BOBBY EAST – No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150 – IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE SEEN YOU IN THE CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? “I’ve been racing quite a bit still in Sprint [USAC] cars and in the Nationwide Series last year. Other than that, I’ve been hanging out with these guys on the Zaxby’s Ford F-150 team and getting ready to go for this weekend.”
HOW EAGER ARE YOU TO GET BACK INTO THE TRUCK? “I’m real eager. I felt that by the end my [first full] season in the trucks [2006], I was getting real comfortable. We had a great test at Darlington earlier this year and I really like the way these Roush Fenway Ford F-150 drive. I think we’ll be fast this weekend.”
ON RACING AT KANSAS. “Usually when you come here, the wind is a bit of a factor. Right now, it’s already shifted twice this morning. I’m kind of paying attention to that. The track has pretty good grip, it’s a fantastic facility. I’m just going to keep on top of the wind and the different rubbers between the ARCA, the IndyCars and us. If we just stay on top of that, I think we’ll be fine. I like this track. I really like racing here. The groove gets wide by the end of the race. It should be fun.”
HOW DO YOU ADJUST TO THE WIND? “You’ve just got to know if you’re truck is loose getting into three and the wind is shoving you down in there, it’s probably more the reason why. You don’t want to over adjust because of the that because the wind is likely to turnaround and get blown right back into your face in turn three. I’ll just be asking the guys throughout the day. It’s not so much me adjusting, it’s knowing which way the wind is going so we’re not over adjusting on the truck.”
ON WORKING WITH CREW CHIEF CHAD NORRIS. “Chad’s been great. We had a good test at Darlington. We’re working on our communication. He’s an extremely smart guy and great crew chief. I’m hoping that Chad and the entire team elevates me and my driving ability in stock cars.”
WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE THIS SEASON? “I’ll be racing in Texas, Michigan, Las Vegas and four more after that, including Memphis and ORP, the two short tracks. In between all the truck races, I’ll be doing a lot of Sprint Car and Midget races.”
HOW DO YOU ADJUST BETWEEN THE USAC CAR AND THE TRUCKS? “You don’t really adjust. You just get in and drive the cars accordingly and how they need to be driven.”
ON TEAMMATES ERIK DARNELL AND COLIN BRAUN. “Colin Braun, Erik Darnell, Travis Kvapil and Carl Edwards have all been able to help me. All the crew chiefs in the trucks and Nationwide side, I’ve been able to pull from each one of them and just kind of filter their info into making it a good weekend.”
