I know where my priorities lie.

I guess good things come to those who wait.

It's better sometimes to be lucky than good.

My father instilled in me a love for racing.

Jimmie Johnson is putting a whoopin' on everybody!

I'm on probation, so I can't even pick my nose the right way.

I never did any of things I was accused of. It was a total fabrication.

I just always dreamed of racing cars, but I didn't think I could do it as a living.

You really don't put a value on your first win, it is priceless no matter where you are.

This 51 Phoenix Racing team, I love them to death. They've got my back, I've got theirs.

I wouldn't say it came easy, but I understood how to win and I determined how I could do it.

Each driver has their own identity and from one week to another, normally it stays the same.

Dale Earnhardt told me it doesn't matter if fans boo or cheer, as long as they're making noise.

James Finch is exactly what I'm looking for, as far as getting back into the race car to have fun.

It's just that fun atmosphere, working on the car, being with the guys. This is exactly what I needed.

You think I'm a pretty good race car driver? Wait until you see my brother. He's the best driver in the family.

I'm technologically challenged, so I finally hooked up Bluetooth in my truck so I can talk going down the road.

That's what I try to do each and every week is give my best effort and not give up, no matter what comes at us.

Is my strike zone bigger than others? Yeah. It might be bigger than others, but I don't have a problem with it.

The Daytona 500 is a big race, and Darlington is just as big of an event, and a lot of people get excited for it.

I've been fined probably more than any driver, and I've probably paid it out of my own pocket more than any driver.

I feel like we're a very good top-10 car, but we really have to work hard and find a unique way to get these top fives.

You know, its just a matter of working through the pitfalls sometimes and working through the challenges that lie ahead.

You know, it's just a matter of working through the pitfalls sometimes and working through the challenges that lie ahead.

James Finch has always had pretty stout cars for the restrictor-plate races and I know we'll be very competitive at Daytona.

There are a lot of lessons that you learn, and you have to learn them quickly if you want to be competitive at this top level.

There are going to be little victories that we claim, even if it's finishing 15th and putting the car back in hauler without a scratch on it.

Newman and I were friends. We were great teammates, and he needs to check his trophy case on that Daytona 500 trophy I helped him get years ago.

I also appreciate the lasting friendships I've made while working with our great sponsors through the years, including Miller Lite, Shell and Dodge.

It's almost therapeutic driving there and driving back (to North Carolina), with the time you get to think about things as well as create checklists.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I took time to reflect on what is most important to me and realized I need to find a way to put the fun back into racing.

I am grateful to Penske Racing for six very productive years. Together we won a lot of races - 16 in all. I'm proud that we won on a variety of tracks.

I feel comfortable around every driver out there and each driver is in charge of their own car, but you feel very secure racing the competition out there.

Just a ton of excitement, and the way the guys are together on this, they're looking at me to grow and to learn, and I'm looking at them to grow and to learn.

This is like my dad's race team where we had one Legend car. If we wrecked it, we couldn't race the next week unless we had enough parts to put it back together again.

Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it allows me to take a deep breath and work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person.

When Jimmie Johnson goes out early and finishes 35th, as he did Sunday, he can look at the cameras, lament about it being a tough day, and then say, 'We'll just try to get them next week at Darlington'.

It was such a dramatic escalator that I was on. It was at 90 degrees. I was going straight up like a rocket ship into space. And I was thrown in with the sharks. They said sink or swim in this Cup deal.

When Jimmie Johnson goes out early and finishes 35th, as he did Sunday, he can look at the cameras, lament about it being a tough day, and then say, 'We'll just try to get them next week at Darlington.'

It's an opportunity of a lifetime to be teamed up with (Kevin) Harvick, with Tony (Stewart), Danica (Patrick). Us four in the same meetings, it could be hell or could be great. I'm just kidding about the hell part.

So there is going to be that balance of understanding how to get the best out of the car that day, whether it's 15th or even if I have a shot at a top 10, protecting that car so we can bring it back when we have to.

What we do is just race hard on the track every week. That's the way I'd like it to be documented, and if we watch the tape, we'll see that the No. 48 swerved into us first and I know that, before even watching the tape.

That's what race fans love to see. That's what they bought this ticket for. That's what they're sitting in the grandstands rooting on their favorite driver for is to see him get out there, mix it up clean and bring it home just like we were, third and fourth.

There's steps that I've taken already, and each week, talking with the sports psychologist on a routine basis and working with the different programs that we're going through. This is all stuff that you can say you're going to make a difference, but I'm putting it into action.

There wouldn't be any way I could have jumped into Cup with the success I had without the truck series. I wish I had more time to spend there. There are so many things the truck teaches you about aerodynamics, the professional ranks of racing, and working with a professional team.

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