NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks

Topics:  FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks

Kevin Harvick
Matt Kenseth
June 3, 2012

DOVER, DELAWARE

THE MODERATOR:  We are welcomed by Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Best Buy Ford, who finished third in today's FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks here at Dover International Speedway.
Talk about your run out there today, you're one point out of the points position, talk about your run here at Dover.
MATT KENSETH:  Yeah, our finish was really good.  Our end result, can't really complain about that.  We just kind of missed all day.  Good thing we qualified good yesterday.  Kept some track position.
So my car was really tough to pass with the setup that we had in it.  Just really struggled getting the balance we needed to run fast.  So got way off on time in the race and Jimmie did a good job of recognizing what we did and got the car back to where we could keep up with everybody except for the 24 and the 48.

Q.  Talk about restarts, you were a sitting duck down there today, is that different than normal or is that typical Dover?
MATT KENSETH:  Well, you're asking the wrong guy about restarts, although the same thing happened‑‑ not the last restart unfortunately because Jimmie actually spun his tires.  But everybody starting underneath him, it was tough to get going.  A couple cars would get by you every time.  I was able to get back by Junior in that last restart starting behind Jimmie.
It's always kind of like that.  It's not necessarily which lane you're in, it's just the leader dictates when you go and can't go until he does, and you know, they were really fast and he was really good at that and by the time he gets going you recognize that and try to get going, he's already pulling away from you.
It's tough.  It's easier to be a row back because you can kind of watch him when he gets rolling and you can roll toward him but when you're underneath him, it makes it difficult.  At least for me it does.

Q.  You and Greg leave here 1, 2 in the points, but with what Hendrick is doing, do you walk away feeling good about your position or feeling like you have some work to do at Roush?
MATT KENSETH:  Both.  I feel good about our position.  Obviously I mean early in the year, you wants to be as high as you can in the points, obviously if we make the Chase, they rack up by wins and so that's really what you look at right now.  But certainly we know we have got some work to do.  I don't think anyone could run with the 24 and 48 today.  They seemed to me, anyway, that they were just in a league of their own and we had some work to do.
 THE MODERATOR:  Now joining Matt is Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Jimmy John's Chevrolet who finished second and he currently sits seventh in points now.  So talk a little about your race today out there here at Dover.
KEVIN HARVICK:  Yeah, we had a solid race.  I made a mistake on pit road there and got us back to about 20th.  The car was good enough to be able to drive back through the pack, and for whatever reason, we were able to adjust our car well today when we needed to and we were able to keep up with the racetrack and keep our car better through the day.  And I think that was a big key to getting through the traffic and putting ourselves back in position to at least have a chance.

Q.  Goodyear brought some new tires here and you've been complaining about the track; what did you both by about the way the tires and track worked out with the rubber and the cautions?
KEVIN HARVICK:  For me I thought it worked out a lot better.  I didn't feel any of those patches or sliding around or getting in the corner.  Seemed like you could move your car around so it seemed like they definitely made an improvement.
MATT KENSETH:  Yeah, me, too, way better.  All that stuff used to build up an inch or inch and a half and couldn't really restart, and you didn't really get that rubber down, but it never stacked up very high, it didn't seem like.  I thought it was better, too.  Seemed like it widened the track a little bit.

Q.  Can you walk me through the one pit stop error; is that a situation where it's an odd angle coming into the kits in?
KEVIN HARVICK:  I was having trouble all day, the pit stay (ph) was on the corner and I was having trouble picking up my mark and I tried to get too much in between the timing lines there and just over‑shot the pit.  So just a bad mistake.  But I didn't do a very good job.
THE MODERATOR:  Thank you very much for your time.