No Worries: “The minute you worry about the points lead is when it gets to you.  I’m the same every week.  Other teams have been worrying too much about this.  They’ve been falling back every week.  We had to wreck in Martinsville to give it to them.  I’m not putting any stock in this championship yet. We started points racing with five to go and we went into Martinsville points racing.  We lost the lead there by only one point, and I had to get extensive damage on my truck to do that.  So all we’ve got to do is win or get a top five in the last three races and we should be fine.  I finished fifth at Phoenix last year. I’ve won every Darlington I’ve entered (two events) and we won Homestead last year.  The last few races are good for our team, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

Beating Harvick’s Streak in Phoenix: “The only way those Harvick trucks are going to be the ones to beat is if Harvick is driving them all.  There is no doubt he has a strong team, but don't count out the other ones that run on a regular basis.  There is no way anyone can say Mike Skinner, Ted Musgrave, Jack Sprague, Dennis Setzer or the BHR trucks don't have a shot at winning in Phoenix.  Just because Harvick's teams have won there twice, something that is very hard to do in our business, you can't count out the rest of the competition just for that.”

Racing In Phoenix: “You race in Phoenix just like everywhere else, smooth and consistent.  It's like the other tracks we go to during the season, you have to race to win.  Winning won't be handed to you in Phoenix, you have to earn it.  The only way to earn it is to be consistent and hit your marks.  It's down to the end of the season, so every race has to count."

Dodge Championship: “Everyone laughs at me each week when it comes time to qualify.  They all know I hate to go to the media center and do interviews.  So, I promise this championship race and being second in the points is not making me lose any sleep.  There is no way that I want to get up on the stage for two hours at the banquet.  I am running so hard for this for Dodge and my team, not myself.  I don’t think just because you are labeled as a championship driver, that all of a sudden you are the best one out there.  It takes time, wins and hard racing to be one of the best each weekend.”

Notes:
• The truck Hamilton is racing in Phoenix is Slim Shady. 
• Hamilton finished 5th last year around the PIR one-mile oval.

Tragedy Strikes Sport: “I was fortunate to know several of the people on the Hendrick plane that crashed going to Martinsville.  It was such a horrible thing and I’ve been thinking about the families of the victims ever since.  It’s such a sad time for the whole organization and the NASCAR family.  Hendrick Motorsports is a top notch group and have made a huge impact on our sport.  When something like that happens to anyone, whether in racing or not, it is total devastation.  There are no words that can describe how you would feel losing a family member.  I think of it every time that Bobby Jr. gets on an airplane and flies to a race track.  I always have him call and check in once he lands and sometimes I feel like I don’t breathe until I hear from him.  Our sport is fast paced, but when tragedy strikes, we all slow down.  It was good to see Jimmie Johnson get the win for that organization.  The way they handled victory lane, as a family, was really neat.”