dodge teleconference with casey mears and andy graves

Tuesday, June 1, 2004.
Ray Cooper

Dodge Motorsports Teleconference
Clear!Blue

Coca-Cola 600 Recap, Dover Advance
704-975-3232                             

 

 

CASEY MEARS (No. 41 Target Dodge)

NOTE: Mears, a 26-year-old Bakersfield, Calif., native, made his 48th
career Cup start in the Coca-Cola 600. He finished seventh, his third
top 10 in the last four races and his fourth top 10 in the last six
starts. He's moved from 23rd to 16th in the series standings in those
six starts, and Sunday's seventh-place finish tied his career-best - all
scored this season in the same Dodge.

 

COCA-COLA 600 RECAP "Obviously we were pretty happy with the way the 600
worked out, running inside the top 10 all day. I was actually nervous at
the start of the race because our car was so loose during the day. We
thought we weren't going to be very good until the sun went down, but
Jimmy (crew chief Elledge) and I got together and made some changes
before the start of the race and the car worked well right out of the
gate. We had that long green flag run and didn't go a lap down. We
stayed right there in the hunt. It was a good day all the way around. We
had good pit stops pretty much the whole time. We had one bad stop at a
crucial time, which was our second to last stop. That was going to be
our last stop, but because we had some trouble on that stop we decided
to go ahead after the red flag and come back in and take tires again and
go down swinging. I believe we came out running 13th and ended up
seventh. It was a good call, and we had a good run all day for the
Target Dodge and a lot of fun. Unfortunately I was feeling kinda bad.
I've got a bad head cold I'm trying to get rid of, but it definitely
felt good to run well."

 

OUTLOOK FOR DOVER "I'm looking forward to it. So far this year
everywhere we've gone we've run a lot better than we did last year. We
struggled there my first race in the Cup car. We went and felt like we
had a good car and I crashed on the first lap. It hasn't been good to
me, but at the same time I enjoy it and I'm looking forward to getting a
full Dover race under my belt."

 

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR CHARLOTTE DODGE? IT WAS YOUR THIRD
SEVENTH-PLACE FINISH IN THAT DODGE "Obviously it's a good car. It's
worked really well for us. We've used it a lot at the mile and a half
tracks. I think once you run good in a car, regardless if that car is a
good car or not, your confidence is there in that car and it's going to
run well. I think that goes a long way. It's a car that responds well to
change. Some cars are kinda numb to certain changes, and that one is
very sensitive to each change. It makes the car a little easier to tune.
It's just a good car all the way around. I've got a lot of confidence in
it. I think we're saving it for a lot of the faster tracks."

 

COMMENT ON JIMMIE JOHNSON'S NEAR-PERFECT RACE AT LMS "I think you can
start calling that place, instead of Lowe's start calling it Johnson. He
runs really well there. Jimmie is a great friend of mine and has been
for a long time. I was real happy for him. He ran well, and it's very
rare you see a car that's that dominant. I think the combination, there
team has really got its act together at that place, and it's a drivers'
track. Charlotte is definitely one of those tracks that's different and
unique. A driver that catches on to it faster than the next guy is going
to have a leg up. They got the car right. (Chad) Knaus is doing a great
job and Jimmie is really good at that particular track. Pesonally, I
can't say I've had a perfect race. That definitely was a near-perfect
race. Congratulations to him. How often do you see that? Never,
especially in Nextel Cup. It's so competitive these days. To have that
dominant of a car and the whole effort all the way around is very rare.
Those guys, I guess you could say, pretty much just whipped us all."

 

DO YOU MAKE CHANGES WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP CUT IN MIND? "Obviously we
want to make that cut and be inside the top 10 when that cut comes, but
really we were just trying to make the call to finish as high as we
could in the race. I think that second pit stop from the end, if we
hadn't had a bad stop and had decent track position we probably would
have stayed out and it probably would have been easier to get a top
five. The fact we did stop and were sitting 10th at the time, we didn't
feel like we had a lot to lose by putting on tires because there weren't
a lot of people on the lead lap. Really, the points didn't come into
mind, but finishing higher did."

 

IS THERE A MENTAL PLAY FOR YOU AT DOVER? "Not really, we pretty much
wipe the slate clean after each weekend. Each weekend is a new weekend,
and this is a totally different year. I have a ton of confidence going
into Dover that we can run well just based off our past races this year.
I'd have a tough time basing anything off last year. I was so green, and
the team was fairly new. Jimmy Elledge and I, our communication wasn't
there. There are so many things I could go on and on about last year.
This year is so much better right off the bat. I don't have any doubts
going into Dover at all even though we've had some bad races there."

 

DID SOMETHING HAPPEN IN THE OFF SEASON THAT MADE THE 41 TARGET DODGE
TEAM BETTER? "I wish if there was something in particular that happened
in the off season, I wish I could bottle it up and sell it. I can't
point a finger at a big change. I think all the way around everything
has gotten better. Our personnel, our team works a lot better together.
We had a lot of great guys last year, but having great guys isn't always
the key. You've got to make sure you've got a core of six or seven guys
that work well together. That's what really helps. Jimmy and I, our
communication is just a ton better.  I'm a lot more seasoned. I was
really, really green last year. I had a very so-so year in Busch, if you
even want to call it that. That makes it sound good. I stepped right
into Cup and that was a huge chance that Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
took, and I'm thankful they stuck with me through this year. It's all
paying off so far."

 

DOES MAKING THE CUT FOR FINAL 10 RACES WEIGH ON YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN
YOU'RE RACING? "Not really. We race race to race. I think in the back of
our mind, I don't want to try anything really stupid that could put
myself in a situation that could lose ground by not finishing a race.
We're not points racing, but at the same time in the back of your mind
you don't want to make a mistake. This year hasn't changed my thoughts
on that. That's the way we approach every race. We want to do well. We
want to win races, and you've got to take some chances to run up front.
At the same time, you try to take those chances when they're a little
bit easier to take. You want to make sure you finish races. It's huge,
but making that cut isn't something that passes through my mind when I'm
racing."

 

HOW ARE THINGS DIFFERENT IN NASCAR FROM LAST YEAR? "As far as the cars
are concerned, obviously we have less spoiler in the rear and less
downforce. The tire, not so much the compound but the sidewall
construction of the tires is quite a bit softer than it was last year.
The cars drive a little freer. The back end moves around a little bit
more. It doesn't have as much grip. The car moves around a little more
in general. When the car loads, instead of getting that real secure
feeling when the car loads into the corner, you've got to let it load
and then roll and then sort of slide before the thing actually sets. It
gives a really false feeling of looseness even though you might not be
loose. The guys who can adapt to that faster are starting to run well. I
think that improved our game. I've had a tendency to like a looser race
car. Some of the guys like Kasey Kahne and some of the new guys coming
in don't know what it felt like last year. It's all new to them, so
they've got to run fast. In a lot of ways it's funny. At the beginning
of the year, people thought it would lean more toward the veterans. I
actually think it's leaning more toward the guys who don't have as much
experience because we don't know any better."

 

EXPLAIN LOAD "When you get into the corner and you turn there's a period
where the tire has to load. You roll off into the corner and the rubber
on the ground starts to bite. Then the wheel, the actual tire itself
starts to flex. When that tire stops flexing, that's your limit. With
the stiffer sidewall, the tire loads sooner. This tire grips and has to
move a little more before it stops the loading process. That's what's
difficult to get past. You get in there and you feel like it's loaded
and the tire moves again and you get out of the gas because you think
it'll get loose. In all reality, it loads, leans on itself again and
that's your edge."

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT NEW SAFER BARRIER AT DAYTONA? "I think it's
great. I've got into it a couple of times now, and it's like night and
day difference. Anywhere we can get those put up it's going to be
better. The fact they did it at Daytona is great. How often do we get
those big pileups and everybody is hitting the wall? There's plenty of
room around that place. You run wide open all the way around, so I think
it's a great thing."

 

IS THERE ANY CERTAIN PLACE AND TIME THAT'S BEST FOR AN AUTOGRAPH? "I
think the best times are in the morning before the day gets started and
after your day is over. As a new guy, it's funny in that balance of what
is not doing it enough or doing it too much and taking up your time you
need to be thinking about the racecar. I really enjoy going out to my
souvenir trailer. I do it twice a weekend and go out and sign. I try to
get the biggest fans that follow me. That's the best time. When you're a
new guy and you're walking through the garage and you've got your mind
on racing and how much to do and how much not to do without making
someone upset is hard to balance. I think we all try to handle it the
best we can. I've been known before qualifying to go out early, at
places like California and Pocono, leave 30 minutes early and sign all I
can before qualifying before I need to get focused and get in the car. I
try to make time when I can, and it's hard to balance. It sounds real
simple. I describe it to a lot of people like this. If you had a desk
job and you sit down and try to get your work done on your computer and
every five minutes someone comes in and asks you a question. It is
distracting at times. At the same time, it's very humbling and awesome
that people want your autograph. It's a neat and weird experience. I try
to make time as much as I can."

 

HOW BIG IS THE SOUVENIR BUSINESS FOR DRIVERS? "I think it's real
important. Obviously the corporate sponsor is involved and the team is
involved. It's a small part of the revenue they get back, but if you're
a driver and you do well, it could be a big part of your earnings for
the year. That's a huge reason why we go out and sign. Also, it's a
great opportunity to meet a lot of fans. It's fun. I think the most fun
thing about it is when you get a little kid that comes up and he's
excited. Someone who's real genuine makes it real gratifying to go out
and do that. If things are going well and you're winning races it can be
a big source of your revenue."

 

ANDY GRAVES (Team Manager Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates)

 

COCA-COLA 600 RECAP FOR GANASSI TEAMS "I thought we had a real strong
run. Unfortunately with the track going green for almost three stints,
Sterling never seemed to get track position. Casey and Jamie did
outstanding jobs and had good cars, so we were pretty happy with it
overall. It seems like we're settling in pretty good, and almost every
week we have two cars running near the top 10, so we just need to try to
finish this thing off. We're still a step away in the performance level
of where we need to be to contend for wins."

 

COMMENT ON SETUP FOR POCONO "It's pretty difficult. We've always had the
philosophy, we try to concentrate on turn three more than the rest of
them. It seems like if you can get off turn three and get a good run
down the frontstretch, that's where most of your passing goes on. We
attack that first and foremost and try to get a good balance there, and
back the racetrack back up to the tunnel turn and make sure we can get
through there, too. We look at those two turns as probably the hardest
for chassis setup. It probably depends on your motor and gear package.
That's the primary concern for the first turn. Sterling has always been
a little bit different. We've struggled a little bit and been
experimenting the last couple of years, but last year I felt like we had
a really good handle on it, and Sterling started adapting to what we
felt, according to our simulations, what we felt were the optimum shift
patterns. He got the hang of that last year. Casey has adapted to Pocono
extremely well, and with winning two ARCA races there last year, he runs
really strong. We expect strong runs from all three of our cars at
Pocono, and we're looking forward to it."

 

HOW TOUGH WILL IT BE FOR ALL THREE GANASSI DODGES TO MAKE THE CUT FOR
THE FINAL 10 RACES? "As much as we'd like to get all three in that final
cut, I think that's going to be a pretty tall order. Right now, we hope
we have at least two in there. I guess technically as far as today,
Jamie would be the only one getting in. With Casey's performance and the
way he's been running, we definitely like he's got some strong tracks
coming up here soon, we're hoping Casey can be within the 400-point
cutoff and Jamie gets in the top 10. I don't think that's too much to
ask. We just need to get some momentum on Sterling's side to get him up
there. We're going to try to get all three in that cutoff, but right now
it seems like we're struggling a little bit with the 40. Hopefully we
can get momentum swings with a couple of races coming up. Pocono and
Michigan are two of Sterling's really strong tracks."

 

DO YOU THINK IT'LL COME DOWN TO JUST THE TOP 10? "Looking at it right
now, I'd say that's what it's probably going to come down to, unless
Matt and Dale Jr. and Jimmie have some problems up toward the front. A
lot of it is going to depend on how they approach the next 14 races.
I've heard some rumblings that one of those three teams are going to
take some more chances these next few races because they are so far
ahead. They feel like it's going to be almost impossible for them to
drop out of the top 10. They might take more risks at trying to win
races instead of just point racing because as soon as the cutoff your
points get adjusted. If that happens you might see some of those guys up
front drop out of a few more races. That might open up the window a
little bit more. That might be something to look for, but right now we
feel like the only safe way to get in is go ahead and lock yourself in
the top 10 in points."

 

DOES MAKING THE CUT FACTOR IN TO RACE STRATEGY "I think it plays in a
small part how you approach the race before you leave the shop, whether
you want to take a gamble with the engine package or some of the
components on the car. I think we proved basically this weekend with
Donnie Wingo's call to keep Jamie out at the end and take a shot at
winning the race, I think people would say if you're points racing
that's not a very smart thing to do, but in our view we're going for
wins. The points have to play in later, but I think you're going to see
some of those guys up at the front get a lot more aggressive with some
of their engine packages and gear ratios. That might cost you to take
those risks."

 

IS WORKING WITH YOUNG DRIVERS EASIER THIS YEAR? "It's a lot easier to be
honest with you. I thought Jamie did an exceptional job his rookie year.
I think Casey struggled, more of a typical rookie. Usually when you have
a rookie do good his first year you worry about that sophomore jinx, but
Casey has actually proved to everybody that he's a top 10 driver and
he's probably the most improved guy out there. He's done an outstanding
job, and that helps the whole group. When you have two cars running up
in the top 15 every week and you have one struggling in the 30s or high
20s, that's pretty rough and it's hard to get a handle on it, but he's
done a great job. Jimmy Elledge and the whole Target team, we've got
some new guys on the team that have pulled together, and they're doing
great. To have all three drivers up there in the top 20 in points and
battling in the top 10 every week is making everybody feel better. If we
can take the next step up in the performance level, I think all three of
them have a good shot at victories later in the season."

 

HOW FAR AHEAD CAN YOU PLAN FOR CHANGES? "Our philosophy at Ganassi is
we've been running 38 races within 41 weekends for a couple of years
now. More than likely that's going to be the case again. Where they are,
when they are, the dates, some of the rules changes you can spend some
time and energy worrying about it, but to be honest with you you're
better off spending that time and energy on your own program and trying
to get better. I'm sure NASCAR is going to keep doing the things to make
sure they keep drawing the way they have the last 10 years. I'm excited
about that. If that means more west coast races then so be it. That's
fine. That really doesn't bother us too much. We enjoy racing every
weekend."

 

DO YOU THINK SOME TEAMS MAY MOVE FROM CAROLINAS TO A MORE CENTRAL
LOCATION? "I think that you may see a little bit of that. I've heard a
couple of team managers discuss what would you think if the home base
was actually in Indianapolis versus Charlotte. I think right now with
the number of people, all your major chassis builders, sheetmetal
builders, employees, there's such a strong base already in the Charlotte
area, I think it's going to be pretty hard to move away from that in the
near future. If they get more races split 50-50 between the east coast
and west coast, I'd say that's something you're going to have to take a
serious look at."

 

WOULD MOVING BE EASIER FOR GANASSI ORGANIZATION? "If it was something
that provided a distinct advantage and you had to do it, then I would
say we'd probably be at the forefront of reaping that advantage. We have
a strong relationship with our IRL team, and our Grand-Am team is also
located in Indianapolis. I've lived there for a couple of years myself.
I think it would help us the most if it did provide an advantage, but
we'll just have to see. I still think that's several years out."

 

DISCUSS DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS "Not only are we excited about our
two young guys that are in the Cup program with Jamie and Casey, but we
have David Stremme signed long-term with the Ganassi organization, Reed
Sorenson and Ryan Hemphill. We're excited about those three young guys.
I think you're going to see David Stremme in Cup in the near future, if
not '05 I'd say for sure in '06. Reed and Ryan are both getting their
feet wet. It's going to take a little more work to get them to that
level, but they both have the talent and we're really excited about
trying to groom more young guys for the future. In all honesty, probably
Jack Roush and his organization is at the front if you look at past
history. I think those guys have done good jobs bringing up Greg Biffle
and Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth. I think they're the ones that kinda
started it. Both Hendrick and ourselves have kinda caught up with them
now, and hopefully we've got some young guys to get ready for the
future. It takes a lot of commitment, and obviously you have to have the
budget in place because those young guys are going to tear up a bunch of
equipment. Trying to get them placed in sister organizations like we
have with Brawn Racing and James Finch, so you have to have some support
behind that. I really don't know what we've got planned yet. We're
definitely talking about running Reed and Ryan in some more ARCA races.
There may be more Busch races later in the year with Reed, but basically
we have an agreement with Brawn Racing that David is driving the full
schedule for this year. He started the season off great and went through
a little bit of a slump. They seem like they're getting things
straightened back out. We hope he gets back to the top 10 in points.
We're trying to provide as much support as we can to ensure that."

 

DO THE REALITY SHOWS DISTRACT FROM RACING? "They can be distractions if
you let 'em. I know the little bit that Jamie and Casey did with 360 and
that David Stremme is doing with the Busch 24-7, there are times that
can be aggravating and distracting, but that's part of the business. It
takes a lot more focus nowadays, not only on the driver's part but every
single crew member to ensure they're worried about what we're here for
at the end of the day - to win races. It is a little bit difficult, but
that's part of the game nowadays. Unfortunately, the biggest part I
concentrate on is the competition side and the performance of the race
cars on the track. On a personal opinion, I've had too much reality
shows in general, not just racing. Every time you turn on the TV
nowadays, that's all you see, but that's what the public seems to like
right now. If that's part of the bigger picture for promoting our sport
and NASCAR in general, that's what we have to do."

 

WHAT WILL RACE CAR LOOK LIKE IN NEXT FIVE YEARS? "I think you're going
to see a lot bigger car. It's probably going to be a little different
proportion, bigger greenhouse, more room in the car for driver safety,
more of a capsule for the driver to sit in, almost a tub like an open
wheel car. They're just pushing safety and making sure all teams are
taken care of and are as equal as possible. That's one thing NASCAR has
always done and that's why there are so many teams out there that can
win a race on any given weekend. The little bit I've talked to Gary
Nelson and seen the bits and pieces they're working on, I think it's
pretty much a clean sheet of paper and it's going to be starting over.
It's going to take a long time to get to that point. It's not going to
be an overnight switch, but I think it's going to be something good for
down the road. In all honesty from everything I'm seeing and hearing
what their plans are, I'd say it's actually going further away from what
you see on the street than even what we have currently."

 

####