NOW THAT THE CARS ARE ALIKE, WHAT NOW HAS A HUGE ADVANTAGE?
“To me one of the biggest parts of a driver’s speed in confidence and if you don’t have confidence in the people that you are working around then it doesn’t matter how fast the race car is, it’s not going to go fast and it’s not going to be fast and you’re not going to make the right decisions. You might have the fastest race car of the day and make the dumbest mistakes. So that people part of it I think is what really drives that pure overall performance to get those four championships in a row, or three championships in a row or whatever it is.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR AFTER THE YEAR YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAS HAD, WHAT DO YOU KIND OF SEE?
“I think it’s an important year for us as an organization because we’ve done a lot of great things with people’s lesser expectations I would say. I think next year people are going to have a lot higher expectations. It’s not necessarily us of ourselves but other people of us and it’s important that we deliver from our standpoint and your guy’s eyes because you sit there and type articles about Stewart-Haas should have done this and should have done that then the sponsors aren’t going to want to come to Stewart-Haas any more. It makes a big difference and the impressions we can create based on the performances that we’ve had and the expectations that people think of us if that makes any sense.”
HAVE YOU BECOME MORE GIVING, WHERE BEFORE YOU WOULD SORT OF PROTECT AND SORT OF BE A LOANER AND NOW THAT YOU’VE MADE THIS FRIENDSHIP WITH TONY STEWART . . .
“I’ve been a loaner?”
YEAH, YOU HAVE BEEN A LOANER IN THE PAST AND IT WAS KIND OF THE WAY YOU RACED, BUT IT SEEMS MAYBE YOU’VE CHANGED IN FINDING THAT FRIENDSHIP AND THAT NICHE WITH TONY STEWART AND STEWART-HAAS?
“I like Tony Stewart’s enemies. Yeah, I agree with what you’re saying but I think each year you get to do these things, you get a little more experience and you come out of your shell just a little farther. You’ve got to be careful that you don’t stick your head out too far because you can get it whacked off. Realistically it’s still been a lot of fun this year working with him (Tony Stewart) and doing the things we’ve done. I have created a lot more friends and I think he’s created some of my friends and that’s a big part of the teamwork that we’re talking about and that chemistry.”
YOU SAID YOU CAME INTO THE YEAR WITH NO EXPECTATIONS, IF SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE THIS SEASON STARTED YOU’LL FINISH IN THE TOP-10 IN POINTS WOULD YOU HAVE THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD SEASON?
“Absolutely, going back to the competition levels of the sport and the fact that we’re a new team and part of a new organization I think that’s successful. Am I disappointed if we don’t win? Yeah. Am I disappointed if we don’t win the championship? Yes, absolutely but is it successful in some form, yes and then you have to build on those successes and those positive notes to bring more success. I think our team has done a very good job with that and at the same time at the No. 39 team we’ve kind of rode off the coat tails of the No. 14 team in respect to their wins. That’s been big for our organization as well. As an organization we’ve done even better things but for our team yes, I would say that’s its successful.”
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO YOU ABOUT THE CHASE, MAYBE THE EMOTIONS OR WHATEVER DO YOU THINK MAYBE SOMETIMES FANS AREN’T QUITE AWARE OF?
“The Chase is the reward after getting to the Chase. I think that there’s way more emotions, there’s way more stress levels or sense of stress in those five races getting up to Richmond. The Chase itself to me is rewarding. It’s time to sit down and relax and at the same time work hard but be grateful for what you’ve accomplished and at the same time use that positive attitude to build on those last 10 races. To me it more, especially in our position this year, those previous five before the Chase to get everything right. I think a lot of times teams think of that in the Chase but to me it’s a time to go out and have fun and use your experiences that you’ve gained throughout the year to go back to the tracks a second time and put it to them.”
ON SUNDAY, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THE NO. 48 TEAM IS GOING TO WIN THEIR FOURTH STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, FROM A PROBLEM-SOLVING STANDPOINT IF YOU WERE TO DESIGN A BLUEPRINT ON HOW TO KNOCK THEM OFF THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN WHAT WOULD THE KEY COMPONENTS BE?
“Dynamite (laughter) over at the No. 24, No. 48 shop. They’ve done a great job and as much as many people dislike the fact that he’s been so dominate they deserve it. They have earned it and that’s a part of the sport. I don’t know what it was like in the 70’s when Cale Yarborough won three in a row but I assume it was probably the same way. People were tired of Cale Yarborough winning. That’s okay. That’s part of the sport. If and when Jimmie gets knocked off of his throne then we’ll have something else to talk about but in the time he’s a deserving champion. I feel it makes me a better driver to race against him.”
WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
“It’s going to take a people gathering, just like I said I feel our biggest gains in the off-season will be what we can do with our people to make them stronger because I don’t feel like we’re getting beat by componentry, we’re getting beat by people and experience and knowledge that for them has been part of the time frame of them working together. That’s hard to beat. You look at Jeff Gordon and Steve Letarte and you look at what Mark (Martin) and Alan (Gustafson) have accomplished this year in their first season together, they’re going to be extremely tough next year.”
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