Ray Evernham (center) with his drivers Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne. Credit: Autostock

Conversation: Ray Evernham

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When Ray Evernham first visited the garage area at Daytona International Speedway more than 25 years ago, he was summarily thrown out of the hallowed area for not having the proper credentials.

So when he paid a special visit to Daytona recently to view the progress in the multi-million dollar renovation and reconstruction project, Evernham had a special perspective -- not only on the project, but also on his career.

He said he would have loved to help with the bulldozing that took place in the first two weeks of construction, and that especially after NASCAR's template changes before this season, he would've had plenty of junk body parts to use as clean fill.

Evernham won two Daytona 500s with Jeff Gordon, a driver with whom he teamed to win three NASCAR championships at Hendrick Motorsports. These days Evernham is one of the lead owners in Dodge's Nextel Cup program, with full-time drivers Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne, and with a part-time effort for former Cup champion Bill Elliott.

After his business at Daytona was done, Evernham sat down with NASCAR.COM senior writer Dave Rodman to discuss his perspective on the growth of the sport, the Chase for the Nextel Cup and Elliott's role in his team.

EVERNHAM MOTORSPORTS •   Team Page •   Bill Elliott •   Kasey Kahne •   Jeremy Mayfield •   Mayfield takes Newman's place in the Chase •   Kahne's quick success impresses Evernham

Q: How are you looking at these next few races leading up to the cutoff for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, considering that you have two drivers, Mayfield and Kahne, in contention?

Ray Evernham: We're not looking at it any differently than the way that we approached the Daytona 500, here in February. You really can't try any harder, because we try as hard as we can every week.

What you've just to make sure of is that you stay on your game plan and you use judgment as far as how far out on a limb you go to take a chance, whether it's with some new, experimental part or something that's (potentially) going to break.

We've done a lot of testing (and) I feel like we're prepared. We feel like our weakness in the last five races (before the cutoff) would be Watkins Glen; and we did the best we could far as preparing for that (where Mayfield and Kahne finished seventh and 14th, respectively).

I think Michigan, California and even Richmond, even though we ran bad there in the spring, I think we're prepared for those places, with some of the testing we've done. We've just got to go and race as hard as we can and not make any mistakes.

Q: Is your preparation any different heading down to the cutoff for the Chase than it has been in prior years?

Evernham: No. Again, in all the prior years, you were trying to earn your way to a spot on the stage in New York (at the awards banquet), which was very important.

We're still trying to do that same thing. But right now I have two shots at it so I want to make sure that we dot the i's and cross the t's and if we don't make it, it's not because of something we could have controlled.

Q: Standing here in the infield at Daytona, from 1978, when you got thrown out of the garage area, to today with the way the facility has grown, the sport has grown and so has your role in the sport. Reflect a little bit on that, would you?

Evernham: Sometimes it's really hard to reflect, because at that time, you're a young guy and you're racing and you want to get in and be around the big stars, but you have no concept (of what it's really all about).

You want to get here, but you really don't know that you ever can. You want to believe that if you work hard, some day you'll get here. I guess that's everybody's dream.

But to have been escorted out of the garage area (laughing) for not having the right passes, to now being asked to come back and talk about the renovation of all the garage areas here is just amazing.

I'm proud, and happy that we earned our way into the No. 1 (champion's) garage at Daytona for a while and that we've been to Victory Lane here.

Credit: Autostock

Again, in this sport, because we run so hard and so fast, that we sometimes don't get a lot of time to reflect; so certainly a day like today makes you think of how lucky you've been and what a great ride it is and how fortunate you are to be involved in this sport.

Q: Moving ahead to 2004, at Evernham Motorsports, putting aside talk of a veteran team, for Jeremy and a rookie team, for Kasey; you've got to be enthused to have two competitive Nextel Cup Series teams, week in and week out?

Evernham: I really am proud of the guys. We've taken the approach that it's one team that races two cars, and that's worked for us, really, really well. I think the fact of the old group IQ thing: 'none of us is as smart as all of us' is really working.

Jeremy, Bill and Kasey are really all working good together, figuring out different tracks. Our crew chiefs, the engineers, everybody really works on that program and the cars are never really separated until Sunday, when they're on the racetrack.

Q: The new Evernham chassis was used by two of your three teams at Indianapolis. You've got to be pretty excited the way your in-house chassis program has worked out?

Evernham: It's been a competitive chassis and we're about ready to put them into full production. I think that they're as good as we can get them, until we start running them some more.

The car's got an awful lot of potential. It's very fast and Jeremy Mayfield finished second with it at Pocono. Kasey was very fast with his at the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Bill has really been running them all year and now capping it off with a top-10 run at Indianapolis.

We really feel like it's time to get these things out there.

Q: During the remaining time to the Chase for the Nextel Cup, are you sleeping well?

Evernham: Yeah, I am -- because you can't worry about it. We've got to do our job and not have any mistakes and perform at the level that we can.

You just can't worry about it. We try as hard as we can every week. We've made some mistakes this year and at times we've just flat got beat. But we've always come back and tried to figure out what we've got to do.

Right now, I think there's a little bit more pressure on the guys that are in seventh on back.

Q: In the chase to the Chase, would you rather be in the position you're in -- chasing your way into that top-10; or would you rather be defending positions in the top 10?

Evernham: Ooooh boy! Again, that's a hard situation. I think it's always a little bit less pressure to be on the offense rather than the defense, no matter what sport you're in.

But I think we'd all like to be in either Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon's position right now (leading the points and locked into the Chase).

Q: If you don't make the Chase for the Cup, how do you assess the season?

Ray Evernham Credit: Autostock

Evernham: I think it's been a good season no matter what. If we don't make the Chase for the Cup I think we'd have to really analyze why. Why weren't we good enough to make it?

But right now, we're planning on getting one of those (two) cars in there so hopefully I won't have to answer that question, here in the next few weeks.

Q: What's your role been in the development of the new, 2005 Dodge racecar?

Evernham: Actually, Evernham Motorsports leads the development program for Dodge. We have a Dodge R&D space in-house, with separate engineers and separate fabricators, and they did the 2005 car for Dodge right in-house.

We did work with Petty Enterprises and some of the other teams on it. We did all the wind tunnel and track testing and did the presentation to NASCAR; so we kind of led that program much like we did with the 2001 Dodge.

Q: The new car, I understand, will be somewhat similar to the current Intrepid racecar. Are you enthused about it?

Evernham: I really am. I think there are going to be some exciting announcements coming from Dodge around the marketing of this car. They're planning a big launch around the Daytona 500.

It's going to be exciting and I think very much like our return in 2001.

Q: What can you say about Bill Elliott? He made a statement at Indy, with a top-10 finish, that he still has what it takes. What's your assessment of Bill based on what he's done for Evernham Motorsports and Dodge this season?

Evernham: He definitely has what it takes. He just doesn't want to do it week in and week out. Bill's as good as anybody on the racetrack.

Indy is a textbook track and Bill is like a fighter pilot precision-type driver. He did a great job there. It's very, very difficult to put together a pick-up team (to compete).

That was our test team. Our pit stops were just not very good. We kept putting him back in the field and he drove back up to a top-10 finish. (Bill) is the guy you want doing all of your technical development and being a coach to the other drivers.

He's a very mentally prepared race driver.

Q: Talk a little bit about Bill's role in the development, not only of the Evernham Chassis, but also your ongoing engine development, and of course, Kasey Kahne's driver development.

Evernham: Again, Bill does all of our technology development on our engine stuff. We run some ideas by him and then we take it to the track, test it and get his feedback along with the computer and he leads us in the direction to go in.

He's been a mentor for Kasey. He's been the big brother, if you will. He's always a phone call away for Kasey. In the beginning of the year he went to several tests with him and gave him some pointers and tried to help him in several areas.

And Jeremy's stepped up and really tried to help Kasey, too and I think in this case it's made the teacher a student a little bit. Right now I couldn't be happier with the way all of the guys and all of the teams are working together.

Q: NASCAR has brought in a gear rule for next season. Are you in favor of that?

Evernham: I'm in favor of stopping the RPM increase. Whether it's a gear rule, or whatever, I'm in favor of them doing something because we spend a lot of money and we keep turning more and more RPM.

Sooner or later, it's no different than cubic inches. You've got to put a limit on it.

Q: We had a tire situation at Indy, with a lot of blown, or cut tires. Whether it was a set-up issue or debris, is that just part of racing?

Evernham: Yeah (it is). Tires have their limit. There was nothing wrong with the tire that Goodyear brought. We sometimes get outside the envelope with camber and (air) pressure.

It's when we get outside those windows that we have problems. It's not the first time it's happened. It's happened several times in the past. That's why Goodyear has recommended pressures and limits on the tires.

A place like Indy creates a lot of front grip, especially on the left front. And the loads that we saw there were probably higher than a lot of people imagined.

Q: You got a pretty slick two-wheeler, a custom motorcycle. You have much time to ride that thing these days?

Evernham: No. Actually, if anyone ever gets a chance to buy any of my used stuff, they'll be good buying it because it doesn't get very many miles on it.

I just don't really have a lot of time. My Durango is red and they call it 'the fire truck.' That spends a lot of time on the road, but other than that I don't get much chance to play with my toys.