|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: FORD ECOBOOST 400November 22, 2015Brett MoffittHomestead, Florida THE MODERATOR: Next up we'll have our 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, and that's Brett Moffitt. Congratulations, Brett. Brett drives the No.34 Freight Auctions Ford. Brett, just talk about this season and the Sprint Cup Series. I talked to you out on pit road. You had some impressive starts early in the season actually with MWR. That race in Atlanta you ran pretty good. BRETT MOFFITT: Yeah, Atlanta was definitely the highlight of my year. Going into 2015, that was the one race I had on my schedule with Michael Waltrip Racing, and they gave me the opportunity, Michael, the folks at Aaron's and Rob Kauffman believed in me enough to fill in for Brian that race, and to go out there and finish eighth place was huge. You know, the time I didn't even know what I was doing behind the wheel of a race car it seemed like. Throughout the season, Front Row has given me a great home, and it's a great place to be, and thankful for this opportunity and being able to bring home the Rookie of the Year title. But like you said, Atlanta was a great start to the year, and still not sure what I'm doing next year, so hopefully we can get something lined up for that, as well. Q. You said, Brett, that you're not sure on your plans next year. Do you have any plans for the XFINITY Series next year? BRETT MOFFITT: No. Right now my slate is empty. I mean, we're working hard, but it's hard to secure the funding to be able to run in any of the top three series. If anything would come forward, I'd be more than willing to work with any series, whether it was truck, XFINITY or another Cup ride. Q. When you had your Atlanta finish, did you think, man, this isn't as tough as I thought it was going to be? BRETT MOFFITT: No, it was every bit as tough as I thought it would be. Things really went our way that race. Billy Scott, the crew chief, really called an amazing race and our guys on pit road got us out just in time to stay on lead lap and catch a couple cautions just right. So we got down to the end of the race, it was actually a great situation for me. There was 12 cars on the lead lap with I think we had 15 or however many to go in that last restart. So in my mind it was great because I took all the pressure off myself and said, well, the worst you can finish if you don't wreck is 12th. So for me that was a great stress reliever and went out there and had a good restart at the end, and it was really fun being able to battle those guys. Obviously I'd like to be up here because I was in Martin's position or Kyle's position, but hopefully if we can get in some competitive equipment, hopefully one day we'll be running for titles. Q. How tough was it after that finish to go through the rest of the season and think, okay, I know we can do it? I know I can do it? BRETT MOFFITT: It's hard, but as a rookie, being with Front Row Motorsports was a really good home, also. I learned a lot throughout the year, getting to race with 43 of the best drivers in the world is a learning curve, especially I have very limited XFINITY and truck experience, so a lot of these tracks were the first time for me. Just being able to get on the racetrack, being around them, trying to learn from them, it's added up to a lot. Q. Had someone told you a year ago at this time that you'd be Rookie of the Year in 2015, what would you have told them? BRETT MOFFITT: I wouldn't have believed them, that's for sure. I'm surrounded by a lot of optimistic people but I'm kind of a realist. So when I was sitting on my couch last December, October area, I was‑‑ I had no clue what I was going to do. I had raced the East series for five years and had one XFINITY start that went well, and I thought that was going to take off to something, and it just didn't. You know, I really can't thank the folks at Michael Waltrip Racing enough, Ty Norris and Michael, for employing me and giving me the opportunity to at least test Cup cars, which is what I was doing, and that led to more opportunities, and without them I wouldn't be where I am today. Q. As far as being a young guy amongst some other young guys up there, talk a little bit about what's been the biggest challenge for you and what you've learned the most from the other young guys that you've raced? BRETT MOFFITT: You know, us young guys, we give it 110 percent all the time. Growing up, you always hear, you know, they just need to calm down a little bit and they'll be really successful. And I'm sure I'm still not calm enough but I feel like throughout the year I've kind of learned when to push things and when not to, and racing around other young guys, you can kind of pressure them into making mistakes, and I know I can be pressured into making mistakes, as well, especially when a Kevin Harvick or a Jimmie Johnson is right behind you. Just relaxing in the car, knowing what your car will take, and just having patience is really the biggest thing. So that was a big learning curve for me, and I felt like that was one thing by the end of the year I really managed to do a lot better. Q. You didn't get registered for Rookie of the Year until I believe around Fontana, and at that point with how you'd already been back and forth in different rides, did you even think about being registered or being Rookie of the Year? Did you look that far ahead and even really care at that point? BRETT MOFFITT: Yeah, it was kind of‑‑ we kind of got pressured into it in a way. It's a great reason, but having one race on my schedule I didn't sign up for it, so my eighth place in Atlanta didn't count and then my next few races for Michael Waltrip Racing didn't count towards Rookie of the Year. Once we reached a point where I knew I was going to do at least seven races and wouldn't be eligible in 2016 to run for Rookie of the Year, at that point we said, why not sign up for it and hope things work out, and they did. And that's really where Bob and everyone at Front Row Motorsports kind of made this happen, and they stuck their neck out on the line and hired a rookie, and it paid off. Q. You talked about your best opportunity, your best moment with Michael Waltrip Racing. What was your best moment with Front Row Motorsports this season? BRETT MOFFITT: There were a lot of them. The biggest thing for me was getting to all these racetracks. I never ran a Superspeedway until Daytona in July, and Front Row had taken a risk taking a rookie who's never ran a Superspeedway in anything to a Cup start there. That was a really big learning curve for me. I gained a lot of self‑confidence running well there, finished the race, that was our goal. But I really can't pinpoint one thing. We had points where we had really strong cars, we had points where we struggled, and I think overall as a driver, it'll make me a more well‑rounded driver facing adversity and trying to get our race cars better and build the team. THE MODERATOR: Brett Moffitt, congratulations on the 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. We wish you all the best moving forward. Thank you. BRETT MOFFITT: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|