John Hayes 1st Place Talladega Interview

Congratulations Again John!! Back to back wins now from one extreme to another, Road Course to Superspeedway! Your 4th win, and 7th pole of the season? Tell us about you at Talladega?

Well, I was looking forward to Talladega. I enjoy superspeedway racing. I had ran here pretty strong earlier in the year and I was just hoping the guys had gotten the car tuned as well as they had previously.

On the restart with 16 laps to go, did you have any strategy in place to pull it off? Which worked best for you, high or low?

I was at a slight disadvantage on the re-start because both of my teammates had fallen back because of earlier accidents, and there were 3 members of another team in front of me. I had my hands full trying to get by them. As far as what line worked well for me, I would say the low line. I tried running the high line a couple times during the race and my car pushed real bad mid-corner.

What was going through your mind having Don Young, Dann Danley, and Billy Stratton, all 3 teammates all in contention up front with you?

Well, it was apparent that they wanted to keep me behind them but I battled my way to the front and was able to hold them off.

Like any Superspeedway strategy, did you have you have any, lets say, “Deals, or pacts”made with any other drivers?

LOL Yeah, I had partners in the race. Bob Dionne and Bob "Doc" Wigent and they were great teammates, but they unfortunately had some bad luck in the race. I look forward to hooking up with them again though.

4 wins now in the last 6 races, and 5 top 3 finishes out of those 6 races! It definitely can be said you the ‘Hot driver” right now. What would you say is the key to your impressive record as of recent?

Well, to be perfectly honest with you I thinks it's a combination of alot of practice and gaining confidence in my ability to run up front. In the beginning of the season I was making alot of mental errors in the pits and on the track, and the more I race and gain experience the more comfortable I become.

Daytona night is next on the schedule on the 3rd of July. Will you be taking the same car you won with here at Tally to Daytona?

Yeah, most definitely I'll have the same car. I got through the race at Tally with no damage, so it should be good to go for Daytona.

You’re now 46 Points back of the Points Leader, Dann Danley, and only 60 points separating 4 drivers? What does John Hayes have to do from your point of view to win the SORS East Champoinship?

Well, I think I need to keep doing what I have been doing and that's practicing alot, staying out of trouble and staying motivated.

John, Congratulations on your back to back wins here at Talladega and last week at Sears Point. You’re dominating driving performance in the last 6 races. Is there anything you’d like to add or comment on?

I would like to thank Snap-on for being a great sponsor and I would like to thank my teammies at TFR and all the guys in the East.

Mike Steger, SORS EAST race interviewer reporting from Sears Point Raceway