Chat transcript: Jeff Green
September 26, 2001
12:42 PM EDT (1642 GMT)
[Nascar_Host1] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Jeff Green!
[Jeff_Green] Welcome to everybody today! It is one of the nicest days here in Moorseville today! I am hoping to get to as many questions as I can today, so I am looking forward to them.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [AmericaOnline] Hi Jeff, you've said that Dover has been a 'monster' to the NesQuik Racing team the past few times you've raced there. What made this time different? Luck, strategy, etc?
[Jeff_Green] I don't think we had any bad luck, that is the biggest deal. Last few times we have been there I have been in accidents, and in the Spring race I had the throttle stick. We just go back there with open minds every time we go there. We just adjusted on it all day and we were able to sneak out one and win a race for us.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [spencer] Jeff, your birthday was a few weeks ago, how did you celebrate?
[Jeff_Green] Racing! My birthday was Thursday or Friday before Richmond, and I got the pole that day for the Busch race. Then I raced the AOL car there on Saturday night, too. The weekend didn't get us the results we were looking for, but we ran well and that made me happy.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Chevy_BBR] Jeff, on Sunday we saw Dale Jr. with "Wilson" in his car. Do you carry any kinds of good luck charm with you?
[Jeff_Green] No! Only Dale Jr. can get away with things like that, and that is cool of him. "Castaway" is a great movie and we enjoyed it, but we don't carry anything. I should probably tie in a NesQuik bunny in there! Bobby Jr. ran somewhere and won one of those and he tied it in there for luck after I signed it for him.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [raceyKasey] Congratulations Jeff, what do you think about the New Hampshire race being scheduled so close to Thanksgiving?
[Jeff_Green] Thanks for the congratulations. It was an awesome weekend for us. Unfortunately there weren't any other Winston Cup dates for us to race until the end of the year, and it is unfortunate that it has to be so close to Thanksgiving. Everything is important for this sport every day, so hopefully it won't cause too many hassles for the guys, but we just have to do that and it is unfortunate.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [gordo22] What are your thoughts going into Kansas City this weekend?
[Jeff_Green] Any time we go to an inaugural race, we feel like we might have the upper hand on some guys. I tend to excel at places we go to first, and my team does too. Maybe that will give us the upper hand a little bit. It is a new racetrack and we will see fans for the first time at the race. Hopefully we can meet and greet more people than we ever have and hopefully we can make race fans out of all those people, too.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [nestle10] Have you tested at Kansas City recently?
[Jeff_Green] No, I haven't even seen the racetrack other than on TV. NASCAR gives us 4 hours of practice on Thursday that we can do whatever we want to. Our tire allotment doesn't really start until Friday, so we can test on Thursday and that will give us enough time to get something out of a new racetrack and get it in 4 hours.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [JG] You're third in Busch points right now. What do you need to do to win the Championship?
[Jeff_Green] Just do what we have been doing, especially like this last weekend. Get the most points when we go the track. Kevin hasn't run that good, and Jason has had a few problems as well. Kevin is going to have a little bit of bad luck for either of us to beat him. We just need to keep digging, and I don't wish any bad luck on anyone, but if we stick with it hopefully it will come together at the end.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Fordsrule] How difficult is it to prepare for a track that you haven't tested or raced at?
[Jeff_Green] It is a little bit more difficult as a driver because I don't know where to let off the car, for example. For the teams, it might be easier because the new tracks are similar to tracks we already run. This is like Chicago, so if you take a setup similar to other tracks you have been at, you can get it going pretty well. It is usually harder for the driver, not the crew.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Chevy_BBR] Jeff, I've Noticed that you and Kevin Harvick have had a few run-ins on the track, but how are you guys away from the track?
[Jeff_Green] Well, first of all, run-ins, or whatever you call them, I mean, he wants to win as well as I want to. He needs to do what he needs to do in his mind and his foot does it. We are going to be teammates next year, and we respect each other on and off the track. Richard Childress wouldn't have hired either of us if he didn't think we could run well, and we both are hard heads and we want to win each and every event. Last time it was for me to be upset, and maybe next time it will be his time to be upset.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [thebunny] Why did you shave off your mustache?
[Jeff_Green] The main thing is that AOL wants to make a younger-look out of me! I am trying to change my luck a little bit too, so as drivers you look for things to try and help your luck and I just want to make things better. I have had that thing for 22 years, and I have had that longer than many of the drivers have lived! I am just trying to change my look and appearance and how I feel about things. My wife said she would kiss me more if I did, too!
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Green #30] Are drivers more aggressive this year or does it just seem that way because of all the TV coverage of altercations?
[Jeff_Green] I think the TV is looking for something like that, so they are going to advertise as much as they can. Guys do get on the wheel a bit harder to win races, and I don't know why. There have always been pressures on guys to perform, but the TV cameras have been in different places than they have ever been before.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [DEI] Do you prefer night races or day races?
[Jeff_Green] I like night races. They are a little cooler in the racecar, but the main thing is that it might be more exciting for the fans to see the brake rotors glowing or the sparks. When the lights come on at Bristol with 140,000 people, I like that. It is real exciting.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Mary] Will you be making any appearances this weekend?
[Jeff_Green] I am doing a Ford appearance on Thursday night near the racetrack. We will try to get out to the souvenir trailer, so that will probably be sometime Friday after everything is over. We will post that out there for you.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Chevy_BBR] Jeff, I've heard a lot of guys complaining about Goodyear giving them too hard of a tire. Is it really as bad as they say it is?
[Jeff_Green] I am not going to open a can of worms here, but the tires are harder than in years past and the cars are sliding. It is harder to get your setups this year, so that is what the guys are going to blame it on. This past weekend I thought they had a great tire, cause we could put on 2 and out run guys with 4. They have stayed on the racecar and it has made it more interesting and made the pit decisions very important. It gets everyone more involved in the sport.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [TonyFan20] Jeff, do you think Kevin Harvick would be do this well in his first year in Cup if he started out with a new team -- not Big E's team?
[Jeff_Green] It would have been tougher for him, but he would have done well. He is a great racecar driver. He knows what he wants in a car to be there in the end. The team listens to him and concentrates on how to make the car as fast as he wants to drive it. It helped him to have a veteran race team in there to coach him, and he might not have done as well but he would have had good results.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Icewoman] What do you think of the new Nashville Speedway and do you think it would make a good Winston Cup track?
[Jeff_Green] I think it was awesome! There is no doubt it would make a great Winston Cup track. It is the smoothest concrete track I ever driven on. Concrete doesn't change much from day to night on the track. In and out on the highway for the fans and competitors was also very acceptable. That is close to home, so that makes me very happy about it and I think you will see Cup racing there soon.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [nicole] Will you keep the same crew with the move to RCR?
[Jeff_Green] No, actually, the crew on the AOL car (the chief and the crew) are the #2 ACDELCO bunch, and he does Kevin's team and mine in the AOL team. We compete in one day and race together the next. Todd is great crew chief and he puts together exciting great racecars, so I am looking forward to that.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Rcefn] Hey Jeff, what knowledge from the AOL Cup runs from this year will you carry into next season?
[Jeff_Green] Probably what not to do. We found a lot of things not to do already. We have had some really good runs in the AOL car. We sat on the pole at Bristol and run well. I wrecked at Bristol and blew a tire at Richmond, and I blew up at Chicago running 7th. We should have been in the top-10 in many of those races, but we haven't put the finishes together yet. We are just trying to be productive with our race strategy and get as much practice as we can before Daytona next year. We are pretty excited and happy about what is going on.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [S ohio] Who do you think will be your biggest rival when you enter Cup full time, maybe Kevin?
[Jeff_Green] Well, I hope we are not rivals, we are teammates! There are 3 RCR cars and we all feel we can win each and every week. I hope we don't have any rivals. I want to race everyone as good as they race me. I feel we can be competitive every week, but if you are beating those guys, they wont like that either, so I hope they get mad because we are beating them so good. I hope those are the only guys we get angry! Haha
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Chevy_BBR] Jeff, after your switch from Chevy to Ford in the Busch Series, could you tell any difference between the two as far as handling?
[Jeff_Green] Not really, and I mean we don't really have a good read anyway because the tires changes. The motors, the cars, the tires, and even things about our Series are so much different, so it is really hard to compare.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Icewoman] Do you think the change in the driver for the #31 car will be good for the team?
[Jeff_Green] Change is sometimes not good, but that #31 car has had so much bad luck, even when Mike wasn't driving. Look at Robby at Watkins Glen! I think change will help that whole race team to hopefully go out and win races, like the #29. Hopefully it will be good for him.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [HEy] If you could redesign the AOL car, what would it look like?
[Jeff_Green] I tell you, I really like it a lot. Probably I would use more yellow than blue. My grandmother likes the yellow because she can pick it out! The NesQuik car is easy to pick out for her on Saturday. The AOL on the hood really sticks out and we are trying to get it recognized and get memberships, so hopefully we can do that for them.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [meangreenmachine] Is it true that you drink chocolate milk on Saturday and play on AOL on Sunday?
[Jeff_Green] Absolutely! When I am in Victory Lane, you can see me drinking chocolate milk! I am not the computer guy yet, but at my shop we just got 3 computers up and running. At my desk I have one and I want to learn what I can over the winter. I am not the kind of guy that likes to sit behind the desk all day. I like to work on my bikes and shops, cause that is the kind of guy I am.
[Nascar_Host1] That's all the time Jeff has for us this evening. Thanks Jeff! What are your final thoughts?
[Jeff_Green] I appreciate everyone sending in your questions. It is good to be online and chat with you. We have had a pretty awesome year with the NesQuik Ford and we have had good races with the AOL car. Hopefully we can keep being successful with selling the AOL car and NesQuik products. I am praying for President Bush to make the right calls up there and we are behind him 100%. We are also praying for all the folks up in New York and Washington.
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