This Week in Ford Racing: All-Star Preview

Charlotte, N.C. — Matt Kenseth knows what it’s like to win the Sprint All-Star Race while Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle is still trying after finishing second last season. Both drivers spoke about the event and what it means to them and their respective teams.

MATT KENSETH – NO. 17 DEWALT FORD FUSIONHOW SPECIAL IS IT TO WIN THE ALL-STAR RACE?“It’s pretty cool to be able to win that race. There are no points involved and it’s a cool race because you really get the team involved. They’re involved in all the races, but they get a lot more recognition during the all-star week with the pit stop contest and having to pit for qualifying and all the stuff they put in the format. It’s an exciting night. It’s really all about the fans and trying to put on a good race, so it’s always a pretty intense, exciting race.”

WHAT ABOUT THE MONEY AND THE BRAGGING RIGHTS?“Nobody is ever gonna turn the money down. It’s cool to get the money when you can get it for the team, but it’s really more about trying to win and getting the recognition for the team and getting the trophy and doing all of that is the cool part.”

THIS YEAR THEY HAVE ONE MANDATORY STOP IN THE FIRST SEGMENT AND THEN OPTIONAL AFTER THAT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?“I like the optional stuff. I kind of like a pit stop with an option of what to do for the last 10 laps. During that break everybody is gonna put four tires on and all that, but I think it mixes up the pack a little more when some people have two and some have none and some have four. That kind of gives you a better chance to pass, but it’ll always be exciting.”

WILL NO TESTING THERE THIS YEAR BE AN ISSUE?“Not anymore with this car. This car has so many rules and templates that they’re all about the same. There’s really not much you can do compared to what you used to be able to do a few years back, so that’s not really a big deal. I think we tested there four times in the last year-and-a-half with the tire test and all the rest of the stuff we did, so I don’t see that being a big deal.”

WILL THERE BE MORE PRESSURE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT?“It’s the same as any other race, I think. You want to win every race.”

WHAT ABOUT THE DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS ON ALL THE SEGMENTS AND HAVING ONLY GREEN-FLAG LAPS COUNT IN THE FINAL SEGMENT? DO YOU THINK THAT WILL BE MORE EXCITING FROM YOUR SEAT?“It can be. There are times where it can work both ways. You could have a pretty fast car and be in a row right behind a slow car and might get stuck, and it could be the other way around, so it mixes things up a little bit. I think it’s fun and the fans like it.”

To read the rest of the interview please visit: http://www.fordracing.com/news/detail/?article=36352