NASCAR Media Conference

Topics:  NASCAR, Busch Series

Kevin Manion
Martin Truex, Jr.
December 10, 2004

TRACEY JUDD: Welcome to today's teleconference featuring the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series champion, driver Martin Truex, Jr., and the champion crew chief of the No. 8 Bass Pro Shop Chevrolet, Kevin "Bono" Manion. Our call today originates from the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Florida, site of tonight's NASCAR Busch Series Awards Ceremony that will honor Martin and his Chance 2 Motorsports team. Chance 2, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Teresa Earnhardt, won the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Owners Championship. Martin clinched the title at Darlington four weeks ago, following a season-long battle with rookie Kyle Busch. Martin led the series in wins with six, Busch poles with seven, Top 5s with 17, and Top 10s with 26. He set a series single-season winnings mark by totaling over $2.3 million in race winnings, contingency awards and point fund money. A former NASCAR Busch North Series Rookie-of-the-Year, Martin now has a championship only two years removed from that series. Bono Manion was prepared to take a first-year driver through a partial schedule this year and instead led the Chance 2 team to a championship season. Another success story out of the Northeast, Bono also has won his first championship in one of NASCAR's national series. Martin and Bono, thanks for joining us today. We appreciate your time. Martin, let's start with you real quick. How does all of this feel for you? Has it had a chance to sink in yet?

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Yeah, it sure has. It's been an incredible season. Just to sit here and look back on it, it's pretty incredible.

KEVIN MANION: Well, it's just been overwhelming, you know, the calls and the fans and all of the support we've gotten. But just for this team, for where it came and where it's going, it's just a great, great job.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: We raced two, two with our own car. Of course, the race we run with the 18 when Dale, Jr., was hurt. But I learned a lot from that. I learned that it's going to be a tough transition. I learned that, you know, the seven that we run this year, we're going to have to be on top of our game and give it 110% just to run, you know, in the Top 20. Cup Series is very competitive. It's a big jump up from the Busch Series. The way they run the races are different. They're longer. They don't seem to race as hard, but at the same time their cars -- the cars that run in the Top 10, Top 15 are just incredible. So we've got a lot of work to do this winter to keep up with them. You know, I think we're up to the task.

KEVIN MANION: Yes.

KEVIN MANION: Well, I don't know if I can explain exactly. You know, that's not my decision. That's Dale, Jr., and Teresa's. You know, timing is everything. We had an opportunity to probably go Cup racing, you know, in 2005, we just didn't feel that we were a hundred percent as a company ready. You know, Martin, as a driver, a lot of people can say he's ready. As a crew, you know, we can say we're ready. But Dale Jr., did two years in the Busch Series and that's kind of what we're basing Martin's career off. He's so much like Dale, Jr., his driving style, his style of sleeping in, just everything. So Dale, Jr. has been successful. We can for sure move him up, but I think one more year in the Busch Series, getting him some more experience, running the seven Cup races, not throwing him to the wolves. There's some rookies that have turned heads and then there's some other ones that you might say, "Boy, maybe he should have stuck in the Busch Series another year." We just feel like we didn't want to be one of them, and we can come out stronger in 2006.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Yeah, I think it's an incredible plan. Just to be involved with NASCAR is great. They do such a good job. They have so many avenues for drivers to come up through the ranks. You know, when you get involved with NASCAR, your name gets all over the place. All you have to do is do a good job and people will know what you're doing somehow through their websites or through all the things that they do for us. They have series all across the country. They're managed well. Everybody knows who's racing in all the NASCAR divisions. It's just a great opportunity for all young drivers like me.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Yeah, I did, yesterday before dinner. Me and my man Josh did it. We had a little bit of a guide in front of us, and we got a foundation. We just ripped it all apart and added to it and took some more out and added some more to it, just kept going back and forth, back and forth with it until we had something that I think is pretty good. So we'll see what happens.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Me and my dad are really, really close. He comes to all the races, you know, gives me a lot of support. He's there for advice, not just for racing, but for life, like you said. He's an incredible guy. He's done everything for me in my career. He's the reason I'm here. I could probably sit here and talk about it all day, the things that I've learned from him, the things that he's done for me. Just being around him, growing up, he was inspirational. He's a guy, when he was 16 years old, he lost his dad, started a business when he was probably 18, started with nothing, him and his brothers. You know, today they got a huge company. He was a successful racer. He was successful. He came from nothing really and became successful in racing and business and started a family all at the same time. You know, one of the biggest days in my life was when he quit racing just to give me a chance. There's not many people in this world that could do that, that aren't that selfish or care that much for other people.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Yes.

KEVIN MANION: Well, it did happen rather quick. I think we were geared up for running the seven or eight races between Dale, Jr. and Martin. We were geared up to run 14 races. All of a sudden we're going to run the full schedule. I'd say the most difficult part of it was Daytona. It was coming up. We had Dale, Jr. and Martin, so we had to build four speedway cars. We already had two from when Dale, Jr. ran. We had a good baseline. But trying to get them cars done, laying out your schedule, what you had to have next, plus a little bit of testing, it was a pretty busy month. But I guess one way to look at it, the 1 team was kind of in limbo, what they were going to do. It worked out good. We were able to put about 95% of the 1 guys back to work. So we really had plenty of help to get the team up and running. Just to go out and sit on the pole at Daytona, that was -- I mean, that right there made every long night in December, January worth it.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: I'm not really sure if there's just one thing, you know. Obviously, I'll be spending some time with him later on this winter. I'm there to help him all the way throughout the season. I think as a driver coming into a new series, a huge organization like this, there's always people there to give you advice on anything. There's plenty of people that are going to be around to help him. I don't think there's one thing I could tell him right now.

KEVIN MANION: No, that's not what I was actually getting at. You know, the Cup Series is so difficult to race in, the different teams, the powerhouses in the Cup Series. I just think as our company talked, I was part of the decision, we all sat in the room and said, "Should we move up? Shouldn't we?" It is so tough. Actually, I love going Cup racing because it reminds me and it tells me to stay humble. We know when we go over there, we're a 25th-place car and we're trying to race in the Top 15. So I think we had a good race car at Homestead and we ran up front a little bit. We ran all day. We stayed on the lead lap. We just happened to get a flat tire at the end of the race and didn't get a finish. At one point we looked like we were going to be the highest-finishing DEI car. I just think the more times Martin can get behind the wheel of a race car, it will just get him ready for 2006.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Yeah, I'll be home for Christmas. I guess probably about the 20th, I don't know what the date is, be around for about a week.

KEVIN MANION: Thank you.

MARTIN TRUEX, JR.: Thank you.

TRACEY JUDD: We'd like to thank you all for your participation in the NASCAR Busch Series champions teleconference and best wishes, everyone, for a happy holiday season.