NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 23, 2013
 
 
KURT BUSCH TO START ON THE FRONT ROW FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK
Six Chevrolet SS Drivers to Start in Top 15
 
BRISTOL, TN – August 23, 2013 – Kurt Busch, No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet SS, who has five career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, will start the race on the outside of the front row for the second straight week.  Busch has now earned seven outside, front-row starting spots so far in 2013.  He will be looking to keep his hot streak alive and stay inside the Top 10 in the point standings in the last three races leading into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. 
 
Kasey Kahne, who won the spring event at Bristol, will start his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS in seventh position.  Kahne also needs a solid run on Saturday night to keep his grip on his Chase “Wild Card” position.  Ryan Newman, No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS, also very much alive in the Chase standings, and will start in eighth position on Saturday night.
 
Other Team Chevy members starting in the Top 15 are: Mark Martin, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS – 11th, Jimmie Johnson, No 48 Dover White Chevrolet SS – 13th, and Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet SS – 15th.
 
Denny Hamlin (Toyota) was the pole winner, Carl Edwards (Ford) was third, Brian Vickers (Toyota) was fourth and Matt Kenseth (Toyota) was fifth, to round out the top-five.
 
The IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway takes the green flag on Saturday, August 24th at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be aired live on ESPN.
 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 78 FURNITURE ROW/SEALY CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED SECOND:
TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY:
“It was an eventful Friday for us. I got a little loose getting into (Turn) 3 and it took me all the way until Turn 4 to scrub the fence and we pancaked the right side just enough to where we had to quit practice for the last half hour and go to work on fixing the car. The hood seams were sealed and the decklid seams were sealed, but the whole right side was pancaked. You’re right on that edge. Do you fix it or do you pull out the back-up. It was so cool to just feel the energy from my guys. They all rolled their sleeves up. They all looked at the clock and said we’ve got an hour and a half to fix this to get in the tech line. And we got it in. Then we had trouble getting it through the tech line because the lasers inspect the car with a little bit more detail than what our tape measures show. And so we had to go through the tech line two or three times and got out to the grid right before it was our turn.
 
“I went and turned a lap and the cool part was I said I’ve got to go 95 percent. I can’t go a full 100 percent on that first lap just to feel the car and to trust the car and to trust the track. And then the second lap, once I made it through the first lap, I said all right, let’s go 100 percent. And then I backed all over the place again. So it was a very eventful day. But, thanks to my guys for working as hard as they did to give us this outside pole. We’ve been on the outside pole a half a dozen times. It’s a good accomplishment but at the same time, we’re coming up a little short for getting the pole. But these guys keep plugging away. It’s been great to go into an old school thrash like we did today and come out with an outside pole.”
 
THIS IS YOUR SEVENTH OUTSIDE ROW STARTING POSITION. YOU ARE IN POSITION FOR A CHASE BERTH. WHEN YOU WENT TO FURNITURE ROW THIS YEAR, DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA YOU COULD PUT TOGETHER THIS KIND OF SEASON?
“It’s been great on qualifying days. Fridays have been, I think, our strongest suit. What I mean by that, it can be defined in a few categories and that’s all the hard work at the shop the guys do with the simulator and the seven-post. So, when your first lap out is fast, it’s encouraging all weekend long. And when we switch over into qualifying trim, that speed is there again. To say that I didn’t expect it wouldn’t be the right phrase. It’s been a great work in progress that I knew we could achieve. And to have as many outside poles as we do, is a nice feather in the cap. But when you need to get through a Saturday practice session and still have that speed and then translate it into Sunday, we’ve just come up a little bit short on some of our speed. That’s maybe why we haven’t driven the Furniture Row Chevy into Victory Lane. But it’s been very satisfying on Fridays, and working through the sequence of the weekend to find that chance to go to Victory Lane, we just keep coming up a little bit short.”
 
“Is not winning the only thing that’s missing?  Well, we’re three weeks away from the Chase. And that’s what our focus is right now and I said this about six or seven weeks ago, we don’t have to win to make this Chase. Even if we had a win right now, we would be not guaranteed a spot in the Chase. Consistency is what gets you in and consistency wins the championship. You just have to ramp it up a notch once you’re in the Chase. So right now, the blinders are on. We are full-focus on just making sure we get nice, consistent finishes.”
 
DO YOU TRUST WITH YOUR GUYS ALL THE TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU MAY GO NEXT YEAR TO TRY TO HELP THEM KEEP THE BLINDERS ON? AND DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THE REPORTS ABOUT STEWART-HAAS RACING WOOING YOU FOR NEXT YEAR?
“Yeah, the guys know that this is the time now, and they are all shaking my hand saying thanks; and they are also saying let’s do this again next year. And I’m like yeah, heck yeah, I’m right there with you. We have to stay focused on the present as well as balance the future. And it’s a tough thing to do. And you hope you could do it behind the scenes, you know, where it’s not out in the public. But today was a great reminder of how hard you have to work in this sport. And when things go wrong, you have to have talented guys jump in and pick you up. And today we brought home the outside pole with the adversity we had to overcome.”
 
YOU HAD YOUR ISSUE TODAY KYLE BUSCH HAD PROBLEMS. JIMMIE JOHNSON HAD PROBLEMS IN QUALIFYING. IS THE EDGE A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO FIND AT THIS TRACK THIS WEEK FOR SOME REASON?
“If Jimmie didn’t have problems, I was just going to go oh you know those dang Busch brothers; always out there on the edge tearing cars up. Checkers are wreckers, you know. That’s the whole mentality. But it’s a joke, guys, really.  My delivery was really poor (laughter). I actually asked (John) Darby if I could go out there and walk the banking in (Turns) 3 and 4 right before qualifying, just to see where the marbles had collected. We’re all right there on that high lane. And the higher you go, there’s more grip. But as soon as you put a few inches of the tire into the marbles, then your right-side is pancaked. You’re right on that edge and it’s a half-mile around. Any little mistake shows up on the stopwatch immediately.”
 
EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW HARD YOU DRIVE A CAR. WHEN YOU ARE A SOUGHT-AFTER DRIVER, AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE OFFERS COMING YOUR WAY, WHAT IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR?
“You know, it’s like a checklist that you go through each time you get in the car. One of those items is to just block out the outside world and know that what is at hand right now is a qualifying run. Tomorrow is 500 laps at Bristol where I have to protect my car and make sure we don’t try to push any issues on restarts. And then to have the outside guys knocking on the door going hey we want you to drive. It’s a good confidence booster, to say the least.”
 
THERE IS GOING TO BE A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE GUYS THAT HAVE TO MAKE THE CHASE AND THE GUYS WHO ARE GOING OUT TO WIN. EVERYBODY WANTS TO WIN. BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THE TENURE TO BE TOMORROW NIGHT?
“I’m just sitting here thinkin
g. With Bristol, as cool as this place is and the excitement level, could we move this race into the Chase so we didn’t have the guys that were on edge, that had to have a good consistent run, just to get their way into the Chase, why couldn’t this be the second race into the Chase? And then why can’t we just put dirt on this place and run here in March on dirt, you know? I think that would be awesome to put dirt on here and then every ticket was $35. That would be pretty sweet. That’s my vote for next March.”
 
WHAT ABOUT MARTINSVILLE?
“I can get on my soapbox again and talk. I think there should be a lottery system or there should be a wager that you have to place with NASCAR to buy a Chase date. And that the championship race, at the final race, should have to bid just like you bid on the Super Bowl. It should move around a little bit. Yeah, we can’t probably race in Chicago in November. It might be a little too cold. But there are a half-dozen tracks that I think could be a series finale, and I think they should have to bid on the tracks.”
 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 23, 2013
 
MARK MARTIN, INTERIM DRIVER FOR TONY STEWART, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS AND GREG ZIPADELLI, COMPETITION DIRECTOR FOR STEWART-HAAS RACING, met with members of the media at Bristol Motor Speedway and discussed expectations for the race weekend and the remainder of the season, what Stewart-Haas Racing might look like in 2014 and many other topics.  Full Transcript:
 
TALK ABOUT HOW THINGS UNFOLDED THE LAST FEW DAYS AND THEN NOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR SIGHTS SET ON THE REST OF THIS SEASON YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT BEING BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE NO. 14:
 
MARK MARTIN: “Well first of all I’m honored and humbled both to be asked to fill in for ‘Smoke’ (Tony Stewart).  I really look forward to Tony getting back with us.  I just wanted to say that first of all.  It has been a whirlwind for sure.  Getting the details sort of sorted out Sunday and Monday really not until Monday and then taking the trip, I’m over in Arkansas right now with Arlene (Martin, wife).  Taking a trip to North Carolina Tuesday and spending the day fitting seats and shooting pictures and getting to know people.  Faces and names and the organization and everything else Tuesday and Wednesday were kind of a whirlwind for sure.  Today I’m a little bit nervous.  Today is going to be action packed with a short amount of practice to get ready to race tomorrow night and to qualify all packed into one day.  I’m excited about the challenge and I’m extremely committed to do a good job for this race team, for this group, for Tony and hopefully return his car back over to him in as good or better standing then when it was turned over to me.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE THOUGHT PROCESS THAT WENT INTO CERTAINLY BEEN A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING OVER AT YOUR PLACE THE LAST FEW WEEKS.  JUST TALK ABOUT THE THOUGHT PROCESS IN GETTING MARK (MARTIN) AND GETTING SOME STABILITY OVER THERE HERE MOVING FORWARD:
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “For us it’s a homerun.  Obviously he has big shoes to fill to take Tony’s seat and there are not many guys in the garage that could do that.  We all agreed that if there was any way to get Mark Martin he was the guy that would do us the best job and be able to do that. That is kind of like over the last few weeks we said we were going to take our time and everything that we did we would try to be as calculated as we could and obviously we were hoping we could get this worked out.  We felt like it was the best opportunity for the No. 14 car to perform on a weekly basis and you know do our sponsors the justice that they deserve.”
 
TONY HAS HAD SUCCESS IN ALL FORMS OF MOTORSPORTS, RACED ALL KINDS OF THINGS AS WELL AS IN NASCAR.  ALSO DURING HIS CAREER HE’S HAD RUN IN’S WITH MEDIA, OTHER COMPETITORS AND EVEN NASCAR ITSELF.  EVEN THROUGH ALL THAT PEOPLE STILL HOLD A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESPECT FOR HIM.  WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

MARK MARTIN: “I think because people see people who have been around and close enough to him to see Tony on the inside know that he is an incredible person, caring and amazing person.  For the people who don’t get to know that side of Tony they might have a different impression, but he’s loved in the sport and respected throughout the sport universally I think for what a great person he is and the incredible driver and commitment that he has to racing.”
 
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT WHAT TONY MAY OR MAY NOT DO OR WHAT HE WILL BE LIKE AFTER HE COMES BACK WILL HE HAVE CHANGED.  DO YOU EXPECT HAVING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH TONY THAT HE WILL BE ANY DIFFERENT THE DAY HE GETS BACK IN THE NO. 14 CAR?

GREG ZIPADELLI: “No, I mean I hope obviously he is struggling with the fact that he is not in the car and he’s in this situation, but he’s a racer he loves to do what he does.  I hope that and think that he will come back to Daytona with something to prove to the world and maybe he will turn over a whole new leaf he hasn’t got to see you guys for four or five months and he will be more welcoming to you.  I don’t know, I can’t guarantee that.”
 
YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH TONY, WENT TO VISIT HIM WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?  WHAT DID YOU GUYS TALK ABOUT?
 
MARK MARTIN: “I couldn’t get a word in edge wise.  If that tells you what two weeks of bed rest does for you.  We talked initially about he went into great detail about the accident and what caused the injury and the fix for that particular freak accident.  What happened all the stars had to line up just perfectly for that to happen where it injured him.  He went through in great detail of how they were going to address preventing that from ever happening again in sprint car racing.  Talked a lot about sprint cars, a lot about safety in sprint cars and we talked some about injuries.  Finally after about an hour of Tony never taking a breath I got a chance to talk a little bit about… I had some injury stories for him.  We had the biggest laugh.  I thought he was going to start crying once laughing so hard.  A story that I told him about when I had my foot and ankles broke.  It was that story about when Darrell Waltrip drove my car at La Crosse, Wisconsin.  Actually what was funny was the trip from Arkansas to La Crosse Wisconsin.  My dad was driving me up.  It’s a long story… move on past that… it’s a very funny story.  It sounds like a lie, but it really is not even embellished it’s just crazy.  But we had a really good time.  We did talk a little bit about the No. 14 car and about Cup racing.  We had a really good time and he was in really good spirits.”
 
I KNOW MARK AND TONY ARE NOT THE SAME SIZE.  YOU DID A PHOTO SHOOT THIS WEEK HAD TO GET A UNIFORM.  WHAT ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL SIDE OF IT?  ARE WE GOING TO SEE MARK REPRESENTING TONY STEWART IN ALL FACETS OF PUBLICITY NOW?

GREG ZIPADELLI: “Obviously the sponsors wanted some things done so I mean we are obviously doing everything we can do be good partners with them and make sure that they can use Mark in whatever they need to from here to the end of the year.  Everybody did a great job this week.  A lot of stuff got done in a short period of time, but we got it done and feel like everybody chipped in and gave when they needed to and we were able to get everything done and pulled off.”
 
BECAUSE THE ANNOUNCEMENT HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE WITH BRAIN VICKERS GOING IN FULL TIME DID YOU FEEL MORE AT EASE TAKING THIS POSITION BECAUSE OF THAT AND DID THE FACT THAT ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE RESULT IN YOU BEING MORE PRONE TO TAKE THIS?
 
MARK MARTIN: “It obviously opened the door for this to happen.  It’s been quite a work in progress since Brian’s win up at New Hampshire.  Getting Aaron’s re-signed, getting Brian signed, getting all those parts and pieces of the puzzle together and so it was just a matter of timing.  Once they got that done, signed and announced you know then it kind of opened the door where it was a win/win for everybody.  It’s a win for Brian, it’s a win for Michael Waltrip Racing, and it’s a win for myself to have the opportunity to be a small part of Stewart-Haas.  I’m not sure I can describe to you what it means to me that Tony wanted me to do this.  He is definitely one of my heroes.  People who are paying attention knew that before this ever happened so it means a lot to me that he wanted me to.  Like I said before I’m a little bit nervous about today because I feel like it is an extraordinary challenge because it’s not like…I’ve switched around a lot, but usually you have a couple of months and a test or two to get together.  Man, I see a lot of faces I’m not sure I can put names to just yet.  This i
s going to be an action packed two and a half hours or whatever today.  It’s going to be action packed.  Then we are going on and testing next week at Richmond and I think that will help us this weekend and next week’s test will help us start getting in the groove and as we go forward I think things will smooth out.  It’s been pretty intense so far this week.”
 
THE PHYSICAL RECOVERY FOR TONY IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT.  I’M WONDERING IF THE MENTAL PART OF THIS IS GOING TO BE JUST AS DIFFICULT FOR HIM SINCE HE IS USED TO BEING IN A CAR SIX DAYS A WEEK? 

GREG ZIPADELLI: “I think that is part of what he will learn a little bit about how important it is to him.  Sometimes we all take things for granted and I think at the end of the day hopefully he will look back.  I think he is bound and determined to change the sprint cars and making them safer and getting that movement going in the direction it probably should have happened years ago, but they are so weight conscious and have been allowed to work in those areas.  I think he is bound and determined to do that which I think will help everybody over there.  Hopefully he will come back here with a little bit different attitude and understanding how important and we all rely on him.  He’s got a lot of kids at Stewart-Haas you know what I mean as we say we are under his umbrella and I know he will do his best.  I really think when he comes back I think he is going to be fired up and ready to show the world that all that time he has had cooped up there will hopefully pay larger dividends for next year and hopefully start the year off on a stronger note.  Obviously we’ve got a lot of changes at Stewart-Haas and adding things.  There is just a lot of excitement a lot of positive things to turn this around and to head into next year with.”
 
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A LOT GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES AT STEWART-HAAS AND YOU GUYS ARE SEEMINGLY TAKING A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE STANCE AND POSITION ON BUILDING THINGS FOR THE FUTURE.  WHAT IS GOING ON, AT STEWART-HAAS? IT SEEMS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE BUILDING AND BEING VERY AGGRESSIVE AND WANT TO BECOME A VERY LARGER PLAYER AMONGST THE HEAVY WEIGHTS?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “I think that is said very well is we are looking to expand. We are looking to do whatever we can to make Stewart-Haas a better place to race, give our drivers better resources.  Our crew chiefs and things our goal is to give our teams better product to race every week going into Daytona.  With four good drivers next year I think that it gives us that opportunity.  Our owners are aggressive.  It’s kind of exciting it’s fun in a time where everybody is kind of going the other way we’ve got owner that are committed to stepping up and hopefully making Stewart-Haas a bigger and better place in the future.”
 
TONY TOLD A RADIO PERSON THIS WEEK THAT HE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF NOT RUNNING SPRINT CARS. HAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT AND ARE YOU OKAY WITH HIM GOING RIGHT BACK TO DOING WHAT HE WAS BEFORE?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “I think that it’s too early to get into that stuff.  He needs to go through his process right now.  We need to go through ours and we need to spend time talking honestly.  I don’t think you can take Tony Stewart and tell him he can’t drive other cars.  That is what makes him that is who he is.  Can we get him to cut his schedule back, can we get him to look at things; can we help him with this movement of making those cars safer for everybody including himself?  I think those will be the things that come in the next couple of months.”
 
CAN YOU BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC WHERE DO THINGS STAND WITH KURT (BUSCH) AND IS RODNEY (CHILDERS) GOING TO BE THE CREW CHIEF FOR KEVIN HARVICK NEXT YEAR?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “We love Rodney (Childers) we think a lot of him he has been a friend of mine for a while.  We have talked to many people.  He is on our radar, but we have no commitments, nothing signed.  I talked to people yesterday about the opportunity so we would love to make him part of Stewart-Haas, but we are not there yet.  As far as Kurt’s deal that is moving forward.  We spent some time this week talking about buildings and expanding.  As far as that part of it goes we are pretty much committed.”
 
INAUDIBLE:
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “We are working on that and if we can get it all worked out we are going to head that way.”
 
YOU SAID YOU TALKED TO TONY ABOUT MAKING THE SPRINT CARS SAFER CAN YOU GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CAR AND WHAT YOU FEEL LIKE CAN BE DONE TO MAKE THEM SAFER?
 
MARK MARTIN: “I shouldn’t because I’m not technically familiar with sprint cars.  The way evidently the rear ends can’t come back because they hit the fuel cell.  When the car went upside down the rear end was able to get below the fuel cell and it was able to pull like the drive shaft, for me not knowing better, there may be a better word for that.  The yoke out of the front side and that is what got him.  Technically I shouldn’t even answer that question because I’m an idiot I haven’t ever been closer than 10 feet to a sprint car so I don’t know what I’m talking about.” 
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “He’s kind of explaining what it is the torque tube came out and hit him. There is protection, but obviously that hoop that is there is not enough to contain it.  I think that is the area they are working in.”
 
MARK MARTIN: “So the torque tube is actually in my world a drive shaft.  See I told you I was an idiot (laughs).  It’s a drive shaft in a Cup car.”
 
HAVING WORKED WITH RODNEY CHILDERS CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT HIS ABILITIES AND WHAT THE OPPORTUNITY WORKING WITH A FULL-TIME DRIVER POTENTIALLY AT STEWART-HAAS COULD DO FOR HIM AND WHAT HE COULD DO FOR THE TEAM?
 
MARK MARTIN: “Rodney Childers is an amazing person.  I will say that first and foremost, amazing.  He’s very smart and very dedicated and an incredible crew chief.  It’s funny how things work out.  My mission in February was to help him secure a championship caliber sponsor and driver for 2014 so that he could race for a championship in the No. 55.  My how things change over time.  I feel like we still accomplished that, it’s just that he may have an opportunity to do it.  I would assume that the whole garage would be after Rodney Childers.  Last year he did a one year contract instead of a long term deal because he wanted to wait to see what transpired after our year together.  He wanted to work with me and Brian (Vickers) and Michael (Waltrip) in 2013 and wait and see what 2014 brought.  He’s in that position now to look at all options.”
 
WHAT ESSENTIALLY TRANSPIRED IN THE MONTHS SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT RYAN (NEWMAN) WOULDN’T BE COMING BACK AND TONY’S STATEMENT AT THE TIME THAT HE DIDN’T THINK YOU WERE READY FOR FOUR CARS?  HAS THERE BEEN A QUANTUM CHANGE IN PHILOSOPHY SINCE THEN THAT’S MAYBE ALLOWED YOU TO GO FORWARD WITH THAT FOURTH CAR AS MUCH AS YOU CAN GET INTO THAT WHAT HAS CHANGED?
 
GREG ZIPADELLI: “I mean obviously something has changed.  Gene Haas is obviously a partner and started this many years ago.  He just came the other day, he is always liked Kurt (Busch).  We had talked about Kurt last year of putting him in the No. 39 things just didn’t work out.  It’s really nothing that Ryan (Newman) did wrong I mean he’s done a great job, he’s a good guy, heck of a driver.  This just kind of got sprung on us 14 days ago or less.  It’s kind of all come down.  Gene just showed some interest and having the ability to put something together.  Without getting into a ton more details that is really all it is.  It’s something we are working o
n.  I don’t know that it will all come together.  It’s going to take an awful lot.  It is kind of late.  We didn’t think that we would have all the pieces to get put together at Loudon and felt like it was the best thing for Ryan to give him a fair shot at securing something for himself.  I mean which is the most important thing.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S DOVER WHITE CHEVROLET SS, met with media and discussed his motorcycle injury at the age of eight, engine issues last week at Michigan, the respect among others for Tony Stewart, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
 
YOU ARE OUR POINTS LEADER WITH FOUR WINS SO FAR THIS SEASON. COMING INTO BRISTOL, WE’VE GOT THREE RACES BEFORE WE RESET THE FIELD FOR THE 2013 CHASE. YOU’VE ALREADY CLINCHED A SPOT IN THE FIELD AND WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME ORE BONUS POINTS. TALK ABOUT COMING HERE TO BRISTOL AND YOUR OUTLOOK FOR THIS WEEKEND:
“I’m excited to be in Bristol. This night race was always one of my favorites to watch, growing up. I’m looking forward to a packed house and some great short track racing. We’ve been a Top 5 car here over the years and hopefully we can take that next step and move into that Top 3. In my opinion, running in the Top 3 you’ve got a great shot at a win. We’d like to win another race here. We’ve done it once in our career and hopefully we can do it again.”
 
THE ENGINE ISSUES YOU HAD LAST WEEKEND (AT MICHIGAN), HAVE YOU DISCOVERED WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND TAKEN CARE OF THAT? DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS GOING FORWARD?
“There is always concern and we tested at Richmond and the guys were still asking me questions from the engine shop about what I felt and the order and how things went on and failed. They didn’t have any clear direction then. And I’m not sure they’ve had a lot of time to work on everything with all four cars going to Richmond on Tuesday and Wednesday. But, we definitely had one; our engine failed and the others didn’t. In the past, that stuff usually boils down to a part failure. And I’m assuming it was something in that department. Hopefully we can find out what batch it came from and which part it was. You know, when things fail at a rapid rate like they do, it’s hard to find the source of the issue. Hopefully we can narrow that down and get new parts and pieces in place so it doesn’t happen to our car or anybody else’s.”
 
OBVIOUSLY TONY STEWART HAS HAD SUCCESS IN A LOT OF FORMS OF MOTORSPORTS, INCLUDING HERE (NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES). DURING HIS CAREER, HE’S ALSO HAD HIS SHARE OF RUN-INS WITH MEDIA AND FELLOW COMPETITORS AND EVEN NASCAR. YET, THROUGH ALL THAT, HE STILL SEEMS TO BE HELD AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF RESPECT AMONG HIS PEERS. THAT IS A DELICATE BALANCE. WHY IS THAT?
“I think it’s because of his honesty. At times his frustration with his honest approach, you might hear some real colorful things and have an issue on the front side. It might lead to something, an altercation on the track; getting out of cars and having a scrappy session with someone after (laughs). But once the dust settles, his honesty once again weighs out. He’s not one to walk from a problem or run from a problem. He’ll continue to talk to whoever it is and whatever it’s about and work through those things. So, that’s kind of where I put it. He’s just honest at all times. Sometimes he probably wishes he had a filter on it, especially on the front side, to save some of the back-end issues. But, at the end of the day, that’s what I respect about him is he’s just an honest guy.”
 
MARK MARTIN AND GREG ZIPADELLI WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT TONY STEWART AND WHAT HE’S IS GOING TO GO THROUGH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY ON HIS WAY BACK. WHAT’S THE TOUGHEST INJURY THAT YOU’VE EVER HAD TO GET OVER? HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMETHING WHERE YOU REALLY GOT BUSTED AND IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET BACK?
“Yeah, I’ve been fortunate in my four-wheel career to have just some minor injuries and issues. But, my first championship I won when I was racing dirt bikes. With a few races left in the season, it was my birthday of all things, I fell in the first turn and bent the handlebars. And as I rode a couple more laps, I just mentally forgot about my handlebars being bent and where they had the front tire pointing. I came over a double-jump section of the race track and just put my hands straight like I expected and the wheel was cocked. I tumbled and got tangled-up with the bike and I broke my tib and fib on my left leg and pulled the knee apart. And when I was done tumbling, my foot was up here. And I’ll never forget looking at the bottom of my motorcycle boot laying on the ground and like, wow, this is really serious.
 
“I went to the hospital and had reconstructive knee surgery and they got everything put back together and had me in a cast. And we figured out that if I started the race and rode one lap the next couple of events, that I would tie with this other kid in points, and I would have more race wins and would win the championship. So, my dad, with his fabrication skills, designed a little thing off the side of the bike. He borrowed some adult-sized leathers and boots and all that, and got my foot propped up and rode one lap and tied the kid in points and won the tie-breaker due to the wins, and went and got my first championship trophy on stage on crutches. I was in a cast for quite a while. That was a six or eight-month process to get through, but I was so young; and really, nothing stuck around, mentally. It didn’t bother me in any way, shape, or form. So I was pretty lucky with the age. Not only did it kill the injury for my knee, but also mentally, it just didn’t have an effect on me.”
 
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN THAT HAPPENED?
“It was on my eighth birthday.”
 
SO YOU HIT THE GROUND AND IMMEDIATELY KNEW YOUR FOOT WASN’T WHERE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE?
“Yep. I was staring at the bottom of my motorcycle boot. And I knew that was bad (laughter). And then there was somebody trying to help me off the track and my dad was running over; he saw me fall. And when he saw my leg and somebody trying to move me, that person still today probably regrets touching me because my dad stuffed him. He came running up and planted the person that was trying to help. It was a reaction. He could hear me scream and saw my leg in an awkward position and was just being a protective dad.”
 
COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE POSSIBLE CHANGES COMING AT STEWART-HAAS RACING AS FAR AS PERHAPS GOING TO A FOURTH TEAM NEXT SEASON AND HOW THAT WOULD BENEFIT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?
“I hear the rumors but I’m not sure what it happening or what will happen from personnel changes to adding cars. There’s still a lot to learn about Tony’s (Stewart) health and what’s going to happen with the No. 14 car. But, we have a great relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing and I know with (Kevin) Harvick coming on board, Kevin and I have talked already and we work well together now, but I think that can improve and be better in the future. And the more smart pulling in the same direction, the better both companies are going to be. Stewart-Haas has shown their ability to win races and championships; and I think for the good of all of us, the more smart people, the more dedicated-focused people on both teams, the better all of us are going to be.”
 

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Teams Trek West To Take on Sonoma Raceway
 
DETROIT – (Aug. 21, 2013) – After a short break, the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams and drivers return to competition at Sonoma Raceway for Sunday’s running of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. With only five races remaining on the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule, critical points are on the line as the intensity of the battle for the championship increases.
 
Situated in Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco, California, Sonoma Raceway has long been a favorite track of drivers and fans. The 2.385-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain course has it all to challenge drivers – elevation changes, tight right-hand Turn 12 leading onto the frontstretch, a Carousel turn that requires finesse to navigate – all packed into a scenic setting.

“Team Chevy has been very busy analyzing and refining our on-track results and we are eager to return to the race track, especially the Sonoma Raceway for the Go Pro Indy Grand Prix,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series.  “The competition has really peaked in the second half of the season so it is time to unleash the full potential of the Chevy arsenal.  The IndyCar Open Test on Wednesday along with the three practice sessions before qualifying will provide ample time to optimize the setup for the typically low grip surface there.  Our teams and technical partners know this is crunch time and are digging deep to focus on executing what it takes to win the top spot on the podium at each of the remaining races, and earning championships.”
 
Chevrolet heads to Sonoma tied for the lead in the Series Manufacturer point standings with seven victories thus far this season, as well as three Team Chevy drivers in the top-five of the Driver Championship Standings, and five drivers in the top-10 points positions.
 
Helio Castroneves sits atop the standings with one victory to his credit through 14 races.  Defending IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, has two wins in 2013 and sits third in the point’s order and Marco Andretti is solidly in fourth position with only five races remaining until this year’s champion is decided.
 
In previous IndyCar races at Sonoma, five current Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers have visited the Winner’s Circle.  Ryan Briscoe is the defending race champion. Will Power is the only driver with multiple wins at the 2.358-mile course with back-to-back victories earned in 2010 and 2011.  Castroneves took the trip to Victory Lane in 2008.  Marco Andretti was the Sonoma race winner in 2006, and Tony Kanaan captured the win in 2005.
 
The 85-lap GoPro Indy Grand Prix at Sonoma is scheduled to start on Sunday, August 25, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. ET with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
 
Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 94 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 212. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

GREG ZIPADELLI, COMPETITION DIRECTOR OF STEWART-HAAS RACING AND MARK MARTIN, INTERIM DRIVER FOR THE NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS, WERE GUESTS ON THIS WEEK’S NASCAR TELECONFERENCE.
 
BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPT:
 
 
JAYME AVRIT:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Welcome to today’s NASCAR teleconference.  Our guests are Greg Zipadelli, competition director for Stewart‑Haas Racing and Mark Martin, interim driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for Stewart‑Haas Racing
 
Greg, you made it official that Tony Stewart is out for the remainder of the season, and as a part of that news, you announced that Mark Martin will drive 12 of the final 13 races in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart‑Haas Racing with Austin Dillon driving the car at Talladega. How important is it to have a plan for the rest of the season? 
 
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Obviously it’s great that this worked out for everybody here at Stewart‑Haas, our partners, to put a veteran in that has as much experience, wins, top 5s, all those things are so important to go out and finish the year on a strong note.  Obviously we’re still racing for a spot in the Chase with the 39 car, and we’ll do the best we can with owner’s points.  By keeping one guy that has a lot of experience in there like Mark, I think it gives us our best shot.
 
JAYME AVRIT:  Mark, Tony Stewart always says how much he respects you.  What are your thoughts as you get ready to fill in for him beginning with this weekend’s race at Bristol?
 
MARK MARTIN:  Well, I’m incredibly honored.  Sometimes I have a hard time understanding how Tony could possibly feel that way toward me when the guy is so amazing, the modern‑day A.J. Foyt.  When I was growing up, A.J. drove anything and everything and was fast and won in everything he drove.  And Tony is the guy today that really does that and is successful at it.
 
So it’s hard for me to comprehend that, but he’s made great friends ‑‑ we’ve been good friends for quite some time with amazing respect, mutual respect.  It’s an honor to be in the situation where we’re able to do this.
 
I’m really, really sorry that it comes at the expense of Tony getting hurt.  But one thing I do want to say that is really important here is the amazing amount of cooperation that it took to get this deal done by so many parties, and I haven’t seen this much cooperation in the past, and I think it was largely in part for the incredible amount of respect that everyone has in the sport for Tony Stewart.
 
Q.  This question is for Mark.  You have been very particular in what you’ve chosen to do in your career, particularly since you stopped racing full schedules.  Why was it important for you to be able to do this for Tony?
 
MARK MARTIN:  Well, really it’s such a win, it’s a win for every person involved, from Michael Waltrip Racing, Aaron’s, Brian Vickers, as well as the incredible amount of respect that I have for Tony.  Just the fact that they asked me was a huge honor to me.
 
You know, I feel kind of amazed that we were able to get this done, but we were able to get it done.  Aaron’s agreed to it.  The folks from Toyota agreed to it.  They are very intense racers, but they all saw the value in a win‑win‑win situation, and everyone respects Tony and wanted to be able to help out.
 
I think all the stars just lined up for this to work out because anyone along the way, including Mobil 1, Chevrolet or Bass Pro Shops could have probably stopped this from happening.  So there were so many pieces to this puzzle, it was a lot more complicated than it looked at face value.  But the reason it was able to be worked out is because everyone was able to win in this situation.
Q.  I have one for Greg.  Obviously with Tony out the entire season now, the injury, is it more serious than you guys first thought?  Can you figure out what happened inside the car to cause the injury and put him in the position he’s in right now?  I think the release said you guys were expecting him to be back in the car for the beginning of next year.
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Yeah, I mean, we expect a full recovery by Daytona or close to it.  You know, it may be able to be done earlier, it’s just not worth it.  It’s a bad break to the leg, and he needs time to go through the process of healing, rehabilitation, all those things.  With Mark coming on board, I think it gives us the window to go to the end of the year and feel like we are doing our partners the best job we can to fill Tony’s shoes, and that’s what we’ll do.
Q.  And Mark, I know you’ve always wanted to win a title.  Are you thinking about winning an owner’s title here?  What would that mean to you if you were able to pull that off?  And also are you thinking about next year still driving?
MARK MARTIN:  Well, you know, obviously when I was at the 55 with Michael and Rodney and all the guys, their goal with Brian and Michael behind the wheel, and myself, was to try to make the owner’s Chase.  You have to have those goals.  Obviously Stewart‑Haas Racing has the same goal at this point in time.
 
You know me, and you know that I don’t want to race ‑‑ my motivation for racing is not for points, it’s for racing.  I want to race, and I want to finish ‑‑ if I’m running 20th, I’ll bust my butt to run 19th.  And that’s one more point, but it’s for one more position.  And I say that just trying to explain the fact that we will race as hard as we can race, and wewill finish as high as we can in every race, and that in turn accumulates the most points that we can.
 
But I don’t go into this situation rubbing my hands together saying, oh, wow, this is an opportunity to race for a championship.  First of all, the first thing we’ve got to do is put it together really quickly.  I feel like going into Bristol, I feel sort of like ‑‑ I’ve driven for a lot of different teams, and I’ve worked with a lot of different people, but when you do something like the 11 car at Martinsville on four‑days’ notice or going into Bristol with this short of notice, it is like jumping into ice‑cold water.  We’re going to go into Bristol and we’re going to have to do race setup, qualifying setup and qualifying all on Friday, boom.  We don’t get another crack at it on Saturday.  We don’t get another chance to think about it.
 
It’s going to be challenging, and challenges are good for me.  They push me hard.  They drive me hard, and I will do everything I can to step up to the plate and dig in.  But it is a new situation, and it’s not like you sign on with a new team in November and you have January and February to get to know each other before you go off racing.  We’re faced with this race coming up in just a few days.
Q.  Do you think this will be it for you?  Is this the last of your racing or do you still plan to come back and do some kind of part‑time next year?
MARK MARTIN:  I don’t have a plan right now, and I have much less planned right now than I had a week ago.  A week ago I was going to race a partial schedule.  Now I’m racing all but one with a whole new situation with what I feel like is a lot of challenges and a lot of pressure, and I don’t want to think about 2014 at all right now.
Q.  This is for Greg.  When you all thought about whether Mark Martin would be a possibility or not, how much hope did you have that it would actually get done?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, I mean, obviously every time you get an opportunity to work with a driver as great and has the accomplishments he has, you obviously look forward to that, and when we sat down and looked at what we had for options, to run as many races as we need, he was obviously the best option. 
There’s a lot of options and a lot of people reached out to us, and we’re very thankful for obviously everybody wanting to have that opportunity.
 
But Mark just seemed to be the fit.  Him and Tony, they’ve got a bond.  They seem to get along.  Tony was very excited about it.  That was his first choice, so that’s what we went after.  Like Mark said earlier, everybody kind of giving a little bit in this situation, hopefully it’s a win‑win for everybody, so we certainly appreciate everybody working with us.
Q.  Mark, did you actually change your Twitter handle yourself?  And can you explain how that all got done so quickly?
MARK MARTIN:  Well, Arlene and I had already had a discussion several weeks ago even before this came up about the 55 part of it, the @55MarkMartin.  So we had had the discussion.  I moved right past it, didn’t want to think about it or deal with it.  We got home last night, and I told her that she was right, I needed to figure something out.  I have a buddy that has helped me initially with Twitter a good bit, and he ‑‑ Phil Hampton, and he actually got in contact with Twitter.  We went on the computer last night and searched it out and looked at our options and then talked a little bit to Phil, and Phil talked to Twitter, and there was a lot of cooperation there, and we got it handled, got what we wanted.
Q.  Mark, can you reflect a little bit on how far Michael Waltrip Racing has come in the two years you’ve been associated with them?
MARK MARTIN:  Well, first of all, I appreciate you giving me a chance to talk about MWR.  It’s been such an incredible experience.  The working environment that they have there is so great.  I mean, it is the least uptight and the least tense of any place I’ve ever been.  I really, really have enjoyed being a part of it.  I’ve felt really warm and welcome there, and I really love the people in that organization.
 
A lot of the people there I’ve worked with before at other places or known, and it was a very comfortable situation.  And to be real honest with you, people can say what they want, but I have had very little to do with the progression of that organization.  I stepped in at a good time when the organization was on an upswing, and it was just starting to show on the racetrack before I arrived there, and when I stepped in, everything was just in place and clicking.
 
Like I said, they’ve got a lot of great people there who work really well together, and the team concept and the team is working together so great with Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer, all the crew chiefs, we all got along so well and worked really hard to achieve the performance that we achieved.  I was so proud of Clint being able to finish second in the championship last year, and he’s sitting in the same position this year and hopefully can be poised to race for the championship.  And Martin getting a win at Sonoma, he’s been so close for so long, so I’ve felt really good about being a part of so many great people there.  I really, really have made great friends with all the folks there.
Q.  This is for Greg.  Can you sort of walk us through the mechanics of how exactly this deal came together and how many people had to say yes and maybe what was your biggest challenge in putting it together?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I don’t actually know how many people had to say yes.  It was just a lot.  Obviously Mark and I ‑‑ I’ve known Mark for a while racing, and we had been talking.  You know, we just ‑‑ I’ll be honest with you, it just kind of happened.  Everybody was very cooperative.  Michael Waltrip Racing, hat’s off to them for allowing Mark to help us out and them getting a jump start on next year.  It just really was like, “Hey, do you think this would ever work, Mark?”  And he goes, I don’t know, let me go check.  It was just that simple, that casual of a conversation, and from that point everybody started thinking about how it could help Stewart‑Haas Racing and also help MWR, and obviously it happened.
 
Those things like that are difficult to get worked out.  Everybody was very respectful of each other, I believe.  It just seems to be a good fit for all of us.  It’s about as close to a miracle as you could have happen in such a short period of time.
Q.  Zippy, I just wanted to see if you had any comment on Lee Spencer’s report that SHR had offered Kurt Busch a deal for next year beyond a possible expansion?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  I mean, right now we’re really focusing on Mark.  Obviously there’s options out there.  We’re looking at everything that’s there. There is nothing done.  Right now like I said we’re focused on the 39, trying to win another race to make it into the Chase and getting Mark fitted up in this car and heading to Bristol to do the best job we can.
Q.  Mark, have you talked with Tony, and what kind of conversation did you have?  Have you been able to kind of have a one‑on‑one with him about all this?
MARK MARTIN:  I haven’t talked directly to Tony.  Talked back and forth through Eddie Jarvis, and we’ll be getting over to see ‑‑ I’ve been in Arkansas for a couple weeks, and I’m going to get over there and see him Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how all the seat fitting goes on Tuesday and everything.  I’ll finally get a chance to go visit with him, and I look forward to seeing him.
Q.  For Greg, obviously there will be a lot of reports and whatnot moving ahead, not knowing what 2014 will hold, and are you talking to drivers still now, other drivers beyond the story and the talk in the garage about Kurt Busch?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  No, not at all.  Like I said, we’ve got two big things going on here right now with the 39 having an opportunity to make the Chase and getting Mark Martin over here, get him acclimated with the guys and how we do things and heading to Bristol.  We’ll take it week by week.
Q.  Greg, what do you want Mark to do or what do you want him to provide or what can he do to help carry the organization, help it go a little bit further in his time with this car?  What are things that he can do or what are you looking at other than obviously strong finishes?  How can he help move this organization a little further along?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, I mean, any time you have somebody that has the experience level that he has, all the different organizations that he’s been at, I feel like he can bring some wisdom and help us out a little bit with things he’s seen and how things have changed over the past.
 
But the biggest thing is we’re really just concentrating on Mark getting in the car, doing the best he can, like he said, finish every lap that we can, and what that brings us at the end of the day, that’s what we end up with.  As long as we all do our best, feel like we give 110 percent for each event until Tony gets back, that’s our main priority.  There’s no major expectations of him coming in and any extra pressures of him trying to have to do anything.  It should be fun to have somebody else in there like Mark that can sit in there and jump in for the rest of the year, but really that’s all we’re looking for, just good, solid finishes.
Q.  You talked about you’re focused on the 14 and getting the 39 in the Chase, but obviously with the report of the possible expansion, certainly in your role as competition director you’re looking short‑term and long‑term.  You talked earlier this season about the challenges of going from a two‑car to three‑car operation and how that maybe slowed you guys up in performance.  What are the lessons you learned and how do you avoid that if you go from a three‑car to a four‑car organization and not have those same problems?
GREG ZIPADELLI:  Well, there’s lessons to be learned.  We’re not to that point yet.&nb
sp; Right now we are a three‑car.  We have made lots of gains throughout the year, but I still think we have room to improve.  We’re still working on that.
 
Obviously if something were to come, we would look at where we feel like we fell short and try to do a better job at it.
Q.  After spending essentially a career at Roush, when you announced you were going to leave there at the end of 2006, could you have imagined that you would have had the opportunities that you’ve had now to be with so many different teams?  And what have you learned along the way?
MARK MARTIN:  No, I never dreamed of what would take place from 2007 on.  It’s been a really great experience to have the opportunity to work with so many great people, teams, learn from so many people and make friends, so many good friends throughout the time.  I’ve had great times.  I’m just really grateful for all the time that I’ve had in NASCAR racing and in all of racing.  The battles that I had getting to NASCAR and ever since, a lot of years of my life have been dedicated to racing and these cars, and it’s really been rewarding, a rewarding experience to have the opportunity to work with Hendrick Motorsports, DEI and MWR and now Stewart‑Haas.  I’m excited about an opportunity to get inside the organization.
 
One of my goals is, I know that Zippy’s main goal is to get good, solid performance, but more than that I want to be able to bring something to the organization in stability, and hopefully we can turn the 14 car back over to Tony an even stronger organization than what it was when he stepped away and got injured.
 
You know, that’s the thing that I really want to work hard to do is when it’s all said and done with, I hope that they can look back and say they were glad that they had me as a part of the organization.
Q.  Mark, I’ve known you for a long, long time.  I can remember a lot of the up‑and‑down days, and I can remember how you don’t like to focus too much on one thing at all, but there have been some great moments in your career and in your life as a driver.  How does this moment rate in your life in doing what you’re about to do?
MARK MARTIN:  Well, I’m humbled and honored.  At the same time it came at a tragic ‑‑ a tragedy with Tony, so it’s tempered because of that.  I will have to wait until we get through this and rate it when we get done because I don’t know how successful we’ll be.  If we’re extremely successful, then it will be one of the greatest experiences of my life, and if we’re not successful, then I’ll be sorely disappointed that I wasn’t able to bring more to the table.  I would wait and see before I rate it, but definitely humbled and honored that they would ask me to do it.