	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: GOODY'S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500

November 1, 2015

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with our post‑race media availability. We are now joined by our second‑place finisher Jamie McMurray.
Jamie, big battle there at the end between you and Jeff Gordon. Talk about the closing laps today.
JAMIE McMURRAY: When Jeff gave me the outside, I somewhat wanted that. I struggled on the inside. Knowing it was just going to be a green‑white‑checkered, I thought I might be able to get around him.
Honestly, it was really hard to see. I had like a light smoke visor on. It was hard to see with your visor up. When I shut it with one to go, it was really dark. I was a little bit nervous. I haven't done a restart in the new restart zone. It was kind of hard to see where exactly the restart zone was.
Had a lot on my mind there. I drove as hard as I could. Jeff was on the outside. His car stuck a little bit better than mine. I was hoping I could just get close enough to him down the backstretch that I could make some more drama for today versus what we already had. I spun the tires really bad off turn two and wasn't able to get to his back.
THE MODERATOR: We're also joined by Kyle Busch, who finished fifth in today's race.
Kyle, quite an exciting finish at the end. Just talk about your final laps here today at Martinsville.
KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, it was quite exciting there at the later stages of the race. It was exciting for us in the beginning part of the race. Unfortunately I made a mistake there early, touched the water getting into one, holding my car too tight to the curb to try to stay off of the 3 car. Unfortunately just drove me right into him.
We spun him out, spun myself out, had some damage to the car after that. Just didn't quite feel right after. I'm not sure what bent, but something was definitely amiss on the front end.
But Adam made some good changes to the car throughout the rest the day to adjust the car to kind of free it up a little bit for me to make sure we could roll the middle. I felt that's where our strong suit was. We kind of suffered a little bit on forward drive late in the going. All in all that center took care of us today.
Can't say enough about our guys. They did a great job. Come home with a top five. We're thrilled with that and time to move on.
THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead with questions.

Q. Kyle, you hit water there on the apron.
KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, it was damp. There was water. I could see it at the end of the race. With the lights the way they were, you could see the little bit of sheen, shine there. Yeah, I hit water.
It was damp all day. Everybody kind of guarded to get away from it, but my car loves rolling the curb. I was trying to be as tight to it as I could.

Q. You and your teammate are both in that accident. At that time it's like, Oh, my God, Joe Gibbs Racing, horrible day. What does it say for you to come back and salvage it?
KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, I mean, we did a really good job. I hate that my car was bent up and we weren't able to be better than what we were there at the end. I was hindered by what the front end had there for me after I made contact with the 3 car.
All in all, I'm thrilled for our day. I wish I didn't screw up Carl's day. I hate it for those him and those guys. They obviously didn't recover quite as good as we did. I put them in a little bit too deep of a hole. But not as deep of a hole as some other guys in the deep, deep field. Hopefully he can come out and we can both be okay.

Q. Where do you guys stand on maybe not specifically Kenseth and Logano but retaliation and payback? Matt had a comment that you have to maintain respect in the garage.
JAMIE McMURRAY: Well, I will say that I feel like I get along with everyone in the garage, most everyone.
KYLE BUSCH: You're a nice guy.
JAMIE McMURRAY: I am a nice guy. Only guy I've ever been into it with is Matt. We wrecked each other two, three times in 2004, 2005. Bristol, Loudon, we wrecked each other, yeah, at least two, three times. He's turned out to be one of my best friends.
I would say growing up Terry Labonte, Ricky Rudd, those are guys you just did not mess with because you knew they would retaliate. Matt Kenseth is in that same category.
Matt races everyone fair and he races hard. I feel if he thinks that there could have been better decisions made, then so be it.
Are you scared to say something because he's your teammate?
KYLE BUSCH: I'm not scared to say anything because he's my teammate. I love Matt Kenseth.
Did he do anything wrong? I don't know. Did he do anything right? I don't know. I think it all depends on whose name's above the door on whether or not you're allowed to do it.

Q. Does NASCAR need to curtail it?
KYLE BUSCH: It's boys being boys right now. You got to be consistent. I definitely feel NASCAR is very consistent in being inconsistent on calls. I think it's BS. I say 'they better', but they don't have to listen to me for squat. Really doesn't matter what I say.
JAMIE McMURRAY: You really should have stopped talking about three minutes ago.

Q. Big picture, removing your situation, what does it mean to have Jeff Gordon in the final four?
KYLE BUSCH: I think it was really cool. If Jeff Gordon was going to win at a racetrack, I think Martinsville is probably the racetrack to win at.
There was a lot of good drivers here before Jeff Gordon, but Jeff Gordon had his heyday here for sure. It's really cool that his heyday continued into his last season here at Martinsville. He was able to score that victory.
That puts him on to Homestead. That's a car we have to race, no doubt about it. I said earlier this week, if Jeff made it to Homestead, he's a guy I don't believe could beat the 22 straight up. But if the 22 ain't there, Jeff's going to be a contender, there's no doubt about it.
JAMIE McMURRAY: For me, Jeff Gordon is the only die cast or T‑shirt that I ever bought growing up before I made it to NASCAR. So it was really a cool moment for me to get to battle with him on a green‑white‑checkered at Martinsville.
I certainly wish it would have turned out a little bit differently. But that's a really good memory for me and a very good moment that I will not forget.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297