Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar, Chase Elliott and SVG all talk
By Roy J. Akers – www.skyviewsports.net
Some drivers have a horse for the course driver. At Pocono, that would be Denny Hamlin. Same goes for Darlington where drivers reign supreme at both tracks. At the drafting tracks, drivers that you rarely hear from like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ross Chastain, spring surprises at Talladega, Daytona, and Atlanta.
Denny Hamlin
What has made you so good at Pocono over the years?
“Truthfully we’ve been even better than our average finish. We’ve had some tough engine breaks and other things here and there. It’s a track that no matter the car we drive or the tires or the aero package, none of that really matters. You still make speed at this racetrack the same way no matter what car you are driving. I think it’s been one of the few tracks I haven’t had to change my approach to it depending on the car that I’m driving. I think that’s why the success has been sustained.”
Chase Elliott – Podium Finishes
YOU HAD THE UNIQUE POSITION OF BEING ON A PODIUM LAST WEEK. ARE YOU FOR THAT IN FUTURE RACES?
“Yeah, I am not really for it or against it. I am fine with it. I have no problem in giving Shane (Van Gisbergen) his congratulations and making sure he is celebrated properly. He won the race, and he deserved the right to that. Me being the second loser, I can get in there and make sure that I appreciate the job that he did. I guess that is what you are getting at, there is no doubt. Would I have rather that been me? Yeah, no question. It’s not normal for us, so I am okay with it, I am okay with doing it, I am okay with not doing it. If that is going to be a new thing, then it’s totally fine and we can start a new tradition. But that has not historically been us, so I just want to make sure our focus is being us, being NASCAR and that is okay. We are our own form of motorsports and we can stand on our own two feet and we can do our own thing.”
Carson Hocevar on Ricky
Any conversations with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. this week or this weekend?
“No, unfortunately. I’m not sure what I could what I would say, right? You know, there’s nothing that really would change it, right? We’ve already had that conversation.
I feel like we have a good relationship or, you know, had one. I was just running behind him, just kind of logging laps and, you know, just locked up in a very dumb spot. And it was just so dumb, really. Just a mistake that didn’t need to happen and didn’t want it to happen. But there’s nothing that I could do or say. You know, I can’t buy him a Hallmark card and, you know, really make things better. So, it sucks. It sucks for me because he’s the only NASCAR driver that owns a sprint car team, and I love sprint cars. So it sucks because I want to go talk to him about sprint cars. So, yeah, hopefully everything can be set, but I know that the scorecard has me ahead right now, unfortunately.”
Hamlin on Amazon Prime Coverage
Why do you think Amazon Prime’s coverage has resonated with race fans?
“I think they have racers in the booth. If you look at the people that they have, they know the sport inside and out. Dale Jr. hosts a podcast each week that talks about the sport. Steve Letarte is one of the best, if not the best at just keeping you constantly engaged. I just think it’s the rapport they have with each other that’s so good. They are not bound by network and having to hit commercials. I think they talked about it on (Dale) Junior’s podcast this week about being flexible when they take their breaks. I think that’s certainly important because a lot of the gripe you hear is maybe nine laps to go and it’s necessary for network to go to commercial and it’s just not the right time. Unfortunately, that’s just how network TV works.”
Roy J. Akers covers NASCAR for www.skyviewsports.net
