Hamlin to have surgery on knee Monday

J.D. Gibbs, President of Joe Gibbs Racing and owner of Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota, said Saturday morning at Martinsville Speedway that Hamlin will have surgery on his knee Monday.

For the full story, visit http://www.pitroadscene.com/2010/03/hamlin-to-have-knee-surgery-monday/.

Paul Menard Press Conference Transcript

Paul Menard, driver of the No. 98 Nibco/Menards Ford Fusion, maintained his ninth-place position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings after last week’s race at Bristol. Menard, who has five career Martinsville starts, spoke about his hopes for this weekend.

Jeff Gordon Press Conference Transcript

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET met with media and discussed the spoiler, the possibility of qualifying being rained out, the challenges at Phoenix, up and coming competition at Martinsville, and more. Full Transcript:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Press Conference Transcript

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AMP ENERGY SUGAR FREE LIGHTNING/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed the improvement in his team, being in the top-12 and other topics. Full transcript:

Kurt Busch Press Conf Transcript

KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

HOW HAS PRACTICE GONE FOR YOU SO FAR TODAY? “So far, so good at Martinsville. It’s always a tough track to get around. You hope that you find some of the off-season notes and scratch through things to help you get a little better each time you come back. It’s one of the challenging tracks on the circuit for me, trying to get the car to turn and also get that good drive off the corner. With practice, the way it shook out, everything actually felt a little better than normal. We feel like we’ve got the car turning. In qualifying trim, we’ve helped ourselves on the tight side of things, so we’re going to make a few adjustments, look forward to qualifying and see how things shake out. If the rain continues, we’ll take it as well and start sixth. That is probably better than where we’re going to start if we do qualify.”

Greg Biffle Press Conf Transcript

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 U.S. Census Ford Fusion, stands fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings and trails leader Kevin Harvick by only 24 points.

Matt Kenseth Press Conf Transcript

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, is only one point out of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points lead heading into this weekend’s race. Kenseth, who has finished in the top 10 of all five races so far this season, spoke about returning to Martinsville before Friday’s practice.

WHAT’S THE OUTLOOK GOING INTO THIS WEEK?

Tony Stewart Press Conf Transcript

(Chevy Racing)

TONY STEWART, NO. 14 OLD SPICE CHEVROLET met with media and discussed the new spoiler, racing at Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson’s popularity, his involvement in Ryan Newman’s team, and more. Full Transcript:

Jeff Burton Press Conference Transcript

(Chevy Racing)

JEFF BURTON, No. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed racing at his home track, expectations of the spoiler, beating the No. 48 and other topics. Full transcript:

Jimmie Johnson Press Conf Transcript

(Chevy Racing)

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET met with media and discussed his success and how it is affecting other drivers, the new spoiler, techniques for racing at Martinsville, double-file restarts, and more. Full Transcript: