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MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: GOBOWLING 400May 13, 2017Joe GaroneCole PearnBarney VisserKansas City, Kansas THE MODERATOR: We will continue on with our post‑race media availability for tonight's GoBowling 400 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and we're joined by the race‑winning owner, Barney Visser, of the No.78 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota for Furniture Row Racing, and Joe Garone, also with Furniture Row Racing. Barney, you were so close to winning this race last year; how does it feel to finally get over the hump and bring it into Victory Lane here in Kansas City? BARNEY VISSER: Oh, it feels great. We have been so close here so many times. We have been fast I think every time we've brought Martin here, and this is a track that he just excels at. We expected to do really well here, and he did. THE MODERATOR: Joe, Furniture Row Racing and the Toyota Camry this year has shown strength on multiple occasions; could you please walk us through the success that you've had there with the new Toyota Camry here in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series? JOE GARONE: Well, it's just been‑‑ any time you start with a new model car, all the development that goes into it, I've just really got to commend our guys at the shop and all the work that goes on behind the scenes to get the speed out of the cars. You know, early on I think in the very beginning of the year, we had some success, and it's just been progressively getting better. I can tell you it's just on the back of a lot of the guys at Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing working really hard with TRD to get these cars advanced. I think they're going to be pretty special. They're just getting better and better. Q. Martin said several times that the team, the crew considers this their home track, so does that make it any more special for you guys to finally get that win here? BARNEY VISSER: We consider anything west of the Mississippi a home track for us because it's an easier trip for us, and we like the Western Swing for sure. Anything out west we consider our home tracks. So yeah. Q. Cole, before the race you told me the car was good. I guess you were right. Talk to us about the car and what you saw out there from your vantage point. COLE PEARN: Yeah, I mean, I feel like all weekend we had pretty good speed in the car, it was just a matter of kind of hitting it all right. I felt like all night it was pretty good really, it's just the kind of track position gained. There was a lot of cars, 21, 4, 18; all those guys were really quick. So it was‑‑ I think run to run, depending on who was where and stuff like that, there was definitely some stiff competition. Really it just came down to those restarts at the end. We really weren't in the best positions at times. Martin ‑‑ I think we restarted ninth one time and we were fourth by the first turn, which was huge to get back into it after we had a lug nut fall off on a pit stop. I don't know, it felt like one of those nights where we were doomed to give it away at some point, and it didn't happen. 15 cautions here is just crazy. It was wild night out there, but I think it's just a product of the racetrack come of age. You've got multiple grooves out there and guys really pushed the limit. It made for great racing. Q. (Indiscernible) calls from the box? COLE PEARN: Yeah, I think the tough thing tonight was we only had eight sets of tires and just picking when you wanted to put them on was probably the trickiest thing as far as strategy wise goes. Yeah, you could make a small gain earlier by maybe coming and pitting or staying out, and you just had to make sure, and we ended up using every one of them, so it was‑‑ I think that was definitely a tricky element with all those cautions. Q. Barney, can you talk about the evolution of Furniture Row over the last four years, particularly since Martin has come on board? BARNEY VISSER: Yeah, the first year with Martin, as you know, was pretty tough. We didn't know exactly what we had, and he didn't know exactly what he had, and it's just been golden ever since. You know, as you know, he was a champion in the other series, in the XFINITY Series twice, and he can certainly get up on the wheel. He is definitely the pick when we lost Kurt that Cole and Joe and all the guys wanted, and we were able to land him. He's just been outstanding. You saw it tonight on those restarts. He drove like a champion, and that's where we think we're headed. That's the goal. And we've got a driver that can do it, I think. Q. Barney, you talked about how well you've done here, yet you were worried about it getting away because of the history, I guess, you've had here. You've done well but not won. How did all those dynamics play tonight that you finally were good and didn't give it away? BARNEY VISSER: Well, that's the nature of racing, isn't it? It just happens that way. Something happens to somebody that's fast every time you go out there, and we've certainly had our share of mishaps. Just a lot of‑‑ just crazy ones last year. Hopefully that's behind us. JOE GARONE: I don't know, it's just one of those places. I think with all the cautions, there's opportunities for random strategies where those guys came and topped off, and it was like, oh, man, long run, here we go, somebody will snooker us out of it or something like that, but it just‑‑ guys staying out, masses‑‑ you get back in the pack, as well, you easily could get crashed. I think we had a couple close calls through the night. I think one point we were four wide going into 3 and I was pretty clenched up tight holding my breath that we were going to make it through and we did. There's just so many moments, it's just everybody is on edge out there, and there's a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong. Q. Barney, obviously Erik had a couple spins where I don't think there was any contact. Were you thinking‑‑ because it looked like Martin had checked out there with 19 laps to go, and then it's your driver who brings out the caution that almost takes it all away. BARNEY VISSER: Yeah, two or three times, I think, tonight. Yeah, I had some moments there. JOE GARONE: I was like, here's a new way to lose it, the 77 is going to do it for us. Q. The domination of last year's race, you guys really, how good do you feel now parlaying tonight into where you dominated last year? COLE PEARN: I feel like this is like just a strong part of the schedule for us. I look back at the last two years, and I think from the Kansas, Charlotte, Dover, Pocono, Michigan are all really strong tracks for us, and we always kind of‑‑ we circle that time frame to know that's our shot to capitalize just because that's where we've typically run strong. I don't know, you've got to continue to evolve, though. Last year is last year. That was an unbelievable night, an unbelievable accomplishment. But this field is so tough, and you just never know, two weeks from now could be a totally different pecking order in the competition, so you've just got to stay with it, and hopefully we're in a good spot when we get to the 600. THE MODERATOR: Good luck next week, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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