Q. You guys have run three cars before. Kind of talk about some of the advantages of having a three‑car team and also some of the disadvantages?
TIM CINDRIC: I wasn't here, to be honest. I haven't worked in a three‑car team that's run full season that way. So I can only tell you from my limited experience on a part‑time three‑car basis or what I see in the past. The challenge there is, obviously, I would say it's very different from when Penske ran a three‑car operation before. Because a three‑car operation in the '90s, when the rules were more open and you could actually create a lot of different pieces and parts. From my vantage point it was very difficult to ever put three cars out there that had identical opportunities. Because in the R & D sectors, you were constantly evolving the car. So to provide one that was ready to run, let alone three of them that are ready to run, it's a very difficult game.
The game that exists now to where the majority of the pieces that are readily available to run multi‑car teams at the same level is much more obtainable and much more realistic than what it was in the '90s and the '80s. So it was a much bigger challenge to have three cars running up front, in my opinion, than what it is now.
Now, it's obviously logistics. You still have to have the right people. You have to have the right drivers, and you still have to execute. But having the pieces and parts available and put together in a way that they're equally competitive, that opportunity is a lot better than it was in the past. So I certainly think it can be an advantage, because of the limited testing that you have – if you have people that can work together, which is the key. If I felt like we had one of these guys couldn't work with the other guy, then it wouldn't make any sense in my opinion to try to make it happen, because you'd end up doing the opposite.
So that's my vantage point of where it is. I can't tell you that I've managed or worked in an operation that's run a three‑car full season. But I saw enough of it last year where I think the good is certainly going to outweigh the rest.
Q. What is your biggest disadvantage to the three‑car thing?
TIM CINDRIC: The biggest disadvantage is some days you're taking points away from each other. Some days it's difficult to hold one guy. There's a lot of days where you wonder, ‘Hey, is that the right thing to do or not, in terms of letting them race?' And we've always been in a position where you let it happen as it happens and see where it all ends up.
The guys have been around enough to where they've been in different positions, whether it's a supporting role or the guy that's running for the championship. You don't give everybody a spot, but you certainly cut them a break when you understand that they're running for a championship. Whether they're your teammate or not.
Q. How does your three‑driver arrangement play off against Jay Penske's (Luczo Dragon Racing) program? Or does Jay have a program?
TIM CINDRIC: As far as I know Jay has a program. But while Jay's obviously Roger's son in name, he runs a completely independent program from what we operate. So there's really no crossover or interaction there, aside from we do whatever Jay needs. He's obviously a friend of ours. Very close to our organization. But from a technical exchange standpoint, there is none.
Q. Under a pressing situation in a race, say you have a sudden yellow, you wouldn't want to bring all three of your guys in at the same time, would you? How do you normally do that with two cars? You want them one at a time or two at a time? How does that work?
TIM CINDRIC: You pit when you need to pit, and whatever happens happens.
Q. Will's an aggressive guy, but, he seems to kind of know when to turn it on and when not to. How rare a quality is that? You've got a young aggressive guy like Brad Keselowski over there in Cup, and a lot of times in the Nationwide Series from a time or two, a lot of people think he's aggressive. How difficult is that for a driver like in Will's situation that kind of has that balance?
TIM CINDRIC: The good ones from the average ones. The ones who find that balance are the ones who are typically winning the championships and are successful. And the ones who can admit that they made a mistake are usually the ones that don't make that mistake again.