Why was Jack Roush late to Daytona 500 victory celebration?
Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona USA, Jack Roush, NASCAR, Weekly teleconference  posted by orlandosentinel on February, 18 2009 9:21 AM
There are a lot of fans upset with NASCAR for cutting short the Daytona 500 because of rain. Many expected NASCAR to wait out the wet stuff and complete the event.
Count winning car owner Jack Roush among the rank of the surprised. Roush was also among the ranks of the late when it came to reaching Victory Lane to congratulate Matt Kenseth. Why?
“As I walked through the garage area to the paddock area, I was met by a line of cars, cars that were coming off the racetrack, so I was late getting to the Victory Circle,” Roush said during Tuesday’s NASCAR teleconference. “Matt's victory was a very popular victory among the crew and other teams. To a man, everybody I passed congratulated Matt for what he'd been able to do. I've tried to pass that on to him.”
It’s the second time since 2007 that Roush, a k a the Cat in the Hat, celebrated in Daytona’s Victory Lane. Jamie McMurrary nipped Kyle Busch at the start-finish line to win the 2007 Pepsi 400. Does this signal a turning point in Roush’s restrictor-plate program – one that doesn’t traditionally perform well at Daytona and Talladega?
“The fact that we won at Daytona now certainly gives us encouragement going on to Talladega," Roush said. "But restrictor plate races are, as much as anything, a jump ball. I heard Matt say that the car behind him was wrecked and the car in front of him was wrecked on the Earnhardt and Vickers debacle. You just had to be in the right place to be able to get through that. The team strategy doesn't really have that much to do with it …you're really very lucky as much as you might be fast or well-prepared.” Add a comment
So, Ryan Newman, did you really kiss your car as a kid?
Auto Club 500, Daytona 500, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR media, Ryan Newman, Weekly teleconference  posted by orlandosentinel on February, 19 2008 3:56 PM
Ryan Newman and Matt Kesenth were on the NASCAR media teleconference today, and the new Daytona 500 champion received a lot of attention.
My favroite question is if Newman really kissed his car as a kid. Did he kiss it? Did he not? The world may never know. Here’s the exchange.
Q. Your father and you both touched on it yesterday at the champion’s breakfast. You talked about you kissing your racecar when you were a kid. Can you talk about that? RYAN NEWMAN: Well, I guess it’s a definition or a way to define respect. You have to respect your equipment and you have to care for your racecar. Obviously the people around you have influence on that racecar. Growing up, it was the thing to do. Not to say that I actually did it. I mean, it was more of a figure of speech than anything. Just like the guys that are professional anglers kiss the fish before they put it back in the water. It’s the way of showing appreciation and respect for either something, something you love, a way of making a living. You know, that’s something that my dad taught me at a young age. Q. But you never actually did it, though? RYAN NEWMAN: I won’t – I can definitely say that I probably never kissed the car. But there was times when I hugged it. Click below for the full transcript of today’s teleconference.
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