NASCAR Cup Series
foxsports
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Talladega Preview |
(04/24/2009) |
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5:32 |
FOXSports.com: Good afternoon everybody. |
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5:32 |
FOXSports.com:
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5:35 |
FOXSports.com:
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5:57 |
Who will win this weekend? Jeff Gordon ( 28% ) Dale Earnhardt Jr. ( 31% ) Tony Stewart ( 13% ) Kasey Kahne ( 2% ) Carl Edwards ( 2% ) Somebody else ( 24% ) |
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5:57 |
Do you like restrictor plate racing? Yes ( 89% ) No ( 11% ) |
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6:01 |
Mike Joy: Good afternoon everybody. It's been a very interesting season so far with drivers like Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin breaking long streaks without winning races. Talladega always offers some surprises, so I can't wait for this weekend. |
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6:02 |
[Comment From Billy ] Who do you think will win this weekend? |
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6:02 |
Mike Joy: The great thing about Talladega is that you can't never pick a winner, not even on the tri-oval of the final lap - that was where Darrell Waltrip lost to Ron Bouchard in 1981 over the last 500 feet. |
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6:03 |
[Comment From chris] hey mike how do u think junebug willl do on sunday? |
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6:03 |
Mike Joy: If he doesn't win here, then where? Junior has always run well at Talladega, and the Hendrick cars are always among the cars to beat here. So really, it's up to him (and his pit crew) |
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6:04 |
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6:04 |
[Comment From Jacob] What do expect from Labonte now that he has a new crew chief? |
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6:05 |
Mike Joy: Hopefully, a car that finishes the race working and handling better than it starts the race. Todd Parrott is a great crew chief and a proven winner, but something about that combination did not click. Hopefully, the change is for the better. |
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6:05 |
[Comment From Brent] Approximately, what lap do you think The Big One will come out at? |
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6:06 |
Will we have the big one Sunday? Yes ( 95% ) No ( 5% ) |
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6:06 |
Mike Joy: Usually, we are able to get through a few pit stops before drivers get antsy. If you ask me to pick a number, I'll say Lap 140 because the later the race gets drivers whose cars are not the best will start taking more chances. |
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6:07 |
[Comment From Rob] do u think jeff gordon can win a championship this year? |
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6:07 |
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6:07 |
Mike Joy: Yes. I think not winning a race last year provided that team with a substantial wake up call and renewed focus. The early season results in 2009 pprove that they are racing much better than they did last year. |
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6:08 |
Mike Joy: Since we have a picture up, I want to tell you folks that Darrell loves Jeff Gordon's paint scheme this weekend and he likes the fact that sponsors haven't forgotten this sport's rich history. |
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6:08 |
[Comment From chuck] How fast would these cars go if they took the restictor plates off? |
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6:09 |
Mike Joy: Chuck, I would guess around 215 mph. This car is designed with more drag in the body, so it would not be as fast as the old car unrestricted - which would go around 230 + mph at Talladega. |
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6:10 |
[Comment From Jake] As Kyle Busch will be celebrating his 24th b-day next Sat. at Richmond and he already has 14 cup wins doesn't Kyle have a better chance of beating Pearsons 105 win record than Gordon? |
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6:11 |
Mike Joy: Jake, ask me again when Kyle has 82 wins under his belt. I do think Kyle is going to win a lot of races, I also think that he has a long way to go to catch Jeff Gordon. |
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6:11 |
[Comment From Seth] Do you think if Casey Mears didnt have the Mears name, would Casey have oppurtunities at Ganassi, Hendrick and now Richard Childress |
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6:12 |
Mike Joy: All your name does for you in this sport is open doors, then it's up to the driver to prove his worth. I think Casey has talent, and clearly his family has a winning history. Now it's up to him. |
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6:12 |
[Comment From Deb] Do you get the sense that now that Roger and Kurt have Penske Championship Racing straightened out that Kurt 2009 is looking more and more like a Kurt Cup year? |
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6:13 |
Mike Joy: I think the No. 2 team is going to win more races, but I just don't see the week in and week out competitiveness that makes the team a front line championship contender. But they are on their way towards the top. |
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6:13 |
Will Kurt Busch win another Cup championship? Yes ( 29% ) No ( 71% ) |
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6:14 |
[Comment From Keaton] Do you think Mark Martin will make the chase??? |
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6:14 |
Mike Joy: I think there's a good chance. The bigger question is: If Mark makes it, who doesn't? The fight for positions 9-12 from now until Richmond in September is going to be very competitive. |
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6:15 |
[Comment From Bob Abair] whats is wrong with the # 17 team? It looks like they are in a freefall. |
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6:16 |
Mike Joy: Ford formerly had an edge on the 1.5-mile tracks and were competitive everywhere. This year, it seems that the Ford cars in general have not advanced as much as Chevrolet or Toyota. So in other words, I don't think it's just Matt's team. |
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6:16 |
[Comment From Jeffs BIGGEST FAN!!!] Of the 4 Hendrick cars, who has the better chance to win on Sunday? |
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6:17 |
Which Hendrick driver has the best chance to win on Sunday. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ( 32% ) Jeff Gordon ( 40% ) Jimmie Johnson ( 11% ) Mark Martin ( 17% ) |
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6:17 |
Mike Joy: Looking at the poll results below, I'll have to say Dale Jr. But not because he's better than the other Hendrick drivers. There are certain drivers for whom other racers will want to draft with and give a little extra room, and at Talladega Dale Jr. is one of those elite few. |
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6:18 |
[Comment From Mike] Wouldn't it be cool if one race out of the year could be dedicated to retro cars of the 70's or 80's? Maybe a non-points race/charity event on a Saturday night prior to the Sunday race. |
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6:18 |
Mike Joy: Absolutely! There is an east coast and a west coast group that runs old stock cars and vintage races (not with the original drivers, sadly). |
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6:19 |
[Comment From Keaton] Will the #44 and #9 cars have to go to the back for the race? |
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6:20 |
Mike Joy: Yes. NASCAR allows the teams one engine per race weekend without penalty. |
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6:20 |
[Comment From Debbie] What do you think of the success Tony Stewart is having this year? |
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6:21 |
Mike Joy: Fantastic. Everybody thought Tony jumped into the deep end of the pool with his new venture. Glad to see him have such success so far. |
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6:21 |
[Comment From Tony] Do think the crew chief swap will help Kevin ge tinto to the Chase |
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6:22 |
Mike Joy:
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6:23 |
[Comment From Jeffs BIGGEST FAN!!!] Are you really Mike Joy? It would be very disappointing if you are an impersonator.. oh by the way, I love your voice on TV |
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6:23 |
Mike Joy:
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6:24 |
[Comment From Katie] What's your favorite car? |
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6:25 |
Mike Joy: As many of you know, I collect cars and do a bit of restoration work. Right now, I have a 1967 MGB that I drive a lot in the summer. My kids want me to get a Smart car, and they are fun to drive but generally I lean toward European high-performance cars. |
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6:25 |
[Comment From Paxton] Pablo have a chance for a win this weekend? |
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6:26 |
Mike Joy: One thing that you don't learn anywhere but Daytona and Talladega is how to use the draft to your advantage in these big cars. I think Juan Pablo will run with the lead pack, and maybe lead, but I'm not sure about the last lap. |
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6:27 |
[Comment From tinad48rules] do you think jimmie will win the cup |
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6:27 |
Will Jimmie Johnson win a fourth-straight Sprint Cup title? Yes ( 20% ) No ( 80% ) |
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6:28 |
Mike Joy: Momentum is certainly on his side. Jimmie and Chad have truly figured out how to use the regular season and the Chase races to best advantage. I would not bet on him winning it, but I sure would not bet against him. |
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6:28 |
[Comment From Brent] Do you think not running at Talladega since 2006 will affect Mark Martin's performance on Sunday? |
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6:29 |
Mike Joy: No. Mark has enough experience at Daytona and Talladega and just needs a little time drafting in the Car of Today and he'll be right there with them. |
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6:29 |
[Comment From Linda] Now that Champions Week has moved to Vegas how long before the season ending race also moves to Vegas? |
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6:29 |
Mike Joy: I don't see that happening. ISC owns Homestead-Miami Speedway and I don't expect them to give up the final race anytime soon. |
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6:30 |
[Comment From Cris,] How do you prep for those car auctions? How do you learn all the details about all those individual cars? |
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6:31 |
Mike Joy: 40+ years of owning, admiring and working on my and my friends' cars brought me most of that knowledge. The rest is readily available on the internet. |
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6:32 |
[Comment From Jeffs BIGGEST FAN!!!] Carl leads final practice? Can he lead the final lap on Sunday? |
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6:33 |
Mike Joy: Sure. I'd like to think that all that bad bump-drafting stuff is behind him. |
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6:33 |
[Comment From Dan - Indiana] What does HOF racing need to do to be competitive? They have changed drivers and team alliances and still seem to have the same results. |
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6:34 |
Mike Joy: If I knew, I'd have a race team. One of the great mysteries of any sport (ask the Yankees), is that you can put the greatest talents together and sometimes not achieve the desired results. I think the pieces are in place at HOF, but they all need to fit together in a certain way to run up front. |
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6:34 |
[Comment From Jim] What's your favorite track? |
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6:35 |
Mike Joy: I love Martinsville. That's where I saw my first Cup race and I think its racing's Fenway Park, its Wrigley Field. You sit right on top of the action, and there's plenty of it. |
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6:35 |
[Comment From Colin] How are the Chevy teams reacting to GM and their woes? |
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6:37 |
Mike Joy:
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6:39 |
[Comment From Tony] I'm worried about Jamie McMurry's future in nascar, I think he is a great driver but his future with roush looks bleak. If he doesn't go to Yates where does he go. |
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6:40 |
Mike Joy: Good question Tony. There is room at Yates to absorb that team if necessary and I don't see Roush Fenway sending two very good sponsors (Crown Royal and Irwin) out into the cold. The most likely scenario is that they stay in the family at Yates. |
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6:41 |
[Comment From Jackie] Do you think there should be a road course race in the chase? |
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6:41 |
Mike Joy: Sure. I think road racing should be a part of every race driver's skill set and the two that we have are very exciting. I'd love to see these cars at Elkhart Lake for example. |
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6:42 |
[Comment From Andrew] Hi Mike, do you think we'll see Ken Schrader in a Cup car this year? |
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6:43 |
Mike Joy:
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6:44 |
[Comment From james] do u think that there is too many mile and half tracks |
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6:44 |
Mike Joy: No, but I would like to see one race date per year rotate among the legacy tracks like Darlington, Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, Nashville, etc. |
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6:45 |
[Comment From Harold,] Now that Tony Stewart only has his sponsors to answer to why isn't he entering cars in the Indy 500 and driving in the IRL? |
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6:46 |
Mike Joy: Tony told me "Never say never," but his first priority is trying to make his Sprint Cup team a championship contender. |
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6:46 |
[Comment From Greg] What do you think about the # 83 this weekend ? i think hes got a great shot at winning. |
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6:47 |
Mike Joy: If Brian can get his car in a position to win in the closing laps, he's got a good chance. |
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6:47 |
[Comment From Andrew] Do you think its right for roush fenway to cut back a team that has full sponsorship? |
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6:49 |
Mike Joy: The rule is not about sponsorship. NASCAR created the four team cap so that no one team would dominate the sport. Also, the cap was instituted so that prospective team owners would not be denied entry because all of the spots were tied up by eight owners. I'm sure that Roush Fenway will take care of their sponsors and they have alliances with Yates Racing and Hall of Fame Racing, which could accomodate the fifth team. |
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6:49 |
[Comment From Royal,] How come so many of the old fans don't seem to have any respect for Kyle Busch's superb talent as a Nascar race car driver? |
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6:51 |
Mike Joy: Back in the day, you couldn't get a ride in a competitive Cup car until age 30 or more. You had to prove yourself in the lower divisions. I think some fans feel that is an appropriate career path. It's no different than long time basketball fans being upset when LeBron James went straight to the NBA out of high school. They better get used to Kyle Busch, because he's likely to be winning races for a long time. |
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6:52 |
[Comment From Rob] cause hes a punk that dosent respect anyone and only cares about himself |
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6:53 |
Mike Joy: People, even star athletes, mature at different rates and display their emotions at different times. I see Kyle as a talented, focused race driver who cares only about winning and has little tolerance for anything less. He has plenty of time to grow. |
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6:53 |
[Comment From Brent] Of the first eight races, which one has been your favorite? |
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6:54 |
Mike Joy:
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6:55 |
Mike Joy: Talladega is as unpredictable as it is exciting. You never know what to expect here until the flag waves, so it'll be tense, it'll be exciting, and I hope everybody finds it fun to watch. |
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6:56 |
FOXSports.com: Mike and all of our fans out there, thank you so much for your time this afternoon. |
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6:57 |
FOXSports.com: Don't forget to tune in to catch Mike, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds and the entire NASCAR on FOX gang this Sunday. Coverage of the Talladega 499 begins at 1 p.m. ET, with the green flag set to wave at 2:19 p.m. ET. |
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6:58 |
FOXSports.com: Want to get more from Mike and the gang? Sign up for NASCAR on FOX Twitter alerts: http://twitter.com/NASCARONFOX |
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6:58 |
FOXSports.com: Thank you everybody, hope you enjoyed our chat this afternoon and enjoy the action this weekend! |
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