Dave: Hey John.
John: Hey Dave.
Dave: How you doing buddy?
John: Not too bad.
Dave: Now, did you get a chance to watch any of the race, before your that little 600 mile race you ran in began?
John: You bet, I would not miss it for anything. Matter of fact my dad was banging on the door of the motor home, he is like "I need to find a place to watch this" and it was only 10:30. (laughing) We watched the race and Michael had a great showing as always, lead a lot of laps, and was in contention to win at one time. A win, which would have been great to see would have been a great exit for him as a driver. And Tony Kannan finishing 3rd was a great entrance for him as a car owner, so he has a lot of great things to look forward to. Obviously, everybody that has enjoyed watching him drive will miss that, but it is a great finish.
Dave: You know this is the first year since ’93 that there has been an Andretti, an Unser, and a Foyt, entered in the race and competed in the race.
John: Yea…..
Dave: So, now with Michael out, we still have Al Jr, but who knows for how long. Although his son is 20, Al Unser. Remember they use to call him Micro-Al.
John: Or Mini-Al.
Dave: Mini-Al…… and Michael’s son Marco, is 16 right?
John: And just started racing cars and is winning like crazy. He is very, very good.
Dave: And of course, nobody knows what young Jarrett Andretti may do.
John: Yea, he got to drive for the first time last night.
Dave: Did he really? Where did he drive?
John: (laughing) I cannot say.
(Laughing)
Dave: The 43 Cheerios Dodge? And the King does not know about it??? Oh my lord.
John: And you know there is not that much difference in height. He may only be ten, but… (laughing).
Dave: But him in behind the wheel, strap him in, Nancy does not need to know. (laughing)
John: She is not in Indy right now, so she doesn’t know.
Dave: There you go, so with AJ the 4th he just turned 19 on race day….
John: And you have Casey Mears down here, so if he ever decided to do that we could have a Mears as well.
Dave: Yea, he was here once and ended up crashing and did not make the show.
John: Yea, Indy is just so tough. I mean that race can be so intimidating and is so difficult. I remember my rookie year like it was last year, so Indy lodges in your mind.
Dave: Tell us about your day there in Charlotte, the Coca-Cola 600.
John: Well it actually, everything….. When we qualified, we ended up going out when it got really sunny during the first part. We had freed the car up, and that was really the wrong thing to do based on…. We did not know the cloud was going to go and the sun was going to come out when we went. And the car was really Loose. We had a really fast car, but we started in the back. That was disappointing, but we had a good race car. The Cheerios Dodge was good and we were coming up through the pack and minding our own pace in the middle, because we were a little bit tight and a little bit loose. And unfortunately the a car got loose or did not know I was there or something. He got underneath me and squeezed himself and me against the outside wall. And it bent my car, it bent the rear and the steering. We also cut a tire down when that happened and ended up loosing two laps, trying to just manage, because they did not throw a caution. It was real disappointing and it ended with being one of the cars that got to drive through Ricky Craven’s oil. And after two weeks of, and I know oil does not seem to be a good business for me to be in. I just don’t seem to mix well with it. Every time I end up in it, it is a big hit. We actually lost two cars because of engine failures, one was ours and one was someone else’s. It is a bit disappointing. I saw Elliot Sadler last night at the movies. He was going to see one movie and we were going to see a different one with the kids. And he goes, "Man you get in that oil?" and I said yea, why did you? And he said " Yea. I am just glad to be here." (laughing) So, he had a big hit too. He lost his car in the deal too, which is too bad because he had his Texas car, which was really fast. It just happens. The King actually left my pits, because he said he was afraid one of the light poles may land on us the way our luck goes. (laughing)
Dave: Man that is not good news at all!
John: Yea, today he was walking in the building and checking the ceilings to make sure it was going to stay up, when he came over to say something to me.
Matt: Oh geez.
John: So he was like man you guys have really bad luck, and I used all mine up about 30 years ago. (laughing)
Dave: Flipping back to the open wheel car, did you have a chance to talk to Michael yet?
John: I have not spoke to him since the race. I was kind of letting things die down with him. He has a new job, so let that pick up a little bit, let him switch hats and then I will call him and see how things went. It is always great to talk to him…… Oh yea, by the way I was speaking to my sister when I talked to you earlier, so I have to say hi to my sister Carolyn. And my mom said if I say hi to her I have to say hello to mom to, so Hi Mom, Hi Carolyn.
Dave: There you go. So where are you guys this week?
John: Well we are at Dover….
Dave: Ohhhh, I know how much you enjoy that place.
John: Can’t wait until Dover is Over. (laughing) Tim Burr was my crew chief at one time and Tim said, "Dover is not the end of the world, but you sure can see it from there." (Laughing)
Dave: That concrete track, and man I have seen some people hit that wall very hard.
John: The backing in the straight away in Dover is the same as the banking in the corners in Indy, it is 9%. So, it is self cleaning. (laughing) The minute you hit something, you are going to hit the inside too. (laughing) It is a pretty ugly deal.
Dave: You get the outside lick and then they are going to finish you up on the inside.
John: You sort of get to ricochet awhile. So, it is more than one hit. You are guaranteed it, so you get your money’s worth.
Dave: So, the next big event at the speedway will be the Brickyard 400 and before it we will have the Kroger Race for Riley presented by Cheerios. We are going to have the big fund raiser at Fast Times up on the north side and we will have more information on how you can be involved… There will be a lot more people involved this year. They have changes some things around so……..
John: You can go out and hurt Matt too. (laughing)
Dave: Yea you can come out and stick Matt in the fence.
Matt: I am real excited about all these changes…
John: You can run over his tongue too, when he is sitting there so tired with his tongue hanging out.
Dave: Yea, after 5 laps into a 10 lap heat Matt’s tongue is sticking out like the thing on Snoopy’s…
Matt: See you guys joke on the air and make me sound so much worse than I really am. The people listening who have never seen, do not know how competitive I am. And you are making me sound like I am not anywhere near the front, but I am very competitive during these races. I am in the middle of the pack like everyone else, banging and trading with everyone else. So, do not make it sound like I am not keeping up with you guys.
John: Why is it when people come in, they go which one is Matt and I point to you and they laugh.
Matt: I don’t know.
John: He doesn’t drive does he? How can he see over that thing.
Dave: I thought that was a moving chicane.
Matt: I do a great job.
John: Your red face afterwards shows it too.
Matt: Well it is hard work. I am not out there goofing off. I know it is like a day off for you, but it is hard work for me. I do not mind getting a little hot and sweaty, tying to do some hard work. But the point I am trying to make is that I am competitive. I am up there driving with you and who ever else is out there. I am up there.
John: You are? Keep telling yourself that. We need video, as to what reality is. He obviously does not know. (laughing)
Matt: Just because you set the lap counter to make it look like I am in last place, but I know better. First couple years I felt I was running well, but I was still in last place. Now I have it figures out, I come in last on the score board no matter what you guys say. I know I am running and passing people and getting ahead of people. I do not think John got around me once last year.
John: You know when I come around and drive way, then come back around again. That means I am lapping you. That is how it works.
Matt: I do not remember that happening last year.
Dave: I tell you John up at Fast Times, they have multi-levels, so you can pass Matt upstairs and down stairs. It will be unbelievable.
John: We are going to knock Matt off the top level and down to the bottom level without coming down on the tack.
Dave: Maybe he skipped some of the actual track, it will help his lap time.
John: If we cannot do it with a go-kart, we will take him out and throw him.
Dave: Just toss him out there, it will be fun.
John: Yea we have been waiting for the air plane without the parachute. I got to get going, so we can get that done.
Dave: Hurry up and win one.
Matt: I am waiting. It is on you baby.
John: Yea buddy, we have this on tape.
Matt: I am not saying anything.
John: You already did.
Dave: We have this little bit of history…… (plays tape of Matt at a past Race for Riley saying, "Am I still in last?")
That never gets old does it?
John: We will have CSI Indiana. (laughing)
Dave: Matt Hibblin (laughing) Ok John, good luck this weekend in Dover, I hope you and the 43 crew have a successful run on Sunday. And we will talk to you next Tuesday.
John: Sounds great, I appreciate it.
Dave: Thanks buddy.
John: Bye.
THE END