Photo Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images for NASCAR
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch were made available to the media at Chase Eliminator Media Day in Charlotte at the NASCAR Hall of Fame:
CARL EDWARDS, No. 19 XFINITY Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Do you agree with NASCAR doing the second green-white-checkered attempt in Talladega?
“NASCAR, they run the show, they run the show the best that they can and I didn’t understand at the time, but they went ahead and did another green-white-checkered and that’s the way the race finished. We all got another shot at it. The way I understand it is that since we didn’t cross the start-finish line, they didn’t count that as an attempt.”
Are you bothered that the 4 team might have intentionally caused the final caution?
“It appears that Kevin (Harvick) and the 4 team, they had to have a caution in order to preserve their position. They were aware of that and it appears that they caused that caution. That’s tough, to be completely frank, that makes me uncomfortable that if that’s the case that a team could do something like that – that’s calculated to alter the outcome of the most important race of the year. Things happen in the heat of battle, we’ve all done things in the heat of battle, but if that’s the case, if that’s what happened then that’s just too bad. I guess NASCAR looked at it closely and if they think there was nothing wrong there, then that’s the way we move forward. Nobody really knows.”
Do you feel NASCAR should take action?
“I need to understand NASCAR’s position a little bit better. If they’re okay with that kind of thing, it does change the way we move forward I guess. I can’t imagine that they’re okay with that. They must really feel that’s unintentional and maybe it was, but it appeared – it just didn’t feel right to me watching it.”
What is your personal opinion of the situation?
“My personal opinion is really not the most important thing. I can say that at the end of that race, it just didn’t feel right to me the way that went and there’s only one person that knows if it was intentional or not and that’s Kevin (Harvick) and man, I hope it wasn’t. I just have to hope for our sport, for all the hard work that everyone puts in and all that’s on the line that kind of thing number one, I could see how you could be tempted to do something like that, but I really hope that NASCAR makes sure that kind of stuff isn’t common place for sure.”
Do you feel like Kevin Harvick did what he had to do to stay in the Chase?
“Obviously, doing something like that is an option to keep yourself in that position, but to me, that’s not what sports should be about. Like I said, we’ve all done things, we’ve all taken advantage of a situation – that one just didn’t sit right with me and that’s about all I can say about it.”
What did you think when you watched the replay from the end of the race at Talladega?
“I went back and watched the replay and just to be honest with you guys (media), it didn’t affect me in any way and so I don’t have a dog in the fight, but I think everybody saw it. That’s not what this whole thing is about. Everybody builds the best cars they can and everybody comes and does the best they can and it’s tough to see a race end that way and there be no consequences for it.”
Is there a favorite in the Chase?
“I don’t think there’s any favorite, I think that we’ve seen from this Chase that anything can happen and it’s tough. You just have to go out and race the best you can, that’s all you can do.”
Does it change the dynamic at Joe Gibbs Racing having only two of you advance?
“I really believe the guys at Joe Gibbs Racing, my teammates, we have something really neat going on there. It’s really competitive, but it’s a very respectful rivalry we have in the shop and within ourselves. I really don’t think it matters if one of us is in the Chase or all four of us are, it feels like we race each other really well, it’s pretty cool.”
Do you feel better about the third round of the Chase than the second round?
“This third round is way simpler than the second round in my opinion. We go to some tracks like Martinsville where a lot can happen there, but you’re really in control of things there a little bit more. Texas is Texas, that can be a really tough race track, but then you go to Phoenix where a good pit crew and a good car, driver doing the right things can make a difference and I feel like that’s a good place. This one feels a little more old school, a little more short track feel to it.”
How are your chances better to win this championship versus 2011?
“I don’t feel like as a driver I’ve changed a lot since 2011, I feel like then I really understood where we were at and I got the most out of everything and I valued the opportunity and I feel the same way now. I do feel like I have cars that are very, very capable everywhere right now. I feel like we’re fast relative to the field as I’ve ever been as a driver, my pit crew is amazing, Darian (Grubb, crew chief) on the box has all the experience – there’s nobody with more heat of the battle experience than him. I’d say we’ve got as good of a shot as I’ve ever had to win the championship.”
How different would this format be compared to the 2011 battle at Homestead?
“This is different, yes. Going into Homestead with Tony (Stewart) in 2011, that was a pretty good battle. We were one and two most of the race and that was really interesting. It would be fun to be through something like that with three other guys, it would be a really dynamic thing to be a part of and I know last year not as a participant, but more of a spectator in the car, it was fun to watch. It would be pretty neat to be a part of that.”
How stressful was the 2011 battle?
“2011, those last few races was the most fun I’ve ever had racing just because it was like everything you did, every lap, every practice session was so important and I was engaged 100 percent, there was nothing else other than the race car in my life and that was so neat. There is anxiety and butterflies leading up to it, but once you get in a race like that and all you’re doing is racing, that’s as good as it gets.”
How will Joe Gibbs Racing handle having two drivers in this round of the Chase?
“This is my first time at Joe Gibbs Racing and I haven’t seen how they will handle it, but if they handle it anything like they handle everything else, it will be great.”
How does the strategy of the team change?
“I don’t think the strategy changes, we just have to do the best we can just like we do every week. The opportunities are bigger so we just have to guard against trying too hard or putting too much pressure on ourselves.”
Are you looking forward to Martinsville this weekend?
“I’m really excited about Martinsville. We ran well in the spring and I’m looking forward to that one.”
Has this season lived up to the expectation you had joining Joe Gibbs Racing?
“The beginning of the season, the first couple of months, we struggled and a lot of it, it definitely wasn’t matching our expectations and we got the win in the Coke 600 and everybody took a deep breath, I calmed down a lot and we’ve really grown. Our stats since then are night and day different in a better way. I feel like we’re where we hoped we would be, but it was kind of a tough road getting there.”
Who besides your family would you want in Homestead if you battle for the championship this year?
“I know that for me the opportunity to go race for that championship in 2011 was really special and a lot of people – it was odd because a lot of people showed up and then after the race was over they just kind of left. Everybody was kind of anticlimactic – I got back out and there was one small banner, good job. It meant a lot to me just for people to be engaged and they were excited. I remember those few weeks leading up to the championship, everywhere I went people were really, genuinely engaged in that battle and they thought it was awesome. I think if I get that opportunity again, it would be really special to have not only my family, but the coolest thing in the world would be to have some of the guys I raced with growing up and I need to work that out. If we make it, I need to make sure some of them are down there.”
Should Kevin Harvick have given up his position on the final restart?
“No, I don’t think you give up the spot, you have to stay out there and hope that things went your way. To me, if intentionally, if he (Kevin Harvick) caused that caution intentionally, then to me that’s one step too far in making things go your way. We rely on NASCAR to police that stuff and maybe that’s not what happened, it just appeared that’s what happened.”
Does this ruling by NASCAR change the rules of getting into the next round of the Chase?
“I read their (NASCAR) statement and I’m not sure, if NASCAR’s position is that they believe that Kevin (Harvick) intentionally caused that caution and that’s okay, well that definitely changes the rules right? If they say they believe that he didn’t then I think we have to assume the rules are just the same. I don’t think anyone would assume that manipulating the outcome of the most important race of the year so far to your advantage is okay, I think we all assume that wasn’t okay. I guess it rests in proving whether or not. I think it would be important to clear that up. I was expecting there to be some action or penalty and there wasn’t.”
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KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Do you agree with the statement NASCAR shared about the Talladega last lap incident?
“I don’t necessarily agree with all of it. It’s not for me to agree with. You just play with what’s in front of you and go do the best you can with it and hopefully, like us, we made it through and we move on.”
Will you see more issues like what happened at Talladega?
“I think there will probably be – it’s kind of like the pit road rules with the lug nuts. They’ve gone away from that but there’s self-policing because if you have a loose wheel than you have to come in and fix it. With people wrecking each other and doing some gamesmanship, I’m sure that there’s still opportunities for other teams to be able to do the same thing.”
How do you feel about your championship chances at this point?
“I feel really good about it. I always said if we can just get through the previous round we just came out of that the 18 car is a really strong team and we’re a group of guys that we know we can run good at Martinsville and Texas and Phoenix and get ourselves on through to the next round. I feel pretty confident that we are one of the four that should be in Homestead.”
Did you know right away that you advanced to the next round at the end of the Talladega race?
“I did not know that I made it. I didn’t know what the exact rundown exactly was yet because with how NASCAR was going to freeze the field and the loops and all that exactly what was going to happen and who was going to be placed where. I felt like we had a pretty good shot of it once they declared the 22 (Joey Logano) the winner. I didn’t even know until I got to pit road that they declared the 22 the winner because I saw him continue on the race track and the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) come down pit road.”
Has this been a storybook season, since returning from your injury?
“A little bit, yeah. Can certainly say that this year is a storybook, that’s for sure. I guess earlier today someone asked if it’s like a Disney movie. I said Disney movies tend to end with a happy ending, so I’m hoping so. I’m looking forward to that championship at Homestead and the script is already written that we have to be able to follow what’s written.”
Do you feel like this is your championship to lose, or are you numb to that perception?
“I wouldn’t say I’m numb now, just fortunate in the position I’m in to move on to the next round. I’m looking forward to it. I feel like this is the time in the season in which the real players came to play. It’s not necessarily ours to lose, I still feel like it’s the 22 (Joey Logano) or the 4 (Kevin Harvick) to lose, but we’re in this game to steal it when they fumble.”
Are you at a disadvantage for missing a few of the races from earlier this season for the next three Chase races?
“I don’t think missing those races early on in the season will hurt us very much. I’ll definitely lean on my teammates for this week probably and try to get myself prepared and ready for what’s coming. It might be hard to lean on Denny (Hamlin) for Martinsville right now, I’m sure he’s still bumming. Hopefully what Carl (Edwards) learned from Denny for the spring race, Carl obviously ran well there and I’m looking forward to continuing the run of what the Gibbs cars had there in the spring.”
How helpful will your teammates be to your success in going for a championship?
“Certainly, there’s definitely things that you can do to help. It’s just a matter of me reaching out for that help and them giving it to me. I think sometimes when you’re competing against those guys as your teammates for victories or championships to move on in the championship, sometimes they may not tell you 100 percent of everything they know, but maybe 90 percent. At least maybe the information I get will be convincing enough to get me what I need and hopefully score a win at Martinsville.”
Is there anything from your experiences of not advancing in the Chase last year that would help your teammates?
“It’s hard to say, ‘Sorry bud, been there, done that.’ That’s not consoling at all. There’s really nothing at all you can say. It’s tough, it’s absolutely the worst thing that can happen to you. You feel the best of anybody going into that race and then all of a sudden something happens to you and it takes you out of it. It’s definitely a bad situation and no good feelings come of it.”
Have you ever seen something like what Denny Hamlin experienced in Talladega before?
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one of those roof hatches open one time, and I think it was Michael Waltrip who won at Talladega who popped out of the roof hatch for winning. I’m not so sure that roof hatches need to be in race cars, I guess. They obviously can falter and come apart and that’s not a good thing.”
Who do you think will be the drivers competing for the championship at the finale?
“I’ve tried to pick it out – people have asked me who are your final four going to Homestead and I’m like, ‘Literally every single one of those drivers has a reason to be in the final four going to Homestead.’ It’s hard to choose them. I think sometimes you just sympathize with the story of that person – he needs to be there, he needs to go to Homestead. That might be something like me where the season didn’t start off so well and maybe we should go, sympathize with that. Or Jeff Gordon – it’s his final season – we sympathize with that, he should make it. It could go any which way.”
Do you think all of them deserve to make it, or do you feel sympathy for them to make it?
“I just think they’re good enough to make it on their own, so I don’t think you necessarily need to sympathize with them. It’s a way of how this sport will run itself and we’ll race these three races and the top four will be the ones that move on to Homestead.”
What do you think of your brother and you both being able to race for the championship at the same time?
“I think it’s pretty neat. I think a lot of credit goes to Tom Busch (father) for giving us the opportunities throughout life to be in the positions that we’ve been in and to have two championship caliber sons each and every year go into championship contention and hopefully one of us can win it.”
Do you feel your luck is changing?
“Maybe we’re getting paid something back, I don’t know.”
How does it feel to be in this position in the Chase?
“It feels really good, it feels easy and you’re looking at the watch and wondering when it’s going to run out. That’s essentially where it’s going to run out. I’ve been in that situation in 2002 and man, I just remember asking some of my guys on the team and wondering if it’s really this easy and how’s it possible. We just have to try to get back on that roll. If we can win four out of the next five, I think we’ll be champions, right.”
Was lining up with the other drivers at Talladega the right call, even with potential engine issues?
“I think in any other situation, it’s always been that when you have a problem like that, you always bail out and go to the back and you don’t mess up anyone else’s races. That’s not the way their strategy would have allowed them to move on through.”
Is that the driver’s fault for doing that at the end of the race?
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game. I’m just here so I don’t get fined. Do what you got to do to get on through, I guess.”
Was that the right call?
“It is what it is. Joey Logano didn’t have to do anything to Matt Kenseth (in Kansas), except he know Matt Kenseth was going to be a strong competitor for the championship at Homestead and he eliminated him. Now he’s going to have to worry about it all the way to Homestead.”
Do you think you could have gotten away with what happened at Talladega?
“I think it depends on who’s name is above the door. If I would have done it, I probably would have been racing at Martinsville. Last year’s champion did it and they’re not going to do anything to a champion.”
What do you need to do to win the championship?
“Win the races I need to win, finish as good as I need to finish in those races and get on to Homestead and race for a championship at Homestead. For us, it doesn’t change anything. We’re free and clear. We’re sinless, we feel good.”
Do you think there will be payback at a race before the end of the season?
“I don’t know if it’s Martinsville, if it’s Texas, Phoenix – I don’t know if it’s Homestead.”
Is Martinsville the trickiest of the three races in this Chase round?
“It feels pretty good. I’ve been in this situation up to this week. I don’t remember what year it was, I got spun out at Martinsville and that pretty much ruined that year. I’ve got to get through Martinsville getting spun out or something happening at Martinsville and hopefully being able to move on to Texas and seeing what happens after that. Certainly this is definitely the farthest of most years, I guess of my average is way before this. Again, need to run well at Martinsville and get through that one. That’s probably one of those crapshoot type races because everyone is on top of everyone. Kind of like Talladega, but not quite that bad.”
Where you concerned you wouldn’t make the next round at the end of the Talladega race?
“It was just that I didn’t know if I was in yet. I didn’t know what they were concerned about as far as what decisions needed to be made. I don’t think now that I understand it, what or if any of those decisions came down if they were going to affect us – I don’t think they were going to affect us. They were actually going to benefit us. I guess the other thing, too – I had no idea what happened. I had no idea to comprehend what all went down and what happened. Looking back at the film and seeing the 6 (Trevor Bayne) when he got clipped, he came down and over corrected and it went back. If he didn’t overcorrect, he would have hit us and we would have been spun out. It’s just circumstances for some reason, they’re going right, right now.”
What were you thinking when the final caution flew at Talladega?
“Everything compiled on top of one another thing, I didn’t know what to say or do, or think – I had no idea what I saw.”
Do you feel like you’re worthy of a championship?
“I feel like we’re at that level. I feel like if we hit it right, which the 22 (Joey Logano) has hit it right more often than we have as the 18 bunch. A Gibbs car has always been in contention for a victory along with a Penske car since those summer races. Now it just needs to be the 18 car, we need to make sure we’re up there and contending for those race wins so we can get one and move ourselves to the next round.”
Do you feel comfortable heading to Martinsville?
“I wouldn’t have said that I feel comfortable at Martinsville based on how we ran there last year. The way the guys at Joe Gibbs Racing ran this spring, everybody ran in the top-five, so I’m looking forward to getting back and utilizing some of that in order to hopefully have a good race and maybe do what Denny (Hamlin) did and win one.”
Are you racing the same car at Martinsville?
“No sir, it’s a different car. I don’t know if it’s brand new, but it’s definitely newer.”
How did David Ragan do while subbing for you at Martinsville?
“He did fine, he did fantastic. I probably need to lean on him a little bit for exactly what he did, what he learned, how he ran top-five at Martinsville in the spring.”
Can you talk about the trouble you had at Martinsville in the past?
“There’s been one other year, maybe it was the same year, 2011. It was 2011 and I made it to Martinsville and I think we were third in points and I got wrecked at Martinsville and that kind of eliminated us. Then obviously I eliminated the rest. Like I said, I have to make it through Martinsville this weekend and have a good finish there. Then we can talk about it – that’s as far as I’ve made it. All those things just continue the 18 car here.”
Will Homestead be a wild show for the fans?
“The race fans better put their helmets on. I don’t know. I do like our chances. Denny (Hamlin) runs really good at Homestead and he’s won there before and each year he’s one of the contenders to win there. We definitely need to lean on him, study some of his notes and work on what he needs as well there to get ourselves good there, too.”
Do you feel surprised by how everything has happened in this year’s Chase?
“I’m surprised by it. What’s most surprising I guess is kind of what (Matt) Kenseth said. It’s not racing anymore, which is frustrating. That’s what this sport is built on for years. I guess the excitement level wouldn’t be what it is if we just ran all the way through the whole season with no sets, no resets and there was no Chase. I’m sure it’s on Jayski who would be leading the points in that scenario, it’s kind of irrelevant, but he would have just passed Kevin (Harvick) because Kevin was leading for a long time. I guess if this is so exciting, than how come it’s not in the other series that NASCAR has?”
Do you feel having a spec motor in the NCWTS is a reasonable cost-saving solution?
“The spec motor thing is frustrating to the manufacturers. The manufacturers want to support the series with their engines. They don’t want to support the series with spec engines and then have to pay for a spec engine. If it’s a Chevrolet block and then something else going on head, whatever – Toyota doesn’t want to see that underneath the hood of their vehicles. It’s tough and trying to figure out what exactly as owners we can do with the cost of this sport. The number one cost for race teams. It’s people, payroll – that’s number one. Number two is engines and number three is travel, number four is tires. Without all those things, try to eliminate some of those things and all you do is have less races.”
Do you think making the races closer to Charlotte area is a cost-saving solution?
“For the truck series, I think that works fine. Getting five to 10,000 people at some of these short tracks that don’t hold that many is a perfect amount that series needs. There’s nothing wrong with that. I think you’d even get that many if you got someone to open North Wilkesboro. That would be a good place. I like what they did at Rockingham, think it would have worked longer. That’s the amount of people you’re going to get for a truck race so I think it’s fine to try to continue to do those things closer to home. The one day show is a huge thing that all of us are pushing for, with NASCAR’s cut on their costs for inspectors, they can only have their inspectors work so many days or hours, so they have to have more days for them to work more garage hours and that hurts us race teams.”
Does NASCAR need to finish races under green?
“It was fine all the way through Dale Earnhardt’s Daytona 500 victory to end under yellow, I think it’s fine to end under yellow. I don’t have a problem with that. I think that the fans want to see a green flag finish, but in realisticness and all honestly, I don’t know that it really needs to come down to that. Whoever was leading towards the end of that race could have, should have won if it went green the rest of the way and it is what it is if nobody passes anybody or we have another yellow before we get back to the checkered.”
Is there added effort by the drivers in a green-white-checkered situation?
“I think we’re doing all we can anyways, we’re all doing what we can to get to the lead to try to win that race regardless of whether or not a caution is going to come out. Past that, when you do have that opportunity for extra attempts then you do kind of get a little bit excited because you know that you can still do something to get a few more spots, but then you also have a little bit of that in the back of your mind that you could lose a couple spots and I don’t need to do that either.”
Are you surprised to see Jeff Gordon in the top-eight?
“Jeff’s (Gordon) a smart guy, he’s a good racer, he’s been around for a long time and knows how to make this part of the season go his way and he’s done that. I’d say they haven’t been one of the stronger teams, but they were certainly a top-16 capable team, but were they a top-eight team? I wouldn’t necessarily put them as a top-eight team, but they are right now and that’s all that matters.”
Do you think Jeff Gordon has a good chance at this year’s championship?
“Being a long time Jeff Gordon fan as a kid growing up years and years ago, I don’t see Jeff Gordon winning it this year, I just don’t see him going to Homestead and being able to beat the 4 (Kevin Harvick), the 22 (Joey Logano) right now – straight race to do that, to beat them, I don’t see that. If it turns into more of a circus at Homestead, then possibly, he’s got a good shot at it. I think all of us do.”
What makes Texas such a unique track to be in the Chase?
“Texas is unique because it’s asphalt is starting to age and get older, but it’s not like Atlanta. Atlanta is like you run one lap and you’re done, you want a fresh set of tires. Texas, you can go a few laps and you can run a little bit before you kind of want to have that fresh set of tires, but Charlotte you can run the same lap time for 25 laps at Charlotte. All those race tracks are really, really different, but Texas has kind of come into its own where it’s really a different place. The transitions in and out of the corners and then of course the bump in the center of one and two and then there are some more bumps that are developing at kind of the exit of two right in the middle lane. It’s kind of hard to run there sometimes and then where the grooves kind of been the last few times has been through three and four right in the middle with left sides on that first seam has been a really good groove. Really it’s got a lot of options for drivers and that’s what we all enjoy.”
How do you feel about the tracks in this round of the Chase and your chances?
“I love it, I’ve always said that if we can make it through that previous round that I think this round would be simple to get us to Homestead. I don’t know if it will be as simple as I want it to be, but I think that this is a good round for us. I enjoy going to Martinsville, I haven’t in years past, but I do more so now and Texas I do more so now than I have in years past. I feel like we can run well at each of these places and it’s just a matter of being able to put the right combinations together to score a win. Even if we’re running fourth or fifth, I think we still have a shot to win at any of these tracks at the end of the race.”
Will you look to rely on points or wins to advance to Homestead through this round?
“I think our best chances to win is Martinsville or Texas because I don’t know if our company is ready to win at Phoenix yet, we’ve struggled there as a whole so we’ve got to get better there and hopefully (Matt) Kenseth came up with some good things there for us last week, he tested. I look at it as if we point our way to Phoenix that we probably, hopefully just need to finish fifth to 10th and if we need to finish fifth to 10th that we can. I feel like that’s doable, but if we need to point our way in by a top-five at Phoenix, you already got two spots taken up with the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the 41 (Kurt Busch), they’re going to finish first and second relative of which order, pick and choose how you want to see that go down. I’m already calling that. We’ll see how Martinsville and Texas go for us.”
Do you run some drivers harder than others if you’re upset with them?
“I do think it happens, you definitely run a guy way, way harder when you are mad at him. You’re definitely not just going to roll over and let him go and make life easy on him for sure. There’s times where – probably the best relationship I’ve had on the race track with another driver is probably Jimmie (Johnson) and Matt (Kenseth) and we always race each other really, really good and there’s other guys that you just don’t like and you’ll race them as hard as anybody and not let them see an easy finish.”
Where do teammates or team orders come into play or do they in the closing races for the championship?
“I don’t know, I don’t know how you exactly orchestrate that. You can’t speak it over the radio or anything. First of all, it would be wrong to see that happen, but second of all it would be really hard to orchestrate. I don’t foresee any of that coming down. I think we’re a good enough team that we shouldn’t need any of that stuff in order to win a championship.”
