Transcript of Michael Waltrip and Ron Capps press conference at NHRA Gatornationals

(EDITORS: Attached is a digital image of Joe Castello (left), host Joe
Castelloıs Total Motorsports Radio Show on WFOradio.com, Michael Waltrip and
Ron Capps during an interview at the 41st annual NHRA Gatornationals at
Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway on Saturday, March 13. Photo credit:
AutoImagery.)

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 3 of 23
41st annual NHRA GATORNATIONALS
Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway
March 12-14, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 14, 2010) - Following is a transcript of the press
conference held at the 41st annual NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville
Raceway with longtime NAPA AUTO PARTS NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip and Ron
Capps, driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger Funny Car in the 2010
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Weıre joined by Michael Waltrip and Ron Capps. Michael, you just stood on
the starting line and watched Ron Capps. Tell us how that was.
Michael Waltrip: ³Itıs just amazing. I canıt imagine that, the way the sound
hits you and bounces off of you...Standing there and feeling it, I canıt
describe it. Iım just so thankful that Iım here. Being here was funny
because we woke up this morning in Daytona and had every intention of flying
home with my buddies, back to North Carolina. Our luggage was on the plane
and we were about to get on and I asked Brian, my friend, and I said ŒWeıre
pretty close to those drag races, we probably should go, donıt you think?ı
So we grabbed our luggage off the plane and got a rental car and drove over.
Iım certainly thankful I did because watching the NAPA car just then was one
of the coolest things ever. I know yıall are used to it, but Iıve got a
permanent grin on my face. Just trying to explain it to people. Itıs
incredible. I would like to know what it feels like to be Ron, to do it. But
I donıt want to know bad enough to actually learn how to do it.²
Question: Ron, do you have fun showing him your world? Youıve been a part of
his world before, but talk about showing Michael around.
Ron Capps: ³I went to Bristol last year and it was cold, so he gave me a
Michael Waltrip Racing jacket and I felt at home. I had a radio on. I think
I brought a little bit of bad luck because they had a bad lap when I got
there, but I wanted last year for him to come out and it never happened
because their schedule is so hectic. So I got a text this morning. I had
just left the hotel at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. and he said Iım coming to see you.
I thought, I donıt know where youıre at but I donıt think youıre close
enough to see me. I wrote back ³where at and when?² and he said he was
coming up from Daytona. All of my crew guys were really excited; theyıve
been wanting him to come out. You know, everybody loves Michael. Heıs just a
fun person to be around. We had a blast doing commercials and stuff. Iıve
been bragging about him coming out and getting on the starting line again.
Don Schumacher made a comment about building a car big enough for him and I
said ŒLetıs not do that, he might want to come back out of retirement,
semi-retirement and want to jump in a Funny Car.ı He drove an alcohol funny
car at Frank Hawleyıs school here a few years ago, so we had talked about
it. He went through the school to drive an alcohol funny car so he can
pretty much drive anything; obviously he understands everything.
Question: When you got together for the first time doing the commercials was
there something special that happened?
Waltrip: We were friends and any time you get to work with your friends,
people you respect and admire, itıs just a good day. We spent a couple of
days together and it was a great time, and I was talking earlier today, it
was the first time today that reality set in that Iım not really the NAPA
driver anymore. I stopped at the NAPA store in Gainesville and I was just
going to go in and say ŒHi,ı maybe get some ball joints or something (I just
like saying that word). I walked in the door and there was a stand out there
of Martin Truex Jr. and Ron Capps and I was like ŒWhereıs Mike?!ı  Iım
usually that guy standing there, but it really made me realize that Iım not
necessarily the NAPA guy anymore. Iıve got great guys like Martin and Ron
waving the flag for us so my role is different now. I wanted to be in the
commercial, the one that Martin Truex does where heıs singing the NAPA Know
How song, and he throws the moon up or something and thereıs a spaceship
going by. I tried to talk them into letting me be in the space ship. Like I
would go by and say ŒHey, remember me?ı I thought that wouldıve been
awesome, but they didnıt think so.
Question: Does this atmosphere here kind of give a whole new appreciation
for what is really accessible in motorsports?
Waltrip: ³Ron has to focus and do his job and when he has to do his job,
thatıs just part of it. Everyone wants to be friendly and sign autographs,
but there comes a time when you have to say ŒOK, right now I have to go
drive this car and I have to get my mind right to drive it.ı I donıt see it
being a whole lot different; we just have a time during the weekend at the
NASCAR races where we have to be focused and then thereıs other times when
itıs relaxed. I went to Dubai in January and raced in a 24-hour race and
that was the first time I felt like a kid again. Since I was growing up in
Kentucky and going to race my go-kart the families would always load up and
go to the track and Mom would have chicken and we would race go-karts and it
was a family affair. Itıs weird that I have to go all the way to the other
side of the world to feel that again. But when I got to Dubai nobody really
knew or cared who I was and there was like 60-some cars in this race and
there were people that were just there with their cars to race and have fun
and there were some people there that were serious about it and wanted to
win and I was with one of those teams. But when I was kid there was always
people that wanted to do it for fun and there were ones that wanted to do it
for a career, so getting to do that experience and being here today... I
texted Ron on the way in and I said ŒI know you donıt know this for sure,
but Iım a big fan and I feel just like one because Iıve been sitting in
traffic for an hour.ı I looked around and I thought these are my friends;
weıve got something in common. Weıre going to the races.²
Question: When you were in Frank Hawleyıs Drag Racing School you probably
sat in this very room, were you amazed at all of the classroom instruction
before you got on the track?
Waltrip: We went through a speeded-up version of the class. Fortunately we
were able to get through the class and get out on the track.

--(Cars start going down the track, Michael gets side-tracked)  Ron, when I
was out there on the starting line watching you some guy starts yelling at
me, pointing at me and Iım scared to death, literally scared. Anyway, this
guy was yelling at me and Iım like ŒWhat did I do now?ı but my shoe was
untied. I was scared to be there, I really was.--

My reaction time was 3.4 seconds. It turned green and I said ŒOK, I can go
now.ı I had to make sure I knew everything I had to do when I hit the gas
because I knew it was all going to happen in a hurry.
Question: Ron, the first time you guys met did you guys talk anything about
speeds and compare what you guys do?
Capps: Ironically, the first year, the first commercials we were shooting
were all about me being new to the team. Itıs funny, I go back on YouTube
now and I watch them and I was a little in awe. I had met him before but we
really didnıt know each other and we show up on the set. When NAPA sets up a
commercial shoot itıs like a full-blown motion picture and thereıs 93 people
working on the set. So I was still in awe, thinking I was in over my head.
So Michael strolls in two minutes to go and heıs got his lines down, he sits
down and we start shooting, and Iıve been up all night looking at my stuff
so Iım a little bit nervous. The funny part was we shot those commercials
where Iım joining the team and I rattle off some part number and heıs trying
to tell me ŒWelcome to the team and donıt get cockyı kind of thing and we
did the reaction thing with the hand slap and those commercials were really
how I was feeling at the time. I was new to the team and yet I was trying to
impress, saying my reaction times were a little bit quicker than a NASCAR
driver. It was just ironic how the scripts were that first year; itıs fun to
go back and watch them. Those first couple of days thatıs how I felt. By
that afternoon, obviously you warm up to him pretty quick. We got to talking
about the speed differences and he would rattle off some impressive number
that he knew about NASCAR and I would say ŒOh yeah, well, we make 9,000
horsepower and one of our cylinders makes more than your motor. We would
just joke and go back and forth and it was a lot of fun. Obviously everyone
knows how hard it is to drive one of those cars over there. He would do good
if he was in one of these, thereıs no doubt about it. It took me a while to
get used to everything. They were fun to shoot but that first day, looking
back, I remember how nervous I was. He helped, though; he broke me in.²
Question: David Reutimann says youıre funny as a boss, but youıve got a job
to do as an ownerŠ
Capps: Heıs John Force over there. I know them both very well and he is.
Heıs laughing all the time, making people laugh all of the time. I didnıt
mean to interrupt, but heıs just like John Force. Force and I have been
friends forever and they remind me of each other. Their heads are going way
off and ahead of everything.
Waltrip (on ownership): Itıs really fun for me to have that side of the
world. To be able to have sponsors, have employees and be a part of the
NASCAR community and do it really with my signature on it. I try to tell
people that weıre not gifted; itıs a gift that we have this job. We didnıt
deserve it, we didnıt earn it; we race cars and itıs a blessing that we get
to do that and we should have that as our attitude. Whether youıre a driver
or a crew guy, everyone should be thankful because racing cars is fun. Itıs
not a job, it is a lot of work at times, but itıs something we should be
thankful that we get to do. Thatıs the way I go about my business and people
generally appreciate that, I think, and the folks at MWR they want to work
hard. I remember when I drove for Dale (Earnhardt). I drove for him for a
grand total of one race and he died in that race, but the couple of months
leading up to that race it was amazing how, when you walk through that shop,
people just wanted the cars to be faster. They were Daleıs cars and they
were going to be the best. I never forgot that; itıs been a part of me ever
since then. I want the same thing to happen at my shop. I want our people to
want our cars better than everyone elseıs, thatıs my job. I was telling them
earlier, now that Iım retired, Iıll get a text from someone asking me to go
somewhere, and I go. I just do everything. Yıallıs job is to make sure you
donıt put two things on top of each other, but if you ask me to do
something, Iım going to do it. So just be careful what you ask me for.
Question: Michael, have you thought of doing TV or movies? Capps played a
cowboy a few years ago in a movie. Would you do that?
Waltrip: ³Yeah Iıve been checking some stuff out, I might do some of that.²
Capps: ³I could be his midget sidekick.²
Waltrip: ³That would be fun.²
Question: A lot of the fans donıt get the opportunity to go in the shops.
Can you explain what itıs like at your shop?²
Waltrip: ³I donıt have any money, but I know where itıs all at. Every dime
Iıve got is in Cornelius, North Carolina, and it consists of a nice building
that we build NASCAR championship-contending cars out of. Thereıs a bunch of
those in there. There are parts and 240 people walking around. When I get to
missing my money, I just go there and walk around and say Œhereıs where it
all is.ı Some people have asked me, ŒDo you wish you had not done this? and
thatıs not even an option. I didnıt have the ability to say no. When Toyota
said we want you to race cars for us I said ŒHeck, yeah, thatıs exactly what
I want to do. Itıs been fun, Iım happy.²
Capps: ³Itıs kind of the same thing. Don (Schumacher) obviously has learned
a lot. If anyoneıs not been there weıve got an open house before the Indy
race (U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend). Heıs got a big shop, all of the
rigs pull in the shop. Itıs 110,000 square feet or something, itıs pretty
impressive. I live in California, so I donıt get out there very much unless
itıs before the race. Itıs Labor Day weekend, Friday of that weekend.²
 
(Transcription courtesy of Leah Vaughn).