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MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES: QUAKER STATE 400 PRESENTED BY WALMART

July 14, 2018

Sparta, Kentucky

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and open for questions if you have them for Cole Pearn, Joe Garone or Barney Visser.

Q. Cole, I know this may seem like kind of a weird question to ask on a night when you guys won both stages and won the race in a dominant fashion, but some of the competitors feel like they're starting to close the gap a little bit on you guys. Is that kind of a wishful thinking on their part? How do you feel about tonight? Obviously in one sense it looks like it was quite a butt‑kicking, but there seems to be some hope in the garage. Are they just fooling themselves?
COLE PEARN: I don't know. I just think for us, we've just been trying to push forward, trying to catch the guys that we feel have been a little bit better than us. So I think in our own little world, trying to catch the 4 and 18 has been a challenge, and we've just been plugging away at it, and to get over that hump tonight was a good feeling.

Q. What did you feel like was the difference tonight for you guys? You said you feel like you took a step forward, so what was so much different?
COLE PEARN: Yeah, we've just been continuing to gain on it. There's been‑‑ the rule changes this year has forced us to work on it and find a balance that we're happier with, and really we've just been plugging away, and Martin has got a really good feel for this track, so definitely plays into his wheelhouse for sure. Really right off the truck we had good speed even though the balance wasn't perfect and we just were able to work on it. It was a smooth, just good‑feeling weekend. Never hair on fire, just steady as she goes, and it was a good one. We definitely haven't had a lot of those this year, so it was nice to get one.

Q. Prior to 2016, Martin only had two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins, and now I believe tonight is his 19th. Talk a little bit about that. A majority of those have come with this team. What does that say with him as a driver that he's really kind of racked up the victories in the last couple years after having a pretty solid career in the Cup Series before the move to Furniture Row?
COLE PEARN: Yeah, I just kind it kind of shows maturity on his point and getting the right people together. We've got a really good group, and all of us have been in the Cup Series for a really long time and not had the success that we've had together. It's just been an easy relationship right off the ground floor, and ever since we've paired with Toyota and worked with JGR on a weekly basis, it's really put us over the top. Hopefully we can just keep plugging away, and it's been a lot of fun the last few years, that's for sure.

Q. (On the dominance of three drivers.)
COLE PEARN: I don't see it as a problem. You look at the NBA and how successful it is, and it's pretty much all the best players stacked on the same teams. I think the world of sports likes star power, and it just shows you as the rules have gotten closer together and the competition has gotten tighter, the top drivers and top teams elevate to the top, the more even the playing field. That's just it. Everybody screams they want parity, and we've got closer parity, and in fact you have more disparity, I guess.

Q. Cole, there were a couple guys tonight who seemed to make the most out of a two‑tire pit stop. Did you ever deviate from your strategy going in or feel like you could call victim to one of those?
COLE PEARN: I think we did once early in the race, which was fine. It was just a product of having track position and knowing you had the strongest car, and you're just better off a lot of those times just to not ‑‑ be yourself, keep four tires on it, keep plugging away. Those guys did really good on two. It wasn't easy for sure, but we knew in the long run we'd probably march them back down, and we were able to do that.

Q. Joe and Barney, you've known the lean times in this deal; with all the wins you guys have had the last three years, how do you feel about the momentum just keeping, that this doesn't seem to be a passing fad? You guys seem to be here for the long haul, and I'm wondering how you guys feel about that.
BARNEY VISSER: Yeah, well, it goes back a little bit to the parity question. Five years ago you never heard of these guys, and you didn't think that much of Martin, but the truth is he was that good, and they're showing it. The team comes together, and I think that's part of the sport. It can happen. If you just keep working, it can happen.

Q. First quarter of the season you guys were right there, part of the top three, obviously, but it was more of Kevin and Kyle. This middle portion of this season so far that we've seen, it's been a lot of Martin and you guys running up front, running away, domination. Has there been something that's changed in the team that's really kind of put you over that top and now put you basically into that point where a lot of people are looking at you as a repeat champion?
COLE PEARN: I don't know, I mean, I think just a lot of rule changes over the off‑season that changed the balance for us, and that's just been a steady progression, trying to understand it. It's so easy when you have success to fall into your old traps and the things you do, and we've kind of had to just throw that to the wind a little bit and just continue to work on the new problem that we have and try and find the best solution. As we've gained that mindset and through a lot of hard work, we've started to make ground on it.

Q. Cole, it was at this time last year where you guys started really turning things around and really kind of went on that long run. Are there similarities that you're starting to see with this group to what you saw last year, or are things so different that people are going to start making the comparison? Do you see that or do you not, what you guys did last year and what you're starting to do now?
COLE PEARN: Yeah, tonight was a big step in that for sure. I think for us, we're just continuing to try and get better, and it's been a lot of hard work. We're our biggest critics for sure, and it's just pushed us to keep plugging away, and it's just‑‑ I don't know. I don't know if it's the same as last year or not, but I think we've kind of thrown that away and we've just focused on the moment, and we'll see where the future takes us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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