GREG BIFFLE - No. 16 National Guard Ford - Race Winner
"This Ford Fusion race car is just so awesome. You know this is the same car I've won with for three years in a row. These fans down here in Miami , Florida at Homestead racetrack are something else also. I'm pretty excited to come down here...I love this place. I hope we put on a good show tonight for all the fans tonight. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on his first championship and hopefully we'll be in that position next year."
ON ADJUSTING THE CAR.
"We had to work quite a bit on it. Doug and Bobby, all the guys just did a great job. They kept up on the pit stops and the pit stops were great tonight. Really just a flawless night. I have to thank National Guard. We're really going to miss those guys, we love them and we appreciate what they do for our country. We're really thinking about them."
THE WIN AND MOMENTUM FOR NEXT YEAR.
"Yeah this really does a lot for us but no rest for us. We're going to test Las Vegas the 6-7th of December here and ready to get going on next year already." Press Conference
MARTIN TRUEX JR - No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet - Finished 2nd
"I don't know if a few more laps would have helped us or what. Our Bass Pro Chevy was awesome all night long. We got up there and led some laps and just had a lot of fun out there. These guys were working real, real hard all year long and lately we've been showing what we can do. It feels good going into next year we've got something to look forward to. I'm just real proud of the team sticking it out you know? It's been a tough year, up and down, and a perfect way to finish it off."
DENNY HAMLIN - No. 11 FedEx Express Chevrolet - Finished 3rd
2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Honors
"It definately was exciting. Martin (Truex Jr) got a great restart and got to the outside of us. My goal was to get around Kasey and if we could do that then we were going to get second in points. But Matt (Kenseth) moved up one spot so we were going to have to win anyway. So a third place finish was great for us and we're going to move on and hav a great 2007."
WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR AN ENCORE AFTER THIS WONDERFUL ROOKIE SEASON?
"Well, it's hard to say. I mean all we got to do is move our goals up. We finished third in points this year, next year it's second or better. I mean, you know? That's the bottom line. This race team expects to do well and it's been a great year for us."
KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger) - Finished 4th
"The late cautions really hurt us. Our car didn't take off that well on restarts, so the last caution cost us a couple of positions at the finish. Our No. 9 Dodge Charger was definitely a top-five car and was capable of taking the win. We had great pit stops and Kenny (Francis, team director) and the crew kept up with the changing track conditions. We just had a problem with restarts in traffic and needed a few laps under green to get going. It would have been nice to finish the season with a win, but we won the pole, led the most laps and had a top-five finish. It's been a great season for our team and Evernham Motorsports."
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 GM GOODWRENCH MONTE CARLO SS: Finished 5th
"There is no disappointment here. Everybody on this No. 29 team and at RCR has done a great job. We knew coming in to this race that unless the No. 48 team beat themselves, we were all kind of on the outside looking in. It was a good night for us, we struggled a little bit early, but Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys made great adjustments and we kept working our way toward the front. It really came around there at the end. We didn't need that last caution but all and all it was a great night for us.
"We were pretty tight early on but we got it going there at the end. We are just looking forward to 2007 and coming back and going after it again. I am so proud of my team and everybody at RCR for what we have accomplished this year."
MATT KENSETH - No. 17 DeWalt Fusion (Finished 6th)
"I'm pretty happy with the way we ran. We weren't great, but we weren't terrible, either. We were kind of in-between of what we were in the summer and what we've been lately. So I thought we made some gains on it and got it driving a little better, excellent pit stops and overall we had a pretty good day."
CAN YOU PUT THIS SEASON IN PERSPECTIVE?
"It's been a great season. You always want to win, but with everything that's going on in the chase, I'm happy to finish second to Jimmie. Them guys have been the guys to beat the last four years, really, for a championship - man, they've been unbelievably fast and consistent. Them guys really deserve it, and it's been a great year."
TWO TIRES SEEMED TO WORK WELL, AND THIS WAS ONE OF YOUR BETTER RUNS AT A MILE-AND-HALF TRACK RECENTLY.
"They bring us such hard tires now that you don't really need four tires all the time. I wish they were softer and we needed four all the time, I think the races would be a little bit better, but they were just so hard and track position was real important."
CAN YOU ASSESS JIMMIE JOHNSON'S SEASON?
"I think Jimmie's whole career - I don't remember a year or really a period in his career when it hasn't been great. Ever since him and Chad got together over there at Hendrick Motorsports, they've been a force, they've been the guys to beat, really. When you try to set your standards to the season you try to look at them and you realize that they're going to be one of the favorites. There are a lot of great teams that can do it, but you always realize that they're going to be right there."
ON FINISHING SECOND IN THE STANDINGS.
"You always want to finish as high as you can finish. There's a lot of prize money in there that goes into al these guys' bonuses, which helps these guys. You want to be as high as you can - you're the secpnd-best."
DO YOU WISH YOU HAD A CAR LIKE THIS FOR SOME OF THE OTHER CHASE RACES?
"Yeah, this has been our best car, but we weren't a threat to win, by any means, but we were top-10 most of the day and kind of hung out there. So, we still have some work to do, but yet it was still a pretty good run for us, a pretty good effort. We know we have some work to do here."
ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED IN FINIHSING SECOND IN THE STANDINGS, OR HAPPY BECAUSE YOU RAN PRETTY WELL TODAY?
"I'm pretty happy. I'm pretty satisfied with the way's it's turned out. We haven't run in the Chase good enough to win the championship, and we could've still won it coming into the last race if he would've had some trouble, so to keep in contention with some of the cars we had and some of the runs we've had, these guys have done an excellent job. We finished all the laps, I think, in the chase, we haven't had any mechanical problems or anything like that. They did a great job of preparing the stuff, great job on pit road and I'm pretty happy with the way it all ended up."
DID YOU AND JIMMIE GET A CHANCE TO TALK AT ALL? "A little bit."
WHAT WAS SAID? "Not much, really. Just normal stuff - talked about what we're doing in the off-season, stuff like that."
WHO MADE THE DECISION ON TIRES?
"Robbie did, but I think that's what we had to do the last pit stop. Some people got in front of us from some pit strategy and cautions falling, so we got two and then we had to get two again at the end. If we would've gotten four, we would've gotten buried too far back there, so we just had to get two and try to ride it out."
WERE YOU TOLD WHERE JOHNSON WAS, AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN HE SOME DAMAGE EARLIER?
"I didn't know anything happened to him. I never really worried about where he was. Obviously, if there would've been a big problem I would've known, but I never really worried about where he was because we weren't close enough in points to worry about it. But if he would've had a major problem, it would've been different."
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT HE GOT BACK TO YOUR BACK BUMPER?
"They've been solid all year, man, they've been able to run in the top two or three all year long, so they really do deserve it and they did great job this year."
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR RACE?
"It was better than what we had. It wasn't as good as days we've had earlier this year. We weren't really a contender to win, but we were a good, solid top-10 car. We had top-notch pit stops today and that kept us in contention. So, overall it was a pretty good day for us."
WAS THIS THE MOST TRYING SEASON YOU'VE EVER HAD?
"Oh, no. This is probably one of the best seasons I've ever had. We've had unbelievably competitive cars all year, we've had great pit stops, we won four races, we probably could've won eight or nine of them if everything would've fell into place and went right. They give you stuff and put you into contention to win and that's all you can ask for. We did that more times than we didn't do it this year, so it's been a great year."
WHAT ABOUT TO "DOOM AND GLOOM" TALK?
"If you look at how we were in the middle of the year - if you look at all the problems that people had in the chase and we didn't have any, we would've come into the chase and ran like we ran in August, we would've been 200 points ahead last week. So that was kind of dragging me down, but once we got to this week there wasn't much we could do about it but go do the best we could and see how it turned out and that's what we did. Now it's over, so we'll go on to next year."
ROBBIE REISER - crew chief, No. 17 DeWalt Fusion
"You hate to run second but it was a heck of a season for all these guys. Great job by the 17 bunch. Couldn't ask for it to be any better - other than one more spot. It kind of comes down to the last four races. We just didn't perform. It's all my fault, it had nothing to do with the driver and this crew. I didn't have the cars where they needed to be and we paid the price."
WITH THE WAY MATT RAN TONIGHT, DOES IT TAKE SOME OF THE STING OUT THE LAST MONTH?
"Yeah, it sure wouldn't have been no good if we would've run 25th tonight. Running in the top-five all night long shows we can get the job done. We'll be back next year."
SCOTT RIGGS (No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger) - Finished 7th
"It was a pretty good run. It wasn't a good enough finish. I'm glad we've got some time to recharge our batteries and start all over with the points and all, but at the same time I want to keep going because it seems like we're getting better and better as a team and running better every week and communicating better and making our cars better. I hope we can look back and reflect on all this and be a better prepared team for next year.
"It was a successful year considering where I came from the last two years. For a typical Evernham team, I think we were average. We weren't really acceptable to be an Evernham team and have all the resources we've got, but to be a new group of guys I think we were OK with it.
"We came from 13th to seventh at the end. We took four tires and everybody else took two. It was a crapshoot. I think if it had gone green we would have been a lot better off. It was OK for us. I think we would have finished between fourth and sixth and we ended up seventh, so that was OK."
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 9th
2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Chamnpion
YOU SAID YOU'D TRADE ALL YOUR WINS FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO NOW:
"It's such a long day to get here. There were times when we were down and out and in the back and had to come back through. It's going to take a little bit to sink in but just to think of what this team's accomplished. It's everything I've ever wanted to be. It's been a long time since I've won a championship. This means the world to me. I can't thank Lowe's, Hendrick Motorsports and the entire No. 48 race team. And there's somebody very special behind me and that's my wife (Chandra). They say behind every good man is a good woman and you have no idea how good she is. I've worn her out the past few weeks with my emotions and stress. I love her. And I thank her (plus) my family and friends and everybody who has supported me through the years. This is just the most amazing day of my life."
WHEN THE CHASE STARTED, THINGS DIDN'T GO WELL. AND THEN THINGS TURNED AROUND. WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT THREW THAT SWITCH TO KNOWING YOU COULD STILL DO THIS?
"I think we knew in our hearts we could do this. We just had some bad luck in the beginning and that's what let us get the momentum and sleep at night because we knew this team was capable of winning a championship. We just needed some luck. Some guys had some back luck and that allowed us to get back into it too. When I think back to the Chase and Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth and a lot of the guys in the Chase and they've taught me a lot this year. I have a ton of respect for all those guys. Tony Stewart was a big help to me this weekend and last weekend. Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Brian Vickers and I just can't thank enough people for today. This is amazing."
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE THAT ALLOWED THIS CHAMPIONSHIP TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR?
"I think we all just matured as a race team. I have to put a lot of credit in Chad Knaus' hands. At the beginning of the season when he was suspended for those four races; we had a plan in place how we were going to do things different and that sped things up. He did a phenomenal job putting this deal together. This has been his baby since day one."
WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE THESE PAST FEW WEEKS?
"It's been hell (laughs). There's just no way around it. It's been hell. I knew we had a good team. I knew we'd be able to do things right. But you just can't control the outside variables. Today I was around three or four wrecks and had a piece of debris go through the front of the race car, which we had to fix on pit road. There was just a lot of crazy stuff going on and luckily we missed all those problems."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE INSIDE THE RACE CAR? WAS IT NERVE-WRACKING?
"Once I fired the car off, I was in my element and in my place to be. And things really mellowed out for me. My mind really paid mind games on me in the hours leading up to the race. So I had to stay busy during the week, which was helpful. And then on the weekends, I couldn't get away. I couldn't hide, you know? I was around it and like I said, I wore my wife out."
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU'RE A CHAMPION
'Oh thank you. Gosh I love that."
CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS = CHAMPION
"These guys (the team) are just awesome. We had to battle back from a lot of weird stuff this year. They did what this team is all about. It took us a little bit of time. There's never been a team, I don't think, that's had to come into the Nextel Cup Series with as much pressure as this team has had on it. When we showed up here in 2002, we had Jeff Gordon's championship winning race cars. So Jimmie and the team and I all had to step up and go out there and do what Jeff Gordon did. For us to come out of the box and finally to come back and win the championship in 2006 is just an incredible feat. Rick Hendrick is by far and away the best car owner out there. He's got the best demeanor and leadership and everything you'd ever ask for. We've got the best stuff at Hendrick Motorsports - chassis, bodies, engines - the guys who assemble these 24/48 cars are just incredible. This is a childhood dream. I'm very fortunate."
DID YOU HAVE DIFFICULT MOMENTS DURING THE DAY AS YOU SAT ON THE PIT BOX?
"Yeah, I really didn't want to have to do that two-tire bit there at the end. I didn't like that at all. I'm not a big two-tire fan anymore with these tires. You just don't know what the car is going to do. And people started doing it and we knew that we were going to have to go through that bit. But the car was handling well. We had a top 10 car all day long. We ended up 9th. I think it's a great way to end the season. To come home 9th, that's 24 top-10's for the year and that's a pretty phenomenal season for these guys."
DAVID STREMME (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge Charger) - Finished 11th
"We took two tires on the last stop and it might have hurt us a little bit on some of the restarts, but everybody did a good job. This is a brand new car and it was a pretty good way to end the year. I wish we could have got a top 10, but we fell just a little bit short. I'm real proud of my guys. When we started the weekend out we said this is the beginning of our year. We showed pretty good. This team has come around a whole lot. I'm really proud of all the guys."
JOE NEMECHEK, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET - Finished 13th
You qualified 13th, finished 13th and will drive the No. 13 Chevrolet for MB2 next year. What do you make of the 13s?
"I'm not sure what to make of all those 13s," said Nemechek. "I'm not superstitious, but maybe I should be. All I know is that we had a pretty good run today in the 01 Army Chevy and I am happy that we gave our soldiers a good showing in the final race of the year."
ON THIS BEING HIS LAST RIDE IN THE ARMY-SPONSORED CHEVY?
"It's been an honor to represent the Army," said Nemechek, who took over the Army ride with four races remaining in 2003. "It's not like I'm going away. I'm still going to be around and help our soldiers as much as I can. The soldiers are the ones who give us the freedom to come here and race. They are my heroes and always will be. And everybody needs to make sure they go out of their way to tell our men and women in uniform thank you."
You've had seven straight top 20s with an average finish of 15th during this period. It's been a good turnaround.
"The past few months we've gotten a lot closer and that's a good thing for all of our teams at MB2 next year," said Nemechek. "We really learned a lot. It's just disappointing that we got so far behind and had to play catch-up for most of the season."
JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS MONTE CARLO SS: Finished 14th
"We kind of struggled, we got to a portion of the race where we needed to be. We got to be a fifth place car, then, we had trouble on pit road. Came in running sixth or seventh and then went out where ever we did, it really didn't matter, we lost our track position there. The pit crew is working hard, putting a lot of effort out. It is a shame that they had that one bad stop as the last stop of the year. But they will use that as motivation, and we will get our cars even better.
"Certainly we made some gains obviously, but we still have a lot of room to grow. That is what our focus is one, how to grow and how to be better. We still need a little bit of speed, no question. We are working really hard on that. I have a tremendous amount of confidence on everybody at RCR and I feel good about it.
"I hate to get down with this year and already be on next year but that is the business we are in and that is what we have to do.
"I feel good about our opportunity to be able to do that and we will keep diggin. We haven't contended for wins and championships the last four years like I had gotten accustomed to, there were lots of people who lost faith and confidence in me but Richard Childress, Cingular and the guys on this race team even when we didn't run well, they never gave up on me. That means a lot to me. In many ways all that helped get me back to the way I am used to being and hopefully we can make that pay off next year.
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"This Ford Fusion race car is just so awesome. You know this is the same car I've won with for three years in a row. These fans down here in Miami , Florida at Homestead racetrack are something else also. I'm pretty excited to come down here...I love this place. I hope we put on a good show tonight for all the fans tonight. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on his first championship and hopefully we'll be in that position next year."
ON ADJUSTING THE CAR.
"We had to work quite a bit on it. Doug and Bobby, all the guys just did a great job. They kept up on the pit stops and the pit stops were great tonight. Really just a flawless night. I have to thank National Guard. We're really going to miss those guys, we love them and we appreciate what they do for our country. We're really thinking about them."
THE WIN AND MOMENTUM FOR NEXT YEAR.
"Yeah this really does a lot for us but no rest for us. We're going to test Las Vegas the 6-7th of December here and ready to get going on next year already." Press Conference
MARTIN TRUEX JR - No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet - Finished 2nd
"I don't know if a few more laps would have helped us or what. Our Bass Pro Chevy was awesome all night long. We got up there and led some laps and just had a lot of fun out there. These guys were working real, real hard all year long and lately we've been showing what we can do. It feels good going into next year we've got something to look forward to. I'm just real proud of the team sticking it out you know? It's been a tough year, up and down, and a perfect way to finish it off."
DENNY HAMLIN - No. 11 FedEx Express Chevrolet - Finished 3rd
2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Honors
"It definately was exciting. Martin (Truex Jr) got a great restart and got to the outside of us. My goal was to get around Kasey and if we could do that then we were going to get second in points. But Matt (Kenseth) moved up one spot so we were going to have to win anyway. So a third place finish was great for us and we're going to move on and hav a great 2007."
WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR AN ENCORE AFTER THIS WONDERFUL ROOKIE SEASON?
"Well, it's hard to say. I mean all we got to do is move our goals up. We finished third in points this year, next year it's second or better. I mean, you know? That's the bottom line. This race team expects to do well and it's been a great year for us."
KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger) - Finished 4th
"The late cautions really hurt us. Our car didn't take off that well on restarts, so the last caution cost us a couple of positions at the finish. Our No. 9 Dodge Charger was definitely a top-five car and was capable of taking the win. We had great pit stops and Kenny (Francis, team director) and the crew kept up with the changing track conditions. We just had a problem with restarts in traffic and needed a few laps under green to get going. It would have been nice to finish the season with a win, but we won the pole, led the most laps and had a top-five finish. It's been a great season for our team and Evernham Motorsports."
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 GM GOODWRENCH MONTE CARLO SS: Finished 5th
"There is no disappointment here. Everybody on this No. 29 team and at RCR has done a great job. We knew coming in to this race that unless the No. 48 team beat themselves, we were all kind of on the outside looking in. It was a good night for us, we struggled a little bit early, but Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys made great adjustments and we kept working our way toward the front. It really came around there at the end. We didn't need that last caution but all and all it was a great night for us.
"We were pretty tight early on but we got it going there at the end. We are just looking forward to 2007 and coming back and going after it again. I am so proud of my team and everybody at RCR for what we have accomplished this year."
MATT KENSETH - No. 17 DeWalt Fusion (Finished 6th)
"I'm pretty happy with the way we ran. We weren't great, but we weren't terrible, either. We were kind of in-between of what we were in the summer and what we've been lately. So I thought we made some gains on it and got it driving a little better, excellent pit stops and overall we had a pretty good day."
CAN YOU PUT THIS SEASON IN PERSPECTIVE?
"It's been a great season. You always want to win, but with everything that's going on in the chase, I'm happy to finish second to Jimmie. Them guys have been the guys to beat the last four years, really, for a championship - man, they've been unbelievably fast and consistent. Them guys really deserve it, and it's been a great year."
TWO TIRES SEEMED TO WORK WELL, AND THIS WAS ONE OF YOUR BETTER RUNS AT A MILE-AND-HALF TRACK RECENTLY.
"They bring us such hard tires now that you don't really need four tires all the time. I wish they were softer and we needed four all the time, I think the races would be a little bit better, but they were just so hard and track position was real important."
CAN YOU ASSESS JIMMIE JOHNSON'S SEASON?
"I think Jimmie's whole career - I don't remember a year or really a period in his career when it hasn't been great. Ever since him and Chad got together over there at Hendrick Motorsports, they've been a force, they've been the guys to beat, really. When you try to set your standards to the season you try to look at them and you realize that they're going to be one of the favorites. There are a lot of great teams that can do it, but you always realize that they're going to be right there."
ON FINISHING SECOND IN THE STANDINGS.
"You always want to finish as high as you can finish. There's a lot of prize money in there that goes into al these guys' bonuses, which helps these guys. You want to be as high as you can - you're the secpnd-best."
DO YOU WISH YOU HAD A CAR LIKE THIS FOR SOME OF THE OTHER CHASE RACES?
"Yeah, this has been our best car, but we weren't a threat to win, by any means, but we were top-10 most of the day and kind of hung out there. So, we still have some work to do, but yet it was still a pretty good run for us, a pretty good effort. We know we have some work to do here."
ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED IN FINIHSING SECOND IN THE STANDINGS, OR HAPPY BECAUSE YOU RAN PRETTY WELL TODAY?
"I'm pretty happy. I'm pretty satisfied with the way's it's turned out. We haven't run in the Chase good enough to win the championship, and we could've still won it coming into the last race if he would've had some trouble, so to keep in contention with some of the cars we had and some of the runs we've had, these guys have done an excellent job. We finished all the laps, I think, in the chase, we haven't had any mechanical problems or anything like that. They did a great job of preparing the stuff, great job on pit road and I'm pretty happy with the way it all ended up."
DID YOU AND JIMMIE GET A CHANCE TO TALK AT ALL? "A little bit."
WHAT WAS SAID? "Not much, really. Just normal stuff - talked about what we're doing in the off-season, stuff like that."
WHO MADE THE DECISION ON TIRES?
"Robbie did, but I think that's what we had to do the last pit stop. Some people got in front of us from some pit strategy and cautions falling, so we got two and then we had to get two again at the end. If we would've gotten four, we would've gotten buried too far back there, so we just had to get two and try to ride it out."
WERE YOU TOLD WHERE JOHNSON WAS, AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN HE SOME DAMAGE EARLIER?
"I didn't know anything happened to him. I never really worried about where he was. Obviously, if there would've been a big problem I would've known, but I never really worried about where he was because we weren't close enough in points to worry about it. But if he would've had a major problem, it would've been different."
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT HE GOT BACK TO YOUR BACK BUMPER?
"They've been solid all year, man, they've been able to run in the top two or three all year long, so they really do deserve it and they did great job this year."
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR RACE?
"It was better than what we had. It wasn't as good as days we've had earlier this year. We weren't really a contender to win, but we were a good, solid top-10 car. We had top-notch pit stops today and that kept us in contention. So, overall it was a pretty good day for us."
WAS THIS THE MOST TRYING SEASON YOU'VE EVER HAD?
"Oh, no. This is probably one of the best seasons I've ever had. We've had unbelievably competitive cars all year, we've had great pit stops, we won four races, we probably could've won eight or nine of them if everything would've fell into place and went right. They give you stuff and put you into contention to win and that's all you can ask for. We did that more times than we didn't do it this year, so it's been a great year."
WHAT ABOUT TO "DOOM AND GLOOM" TALK?
"If you look at how we were in the middle of the year - if you look at all the problems that people had in the chase and we didn't have any, we would've come into the chase and ran like we ran in August, we would've been 200 points ahead last week. So that was kind of dragging me down, but once we got to this week there wasn't much we could do about it but go do the best we could and see how it turned out and that's what we did. Now it's over, so we'll go on to next year."
ROBBIE REISER - crew chief, No. 17 DeWalt Fusion
"You hate to run second but it was a heck of a season for all these guys. Great job by the 17 bunch. Couldn't ask for it to be any better - other than one more spot. It kind of comes down to the last four races. We just didn't perform. It's all my fault, it had nothing to do with the driver and this crew. I didn't have the cars where they needed to be and we paid the price."
WITH THE WAY MATT RAN TONIGHT, DOES IT TAKE SOME OF THE STING OUT THE LAST MONTH?
"Yeah, it sure wouldn't have been no good if we would've run 25th tonight. Running in the top-five all night long shows we can get the job done. We'll be back next year."
SCOTT RIGGS (No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger) - Finished 7th
"It was a pretty good run. It wasn't a good enough finish. I'm glad we've got some time to recharge our batteries and start all over with the points and all, but at the same time I want to keep going because it seems like we're getting better and better as a team and running better every week and communicating better and making our cars better. I hope we can look back and reflect on all this and be a better prepared team for next year.
"It was a successful year considering where I came from the last two years. For a typical Evernham team, I think we were average. We weren't really acceptable to be an Evernham team and have all the resources we've got, but to be a new group of guys I think we were OK with it.
"We came from 13th to seventh at the end. We took four tires and everybody else took two. It was a crapshoot. I think if it had gone green we would have been a lot better off. It was OK for us. I think we would have finished between fourth and sixth and we ended up seventh, so that was OK."
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS - Finished 9th
2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Chamnpion
YOU SAID YOU'D TRADE ALL YOUR WINS FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO NOW:
"It's such a long day to get here. There were times when we were down and out and in the back and had to come back through. It's going to take a little bit to sink in but just to think of what this team's accomplished. It's everything I've ever wanted to be. It's been a long time since I've won a championship. This means the world to me. I can't thank Lowe's, Hendrick Motorsports and the entire No. 48 race team. And there's somebody very special behind me and that's my wife (Chandra). They say behind every good man is a good woman and you have no idea how good she is. I've worn her out the past few weeks with my emotions and stress. I love her. And I thank her (plus) my family and friends and everybody who has supported me through the years. This is just the most amazing day of my life."
WHEN THE CHASE STARTED, THINGS DIDN'T GO WELL. AND THEN THINGS TURNED AROUND. WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT THREW THAT SWITCH TO KNOWING YOU COULD STILL DO THIS?
"I think we knew in our hearts we could do this. We just had some bad luck in the beginning and that's what let us get the momentum and sleep at night because we knew this team was capable of winning a championship. We just needed some luck. Some guys had some back luck and that allowed us to get back into it too. When I think back to the Chase and Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth and a lot of the guys in the Chase and they've taught me a lot this year. I have a ton of respect for all those guys. Tony Stewart was a big help to me this weekend and last weekend. Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Brian Vickers and I just can't thank enough people for today. This is amazing."
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE THAT ALLOWED THIS CHAMPIONSHIP TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR?
"I think we all just matured as a race team. I have to put a lot of credit in Chad Knaus' hands. At the beginning of the season when he was suspended for those four races; we had a plan in place how we were going to do things different and that sped things up. He did a phenomenal job putting this deal together. This has been his baby since day one."
WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE THESE PAST FEW WEEKS?
"It's been hell (laughs). There's just no way around it. It's been hell. I knew we had a good team. I knew we'd be able to do things right. But you just can't control the outside variables. Today I was around three or four wrecks and had a piece of debris go through the front of the race car, which we had to fix on pit road. There was just a lot of crazy stuff going on and luckily we missed all those problems."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE INSIDE THE RACE CAR? WAS IT NERVE-WRACKING?
"Once I fired the car off, I was in my element and in my place to be. And things really mellowed out for me. My mind really paid mind games on me in the hours leading up to the race. So I had to stay busy during the week, which was helpful. And then on the weekends, I couldn't get away. I couldn't hide, you know? I was around it and like I said, I wore my wife out."
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU'RE A CHAMPION
'Oh thank you. Gosh I love that."
CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS = CHAMPION
"These guys (the team) are just awesome. We had to battle back from a lot of weird stuff this year. They did what this team is all about. It took us a little bit of time. There's never been a team, I don't think, that's had to come into the Nextel Cup Series with as much pressure as this team has had on it. When we showed up here in 2002, we had Jeff Gordon's championship winning race cars. So Jimmie and the team and I all had to step up and go out there and do what Jeff Gordon did. For us to come out of the box and finally to come back and win the championship in 2006 is just an incredible feat. Rick Hendrick is by far and away the best car owner out there. He's got the best demeanor and leadership and everything you'd ever ask for. We've got the best stuff at Hendrick Motorsports - chassis, bodies, engines - the guys who assemble these 24/48 cars are just incredible. This is a childhood dream. I'm very fortunate."
DID YOU HAVE DIFFICULT MOMENTS DURING THE DAY AS YOU SAT ON THE PIT BOX?
"Yeah, I really didn't want to have to do that two-tire bit there at the end. I didn't like that at all. I'm not a big two-tire fan anymore with these tires. You just don't know what the car is going to do. And people started doing it and we knew that we were going to have to go through that bit. But the car was handling well. We had a top 10 car all day long. We ended up 9th. I think it's a great way to end the season. To come home 9th, that's 24 top-10's for the year and that's a pretty phenomenal season for these guys."
DAVID STREMME (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge Charger) - Finished 11th
"We took two tires on the last stop and it might have hurt us a little bit on some of the restarts, but everybody did a good job. This is a brand new car and it was a pretty good way to end the year. I wish we could have got a top 10, but we fell just a little bit short. I'm real proud of my guys. When we started the weekend out we said this is the beginning of our year. We showed pretty good. This team has come around a whole lot. I'm really proud of all the guys."
JOE NEMECHEK, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET - Finished 13th
You qualified 13th, finished 13th and will drive the No. 13 Chevrolet for MB2 next year. What do you make of the 13s?
"I'm not sure what to make of all those 13s," said Nemechek. "I'm not superstitious, but maybe I should be. All I know is that we had a pretty good run today in the 01 Army Chevy and I am happy that we gave our soldiers a good showing in the final race of the year."
ON THIS BEING HIS LAST RIDE IN THE ARMY-SPONSORED CHEVY?
"It's been an honor to represent the Army," said Nemechek, who took over the Army ride with four races remaining in 2003. "It's not like I'm going away. I'm still going to be around and help our soldiers as much as I can. The soldiers are the ones who give us the freedom to come here and race. They are my heroes and always will be. And everybody needs to make sure they go out of their way to tell our men and women in uniform thank you."
You've had seven straight top 20s with an average finish of 15th during this period. It's been a good turnaround.
"The past few months we've gotten a lot closer and that's a good thing for all of our teams at MB2 next year," said Nemechek. "We really learned a lot. It's just disappointing that we got so far behind and had to play catch-up for most of the season."
JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS MONTE CARLO SS: Finished 14th
"We kind of struggled, we got to a portion of the race where we needed to be. We got to be a fifth place car, then, we had trouble on pit road. Came in running sixth or seventh and then went out where ever we did, it really didn't matter, we lost our track position there. The pit crew is working hard, putting a lot of effort out. It is a shame that they had that one bad stop as the last stop of the year. But they will use that as motivation, and we will get our cars even better.
"Certainly we made some gains obviously, but we still have a lot of room to grow. That is what our focus is one, how to grow and how to be better. We still need a little bit of speed, no question. We are working really hard on that. I have a tremendous amount of confidence on everybody at RCR and I feel good about it.
"I hate to get down with this year and already be on next year but that is the business we are in and that is what we have to do.
"I feel good about our opportunity to be able to do that and we will keep diggin. We haven't contended for wins and championships the last four years like I had gotten accustomed to, there were lots of people who lost faith and confidence in me but Richard Childress, Cingular and the guys on this race team even when we didn't run well, they never gave up on me. That means a lot to me. In many ways all that helped get me back to the way I am used to being and hopefully we can make that pay off next year.
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