Happy Hour Quotes - Checker Auto Parts 500

DO YOU RACE DIFFERENTLY NOW BECAUSE OF THE CHASE POINTS STRUCTURE?

"We still have a shot at the championship with the current point structure. That's good to know that we'd be leading right now with the old one but that still doesn't really mean much. I've always said that the way you race are how the points are structured. Because of the Chase, there needs to be a little bit more of a change in the points system, but you're still not having to race that much different than you used to. I would like to see some restructuring - just some minor changes in the points system. But it doesn't upset me. We know what the conditions are and we have our mindset on that."

WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON'S PROGRESS, WE'VE SEEN THAT A LOT CAN HAPPEN WITH THREE RACES TO GO

"Yeah, if you get behind, that's what you're going to have to do. You're going to have to charge. You're going to have to win. They did that and they made gains. He wasn't really gaining on a lot of the guys because they were running in top fives until they all had problems. And all of a sudden, there was a huge. That team did their job and the rest of us didn't. That's what's really tightening this thing up. It should make it interesting all the way to the end."

ARE YOU PRETTY COOL WITH YOUR PREPARATION FOR THE FINAL THREE RACES?

"I feel really good - especially for these last three because we tested here and things are going well for us so far this weekend. We're testing at Homestead next week and Darlington has always been a great track for us. We ran well there earlier in the season and got caught up in a wreck. Hopefully things this time around will go better for us. I think they will. We have three great tracks coming. All you can do is your best and see where the other guys finish."

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH IN YOUR TEST AT HOMESTEAD?

"To go as fast as possible. We were decent there last year. It's just all about handling and getting the car to go through the corners. It's a fast race track. There are things we can experiment with now because there are a lot of teams that are doing a lot with big springs and sway bars and shocks and things. Some of them maybe have done a better job than we have. We're going to try some things and hopefully learn some things."

ON RICK HENDRICK MAKING A VISIT TO THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS FACILITY THIS WEEK

"It was an amazing experience. I just cannot believe the strength that he and that family have. Nobody expected them to come over there. They did that on their own. It was so amazing and inspiring that I can't even describe it. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. For Rick to get up there and say the things that he did to really just make everybody feel like family - which we already felt that - but just to take it to a another level, was really great. And then Linda got up there and then Lynn and Marshall said some words."

RICK ALWAYS SEEMS TO LOOK OUT FOR YOU GUYS AND NOT SO MUCH FOR HIMSELF

"Yeah, he's always so concerned with other people and that's what makes him such a great individual and family man. We look up to him in many ways."

DO YOU LIKE THE PHOENIX TRACK?

"We've had opportunities to have good enough cars to win here. We've actually been close. But we haven't been close enough times. We keep working at it and testing here and making gains and hope that this time around we'll get us one. We're going to start coming here twice. I'd like to get a win before that."

FROM A HANDLING PERSPECTIVE, HAVE YOU BEEN CHASING THE CAR A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN USUAL LATELY?

"Yeah, definitely in the race. In practice, we feel pretty good about it. And then they drop the green and the car takes off and everything is good and then boom - it just goes away. I don't know if it's the way I'm driving it or the way we're setting it up or what, but it is certainly not what we're looking for."

WHEN DID THIS START?

"Oh, I don't know. It happens every once in a while. It just does. Unfortunately, it's