Some Drivers are talking from the Media center at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Carl Edwards is Up
I like Carl and the way he answers questions. He has a nice enjoyable manner about him. Lots of Carl Edwards questions were based on his new baby. A reporter asked if he changed a diaper yet and he told everyone how he practiced on Matt Kennesth’s baby a few times. The media got a kick out of that. Carl said his car will be in race trim for practice due to the chance of rain. He said his wife Kate and the baby are doing just fine. Congrats once again Carl and Kate.
Kevin Harvick was up next
Kevin Harvick did a lot of talking based on the spoiler and how it will effect the building of the race cars. He also talked about the passing of his dog this week when Jeff Gluck of SBNation.com asked a question. Kevin also talked about the upcoming race next week in Atlanta. Kevin has a good record at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and got his first win there. Marty Smith from ESPN asked about losing last weeks race and his comments about the 48 team. He kind of avoided the answer the media was really looking for. It was a nice try though Marty, much appreciated.
Next up was Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton started off by asking the media why they were so quiet. He found out no one was lucky on the slots last night, it was good way to get the media on your side from the start. First question was about how a driver feels in the car. Jeff talked about how a little change in the building process gave the cars much more grip. Jeff Wolf asked about his win 10 years ago in the rain shortened race. He asked about Jeff’s practice and race set ups. He was asked about small tracks and how it is the base for NASCAR on the local level. Jeff talked about how RCR racing has been very good this year so far but with the spoiler change comes it will make a difference. Jeff was asked about the win by the 48 team last week and Jeff talked about how he did everything he could to win the race last week. Jimmie and his team just did it a little better.
Jeff talked about next week in Atlanta and how the cars handling is a key to winning races there. He was asked about Bristol and how the racetrack got smaller with the addition of safer barriers. Jeff said he liked racing at the old Bristol.
Clint Bowyer was up next
Clint was asked about how he was feeling about how good the RCR cars were this year. He is looking forward to the spoiler change and how it carries out. He is very happy with the start of the season for the RCR teams. He was asked about Greg Biffle’s new dirt track in Oregon. Clint says its too far from home, unless Biffle is paying him good he won’t be there. That got a chuckle from the media. He was asked about how he felt about last weeks dirty grill pit stop and how it could have cost him the race. He basically said it happens but he was happy to finish in the top 10. He talked about hard work and how it will pay off this year. Clint mentioned how going from 4 teams to 3 teams is good in a way as they are able to focus more on the teams. Clint was asked about his pit crew and he told us he is happy and how his pit crew gets him 5 more positions every week. Once again a reporter asked about next week in Atlanta and Clint answered that it reminded him of a dirt track with all the slipping and sliding the car has. Marty Smith from ESPN asked about the race last week and how the 48 got lucky with the win. Clint answered that Jimmie has a good team but it is not good for the fans in the stands and something needs to be done about the speed coming around to the start finish line during a caution.
Mark Martin was up next
Mark was asked about the rain tomorrow and how it will change the qualifying and set up changes. Mark said it will be a minor change in routine but nothing major. Mark said “Everyone will be in race trim for practice.”
He was asked about all the babies being born lately and he is happy to see it. He likes the NASCAR family getting bigger. His was asked about what he remembers from his first win, he responded with how him and Jeff Burton had a good race that day. Mark told us about how he took off from the helicopter after the race and thinking about how cool it was to win a race in Las Vegas. Mark was asked about the younger drivers and he mentioned the 99 driver in the Nationwide series and how he likes him.
Mark was asked about the changes in NASCAR and the media. He talked about how its changed a lot for the better. Mark was asked about how the track condition is as it is maturing. Mark said he likes driving here. He said it is a great venue for the fans and Las Vegas is a great place and the people are great.
Jimmie Johnson Up Next.
First question was what was he looking forward to this week and he said he likes the track “Its a very aggressive track.” Jimmie was asked about how the 48 team breaks down a race. He said he gets the big adjustments out of the way on the first stop or a very early stop just like many teams do. Jimmie talked about how he won the race last week and how luck was involved but he still had the car to win the race. He was asked about how he feels about people who are naysayers and he pretty much said to heck with them. (I chuckled over that one)
Jimmie was asked about his winners circle appearance has changed over the years. Jimmie doesn’t think the program is working as needed for selling tickets but he will do anything to get fans in the stands. I am enjoying him being very candid with the media, it is quite refreshing.
Jimmie was asked about the Hendricks problem with the axles lately. He said they have been keeping an eye on it but he doesn’t know all the details. Jimmie was asked about Danica-mania from a local reporter.(Go figure) Jimmie said it would have been good for her to race in the lower levels first but the exposure for NASCAR is huge and we should ride the train while its here. Same thing for Max Papis and how he jumped right into oval racing.
Jimmie was asked about his domination and if it’s good for NASCAR. Jimmie talked about other sports and dominance. He mentioned Shawn White and Tiger Woods (until his latest troubles) and how they have been good for their sports. Another question was about his success and how he handles it, he talked about how he can’t dominate forever and he knows that. He said he will be driving for a long time and it’s bound to happen. Jimmie was asked about a second race in Las Vegas, he said it is tough to add a second race to any venue. People will skip a race a year because they know they can make the second race there later in the year. Last question was about the condition of the track. Jimmie said he likes the “Progressive banking and the resurfacing”. It takes 3 to 5 years to get a track back to good racing after it has been redone.
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