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Merrill Cain: Good afternoon. Welcome to the CART Media Teleconference. Thanks to all of you for being with us this afternoon. I am Merrill Cain with CART filling in for our usual host T.E. McHale. Our guest today is driver Kenny Bräck of Team Rahal who recorded the first victory of his FedEx Championship Series career in last Saturday's Firestone Firehawk 500 at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan. Good afternoon Kenny, congratulations and thanks for being with us today.
Merrill Cain: Kenny, driver of the No. 8 Shell Ford Lola and he earned his first career victory in his 24th start on Saturday finishing 3.650 seconds ahead of runnerup Helio Castro-Neves of Marlboro Team Penske. Kenny averaged a race record 178.113 miles per hour en route to the victory which gave him the FedEx Championship Series points lead for the first time in his career. With 49 points Kenny holds a two point advantage over Castro-Neves heading into Round 6 of the Championship, the Miller Lite 225 scheduled for Sunday, June 3rd, at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. Kenny's victory Saturday was Team Rahal's first since Max Papis won the 2000 FedEx Championship Series opener at Homestead Speedway. He owns three Top 5 performances in 4 starts this season including finishes of fifth in Mexico and second at Nazareth and has also recorded the first two poles of his FedEx Championship Series career at Mexico and Texas respectively. Overall Kenny, the winner of the 2000 Jim Truman Rookie-of-the-Year award owns 12 Top 5-finishes in 24 FedEx Championship Series career starts. He has scored Championship points in 10 of his past 13 starts, dating to a fourth place performance last year at Chicago. The Miller Lite 225, Round 6 of the 2001 FedEx Championship Series, will air live on ABC television on Sunday, June 3rd beginning at 4 P.M. eastern time. With that we will begin taking questions for Kenny Bräck. Question: I want to recreate something for you real quick. Sunday afternoon this came over the loud speaker at Indy: "Kenny Bräck, Kenny Bräck, please report to the Walker Racing garage."
Question: I am just wondering, you know, what is going on -- do you take that as a compliment that so many people run around wondering what hole you were hiding in over there, when you would finally show your head? I am just wondering how does a driver see that when he is looking at it from afar?
Question: But it must be great to be wanted?
Question: You went straight to Sweden; is that correct, that's correct, after the race, right?
Question: What does this mean to you when you look at it, the breakthrough victory, I mean, what -- do you feel like a totally different guy now, you know what I mean? The burden is lifted?
But of course, it was a relief because we have been so close so many times and we have always -- I mean, look at the season last year, I mean, last race we were leading the most laps dicing for the lead when we had a mechanical problem. We had other situations last year where we were really competitive and running up front and always something happens. This year we have had two poles and four front-row starts and in Nazareth it was -- we were clearly class of the field there. We had a really, really good -- the Lola Ford so good there, it was like stealing candies from or taking candy from kids. It was really, really good. But still we ended up second and it has been so many times that, you know, we have been around running up there and now finally we got that first win and that feels, of course, great. As I said, it is like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I am very happy about that and for myself but also for the whole Team Rahal Shell team because we -- they have worked very hard to get this result. Question: Following up, from what you just delineated, all those examples, do you feel strength now from the standpoint of making not only getting that first win, but making a legitimate run at the Championship now? Do you feel like you have really got a solid effort behind you?
But certainly we want to win more, you know, and sure, we have high expectations in Team Rahal because we have a very solid group with a lot of knowledgeable people there, you know, including mechanics, engineers, team managers and drivers and everything and Ford, Shell, good solid partners we work with, and so we feel that we have a good foundation to make a quest for the Championship. But we have to improve. That's the name of the game. We have got to stay focused. We have got to improve. We can't relax just because we won a race. We need this positive energy, but, you know, we've got to stay focused and keep making improvements. Question: Now that this first one is behind you, how do you keep the momentum going into Milwaukee and so on through the season?
We certainly have areas where we can still improve and we keep focus on that and keep improving ourselves in different areas and just go along with it. That's how it needs to be done. Question: What are some of those areas that you feel the team needs to improve on?
Driving - you have to improve the driving. You have to improve every aspect of the team to keep developing. It never stops. Because if you stop then you get overtaken before you know it. Question: Isn't it interesting that you guys have come in from other series and also European racing being used to roads always wind up winning first on an oval?
Question: Do you like ovals that much or that's just the way the ball bounces, so to speak?
Question: I don't know, maybe the team is more comfortable on ovals. You are looking forward to now a short oval. How are you going to approach this differently than the longer one at Motegi?
But still I think that -- I still think that we have got the best to see when it comes to road racing from ourselves and Milwaukee is a one-mile oval. It is going to be tough to pass. It is more like a Nazareth situation where it is going to be very difficult to pass. So starting position obviously is going to be important. Pit strategy and pit work will be key elements there, of course, together with having a good setup on the car. Question: What did Bob have to say after the race? Did he give you a call?
Question: I guess you will be at Indy this weekend watching some of your compatriots?
Question: I just came on so I don't know if somebody asked this question or not, but I understand that you made front-page headlines in your home country on Sunday. How do you feel about that?
Question: Do they follow CART racing a lot in your country?
Question: How gratifying was it for your team or the Ford folks to be able to go into Honda's home country and to steal another win, so to speak?
But it was kind of funny too because we had a press conference, I think, it was on Tuesday or something before the race and that question came up and -- if Ford was going to able to win the race. And I said I think that obviously we have plans to win the race although I know it is not what the Japanese engine manufacturers want to hear, but that's our plan and there was -- that's the way it went too. So it was good. Question: While the HANS device is mandated at the ovals for CART, are you comfortable with it yet to run it on road courses?
Merrill Cain: Just to follow up on that, yes, the HANS device is required. It is mandatory on ovals this season in CART. It is strongly recommended that the HANS device be used on road courses but not mandatory at this point. Anybody else have a question for Kenny Bräck? Question: I am just interested to know how badly would you like to be back at Indy, you know, do you see it happening next year as soon as -- next year for you possibly getting back there?
Hopefully I will be back next year. I think it is a very strong possibility that I will be there next year. Question: On a one-off basis or with Team Rahal? If I could ask a loaded question...
But it is a big task for any team, you know, because it is a big task to be involved with a CART Racing, it is a lot of work and to be doing Indy, it is another three weeks nearly every day running, so it takes some thinking on how to do that stuff so that neither program would suffer. Question: Your background, far background was road racing and stuff. A driver said the other day that he even when he was road racing in Europe, he felt at his best, like sweeper turns, or the real fast high-speed corners, which of course lends itself when you think about it oval racing. Oval racing just high speed corner after another instead of like little S curves or something in between. I am wondering, you seem extremely comfortable on ovals. Is that one of the reasons why you just like the high-speed turn or what?
Question: I guess a lot of people thought that some guys would be leery of ovals. What is the pure attraction of the oval for you, Kenny, because of the feel or the speed or what?
Question: I was asking you the other day about whether you felt like you have got that solid effort behind you to go for the Championship. It wasn't like -- it wasn't a slam at your team or anything. I am just wondering though, you know, it seems like everything is -- has come to fruition here from the standpoint of you all thought you would have a real great, really solid car on the ovals and you do. Of course, you were a little bit maybe surprised to a certain extent by how strong your car was on the first couple of road courses or street courses. I am just wondering has that given you like a really solid feeling right now about what you have got under you? You understand what I am saying, about going into the rest of the season?
So I think we have a good chance. We just got to keep our momentum, keep our focus, and keep building on the success we have and keep strengthening our weaknesses. Merrill Cain: With that, we will wrap it up for today. I would like to thank Kenny Bräck for joining us this afternoon. Kenny, again, congratulation on the weekend last week at Motegi. Best of luck in the Miller Lite 225 at the Milwaukee Mile on June 3rd and for the remainder of the season.
Merrill Cain: Thank to all of you who took the time to participate in the CART Media Teleconference and have a good day.
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