CHAD KNAUS
"Absolutely. We have the depth in our organization that can carry this team at a high standard that is has held for the last four years. Jimmie is an incredible driver, he is more switched on now that he has been the last four years we have worked together. He is ready to go out there and win the championship.
“The depth that we have got in our team is incredible. We promote from within. We have got three guys that are on the road full time that started off as tire specialist and moved their way up to mechanics, road mechanics, lead mechanics and stuff like that. Ron Mellick has been with me for years. Jimmie is, as I have said many times, the best driver out there. I have complete confidence in Darian and all the guys on my team that they can go out there and win races and run well. I will be back here watching it on my couch listening to Track Pass.”
Q.
DO YOU THINK A TRACK LIKE CALIFORNIA OR VEGAS WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT THAN DAYTONA?
CHAD KNAUS
"Yes, absolutely. But it is more difficult for everyone there. More difficult for me when I am there. When you go to a track like, those kinds of race tracks where it is a lot of contributing factors - you have to have horsepower, you have to have aerodynamics, you have to have all those things. You have to have good pit stops, good pit strategy, good tire pressure, good everything. You have to have all that stuff lined up ready to go. It is going to be difficult, but it is difficult when I am there. It won't be any different I feel."
Q
ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOWED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE TEAM ON A REGULAR BASIS DURING YOUR SUSPENSION AS YOU WERE DURING DAYTONA?
CHAD KNAUS
"I don't really know what that means but the only communications I had with them during Daytona was when they were driving home from the race track. When Jimmie was going to where he was staying, we would talk on the cell phone after the garage closed and that was it. I called them one morning to make sure a couple of them were up and out of bed, they tend to oversleep a little bit. That was really the extent of it."
Q
THE REASON THIS WAS ASKED WAS BECAUSE JIMMIE SAID AT THE DRIVERS MEETING THAT YOU WERE ON A CONFERENCE CALL AND YOU WERE ABLE TO STAY IN CONTACT.
CHAD KNAUS
"The communication level we have is per NASCAR. What they allow us to do is what we are doing. We are following that protocol and we are not going to take it any further. We are not going to do anything that would jeopardize or push us into a further difficult position with NASCAR. I think Jimmie's talking about putting his cell phone on speaker, putting it on the counter and talking is his conference call. That is about what it was."
Q.
DID JIMMIE KNOW YOU WERE TRYING SOMETHING WITH THE CAR AND IF NOT, IS THERE ANY RISK OF HIM BEING SURPRISED BY SOMETHING THE CAR DOES WHEN HE GOES OUT TO MAKE A QUALIFYING RUN?
CHAD KNAUS
"Drivers don't know what going in these race cars, ever. Those guys are nuts. They are great guys. I love Jimmie to death and Jeff (Gordon) and every driver out there. I respect them for what they do, but to be quite honest for those guys to hop in those cars and go at the speed that they do have no idea what is in them, I think they are all insane. They have to go out there and react and do whatever. It doesn't matter whether you are at Martinsville or
Daytona. Jimmie isn't really in to or know about what is going on with the race cars. He shows up drives, gives his feedback to the team and goes home."
Q.
WITH YOUR REPUTATION OF BEING ONE OF THE MORE INNOVATIVE GUYS IN THE GARAGE WHICH IS COMPLIMENTARY BUT IS THAT NOW ALMOST BAGGAGE NOW THAT NASCAR IS WATCHING YOU MORE CLOSELY?
