Throughout the NNCS season NASCAR, manufacturers and some teams hold driver teleconferences for the national media. The connection is via phone hard line or cell and takes place generally early during the normal work week. Drivers field questions from reporters waiting in electronic queue for about 30 minutes. Some drivers obviously draw more attendance and higher profile media affiliations, but all answer a variety of mainstream questions that all media share and select for publication.

Our attendance for NNCS teleconferences over the past six years has produced many great answers for fans. This 2007 season the answers to questions are separate from the main page, "Driver Connection" into three sections, Early, Midseason, and Chase Time.

And now it's Chase time. Enjoy the many public thoughts of the world's top race car drivers.

All good racers have intensely competitive emotions. Can you talk about how you control your intense emotions?
"You don't always control them I guess like anything you do in life you have to try to think of the consequences before you do something. Jus try to keep a fairly level head. Don't let the highs be high and the lows be too low. Just kind of stay somewhere in the middle and give it you all every weekend and go from there."

Do you think fans understand driver anger when it comes around once in a while?
"I don't know. I think they understand. I think everybody is different. Everybody has a different personality. It takes a little more or a little less or different things that set some people off. It can happen to somebody and they can be pretty calm and go on. The same thing could happen to a different person it can set them off. Everybody is built a little different. There are things that bother some people more than others."

You've been around before the Chase points system, now after it. Do you think the fans feel the excitement and stress of making the Chase like drivers and teams do?
"I think the fans that follow the sport every week definitely feel that. I feel that just from them. I've had plenty of fans come up to me and talk to me about it. Yeah, there's very much merit in saying that."

Can you describe your feelings and reaction during crashes with cars verses walls and crashing into other cars?
"Usually when you hit the wall, you know that there has been a lot of damage to the car and the chances of a decent finish are out the window. When you're in a wreck with other cars, you are evaluating each impact and hoping it didn't do too much damage - unless, obviously somebody really hits you hard. But when you hit a wall, you know you're pretty much done for the day."

If you could take a fan with you during a crash, obviously you can't but if you could what would you tell them to expect?
"It's a pretty intense experience. The range of emotions from being worried and concerned before you hit something and then to come out of it and be okay, that roller coaster ride of emotions is a pretty big rush."

When the media starts talking about your team slipping, does that stimulate or depress you and your team? You all seem to bounce back quickly.
"I guess I haven't been paying attention or do for that matter. As competitors you know how your team is performing and you know how the events unfold and why you finish where you do. Granted we've had a tough summer with some crashes and stuff, but we've been really competitive. So we haven't been down and out. We have had a great outlook on things and been very happy to finish where we have been running the last couple weeks."

Do you think that it would be a good practice to have crew chiefs take off a few weeks during the season and stay at the shop?
"No way. It's like leaving your head coach behind. The team can continue on but there is no doubt that you are left with your team without your head coach there."

What do you attribute to the fact that you can come back at times without your head coach?
"That's just the 48 team. It really hasn't been anything different. Since Chad's been gone he has built a great team and he still leads the team from a far in the way that NASCAR allows him. He is obviously very involved with the team."

Scott Riggs

Talk a little bit about the charitable efforts of NASCAR teams and drivers in general and what that means to you and the sport?
"I think not just speaking for myself but for all the drivers. I think most of us are generally very humble individuals. We feel there are a lot of other great race car drivers across the country that will never get the opportunity to be in this position or get the opportunity to fulfill our dreams and drive in the Cup Series as we have. We feel very fortunate. I know I feel very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity. Any time that you have a chance to share your good fortune to help any kind of charitable donations, especially when it comes to the children's charities like the Children's Miracle Network Network that my sponsor Stanley Tools has helped me to get involved with at Indy.

For me it means a lot having two kids and being a father. Any time you have kids that are sick, it's one thing to being in the hospital as an adult. When kids are sick it means a lot more because they have so much of their life that haven't been able to live and do all the things we take for granted. Any time we able to like that I think all of us in the NASCAR community seem to be very giving, wanting to give back. I think that's because we feel so fortunate about our good fortune. We want to return the favors and try to make it special and bring hope for other people who aren't as fortunate."

NHRA POWERade Series

The excitement and the importance of rounds and, of course, the importance of rounds has always been there, but there's kind of the added excitement. How would you explain that to a fan, and do you think the Countdown makes it obvious that there is going to be more excitement, that the fans probably are going to get more excitement out of this than you are? Is that a possibility?

Dave Grubnic

"I would think, yes, at this stage, I don't want to be premature on it, but the excitement is definitely there. I made a comment on our last teleconference that you could conceivably win the championship without actually winning a race. That is possible.

"And Bob Frey brought up an interesting point that in Brainerd, Bob Vandergriff, Jr., (sixth place in Top Fuel) hasn't even won a race (and) he could conceivably go on and win the championship. He could win the championship before he won a race.

"So it's definitely opened it up for a lot of teams. So like what we had last year with Tony Schumacher and my teammate Doug Kalitta where you've got two teams running away with it, but it's definitely not going to happen this year, not by the looks of it. From an excitement standpoint, at this stage, I definitely think it's going to be exciting."

Melanie Troxel

"I agree, I mean last year we had some really exciting, the way the points came down at the end of the year. But if you look over the history of maybe, say, the last 10 years, I think this system would have made it a lot more exciting. So not only are you going to have an exciting last, say, (for the last) four races where people are fighting it out for that championship, but I think it's added excitement even this early in the year.

"Normally, this time of year, people are where they are in points. You might be having a change for the lead or something; but it can kind of be a long part of the season for us. We're tired and worn out and traveling all over the place.

"I know from our standpoint, obviously, it's because we're the teams that are right there on the bubble, but it's definitely made it more exciting for us."

Do you think that the fans expected that out of the Countdown?

Dave Grubnic

"I think that was the initial goal of the Countdown was to lift the excitement and to get the fans behind it and everything. And as I said before, without being premature, it looks like at this stage it is and it's definitely well, from a personal standpoint it's made it exciting for me.

"Even though Melanie, she's tied with me as far as I'm concerned, I definitely have not discounted Cory. Doug Herbert or both my teammates. Now I know for a fact that both my teammates are going into Reading to try and get in. That's their job. That's their goal.

"And it is conceivable that Melanie and I could both lose first round and Cory could have a good day and go to the final, and then, boom, all of a sudden he's in or Doug Herbert or whatever.

"It's even exciting from that anything can happen in this sport. I've seen it and I'm worried about all of them, to be quite honest with you. It's definitely exciting for me."

IndyCar Series

Scott Dixon (IndyCar Champion)

Is there a different mindset when you're leader in the points as compared to the chaser in the points?
"For us, we know what we've got to do. We've basically got to go as fast as we can, apply as much pressure as possible and try and win every race, and that's what we've been doing for the last few races of the season. I think we've had the ball roll our way a few instances, especially when the AGR guys kind of took care of themselves and enabled us to sort of bump up and save fuel and stuff like that.

You have great momentum going. Is there any secret to carry momentum race to race?
"No, I think the biggest thing that's happened, that's helped is winning races. It definitely helps from everybody on the team from the spotters to the mechanics to everybody just gets on a lot better. I think decisions are made a little easier. People just like hanging out with each other.

"When you're on a bad run, people get sick of each other and don't get on as much. And I think going into Watkins Glen, we knew we'd be successful there for the past two years. And that was a big confidence boost. And then coming away with another victory that just carried with Nashville, we had a victory the year before, so it just kind of snowballed. Hopefully we can keep it going. I know I haven't had a huge run at Michigan before, but definitely would like to change that record."

You mentioned focus. Did you bring that with you to the track, do you think? Do you learn it at the track and do you carry that season to season? Is that something that just goes with you?
"Yeah, focus is a hard thing. It depends on weekend to weekend, season to season. And I think it's always different. I think a good way to look at it is '03. It was a new challenge, it was a new team for me for a full season. And our eye is definitely on being as competitive as possible. And I think that went above and beyond anybody's expectations of winning the championship.

"And '04 was one of those years where it started off with good focus and then you're kind of just sort of sitting there like a deer in the headlights because you weren't sure what was going on. And that was the same going into '05 you had the same equipment that you knew wasn't going to be as good. So it takes a lot. I think focus is definitely on how the team is competing, how people are around you. I think there's a lot of factors. You can only do so much yourself."