NASCAR NEXTEL Cup: Post-race Winner Peress Conference

Lowe's Motor Speedway

Jimmie Johnson

Rick Hendrick

Chad Knaus

#48 Lowe's Chevrolet

WINNER PRESS CONFERENCE

WHY IS YOUR TEAM SO DOMINANT? IS THAT SOMETHING TO COME FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?

Hendrick

No, I don't think you can look at one race and say that you're going to be dominant everywhere. This is best that we've done as an organization with all the cars. I think everyone led and they led more than one lap. You know, it was a great night, and I think it was a tribute to the guys working together and you know, we had some awesome cars there and we had some bad luck toward the end. Had an egnie problem there with Kyle, which concerned us all after Riggs had a problem. So, we were a little nervous there toward the end.

THE #24 AND #48 TEAMS HAVE MULTIPLE WINS. WHAT ARE THE PROGRAMS FOR THE #5 AND #25 LOOKING LIKE ?

Hendrick

Well, I think if you go back to Richmond and some of the races leading up to Charlotte, the #5 and #25 were actually as good as, maybe better than, the #24 and #48. So, I think Brian Whitesell has done an excellent job of bringing that team along and I think you're going to see those guys win a race here before the year is out.

FANTASTIC FINISH THERE AT THE END. HOW WAS IT FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT?

Johnson

It was great being on that end of it. In Atlanta, I lost one like that. I knew that I was really strong off of turn 4 and I was trying to set Bobby up. But, Bobby had a good car and he knew where to be and position himself. But, I got a run on him coming off of turn 4, coming to the white and I didn't think he'd leave me the top in 3 and 4, so I went for the bottom in 1 and 2 and was just going to try to be side by side with him and see what happens. And I almost lost it in 1 and 2 and he cleared me and got back in front of me. I went into turn 3 and decided not to lift and before I knew it, I was to his quarter panel and I could see at that point, his spotter told him that I was on the outside of him, and he left me a lane that was on the outside of him, and I got it. So, the only thing he could have done a little differently was maybe to arc it into turn 3 and little bit more and protect the top side, but he was looking for—and committed—to the bottom. You know, somehow the car stuck. I didn't expect to get alongside of him, but when it did, I was smiling and knew we were in great shape.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A RACE UNFOLD LIKE THIS, ESPECIALLY AT CHARLOTTE?

Hendrick

In all my years of racing, never seen anything like this. Thought we were in such good shape if we could just stay out of trouble, and then the caution got us. So many cautions. Usually here you see a long green run, but everybody's trying to plan a strategy based on that. It just was a crazy race. There were just a few laps to go and we could have finished 10th or 11th. I thought we were happy. So, it was a strange race. A great race as it turned out. But, very strange race tonight.

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ACCIDENT BETWEEN BRIAN AND JEFF

Hendrick

Yeah, it really is tough. As I mentioned a minute ago, putting the #5 and #25 together and watching them come out and run like they did. Brian's been very sick. He's run a fever of like 103 degrees. And ran the Busch race and this race tonight. And you hate to see him run that long and be that good, both Brian and Kyle. But the way I look at it and what I said to the teams afterward, you're 20-21 years old. If you run like that and show this kind of potential, you're going to win races. You've got to be able to run up front before you win and I think it's a good display of how those two teams are running together and how they've kind of closed the gap on the #24 and #48.

THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT YOU BEING ONE OF THE BAD GUYS

Johnson

In our sport, you have so many people watching, so many different things taking place. And everybody has an opinion and everybody is entitled to an opinion. I said it a month ago when everything took place and ran its course. And, I'm here today with the respect of everyone in that garage area. And I had it through what went on. It's an intense sport. And as long as I have the respect of the people in the garage area, that's all that matters. And it's there, it's always been there. Any press is good press, I guess.

MANY ACCIDENTS OUT THERE ON THE FRONT STRAIGHT. DO THE FANS THAT PAY MONEY DESERVE BETTER RACING?

Johnson

I think the fans like to see the crashes, personally. They like to see hard racing and it's part of it. I think that, it's easy to sit back and say that the competion is being too aggressive. You have to look at the fact that the competition is so intense. And we had a car to win the race tonight, and when we started back in 20th a couple times, based on pit strategy, it's impossible to pass people. You have to drive over your head, and beyond the team's ability, just to get position on someone. That's one car and you have good air position and you can get side by side. But if you get multiple cars, the slightest bump puts anybody out of control. And we have to race that hard. The reason you're seeing more cautions is because, to stay competitive, you have to drive that hard every lap. You know, it's just racing. We need to stop pointing figures and realize it's just racing and hard racing.

WAS THERE ANY POINT IN THE NIGHT WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU'D GET A TOP 10, DESPITE ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED?

Johnson

Yeah, when we got going, I think it was 29 to go and I think we were 14th, 15th, I can't really remember. I knew the cars that were in front of me that we were much better than them throughout the night. Probably get in the top 10, and before I knew it I was inside of the #12 when Joe spun, racing for fourth. So, at that point, I knew there were a few laps left. I wasn't sure how many. When Joe spun, that's when it dawned on me that, man, I have a shot at really winning this race. Because, 20-30 laps before that, we were caught pitting and then we were a lap down. So, to rally through all of that and to be in victory lane, it's just amazing what we've come through in such a short period of time in the race. I didn't expect it, I love it and am very proud of this race team for what we did tonight.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM CARL EDWARDS IN ATLANTA (COMING FROM THE OUTSIDE TO WIN)

Johnson

If you can come into the checkered flag, you've got to be on the outside. The momentum will carry you by him. At least the nose by the inside guy's nose on the start/finish line. Got it out there. And once I got to his quarter panel on the outside of the turn, I knew we were in good shape. And sure enough, we edged by him at the end.

DID YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON POSSIBLY YOU AND BOBBY GETTING TOGETHER IN THAT LAST LAP?

Johnson

No, no way. Especially with Bobby. He came to victory lane and congratulated us. And I have to just say that I respect him so much and then to see him come to victory lane and shake my hand and shake the team's hand, and tell us a good job, tells us a lot about his character and what kind of character he has. I knew that it was going to be a good race. He had the top in 1 and 2 which was the preferred line when we took the white flag. I tried to get underneath him on the inside and it didn't really work out. And then going into 3, I just really made a last-ditch effort just to get out there. Get to his outside and I got there. And then once I got there, I was like, oh my goodness, we're in good shape. We're going to get this done.

HOW FRUSTRATING WAS YOUR LAST MONTH?

Johnson

No, it hasn't. We're a stronger race team. Life is good. We're in victory lane.

ON WINNING AT HOME AND ON CAPTURING 5 STRAIGHT WINS ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND COUNTING THE BUSCH RACE AND THREE FOR JIMMIE JOHNSON

Hendrick

We have so many employees and our shop is a mile from here. Charlotte is home. I want to win this race. I've always wanted to win this race. But with the competition like it is today, to think we could win three in a row or win two Busch races back to back like that, you've got to be prepared, but you never think you're really going to get to do it. But these races rank right up there with the biggest of our career.

ON THE TRACK SURFACE AND ALL THE WRECKS

Johnson

When you make the track faster, the racing groove is narrower and it's harder to pass. Then, in order to pass for good position, you just have to try that much harder. And you run out of space. We're running so fast around here. If the car breaks traction, for a split second, the car moves three or four feet. And when you're racing within inches, three or four feet – it's all over and you cause a wreck."

WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN THE CAUTION CAME OUT RIGHT AFTER YOU PITTED AND YOU WENT A LAP DOWN?

Johnson

At that point, we were just trying to get a solid finish out of it and just bring the car home. Whatever the pit cycle was that was going on, and the adjustments everybody made, before I knew it I got through a huge group of cars and had great track position. Fortunately I missed the big wreck that happened going into Turn 1. And then from there, we got going again and the car was on rails. It was flying. We were able to get into position to win the race from there.

HOW IS TERRY LABONTE?

Hendrick

He's okay. They went to the hospital because they had a problem with his foot. I think he's fine.

THE LAP SPEEDS WERE MUCH SLOWER TONIGHT THAN IN QUALFIYING. WAS THIS JUST THE DIFFERENCE IN RACE SET-UP VERSUS QUALFIYING SET-UP, OR WAS IT ACTUALLY A DIFFERENCE IN THE TRACK AND THE WEATHER?

Knaus

It's absolutely just qualifying set-up versus race set-up. When we're not at an impound event, you're qualifying speeds go up tremendously – especially at tracks like Lowe's Motor Speedway. Anything that's a 1.5 mile in length, the speeds are quite a bit faster in your qualifying trim.

DID YOU SEE THE #22 LAPPED CAR ON THE WHITE FLAG LAP?

Johnson

I don't remember another car. I didn't even know there was another car.

HOW CLOSE WERE YOU IN ALMOST GETTING INVOLVED IN JOE NEMECHEK'S WRECK?

Johnson

It was close enough to where I closed my eyes and ducked my head, because I thought I was hitting him. We've learned that if you know you're going to have an impact, if you lean into your restraint system, it's the best thing you can do. So, I ducked my head and closed my eyes and didn't feel anything, so I looked up, and around I went. I don't know how much room there was between the cars, but there wasn't much.

WITH THE STRING OF BAD LUCK, DID YOU START DOUBTING YOURSELF A BIT?

Johnson

No, and the thing that I've learned in this sport is that it's very humbling. And we hear that phrase a lot. There was some controversy, there were some races we wish we could have back, we didn't perform like we wanted to. It's just been challenging, and in any professional sport, it doesn't matter if it's race car driving, football, baseball, whatever, you're going to have runs like that. We had it. And tonight, hopefully, is a good step in the right direction to get ready for this championship at the end. I'm stronger, smarter, understand the politics of our sport, understand the fans a little bit better and have a deeper respect for the drivers and I think they do for me. Through what's gone on in the past month. So, it may have looked bad with the controversy from the outside, but if you could have been there when I talked to Jeff Burton, been there when I talked to Tony Stewart, after the big one in Talladega, all the guys—all the drivers involved—even the ones that called me an idiot, said, Man, this is just racing. People don't see that. It's okay, because I know I have the respect of the guys in the garage area, and that's all that matters. So, to answer your question, it didn't make me change anything. Sure, it's tough on you. I didn't like it, but I know who I am. I've worked my whole life to be where I'm at. We've got the best team in the business. We dug in deeper and are just going to kind of ride it out. There's nothing you can do about it.

DO YOU BLOCK OUT THE POSSIBLE BOOS OUT THERE?

Johnson

Not at all. That's the great thing about our sport. Fans have an opinion, fans can share their opinion. They can buy their t-shirt, wear their color in the stands, root for whoever they want, and that's fine with me. That's why our sport is as big as it is, because our fans can be involved. I wish they wouldn't throw beer cans at our race car, and I know Chad and the guys at the fab shop don't want beer cans stuck in the side of the race car, but that's the best thing about our sport.

TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS WIN AND YOUR OTHER VICTORIES HERE IN THE PAST

Johnson

No, the feelings are totally different. In a way, the way we had to get to the finish line this time was totally different. I was screaming so loud in the car after we won that I think I've blown my throat out. So, I apologize. But, the track is much different. With the griding that's gone on in the race track, it is a totally different track. I've had to learn a different way to drive this race track. Takes a totally different setup. It's just a whole new race track. And I learned a lot throughout the night. I think after the final pit stop I finally learned how to drive the track. Chad made some adjustments that hit right on what we needed, and off we went. So, tonight was a very, very tough night in that mentally, we couldn't stop. Moreso than what I remember from the track before. Maybe it was because we had the track figured out real well. Tonight was a very mentally draining track for myself, and I know for Chad that with all the cautions, to do with strategy and whether to pit, not pit. And we only had 22,000 cautions tonight.

Knaus

Yes, what we were able to do here in the Coca-Cola 600 last year was exactly what we wanted to do. Here tonight, I didn't know if we were coming or going half the night. We would pit, the caution would come out, we wouldn't pit, the caution would come out again, some guys would pit. It was a crazy strategy day and we kind of got caught behind there for a little bit. Lost a lap, but everybody dug in deep. But, I'll be honest with you, I thought we were done. When we lost that lap, I came on the radio and said, Boys, we've just got to finish this thing, there's no way we can win this race. Once we got back on the lead lap it was completely different, but who would have throught that being on the tail end of the lead lap with 40 laps to go, that we'd have a shot to win it. These guys did a great job and we made some incredible adjustments to the race car. And Jimmie drove the wheels off it and a completely different end of the spectrum.

DOES HAVING TO WIN IT THIS WAY MAKE IT MORE SATISFYING—TO PULL IT OUT OF A HAT?

Johnson

I don't think so. It's cool to win a race like this. I lost a race like this, in Atlanta, and that stunk. It's cool to win a race. That's actually, probably, my first win like that ever—coming to a checkered flag side-by-side like that. So, it's my first one like that. That's what you dream of, that's the way you want to win races.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO GET OVER ATLANTA?

Johnson

No, it didn't really stick with me. I was doing everything that I could to keep Carl behind me. I was watching in the mirror, and he was doing everything he could to try to get by me. And if I could have had that final turn back, I think I could have worked something out to stay in front of him, but you just have to give it all you've got. I tried and just came up a little short.

ON THE TRACK SURFACE

Knaus

I don't know if Humpy actually did it to try to improve the racing so much as to get guys to quit complaining about the track because it was so bumpy and rough and course before. I thought the racing was pretty good. Obviously we won the race, so I thought it was better than some. But he might have been appeasing a lot of people who were saying the track was too rough and too difficult to drive and hard on equipment. I just don't think the grinding of the course plus the tire that we brought back was the best choice for side by side racing. When we come back in the fall, it might be a different story.

WHAT DID YOU AND JIMMIE TALK ABOUT WHEN YOU DROVE OVER HERE IN YOUR PERSONAL CAR AND TOOK A LOOK AT THE NEW SURFACE FOR THE FIRST TIME?

Knaus

Yeah, we did to that. We came down in my Tahoe and made some laps around the race track just real quick – about 55 mph. We just looked at the track to determine if we needed to test. What we saw there, we opted not to test and to use the All-Star event as a make-shift test. That's the same route we took last year and it paid off and obviously it paid off again this evening.

ON HOW WELL ALL THE HENDRICK CARS RAN TONIGHT

Knaus

It just shows once again what we've got at Hendrick Motorsports and how well all of our teams are working. The No. 5 and the No. 24 and the No. 25 all came and tested. We compiled our data. When we showed up, all the Hendrick cars were up toward the top 15 – even in qualifying trim. Once we got into race trim, it was the same thing. Everybody communicates and works together. It's just an incredible thing we've got going on right now.

ON WINNING THE COCA-COLA 600 THREE TIMES

Knaus

If you put our guys in a situation where they've got time to work on a race car and Jimmie has time to learn about a race track, we can beat anybody out there. Six hundred miles is a long time. We can make a lot of pit stops and a lot of adjustments. We can make a lot of cool things happen that maybe other people might not be on top of as well as we are. I think quite honestly, that's the truth. If you look at a lot of our races here, we haven't always been the fastest race car. At the end of the event, we're always running in a very competitive spot and ready to take opportunity when it arises.

Johnson

I agree. With two pit stops and about 80 or 60 laps to go, it clicked in my head as to how to really get around here now with the new surface and the line and how to drive the car and off we went.

ON THE SUCCESS OF HENDRICK TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER

Knaus

When I started at the No. 24 and No. 48 shop in late 2001. It wasn't really told to me that I had to go in there and really communicate with Robbie Loomis to make this deal successful. It was something I really took initiative in and something they wanted. I knew if I was going to make a living racing at Hendrick Motorsports, I was going to have to communicate with absolutely everybody there to be the best of my ability. We all want to be successful and help the company. We all want to keep working there. The way to maintain that is to win races and communicate. We know that right out of the box. We know that. The biggest thing is that we all like each other. We all enjoy each other's company.

Bobby Labonte

#18 FedEx Chevrolet

2nd position

PRESS CONFERENCE

WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE AT ALL TO KEEP JIMMIE JOHNSON FROM GETTING AROUND YOU?

Well, I guess I would have run the outside line. I thought I had him off of Turn 2 when he was low and he was underneath me and he slid up and got behind me and I pulled away a little bit, I just had to drive my line if you know what I mean. So I drove my line in there and just got on the gas as hard as I could. He just made the outside work better than I did. I've done that before. I've done that to guys many times. I didn't want to give up the inside just right then and I thought I could do it, but it just didn't turn out.

WOULD ONE MORE LAP HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO HOLD OFF JOHNSON?

No, I think one less lap would have been the right thing to have. I was wishing the white flag would have been the checkered flag, but it wasn't. Jimmie had a really fast car and we fought all night long. We were a lap down at lap 60 and it was such a night where you'd see guys who had fast race cars – like Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch – and then at times they weren't. It was all back and forth. We had the same thing as far as not having a fast car. And then we had a better car and then we had better track position. We were fortunate to have some good breaks there and one less lap would have been all right. But it didn't turn out. I had him beat off of Turn 2 and he got behind me and went into Turn 3 just like I did – I was already a bit loose – I hammered it on in there and got on the gas as fast as I could but got passed on the outside. I protected the bottom more than the top because I thought that was the place to be because he tried to get me a little bit on the bottom in both those corners the lap before. It just didn't work out.

THIS IS GREAT FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM SINCE IT'S YOUR FIRST TOP 5 OF THE SEASON

It really is. We had a 6th at Phoenix and an 8th at Richmond and now a 2nd here. It's obviously a little more consistent than it was at the beginning of the year. Well, obviously we had consistency at the beginning of the year but it was just at the wrong end of the scale. So we've got some consistency back on the front side. All the guys did a great job. They worked hard.

We didn't have the fastest car to win. It would have been nice, but we were lucky to be at the right place at the right time. We started dead last because we had to change a transmission before qualifying that got us at the back of the pack. We passed a lot of cars to finish second.

ON THE RECORD-SETTING NUMBER OF 22 CAUTIONS IN THE RACE

That's pretty high. Obviously there were a lot of wrecks and caution flags and stuff like that and we just dodged them all. A lot of guys didn't. We were fortunate enough to finish second and we had a decent car at the end. I can't really say much about it. We weren't involved in anything fortunately, so it probably helped us out.

ARE THE HENDRICK AND ROUSH CARS AS UNBEATABLE AS THEY SEEM TO BE?

At one time tonight, we were up front and I got passed by four cars and they were all the Hendrick cars. So obviously they were really fast. They all didn't finish, but one of them won (Johnson). The others had tough luck. They were pretty fast for the most part. Roush cars are pretty good too. But I guess when you've got more cars than anybody else, it's a little bit easier to be that way too, sometimes.

AFTER FIVE HOURS OF RACING WITH NO BREAKS, YOU'VE GOT TO BE TIRED RIGHT NOW

No, actually I'm not. It's not too bad. My air conditioner in my helmet didn't work all night. I had a new helmet, which I probably shouldn't have done. It got hot on the red flag more than anything. But when you're focused and your Adrenalin is flowing (you stay alert). But I'm sure sometime about three o'clock in the morning it'll finally hit me and I'll go to sleep. But I'm not toast. I'm mentally drained because I ran that last lap over and over already several times while we're sitting here talking. Still, all in all, I'm a little bit disappointed I didn't win, but I didn't have the fastest race car. If I had won, it wouldn't have been in the record books. But I'd have known it wasn't the fastest race car. I'd rather have the fastest race car. We've got to work real hard to do that. We don't have those yet. I think we can get there. The guys do a good job. So, I'm not toast, but I'm wishing I could have run one less lap tonight.

ON THE TRACK SURFACE, WAS IT A PROBLEM? This afternoon I was doing hospitality in the FedEx suite and I looked down (on the track) and there was new white concrete powder dust going into Turn 1. And at one time there, it looked like boulders were flying out when the No. 24 (Jeff Gordon) got a hole in his nose. So there was definitely something there that came apart. After that, the ruts were there, which was better than the concrete that was in put in there because the epoxy came up. So the ruts were there, but they weren't as bad as the stuff coming up. So there were a couple of issues there evidently.

DID YOU HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND IT? After a while, you just drove right through it or around it. Heck, you were going so fast, you couldn't se it anyway.

Joe Nemechek #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet 18th position

Note: Nemechek's right-rear tire went flat after he hit debris on the track with nine laps remaining.

All of sudden the car started vibrating going into Turn 3 and I didn't have a prayer. Nine laps to go in the race -- just incredible. It was our race to win. But something hit the bottom of my car and the tire went flat going into the corner. With all those crashes we kept on running over so much debris all day. It's hard to swallow, but we can't overlook how we fought back from being a lap down to get in position to win the race. The crew kept on making adjustments and we finally hit on it. When we got into clean air the Army Chevy checked out. It was flying. This is a good team and we'll win races.

Scott Riggs

#10 Valvoline Chevrolet

19th position

Note: Was running fifth with 57 laps to go when he lost a cylinder. He stayed on the track and finished the race.

HOW WAS YOUR RACE?

We chased the setup all night. The team kept making good changes to the Valvoline Chevrolet and we worked our way up front and into some good track position. Things were going our way and we knew we had a shot at a top-five finish. We were cruising around up there making our move, but with about fifty laps to go we lost a cylinder. That put a stop to our run.

The way the race played out I honestly think we could've been sitting in first place. The way our pit strategy was working I really think we had a shot at the victory. The Valvoline Chevrolet was awesome.It was still a good night for us. We started off the night struggling a bit and by the end of the night we had a car that could've contended for a win. Everyone did a great job. We'll just come back next week and get them again.

Jeff Gordon

#24 DuPont Chevrolet

30th position

Note: Gordon retired on lap 382

YOUR RACE IS OVER, WHY?

Too much damage from the wreck. We had a good car. We got very unfortunate when that caution came out after our green flag stop. It just caught us way back and there was just no way were going to make our way back to the front. But we were going to salvage what we could. The #91 or Elliott got spun, and I got into him.

Well, we had a rough end of the night. We had an awesome car. What a car. You know, in the early stages, we had the car to beat. As the sun went down, and the lights went on, we got a little bit tight and some other guys picked up. Brian Vickers had the best car, but unfortunately, he ran out of patience a little bit there. He's my teammate, I love him to death and he's doing such a great job. I hate it for him, I know he didn't want it to end that way. It's what it looked like to me.

WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER ON WITH THE PIECE OF DEBRIS HITTING YOUR CAR?

I was pretty disappointed in what happened to us. I'm not sure what came up off the race track and got us, but it certainly set us back. Weren't any other issues other than that. I didn't see any. You know, I think there was some kind of a sealant that was being pulled up off the track.

CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT THE CAUTION FLAG THAT CAUGHT YOU OUT OF YOUR PIT STRATEGY?

Yeah, I knew that was going to be a thorn in our side. I thought we were going to be one of the cars to stretch it, but we weren't. You've got to play your strategy and unfortunately that didn't work out for us. We were just salvaging what we could wit hthe race car. Unfortunately we got caught up with that wreck.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO THE TRACK?

Well, the track is too fast, the tires are too hard. I think there are a lot of things, but for the most part things were good. They had some problems tonight that was totally separate from the racing. I'm not so sure, once they fix the crack and things that the track will mature and really come to us and get better, but if not they're going to have to repave it.

Brian Vickers

#25 GMAC / ditech.com Chevrolet

31st position

Note: Vickers led late in the race but retired after an accident on lap 379

TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR RACE ENDED TONIGHT?

The GMAC / ditech.com Chevy team did an awesome job. We had a car to win the race. You know, and I got frustrated when the caution came out and put us in the back. We were trying to get through there and we were four wide. Door to door, about three or four deep and Bill was slowing down and I don't know if he just lost his momentum or what, and I was coming and I started to back off and I just got into him. I think it was in the tri-oval and I apologize. You know, I take responsibility. It was an accident and I didn't mean to wreck Bill. But, I don't know what happened. I don't know why he lost the momentum, but I was looking and it was just too late.

WHY SO MANY CAUTIONS OUT THERE?

It's just, you know, the track gets real tight. You have to start so loose to be good. On a long run, that makes it harder for guys. It's really, mainly, just one groove. When you get someone, it's real hard to pass. And you get loose and all kinds of things. I mean, it's a fast, fun race track. You know, I mean, it had potential. But it still means a little bit more.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

#8 Budweiser Chevrolet

33rd position

HOW WAS YOUR CAR?

It was real tight when the race started, then we got to working on the car. And the car was real fast right there before we got into Michael. I was pretty happy with it at that point. It still needed a little bit more work, but it was just how it all turned out. Really, it was anybody's race tonight. And felt like we were in real good shape right until the accident.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE INCIDENT BETWEEN YOU AND MICHAEL?

Um, well, Michael was just running out there in front of me and I got a real good run off the corner and tried to the go to the outside of him. I looked to the outside of him on the front straightaway and he either moved up or took his natural line through the front straightaway and I got…I mean, it didn't take…I was right there on him, I was right kind of to the outside of him a little bit. The next thing I know he was spinning right there in front of me. I didn't know that I was as close as I was to him to hit him. But, just spun him out and you know, I hate it for him and Tony Jr. and all his guys. You know, I just made a mistake. But, I was running real hard, I had a great run off the corner and I didn't think…I thought I'd be able to get to the outside of him and try to make a pass on him.

TONY SR. SAID THERE MIGHT BE A PROBLEM BETWEEN YOU AND MICHAEL. HE WAS A LITTLE STEAMY

Yeah, I can understand that. There's no problem between me and Michael, and I think Michael understands that. Just, we just…he's definitely not the person I wanted to run into tonight! It's unfortunate and hopefully everybody can come to terms with it in some way or another. I know some of the guys on Michael's team are probably upset and don't really know. I mean, if you're not in the race car, you don't know what the hell is going on out there. I can't expect everybody to understand exactly what was going on at that moment at that time and how we all come together and wrecked. You know, the people that understand will move on and we'll try to get better next week.

HOW WAS THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND STEVE HMIEL?

The communication between me and him was awesome. We kept getting the car better and better. And kept making changes that were improving the car. We hadn't run in the 29's all night, and right there up right before the wreck, we were running 29-6's. We were half a second faster than we had been all night. I know the track was cooling off a little bit, but I felt like that we let one slip away here. We could have had us a good top 5 or even a victory tonight.

IS THERE ANY TRUTH THAT OFF THE TRACK YOU AND MICHAEL ARE GREAT BUT THERE MIGHT BE PROBLEMS ON THE TRACK?

There's no truth to it. We don't get in the habit of running into each other. And we don't really race each other that hard. We actually try to work together most of the time. It's just unfortunate. We were out there racing, and he happened to be the guy. It could have been anybody else. He was the last person I wanted to run into. But, we was all going for the same piece of real estate.

ANY EXPLANATION FOR WHY THERE WERE SO MANY WRECKS TONIGHT?

The track was real slick. Just got a lot of grips in spots and then spots where there's no grip. But, once you got your car working pretty good, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Wasn't that tough drive, but the car was real tough to drive if you had a push or a loose condition. It would do some good to put some new asphalt down, I think, because the track is tearing up a little bit anyways.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR TEAM. ANY PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF?

Not really. We've just got to keep working hard. Everybody's working hard. We had a good car tonight, you know. We've got to be focused and realize the potential. I think we've got good potential. The team is good. I think we've got a good idea with Steve Hmiel making the shots. He's got a good idea what needs to change. He's a smart enough man to make the calls and if people need to be changed, or whatever. I don't know. We'll just see how it goes. I'm feeling real confident right now for the team. We had a tough night tonight but the car was real fast when we went out with trouble there in the crash. The car is fast, I've got to do the rest, but tonight I slipped up a bit.

Michael Waltrip

#15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet

36th position

Note: Waltrip crashed out of the race on lap 245

WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?

I don't know what happened. I'm trying to figure it out. I was running with the #8 car and I'm think he got into me.