Because we are getting close to the end of the season it doesn't make sense to press to hard.

Obviously I'm very happy to start the race on the front row. I think I had a good qualifying session and I really pushed hard, especially in the last five laps when Bill Riley was telling me to push harder to avoid ending up in the back. I just kept pushing and pushing and finally got a good lap together. And it was my best. I don't think I could have done any better than that.

I'm really optimistic. We know we have a good, solid package. It will hopefully be easier for us compared to other teams because we've already won the race, so we know basically how to do it. However, there's a new challenge, a new year, a lot more drivers and a lot more teams.

All I saw was this black thing, and I couldn't understand what it was. When I hit it, I thought it should have been bigger because it was big hit. It moved the car, and the steering wheel. I had nothing at the end, and I'm sure Scott pushed it just as hard as me. This race was really tough, but it was for the championship and this was a win we really, really wanted.

I'm really happy with the set-up (of the car). We worked on different aspects in each session. I hope it will be a clean race.

We will have an even better car in Phoenix than [the rebuilt car] at Mid-Ohio when the crash compromised the vehicle and limited us. I'm confident we can do even better in Phoenix. We don't want to change anything or our attitudes and will go with the same frame of mind as we always have and try to win.