NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Tums Fast Relief 500

Topics:  Tums Fast Relief 500

Clint Bowyer
Denny Hamlin
Kasey Kahne
Brad Keselowski
October 28, 2012

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA

Q.  Brad, if you were to win this championship this year, this miracle in Martinsville might be the reason why.  What does this run mean to you and this team?
BRAD KESELOWSKI:  Means you can't count this team out.  This team has a tremendous amount of heart.  I'm proud of them.
This championship is going to come down to Homestead.  You have to be in a position where you're in shot of it.  We have to do what we need to do to be in contention at Homestead.
We have Texas coming up, very similar to Chicago.  I'm sure it's going to be a duel with the 48 there.  We'll keep fighting the good fight and really proud of today.

Q.  Denny, you led so much of this race, then had something go wrong with your car, wound up 33rd.  High expectations today.  Overall, describe today?
DENNY HAMLIN:  It ended in disappointment.  We overcame the pit road penalties, things like that.  Just had a great car.  When these things happen, you just got to suck it up and move on.  There's nothing I can do about it.
One of these days it's going to be our time.  It's just not right now.

Q.  What do you think the issues were in pit road?
DENNY HAMLIN:  I was doing what the crew chief said.  I don't know if that's the right thing as far as NASCAR is concerned.  They assured me there was no way the speed on entry with the timing lines, there's a little bit of underestimation on how quick these cars can launch when you do take off.
I think there was something more to that than what we thought.  Nothing we couldn't overcome.  We still drove our tails right back up to the front twice, passed the 48 car about three times, four times.
It sucks it's got to end this way.  Just got to suck it up and move on.

Q.  Kasey Kahne, a very strong top‑three effort this afternoon.  It wasn't that easy.  You had to work on that racecar throughout the day.
KASEY KAHNE:  Yeah, we had to battle pretty hard.  Luckily all the Hendrick Motorsport cars were good today.  Congrats to the 48 team.  Those guys did a great job.
We were right there.  Man, I think my window to racing is really small at this track.  I make it hard on Kenny Francis and the guys.  Jimmie Johnson's window is this big.  It's hard to find that fine line.
Wound up third, my best finish in a long time here.

Q.  Clint Bowyer, it's Martinsville, so bumpers and doors are in play.  You bounced off the 24 and the 48.  Tell us about your day.
CLINT BOWYER:  The 24 at the end, I didn't want to.  I was door‑to‑door with him.  He turned left to block me.  I was already there.  I hit the brakes and I hit him so hard to try to stay off of him, it was a bad deal there.  I was there and he just kept turning left on me.  I was like, Hey, you better not do that.
It is what it is.  It was a good day for us.  I thought we had a car capable of winning.  As soon as it got cool, I got a little bit tight.  We lost track position when they beat us out of the pits there and I never could regain it.