Chat Transcript: Robbie Loomis

April 10, 2001
11:52 AM EDT (1552 GMT)

[Nascar_Host1] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Robbie Loomis!

[Robbie_Loomis] Thanks for coming tonight. Glad to talk to you before this Easter weekend!

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [gordonfanatic] Robbie, was there any certain area where you felt like the car was off this weekend? From watching, it seemed like things were just a tick off of the leaders for the entire race.

Crew chief Robbie Loomis is settling in in his second season with the Rainbow Warriors.

[Robbie_Loomis] Yes, the car was pretty loose most of the day entering and exiting the corner. It needed to drive off the corner straighter. We have been working on that car. I have run up there quite a bit in the past and really that new tire probably didn't fit my choice.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [chevman24] Robbie, what are your expectations going into Talladega?

[Robbie_Loomis] Survive! The big thing there is that the restrictor plate racing is so close. You can go in there with a conservative strategy in mind, run in the back and wait to charge at the end. If our driver comes out in one piece, I am not really concerned with where we finish. I just want him to be safe.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [fishdogg] Robbie, are you excited to have the week off for Easter? Do you have any plans?

[Robbie_Loomis] I was real excited for the Easter weekend, but after I made some bad pit calls late in the race, you can't wait to get back to races after having a bad weekend like that.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [abomb59] Robbie, what's your opinion on the new-generation Goodyear tires? And how well is the team adjusting to them?

[Robbie_Loomis] I think the team has done a great job adjusting to them. We have had to practice a little longer to figure out what we need, but Brian Whitesell and the guys have worked well with them on the camber gains, and Jeff has done well adjusting with them as well.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [tinochick24] Robbie, congratulations on the season so far. How much prior knowledge did you use Sunday with Jeff that you had about the chassis and set-ups from working with Andretti and having that much previous success at a track like Martinsville?

[Robbie_Loomis] Looking at our results, it looks like I didn't use any! We used quite a bit this weekend, which is why we didn't have a very successful run. I put a lot of emphasis on the Martinsville run, but with the tires, I should have probably stuck with some more conventional setups for the No. 24 team.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Rose24] Robbie, during the last caution, why didn't you have Jeff come in to take four tires? I felt he should of. He probably would have finished in the top five.

[Robbie_Loomis] I wish you had called me! It was one of those situations that I felt I got caught. With 80 to go, I didn't pit, and then when we had a caution with 40 to go, we were all bunched up. It is like fourth-and-1 in football. I would have been better off to stop and get four tires and then I wouldn't have hated the car so much.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [gordonfanatic] Robbie, how is the chemistry between you and Jeff now? It looks like things are really clicking.

[Robbie_Loomis] Yes, the chemistry has been really good. It was just a matter of getting to know each other, the more we are around each other. We are a lot further ahead this year than we were at this time last year.

Jeff Gordon and Robbie Loomis have visited Victory Lane at Las Vegas this season.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [jrfan8] Robbie, I was wondering if Evernham left a lot of his setup notes for the cars at the shop, and if so do you use them or do you have your own setup?

[Robbie_Loomis] He left me his notes from yesterday, which is why we ran 12th! There is a lot of stuff here, but we have Brian and he worked side-by-side with Ray for a long time. He was on the road with them when they won the three championships.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [GO_24] Robbie, congratulations to you, Jeff and crew on the BIG FINISH at TEXAS! (And the pole at Martinsville, too!) How far has construction progressed on the new race shop?

[Robbie_Loomis] The new race shop is really coming along. I think it is going to be done on the first of July. It is going great and they are doing an awesome job on it.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [j24g24] Robbie, is Jeff getting excited about racing with Jimmie Johnson next year? When will we see Jimmie for the first time in a Cup car?

[Robbie_Loomis] Jeff is really excited about Jimmie Johnson. Jeff noticed him early last year and we have hired a lot of people here at the DuPont race team to work a bit every day on Jimmie Johnson's efforts.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [GaiaMF] What's the biggest thing that has changed to improve this season over the last one?

[Robbie_Loomis] I think it is hard to put your finger on any one thing. Everyone is doing a good job and working really well together. Togetherness is what makes it happen and everyone is doing a good job with that. Being second in points with two new races this year is going to be exciting, also. NASCAR has done a good job adding the races and shortening the schedules over the weekends because the guys get some extra time and they are rested for Sunday. I think that is why we are seeing some other guys running up front this year.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Startech] Robbie, how much do you all depend on computer information for practice and the race?

[Robbie_Loomis] We depend on that information for a lot doing practice and testing. Brian Whitesell and the engineers spend a lot of time with that information and we check it out after they download it to see what we can learn.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [GO_24] Robbie, how close does the No. 24 team work with the No. 25 and No. 5 teams?

[Robbie_Loomis] We work really close together. We talk usually every week before we go to the event, and then compare notes during the weekend several times. Here at Hendrick Motorsports, if one team wins, we all win, and that is how we look at it.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Rose24] Robbie, how confident are you and Jeff about getting that fourth Winston Cup title this year? I have a feeling he can do it.

[Robbie_Loomis] I would like to think that we are very confident, but not cocky. We are trying to go out and win each race. We know if we win, the points will follow. If we don't get the win, then we need to be in the top five.

[Nascar_Host1] Describe your relationship with Richard Petty.

[Robbie_Loomis] He is the King! He is like a dad. He is a great owner and a great person. There are not enough good things to say about Richard. When you work somewhere for 11 years at the age I was at, he leaves an impression on your life. It is hard to compete against him because I really want to pull for him. With everything that has happened to them, it is hard not to have it tug at your heart a bit, but they will be back at the top again.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [JGfan] There is always some complaining about the NASCAR points system. What is your opinion?

[Robbie_Loomis] It is a system that has gone way back. It has been around for like 55 years. As far as I am concerned, it works very well. Over the years a lot of championships have come down to the last two or three races and I am excited to be part of that. Check back with me in December!

[Nascar_Host1] How do you keep Jeff calm when things happen, for example, the Stewart incident?

[Robbie_Loomis] Jeff is a champion. He has won three championships at this level, which is the difference between him and a lot of other drivers. He keeps himself calm, so it is more about me talking to my guys or myself. The team handled it in a professional manner. Young guys like Stewart will learn from these events and grow from them.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [abomb59] Robbie, what is your take on the current level of safety in NASCAR?

[Robbie_Loomis] Safety is always a tough question because you ask yourself, "What is safe?" Each team works to make the car as safe as it can. It is the same thing about tempers -- you learn as you go and you learn as things happen. We have gotten to the safety level we have today because of NASCAR listening to the teams and handing things down over time. I don't think we will ever have a time when it is perfect. That is just part of racing.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [ALLEN] Hey Robbie, who do you think is going to have the advantage at Talladega? Ford, Chevy or Dodge?

[Robbie_Loomis] You know the Fords and Dodges! It is obvious that NASCAR has done a rules change, helping the Fords out a bit. I take the rules as we have them. We just try to keep our focus and get better based on the rules we have.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [fishdogg] Robbie, what do you do during the offseason?

[Robbie_Loomis] Most of the offseason is when we are really preparing for the season. That time after Atlanta is when you build new cars, do wind tunnel testing, vehicle dynamics, etc. During the offseason is when the season is really won, based on the hard work from the DuPont guys.

[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [eightisgreat] Robbie, which race has been your most memorable?

[Robbie_Loomis] Probably 1992, during Richard's Fan Appreciation Tour. That was probably my most memorable.

[Nascar_Host1] Do you think NASCAR is being too severe on crew chief fines?

[Robbie_Loomis] That is a tough question because NASCAR really needs to draw a line in the sand as to what is crossing the line. They are sending a message to us that we have to know what is going on with our teams and a lot of things they look at is to keep us on a level playing field. We all have to have the same tools to work with and this is one step for them at trying to maintain that.

[Nascar_Host1] How much time does the team as a whole (driver, crew chief and pit crew) spend together?

[Robbie_Loomis] A lot! We are always together, especially on the road. We all stay at the same hotel, eat dinner together and a lot of times watch the Busch or Truck race together. We eat breakfast together. Togetherness is how we will win and we have to stick together.

[Nascar_Host1] [mike24] Robbie, do you plan to use an existing chassis for Talladega or do you have a new car prepared?

[Robbie_Loomis] The guys in the DuPont shop have build a special car for Talladega. It is the car we ran in the Busch Clash. Dean and the guys have been working really, really hard on the body for it, so I think we will be in good shape for Talladega.

[Nascar_Host1] What are your impressions of Dodge so far this season?

[Robbie_Loomis] Dodge has been very impressive coming out of the box. With Ray leading the deal and with the Pettys involved, you can see that some of the teams with some of the more experienced drivers are getting some solid finishes. What has been the most pleasing to me is how NASCAR brought them out of the box. They did a great job with the facts they had on the table to do that.

[Nascar_Host1] That's all the time Robbie has for us today. Thanks, Robbie! What are your final thoughts?

[Robbie_Loomis] Keep pulling for the No. 24 DuPont. I hope everybody has a great Easter and enjoys the meaning of it. I look forward to seeing you at Talladega. Thanks for all your support.