Quotations of the Year

 

“We’ve got a lot of racing left, but when we’re winning at places we’re not supposed to, you better watch out.” – Jimmie Johnson, after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol.

“I like Jimmie as good as anybody, but for the sake of the sport, one of the two of us (Harvick, Hamlin) needs to make something happen.” – Kevin Harvick, during the Chase.

“Two tires won the race, but when you’ve got two tires in dirty air, it’s no good.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr., after finishing eighth in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas.

“The ‘48’ (Johnson) is testing my patience. I’m hard to get mad, and I’m (ticked) off.” – Jeff Gordon, after the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega.

“If we’d have kept those guys a lap down, that would’ve been selfish.” – Dave Rogers, winning crew chief, on allowing a mass ‘wave-around” during an early caution period in the Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond.

“When you play at home, that’s when you want to win the most.” – Tony Stewart, from Columbus, Ind., at Indianapolis.

“He's real aggressive. That's cool, but when he starts affecting me with his aggressiveness … I just will not put up with it. I've been around here long enough. I just will not tolerate it.” – Jeff Burton, referring to Kyle Busch, after Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

“There’s just a pit that develops in your stomach and doesn’t go away. It’s the championship pit, and it’s there.” – Jimmie Johnson.

“Points? I chipped away, but I didn’t chip away much.” – Kyle Busch, after a fourth at Martinsville.

“In the World Series, when a pitcher’s not doing his job, they put another one in that can.” – Johnson, referring to pit-crew swap at Texas.

 “I wonder if anyone else will ever win five of these things in a row, but next year we’re going for six, so away we go.” – owner Rick Hendrick, after Johnson extended his consecutive championships.

 “I won't turn on the television, watch any racing. Remove myself from it. I know what I need to do, what my team has to do. I don't want to hear what anybody else has to say.” – Johnson, before the final race.

 “I don’t know if part of that is coincidence, or just that those guys who win championships are really good. I don’t know, but it isa difficult race track. You have to do everything right.” – Matt Kenseth, noting the overlap of Indy winners and Cup champions.

“Bristol is a lot like Watkins Glen. You never know what’s going to happen.” – Harvick, naming one thing the two have in common.

“We have a way of forgetting the way history really was. … I think we tend to forget that even the great race teams go through struggles.” – Jeff Burton.

“If I sat down and planned it, we would win every Chase race and I would win the championship. But plans don’t quite work like that.” – Kyle Busch, whose Chase struggles continued.

“Mathematically, it’s possible. Realistically, I don’t think so.” – Jeff Gordon, asked about the possibility of a driver winning the Chase without winning any races.

“There’s a lot of psychology that goes into racing, but all of that goes out the window once the race starts.” – Carl Edwards

“If you get in a problem (at Martinsville), it’s normally because you are a root of it.” –Stewart

“It’s amazing what the Chase format does to the nerves and to the teams and the drivers.” – Kurt Busch

“If the roles were reversed, I would be saying the same thing. As a competitor, you’re tired of the same guy winning. I guess I understand where they’re coming from and what they’re saying … I don’t necessarily agree with it. I think it would be great for someone to win five straight.” – Johnson, who did.

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