Chad Quotes

So I'm always hearing about how the 48 guys are so low-key and well-mannered that they're boring. Now, it's true that they tend to keep their shirts on for the media, but if you think they're not passionate enough, I'm here to prove that it just isn't so. In fact, I should warn you - if your virgin ears can't take a few four-letter words, I would recommend that you move on to the next post. If you're up to the challenge, though, just click the "Read more" link.


"Little f..."
(Michael Waltrip almost causes Chad to make another "donation" to the FCC on This Week in NASCAR, '08. See it on YouTube.)

"Put your cape on."
(Radio chatter, Atlanta 10/08.)

"Watch it! WATCH IT!!! Watch it... S***, sorry, didn't mean to yell in your ear."
(Pit road radio chatter, Texas 11/08. See it on YouTube.)

Jimmie: "I cannot get over the fact of how these f***in’ idiots race sometimes!"
Chad: "I know, dude, if we can get you up a little closer to the front we'll, uh, we'll be a lot better off. I mean, I think it's ridiculous, I don't even know who the f*** is in the 70; that **** shouldn't even be on the racetrack, we know that. Why he's racing us so hard, I have no clue."
(Jr.'s impact on HMS is not exactly what Rick had in mind. Yeah right, like they weren't always like that! Radio chatter, Homestead '08. See it on YouTube at about 2:55.)

Q. Was this race kind of sort of like a microcosm of y'all's season? You've kind of been in the shadows, but doing what you need to do, and you're obviously going to be in the Chase, but at the last minute there's the 48 again doing what they've always done.
CHAD KNAUS: What does 'microcosm' mean (laughter)?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It's a big word. I think I know what it means (laughter). Now I forgot the question (laughter).
(Encyclopedia Johnson to the rescue at Indy '09. For the record, Jimmie does go on to answer the question like a normal person.)

"We brought a different race car; a car that we thought was going to be better than we had in the spring. Man, I am glad it worked 'cause I would have looked pretty dumb if it hadn't."
(Chad divulges the big secret to racing success. Dover 9/09.)

"There's a lot of people out there that they get to the top, you know, football players, baseball players, racers for that matter. They get to the top and they're like, oh, I made it. I've got a big house, a cool plane, man, let's party on Monday. Jimmie does the opposite. He wakes up on Monday morning, 8:00 o'clock. Gets on the treadmill. Goes to work. Watches what he eats and pays attention to details. If I need to talk to him on the telephone, he answers the call. He doesn't call me back two days later. It's a commitment to his lifestyle. It's a part of his life. If you want to win races in this industry in today's day and age, you have to give that type of commitment. If you don't, you're not going to win."
(Chad on commitment, Dover 9/09. Hey, but what about all those times Chad has to go driving around looking for Jimmie because he's out wandering through the neighborhood with his toolbox again?)

"But as far as sending a message, I hope it does. I hope people talk about it. Like I said earlier, I hope people are worried. I hope people are talking about the fact that we tire tested and it's wrong. All these people can get wound up about stuff that really doesn't matter."
(Chad playing those famous Knaus mind games again, muahaha! Dover 9/09.)

Chad: "'K, so just go like hell!"
Jimmie: "Copy 'go like hell.'"
(Radio chatter, Fontana 10/09.)

Chad: "[Tells Jimmie his time]. You picked up two tenths out there."
Jimmie: "I am going to come down pit road and strangle you if you're going to be like this!"
Chad: "I was trying to tell you what a good job you were doing!"
(Jimmie mistakenly infers a bit of sarcasm on Chad's part. Radio chatter, Charlotte 10/09.  Chad's reply may not be exact - I'm doing that part from memory - but that's pretty much it.)

"It could've been a frickin' train crossing thing coming down and he [Jimmie] wouldn't have seen it!"
(Chad explains why it wouldn't have made a difference if the light was further back from the commitment line at Talladega. TWIN, 11/2/09.)

"I had to ride him like a jockey!"
(After being asked by Dave Moody on Sirius Speedway how much he had to restrain Jimmie from throwing caution to the wind and trying to win the race at Homestead. 11/09.)

"Hey, some guy just flipped me off in his car!" ... "Merry Christmas, buddy!"
(LMFAO. To which Moody quips, "Mark Martin fans, they're everywhere!" Same interview, 11/09.)

"People who say 'you can't win them all' are somebody's mom who just lost a game."
(I think I screwed this one up a little, sorry...bad memory. Same interview, 11/09.)

Miscellaneous

"I do whatever I can to make my guys pumped up. And if I feel like telling my driver he is better than the 20 car in a particular run, and that pumps up my driver and that hurts Tony's feelings, well, I'm sorry."
(Ooh, my boys are getting feisty at each other!)

The crew chief nowadays ... it's not just setting up the car. It's watching the guys, making sure they're all doing it, making sure this guy is dressed right and he's clean-shaven and all that kind of stuff, all those little things that truly contribute to the performance of the team."
(Hey, Chad? I think you forgot to tell Jimmie about the clean-shaven part for most of this season. But it's okay; as a Stewart fan, I approve of that look.)