RaceTake.com, a fresh take about NASCAR, NHRA and IndyCar with on-site interviews and images

       Winners'Circle                                            2007 Pre-Race Interviews
             © 2007 Dwight Drum
         Photos and Web work by Drum and Larsen                        Story and interviews by Dwight Drum

Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Denny Hamlin Martin Truex Jr. Chad McCumbee

As a media outlet sometimes we get it right and sometimes we struggle just like the motorports people we interview. But what we don't share with the competitors we seek is that most of the time, racers lose. How they deal with that failure is the saga of speed, the reason for the next race.

When we are fortunate to interview a racer before a win, we'd like to think our positive interview lifted their focus and helped their winning. We'd like to think that, but we'll simply admit our busy agenda was in the right place before the right time.

Like a racer that achieves the swift, infrequent and difficult journey to a winner's circle in top sanctions we get a subtle thrill in interviewing a competitor before they win a race. It's a plus to our quest is to bring the best moments and images to fans, our visitors.

This busy year Zoomster.com has already conducted nearly 100 interviews in NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar, Grand Am, ARCA, and Hooters Pro Cup. We have been fortunate to talk to 14 racers hours and days before they secured a win.

The sharing of their chosen words before they applied their skills to their ultimate goal and subsequent achievement is the purpose of our focus here.

On the racetrack, competition supersedes friendship and personalities vary. Off the racetrack personalities continue to be different, but winners seem to have common threads that precede the zipping of fire suits.

No two winners are identical, but their words often reveal a winning fiber. They all seem to share something besides trophies.

Ron Capps Robert Hight Angelle Sampey Karen Stoffer Dan Wheldon Bobby Gerhart

Winners' Circle

Jeff Gordon (Darlington) NASCAR Nextel Cup
Routinely coordinates his job as driver and communicator with precision while getting the most of his team and himself. His deep talent produces again and again.

Jimmie Johnson (Richmond) NASCAR Nextel Cup
Often orchestrates wins and good finishes through the maneuvering of an extensive skill set while displaying steady emotions. His clean appearance, reserved personality and propensity for brief comments is sometimes counter to his star status but his sincerity is frequent and real.

Denny Hamlin (Darlington) NASCAR Busch Series
Has gone from rookie to sophomore with amazing results and continues to be competitive. He accepts early success with humility and poise.

Martin Truex Jr. (Dover) NASCAR Nextel Cup
Quite, calm persona gives way to fierce competitor once the helmet goes on. As a close friend to mentor Dale Earnhardt Jr., winning seems like his destiny.

Chad McCumbee (Nashville) ARCA
From playing a young Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the ESPN movie "3" to being a hot driver on the rise from ARCA to Nextel Cup (Pocono) McCumbee arrives solid, humble and ready to learn. His future looks bright.

Ron Capps (Gainesville, Houston) NHRA
Looks like a movie star, acts like an ambassador.

Robert Hight (Las Vegas) NHRA
Quietly goes about his job with humility while keeping his sights on focus.

Angelle Sampey (Houston) NHRA
Has never been able to fully explain or hide her fierce competitive spirit.

Karen Stoffer (Gainesville) NHRA
Often defines in advance her goals, methodology and knows she needs consistency.

Dan Wheldon (Homestead-Miami,) IndyCar
Won't accept anything but a win and is just as fussy off track.

Bobby Gerhart (Daytona 200) ARCA
Steady and seasoned. Knows what it takes to win and often ratchets that.

Winners' Quotes

Jeff Gordon, Stock car champion (NNCS)

You've had ups and downs. Is it as difficult to retrieve momentum as it is to achieve it?
"It's a lot harder. You know sometimes gaining momentum is juts a natural process of the team getting better. And that takes some time. When you get that momentum to me it's not easy to maintain. It's a whole lot easier to maintain than it is to lose it and try to get it back." MORE

Jimmie Johnson, Stock car champion (NNCS)

Do you think fans misunderstand the role of sponsorship and your duties and all the things that go with a sponsorship?
"A lot of it is to be expected. The fans are very smart and patient with what goes on. I think a lot of it the fans are aware of, but each sponsor has it's own reason why it's in the sport. DuPont is in the sport to entertain the vendors and such. Lowe's is in the sport to market to consumers. It really just depends on the sponsor that you have and what their focus is. That may change from team to team, driver to driver." MORE

Denny Hamlin, Stock car contender

What are your emotions like when you have a good day or a bad day?
"You're emotions stay the same for the most part. A good day is when you're able to get out of the car and stand up straight. Bad days your neck hurts and you're fingers are cramped. Really it all depends basically on your performance." MORE

Martin Truex Jr. Stock car champion (NBS)

Can you describe yourself to a fan?
"Just quiet and low-keyed. I don't like to make a big fuss about anything. I don't like too much tension drawing on me at any one moment. At the racetrack it's one thing, but normally I like to just be alone. I'm kind of a loner sometimes, I guess. I don't know. I'm just a regular guy who likes to hang out and do the regular things that everybody else likes to do." MORE

Chad McCumbee, Stock car rookie

What do you like best about your job?
"Right now. It's just the thrill. This is what I want to do. How can you beat this job? If you have a job that you have fun and enjoy doing, it's just awesome. This what I want to do and if I can make a career out of it and make money doing it and live off of having fun then that's awesome." MORE

Ron Capps, Funny car driver winner

Can you talk about your team and what they go through to be a team member?
"It's everything. It's chemistry. Chemistry is everything. Some guys don't understand that. If a guy thinks he is going to do everything on his own or a driver is going to do everything on his own. He's nuts. I've been lucky enough to be around Dale Armstrong and Roland Leong, guys like that. You could have inferior talent as far as a driver, team and crew chief but if they've got chemistry, they're going to win more often than a superstar driver or superstar crew chief. You see that on football and baseball teams. It's so true, especially in this sport. I am very aware and very vocal about how little my role is I think in success. I got to do my job and I got to leave the starting line on time. I've got to keep this thing in the groove or at least try." MORE

Robert Hight, Funny car driver winner

Can you identify the common hurdles you must overcome routinely as a driver at the NHRA POWERade level?
"Well, just you know you got to keep it all in perspective. I haven't made as many runs as a guy like John Force so I'm still learning. Every run out there is a learning experience. If I keep that attitude that I still have a lot to learn. I think it will be better rather than thinking you know it all. You go out there and it will bite you in the butt real quick." MORE

Angelle Sampey, Pro Stock Motorcycle champion

Focus is important; did you acquire that or bring it with you?
"I think I brought it with me, but I think it was more defined as I've been racing over the last 10 years. I've gotten more and more focused. I think I've always been able to focus and have tunnel vision. I think as I've progressed in my 10 years of racing I've learned how to tune out things that used to bother me in the past. Like social issues and people standing around with cameras in your face, stuff like that. I just got better at it. I was always able to do it, but I've gotten so good at it now that my family and friends actually hate it. Because if I'm paying attention to something and I get focused everybody disappears. They are trying to talk to me and I lose them. They actually disappear. I go deaf and dumb to everybody around except for what I'm focused on. They get really aggravated at that. I'm actually too good at it." MORE

Karen Stoffer, Pro Stock Motorcycle winner

Not everybody can do what you do. Do you believe you have traits that are common to racers but not to the average person that enable you to do this at high speeds?
"From a driver standpoint I think it comes with them with passion and loving what you do. It's just like any career that anybody has out there, whether it be a technical trade or football whatever it is I think if you have the opportunity to do it. If you have the passion for it, you love it you'll develop the skill if you don't already have it. I think that's what drives your skills is the passion for doing something and being able to do it well. I think it really comes from within." MORE

Dan Wheldon, IndyCar champion

Can you compare the challenges of being at this level to getting to this level?
"You know it's just difficult because when you are up against a great group of drivers here. A lot of them even now are a lot more experienced than I am. It takes time to just experience things. When I think of the pace that I drove my first race, everything was happening a million miles an hour. Now when I get in the car everything happens so much slower. You know what to expect. It's different but it's whole learning experience. Trying to pick up from people in your team as much knowledge as possible to benefit you and benefit the team." More

Bobby Gerhart, ARCA Daytona winner

You've had a lot of success. Is there any special way to handle success?
"I think you just don't even contemplate it. I think the whole success thing is perception. It's a perception of maybe if you polled 100 people, you'd get a lot of different answers on that. I try not to look back on what we've done. I'm just constantly reaching forward. We continue to bring new cars into this deal and always looking forward. I think that a positive way to look at it." More

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Winners' Circle Pre-Race Words (Con't)
©2007 Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen and Drum

IndyCar, ARCA and USAC

Dan Wheldon Bobby Gerhart

Two Interviews Continued from Winners' Circle Main Page: Dan Wheldon, Bobby Gerhart

It's what they say
In the words of winners the thoughts that define drive often open up from within. Few patterns separate a winner from a contender, but common threads that comprise the fiber of winners seem to exist. We invite you to pull cause from the mystery mix of their emotions and energy. Winners are favorites because they succeed. The journey to success in motorsports is hard fought. Winners need luck too along the way, but luck won't create a winner. Take a mind tour with these winners and you too may understand what they can't explain.

Story and interviews by Dwight Drum

Dan Wheldon

Do you have a different mindset when leading in the points as compared to chasing the points leader?
"I prefer being in the points lead cause then you're controlling the situation. It's very difficult when you are chasing because you know you can't control anything. You have to be taking away points form that leader at the time. I tend to do well under pressure. From my personal standpoint I prefer to be in the lead."

Focus is important; did you acquire that or bring it with you?
"Yeah. I think I've always been focused and determined. Racing is all I have in my life and it sounds kind of cheesy and cliché but it really is true. It's what I love to do. But at the same time I don't just want to do it. I want to be special at what I do. In order to try to be that person, you need to be very focused."

Bobby Gerhart

What does the season horizon look like for Bobby Gerhart?
"Certainly an always changing environment we are in. I think at this point we're looking to go forward and run for the championship although we don't have a total commitment sponsorship locked up for all the races and that can change. Hopefully we're going to make this a championship run year."

Many top teams are struggling with funds. Can you comment on the challenge of sponsorship?
"The ever-rising cost of automobile racing probably starts that right there. The cost of trying to compete at Daytona given all the factors and all the things that the average ARCA team deals with to try to be competitive to say the least it's unreachable for a lot of people. It even is really for me. Without a lot of support around me I could not do that at this level. I think if one thing could be addressed the cost of doing this is where we need to look at it."

How do you handle the stress of driving and ownership?
"Well. It's a big challenge, there is no doubt. It think you got to just go somewhere where you can enjoy a part of what you do, because there is a big part of it that you don't enjoy. As the business side of it, you've got to make decisions that not everybody is going to be happy with and you've got break yourself away from that and just do what you got to do to continue to run the ship. And then on the other hand from the physical side of it you've got to deal with all the issues that come up there is really not a lot room in this any more to even think about driving. That's a part of it that I've always enjoyed. I still enjoy it. Unfortunately I get less and less time as I go forward to do that." ########################

Winners' Circle Pre-Race Words (Con't)
©2007 Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen and Drum

NASCAR Nextel Cup

Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Denny Hamlin Chad McCumbee

Four Interviews Continued from Winners' Circle Main Page: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Chad McCumbee

Jeff Gordon

What would you tell a fan about the emotions of when you're in the car running well as opposed to not running well?
"You know the funny thing is when you're running well the intensity level is just as high because you want to maintain that level of competition. I've been more intense this year with second and third place runs than I've been the last couple of years when I was in 15th place in Texas or some place like that. I'm a competitive person. We've got a seriously competitive team here. It's a great feeling when you're running good and doing it consistently. And there's nothing better than seeing that checker flag and knowing that you're the first guy across the line."

Jimmie Johnson

Is it as difficult to retrieve momentum as it is to achieve it?
"We learn to take things week to week and try to block out the good or bad that happened the week before and approach each race as it's own event. We have different challenges at each track and I think it's helpful to not get too emotionally high from the success or too low from the disappointment in disappointing races. So we just try to take it as it comes."

What would you tell a fan about emotions when you're running well as opposed to not running well?
"It's pretty simple. You're just confident and you're looking forward to things when you're running well. Your confidence is shattered a little bit when you're not running well. I've always been lucky to be optimistic and go to each track and feel like we're accomplishing something and that we're at least making the cars better -- even if we're not performing like we want. It's work in progress all the time in racing."

What are the common causes of winning streaks for teams and drivers on the Cup level?
"I'm not sure. We're happy to be in the middle of a streak, as the Hendrick organization is, but we're not sure why it starts or where it comes from or how to keep it for that matter. We certainly hope we can and we work real hard every week to put in a solid effort and not make mistakes. But we've been under a lot of pressure from the Gibbs cars and the Childress cars and a lot of different teams have really been strong. And we've been able to get it done at the end of the day and we're not really sure what creates all of that, but we'll go to the next one and put in the same effort and hopefully get the same results."

What do you think fans most misunderstand about driving at the Cup Level?
"The basic fans I hear quite often think it gets boring being out there in a race for five hours. But I tell them that those hours go by pretty quick when you're on the edge and going as fast as we are going."

You're probably used to being cheered and booed at the same time during NEXTEL Cup introductions. When it happens, do you know what emotions your wife and mother feel?
I think we're all getting used to it. I know from my own experience, talking to both my wife and mom, it's tough to hear the boos because they know me, know what I'm about. People that are booing haven't had a chance to get to know me and know what I'm about. Once we all got some experience and time in dealing with it, you realize they're just sportsfans, they're going to root for their guy, boo the opponents, everything's good. Just part of being in sports.

Did it take you long to get accustomed to that?
Not really. Driving for Jeff Gordon, there's certain parts of the country where they boo you just because you know the guy. Out of the gate I had to learn how to accept this at a fast rate.

Do you feel that your success has had any impact on Lowe's success?
"I don't think the racing program has, I could be wrong in trying to be humble in the same regard, but I don't think the racing program has had a hug impact. I don't really know for a fact. Lowe's is such a strong company on their own. The way they do business, the way they address the customers, I really believe we are an extension of the good work of Lowe's but not the reason Lowe's has the success they do in the stores."

Has the steady sponsorship that you've enjoyed with Lowe's helped Team 48?
"Oh, without a doubt. They support our race team unlike any other sponsor in the sport with incentives and the personal TLC that they show every single crew member at Hendrick Motorsports and on the 48 team and the 24/48 shop. They go to great lengths to make us a part of their family. We have visits from the top man, Robert Niblock, throughout the year. He comes here personally and passes out incentive bonuses and visits with the guys and has lunch with them. They really are an amazing sponsor."

Denny Hamlin

Consistency isn't easy obviously at the Cup level. Did you expect to carry over the success that you had last year to this year?
"A lot of writers didn't think so, and I knew - that's our motivation. You know, we looked at all of the predictions for this year. We ripped them out of the newspapers and we posted them in our trailer and we circled every single one of them. You know, 90 percent of them said we're not going to make the Chase; we're not going to run well. And it may still happen, but that's our motivation right now is carrying what we had at the end of last year on to this year.

"You know, so far we're really doing a good job of, you know, not beating ourselves too bad. When we do mess up in the pits, we try to find a way to recover and we're doing a good job of that. Just if we can ever have a race that goes smooth, we'd win a bunch."

Is there any secret to maintaining that consistency?
"You know, I don't think so. It's just you know, I'm getting good stuff luckily from Job Gibbs Racing. They are putting great stuff under me every week. I've got everything that the 20 car has got and it's showing every week. I am confident as a driver knowing that there's 400 employees at Job Gibbs Racing that's giving their absolute best to me."

What would you tell a fan about when you're running well as opposed to not running well?
"When you're running well, they never really feel good. For the most part you just go, even if they feel good or bad. We're slowly but surely starting to figure out the Car of Tomorrow to where they are feeling a lot more comfortable. They're a little bit harder on your body than the older car It's not too bad."

What do you think fans basically don't understand about your job?
"Well, the biggest thing is just the demand. You're not going to be able to stop and sign everybody's autograph. It's impossible. You'll never get on the racetrack if that's the case. We're trying to be the good guy and I know I am especially. It's just really hard to please everyone."

How do you balance that and maintain your focus when you have so many things to do?
"Well, you have good people around you to help you plan all this stuff. That's the biggest thing for us is you got to make sure you've got good people to make sure you have time for yourself. That's the only way to enjoy it."

Martin Truex Jr.

Can you talk about overcoming routine distractions in your job as compared to an interference like the media frenzy over Dale Jr.'s decision to leave DEI?
You know, there's not really a whole lot of distractions for me. I'm a low-key guy. I don't pay attention to a lot of things out there like a lot of people do. Some people go through life worried about what everybody thinks. I'm kind of the opposite. I mind my own business, work hard on my cars, come to the shop. I'm actually here right now going through some stuff, trying to get ready for Dover this weekend. All that stuff that goes on with the media, with the other drivers, the other crew chiefs, the teams, I don't really pay much attention to it. I do my thing, come in here and work hard on my race car.

What do you think fans most misunderstand about driving at the Cup level?
"Probably just how tough it really is, how competitive it is, how it takes one or two little tiny things to make you run bad or have a bad day."

Do you think drivers ever stop learning?
"Absolutely not. The minute you think you know everything is the minute you should quit."

What's the best way to handle success?
"Just be who you are. Just be who you were before it happened. Be the same person."

Do race car drivers have a special ability to handle stress and pressure than the rest of us?
"Well, we've got a lot of it on us at all times. I think that's probably the reason why we can. I think a lot of it is just blocking out, find things to do to take your mind off it. I like to fish and hunt, things like that and I like to get out by myself where it's quiet and relax and have a good time. It's pretty easy to do. I think because we have so much of it all the time, we're always around it; that we're probably better dealing with it than most people."

Can you explain the calm part of your personality?
"I'm low keyed. I'm kind of quiet. I keep to myself most of the time. That kind of person I guess. But when I put my helmet on, it's like you flip a switch. I'm ready to go. As long as I can do that and be me, I'm happy. I'm just kind of quiet."

What advice would you give a rookie coming into the NASCAR?
"Hmmm- a lot. You know, just focus on racing. You need to treat your fans well obviously. They are the only reason why you are doing this. Be yourself. Don't try to be somebody you're not and be respectful, especially to other drivers on the track, whether you're having a good day or a bad day."

Getting back to your calm demeanor. Can you describe what goes on inside you during a race that fans can't know?
"I get soo emotional. I mean it's just one of those things will set me off and I'll start screaming and yelling. There are times when I make sure my hand is not near the radio button because I'm yelling so loud inside my helmet. I get really worked up sometimes about little things about the way other people drive around me. It makes me mad. I get pretty mad most of the time. The madder I get, the faster I go."

Can you describe the feeling of driving into high-speed turns that fans can't possibly know?
"No not any more, because I forget what it's like to not know. I can remember the first time I drove a real race car. I was about two or three tenths lower than I needed to be and it was my first time in a modified so it was at a pretty fast track. The first ten laps I could not believe how much grip the car had and how hard you go through the turns. It's really amazing what these things can do."

What are the most consistent challenges you face at this level of motorsports?
"Just trying to stay on top of the game. Things change so fast. It seems like things you were doing two or three weeks ago aren't good enough anymore. You can win a race at a track and go back there three weeks from now and three weeks after you win and you'd be lucky to run third. Things have changed. Everybody is constantly coming up with a better way, a newer way to do things. You need to keep up with the changes."

Chad McCumbee

What do you think is the best way to handle success?
"You just can't change. No matter how successful you are, you need to just keep doing what you're doing. If you change what has made you successful you're not going to continue to be successful. I guess the thing to say there is you just got to be yourself and not be somebody different once you are successful and just striving for more. You can never do good enough in my eyes. You just got to keep after it and want more and more."

Speaking of achievement hunger, can you describe the drive that racers have inside? Do you acquire it or bring it here?
"Oh yeah, I think you bring it with you. The sport is something you love and you just have to a strong passion for it. You're going to go harder. You can never settle for second. You've always got to do the best you can and always want more when you win. You want to win the next week. You win that week, you want to win the following. You can never be good enough in my eyes. I'd rather be the best you can be. In the short time I've been in the big cars and trucks we've always been with the under-funded stuff. We've got a lot of attention for it lately because we've been competing with these guys with the big bucks. I think the reason we're doing that is everybody involved wants it. We put in long hours at the shop and we put in a lot of effort and it shows. Here in Daytona I didn't qualify all that well, but I think we'll race half way decent just because we all want it. If the guys get that thing driving good and if I have determination to drive up through there, that's what it takes. If you put together a bunch of solid finishes then you win championships."

Is there any way to carry momentum season to season, race to race?
"It's important to try to keep one group of guys together. In this sport the turnover rate a lot of times with teams, especially in the ARCA Series and even in the truck series. Most crew members want to move up also. If you can keep a group of guys together that everybody knows what everybody does. It keeps momentum going. A lot of times it helps to keep momentum going at the end of the season. All guys are pumped up for the next year. Everybody is better. Every body is learning more. It really helps the whole program."

What common hurdles do you have during a routine week of racing?
"When you unload these things you've got to be right. It used to be if you were off a little bit take a mediocre car and still salvage a top five or a top ten. I'm not saying you can't still do that but it would make it a lot tougher this year. I just see it getting worse. Not worse, I guess it's better for the fans but it get a little frustrating in the seat sometimes, but it just makes you better. It kind of goes back to running with the veterans when you surround yourself with better drivers and better equipment, it only makes you better. And in time that makes everybody better so. I think in the next couple years, especially in the ARCA RE/MAX Series with the way the Cup guys stepping up to the new car, I think there's going to be a lot of competition in this series. This series will probably get a lot more attention than it's had in years past."

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Ron Capps Robert Hight Angelle Sampey Karen Stoffer

Four Interviews Continued from Winners' Circle Main Page: Ron Capps, Robert Hight, Angelle Sampey, Karen Stoffer

Ron Capps

Focus is important; did you acquire that or bring it with you?
"Focus? I'm not sure. Everybody seems to have a different way of focusing. I may hang out in the staging lanes and listen to music and do what I do to get myself ready and focused. That might ruin another guy. I know drivers out there that don't want to be talked to, don't want to listen. They have their own way of motivating and focusing. I guess any athlete you look at, there's not going to be two guys that approach it the same. When I first started with Don Prudhomme, he wanted me away from the ropes before we got up and ran. That's not me. I can't go up and sit in that lounge and wait to run. I got to stay busy whether it's signing autographs or something. That's just the way I am. For me focus, I don't know if I already had it or I had to work at it.

"Definitely with these cars, for me I get in the car and I go through everything that could go wrong. If it goes wrong how am I going to prepare myself for it, if it blows a tire, if it catches on fire, if it noses over. You try to qo through every scenario in your head. Where as another driver may go through everything positive in his head that could happen. I don't know if I had it before. I don't think I've changed much personally. These cars demand your focus and if you don't give your focus, your 100 percent attention, it will hurt you. I think if a guy doesn't have a focus he learns quick. There's no if, ands or buts, you need to be focused."

If you were to take a fan for a ride down the fast track during competition, what would you say to them about the expectation of the experience?
"Mayhem. Pure mayhem. Most people would probably pass out. Everything that happens, everything that goes on during a run, I've often said it would be great if a fan could go through what we go through. They would understand why we get out of breath at the far end of the track. They don't understand why a guy like John Force gets out, rambles on when we just went a quarter of a mile. The amount of stuff that goes on here in every sense of your body, every smell, every noise, your eyesight, every thing is at full tilt. It has to be. You have to listen to the engine while you're being catapulted zero to 330 mph in four seconds. It's a scenario that most people wouldn't be able to go through, even with training.

"It takes a special person. At times you may talk about one driver being better than another but even if you could say the worst driver out here and I don't think you can because there are so many good guys. But if you could say the worst driver out here, that person is still talented to do this. It's not just something a normal person could do is to just get up and jump into one of these things."

Can you compare the challenges that you have now to the challenges you have getting here?
"At this level it's a different deal. I didn't do it for the money or any kind of accolades that goes along with what we do. I did it because I grew up standing at the fence at Lions Dragstrip watching Funny Cars back then, Jungle Jim and Don Schumacher, The Snake and The Mongoose. Back then my friends that wanted to astronauts and firemen. I wanted to be a Funny Car driver or a Fuel Altered driver. Back then it was a different scenario. I was a crew member until I drove. I always wanted to drive but I was OK with being a crew member. If I had to be a crew member the rest of my life I was going to do that. That's the reason I did it.

"Now days it's not about driving the car. The percentage of success a guy has out here the majority of it is the PR stuff, the camera stuff all the stuff that goes around driving a car. You still got to do your job up there but it seems like now with the corporate sponsors if you can get a guy that can drive and promote the sport and do all the media stuff well. It's a bonus. I've been lucky because I haven't had to bring a sponsor to any of my rides. I've been hired because they liked what I did whether it was in the car or out of the car. I never brought a check and said I want this ride or I need this ride or here's some money. I've had to work at it so I've been on the other side of the fence. There are a lot of guys that have been like that, Larry Dixon is the same way. Mike Dunn. Ed "the Ace" McCulloch my crew chief was a guy like that. I think that success now to answer your question is everything around the race car."

What do you think the best way to handle success?
"You know it's funny. You get some drivers out here that love to get out and just talk about how good they are. That's been my pet peeve being around guys like Snake, Ace McCulloch, Dale Armstrong, Dick LaHaie, especially Roland Leong impressive guys I have gotten to work with. One thing I've always learned from a lot of these guys is you walk quietly and carry a big stick. I wince when I hear a guy get out at the other end and talk smack about beating a guy in the next round. I just always thought that was bad Karma. I always felt I wanted to prove myself on the track and never get out and talk about how good I am. You get in a bar at night hear these drivers drinking and hanging out. You hear a guy over the corner talking about how good his reaction times were. He did this or I did that. I could never do that. It drives me bananas to hear a guy do that. You know a guy who talks too much about himself it just comes back to you. It's not a good thing."

How much of driver skill is learned and how much is natural talent?
"I think in these cars you have to acquire it no matter what. There are guys that are naturally talented. Dell Worsham, I think is a guy who is naturally talented. I heard Kenny Bernstein in an interview the other day how bad of a driver he was when he started. He readily admitted that he had to work very hard to learn how to drive these things. He was not good when he started. That probably happens out here a lot. There are also guys who are very naturally talented. They may not say so them selves but you can tell a guy when he just has it. Like Tony Stewart. There are guys out here like that given the chance would be superstars, but they may be held back by money or whatever. I think it's probably a split between guys who just have it and guys that had to work at it. The guys who are naturally talented and have to work at it as well, those are the guys who are rising to the top. I get to see both sides out here and that's what's cool."

March Match: A few words about the California nostalgic drag race.

"Next year is going to be the 50th anniversary. Me growing up on the West Coast, everybody went to the race, Ace, the Snake, the Mongoose, Jungle Jim, Don Garlitts. You hear about Indy, the US Nationals, being a place where everybody came and that's why it got coined 'The Big Go', but to be honest Bakersfield every March that race would bring out every bad hombre in the country. There probably wasn't a year of me growing up that I didn't go. It was a tradition in my family. Bakersfield used to be the site of preseason testing. Now we go to Vegas and Phoenix. Bakersfield was always the place that had preseason testing for a couple weeks before Pomona. Then they went down Highway 5 to Pomona and raced. A lot of history there. So now they have nostalgia race. This year I went and drove a nostalgia Funny Car. Now they're booking us into match races. I'm driving the cars that were circa 1971-72. It has to be 72 or earlier body on them and they are limited on fuel pumps and some other things to keep the speed down. We're talking the 1970 Barracuda body just like the old Snake and Mongoose body, no side windows. You can run whatever per cent nitro you want. To me it takes me right back to being 10 years old. It's unbelievable, the sound of the cars, the way they look. And the people eat it up. They love it. I went out there and qualified No. 1 and had a great time. It's kicked back to go there. A lot of the pressure we have here, isn't there. The fans are very cordial. They know I'm there to have a good time. It's fun. I have a blast."

Robert Hight

If you were to take a fan for a ride down the fast track during competition, what would you say to them about the expectation of the experience?
"It's funny. If you're driving the thing you don't ever tell yourself, man this thing is truckin' or it's haulin'. There's not time for that. You've got to pay attention to driving it. You really don't sense exactly what's going on. Like how fast you're going and how fast the thing is accelerating until the end of the run. Then you kind of recollect what's going on. As it's happening it's kind of a blur."

How would you define the future of NHRA?
"I think drag racing is growing. NHRA is doing a great job promoting it. I'm very fortunate to be with this John Force team because we got multi-year contracts with big sponsors. The future is bright for me right now. I'm very fortunate to be me."

Focus is important; did you acquire that or bring it with you?
"I was lucky to be into trap shooting before I started this and you've really got to focus and concentrate at that to be good at it. I think it helped me a lot in learning that what it requires here to focus to be a driver. Paying attention continuously is always what it's all about."

In a typical racing week, what words do you hate to hear the most?
"Tire smoke. Shake. Lose. Red light. All those are bad words."

In a typical racing week, what words do you love to hear the most?
"Record runs. Low E.T. No.1qualifier. Just qualified is a good word, especially after the first day. A good job. All the kind of stuff. Here it's just big E.T.'s. Anything in the 4.70's or lower. That's good words to hear on the radio."

Do you believe successful drivers handle stress and pressure better than the average person?
"Yeah, because I think to be successful you have to have a lot of experience. It takes a lot of runs to get the experience and have success come your way. I think you learn it as you go."

What do you think the best way is to handle success?
"Just continue doing what got you there. Don't ever change how you got there. What got you there is what's going to keep you there. And also further your success. Don't change once you get successful."

Is there any secret to carrying momentum season to season, race to race?
"Just work. Hard work. That's what it's all about. You can't go on vacation. You have to continuously live this and think about it. My wife won't want to hear all that but it's the truth. You have to sacrifice a lot of things to have continued success. From race to race and year to year you can't ever give up. Actually when you are on top I think you have to work harder to stay there. You've shown everybody what's out there and they're working towards to beat you. So you've got to work harder to stay on top."

Angelle Sampey

Do Champions have common traits and abilities and if so could you identify a few?
"Common traits. I think they are all common. We just have an extra gene in us that somehow never quits no matter what. It's something I think every champion is born a particular gene that says 'I will not quit. I will not quit, no matter what.' I'm not going to quit is the line of a champion. I think everything else is normal though. I think we're exactly the same. Normal people enjoy a normal life with family back home relaxing and hunting and fishing and doing whatever and doing what's fun. But when it comes time for racing and get on that racetrack there's something about us that we just won't accept defeat no matter what."

Do race car drivers, motorcycle racers ever stop learning?
"Oh, never. There's always something new. Our tuners, our engine builders are always trying some different things. We always have to learn. We have to change with the times. The bikes used to go 7.50's when I started racing and now we're in the 6's. It's always something new, always something different."

Is there a best way to handle success?
"I think the best thing to do is to enjoy each and every moment of it. I think what a lot of people do is that the struggles trying to get there; they let all the bad things overcome the good things. You kind of forget how fun the journey was. Even though the first two years of my race career I struggled and I didn't win my championship until 2000. Sometimes the bad times got a little overwhelming and I forgot about all the good times I had getting there. I think that's the most important thing to remember is that I think every step along the way is a success as long as you're doing what you love. It's not the ultimate goal at the very end of the tunnel; it's the whole journey to get there. Of course everybody wants to be on top. They want to be No.1. They want to be a champion. I think everybody who does what they love or at least attempts to do what they love is successful."

Do you believe successful racers handle stress and pressure better than the average person?
"I think that's probably true. We have to learn how to transfer our focus from what's going on in our everyday lives to back in the pits with the fans and the media to whatever we have to do on the motorcycle or the race car. It's easy for us to turn things on and off. Where some people may have something bothering them and they don't know how to forget it somehow. We don't have a choice. Our safety is at hand. When I get on that motorcycle and I'm upset about something personally, I can get hurt. I have to, it's not a question if I can, I have to turn that off and get on the motorcycle and focus."

Karen Stoffer

What do you think of the Danica Patrick past media frenzy in IndyCar racing?
"She's an awesome driver but I don't see it revolutionizing women in motorsports in NHRA. Now had you seen that in NASCAR or Sprint Car somewhere where women aren't really involved - yet. Then I would think it would start to revolutionize motorsports. I think that NHRA is so experienced in that area. We've been doing it for so many years in so many positions throughout NHRA. I think it's great. I think it's awesome, but I don't think that it will catapult us any where."

Do you think that most teams in the NASCAR garage understand the female driver potential?
"They don't. It's fairly well accepted here within the fans. I think that's why we have a lot of family environment here. We have a lot of kids. We have a lot of women. I think it brings more attention and more into the sport. But I think that's been going on for a long time. I don't think this is going to bring us leaps and bounds. I think it's continually progressing."

Focus is important; did you acquire that or bring it with you?
"I think coming in the way I did from bracket racing, I think I brought it with me. Once you put your leg over the bike or put your body in a car whatever your vehicle's choice may be, you have to turn the switch on and be 100 percent focused on making that perfect pass - looking at your target, going down straight and doing your job. There are many situations, many thing that can happen in your peripheral or somewhere else that could take that focus and attention away. I think the years of bracket racing for myself personally helped me bring that to the pro ranks."

You've won in a very competitive sport. Do you think there is a best way to handle success?
"I'm not sure if I'm the benchmark for handling success. Really I have two careers. It's kind of jack-of-all-trades-master-at-none. Do I think I could be better in both? If I were to just pick one, I could probably excel and focus 100 percent more of my time and attention to one and be best at one. But I really enjoy what we do and I think we can win a championship the way we are doing it. I also think I can move up in my GE career the way I'm doing it now. That's the choice that I have made, but I think I can handle it now. I need a very strong support network to do that. Thank God I have this huge support network that makes sure I'm in the right place at the right time. It helps me take care of things so I don't have to take care of things on the road.

"Again, I think it gets back to who you are and the passion that you have. Right now I really have a passion for doing things well. I love the atmosphere at NHRA. I've always loved NHRA and what it's all about. I love the family environment. I love the people. I love the sport of racing. I would do anything to be on a bike or in a vehicle, but I've also gained that same love for my career and what I do. At this point in life I haven't had to make a choice. I'm fully prepared to make a choice if I have to get to that point. At this point in time I'm able to do both successful and I'm very happy about that."

What's your take on the 07 NHRA season?
"I think in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle we're going to see a lot more sixes. I think people took 2006 to try to understand and develop the new program that they gave us last year. I think they actually have it under their belt now. It's about time for bikes. If you think how long it has taken to break that barrier. We should be fairly close to Pro Stock Cars or a little bit closer. They've been doing it for a while. I think it's great. We're riding the Geico Suzuki. We love it. There's a lot of Buells every year. They seem to grow exponentially. We get four or five out, not just one or two. It's a tough road out here with the Screamn' Eagles and G2 Squared Buells. But the Suzukis, there's a lot of technology still left in them. We're going to support them. We love doing it. I think we can run with everybody out there. We have to be consistent. That's the game plan for the Geico motorcycle in 2007. We gained a little bit more last year. We're going to continue doing it until we make four good qualifying sessions and four good elimination sessions. That's the whole goal. In order to do that you have to be perfect every time, you have to get a lot of experience and history and understand the track, the air and what the motors are doing. Every day we learn something new. Every race we learn something new. You think you have it all down pat and you try something and it just doesn't work. Every day we're learning stuff. That's the goal here."

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