American Racing News Vol 1, Issue 2 Issue 5 | Page 8

and never backed down. They've never quit on me.
There's days I've quit on myself and they're the
guys that send you text messages and call you
when you get home like hey, this isn't over. I'm
proud for them, and it meant more for me to get it
for them than for myself."

On NASCAR's future - You see Ryan Blaney and
Chase Elliott, there's two guys right there that are
filling seats that got this under control. I got in
trouble enough one day that I got invited to fly
down to Daytona Beach, Florida, and go to (NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France's) office ... and
I was only in there for 10 minutes and then I got to
drive back and fly home. But I remember him telling me, and I'm only saying this because it's the
truth, he was right, and it was something that
resonated. He was like, you're not bigger than the
sport. You're a star in the sport, but there were
stars before you and there's stars coming after
you. With Jeff (Gordon) and I leaving, Chase Elliott
is going to win a championship, and if the Wood
Brothers keep going the way they are, Ryan Blaney
is going to win a lot of races, too, and potentially
win championships. ... The sport is healthy, trust
me.

On

the emotional nature of his win - This place
has meant a lot to me. If I don't win another one,
it's cool to win the last one here. If it doesn't
happen again, it's cool. I'll be all right if this is the
last place I win one. I'm going for more, just for the
record. I'm not saying I'm laying down, I'm saying if
that's the only one I get this year, then I'll be
content. But I don't think -- I think you've known
me long enough, you guys know that I don't lay
down for anything. All you've got to do is just give
me that little bit of hope, and I'll run with it.