The following are NASCAR Nextel Cup driver quotes before the start of this weekend’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard:
Tony Stewart:
“Everybody has a part at Indianapolis because the track is a good combination of raw horsepower and mechanical balance. Every aspect of the team plays a bigger part at Indy versus when we go to Martinsville (Va.), where aerodynamics don’t mean anything, or at Daytona (Fla.), where aerodynamics mean everything. Everybody has a role here. Indy is one of those tracks that challenges every aspect of your team.”
Matt Kenseth:
“Personally I enjoy racing at Indy. It’s real fast but it’s not banked much at all. It’s the only flat track we go to where we can carry that type of speed through the turns. We’ve had good cars there before only to come up a little bit short. But, judging by the way we’ve ran there the last few years, it could be a good track for us. The car we’re bringing this time is a new one, so, even though we tested here a few weeks ago, it’s important for us to get a lot of good practice time in on Friday and Saturday. Luckily, this weekend has a lot of practice sessions; I think four, built into the schedule, so it should give us a good amount of time to get the car to where it needs to be on Sunday.”
Jeff Gordon:
“As a kid growing up a fan of the Indianapolis 500 and realizing what Al Unser, Rick Mears and A.J. Foyt accomplished, I don’t think you can compare that to what I’ve done or what Michael Schumacher has done. As much as I love this race and am glad that I’ve won here, I still don’t compare those wins to what those guys have done in the Indy 500. “I look at the F1 race in the same manner. It’s just a totally different event and totally different types of cars. I think that you have to take each series and compare everything to that series.”
Dale Earnhardt, Jr:
“We’ve had two terrible results, but you can’t dwell on it. What can you do? You have to put it behind you and look forward. We can’t afford any more mistakes or finishes like that, but I have a team that’s capable of coming back. We had the quickest car on our test day at Indy, so we feel pretty confident we’re going in there with a set-up that can run up front. We’ve been pretty strong at some tracks this year where we haven’t shown much in the past. I have a feeling we’re going to do the same at Indy.” “The series has gotten more exciting and competitive. I’m more aggressive and up on the tach more, not giving as much room and not as kind as maybe I would be the first 10 races of the season. It gets very aggressive out there. We don’t have any cushion in the points, we have to go out and fight for every tenth-of-a-second, fight for every spot each lap.”
Kevin Harvick:
“Going to the Brickyard is just one of those places that has so much history, so much prestige especially if you sit on the pole or win. It is just one of those places that everybody wants to win. You remember the first time you walked in, there is just something about the place, it is just a lot of fun to be a part of.” “The test went really good for us. I think everybody is obviously pretty nervous about the tires, when we first got there; the tires wore out in seven laps. They say they are going to be all right. But you never can tell until you get back. I felt like our cars were good. So if the tires don’t create a huge issue, then it should be fun.”
Kasey Kahne:
“I’m definitely looking forward to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. We did a tire test there and then participated in the NASCAR-scheduled test a couple of weeks ago. I think we have a good car for the race. The No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger we will race is a new car. We were eighth or ninth fastest in testing, so I think we have things sorted out. We had a good run at Indy last year, finishing second to Tony (Stewart). “I know what the win meant to him. Having lived in Indy earlier in my career, I know what it would mean to me to win at the Brickyard. There are two races every driver wants to win — the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and the Daytona 500.”
Mark Martin:
“I really enjoy racing at Indy and we have had some good runs there over the years. Indianapolis is a race track with a lot of history and we would really love to go there and win this weekend. We had a pretty good test there a couple of weeks ago and we are happy with the car that we are bringing back. We’ve run well at Indy the past few years, so hopefully we’ll be able to build on that and run to a strong finish there this weekend.”
Greg Biffle:
“Well, we’re taking our best car to Indy this weekend. This car has been good for us at all of the bigger tracks this year and I feel comfortable taking it to Indy this weekend. I was a little disappointed in our performance at Pocono but I know we’ve got a strong team we’re not going to give up. We had a really good run at Indy in 2004 and if we can duplicate that run or come out of there with a top-five finish, I’ll be happy.”
Jamie McMurray:
“This weekend at Indy is going to be a lot of fun. We tested there a few weeks ago and found some areas where we felt we could improve. Bob and the guys implemented a lot of new changes back at the shop for this weekend’s race. I am pretty excited to go back to a track where I have some really good finishes. Hopefully, with the changes Bob made to the car and a strong run, we can leave Indy this weekend with a top-five finish, maybe even end up in Victory Lane.”
Carl Edwards:
“I am really looking forward to all the racing this weekend in Indy. Our Busch win last Saturday in St. Louis was awesome, and we want to carry that momentum into the weekend. I am running the USAC race on Thursday, the Busch race on Saturday, and then of course, the Cup race on Sunday. It’s a weekend full of racing — just as I like it. Indy is such a great place to race; it has long straight-a-ways and the corners are really fast. And this weekend Office Depot gave us a really awesome paint scheme. It’s their ‘Back to School’ paint scheme, and for me, nothing would be better than to drive it into Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon.”
Casey Mears:
“I cant’ wait to get back to Indy. A win at Indianapolis would mean more to me than a win at any other track we race on for the obvious reasons. To this day, one of my most memorable moments in racing was winning the pole in 2004. It was unreal to me. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really come to appreciate Indy, its history and what my family has accomplished there. I was too young to see my dad and uncle race there, so I grew up attached to it through television. I think most people would be surprised to know the first time I ever stepped foot at Indy was not until the early 90s after I won a Jim Russell USAC Championship and they were holding the banquet at the Speedway. My first lap at the track was as a passenger in an SUV and the track was covered in about six inches of snow. “Last year we had a really good car, a car capable of winning. Unfortunately, I scraped the wall with it in qualifying and ended up starting 40th. The set up was great though, because before I knew it I was running in the top 10. This year we tested pretty well, so I’m excited about going back. The guys have worked hard on this car, so I can’t wait to see what it can do this weekend.”
Bill Elliott:
“To me, the Brickyard is kind of like the Daytona 500,” Elliott said, who earned his Brickyard win behind the wheel of the No. 9 Evernham Motorsports entry. “The Daytona 500 is the granddaddy of them all. Then in the second half of the season, you have the Brickyard. It’s a prestigious race to win.” “I’ve just always liked that racetrack for some reason,” Elliott said. “It kind of fits my style. It seems like we’ve always had pretty decent cars every time I’ve been there. When I was running full-time we always focused hard on that particular race.”
Michael Waltrip:
“We all look forward to going to the Brickyard. It’s definitely one of the biggest races of the year. I’m real proud to get to come here to this wonderful facility and compete. I’ve always enjoyed racing at Indy. I think the first year we had a top-10 finish and we haven’t had one since; so we have to get back on it and hopefully we’ll figure that one out and have a good run. Someone asked me recently how important winning the Indy race would be for me. I don’t think it would compare to winning the Daytona 500 just because of that track’s history with NASCAR, but the Allstate 400 trophy is definitely one I want to win. I sure would like to kiss the Yard of Bricks.”
Jeremy Mayfield:
“How do you turn a disappointing season around fast? Have a good finish at the Brickyard. The Allstate 400 is that kind of race — it can turn a season around. We had good results there last year, starting second and finishing fourth. That’s the kind of weekend this No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger team needs. We’ve been close. We haven’t lost sight of the objective. We just have to dig in, overcome the adversity and make it happen. That will be our focus this weekend–put it all together and have the No. 19 Dodge Charger competitive for 400 miles.”
Dale Jarrett:
“Well, that’s obviously something I’d love to be able to do. I think that definitely places a driver in pretty elite company as far as three-time winners are at Indianapolis whether it is in open-wheel cars, F-1 or NASCAR. Jeff Gordon is the only guy in our league to win this race four times and he is in another class of drivers with that on his resume. There is so much history and tradition that goes with racing at Indianapolis that it is such a huge accomplishment to win there even one time. So to win there more than once is even that much more special. We have two wins at Indy but we also have let a few get away with running out of gas there in 1998 and then having the problem with the catch can in 2002 while leading. But, having won here even once is something that a lot of guys haven’t even been able to do and if anyone doubts how special this place is, I think all you have to do is look at Tony Stewart’s win here last year. He’s raced here in the Indy 500 and the Brickyard and he’s won NASCAR championships and open-wheel championships. But to finally get that win t Indy was a big thing for him and it probably really explained how special Indy is.”
Robby Gordon:
“Indy is a pretty special place for me. It just has a lot of history, and over the years I’ve competed there in so many different cars that I always look forward to coming back and getting a shot at going to Victory Lane. It would definitely be one of the top accomplishments of my career.” “I’m pretty psyched about our chances this weekend. We came here and tested and both cars ran pretty well. I think we ended up third fastest in testing. We kind of put all our eggs in one basket with the car we chose and hopefully our gamble will payoff for Menards, Johns Manville and all of our other sponsors.”
