NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Subway Fresh Fit 500

Topics:  Subway Fresh Fit 500

Clint Bowyer
Denny Hamlin
April 12, 2008

AVONDALE, ARIZONA

THE MODERATOR: We're going to go ahead and roll into our post-race press conferences for tonight's race. Pleased to be joined in the media center by our race runner-up, that is Clint Bowyer. He drove the No. 07 DIRECTV Chevrolet.
Clint, you made a run at it there at the end. What were your thoughts?
CLINT BOWYER: Yeah, we were probably about a 7th- or 10th-place car all night. Never really got any higher than that. But, you know, things worked out. We were kind of conserving brakes there in that last run, backing the corners up, backing the corners up, which in turn saved fuel. About halfway through that run, could you tell it might go all the way that we were strung out that far.
Gil said to save as much gas as you can. I did. He told me we were only three laps shy of making it before that run started. I don't think I was near as worried about it as he was. I knew how much I was saving out there. I was pretty sure I saved enough.
THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions now for Clint Bowyer.

Q. Were you really sure that you could make it all the way or were you just really kind of sitting there on edge waiting to hear the thing burp and then maybe slow down a little?
CLINT BOWYER: You never know for sure. You know, like I said, he told me we were only three laps shy of making it before that run.
We got stretched out there and there really wasn't anybody pressuring from behind. I was able to, you know, conserve, conserve, conserve. It just paid off.
THE MODERATOR: We're also right now joined by our third-place finisher in tonight's race, Denny Hamlin. He drove the No. 11 FedEx March of Dimes Toyota.
Denny, your thoughts about tonight's race.
DENNY HAMLIN: Yeah, it was a great race for us. You know, just improved on the car all day. It just came down to fuel mileage there at the end. I felt like, you know, it was going to be between us, the 48 and the 8 at the end. You know, I thought everyone was going to have to pit.
So we decided to come in and take two tires and try to make some time up on those guys. We beat everyone who pitted. We had everyone by the gonads. They just made it on fuel (smiling).
THE MODERATOR: Questions for either Clint or Denny.

Q. Denny, if you had known that Jimmie wasn't going to stop, would you have gambled?
DENNY HAMLIN: I don't think so. We were seven short. I mean, it wouldn't have been worth it. I would have been happy. I'm happy with a top-five finish. The gamble for us was, yeah, you can go out there and try to get a win, but we didn't know guys were going to try to make it till right there at the end. So, you know, really wouldn't have raced any differently really.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys.
CLINT BOWYER: Thank you.
DENNY HAMLIN: Thank you.