>>> Continued from previous message
WHAT WAS THE FINAL STRAW IN LEAVING FORMULA ONE AND HOW DID YOU JUSTIFY
TAKING A PAY CUT? "I don't think you're going to be happy getting more money
and being miserable all day. When I called Chip I said, 'Chip you know what.
I want to come back racing, and I think the best place to do racing is here.'
Chip told me I needed to convince him if I really wanted to do this. He
actually asked my father if I really wanted to do this, and he said he'd
never seen me more convinced. It's that simple. It's not how many millions
you're making or how much money you're making. It's a matter of three years
down the line are you going to be excited about what you're doing or not. I
think three years from now when I look at my career I'm going to be happier
here. Chip is an honest person and he tells you how it is. He knows I'll give
him an honest answer and that's why the relationship always worked."

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT NASCAR? "If it was not racing I would not be coming
here. I want to work with Chip and have a lot of fun. I'm going to enjoy it.
What's your ultimate goal? For me it's racing. Formula One is very exciting
cars and technology. I'll take that away from Formula One, but anyone who
watches the races knows it's not the most exciting thing you can watch. How
hard is it to pass a car in Formula One? You pass 'em and you touch wheels
and you're an animal."

DO YOU THINK YOUR FANS WILL FOLLOW YOU TO NASCAR? "I think it works both
ways. I'm sure I'll lose some fans and gain others. I'll get some sponsors
here in America and for them to see me week in and week out will be great.
I'm from Columbia and from Miami there is a three-hour flight. To be able to
help NASCAR expend into the Latin market with a Hispanic driver is good. I
think we're all winners here."

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ADAPT TO NASCAR? "When I started racing cars in
Columbia there were some Trans Ams there at the time. I raced those for about
a year and had a lot of fun. I've driven big cars. I've driven a lot of
different things. It's going to take me time. It's a challenge and that's one
of the reasons to do it. It's a great challenge and there are great drivers
out here."

ANY CHANCE YOU'LL BE MOVING TO NORTH CAROLINA? "I've got a place in Miami.
I'm thinking about renting a place there because I've got to spend a lot of
time there this winter testing the cars and learning the people I'm going to
work with. I've got to build a good relationship. I think that's a key to
success, being happy with the people you're working with and having them
believing in you."

WHAT IF THIS DOESN'T WORK? "I think at the beginning it would not surprise
me. There are great drivers here and it's a completely different form of
racing. It's going to take time to learn. People are going to expect me to
come in and win, and they're going to think the same thing you just asked. I
think if you read the press release you'll see it's a multi-year deal. Why is
it a multi-year deal? Because it's going to take some time to learn. The
ultimate goal is of course winning, but it's not going to be easy. I know
there's going to be races we're going to be hanging out in 30th place and
you've just got to be happy to bring the car home and happy you can race the
next weekend. You might bring the car home fifth or 10th or 15th. You have so
many races. If you have a bad race in Formula One you've got to wait two or
three weeks for another one. Here you have a bad race, the next week you just
keep going on and on. I think it's always important to respect the other guys
and the guys will respect you. If they trust you, you'll be in good shape."

HOW MUCH WAS IT BEING TIRED OF F-1 AND HOW MUCH WAS IT WANTING TO BE IN CUP?
"If it was more to get out of it, I would probably call Chip for his IRL
team. I've won there, and I could be competitive. He's got a winning car
there. Knowing they had a seat available here, it was a pretty exciting
challenge. My family is welcomed, and I'm welcomed and that's exciting. My
wife asked me if I was sure I wanted to do the Busch races. I said if you've
got a choice between sitting in the motorhome or sitting in the racecar and
learning, I'll take the racecar."

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