In an interview of driver Max Papis, who drove the #13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing in 15 Sprint Cup races in 2009 [attempted to make 21], at a German racing website: Motorsport-Total.com, Papis said he would again run 20 Sprint Cup races in 2010 but plan to attempt most of the races, some as a start-and-park [make the race, start the race, park the car before the first pit stop], GEICO returns as the sponsor. Some quotes, translated by the author Pete Fink.
About NASCAR and 2009: “For me, NASCAR has been so far the most challenging competition I’ve ever had. When you look at the average position of qualifying, what other people like Sam Hornish did in the beginning, we are on pace. We did a pretty good job. We finished in the top-20 in Talladega, we had a top-10-finish on the roadcourses. So I would say, it was a season of ups and downs.”
About the pressure of qualifying: “It is not difficult, it is extremely difficult. One of the most difficult things I’ve done so far. It is not only, that I have such a little time to learn the racetrack. When I run five laps in practice, before we are going to qualifying-trim, that means, you are two or three minutes on the racetrack. And that’s it. And then you have the pressure to perform on one lap only. With very different track conditions and different griplevels to what you have practiced. You go out on the track, you go through 3 and 4 as hard as you can, and if you don’t make it, you go home.”
About 2010 and the Daytona 500: “We gonna run the Daytona 500 this year and I’m very excited about that. We plan to run 20 Cup-Races, 8 Truck-Races and hopefully a little bit more.”
About Start-and-Park: “At the beginning of the season, the team plans to put me on a start-and-park-situation. We will show up on the races, that are not scheduled, try to qualify, but we have a limited budget, so we are not gonna be able to race the race. That will give me the tracktime, that I don’t have. So we will use some of this races as tests, that we get to know the tracks better and get more prepared.”
About P43 in the ownerpoints: “That is the other the reason, why we are doing this. If there is a rainout and we have enough attempts, than we do not go home.”
About European sponsorship: “My goal is opening the door for European companies to NASCAR. I really want to do that. I want to let people know more and more, how good it is for sponsors and how much exposure you can get.”
About Jimmie Johnson: “Jimmie is a friend of mine. I know Jimmie since 1995, a lot before he started to drive for Mr. Hendrick, when he was just an off-road-racer. Hendrick is the Ferrari or McLaren of NASCAR. Mainly because of the incredible quality of the people they have. Jimmie has a tremendous talent. Jimmie is one of the drivers, that are born just every ten years.”
About Danica Patrick: “I wish for the sport, that she will make it. It would be good for the sport, to have a girl running and Danica has a lot of following. For sure she is doing it in the right way with a top-team like JR Motorsports that is basically Hendrick Motorsports. But doing it part-time, I don’t think, that’s the right way doing it. NASCAR is a lifestyle and you need to live and breathe this kind of work, to be able to be competitive. My suggestion to Danica would be: If you really want to do it, just dedicate yourself onto that.”
See the full interview/article, in German, at Motorsport-Total.com or see the English version translated at Google(1-18-2010)
