Q & A Collection Questions and photos by Dwight Drum
© 2008 Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen & Drum
NASCAR teleconferences are conducted by the sanction and sometimes by teams and manufacturers after and before race days. Each week during the racing season media members from across the US call in to ask a select driver or drivers questions for about 15 to 30 minutes. Racetake questions are often a part of those busy sessions. The results to some of NASCAR's biggest stars are presented in the following pages.
Drivers Connect
What they're saying...when Racetake asked:
EARLY SEASON TALK
Driver List: {Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Dario Franchetti, Carl Edwards, David Gilliland}
Kevin Harvick
You're well accustomed to new seasons. What excites you most now as you look at a long schedule?
"Well, I don't know that -- I'm kind of a week-to-week guy. I like to look to things as they come up during the week. We're pretty well I guess managed as far as schedule-wise. You know, you're kind of dictated of where you go and when you go. You try to put everything else in between.
"I think the greatest thing about our sport is you start the season and everybody has high expectations. Some people have new sponsors. You have new uniforms, new cars. Everything is new and the optimism is high.
"That's what makes the first week of the Daytona 500 so great, is everybody has a chance at the championship. Everybody is rejuvenated and refreshed from the year before. That's why it's the Super Bowl of our sport.
"You can't have every team in the NFL hyped and excited that they can win the Super Bowl when the Super Bowl only has two teams in it. Our sport is unique in the fact that our first race is the Daytona 500 and everybody has a chance of winning the championship. Your biggest race on the first week. There's a lot of hype. That's what I look forward to getting it all started off."
Jimmie Johnson
You said in the past that you don't like to get comfortable in a race car. Is that cautious approach common at this level, and is it a big factor in winning also?
"It's not necessarily a cautious approach. In the car, it's more of a mental thing that I focus on, that the times in my life where I've been confident, felt like things were going to come easier, I had it made, I had it figured out, I'd go out there and just the opposite would happen: things wouldn't work out; I wasn't fast.
"So I try to keep myself mentally sharp with that tool or mechanism that goes on in my head.
"But as far as on track, you have to go out and find the speed. There are times when the car has the speed in it, it's comfortable to drive, and you can protect yourself or protect things, protect your equipment at that point.
"There's other times where you've got to go and the car is not driving right. You've got to suck it up and drive on that other side of that line of comfort. So it just depends where the car is at."
Matt Kenseth
What did you like best working with Robby, and what do you think you'll miss the most?
"The thing is that we're still working with him so much. He's doing so much at the shop. The only thing I'm really gonna miss is the three days a week we're at the racetrack. Probably just hearing his voice on the radio and him calling races and doing that stuff, I mean we've done it for so long, but it's hard to say what I'll miss about it because I haven't really missed it yet. I guess he's been my only Cup crew chief, except for when Chip filled in last year, so certainly he's been a huge part of it and it's gonna be really different without him being there everyday. But, yet, I really think with the role that he took, I think it's gonna be better for everyone at Roush Racing. I don't know if it will necessarily be better for the 17, but I think it'll be better for everybody as a group and I think our production will go up as a company with him in that role.
"We've been needing somebody like him, in my opinion, in that role for a long time and I think Chip is as ready as he'll ever be. He's been a big part of it and the cars have become more technical the longer that we keep going on, so I think overall it will be a good thing for everybody."
Dario Franchetti
You're adapting to a lot of changes fast. Do you think the ability to adjust is the best asset a race car driver can have?
"I don't know if it's the best, but it's certainly one you need. You need to be able to adapt. I've been fortunate over the last couple years. I've driven a lot of different cars. I think one of the tough points of changing, though, is I've driving in a Champ Car and IndyCar for 11 years. So to jump into something into something completely different, a stock car, has been quite a transition. As I said, the last couple years, I've done the ALMS, Grand-Am, even some historic races back in the UK. I've been trying to get my skills back, adapting to new things."
Carl Edwards
Has having the same good sponsor like you have throughout your Sprint Cup career done a lot for your confidence and performance?
"That's a good question. Having the same sponsor to me means a lot. I love working with Office Depot. The stuff we've been able to do together with the National PTA, the back-to-school programs, I believe we've given away a total, Office Depot, has given away 1.5 million backpacks to kids that need them and can't afford them.
"I've been very proud to be involved in that. And as you go along, you get kind of a comfort level and it gives you some confidence knowing that your sponsor is behind you in the good times and the bad times. Office Depot has been right there with me. I can always call them up or they'll call me and let me know they're behind me, so that has been a good thing for me."
David Gilliland
What have you learned most from your seasons in Sprint Cup?
"The biggest thing at the Cup level is that the races are sometimes three times longer than anything I've done, so you just learn when you're racing when to take chances and push the envelope. You just learn that sometimes taking that chance isn't worth it. Patience is the biggest thing I've learned and feel like that's gonna help me the best this year."
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