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Question:
Where are you calling from today?
Alex Barron:
I'm testing for Goodyear at Fontana with the Penske team today.
Question:
When you started the season, were you mentally prepared for all the changes
that have happened to you, or were you 100% sure that you would be driving
the Eagle for All American Racers the entire season?
Alex Barron:
I was 100% sure that I was going to be in the car the whole time. It was a
pretty big shock. It was something that happened over a period of just a
couple of days. It was unexpected to say the least.
Question:
This was your second season running champcars?
Alex Barron:
Yeah. I ran Toyota Atlantic in '97. I was fortunate enough to be with a
real good team, the Lynx Team. We won the championship the first year out.
That's what gave me the opportunity to test in a champcar, and everything
followed from there.
Question:
Is there one race that you were especially disappointed not to be able to run
this season?
Alex Barron:
Yeah, I really wanted to run Mid-Ohio and Elkhart Lake, those are two of my
favorite tracks, so it was just unfortunate that everything came to an end
then.
Question:
Was it hard to go from a very intense work and travel schedule of racing and
testing to having a lot of time to yourself?
Alex Barron:
Yeah, but sometimes that's good. Obviously I'd rather be racing, but I've
had a chance to think about a lot of things, and it's kind of opened up my
vision of what really should be done.
Question:
What was your first plan of attack to regroup?
Alex Barron:
The base thing is that you're just looking at it like you're out of a ride,
but after a couple of weeks passed by I realized that I might have a better
opportunity to race another car, because Roger Penske said that if I got
released from my contract he'd put me in for Michigan. The Michigan race was
definitely my favorite event this season. It was the first time I was in a
position to pass cars pretty frequently throughout the race. Unfortunately we
stopped 120 laps in, but it was a really good feeling, kind of a breath of
fresh air to be able to pass people. Any time you're able to move up in the
field that quickly it's a good feeling.
Question:
Did you drive both a Lola and a Penske chassis for the Penske Team?
Alex Barron:
We ran a Penske at Michigan. We did run a half-day at Mid Ohio in the Lola,
but that wasn't a real successful test.
Question:
What are your impressions of the different packages you've tried this year?
Alex Barron:
I think the big thing is it just depends on which track you're at, the
different cars are going to have different goods and bads about them.
Obviously the Penske chassis seems to be the best on superspeedways, the Lola
seems like it produces a lot of downforce in road course trim, but at the
same time you're trying to develop a package that you don't have a lot of
time in, and unfortunately you just can't do that in the middle of the season.
Question:
Do you think you have some special knowledge having done most of your
champcar racing on a developmental chassis?
Alex Barron:
Yeah, I think when you're trying to develop something that nobody else has
you search a little deeper. I think it keeps your eyes open a bit more and
you learn some things that you wouldn't if you did have that proven package.
Question:
Do you ever find yourself commiserating in the paddock with other drivers who
are struggling with their developmental chassis like PJ Jones was?
Alex Barron:
Oh yeah, drivers talk from time to time. I think you can pretty much see it
too if you're there every weekend at the track, you see every session and you
see what goes on. It's pretty much self-explanatory if you just are there
week in and week out.
Question:
Have you attended all the races that you weren't entered in this year?
Alex Barron:
Yeah, I've been at every event searching for a ride. I've got a few things
going now, I just hope that they pan out here soon.
Question:
Do you have an agent helping you to find a ride for next season?
Alex Barron:
I've got somebody that's working with me right now. I think some things have
come up in the last month and hopefully they'll work out for me.
Question:
Which of the teams do you think are the most likely to put a driver in a
position to win races?
Alex Barron:
Well I think you've got to go with the ones that have been winning, which
have been Team Kool Green and Chip Ganassi. I think the Rahal ride seems to
be real good right now. And then you've got some the other teams that show
good speed from time to time, but unfortunately that just doesn't get you in
to an opportunity to win a championship, so you got to be there every weekend
and that's the kind of team you need to be with.
Question:
Who's your pick to win the championship, Franchitti or Montoya?
Alex Barron:
[Laughs] I wouldn't say really, I think they both have a real shot at it.
It seems like Montoya shows a bit more speed at times. You know he's pretty
aggressive. I think Dario's going to have a bit of an advantage because
he's already raced at the five remaining tracks, and he knows the
characteristics of the races. I think that's going to help him a bit.
Question:
What did you think about that accident in Chicago between Andretti and Tracy?
Alex Barron:
It's real hard to say, I mean things happened pretty quick. It just looked
to me like both drivers were being pretty aggressive. It's hard to say from
five seconds of onboard camera footage exactly who's fault it was.
Question:
It kind of blew both of their championship hopes out of the water.
Alex Barron:
Yeah it sure did. It's unfortunate. Sometimes you've got to throw out the
ego to try to win something.
Question:
Do you expect to announce your plans for next season before or after you race
for Penske at Fontana?
Alex Barron:
It's hard to say. It's so hard to get a ride in this series, a competitive
one. That's one thing I don't want to do, I don't want to put myself in a
position where I'm going to be at the back. I want to get something where I
know there's a future.
Question:
You must feel confident that you can put on another good showing at Fontana
if you need to.
Alex Barron:
I'll be running Fontana for Penske, so that's one event I get to look forward
to. As of now that's all I have going for the rest of the season.
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