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mrsmopar12 · #21 (**permalink**) 05-14-2007, 12:48 PM

Jeff Gordon/Steve Letarte Post-Race Transcript
GM Racing Communications, Press Release

POST-RACE WINNERS PRESS CONFERENCE

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Impala SS
Steve Letarte, crew chief of the No. 24 DuPont Impala SS

ON THE RACE AND WHAT TURNED IT AROUND FOR HIM:

GORDON - "Well I don't know where to begin. The thing that stands out the most to me that turned around for us today was one, Steve and I just trying to make adjustments - obviously I wasn't making 'em I was just giving him input - but those guys making adjustments. So it made the car a little bit better but there was one time when we stayed out under green and made a stop real late. The caution came out immediately after that and then a bunch of guys ahead of us came in and got tires. That put us up in the top five with only one lap on our tires and from that point on we seemed to stay in the top-five so track position was obviously very important. And then we were able to just fine tune. The car was pretty good. We bounced between loose and tight but still maintained that top five. Then the water temp kept and all that stuff started going up and sky rocketing and certainly had us concerned and I didn't think we were even going to make it to the end. We were running pretty comfortably behind Jimmie and I was going to be very happy to finish second to Jimmie today because I just wanted to finish because everything we've worked so far towards, I just didn't want to lose all that momentum and that ground. To then have that caution come out and Steve make the call to stay out and Jimmie come in and the engine last. It was just a ton of emotions going on today that is was a pretty unbelievable victory."

ON THE STRATEGIC PIT CALLS HE MADE AND ON THE STEAM COMING OUT TOWARDS THE END OF THE RACE:

LETARTE - "I think Jeff picked the right part of the race that really turned it around was that green flag cycle. We really weren't good enough to short pit, at that point we were just trying to get the best finish we could so we decided to stay out and hope for a caution and it didn't come and then just a lap after we pitted it did come which worked out good. We had fresh tires so we decided to stay out and that moved us into the top five. The cars just handled quite a bit different in the top five and I think we made better decisions as a group and maybe had a little better read on our car since we were clean air. Once it started to overheat we pulled all our tape off but there really was no other fix so the Hendrick engine department, they've really, really impressed us time and time again over the last few years and today was another perfect example of teamwork and a whole company coming together and all the small details that people forget. That's what came together today with good pit stops, a good car and a good finish with the engine."

ARE YOU CONCERNED YOUR TEAM IS TOO STRONG THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON AND THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING MOMENTUM:

GORDON -"I'll be honest with you, today we were off. Steve and I have already been talking about things that we're going to do different going forward. Not that we go to this type of track anywhere else, but the speed mainly and the banking of this track. We made some mistakes on what we had in the car and that's why we struggled so much today, why we couldn't move forward. To me we won a race today that probably shouldn't have where we didn't win at Martinsville. I feel like we've had some get away from us that maybe we should have won. Now we've won some.We've won some that we shouldn't and we didn't win others that maybe we should of. I think that right now it's just about continuing to move forward. I'll always constantly try to get better and while I do think that some other guys are going to figure some things out close the gap, I still feel confident that we've got room to improve as well. If we can continue to do then I feel confident but right now what I'm excited about is that we've got a great race team. My goodness we've got a great race team. I think today's performance really showed what kind of race team we got. We're going to be on and we're going to be off with the race cars at times but when we can perform the way we did today with a race car that's not capable of winning, it's got me very, very excited about this entire season."

WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT AT THE END TO FOLLOW JIMMIE INTO THE PITS BECAUSE YOUR CAR WAS GETTING HOT?

GORDON - "You can probably ask Steve that. He makes those calls. I didn't say much on the radio because I was shocked that Jimmie was going to come in. I didn't think we'd run enough laps...if you got the lead in clean are, I don't know what'd be run six laps. If you got the lead I didn't think that was enough laps to come in. Track position is extremely important today. I was pretty happy that he was telling me to stay out but it was his call but he can tell you more. One of the reasons I didn't want to come was because when we stopped on pit road the overheating got worse and so I wanted to keep moving. I ran in fourth gear to put the rpms as low as I possibly could to not build heat. I tried to just get as much air and being out front.honestly had we gotten behind we probably would have blown up. I think that's why a lot of guys blew up there at the end because they were actually behind other cars and not enough air was getting to the front to even hold on to the end. From my standpoint we didn't have much of a choice because we thought we were going to blow up but I will say if he told me to come down pit road I'd have come down pit road. He said stay out and I thought it was a great call."
WAS THERE A TIME THAT YOU KNEW YOU GOT THE CHEMISTRY RIGHT?

LETARTE - "I don't know if there's a specific moment. The one race that comes to mind that I feel we did the best job last year was the fall Charlotte race where we broke towards the end. We were just pitiful in Charlotte in May and we weren't very good. We had struggled at the mile and halfs a lot that year and we showed up at Charlotte in the fall and we weren't very good again. We qualified extremely bad and to build a momentum and make good decisions that day, we were in a position to win when we had our engine failure and I think that's the one that maybe gave me the most confidence to make decisions. But I think the key is we're going to run bad again. There's going to be a week that we show up where we struggle and we miss it and run bad. Those are going to happen and I think that as long as you can accept it, there's no fault in it. We all have a percentage in it, some of us might have more than others. As long as you understand you're going to miss it some weeks and just get the finish you can. At Bristol we completely missed and we came back for a top five and I would say this weekend here there weren't many highlights until the last 10 laps here this weekend and we still pulled out a good finish. I think the key is there's no magic chemistry it's just being on the same page all the way through the team top to bottom."

GORDON - "Steve doesn't quite give himself enough credit but to me we were a team to beat for the Chase last year. We were strong, real strong and we had some failures. We didn't run good at Homestead. It was the only place in the Chase that we did not run good. We had failures and problems that kept us out of it. To me that was when I remember us really gaining momentum with how strong we were in the Chase last year. I feel like the momentum coming from the 48, we're in that some shop so.Steve got a year under his belt and then had an off-season to just say 'OK, we don't need to reinvent the wheel. We just need a little here, a little here, a little there and ever since this year started I could just tell the cars are better, he's more confident. The guys are behind him and then when we go out and put the results together on the race track, it just builds momentum. He had to push me today. I was just not very happy inside that car today yet the whole time I was screaming we were still maintaining top 10 at that time. We made a few adjustments, saw some improvement and even there at the end I just didn't think we were going to make it to the end. Steve just kept saying 'Hey, we got this. We can do it. We can do it. Stay with us.' I never slowed down or anything like that. I was just a little frustrated. There's going to be days when I'm going to need that and he was there to be able to that today. Besides getting this team to a whole new level that part of it is nice as well."

ON IF HE SAW THE DEBRIS ON THE TRACK AT THE END AND IF THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CAUTION:

GORDON - " Absolutely should have been a caution at the end but there shouldn't have been one before that so that's why I'm not saying anything about it. So that's why I'm not saying anything about it because there should have never been one, the caution before that when we really checked out and those guys never even had a chance at catching us. They were caught in a lot of traffic and we had a great restart. I was pretty upset they threw that caution. There's wasn't a think on the race track but I will say there at the end - debris, oil, everything you can imagine was on that race track and that comes back to the inconsistency. I'm glad they didn't they throw it at the end but I didn't understand why they threw it earlier. It can work with you or against you, today it worked for us."

WILL IT HURT YOU THAT THE DOVER TEST IS CANCELLED?

LETARTE - "We always like the opportunity to go to a race track and test but I feel that Hendrick Motorsports is very well prepared with this car and I feel that it's no secret that the banked tracks have been our weakness. I feel we didn't have the best car in Bristol and we got fortunate to win there with Kyle. I don't feel we had the best car today and we were fortunate to win here. I believe the 11 probably had one of the best cars. Jimmie was better and he had a little different setup. I feel between the four crew chiefs we can make good decisions and go to Dover and be competitive. I really don't have an opinion either way on the Dover test. I'm kind of glad. The crews deserve some time off. Unfortunately the weather has been bad these last two weeks. Those guys put in night and day effort to run these two different cars and especially with Chevrolet having two different engines. It's a lot of work and they deserve the rest. I think NASCAR made the right decision to completely cancel it."

GORDON - "I think you know what my opinion is."

WAS YOUR MOM HERE AFTER THE RACE?

GORDON - "They bailed on me. Man, I had my mom, my sister, my nephew, my dad and I can't wait to call them when I get done because my sister's never been to victory lane nor my nephew and they always come to Darlington being the Mother's Day weekend and I cannot believe that they left. That was my gift to her. I got a little something for her as well but I really wanted to see them in victory lane. It was great to have Ingrid here. This is her last weekend of traveling so she was pretty emotional. It was very cool to have mom-to-be in victory lane. But yeah they bailed on me. I can't wait to call them when I get done here and chew them out."

ON UNDERSTANDING DENNY'S SITUATION OF LOSING WHEN YOU HAVE A GOOD CAR BUT A MISCUE AND ON DOING SO WELL WITH THE IMPALA SS AND NOT MISTAKING THOSE MISTAKES:

GORDON - "That's why I said that we've got an incredible team right now because we're not making those kinds of mistakes. Maybe things aren't going perfect for us but at the end of the day we're getting the results that we're looking for. To me that means more than anything else. Those are things that when we do have the car (good) are going to pull us through to get the good finish or the victory and then have days like today where we pull of victories when we probably shouldn't. I can understand his frustration. They've been very strong and probably tired of hearing everybody talk about Hendrick's domination especially with this car. We keep saying 'We're not dominating, we're not dominating, we're just getting the wins.' I think today showed those guys they had it again and I don't know what happened, how he got behind. I just know there was one time that he was ahead of me coming in the pits and he was no where in sight when we came off pit road. Those are the things that those guys obviously have to work on but we've got to go to work to make sure that when they don't make those mistakes that we're competitive enough to beat 'em. I'll be honest, today, here, Bristol and probably even Richmond we were not the competitive car to win or get the good finishes but we pulled it out so we know we got some work left to. I'm excited about that because we're still getting good finishes and we've got some work to do. It's not going to be long before they start ending up in the winners circle."

IS IT FAIR TO SAY HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS IS DOMINATING AS MUCH OFF THE TRACK AS IT IS ON THE TRACK?

LETARTE - "I think that we're dominating the finishes. I don't think we're dominating the races by any means. I feel we've been outclassed on the race track a few of these races and that's my job to fix. I don't feel we're bringing the cars to outrun some of those guys on the race track but I feel we're out teaming them at a lot of these races. It's just like you said, it's a lot off the track. It's the motor department, the pit crew department, there's 550 people employees there and it's very important for them to know that we couldn't do it without all 550 of them. Everyone who laid a hand on that motor today made a big difference for us finishing this race and that's the difference. Martinsville is really the only Impala race that I feel that Hendrick had the cars to beat. I don't believe there's anyone in Martinsville that can run with us but I think the other ones we got the wins but I don't believe we led the most laps. We might have lead the most laps but we weren't the most dominant car. There were cars there that were better than ours. That's the strength of our organization is we're not afraid to admit our weaknesses and accept them and we're going to work on them."

DID YOU THINK THERE WAS ANY CHANCE THAT DENNY COULD RUN YOU DOWN? WAS THE MOTOR DOING ANYTHING WRONG OTHER THAN SHOWING BAD ON THE GUAGES?

GORDON - "There was a couple of a times under caution where I went to scuff the tires and accelerate and it hesitated and it popped a little bit and I thought 'We're done.' I thought that was it. I was in third gear when I did it though so sometimes they do that in third gear. On every restart when I was in second gear it took off perfectly throughout all the runs. It did everything as normal so I was shocked as anybody else. The think that gave me some comfort was that when we got going it seemed like the oil temperature would drop a little bit which was a good sign and the water pressure would drop a little bit and I didn't see water spewing out the overflow so those were all good signs to me other than I was hoping we weren't out of water. I thought that Jimmie was going to catch us. The second to last caution I was very frustrated with that caution. I didn't see any reason to have that caution. There was nothing on the track, there was no smoke, a guy got completely off the race track when I think it was a blown engine and I thought they were a little quick to throw that one. At that time I didn't think anybody was going to catch us. The car felt great. We had like 18, 19 laps to go and the fast cars were in a lot of traffic and at that time we were just pulling away. The last caution knowing that Jimmie was only three behind me, when they took off and he got by the first car right way I think Junior and then got up to Newman, I said 'No, we're done.' I even came on the radio.I kept trying to put the laps together and not make mistakes and until Newman battled with Jimmie and held him up there for about two laps at that point I thought 'Oooh, I think we might have him.' Then when I saw Jimmie got passed by Hamlin I knew that just slowed them down that much more and it just gave us even more of any advantage. I'll be honest, when Denny got into second I really didn't think he could catch us. I thought long before that they were going to catch us. Newman knows how to make his car very, very, very, very wide and he certainly did that today. The only friend I think he made out there was me. I was glad he was holding 'em up but at the same I hate it for those guys because I know they definitely had the cars to win the race."

DID YOU HAVE ANY BEER CANS THROWN AT YOU?

GORDON - "No, not today. I didn't see any anyway. There was a lot of smoke because I was doing a burnout which I'm not very good at but I did a pretty good one today. I didn't see anything. I saw people cheering and I was happy about that. I don't pay too much attention to that. When they throw things at me, it's a safety issue but it's a compliment to me."

mrsmopar12 · #22 (**permalink**) 05-14-2007, 12:48 PM

ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM AND HIS CREW TO BE A PART OF THE ALL STAR EXPERIENCE:

LETARTE - "The whole All Star weekend is an interesting weekend really. It's hard to prepare for because we're prepared and we race as a company to try to finish the best we can in points and it's really hard to go over there to race. I mean it's a lot of money they put up and it's a prestigious event and it's good for momentum but I really like the 10-point bonus for winning so I maybe wish they had a 10-point bonus for winning the All Star race. But we went over and tested for a couple of days in Charlotte. Our test was about average I think. Jimmie was good at Lowe's which is no surprise and I think the pit crew is excited. The pit crew competition they do at the Bobcats Arena is great for the pit crew. It's gets them on TV, it gets them recognition they deserve but Friday night qualifying, that's the true pit competition in my opinion because that's a true four-tire stop like we do every Sunday. Whethever we can put the three laps together as a team or not, I like to see that they always usually fill up with a pretty impressive stop and I like to root for them there."

YOUR WIFE WILL SOON BE A MOTHER - WINNING HERE ON MOTHER'S DAY, IS IT SPECIAL FOR YOU?

GORDON: "It was fantastic to think that here in about six or seven weeks she's going to be a mother and anybody that's had a child can tell you that you feel like a mother at this stage in the game and she's got a lot of emotions going on right now. We were already planning to give her kind of a pre-Mother's Day celebration along with my mom and my sister, being mothers, and kind of doing that together. So I can't think of a better gift to give her and my mom. Unfortunately my mom wasn't here. But it was very cool. She had a little tear in her eye so definitely the emotions and the hormones are flying right now. She knew, too, that this was her last weekend to travel before she has the baby so I think that meant a lot as well to her to be able to pull that off before she's stuck at home for a little while."

WHEN YOU WON CHAMPIONSHIPS, YOU HAD VERY FEW DNFS. IS IT LUCK?

GORDON: "I don't believe in luck. It's through preparation and hard work and obviously things are going our way right now and that's nice. That's very nice to have on your side and I do hope that we can maintain that side of it because it's making for a fun year. Every year I won the championship there wasn't a Chase and I want that Nextel Cup so bad. So does this team. We've got Winston Cups, we don't have a Nextel Cup and we're hungry to get it. We're doing a lot of things right to show that we're one of the top guys to contend for it this year. I'm just thinking of how we do that last 10 (races, since this is a 10 race stretch) and prepare ourselves and as far as I'm concerned, the last 10 were a Chase. The next 10 will be a Chase. That's the way we're going to focus on it until we get into that final 10 and just keep treating it like the Chase and show what we're capable of.

"Obviously DNFs took us out of it last year and we can't have those things happen to us this year. We hope that we've cured a lot of the things that did happen to us and that we can keep it rolling. Everything goes up and down and you know that sometimes you can pull it off in an entire year. Bobby Labonte, I remember, one year had a tremendous year where he had either none or very few DNFs. You always think it's going to cycle its way through and with the way the Chase format is, you hope that that cycle doesn't come the last 10. If it is going to happen to us - I did think it was going to happen today - I do hope we get it out of the way and learn from it before we get in that Chase."

WERE YOU AWARE OF THE DEBRIS ON THE TRACK WHEN A CAUTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED BUT WASN'T RIGHT AWAY?

GORDON: "I'm guessing that was the time that we stayed out. Steve came on the radio to me and said 'there's debris on the track; they're talking about it. It's coming, it's coming. They're going to throw the caution'. Little did we know they were waiting on all of us to pit (laughs). At least that's the way it seemed, I don't know. I didn't see anything out there, to be honest. The way this track is, there's just so much apron and down the straightaways as well as in the corners that a lot of things can get out of the way. But if it was in the path of coming to pit road or exiting pit road, then that's when cautions should happen. I know that we're out there to put on a show but man, that is a fine line of balancing that out. Like I said, there's no doubt in my mind that the caution should have been out there at the end and I understand why Denny was complaining about it. I thought there was a lot of inconsistencies with it today."

WITH FIVE LAPS TO GO YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T GOING TO MAKE IT. HOW COME?

GORDON - "I never thought we were going to make it with the engine. That was with 100 to go or 60 to go. I actually didn't think we were going to win the race when I saw Jimmie get into third and putting a lot of pressure on Newman. I was still driving the wheels off the car, I was just kind of commentating, I guess. I didn't get much sleep last night and I was in a bad mood all day. I'm going to apologize to Steve later because he had to put up with me today. I don't know what it is but I haven't been able to sleep the last couple of days. It should be my wife that can't sleep but it seems like it's me that can't sleep. I was ill today for some reason and taking my frustration out on the radio."

“Considering everything that happened, when we got back on the lead lap and ran up front there, the biggest thing is you want to get away from those guys but you know you’ve got to manage your tires at the same time,” Stewart said. “So you just run hard enough to stay ahead of them and luckily we didn’t have to rely on a ‘lucky dog’ to get our lap back. We drove and got our lap back and were able to run up there with everybody else at the end.”

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mrsmopar12 · #23 (**permalink**) 05-25-2007, 03:27 PM

By Gary Graves
USA TODAY

Four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jeff Gordon has plenty of reasons for his perpetual grin:
The 231-point lead in the Cup standings; his three wins this year in the No. 24 Chevrolet; the eight overall wins this year for his team, Hendrick Motorsports; and the excellent chance he has to add the historically elusive fifth Cup championship to go with the four he has already won in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001.

Perhaps the most obvious reason, though, is the impending birth of his first child with his wife of six months, Belgian model Ingrid Vandebosch, 37. The couple is expecting a daughter at the end of June.

Gordon, who has saved a sonogram image as his cellphone background, couldn't be giddier about fatherhood. He is even trying to convince his wife to consider a natural childbirth method that eschews breathing exercises for letting the emotions fly during delivery.

"She's not really good at taking slow, deep breaths, and I can't see her doing that in the delivery room," Gordon says, laughing.

"Every stage of this, from her saying she's pregnant to going to the doctor and confirming it, to seeing the sonogram and feeling the heartbeat. … it just hits you harder what's happening. But nothing's going to hit harder than hearing (his daughter) cry for the first time and holding her."

Gordon, 35, insists he will be there for the birth in New York, even if it means missing a Cup start and hurting his chances for another Cup title. That's why the points lead has extra meaning for Gordon, who enters Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., ahead of defending series champ and Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson.

RANKING GORDON'S CAREER: See how points leader stacks up against all-time greats Gordon, a 15-year Cup veteran, has built the cushion with three wins in the past four races and six other top-four finishes for his best start since his last Cup run six years ago. Maintaining his advantage in the standings around the due date could allow Gordon to skip a race and retain his lead even if Johnson won and earned the 195-point maximum.

Gordon's competitiveness and zeal for a fifth title lead many to believe that scenario won't occur.

His stepfather and business manager, John Bickford, offers a more logical explanation, citing medical advances that allow expectant parents to pick a date.

"The child is more important than Nextel Cup," Bickford says. "But Jeff is intelligent enough to know it wouldn't be in his, his wife's or his baby's best interests long-term to damage a record of (consecutive) starts and all the stuff that would happen as a result. It would take some unusual situation for that" to occur.

If it does, NASCAR veteran Mark Martin, who has 35 Cup wins, will substitute. Gordon confirmed Thursday his longtime friend will drive the No. 24 if he can't. Gordon has not missed a Cup start in 484 races since entering the series in 1992. Considering how the pieces have fallen into place this season for Gordon, his daughter might just time her arrival to fit around her father's schedule.

Gordon views life differently since he married Vandebosch in November after a 3½ -year courtship.

His 2003 divorce from Brooke Sealey after seven years of marriage took 15 months and attracted its share of publicity, a toll on Gordon that was emotionally and financially draining ($15 million settlement). During that time he went 31 races between victories. Then he met Vandebosch and they began dating.

Gordon says he has been able to laugh more with Vandebosch and can poke more fun at himself. He always has been media-savvy, but now he initiates dialogue with reporters and sometimes finishes sentences with a grin or a snicker.

"What I've seen is that he's more able to be himself and find out who he is and what he wants, and that has transferred to the track," says Vandebosch, who stopped traveling with her husband after he won at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway three weeks ago.

"When things fall in place in your personal life, you can concentrate and feel better about doing your work."

Enjoys down time

Gordon remains energetic about fulfilling sponsor, fan and media commitments on race weekends. But once he leaves the track, he seeks quiet times. His ideal getaways include a beach or a boat, the mountains in upstate New York or the couple's Upper West Side home in Manhattan.

"I've learned more about who I am and what I want out of life," Gordon says. "And if I can be true to myself and honest with myself, I thought that would allow me to meet someone and recognize that this is the person I can have a great relationship with — because I'm able to be more me and not allow them to mold me into being somebody else.

"I really have no regrets with my first marriage. It's just that I look back and I was young and going through a lot of growth in my life like a lot of young people do. … Now, I'm just more comfortable with the ups and the downs."

That change in attitude helped after he won the Aaron's 499 last month at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for his 77th victory, passing the Dale Earnhardt for sixth on the career wins list. Loyal fans of the late seven-time champion booed Gordon and pelted his Chevy with beer cans and bottles. His 78th win, two weeks later at Darlington, did not draw any bottle-throwing.

It wasn't the first time Gordon was showered with debris at Talladega. Derided by NASCAR's southern core fan base because he was born in California and reared in Indiana, Gordon not being Earnhardt might be his worst offense.

If you think his feelings were hurt, think again.

"The greatest reward I can get is knowing I can go to a place like Talladega and know how many fans are pulling for me and how many are pulling against me," Gordon says. "If I didn't have a strong fan base, (the booing) would bother me.

"There's nothing better than winning at a track where I know there's a lot of red up there (worn by Earnhardt Jr. fans) that wants to see you lose. When you get cans thrown at you it's like, 'Yes!' "

Happy to be hated

Having fans boo or throw objects tells Gordon he still matters on the NASCAR landscape.

Just two years ago, his team was at a crossroads. Despite beginning 2005 with his third Daytona 500 victory and finishing the season with four wins, inconsistency left him outside the Chase for the Nextel Cup, NASCAR's 10-race, playoff-style finale.

During the final 10 races, former car chief Steve Letarte was promoted to replace crew chief Robbie Loomis, who guided Gordon's 2001 title run. (Loomis became vice president at Petty Enterprises, where he had started.) With the pressure off, Letarte made personnel and setup changes that got Gordon back into the Chase last season and on top this year.

If the Chase started today, Gordon would be seeded second behind Johnson because Johnson has more bonus points for victories.

"It wasn't like (missing the Chase) lit a fire under us," Gordon says. "Changes were coming, and we just evolved and moved into those changes sooner than expected."

Gordon's win at Phoenix International Raceway in April was a milestone. Now the only two tracks he hasn't won on are Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the last race of the season is held Nov. 18. But it was his win at Darlington that symbolized how well the pieces have come together.

The win was his second that featured the Car of Tomorrow, a boxier, safer model many teams are struggling to embrace. His Chevy Impala SS was one of the strongest cars, but it was running hot late and Gordon wondered if it had enough water to reach the end.

Letarte had no worries, telling his driver to stay out during a caution while Johnson pitted for tires. As his teammate began weaving forward on the restart, Gordon was sailing in clean, cool air. Gordon's silence after Letarte's call was significant, a sign of mutual faith and confidence.

"There's going to be a week that we show up where we struggle and we miss it and run bad," Letarte says, "as long as you understand you're going to miss it some weeks and just get the (best) finish you can.

"I think the key is there's no magic chemistry. It's just being on the same page all the way through the team, top to bottom."

Gordon didn't start racing with a goal for a number of victories or championships. His ballpark timetable for retirement is five years from now.

A new life awaits in a few weeks, and as with previous challenges, he has a plan. His next motor coach will have room for a playpen and a nursery for Vandebosch and his daughter when they come to the racetrack this fall.

Gordon looks forward to all aspects of caring for his newborn. If his season is any indication, he should nail diaper duty with pit-stop precision.

mrsmopar12 · #24 (**permalink**) 05-25-2007, 04:00 PM

How Jeff Gordon's Cup career stacks up against some of the all-time greats; see a detailed list of Gordon's victories here:

Driver Championships Wins Starts Poles Top 5s Top 10s Earnings

Richard Petty 7 200 1,184 123 555 712 $8,541,210

Dale Earnhardt 7 76 676 22 281 428 $41,999,272

David Pearson 3 105 574 113 301 366 $2,836,220

Lee Petty 3 54 427 18 231 332 $237,847

Darrell Waltrip 3 84 809 59 276 390 $19,886,666

Cale Yarborough 3 83 560 69 255 319 $5,642,435

Jeff Gordon 4 78 484 21 222 297 $85,084,255

Where Gordon ranks on all-time list

Championships Wins Starts Poles Top 5s Top 10s Earnings

Third Sixth 30th Fourth 10th 16th First

Source: racing-reference.info

mrsmopar12 · #25 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 08:15 PM

Performance PR Plus For Dupont Motorsports, Press Release

DOVER, Del. (May 29, 2007) – After a disappointing finish in last Sunday’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon and Team DuPont enter this weekend’s Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway with a perfect car.
Following his early exit due to an accident from Sunday night’s race, Gordon’s lead in the point standings dropped from a 231-point edge to 132 over teammate Jimmie Johnson. Much of that lead, though, can be attributed to his success in “Car of Tomorrow” (CoT) races. In five CoT races, Gordon has two victories (Phoenix and Darlington), three poles and five top-fives. The chassis the No. 24 team will use this weekend, No 24-428, has been used once – a victory from the pole at Phoenix.

But the use of the CoT at Dover brings a lot of unknowns, especially this weekend with the cancellation of a test session here a few weeks ago.

“From a crew chief’s standpoint, I would have preferred to test,” Steve Letarte said. “But the crew has been working a lot of hours with two different cars, and it gave them some much needed time at home.

“Hendrick Motorsports is very well prepared and, between the four crew chiefs, I think we can make good decisions and enter this weekend competitive.”

In 28 career starts at Dover, Gordon has four wins, three poles, 13 top-fives and 17 top-10's. He has led the most laps on five occasions, including 400 of 500 laps in 1995, 375 of 400 laps in 1998 and 381 of 400 laps in 2001.

“We’ve had some strong runs here in the past, but we haven’t experienced that in quite a while,” Gordon said. “I’d like to lead a lot of laps again, but the most important thing is to be there at the end with a chance to win.

“And in both wins at Phoenix and Darlington, we didn’t lead a lot of laps -- but we led the one that counted.”

Prior to turning his first lap in the CoT at Dover, Gordon will spend Thursday at DuPont’s headquarters in Wilmington, Del., visiting with some of his biggest fans and supporters.

“This sport is sponsor-driven, and I’ve been lucky enough to spend my entire Cup career with DuPont as my primary sponsor,” Gordon said. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years.

“They’ve been with me through the highs – the wins and the championships – and the lows, and they’re a great partner.

“On Thursday, I get the chance to interact with the employees and thank them for their support.”

On Sunday, he hopes to do it again from Victory Lane.

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mrsmopar12 · #26 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 09:52 PM

GM Racing Communications, Press Release

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS, met with members of the media at Dover International Speedway. He discussed running the Impala SS full time next year, going to Eldora for the Prelude to the Dream event, what they learned from Max Papis testing at Virginia International Raceway earlier this week and other topics.

IS THAT KIND OF LIKE THE TEST SESSION THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE, THAT FIRST PRACTICE, THE ONE THAT YOU MISSED BECAUSE OF THE DARLINGTON RAIN OUT?

"Absolutely. You know we stayed in qualifying trim just because we didn't get a chance to test here. So we don't really know a lot about what we're going to have for the race until tomorrow, but I am real proud of the team because I feel like we have come a long way from the first time that we took this car to the tracks and what to expect especially Bristol. We were way off there, when we went there to test and had to make big gains. Today I felt like we were pretty close right from the start."

DO YOU THINK THAT THIS RACE IS WIDE OPEN?

"Definitely, I think that it is going to show which teams did their homework at home. It is all about getting good information to come here to the track and which teams work together well in the heat of the moment, in that hour and a half or how ever long that practice was, just a very short timeframe to get it figured out."

DOES IT TAKE EQUAL PARTS OF TEAMWORK AND DRIVER ADAPTABILITY?

"Well it is always a combination when the teams are successful, it is never just one thing. It is always a combination of people, resources, teamwork and all those things and communication. I feel like Hendrick is really on top of their game. We have got four really great drivers, four great crew chiefs. We are really utilizing the resources that we have and we are coming to the race track well prepared and we are hoping to just build on that because of the good communication going on between the drivers and the crew chiefs and the whole team."

ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF THE IMPALA SS YEAR ROUND NEXT YEAR?

"I am, now that we have gone ahead and accepted it. The more we seem to run it, the more I get a little more comfortable with it. Obviously we run well with it so that is also good but to me, for these teams, the financial side of it it has been very confusing to the media and the fans and to the teams somewhat to go back and forth. I think that we are all ready. We have seen good results. For the most part we have seen good results. Still wish we would have run this car in a mile and a half race before they made that decision to really see if we needed to make any adjustments to it. For the most part it has been received well, it has gone over well and we need to just put it in at every track for financial reasons and competitive reasons as well."

IN THIS DAY AND AGE IT IS KIND OF AMAZING THAT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS WON ALL OF THOSE CAR OF TOMORROW RACES:

"It is amazing that we've won Car of Tomorrow races and just races in general that we have won. We have always known that Hendricks is strong but to have things rolling for us the way that they are rolling for us right now is pretty amazing. It is awesome to be a part of it. Everything happens for a reason. I am a big believer in that. We have worked hard and luckily we have worked in the right direction and it has paid off. Last week you know to get number 25 into Victory Lane with Casey and those guys. They did it on fuel mileage. To see how things are working for all four teams is really pretty extraordinary."

THERE WAS A PICTURE OF CASEY HUGGING JIMMIE AND HE HAS GOT TEARS IN HIS EYES:

"Yeah, I saw his chin quivering a little bit. That is very cool to see. My first win came at Charlotte and of course the tears were flowing pretty heavy that day so I can relate. I know how special and how meaningful that was to Casey to win that race. I wish I was there. I left because we were out so early and I really missed being there and experiencing that with him because I know how much it meant to him and his family and everybody on that team."

YOU ARE GOING TO ELDORA AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU BEING THERE. TONY WAS IN THE MEDIA CENTER TODAY AND HE IS SO CRANKED ABOUT YOU GOING. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT IT?

"I am excited. I am going to go into it open minded to have a lot of fun. It has been a long time since I have been on a dirt track. It has been a long time since I have been to Eldora. I have never been in a dirt late model before. I think that you are going to see all of the guys that are there having a blast. Of course when it comes down to it, we are all competitive so we are all going to be trying to go fast but I think that there are some guys that have an advantage over us. I can't wait. I am excited. I am looking forward to it. It is for a great cause so you just can't beat it. I have got friends that I am bringing and team members and stuff just because they are so jazzed up about seeing it."

WHO IS GOING ON YOUR TEAM?

"We are bringing a whole team plane up so I don't know, we are going to see. I told the guys.I had a few guys tell me that they wanted to come and see it and I said to Steve (Letarte), put a list together and I am getting the Hendrick plane and we will see. How ever many want to go."

HOW DO YOU VIEW THE TRIP UP TO POCONO?

"It is a very unique track; now that we don't shift it is not as unique as it used to be. Speaking of the Car of Tomorrow and all of the races next year, that is going to be probably the most interesting one probably of all of them, is going to Pocono. It is already challenging as it is, with that car it is going to be extremely challenging. We ran pretty good the last Pocono so I am looking forward to going back there."

IN REGARDS TO THE CAR OF TOMORROW AND THE CHASE, ARE WE GOING TO SEE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF RACING?

"I don't think so. I think that you are going to see a lot of the same thing. I think that the characteristics of this track will always play out. It is a concrete race track that is fast, big corners. I think that this car is kind of an unknown to a lot of us. Until we get through practice tomorrow we won't really know what we have got for the race and how hard it is to pass. We have got a pretty good wide groove here. I think that it should be a good race."

DO YOU FEEL THAT THIS TRACK WILL BE THE TRUE TEST OF WHAT THIS CAR IS CAPABLE OF?

"Well I thought that Darlington was probably the biggest test that we have had. Once we got through Darlington I think that just about anything is possible with this car. We did some road course testing this week. I think that Pocono is probably going to be one of the biggest challenges next year when we run there. I think that this is a very challenging race track no matter what car you have here. I think that the thing is that you have got to be really careful, you cannot over attack the corner here, which is what we used to be able to do with the older car with the Monte Carlo. I think that you are just going to see some guys that get a good handle on it and get their cars working well and some guys that aren't. I think that this car in some ways closes the gap when you look at the speeds in practice, they were very close. But I think in other ways, when it comes to the race, there is going to be a big difference between the guys that hit it and the guys that don't."

WHAT DID YOU GET OUT OF THE TEST AT VIR ON THE ROAD COURSE EARLIER THIS WEEK? DID YOU GET ANY TIPS FROM MAX PAPIS THAT WERE HELPFUL?

"Max has been a big help. Most of his help was leading up to that test. He has done some testing for us, which was nice when we had Max there with us. It allowed us to compare our notes and his driving styles and the things that he learned to what we are doing. So it was very comparable which was great because that means that we are getting good information from him. I was pretty happy with what we saw there. It is so hard to tell because everybody is on such different tires, nobody has the same tires. I mean the tires that we have are like two years old and aren't close to the tires that we are going to be running. I don't know how competitive we are but it was pretty much what we expected. You cannot over drive the car into to the corner, it just won't get into the corner the same way that the Monte Carlo would. It just wants to lock the tires up and things like that. Other than that, I thought that it was pretty close."

ON THE FACTORS FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS' SUCCESS THIS SEASON AND WHAT IT IS LIKE WORKING TOGETHER WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON:

"I am in a very unique situation. Probably more unique than any other driver out here. I have been able to have a lot of success at one organization. I have seen this organization grow, I am an equity owner in it, so I want to see it grow. I want to see it continue to be successful. I think that by sharing as much information that I can, it only makes our whole organization stronger which is only going to help me in the long run and help our race team. I think that concept has been able to go that No. 48 team and in return that No. 48 /No.24 has been able to adapt that also to the No. 25 and the No. 5 team and now they are doing it and they are experiencing the same thing. It is no surprise to us on the inside, why our team is as strong as it is today, because the whole organization is communicating better than they ever have, sharing more information, better information. We have really closed up a lot of gaps where we were missing some links in information sharing. It is paying off."

ON WHAT SHOULD BE DONE, IN REGARDS TO TIRES AND TESTING AND WHAT IS FAIR:

"Well anybody that says that it is not fair doesn't know what they are talking about. All we did was last year when they set the test rules, we bought up a bunch of tires. Everybody else had that same ability to do that. Give Hendrick Motorsports credit that they planned ahead. I think that is what should be said out there. Yeah, we are on Goodyears but they are two-year- old Goodyears. We bought them last year, they had already been sitting in a warehouse for a year. I don't like what we are seeing as far as the fact that we had basically an open test square, where you have got almost every team is going to go to VIR to test for Sonoma or maybe Road Atlanta, and that NASCAR and Goodyear are not releasing tires to us. I think that they should be treating those tests or I don't understand why we did not have a NASCAR- sanctioned open test somewhere on a road course to get this car ready for a road course. It is in their best interest, it is in all of our best interests, it is in Goodyear's best interest. That is where they put us and so we had to find ways to get tires. We planned ahead last year and other teams are doing what they have got to do whether it be Hoosier tires or Michelin or BF Goodrich tires. They are doing what they have got to do to get laps and try to find something consistent. The only thing that I will say I know that Roush has made some comments on things, the difference is that we have a test team, a designated test team because we have four teams out there racing on the track. His test team is his fifth team that is already out there on the track, doing it every weekend, racing on the tire and getting way better information than what we are getting. I don't know where they are coming from on that. We have had test teams for years that have not given us good information and we have used just 10 percent of it. Now we have gotten a really strong and solid test team that really has come along and given us the value that we are putting into that. That is what I am excited about. I think that is where the sport has been heading for years and where it is at today. Give credit where credit is due in my opinion."

WOULD YOU CHANGE THE TESTING POLICY AND HOW?

"Well I mean if NASCAR truly wants to cut out testing then they can do it. All that they have got to do is say.If we find out that you have tested anywhere besides these designated tracks, then that hundred thousand and hundred point penalty is not even close to what we will come down on you with. That is what I would say. If they truly wanted to stop it they could stop it. They know they can. They have the power to stop it. I do think that the cost is getting a little bit out of control, even for us. We have resources, we have money, but everybody has their limits and we don't want to see the costs continue to go up. We want to stay where they have been. We also know that we want to stay competitive and continue to move forward and staying competitive. We are doing everything that we can within the rules that we find is as fair to us as it is to anybody else and we are just doing our jobs."

WOULD IT BE CONSIDERED AN UPSET IF SOMEONE OTHER THAN A HENDRICK DRIVER WON A CAR OF TOMORROW RACE?

"That's funny, I guess it would. It wouldn't be to us. It might be to you guys (the media). We feel like Gibbs has dominated Car of Tomorrow races, just haven't gotten the victory. I think that I'll be surprised if Gibbs doesn't step up to the plate again this weekend, show a lot of progress, as well as Childress. The Penske cars are getting better as well. We don't feel like we dominated any of these Car of Tomorrow races this year, maybe Martinsville. Other than that I feel like those guys have been the guys to beat, we've just gotten the victory. We feel fortunate but we feel like we got work to do."

ON IT BEING 16 YEARS SINCE HE RACED ON DIRT:

"I haven't thought about it a whole lot until recently with everything coming up at Eldora and it's been very exciting to think about getting back on it. I look back through my career and everything was a stepping stone to get to the next level and dirt track racing was a huge part of my learning curve to get me where I am here today and I'm excited that the opportunity has come up to be able to get back. I wish it was in a sprint car but I'm looking forward to driving a dirt late model for the first time."

ARE YOU AFRAID YOU MIGHT NOT BE AS GOOD AS YOU'D LIKE TO BE?

"I don't expect to go out and be strong. I've never driven a dirt late model ever. These things are quite a bit different. If we were running winged sprint cars around Eldora then I got a shot at those guys but it's a lot different. Just because it's a dirt track doesn't mean anything. I think Bowyer and Stewart probably have the advantage of most of the guys out there."

HAVE THE RACES CHANGED AT ALL SINCE TONY STEWART MADE COMMENTS COMPARING NASCAR TO PRO WRESTLING? HAVE THERE BEEN LESS DEBRIS CAUTIONS?

"No, I don't think so. I think a lot of those comments were made out of frustration and I don't think that anybody's ever really agreed with those comments. I certainly don't. I think NASCAR has a very tough job and I do think they need to get a little bit more consistent with some of their calls but I feel like they've made a lot of right calls. You look at sports in general whether it's a referee or any kind of judge, you're going to get it wrong sometimes and somebody's going to criticize you."

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT SUNDAY'S RACE?

"Today we just worked on qualifying but I'm excited to be here in DuPont's backyard. We had a great DuPont day yesterday and a lot of employees and big fans that are excited about us racing this weekend and I think we've got a great shot at another win here."

WHAT MAKES THE MONSTER MILE DIFFERENT THAN OTHER TRACKS?

"It's a very fast race track and there's a lot of action on this track. It's not an easy to track to get around especially with this new car. It's going to make it very challenging for all the teams this weekend and the drivers. I think most of all though you're going to see a great, exciting race as usual."

This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

mrsmopar12 · #27 (**permalink**) 06-09-2007, 07:06 PM

GM Racing Communications, Press Release

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS, MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA AT POCONO RACEWAY AND DISCUSSED HIS MEMORIES OF BILL FRANCE, JR., ON HOW TO APPROACH POCONO, HOW FATHERHOOD WILL AFFECT HIS LIFESTYLE AND OTHER TOPICS.

ON THE PASSING OF BILL FRANCE, JR.:

"I think that it is something that it takes me time to really let things like this sink in as to just how much we are going to miss him. I had the opportunity to spend some time with him away from the race track here in the last couple years and those are the moments that I am really going to miss the most and think about. Obviously there are a lot of people in this garage here that could better describe what he has done for this sport over all of those years and his role and his passion. I just remember the times, listening to him make decisions or talk about decisions that were being made and you could sense the passion that he had for this sport and wanting to continue to see it grow. He liked being involved and that was fun to see a man of his stature and in his position to still be that excited about it. We are going to miss him. He meant a lot to a lot of people, but to me, over the last couple of years I felt like I finally started to get somewhat of a bond with him and that meant more to me than anything else."

IS THERE A LIGHT HEARTED MOMENT, SOMETIME YOU WENT TO THE TRAILER AND YOU KNEW YOU WERE RIGHT AND YOU CAME OUT OF THE TRAILER AND FOUND OUT MAYBE YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN RIGHT?

"Well everybody knows he gave his opinion and he always had the last word. You always had so much respect for him because you knew that what he was saying was right, even though it wasn't always easy to take. To me the good moments that I had were fishing and being in the Bahamas on some of the boat trips and just hear him get excited about catching fish and getting away from the hustle and bustle of all the decision making, but still as soon as racing got brought up, he was just as passionate about that as he was anything else."

AS YOU START THE SECOND HALF OF THIS SEASON IN THE LEAD, HOW DIFFERENT IS IT FOR YOU AS YOU GO DOWN THE STRETCH COMPARED TO WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS?

"I think that we have got a great race team this year that we have been able to fine tune on and not be looking and searching for major things. We are just trying to continue to push ourselves so that we can stay in this Chase and that when we get in it, that we are one of the guys to beat. At this time, I feel like we are, obviously with leading the points. You have got to keep getting better because the competition is going to keep getting better and it is nice to be in position where we can focus on all of those finer details instead of searching for something big."

THERE IS NOT AS MUCH PRESSURE, NOT AS MUCH HEAT, MAYBE, AS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO STAY, YOUR EIGHTH, NINTH OR 10TH?

"The pressure is still just as intense, the same, because now the pressure is to stay on top and to get that championship. No matter where you are at in the field, anywhere in the top, whether it is 50 points, you know, you are either trying to make it in the top 35, you are trying to make it into the Chase, you are trying to win the Championship, you are trying to win races, you are trying to get into the top 10, it is intense for everybody. The pressure and the intensity is the same throughout the garage, it is just different."

ON THE BUSCH PENALTY:

"Everybody knows when an incident occurs on pit road that that's going to get you in trouble. It is going to cause you some type of a fine. I think that what I saw, was what happened on the race track wasn't near as much Tony's fault, as I think that Kurt felt like it was. So, I think that his frustration got the best of him. I think that we all knew that there was going to be some kind of fine and penalty and that it would be severe because there was a crew member involved and even though I don't think that he intentionally was trying to do anything, he was just frustrated and mad, but NASCAR had to make a pretty stern decision there and I think that, it didn't surprise me, put it that way. I am more surprised that they didn't suspend him, actually."

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY, IN YOUR OPINION TO APPROACH THE RACE AT POCONO?

"Well the thing is that you have three completely unique turns here. It is trying to find that fine balance where you are either compromising where you can be as good as you can be on all three, or you attack one or two corners here and give up one of the other turns. I think that has always been the biggest challenge and still is."

YOU HAVE HAD SOME GREAT MOMENTS HERE AND SOME FRIGHTENING MOMENTS. IS THERE KIND OF A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS TRACK AT ALL?

"I love it more than I hate it. Anytime you have a failure and a problem, and you hit the wall the way that we did, that is not going to be any fun. We have been running good the last couple times that we have been here and that probably means more to me than anything else. We have had some great moments here at Pocono. I still like the track a lot. I think that the race is a little long, but as long as we are running good, it doesn't matter where we go, I am having fun."

ON MICHIGAN NEXT WEEK:

"Well in some ways it's easy and in some ways it's not. It might be easy to drive, but it is not necessarily easy to go fast and to be up in the top positions, qualifying or in the race. I think that the reason that most drivers like it is because it is a driver's track. You can search around that track if your car is not working good, you can try the middle, you can try the top, you can try going in high, coming in low, you can do a lot of things to really get the speed out of the car that you are looking for. It is a wide groove race track. Anytime that we go to a track that has multiple grooves it is going to be a drivers favorite. I know it is my favorite."

IS FUEL MILEAGE ALWAYS AN ISSUE THERE?

"Seems like it is because there is so many wide grooves and so many options. We don't see a lot of cautions. Any track where we don't see a lot of cautions, then fuel mileage is an issue."

HOW HARD IS IT FOR A DRIVER TO SAVE FUEL, TO LET OFF OF THE GAS WHEN YOU ARE ASKED TO DO IT?

"It is very difficult. You have got to have a big lead, like Casey had, where you can just let off. If you are doing it under green, it is very difficult. You have just got to be smooth with the gas. The team had to do some prep work going into the race with how they jet the carburetor and tune that carburetor. I think that is probably playing a bigger role. Under caution, you can probably save more fuel by shutting the engine off, more than anything else."

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE SPOTTER AT MIS AND CAN YOU GET LOST AND LOSE TRACK OF OTHER CARS?

"No. Just like any other track. Spotters are important everywhere we go. You have a good indication where everyone is at."

ON THE SUPPORT THAT MR. FRANCE BROUGHT TO BRICKYARD:

"I think that it was huge for the sport. It is certainly huge for me. As somebody that grew up around open wheel racing and who had desires to go race at the Indianapolis 500. To get the opportunity to go there in a stock car was just phenomenal. I really commend them for getting together with Tony George, it was the first time that any other type of event had happened there, certainly major event, besides the Indy 500. Now, you look at the popularity of the Brickyard 400, it certainly changed my life and career and will probably always go down as my biggest and my favorite win of all times. That event would have never happened if it weren't for Bill France, Jr."

HOW MUCH DID YOU ENJOY THE OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE AT ELDORA? WAS THAT AS FUN AS IT LOOKED FOR YOU?

"It was a blast. I had so much fun, more fun than I thought I was going to have. I didn't know what the car was going be like, because I had never driven one of those cars. The track, I have always enjoyed racing there. To pick up the car as fast as we did, and to have a good car and then be competitive and getting to slide sideways for the first time in a long time, it was more fun than I ever thought that I was going to have. I look forward to doing it again."

YOU AND KYLE WERE RIGHT THERE, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT YOU MADE ONE MISTAKE OR SOMETHING:

"I did make one mistake when I got the lead. I take a lot of pride out of that event because I didn't know how quick I was going to be able to pick it back up, getting on the dirt, it has been awhile. I wasn't sure what that car was going to be like and we were fastest in one of the practices, third qualifying and then took the lead from Kyle and in feature, I mean I was shocked, I was blown away. That was very cool, but I did make a mistake when I got the lead and drove into one just a little too easy, then he got back by me and I felt like I had really probably one of the best cars. But Kyle did a great job too. You go into it to have fun, and I had a blast, but then you get competitive and I knew that was going to happen to me if I got competitive then it was going to take some of the fun away from it, so I keep trying to remind myself just how much fun it really was."

DO YOU THINK THAT IS THE KIND OF EVENT THAT IS SO SPECIAL THAT IT IS GOING TO KEEP GROWING AND ATTRACTIN