| What’s the challenge this week in your efforts to get off to a good start in the playoffs?
“Going to Vegas, it’s not one of my best racetracks, for some reason. I’ve won there before, but it was a long time ago. We finished second earlier this year. We struggled early but came on late and we’d love to have the opportunity to go out there and win and just move ourselves automatically through to the next round and not have to worry about the “roval” (at Charlotte). Thankfully, with our season and our success that we’ve had with the 18 team, we’ve got that point cushion.”
How does it feel to win the regular-season championship?
“It’s awesome. It’s just another goal that you have and another opportunity to be able to go out there and score a win. Not only for myself or our team or M&Ms or Toyota, but it just gave us that extra motivation to bring home a trophy. They certainly stepped up the trophy game for this year, so that’s nice, and those bonus points will come in handy, too.”
What are your biggest challenges with the upcoming tracks in the playoffs?
“I would say the “roval” is the biggest challenge, just because it’s such an unknown. Nobody knows what’s going to happen there, and then of course Talladega is always a crapshoot race for many of us. Love going to Kansas, though. Martinsville is good, and finishing out the year at Homestead and hopefully being able to go and race for a championship.”
What’s changed to make Las Vegas grow into a real sports town?
“I think it’s definitely grown into that more and more over the years. When I was a kid there, I always kind of wondered why we didn’t have a professional team of any kind. You know, whether it would be hockey or basketball or baseball or football, but it’s becoming more and more, which is good. There are a lot of stars in all kinds of sports who come from our town with (Bryce) Harper, myself and Kurt (Busch), some other, younger, up-and-coming drivers, as well, like Noah (Gragson) and such. It’s nice to have an opportunity to have that place to be able to go play if you can make it to the hometown team and be a star in that series, that league.”
What would it mean to you to take home another checkered flag this weekend?
“It would certainly be special to win there. I love going out to Las Vegas. You want to win any weekend, but especially when it’s in your hometown and you remember this track being built from the ground up and the hole being dug in which the track sits now. As far as anybody else knowing it’s our hometown, I don’t think they care. I think that we all race each other as hard as we can race each other every single race, anyway, no matter where we go. Guys are always chomping at the bit in order to see themselves get to victory lane, so that’s going to be their main reason in trying to keep you out of victory lane.”
Is there more pressure racing at your hometown track?
“Yeah, Vegas always means a little bit more pressure – more pressure on myself – just because it’s the hometown and you want to win there. Thankfully, I have won there and I’ve knocked that one off the list, but certainly you want to win there every year. I love Vegas, the atmosphere and everything going on around that place. We’ve run up front there the last couple of years, so I would like to get our M&M’S Camry back in victory lane there. It’s always been a big race for us and the M&M’S team, so I’m hoping we can bring home the win in my hometown.”
What was it like to bring home a Cup Series win in your hometown in 2009?
“It was cool. To go out there and to run a smooth race and to have a shot at winning at the end of the race, that’s what it’s all about. I watched Vegas being built from the ground up, and I remember when it wasn’t anything but a gleam in the eye of Richie Clyne (founder of Las Vegas Motor Speedway) – all those guys who made that place happen.”
What is your fondest racing memory of growing up in Las Vegas?
“My fondest racing memory is probably my first Late Model race. I started about eighth or 10th and ended up winning it. My first-ever start, I won. So that is definitely a great memory to have.” |
