NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Air Guard 400

Topics:  Air Guard 400

Greg Biffle
Carl Edwards
Tony Stewart
September 11, 2010

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

KERRY THARP: We have Tony Stewart, driver of the number 14 Old Spice Office Depot Chevrolet, and Greg Biffle, driver of the number 16 3M Ford. Tony, talk about your ability to make the Chase again and what you'll have to do to win your third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
TONY STEWART: I wish I knew what we had to do. I wish it was that easy. It's tough. We've got I think the most competitive Chase field that we have ever had.
You hate to sound like an idiot by saying you've just got to be better than the other 11 guys, but that's what it's going to come down to. I think that you have to it capitalize on the tracks you're good at, and you're still going to have to -- you're not going to be able to have bad races, I don't think. I don't think there's going to be -- you're not going to be able to get a mulligan. You're not going to be able to have a bad day. You're going to have to be good for ten straight weeks. You don't have that flexibility with this field to have an off-night.
KERRY THARP: Thank you. Greg Biffle, your thoughts about your prospects for winning the Chase.
GREG BIFFLE: I feel good about our chances for the championship this year. We have been running good the last nine weeks in our points margin, but not the last couple of weeks. We are feeling good as a company and like Tony said, you are going to have to capitalize at the places you're good at and try and survive the other ones. We have probably seven or eight good racetracks in the Chase for us. We have a few that we will have to keep our head above water on.

Q. In the past, two Chases have been more or less won by consistency and four have been won by multiple victories; if you had to pick, which do you think will do it this time?
TONY STEWART: I think consistency. You could go out and win four or five races, and have one bad day and lose the championship.
With the fact that you can get 43rd place points, that can kill you better than the wins can help you. All it takes is one bad day, and you've lot your opportunity to go to Vegas.
So you know, I mean, it's that simple. Until they give the 12 Chase drivers their own points structure, that's the reality you have to face. If you have that one bad day, it's going to eliminate you out of that possibility.

Q. At the start of the season, it seemed like it was Jimmie's Chase or championship to lose for this year. Looking at the way that things stand now, do you think that the way that the playing field seems to have equalled out, does that give you more confidence that it's actually your championship to win and not necessarily his to lose this year?
TONY STEWART: Who you asking?

Q. All three of you.
CARL EDWARDS: They nominated me to answer that question. Thank you, Tony.
KERRY THARP: Go ahead, Carl. Carl Edwards has joined us.
CARL EDWARDS: I feel like Jimmie has had an unbelievable ability to perform in the Chase and win championships, but I think all of these guys, everyone would agree that it's anyone's race more than ever this year. It looks like advantages are smaller and they last a shorter period of time.
So over these ten races, it's just going to be -- I think it's anybody's tonight. To me it feels like that's truer than ever. But I wouldn't be surprised if Jimmie comes out here and goes off and wins the first three or something and proves us wrong, but I don't believe he'll do that.
KERRY THARP: Carl Edwards has joined us, he is the ninth seeds and drivers the number 99 Aflac Roush Fenway Ford.

Q. Greg could you talk about what went wrong tonight and how you don't get frustrated with what happened tonight going into the final ten races?
GREG BIFFLE: When we drive out of the driveway, we start thinking about Loudon and not what happened tonight. So that's how you do that.
Let's see, what happened tonight, I was pulling off pit road and my helmet was filled with smoke and something was on fire, so I shut my helmet blower off and proceeded to try and get some air inside the car. About halfway through the race, they said, what's the temperature and I said, it's 165. Then we realized there was a hole up underneath the front of the nose of the car that kind of had some debris at some point that knocked a hole in it. The car was tight and we kept freeing it up and we were sliding the nose and not giving it any gas. We took the wave around and when I was coming around to the back of the field, the right front tire was flat so I had to pit when we were coming to the green and then we got penalized because you can't -- you can't take the wave around and pit before you take the green on the track, so we got penalized for that.
Other than that, nothing else happened. Pretty straight-up night after that. (Laughter).

Q. I have one that you're going to love, Tony. You mentioned earlier that until the Chase drivers have their own points system; is that something you're in favor of?
TONY STEWART: No, I said it just for the heck of it, just because I'm not smart enough to think of something else.

Q. Can you elaborate on that?
TONY STEWART: No. (Shaking head). (Laughter).

Q. Can you reflect on losing your grandfather?
TONY STEWART: Yeah, it sucks. Yeah. I mean, it's not a good deal. I mean, it's my last grandparent. One that I thought the world of. I mean, I don't know anybody -- I've never met somebody that ever liked losing a family member. So, yeah, it's not a good deal.
KERRY THARP: Okay, guys, congratulations and we look forward to watching you guys go for the Chase.