JIMMIE JOHNSON:

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AT HOMESTEAD? “We’ll find out. I have no idea. I seriously don’t have any clue what to expect. I don’t have any strategy other than go down and finish ahead of (everyone.) It’s just simple. That’s all we’ve done so far through these last few months and just go down there and do the same thing we’ve been doing.”

KEVIN HARVICK:

“We’re excited just to be a part of it, to tell you the truth,” says Harvick. “We’ve had a great year. We have had our ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been really good. So we’re just having fun and racing as hard as we can and doing the things that we’ve done week in and week out all year. There’s really not a lot of pressure, to tell you the truth. It’s just go out and go as fast as you can and everybody knows that everybody’s going to do everything they can do. It falls how it falls, and that’s just kind of how we’ve looked at it since the season started.”

MATT KENSETH:

“As far as our championship chances– well they definitely aren’t good. But, anything can happen. Really, all we can do is the best with what we have and see where we stand at the end of the day. We haven’t run nearly as well as we did earlier in the year and it’s definitely a bad time to be struggling the way we have recently. It’s going to take the No. 48 having some big problems for us to have a chance, but we have to make sure that we do our part to be there if something does happen so that we can capitalize. It’s a long shot at this point, but it’s definitely possible.”

DALE EARNHARDT, JR:

“We needed a strong run and a little luck this past weekend at Phoenix, and didn’t get either one. We got too tight at the end and lost a couple spots… still finished in the top-10, but that’s not nearly enough when you’re trying to catch somebody. (Point leader) Jimmie Johnson’s car was awesome, and they did what they had to do to go into the last race with a big advantage. Even if we would’ve led the most laps and won the race (Sunday at Phoenix), it would’ve only put a small dent into (Jimmie’s) lead. I still can’t complain. In the big picture, we’ve improved so much in one year that I’m optimistic for what we’ve got coming. Our cars are consistently in the top-10 each week. Tony (Eury) Jr. builds great race cars, and we’ve got the components to make it all happen. We’ll do what we can this weekend, get as many points as we can, and see how it all turns out. We’ll never quit trying.”

JEFF GORDON:

“Our season isn’t over, yet,” said Gordon. “We still have an opportunity to move up in the standings, and we’re looking forward to this Sunday’s race. “We’ve run well here recently, and our intermediate program has definitely improved since last year. “Hopefully, Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating a championship and a race win on Sunday.”

MARK MARTIN:

“It’s actually hard to believe that it’s actually here,” said Martin in reference to Sunday’s race at Homestead. “It’s one of those things where you know it has been coming for a while, but you still can’t believe that it’s almost here. I’ve been in that car for a long time — 19 years to be exact. It’s a part of me and I’m a part of it. Now the time has come for me to hand that over to someone else, but it’s going to be a different feeling for sure.”

KASEY KAHNE:

“It’s been a great year for the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger team. It has been a lot of fun. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I’m excited to finish the year on a good note. We achieved our goal this year of winning races and making The Chase. Evernham Motorsports has had a team in The Chase all three years. I think until a couple of weeks ago, we had a shot at winning the Nextel Cup. That’s what every team out here wants — the Nextel Cup.”

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