Catchfence

Teams Discuss Style and Strategy Shifts for Final 10 Races

Huntersville, N.C. (September 15, 2009) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series begins the 10-race Chase this weekend and teams are making their final push to end the season on a strong note. Twelve teams are now fighting for the Championship while the rest of the field is on the outside looking in. The team’s location in the points standings plays a large part in the race strategy over the next 10 races.

Bobby Labonte, John Andretti and Eddie D’Hondt comment on altered racing strategies during the Chase:

Bobby Labonte

“I think every driver pushes to try to get to the front in every race, all season long. That’s why we do what we do. But, yeah, there might’ve been some situations for some guys where they needed to be a little more conservative, just be really smart in how they raced, because they were trying to get into the Chase and couldn’t have a bad finish. And maybe now they’re thinking, ‘OK, I can go for broke now.’

“Those who didn’t make the Chase still feel like they have something to prove, otherwise the last 10 races would only have 12 cars show up. So, yeah, you might have some guys be a little more aggressive, maybe take some risks that they wouldn’t have taken earlier in the season.”

John Andretti

“For me, you’re going to race hard, just like you did all season, the best you can. You still have plenty of racing responsibilities of your own. I think the big thing that changes is the respect for the guys who have earned their place in the Chase. Maybe give them a little extra room and just be fair. In reality, they’ve earned a spot to run for a championship, and you would want to be treated that same way.

“For the rest of the race teams that are not in the Chase, it’s trying to gear up and prepare for next year and learn things and be more aggressive with setups. It’s not that your season’s over, but from the media standpoint, it really is.”

Eddie D'Hondt

“As far as the teams that are outside the Chase, sure, they’re going to look to make a name for themselves by running well and perhaps winning. Guys like Kyle Busch, David Reutimann and Clint Bowyer are certainly capable of winning any week and I’m sure that’s what they’re going to try to do.

“The rest of the teams that obviously don’t win and haven’t won all year don’t think they’re going to win in the last group of races. They’re really trying to prepare themselves for the following year. And, therefore, you’ll see crew changes made, maybe they’ll try different setups to learn about their cars to get them better, so that they can feel good at the season’s end that they have something to go on next year.”

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