Indianapolis 500
Firestone Tire Test Quotes -- Tuesday, Oct. 21
  Firestone Tire Test Quotes -- Tuesday, Oct. 21 |
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10-20-2003 11:00 PM |
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 Firestone Tire Test Quotes -- Tuesday, Oct. 21 SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): "It's different, definitely, but (I'm) pretty happy that things have gone well so far. Pretty excited about the progress that we've made. Just feeling everything out right now." (How did the first couple laps feel, being in a different car, different team, different uniform?): "Some of the things they had done last year were a little different than what we had run, just basically based on driver preference. We're just getting to know each other right now, and the car felt great. Pretty much everything's different. It's new, kind of refreshing. You get to learn something else, see how something else works a little bit different than what we've had. Sometimes you get in a comfort zone, and you don't know when things are different, and it's kind of neat to get outside that and learn new things. Pretty excited about all the things that have happened so far. Kind of outside my expectations, I guess." (How long did it take you to jell with Panther? Will it be a similar situation here?): "Seems like everywhere I've been, everything has jelled, so hopefully this won't be anything different than what we've experienced so far. Our first race with Panther, we won, so hopefully we'll do the same thing this year." (Is there a noticeable difference in the Toyota compared to the Chevy?): "It's kind of hard because you can't sit in one and go drive the other one back to back. You can't tell the difference between 10 or 20 horsepower, but the engines feel to have a little more torque." (When did you shave? Were there orders to do so?): "Thursday or Friday. No orders. It's a new day. I went back and looked at the pictures of the previous championships, and both times we won the championship I was shaved, so I figured maybe I screwed myself up at Texas this year." (Do you feel nervous at all today?): "I just want them to feel like they've made the right decision. There is a certain amount that I feel that I do have to prove myself, but the big thing is to not overdo it, either. You don't want to go out there and try to show them you're a hero and knock the wall down." (How important are the offseason tire tests?): "The more time you can get on the track, especially at Indianapolis, the better it is for you. Although there's times you don't want to go test at other tracks, Indy's never a hard one to get somebody to go test at because it's the biggest race of the year. The more laps you get around here, you learn something new every time you come here." (Your teammate now is a guy you fought for two years): "I don't see it being any different. I wanted to beat him bad before, and I guess this makes me want to beat him even more because you're put in the same equipment, so basically whoever wins is the better driver that day." (How do you keep from getting a little overwhelmed with this opportunity?): "I try not to get too overwhelmed, I guess. This is what I always wanted to do and where I wanted to be, so I'm happy about that, excited, and try to do a good job." (Is this fire suit the auto racing version of the New York Yankees' pinstripes?): "I think it's probably even more than that, but it's my opinion." (Working with Roger (Penske), he's a guy who's all business, and you seem to have that attitude yourself): "Yeah, not generally too showy or anything like that. I'm about what can we do on the racetrack and how can we win the race. That's my concern, and hopefully it will be a good thing. Everything has meshed well so far. There are so many variables you can throw out there on race day, and I expect nothing more than to win races. I probably put more pressure on myself than any two people could, so when I look at it that way, it's no different than driving last year except you have a different team, different colors, all that stuff. But I expect the same thing out of myself, to go out there and win races and be a championship contender." (You're a young guy, but if everything goes as expected, is this where you'd want to end up for the remainder of your career?): "I know with how hard things were this past season, dealing with the media, trying to make the right decision, trying to not hurt anybody's feelings but in the same regard do what's best for me, I told these guys I hope I never have to do that again. I hope I do a good job so I don't have to do that again." (There have been a lot of comparisons with your talent and demeanor and that of Rick Mears. How does it feel to work with him?): "Sometimes it's weird. He calls your cell phone, and you still don't believe it sometimes. Same as Roger calling. It's a weird situation. It's a good situation. I never thought I'd have Rick Mears calling me."HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota/Firestone): "Hopefully he's (Sam Hornish Jr.) getting comfortable with the No. 6 (car), and he needs to know the team, the team needs to know him, as well. It's like the first day of school - people sometimes feel a little bit shy. We're trying to make it as comfortable as possible. He's here to do his job, no doubt about that, that's he been doing a good job. We just need to lighten him up a little bit, and I'm sure we can do that during next year." (You've battled him for two years, and now he's your teammate. Are you still going to battle him?): "You see, just to prove this world is very small and always comes around. That's why you have to respect people, no matter who. We're both competitors. I think it's going to be awesome for the entire Team Penske. It's going to bring a lot to us, good information I'm sure he has. And again, now he's my teammate. Not because he's my teammate do I need to lighten up. It didn't happen with Gil, either, even though we were best buddies. So it's going to be a good battle, hopefully the two of us all the time, and I'm looking forward to 2004. I'm going to tease him a little bit, once in a while. Not now, because it's his first day at school." (Do you feel more of a rivalry than you did with Gil?): "No, I see another strong competitor, same as Gil. When we're on the racetrack, I don't see who's my friend and who's not. It's business, you just have to go and beat everybody. Obviously, outside the racetrack we have to know each other through the whole season." Read Full Story 
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