Sunday, June 10, 2012
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Countdown to Green
Adam Alexander (host), Larry McReynolds (analyst) and Kyle Petty (analyst)
NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson on qualifying this weekend and what it will take to win at Pocono: “Qualifying didn’t go as we would’ve liked. It’s about being smart and really getting track position early. I have a strong feeling that today will come down to strategy at the end.”
Johnson on the lack of pressure this season compared to last season trying to keep his five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winning streak alive: “The pressure to keep that streak alive was far greater than I gave it credit for.”
McReynolds on who he thinks may do well in the coming weeks: “I think Kasey Kahne makes the Chase by getting into the top 10 in points.”
Petty on who could make the Chase and who is the favorite: “I don’t think you can pick anybody out of this top 20 and say they’re a favorite, they’re a contender. With two races to go last year, Tony Stewart said, ‘We don’t deserve to be in the Chase.’ They made the Chase and won the championship.”
Dallenbach on the next six races: “You have to look at how these guys do in the next six races to see who is still standing. Consistency is going to be very, very important this year. There’s no clear favorite.”
McReynolds on Kurt Busch managing his emotions in order to secure sponsorship next season: “These next few weeks are very critical about who’s going to be where in 2013.”
From this week’s “NASCAR Generations” discussion:
TNT analyst Kyle Petty on his first race car and race: “My first race car was a Dodge Magnum. The thing was like a boat. My first race start in any race car on any race track ever…was Daytona.”
Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson on his first car and race: “I grew up on motorcycles, so all my early years were on two wheels. The first four-wheel vehicle I raced was a division in the Mickey Thompson Stadium series called a Superlite. You might remember the old Honda Odysseys? It was a version of that.”
NASCAR legend Bill Elliott on his first car: “I had an old ’57 Ford that I bought for $25 and I messed around on the dirt roads out back with it for a while.”
NASCAR legend Ned Jarrett on his first car that he raced in 1951: “I had an expensive race car, the first one I got. It cost $200. It was a 1939 Ford Coupe.”
Petty on his Father, Richard Petty, and his love of winning: “The King always used to say when I walk through my house there’s a lot of memories in the trophies. I don’t know where the money went. It wasn’t about the money. It was about the trophies.”
NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin on his friend PGA TOUR golfer and Masters champion Bubba Watson winning this year’s Masters: “It was awesome. We’re excited for Bubba’s success this year.”
Hamlin on one of the keys to success at Pocono: “We think it [pit stops] could be the ‘x’ factor.”
TNT pit reporter Matt Yocum on Sunday’s race and who might be the favorite: “[Kevin Harvick’s] car has been a rocket. This new pavement [on Pocono Raceway] has reshuffled the deck for everyone.”
NASCAR driver Joey Logano on the keys to the race at Pocono: “Strategy is going to be the key. I’m sure restarts are going to be as crazy as they’ve ever been.”
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TNT NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing: Pocono 400
Adam Alexander (host), Wally Dallenbach (analyst), Kyle Petty (analyst), pit reporters Chris Neville, Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider, Matt Yocum
Dallenbach on what to expect at Pocono: “A lot of this is unknown [because of the new pavement]. You win or lose the race today in pit lane. A lot of the action is going to happen in pit lane today.”
Petty on what to expect at Pocono: “A lot of passing is going to be done on pit road today.”
Petty on the final five laps: “If Joey [Logano] is going to get this one, he’s going to have to get it from a master [Mark Martin].”
Petty on Joey Logano with four laps to go: “No matter what Joey does in this race, he comes out a better race car driver for having raced Mark Martin like this.”
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TNT NASCAR Summer Series – Post-race remarks
TNT’s Marty Snider interviewed the winner of the Pocono 400 – Joey Logano
Logano: “I knew my car was better than his [Mark Martin]. It was awesome to finally get to victory lane in the right way.
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Logano on critics’ claims he should not be driving in the Sprint Cup Series and what it means to win: “I hope this shuts them up. It [the win] means a lot.”
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