack of being able to trust other drivers out there as much as you used to be able to and trust them to race you the way you race them, and today, really, the closing laps showed the ultimate respect between drivers. Do you think what Mark said is true or it’s just the nature of the beast?
TONY STEWART: You’ve already talked to Mark. So I don’t know that I need to add anything.
Q. Talk about what happened on the last lap between you and Kurt Busch.
TONY STEWART: Oh, that was my fault 100%. We both dove off into one and we both went as deep as we knew we could make it in there, and it’s my responsibility as the driver on the inside to keep control of my car, and I lost it, and luckily, the good news is I’m hitting flat and it didn’t knock him out or spin him out or anything like that but it was definitely 100% my fault for losing control of my car.
Q. I know you felt like you walked into that finish at Pocono a little bit, but do you feel like that was a momentum builder? I know you talked about the test, too, but after that seems like you flipped on the light switch and have been taking it up another level since. How much does luck push forward and help add to the momentum of the team?
TONY STEWART: Today is over and we have to start tomorrow for next week. Everybody talks about momentum and it’s a theory, I guess, in all reality. Still doesn’t matter what we did today or last week or two weeks ago when it comes time next Friday to go on the racetrack, we have got to do our job and do it right. Just seems like if you start doing things right, I mean, we just never got track position at Pocono, and that’s the part where I didn’t run up there all day but we had a fast car when we did get up there. It’s just a situation where you have to go out and keep working each week and trying to make your stuff better and better.
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