03

The rain fell at Bristol Motor Speedway and Tony Stewart ran through it.
Then Stewart jumped, shouted and playfully pushed a friend.
It was a side of Stewart that many NASCAR fans have grown to love.
The loose, carefree, easygoing side.
Stewart as a real person.
Stewart as just one of the guys.
But as soon as Stewart’s brief moment of respite was over, he was forced to show his other side.
The opinionated side.
The side that’s not afraid to give real, hard answers to real, hard questions.
And Stewart didn’t back down on Friday afternoon.
Fifteen of the 26 questions that Stewart answered in a makeshift press conference outside his trailer centered around Goodyear tires and comments Stewart made criticizing the quality of the product Goodyear offered to NASCAR drivers in last Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta, Ga.
Once the trial was over, Stewart sounded relieved.
After a long line of Goodyear-based queries, Stewart was asked to answer a question about being back at BMS and its highly praised short track.
Stewart’s initial response was telling.
“I’d love to,” he said, smiling.
But then it was back to Goodyear questions. Lots of them. And Stewart didn’t disappoint. He answered every single one.
“We all can’t be wrong is what I want to say about it,” Stewart said. “Not all of us can be wrong about it all the time. You hate that it comes to this, but that’s what happened.”
And Stewart still wasn’t done talking Goodyear.
Because as soon as Stewart’s meeting with the media ended, another Goodyear discussion waited.
But this one was one-on-one.
Stewart met with Stu Grant, Goodyear general manager of worldwide racing, around 2 p.m. on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway - just minutes after Stewart finished taking questions from the media - according to Goodyear public relations representative Mike Siberni.
The meeting was an effort to move things forward. But it was also an effort to address the past.
“My comments last week were made in frustration and made to get Goodyear’s attention,” Stewart said in a press release. “But what I overlooked when I made those comments was that they affected people who had nothing to do with the racing program. I want to apologize to the people who work in the factories and the union workers at Goodyear. We realize that they’re working hard just like everybody else, and we realize that Goodyear as a whole works hard too.”
Meanwhile, Grant sounded happy just to have gotten Stewart to say something positive about Goodyear, whose stock has recently taken a hit.
“I was pleased with the meeting that I had with Tony,” Grant said. “It was an excellent meeting. It was constructive. It was extremely worthwhile to sit down and have a discussion with him.”
Yet, Stewart also wasn’t backing down.
He took a stand in Atlanta.
And he was holding his ground in Bristol.
“We’re hoping that Goodyear will now work with us a little better on the racing side of things and rely on our input a little more, because we are the ones driving the cars,” he said. “It was a good meeting, but at the end of the day, it’s up to Goodyear to make it right.”

Posted by Brian T. Smith

From Gordon’s press conference at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday afternoon.

“… I’ve seen unions run things into the ground. Causes where, for the people they’re representing, sometimes as a whole ... I’ve seen where it’s done a lot of damage. I seen it happening right now with General Motors. So, I think ... that a union can be a good thing, if the right people are managing it, if the people have the right intent. But you don’t know that, you know, going into it ... you don’t know that that’s going to happen. I think that we all have so many different agendas and ideas, that, to see them all try to come together as one it would be tough. What I would like to do, I would like to see NASCAR have, like, a quarterly meeting where they bring all the drivers into a room and bring up hot topics, you know, and talk about things. And allow us to vent, allow us to share our opinions, and just listen to us. You know, just going up into the trailer one at a time, and one guy says the exact opposite of when the next guy comes in, I think all it does is confuse them. And, and ... so we’re not going anywhere. I believe communication is key in every business and every team. We’re together with them and we are partners in this whole thing, and I’d love to work with them further on that, but ... I am out of breath doing it individually, because it doesn’t go anywhere.”

Posted by Brian T. Smith

Transcription of an interview on Thursday evening with Dario Franchitti (No. 40 The Hartford and Fastenal Dodge)

Check Saturday’s Bristol Herald Courier for an exclusive feature article on Franchitti.

BTS: How has the transition been for you into the world of NASCAR?

DF: The transition, some days it’s good and some days it’s more difficult. I thought it was going to be a challenge, but there’s some days that it’s an even bigger challenge than I thought it was going to be. Atlanta was one of those days in the Sprint Cup car. I think everybody had a difficult day, but coming from the back where I was, I had a bit more problems. So, days like that are pretty difficult, but other days I feel ahead of the curve a little bit. In the Nationwide car, I’ve felt ahead of where I need to be. But I’ll say it’s never dull – let’s put it that way.

BTS: What are the primary obstacles you and your crew are facing right now?

DF: One of the biggest obstacles is the lack of grip that these cars produce. I’m coming from cars that have a tremendous amount of downforce and a lot of mechanical grip and that weight a lot. And, all of a sudden, I’m coming to a car that doesn’t have any downforce to speak of. The mechanical grip is minimal. And weighs less. So, all those things are some of the biggest challenges that I’m facing. But that’s part of the learning process. And I can see how, now driven the car, the guys with experience and the guys who are winning, what a great job they’re doing.

BTS: Is it hard to find the time to test the car out and figure out what is going to work best?

DF: It’s been difficult since the season started to fit in testing and development. I’m doing some of my learning stuff at the races at the moment. The end of next week, we’re going to go do some testing. But the things that are probably difficult for me and my team is that I want the car to feel a certain way. And I’m looking for a certain amount of stability that just isn’t available. So, sometimes I’ll take my crew chief, and I’ll say I want the car to do one thing, and I’m asking for the impossible sometimes. And I’m maybe making the car worse because of that. So, now, I’ve got to the point where I just get in the car and drive it and make little changes and learn to live with what I’ve been given.

BTS: What is the biggest difference to you between Indy and NASCAR?

DF: With Indy Car, there was sort of that one big race, with the Indy 500. But one of the things that I love about NASCAR so far is the size of each race. I was coming to Bristol tonight, and there were all the motor homes and trailers … the race is huge. Just seeing that week-in, week-out, the size of the sport is just incredible.

The size of the schedule is definitely different. The Indy Car season doesn’t start for another two weeks. And last season was over by Labor Day.

BTS: How are you feeling about things right now?

DF: There are things that I’m really enjoying. But, at the same time, I have not been enjoying finishing at the bottom. That’s been the frustrating thing. And I hope we start improving it and the results get better. I’m enjoying the learning process of it, but I just want it to go a little bit quicker.

BTS: What about the reception you’ve received from the fans?

DF: The fans have been great so far. I’ve really enjoyed the interest from the fans a lot. And that’s been nice. The other drivers have been fantastic. They’re friendly. They’re competitive on the track, but that’s what you’d expect. I’ve been really happy with the reception so far.

BTS: Have you ever been to BMS before?

DF: I’ve flown over the track before. I went to Martinsville last year, and I flew over the track in a helicopter and it was just huge. When I walked in there tonight, and I first saw it, I started laughing. I was with my bus driver, and I just looked at him and I started laughing. It looks, to me, like the world’s biggest soccer stadium, with this amazing race track in the middle. It just looks like an amazing place to go race.

BTS: What about the future of NASCAR? You and Juan Montoya are definitely giving the sport a different look than what it had just 10 years ago.

DF: The one thing Juan and myself can probably do is take NASCAR to a European market, Central America, maybe. Give the fans of Indy Racing something to focus on. But as far as NASCAR, I think they’ve been doing a great job with the growth of this sport. The people who run it have been doing an amazing job for a long time. From the outside, whenever I’ve watched races as a fan, I’ve noticed that sort of corporate side to it, and that’s still there. But I think the one thing I’ve understood in the short time that I’ve been here is: this people are racers. Their No. 1 goal is to go out there and race. And they love to race. And the people of NASCAR who run the sport are racers as well. That was a nice … when I came to the sport, I discovered that.

BTS: Is it ironic that Indy decided to come together after you left the sport?

DF: It’s something that I was waiting on for a long time. And it’s something that I think is going to be a great thing for the open wheels and the Indy Car series. I would’ve been a lot happier if it had happened while I was there, in the last five years. But it wouldn’t have made any difference in my decision to move to NASCAR. I’m very happy with the decision I made.

BTS: Are you finding easier to handle your main car or the Nationwide car?

DF: I’m finding it easier right now to drive the Nationwide car. My team has a lot of history with that car. They understand it and they know what to take to the track. When I show up in my Nationwide car, I’m confident. When I jump in the car [Friday], it’ll be the first time that I’ve ever taken it at Bristol. The guys raced the Car of Tomorrow last year, so that’ll make it a bit easier. But I’m trying to learn from zero, and the guys are still trying to learn the car as well, so it makes it pretty interesting.

BTS: At this point in the season, how are you feeling as a racer? And how are you viewing racing at BMS?

DF: I came over here to learn something completely different, as far as learning to drive a stock car and trying to be competitive in NASCAR. And, for me, Bristol is probably as different of place from what I’m used to driving. When I was young, I used to always love when the Bristol races were coming up. And this year, people would ask me, ‘What race are you looking forward to?’ And I’d say, ‘Bristol,’ – like I’m absolutely insane. I think it’s going to be fun.

Posted by Brian T. Smith

Courtesy of Toyota NSCS

Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&Ms Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Can you talk about your mind-set heading into this weekend’s race?

“It’s really no different than any other weekend—we’re just going to go out there and do the best we can.  We’ll see what kind of car we have here at the beginning of practice with the new surface and everything—being with JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) this year versus the Hendrick (Motorsports) stuff last year.  We won this race last year, but it was the old concrete and we didn’t run as well as we wanted to on the new concrete last fall.  The 18 car seemed to be okay so that’s something to look forward to and we’ll try to see what we can get when we get out there.  With our Nationwide stuff, we’ll see how we do with that.  We’ve got Braun (Racing) this weekend with the Hass Avocados Toyota and we’ll see what we have in store with that as well.”

How significant was it for you to win the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for Toyota?

“I think Toyota is awfully proud to get into this sport and now have their first win.  It makes them feel really special and makes them feel more at home being able to win here in the Sprint Cup Series.  For us, it was pretty cool to be able to bring home that first win, not only for myself, but for the whole JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) camp.  Of course for the 18 team too—to bring the history back to that car from Atlanta with all the success that they’ve had there—that was pretty cool at that track.  It’s set in and it means the world to be able to win anytime.  To get them their first win is cool.  I’ve reach a few milestones—I believe I got Chevrolet their 600th win and Hendrick Motorsports their 250th—I don’t remember all the numbers.  It’s pretty special overall.”

Is it flattering for you to hear others talk about you being the most talented driver in NASCAR?

“I get that question asked to me about every weekend now.  It’s pretty cool to have people talking about my abilities like that and to have my abilities for people to be able to talk about—that’s pretty special to me.  I just go out there and drive the wheels off anything that I can drive the wheels off.  Whether it’s a go-kart, a Cup car, a Nationwide car, a truck or a late model car - it doesn’t much matter to me.  I’m just going out there to have some fun and do what I can behind the wheel.  Obviously my talents propel me forward to win races.”

What’s the most daring move you’ve made on the track and have any of them ever scared you?

“I’m not sure.  To be honest with you, the most daring move I’ve ever made—I have no idea.  I’ve made a few, but nothing’s really scared me.  I don’t think I’ve ever been scared inside a race car.  I believe the only time you’re ever scared is when you’re wrecking.  Probably the only time I was a little frightened in the wreck at Talladega (Superspeedway) last year—that was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever had.”

Can you assess the progress on the new car?

“There’s been a lot of progress with the new car.  This is the first time we’ve been able to bring it back this year to a track that we’ve raced with it before.  We’ll see how it goes this weekend, but from the first race here to what we’re coming here with now—we’ve made a lot of ground with the car.  It’s still an animal to drive—it’s hard to drive and it’s definitely making us earn our pay.  That’s what we’re here for and that’s why we’re the professionals and the best in the world, supposedly, racing in the Sprint Cup Series.”

Can you talk about the relationship you have with the fans here at Bristol?

“The reception here has always been pretty bad for me.  Probably because of another sibling of mine where he had some issues before coming into this race and then spun a guy out and went on to win this race—then the fans were all tweaked.  I don’t know if those are the same fans that come here every year or what, but it seems that way.  For me, I don’t really care whether they cheer or boo, as long as they are making noise.  If I’m getting a lot of noise, then I’m happy

Do you feel like it is a no-win situation when it comes to showing your personality in the sport?
“You always have to worry about the backlash—that’s always out there and you’re always going to have that.  You’re always going to have people talking about what you say, ridiculing what you say—whether it’s good or whether it’s bad.  If you’re talking good about everything then you’re a ‘goody two-shoes’ and if you’re talking bad about stuff then you’re a ‘hard-ass’.  I don’t know what else to say.  The biggest part about it all is to just mind your p’s and q’s I guess and that’s pretty much what you need to do week-in and week-out, all the time.  If you want to stir an uproar like (Tony) Stewart did then you’re going to do it.  If you just want to be PC (politically correct) and do it right, then you’re going to say what Jeff Gordon has to say.  That’s pretty much how I look at it.  I’m just out here to do my job and that’s to race cars and what I talk about is what I talk about and normally I can back it up on the race track.”

“By the way, we are all whiners because we would rather be driving a Lamborghini to work than a Geo.  That’s what we’d rather be driving out there.”

What is the perfect balance for a race here at Bristol?

“I think the perfect balance would be some good green-flag racing with a couple green-flag stops and yet still having some wrecks.  I don’t know what our average caution is, but probably at least 10 cautions during the race would be about right for Bristol.  With the racing that we have here—it’s pretty good racing here now with the three lanes, but you don’t see as much beating and banging for the one groove that we all had to fight for before because we can go anywhere now.  It’s good racing, but there’s less contact and more room to maneuver around.  I think the fans have their divided opinions and you’re never going to be able to please everybody for 500 laps around this place.”

Can you talk about Toyota and the JGR team and the success you are having?

“I think a lot of the success we’re having is due to the fact of Joe Gibbs Racing—they’re equipment is just as good as anybody else’s out there and that’s why I chose to come to this place when I did.  The fact that we’ve been as successful as we’ve been has just been awesome.  With Steve Addington (crew chief) and all these guys on the 18 car, working as hard as they do to help my success level be better.  Then of course, (Tony) Stewart, he’s been getting better and Denny (Hamlin), he’s just been having some bad luck this year for some reason.  He’s been fast at all our tests and been going really well and then something will just happen to him throughout the race.  It’s just a bummer deal.  I think JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) has been really well-represented with the Toyota brand and that we’ve been able to bring it up toward the front somewhat.  Being the second year with the start-up teams like Red Bull and a couple others—those guys are getting better and that just makes Toyota look better.”

How important is it to spend time and celebrate with your team members in order to build this team to one of the elite in the sport?

“It’s about giving back to those team guys because they’re the ones that are putting in all the time and effort at the race track and at the shop.  They’re spending time away from their families.  For me, I’m away doing my deal and stuff like that, but I’ve just got my mom, dad and grandma at home—I don’t have a wife and kids and stuff like that I have to tend to.  I can go out and do my own deal.  For all of those guys, they brought out their wives, their girlfriends and they all came out—we’re probably going to have another team lunch next week or something like that and get everybody in the whole shop.  It was just the 18 car that went out, but we’ll get all of Joe Gibbs Racing together and have lunch next week.  It’s just cool to give back to those guys and show them that you appreciate what all they do.”

Posted by Brian T. Smith
NASCAR

Tires, tires, tires.
Goodyear and the tire situation are the main talk at Bristol Motor Speedway right now.
Tony Stewart’s comments following last week’s race in Atlanta created a storm, and seemingly every driver who spoke with the media on Friday morning was forced to answer tire questions.
How valid are the questions?
Based off the drivers’ diverse answers, very valid.
The general consensus is that Goodyear was backed into a corner. They had to address a situation, made a decision, and the decision was obviously met with mixed results.
Yet not every driver shares Stewart’s no-nonsense opinions.
Most of the drivers who spoke on the issue stressed that safety was the key, and that a medium ground was to be found somewhere between the tires that were used at the Daytona 500 and last week’s debacle in Atlanta.
Kurt Busch provided substantial insight. Busch turned a question on the state of the Car of Tomorrow into a referendum on Goodyear and its tires.
“You’re turning the wheel harder, you’ve got all this camber built in, it’s a heavier car – it’s a recipe for tire issues,” Busch said.
“Goodyear has to react. The CEO can’t get these phone calls from moms and pops watching NASCAR races, going, ‘Why are these tires blowing out? I have Goodyears on my SUV that I bought. Why are NASCAR race tires blowing out?’ So they have to react. NASCAR and Goodyear came back with a harder tire for Atlanta. Yes, was it a bit too far? I’m sure it was. Is there a compromise to find a middle ground? I’m sure this. Now, that’s a problem for them. The racing action. We want to see the action, we want to see the safety, and we want to see the fans go home and say, ‘I bought a ticket in Atlanta, Bristol, wherever, and it was a great race.’ And so, they’re doing the jobs that they can, and they’re giving us the best tires that they possible can to put on a good show, as well as not put the heat on themselves when there’s tire blowouts.”

Posted by Brian T. Smith
NASCAR