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FOX NASCAR QUOTES
FOX NASCAR Analysts McReynolds & Waltrip Break Down Storylines Heading into NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup Finale at Homestead
Waltrip: “A fifth championship would put (Gordon) in elite company with some of the sports greats who went out on top, such as John Elway and American Pharaoh.”
FOX NASCAR analysts Larry McReynolds and Hall of Famer and three-time NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES champion Darrell Waltrip share their perspectives on this year’s championship battle as Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. head to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend to vie for the title. Below are their thoughts:
On the favorite to win the championship this weekend: Waltrip: “Kevin Harvick has been the favorite since before we rolled into Daytona. The No. 4 team has everything -- a smart driver, a great crew chief who doesn’t panic and a fast car. That combination is hard to beat. Plus, everyone, the other three championship contenders included, knows Harvick is the favorite, giving him a sizeable advantage before the race even starts.”
McReynolds: “Given how he runs on a weekly basis and his performance last year at Homestead, Kevin Harvick is the favorite. But you can’t discount the other three. The No. 4 team, however, has endured an incredible amount of adversity in these nine Chase races, and continues to march forward. When their backs are to the wall, such as at Dover a few weeks ago and Phoenix and Homestead last year, they truly rise to the occasion.”
On Jeff Gordon’s career and the significance of a potential fifth title in his final season: Waltrip: “Jeff Gordon has been in a class of his own for several years. But a fifth championship in his final season would put him in elite company with some of the sports greats who went out on top, such as John Elway and American Pharaoh. Going out on top is almost unheard of nowadays. I never thought I’d see anyone win 93 races in the modern era. He has done things no one ever has before and might never again.”
McReynolds: “Whether Gordon wins the race and the title or falls out and finishes dead last, 2015 is not the year that will define his career. What Gordon has done for our sport does not hinge on one year or one race. Aside from his on-track accomplishments, what he has meant to the sport, from grabbing new eyeballs outside the Southeast when he stepped into the sport looking like he belonged on a GQ magazine cover, to his incredible work with childhood cancer, is nearly impossible to put into words. In addition, Gordon and Rick Hendrick showed other car owners that it’s okay to take a chance on a young, up-and-coming driver. Before Gordon, owners wouldn’t think of putting a driver in their car until they were in their late 20s or early 30s. For so many reasons, he leaves an impact on the sport like few before him have.”
On what Hendrick Motorsports’ recent momentum with three consecutive wins could mean for Gordon this weekend at Homestead: Waltrip: “It will be interesting to see if Gordon’s teammates can help him. When you’re the only guy from your organization in the Chase, you have three other teammates to loan you notes and try setups. It’s a big deal to be the only car of a four-car team running for the championship.”
McReynolds: “Hendrick Motorsports swept the Eliminator 8 at three completely different tracks with three teams. That has to give Gordon and his team confidence. The operation has hit on something at the right time, and that makes Gordon one to watch.”
On the possibility Kyle Busch could win the championship despite missing 11 races due to injury earlier in the season: Waltrip: “When the race is over Sunday night, Kyle Busch won’t have left anything on the table. He’ll race hard and aggressively, almost to a fault. When he was granted the exemption to qualify for the Chase, a lot of people asked what that would say about the championship. We may find out Sunday night, and more importantly, we may find out what that says about Kyle.”
McReynolds: “His recovery and comeback isn’t just a big racing story – it’s a big sports story. Nine months ago to the week, he was lying in a hospital with a broken leg and foot, and now he is competing for a championship. His ability and drive are extraordinary.”
On storylines surrounding the four championship contenders: McReynolds: “The storylines with these four are endless, and I’d be very surprised if the mainstream media doesn’t pick up on this. We’ve got a guy who hasn’t missed a race since November 1992 and will crank a car for the final time on Sunday (Gordon); a guy who missed 11 races with a broken foot and leg to start the season (Busch); one whose girlfriend has been battling ovarian cancer and he drives for a single-car operation out of Denver and has never finished better than 11th in points (Truex Jr.); and a driver who swapped teams to start the 2014 season and is trying to win back-to-back championships with an operation that’s still pretty young (Harvick). Tell me you can’t find a story in any of those four winning the championship.”
--FOX SPORTS--