Respect and resolve key to Gustafson, Martin success (cont'd)

Q: We in the media hear Mark give his "Aw, shucks, pinch me I'm dreaming ... Alan is the greatest" routine quite frequently. Do you get to hear it, too? And what do you think about his high praise for you?

Gustafson: To be with him all the time, I love his quirky habits. He gets pretty anxious and nervous. He's been doing this for 25 years, but he still gets the butterflies, still has the passion. I think it's awesome for a guy to be as accomplished as he is, to be 50 years old, to be so successful and so respected, and still see him go through the same things a rookie goes through. That shows me his love for the sport and his commitment to the sport, how much it means to him.

It's flattering to hear some of the things he says about me and the team, and to read some of those things. But at the same time, I know the reasons we're doing well and we've got to continue to work hard and do the same things that got us here. It's special to me that we can help Mark perform at a high level.

Q: How different has it been being crew chief for Kyle Busch vs. Mark Martin?

Gustafson: Mark did not become a good race-car driver and a good communicator overnight. Same with me. It takes years and years and years. So I think a little bit of it is getting to a point and a position where you can get results out of it. If I compare my experiences with Kyle to my experiences with Mark, well, with Kyle we had good communication -- but neither one of us was at the level we're at now.

Q: You did want to make it clear that you became and still remain friends with Kyle, but that's not really enough, is it?

Gustafson: It's not just that you get along and you communicate. That doesn't guarantee that you'll have success. You've got to have all the other things behind you, too, including equipment and a loyal, committed team.

But I do think to be at the tippity-top-top, you've got to work very hard and it helps a lot to genuinely like who you're in that relationship with. One of the things that helps me with Mark, and I think helps him with me, is that if we had the choice, we would spend time together. That helps when you're around each other so much and you have similar interests.

Q: It helps to have a good crew behind you, too, doesn't it?

Gustafson (who is now 34): Don't forget I was 25 once, too. I've had my struggles along the way and I'm just trying to help those guys who work on that car reach their full potential and encourage them and let them do what they can do. I'm proud of them because what we're doing on the race track is them; it's not me. The only thing I've had to do with that is encouraging them and giving them opportunity to reach their full potential.

Q: It's really sort of a mutual respect thing all the way around that works for you and your team, isn't it?

Gustafson: The mutual respect really allows us to do what we do. I've been with other drivers in the past where if you disagree with them, they take offense. And they get mad. They feel like you are in some way, shape or form degrading them -- and that's tough.

That makes my job really easy with Mark. He knows I'm not questioning his ability. He knows I think he's the best guy for the job in this series. He knows if I say we ought to go in another direction, it's because I think it's in the best interests of him and the team. But some drivers will take that as an insult.

Also, the proof is in the pudding. If I say something like that, I'd better be right. When you've got a great team behind you, like Mark and I do, fortunately that enables us to be right the great majority of the time.