Well, anybody that's known me very long knows that I don't really look for credit, and it really doesn't matter to me if I get it. I'd almost rather not have it. I've been around for a while, slow race cars and not smart people and all that stuff don't win races. So it is about the organization, it's about the stuff that they give you, the engines TRE builds, the job Jason does not only with making the cars fast and adjustments, calling the races but also with his leadership, and getting the guys organized and cars prepared to win races.
I'm just the lucky guy sitting in the seat. Of course I'm going to give it everything I've got every race no matter where I'm running, but if he wouldn't have put it out front and made all the adjustments and done that, I wouldn't have been in position to win the race.
Q:
When Toyota was at the height of its engine issues last week or it seemed like there was so much concern in the Toyota camp about the reliability and there had been the problems at Daytona, were you like, man, why did I make this decision to jump? Did it cause you any worry at all?
Matt Kenseth:
No, not really, honestly. Leaving
Daytona I was probably one of the only people -- I was probably the most enthused person in the organization leaving
Daytona I would have to guess. Everything that was in our control we did a good job at. I think we called the race great, had great pit stops, did everything right, we were leading the race, dominated the middle part of the race, had both our teammates second and third behind us. From my standpoint it couldn't have been any better except to finish. When you're trying hard, you're always trying to make the most power to make your car handle the best you can and do all that kind of stuff, every once in a while you're going to have something happen. And I didn't mess it up. We were leading, and I would have been more disappointed leading
Daytona if I were leading the last lap and finished eighth.
I felt good about it. I felt that we did everything we could do, and that was supposed to be kind of funny. If someone wants to laugh that would be okay. But no, I felt okay about it. The stuff runs really, really good, and I knew obviously they knew there was a problem there and they were going to work on it and fix it.
Q:
In 14 years of watching you in Cup I don't think I've ever seen you that emotional in the last 20 laps and after the race. You were literally screaming out there toward the end of the race. Is it just a factor of this being a new situation, how much it's meant to you, how much pressure you've put on yourself that you're known as being so calm and cool, and to see you that emotional was kind of different for a lot of us?
Matt Kenseth:
Well, I mean, there was a lot of reasons for that. You know, I was pretty comfortable where I was at. We had cars that could win races. We had an organization that could win races. Pretty comfortable, and this was -- although I knew, and I still know it's not really that much of a risk and I'm 100 per cent sure it was the right thing and all that, but still, there's some pressure, there's some unknowns. I hope to have a lot of wins and hopefully championships in front of me still.
I mean, to come over there and get in that car, I know they're expecting me to perform and do my job. Before this year I can't remember the last time I've ever been nervous at all inside of a race car, and every week it gets a little bit better. But you're always a little bit nervous and you want to meet their expectations or exceed them, and you want to go do your job to the best of your ability.
I'm pretty fired up to win with these guys. Like I said, I hope there's a lot more in front of us, but just really excited to be part of the organization and part of the family. They've made me feel so welcome there, and part of that group, and just glad that I was able to do my job today and get the win and hopefully we can keep moving forward.
Q:
Matt, you always race hard and you always go fast, but today just looked visibly fast, just watching the cars. Other guys have talked about how crazy the pace was, sliding sideways. What was it like out there today?
Matt Kenseth: