Quote of the Week
About taking the lead without rain tires on a wet track: "I can't really describe how nerve-wracking it is when it rains on a street circuit and you're on slicks and you know the championship is on the line and you know if you get through it you're going to have a great race. Unbelievable emotions in the car, trying to tip-toe through some of those corners. These cars are very stiffly sprung and they're 700 horsepower and putting that down on a city street when it's wet is one of the toughest things in racing. I'm just glad I got through that. It was very nerve-wracking. I enjoy racing in the wet, but I prefer rain tires when it's wet. We thought it was just going to sprinkle, and we went through a bit of a wet track, and hoped that that sprinkle would end. You know, we never came in for rain tires, and it was absolutely critical to our win today.
"You never like being out there on slicks – that's not a nice feeling, especially the fast, fourth-gear Turn 11… man, that was crazy! (Team owner and strategist Michael Andretti) said let's just see what happens – he said to me, 'we're going for the championship, you know, and we're gonna do it. Let 's do it. Coming in fourth or fifth isn't going to do anything for us.' I look up to that. That's a pretty great move and it worked out. I had to keep the thing off the walls while it was drying and then when it started drying I had a big smile on my face for sure."