Inside the Garage: Hall of Fame Racing's P. Lopez (cont'd)

Q: You were tapped to build Hall of Fame Racing from the ground up; yet another bullet on your racing resume. What was it like and what new perspectives did you gain from the experience?

Lopez: I literally walked into a dark building, not sure where the money was going to come from. I went to Staples and bought a pad of paper and started from scratch. I had a lot of support and direction from Joe Gibbs and I knew the car side of things very well. The front office side was new to me. I was always on the other side of what I call "Carpet Land." I knew I could do it, I didn't shy away. I had great owners who didn't second guess me. I learned patience when putting a plan together and it's helped me become a better manager. Joe Gibbs said to me 'you'll be successful based on the people you hire' and that's what I did.

Q: The No. 96 team is showing improvement over last season. What do you attribute that to?

Lopez: We are making progress, heading in the right direction, but we want to be better. When you are running between 13 and 17, you're in no-man's zone. No one pays attention, it's not the top 10 but it's not the end; it's no-man's zone. The biggest improvement is our qualifying averages are getting better. Last year we were the worst at 34th. Now we are around 23.

Q: In Talladega you see a lot of drafting partners aligned on the track and many unofficial alliances play out on the track. Sometimes actions even off the track lead to alliances, or in the case of Bodine vs. Bowyer, just the opposite.

Lopez: Yes they exist and some do it for the strangest reasons. Some guys do it because their wives shop together, others do it under team orders. When it comes to Tony [Raines], we seem to always be in the helping position, not the benefiting position. We're not getting a lot of help right now and it's really our reputation. Here, [Talladega] you've got 42 cars who all want to help the 8 car. And drivers always help the leaders because they want to finish second.

Q: The tiff on the track between Raines and Juan Montoya: Water under the bridge?

Lopez: I hope not, it makes for interesting print. They've talked and see eye-to-eye but we still have a wrecked car because someone acted liked an immature brat and wrecked us on purpose. Drivers apologize to each other but never the crew; it's funny because it hurts the crew the most. It doesn't sit well with the guys at the shop who have to fix the car. [Montoya] might make Tony's Christmas card list, but not the guys at the shop.

Q: You've been in the NASCAR industry for nearly two decades and witnessed major evolutions in the sport. Some say it's shedding its redneck image to walk the red carpet. Tell us some of your likes and dislikes.

Lopez: That's hard to explain, it's so different now. When I first started, it was a car guy's club; all the sponsors were automotive based. NASCAR has done a lot to grow the sport and made some positive changes. Are they doing everything right? No. I'm not a fan of the COT. That was a reaction to a tragic death and there was nothing we couldn't have added or changed to the current car to enhance safety.

As for the image, 30 years ago it was strictly racecars on a track. Those who've accepted that this is an entertainment business, they are doing OK; those who insist it's only a sport are no longer with us.

Q: So if you could be NASCAR president Mike Helton for a day ...

Lopez: Ha, I'd get rid of the COT and tell everybody we made a big mistake. Kidding.

Q: You've worked with NASCAR royalty. In 1997, when the late Dale Earnhardt was forming Dale Earnhardt Inc. you were hand-picked by Earnhardt to become the team's first employee and in 2000, you were crew chief for Rick Mast at A.J. Foyt Racing and helped Mast scored two top-10 finishes and that was after you served as crew chief for Darrell Waltrip at Carter-Haas Motorsports in 1999.

Lopez: It was neat to watch the Dale and Darrell owner and driver relationship. For me that was the most fun. A.J. had good intentions, he's obviously a legend, but the Indy Racing League was always his first love, the [Cup] team wasn't.

Q: OK this is random but what's with the elephant in the DLP [team sponsor Texas Instruments] commercial with your driver Tony ... why the elephant?

Lopez: No other reason than to make you ask that question, so you will remember the commercial.