by Vinny on February 26, 2010
Kurt Busch in the Media Center
Started off with an announcement from NASCAR that Kurt will be at The Palms April 14th for a charity fundraiser at the Rain nightclub. I didn’t catch all the details but I will post it later. Kurt was talking about the racetrack at Las Vegas and how his brother Kyle has won there and he hasn’t yet. Jeff Wolf asked about Kurt’s charity fundraiser last night, Kurt says over $30,000 was raised for the Kurt Busch foundation. The highlight according to Kurt was Marty Smith’s wreck which Kurt compared to Michael McDowell’s wreck from last year. That must have hurt! Will have to go check on Twitter to see if Marty is ok.
Next question is about Danica mania, which is not a shocker. Someone asked Kurt earlier if he was racing on Saturday because Danica was and he responded that he didn’t know he had that pressure on him. That got a big chuckle from the room. He then said he loved the attention but said Danica isn’t running with the big boys yet.
Kurt did a little talking about the comparisons between him and his brother Kyle. He was quite fun of an interview.
Next up is Joey Logano
First question was what did he learn in practice, Joey said it was tight in race trim but its better now and he has a good car. Next question was about the bobsled events in the Olympics. Apparently Joey was working with them to get more speed during the off season. He said it was cool watching them on tv after knowing all the stuff they go through with the sled. Next question was about him coming back after a big crash. He talked about how he won a race after a big crash last year.
Next question was if he had talked to Greg Biffle yet since their run in last week. Joey said he hasn’t talked to Greg and it was just a racing deal that is over with now. Next question was from Jenna Fryer about if he has confidence or is he still a little nervous. He says he was all excited now that he is up to 9th in points and he is giving his crew chief better information. You can tell he is not a rookie anymore.
Next question was about the Nationwide series and the younger drivers coming up. He says the younger drivers are kind of use to the Nationwide car because it is similiar to the cars they drive on the lower circuits. It is a bigger learning curve going from Nationwide to Sprint Cup then it is from the smaller series to the Nationwide.
Danica Patrick up Next
I am wondering how long it will be before someone ask her about something other then NASCAR. I can just feel it in my bones. It is amazing to me how the media room is filling up with a lot more people. I know it’s a matter of time before someone asks. First question was about practice, she talked about how she and Tony Eury jr have been working well together. She said it is a learning process coming to a new track. She wants to finish in the top 25 this week, kind of a little goal. Next question was about driving an Indy car and a stock car this week as she is testing for the Indy car as well this week. She talked about a change in the way her steering wheel was changed this week and she moved it back.
Next question was about her not moving ahead so fast after moving up fast in her Indy car career. She spoke on the things being different between the two and it creates some false expectations. Next question was from Bob Pockrass from scenedaily.com and he asked if she went back and watched film from last weeks race. She said no because she was not that happy with the results. Between the testing for the Indy car she didn’t have the time anyway.
Next question was asked if her picturial a few years back helped her get into racing (there is the question we were waiting for). She said No and it was just her having fun. It seemed like she has answered that question quite a few times as she seemed a little annoyed with it. (I liked that she showed some emotion You Go Girl)
She went on talking about how she is being friendly to everyone she meets and likes interacting with the fans. Question was asked about the fans and Indy race fans and she said that NASCAR fans get to know there drivers a lot more because NASCAR is always on tv. Indy racing lacks that interaction. She likes the interaction that she has had with the fans so far.
Next question was about her plan for her Nationwide team since she won’t be driving for a while. She talked about how she is gonna miss the guys and looks forward to testing the car and driving again in New Hampshire. Next question was about her relationship with Dale Jr and she said she understands his deal with the media and they don’t talk much about her in the media, just about the race car stuff.
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by Vinny on February 26, 2010
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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