NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
BANK OF AMERICA 500
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 9, 2014
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media today at Charlotte Motor Speedway to discuss the Chase for the Sprint Cup, thoughts on next week’s race at Talladega, the challenges of Charlotte Motor Speedway and other topics. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
YOU’VE BEEN ADAMANTLY SAYING YOU NEED AN EIGHTH-PLACE FINISH. ARE YOU STICKING TO THAT, OR DO YOU THINK YOU NEED TO WIN?
Everybody needs to win. But you do the math… there’s eight slots that are open and three races. So that means three winners potentially at most. But there will be five guys who get in on points. Consistency needs to be there. I think it’s the next bracket that will be the most challenging where wins will be most important. Then obviously there’s Homestead.”
YOU TALKED ABOUT GUYS GETTING IN ON POINTS BUT WITH TALLADEGA NEXT WEEK, IS THERE MORE PRESSURE WITH TALLADEGA?
“I don’t think there is more pressure; I think there are more questions. We saw some guys at Kansas that had some misfortune that are guys who don’t usually misfortune with usually – the 88, the 2, the 48. Those guys obviously aren’t backed into a corner but they have their work cut out for them. There only two races left and you have three guys in trouble. There are going be some different approaches no doubt at Talladega but I don’t see it as added pressure. I don’t see it really any different. I still take the same approach to the first Talladega as I do the second Talladega where you’re still racing for points and positions and obviously a win to put yourself into the Chase let alone the next bracket.”
WITH THE STYLE OF RACING AT TALLADEGA, IS THAT A GOOD CUT-OFF RACE?
“It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. I don’t know if there is an answer. We could see 188 laps of green-flag. It’s happened before and it could happen again. You never know if there is going to be a big crash, if it’s going to be your fault or if you’re going to get caught up in someone else’s mess. There’s no answer to it. It is what it is. It’s part of the Chase. It is the last race of the Chase but no difference in the first race or the last race. You still have the opportunity.”
WHAT’S THE STRATEGY FOR YOU? DO YOU THINK YOU MAY LAY BACK AT THAT RACE AND DO YOU THINK IT’S BETTER TO BE IN THE BACK?
“We’ll get through Charlotte and see where we’re at. I look at it in several different ways – beforehand and obviously after Charlotte your game potentially changes.”
WHAT’S ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES THE TALLADEGA RACE?
“Questionable.”
YOU HAVE NINE POLES HERE. DO YOU LIKE YOUR ODDS HERE EVENT WITH THE NEW FORMAT?
“The new format just opens yourself up to making up for a mistake or improving upon yourself. We typically don’t change the racecar; there isn’t a whole lot to change throughout those runs so it’s not like you can fix the racecar. It just gives you as a driver an opportunity to adjust to the conditions. For instance, if you’re going to sit around tonight for four hours and the track picks up a lot of grip and you don’t get the exact run you want that first run, you know where you can push it on that second or third run. I still don’t like the format but it does give yourself an ability to adapt.”
WHAT MAKES THIS TRACK SO TOUGH?
“It’s actually a pretty narrow race track. It’s got good banking and we can get three-wide but it is a really narrow racetrack compared to others. That makes it a little tough and a little unique. In respect to the ends of the racetrack, you have one end that is entirely opposite of the other but you have to have a good racecar that is good on both ends.”