About his penalty: The first thing I can say is that it is my goal, and I think more so in words but in action, if you look at the role I have an owner in the truck side, to become a man of stature in this sport, who can be a part of a leadership role that I think it takes for this sport to be complete, whether that’s from driver interface with the fans, media or the sanctioning body, and it’s because of that that I speak my mind. In this particular instance, probably not with the highest level of discretion. I could have done a better job of that, but because of that intention, it’s also useful for me to look out for the sport and look out for those that I may need along the way to be successful and to be able to have that role that I desire. So, that makes it, as I’ve said to some of you guys, inherently in the best nature of myself to keep some of those conversations private, whether that is with NASCAR or not, and this particular instance, is probably one of them. It’s not something I desire to have to go through that process but sometimes you have to go backwards to go forward.’’
Q: Denny Hamlin said his fine last year made his curb his Twitter comments and being so outspoken, will that happen to you?
KESELOWKSI: “No. I think you can be yourself. I think you can say what you think. I think I could have said what I thought with a lot more discretion and I guess that’s probably the strongest thing that I take from it. I’ve got a great sponsor with Miller Lite, which encourages me to be me, to say what I think and how I feel about things. That moment where I didn’t use probably the highest level of discretion with my words was an authentic moment, how I felt. I feel lucky to have a sponsor that allows me to do that. I think that, if anything, I’ll probably be smarter, not necessarily quieter.
Q: Do you understand why a sport has to limit what drivers say that they feel would be detrimental?
KESELOWSKI: “I understand the sanctioning body and the leaders of this sport feeling that way. I understand that, although I may not agree with it.’’
Q: Do you honestly believe that the things you said somehow denigrated the sport?
KESELOWSKI: “I guess it depends on what that means to you.
Q: Well to you?
KESELOWKSI: “To me, what I said, to me, was a reflection out of protection for the sport not out of any wish to do harm or any bias to my own team’s standing. It was my intention to be open and honest and share with what was a fan event how I felt with the fans and what I felt was in the best interest in the sport. Obviously, that contradicted someone else’s thoughts.’’
Q: Are you going to put money aside at the start of each year for such fines if you’re going to remain outspoken?
KESELOWSKI: “I wasn’t really planning on it. That’s still a lot of money, I don’t care who you are. It’s tough because as the sport is ran and as it has to be run, the sport has to be a dictatorship. I think if you look at any racing body that hasn’t been run that way, it’s not successful. It was a long time ago, but my uncle used to tell me this saying that trying to keep racers together is like trying to herd cats, they all go different directions and they never go the way you want them to go. The only way to get them to go straight is to give one guy the cattle prod of the net or whatever it takes to get them right. Racing is a dictatorship and because of that, successful racing organizations, whether it is NASCAR or Formula 1 and I guess before that you could look at IRL, it has to be that way. With that said, that group has the power and you have to respect them if you expect to have any longevity in the sport.’’
Q: Are you clear on what you can and can’t say?
KESELOWSKI: “I’ll be honest, I thought what I said was edgy but I didn’t feel that it was that edgy. I think every circumstance is different, so I don’t think it can be a clear situation.’’
Q: Brian France said that NASCAR meets with the drivers each year and discusses such things. Do you remember it?
KESELOWSKI: “Yeah, absolutely. Brian uses a good analogy, which I like about the restaurant and not saying the food (there) is bad and that you shouldn’t eat here, which I think is a great analogy. But I go back to a story that I tell people, anyone that has ever eaten with me knows that I do this everywhere I go that when I go to a restaurant and ask the waitress about the food, the first thing I ask her is, “What would you not order? What’s the worst item on the menu?” Because I feel like that any restaurant you go to is going to have bad food and they’re going to have good food. You only trust the person for a recommendation if they can admit that they have one item on the menu that is not quite so good. It is out of that respect and appreciation when I can get an honest waitress that will say, “hey, this is terrible, you should get this.’ Then I believe her when she says, “hey, don’t eat the omelet, eat the French toast and then I believe her. If she can look me in the eye and say that the omelet is not so good. That’s how I’ve always viewed the sport. I’ve always viewed the sport as being credible when it can admit its fallacies.’’
Q: Had you expressed your concerns about fuel injection to NASCAR before making your public comments?
KESELOWSKI: “I had not.
Q: Do you feel that was one of your bigger mistakes in this issue?
KESELOWSKI: “Absolutely. I think I could have handled it better. When I say I could have used better discretion, I could have definitely gone through some channels that I did not make enough time for.’’
Q: What Denny said last year and got fined for seemed more a slap at the officiating and what you said seemed to be something they didn’t like.
KESELOWSKI: “I think honestly if you look at it it was a compliment to the officiating on how well NASCAR has for years handled the situation with carburetors and I was in support of that decision for the last 50 years to stick with.’’
Q: Does this mean you can’t give your opinion on stuff?
KESELOWSKI: “Hell, I don’t know. I ain’t got all the answers. You tell me.’’
