NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Daytona 500

Topics:  Daytona 500

Rick Hendrick
Jimmie Johnson
Chad Knaus
February 24, 2013

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA

KERRY THARP: Let's go ahead and start with our post race for the 55th annual Daytona 500 championship team. Our winning crew chief is here, Chad Knaus.
Chad, congratulations. I know this has got to be one of the biggest wins of your career.
CHAD KNAUS: Most definitely. Again, we can't be blinded by the effects of what we had yesterday during the Nationwide race. I hope those fans are okay. I know many of them were planning to be here today and rooted the 48 car onto Victory Lane.
An awful lot of effort, from everybody's part, from NASCAR, to all the teams, to get prepared for the Daytona 500 this year with the Gen‑6 car, a lot of work and huge, huge effort by the racing community as a whole. I think it was a great race, a lot of fun. Man, it's pretty awesome to have been able to won it.
KERRY THARP: We'll take questions for Chad.

Q. Jimmie has mentioned how one of the few things that the team would like to accomplish is to win a Daytona 500 with you here.
CHAD KNAUS: I knew that was coming out of you. Just knew it (smiling).

Q. Was that something that meant as much to you as it did to Jimmie and the other guys?
CHAD KNAUS: Yeah, it really is. As you guys know, I eat, sleep and breathe 48. Anytime that I'm taken away from that racecar, I'm pretty sad. But when those guys were able to come down here and win the Daytona 500 in 2006 in my absence, I think that really solidified the strength of the 48 car.
Was I here? No. Was I here in spirit? Most definitely. I couldn't have been prouder of the group of guys we had there. To finally be able to come down here and win and be a part of this is definitely a huge dream come true, mostly so David Newton doesn't keep asking me about it.
It's great. It's a lot of fun. It's a great experience. I just couldn't be prouder of everybody involved.
KERRY THARP: We are now joined by team owner Rick Hendrick and our championship driver Jimmie Johnson. He becomes the 10th driver to win multiple Daytona 500s. He wins his second Daytona 500 in his 400th career start. 61st victory in the Sprint Cup Series.
How does it feel, Jimmie, to win the 55th annual Daytona 500.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It is just awesome. There's no other way to describe it. 400 starts, every one of those starts with Lowe's and Hendrick Motorsports. To be the first to win in a Gen‑6 car, and that car is a Chevy SS, just a very proud moment.
Plate racing has been tough on the 48 as we all know for the last few years. Happy to get through it all. Just a strong racecar. I feel like the speed our car had in it allowed me to really have control of the race there late. I felt like I was sitting on something all day and was just ready to have some fun when it counted, and it did.
KERRY THARP: Rick Hendrick, congratulations on this win. As a team owner, your entire organization, talk about what it means to win a race of this significance.
RICK HENDRICK: Well, this is the Super Bowl of all of racing. I remember the first one. Every one of them has been special. But we had a dry spell down here. I think it was it '06, and this is our seventh one now. You can be in front going into three and you never make it back to the line.
I was really happy today to see our cars be able to run 1‑2. It's a great feeling. It gives you a lot of momentum to start the year.
KERRY THARP: We'll continue with questions.

Q. Chad, when we talked on the media tour, you very clearly hinted that you felt you had something that was going to give you the best opportunity to be in Victory Lane at the end of that race. Back then you didn't want to talk about exactly what it was. What do you think you had today that really gave you all this victory?
CHAD KNAUS: I think it was Jimmie Johnson, quite honestly. Jimmie did a great job today.
You know, we work really hard at Hendrick Motorsports to prepare for the Superspeedway races. We put a great product out there. I'm telling you, I know we worked at least 35 days straight on the car that we raced in the Daytona 500. I know I put in personally one day of 38 hours straight. I actually sent Jimmie a text, saying I've seen 6:48 three times today and haven't been to bed yet.
I think what we have above everybody else is the desire to go out and win races. We've got 500‑plus employees at Hendrick Motorsports. When they all want to go out and win races, you put guys like this behind the seat, you're going to see magic happen.

Q. Jimmie, were you surprised at the end as you started taking that inside line up through there, I kept waiting for somebody, Biffle, Danica, people running second, third or fourth, to drop down in front and let you push them along, were you surprised nobody jumped down in front of you and made you push?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: The last restart?

Q. Towards the end, second to the last.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: You know, when I was stuck on the inside lane down there?
Yeah, everybody was just playing the odds. The majority of the competitors wanted to run the top. The draft really works in numbers. There's more there than the bottom. With the side drafting being as effective right now, you could really choke down the bottom lane and pin a guy against the line and slow him down and then get away and have that long line of cars to surge you past.
The game's changed a little bit. It used to be defend the bottom, now it's defend the top.
In the closing laps, we were all single file, I was leading, I wanted to see what would go on with the middle or bottom and not allow guys to set me up based on my lines. I ran the bottom and no one had a run or did anything. It was an interesting race.
Learned a lot through the course of the race with the new Gen‑6 car. At the end when it was time to go, I knew we had a straight racecar with no scratches on it. We worked real hard, we had a game plan down here every time. Even though we were in single‑car drafts, we had an agenda and things we worked on and made the car a little bit better each day, kept perfecting it. I had one heck of a racecar today.

Q. Jimmie, I want to ask you about a side‑bar story that comes out of this race. Danica Patrick made history today being the first woman to ever lead a lap in the Daytona 500. What impressed you most about the way she ran this race and what do you think this does for the sport?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Well, she's really comfortable in the car. Being close to other competitors, door‑to‑door, whatever environment takes place on the racetrack, at these speeds, she was very comfortable. Held a great wheel. Was smooth and predictable. Took advantage of runs when she had them. She did a really good job.
It was just another car on the track. I didn't think about it being Danica in the car. It was just another car on the track that was fast. That's a credit to her and the job she's doing.
I think the style of racetrack really suits her. When we get to the other tracks, she has a tall learning curve ahead of her. She continues to show her ability to drive racecars. She made history today, and in fine fashion, too.

Q. Jimmie, with Danica and with Harvick dominating early, do you feel maybe you flew under the radar well into it than you have in some years? If so, did you like that?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I didn't really think too much about it. In other years I've been down here so focused on the pole, caught up in the media, the buzz that surrounds that, being in the top five. As time goes on, it's a nice week to enjoy after you win the pole, but it just doesn't mean much for the race.
In my mind, I didn't feel like I was under the radar. I felt like we were working hard to put the best product on the track. I had a good run in the Unlimited until we crashed. The Duel, I thought we were very competitive there. It was a sign of things to come.
I guess I was quiet in the overall spectrum of things from the media side. I think people in the garage, people knew we were sitting on a lot of speed and had a very good racecar.

Q. Motorsports has been known for streaks, dominance. I know you're hoping to repeating the five years of championships. After two years of struggling here, I was wondering, any little bit of a doubt saying, Can we regain that? Aiming at a championship, any doubts creep in?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Doubts on the championship or plate racing?

Q. The championship.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Plate racing, no. Man, it's like playing the lottery. Everybody's got a ticket. When the 83 car is up there running fifth or sixth in the closing laps, it just shows you how equal the cars are and what the draft does. I've struck out a lot at these tracks, left with torn‑up racecars. Today we had a clean day.
I didn't doubt our ability to win, I was just frustrated with circumstances and plate racing. This will buy me a smile for I'm sure the rest of the year on the plate tracks.

Q. 35 more races to go. Good start. How do you look at this now looking ahead to the rest of the season?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Definitely a great start for the team. When we were sitting discussing things before the season started, we felt good about the 500, but we're really excited for everything after the 500.
So very hopeful and excited that our 48 car will be really fast in Phoenix, Vegas, moving forward. I think it's going to be a very strong year for us.

Q. Jimmie, can you try to explain, you said on the last lap you backed up to the people behind you, Junior said he backed up, Greg said he backed up. I thought the whole idea was to try to go forward.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Well, the way our cars work, there's more help from someone pushing you than somebody towing you along. Been mentioned and talked a little bit about this week, the spring, some guys call it the beach ball effect. When the front bumper gets close to the rear bumper, there's bubble effect that shoots the car ahead. We learned over the years, if you ride the brake and help the car catching you break through that little bubble and make contact with you, there's more energy in that than the bubble effect.
Usually why we wreck is drag the brake, wait for contact, sometimes it's not in the right spot, maybe it's too hard, starts a wreck. But that's the game everybody plays.
I didn't pull back on the 16 at all. It seemed to me that everybody that's won down here, the leader was in pretty good shape. I was looking closely at the 16, waiting for him to come with a run. Then Earl said the 88 had the run. Last I looked, he was fourth or fifth. I thought that was great because he's probably going to stall out next to the 16, I was going to be up there all by myself in the lead and make it back.
He did have a big enough run to get by the 16, but I knew he didn't have enough closing rate to get by my side and do anything. I felt kind of good about things coming off of four.

Q. Jimmie, about being under the radar. Usually in the old style of restrictor plate racing, there would be a harrowing moment or defining moment when you knew a guy was going to win or somebody had a dominant car leading into the weekend. It seemed like this weekend with the eradication of tandem drafting, everything in practice was limited. Today the racing seemed so different. Did you have a defining moment over the last week, or a time when you knew you could win this race, from 10 days ago to now?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: The rules package has the cars so close that it is tough to tell, even inside the racecars on the track. It was the Duel, I climbed out of the car, Chad and I debriefed afterward. I told him we didn't have much speed. He said, Man, from what I saw, you looked as good as anyone if not better. Chad and I in our relationship, I couldn't tell.
The same for yourself, you've been watching the sport a long time. The rules have the cars very close on speed. Throughout the week what I looked for was cars that could hang on to the draft. If they're the last car in line, didn't lose the draft, that was a fast car. That was one of the only indications I could consistently say was key. We found ourselves in that position a lot and never lost the draft.
For me the defining moment in the race was the caution coming out and the 48 being ahead of the 2. That gave me lane choice and really control of the race in the closing laps.

Q. Jimmie, maybe I'm reaching on this, but there at the end of the race you're lining up against Brad. You lose the championship to him last year. Any extra motivation to go and get the 500 and beat him? Also, after going two years without winning a championship, to start a year with a Daytona 500 victory, are you able to take any ability to stick it to everybody and say, Hey, I'm back, I'm here, I'm coming back?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I don't think we went anywhere anybody in the garage area, they're wise to all that. We had great pace last year, championship form, had two bad races at the end.
You know, I'm just enjoying this moment. This is a one of a kind race. In the rush that follows, the notoriety that follows, it's great for all of us. Chad, Rick, the company, Lowe's, Chevrolet. It's just time to sit back and enjoy.
When we pull into the gates at Phoenix next weekend, it's a totally different game as we all know. We'll enjoy this rush. If there's some down points through the year, we'll look back on this race and smile again.
As far as racing with Brad out there, you really lose sight of who is in what car. It's just somebody between you and the trophy. It could have been anybody. I knew the 2 had damage and wasn't going to be really fast. That's the only thing I thought about regarding the 2, was he had some damage and hopefully I could get by him with the clean racecar I had.

Q. Jimmie, you just said you were aware the 2 had front end damage. It seemed like it took you a long time to get by him. Were you just sort of biding your time or were you surprised he was as fast as he was with that nose so torn up?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I was desperately wanting to get by him or in the inside lane. There were far more cars lined up on the outside lane than the inside. Who was behind us?
CHAD KNAUS: Denny.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I think the 9 was there at one point.
It was just so hard to make up time on the bottom because there were fewer cars. I was hanging on side drafting, doing all I could to hang onto the 2 when I was close to him and the 16. The caution truthfully fell at a good time for us. Right when we surged ahead, that allowed me to get ahead for the driver's choice for which lane he wanted.

Q. Seemed like you were laying low for half the race. Was that the way things went?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I ran second to fifth all day really. But you had such a small opportunity of time to get something done, you had a restart, and that would shuffle around for three laps, then we're all in line. Coming to pit road, Chad's strategy on when we pitted, the guys, what they did on pit road, was great. We always got the lead as the result of one.
Once that single file, it would be foolish to pull out. You get back in line in 35th or something, so you just kind of hold your spot.

Q. Jimmie, I know it's awfully early, but the last time a new racecar was introduced in '07, Hendrick and you were strong right away. I look at this and I wonder are you maybe a little bit ahead of the rest? Is this a sign or is it too early to say that maybe you have something?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It is a little early yet. Once we get a downforce race or two behind us, we'll have a better understanding. I have confidence because I know how hard Chad works, I know the tools and commitment that Rick has and gives us, how hard everybody works at our shop. We've had great test sessions.
Again, we felt like we had a shot at this race, but we're really excited for the races to come.
But it is a little early. Maybe after Vegas, Bristol, we can see which team has the upper hand.

Q. Obviously it feels fantastic to do this. What does it mean to you that so many of your competitors come into Victory Lane to congratulate you in a moment like that? What does it mean to you to spend those types of moments with your family?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It means a lot. I mean, that hits me deep. We race against one another, do some awful things to each other out on the track as competitors. But it's the ultimate nod for another guy to come in, if he's a Hendrick driver or not.
Brad came by, Ryan came by, Mears came by, Gordon, Junior, Kahne. It's really cool. It means a lot to me. I'm one of the few racers out there that's concerned about friendships and relationships. I have a lot of friends out there on that track and I'm proud of that.
I'm also proud to have my family here. Shanny and Evie mean the world to me. Shanny has been by my side and supporting me and letting me focus on my job and do all that I need to to be a part of this race team.
I win, our family wins. To have that moment in Victory Lane is very special, too.

Q. You're about to go through an entire gauntlet of publicity that will have nothing to do with racing. How much room are you going to give Jimmie to enjoy this before you haul back in to get ready for Phoenix?
CHAD KNAUS: Well, I already know he has appearances tomorrow morning, then he's got to go to New York and do stuff there, stopping in Charlotte on the way. Tuesday, we'll have a debrief. Thursday, we're on track with the Nationwide car. He's going to be pretty busy.
That's the thing that's difficult about our sport. You've got to move on relatively quickly and put the good things and the bad things behind you. So that goes both ways. Jimmie does a very good job of balancing that out. He's going to have some serious obligations with all of you from a media standpoint. But he'll be on point when it comes time for Phoenix.

Q. I'm not sure what we thought we were going to see down here, but after hearing all about the Gen‑6 car, how it was going to do this, that and the other thing, for much of the day it was just single file, parade style until the very end. Is this race so different that this car eventually will be very good at other places and may not be good here or are we expecting too much?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I think the cars are sensitive to side drafting, and that is some of what we saw. When we're running single file, we're just trying to get to the finish. We've all crashed so many times and have torn up so much stuff that a lot of that falls on the driver's shoulders.
I feel for NASCAR, they're trying to create a very competitive car. They want a side‑by‑side. The fans want a side‑by‑side. There's a few guys willing to race. The spotters were all talking. I'd get word that three or four guys wanted to jump out of line, they were tired of riding. I thought they better get some friends.
I just believe a lot of the competitors just wanted to get to that last pit stop and race for it.
CHAD KNAUS: On that point, I'd like to add, there were a lot of stories going on other than the racing on the track. Racing is more than side‑by‑side and crashing. If you go back and look, there were different pit strategies, ways guys took the lead on pit road, two tire or four tire strategy. The racing was pretty good if you go back and look at the nuts and bolts of it. Just because you're not running side‑by‑side doesn't mean it's a bad race.

Q. Jimmie, in the best laymen's terms, because maybe the casual fans don't understand how difficult it is to do what you guys do out there, is it particularly hard to win here at Daytona? If so, why?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, it's about as tough as it gets here. The draft and the way you race here and at Talladega is much different than anywhere else. It takes vehicles around you to create opportunities to pass. You can't do it alone. So it's far different than any other racing we do.
When you put us here at the biggest race, the Daytona 500, everybody brings their A game. It's the most difficult race to win.

Q. Jimmie, put this in some kind of historical perspective. I don't know if you're able to do this at this moment. Winning in your 400th career start, you joined a great list of people that have done that, Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Richard Pearson, Dale Earnhardt. What does that mean to you having accomplished that?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I had no clue about that. Just to hear those names and my name in that sentence is pretty awesome. The history side is hard for me because, one, I don't know these stats. Happy to hear about them, though. I'm still in the sport competing, not in that mental space to reflect back all that much.
I am so proud to be in that same category with those guys, feel I have a lot of years left. I certainly hope to make more history and do other cool things within the sport.
It's a huge honor. There's no other way to put it. Any time you're mentioned with those greats, it's a huge honor.

Q. Switching to a new car, how long does it take you to discover the setups that you think are going to work? Some people mentioned it's a lot like it was eight to 10 years ago. Are you finding any numbers that you have useful to this year?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: We never stop learning. Something's always evolving and changing. Just when you think whatever mindset has become extinct, whatever setup is never going to be in a racecar again, a guy finds a way to make it work once again. We see this happen all the time.
This car is introducing some very old school thought, tools to be used on the racecar. So nothing's really ever gone. It always seems to find its way back into the sport. We'll learn all year and even past that.
KERRY THARP: Jimmie Johnson, Rick Hendrick, Chad Knaus, congratulations on putting on a great show here during Speedweeks, culminating with today's victory in the 55th winning of the Daytona 500. Certainly a championship effort. We wish you the best of luck the rest of the accept. Thank you.