Q. Ryan, with the weekend off before next weekend's race, is it a little disappointing to not be in a car this weekend especially as well as you've been running? RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Yeah, with the momentum we've had, certainly it is. We'd rather be at the racetrack keeping it going. But we had a weekend off between Iowa and Toronto and we kept it going. Hopefully that will be the case for Edmonton. Q. Heading into these final five races of 2012, did you expect that you'd be the points leader at this point in the season? Do you change your mindset heading into the final five races with the point lead? RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: Well, I don't know if I would say I expected to be the points leader. I certainly expected to be contending for the championship. You know, it's just nice to see that this team is reaching its potential because the potential has been there. I feel lucky to be working with these guys. It's a great group, and we have even better performances in us in the future. So it's been a lot of fun, but we're not getting ahead of ourselves, like I've been saying. It's lap by lap, and just concentrate on being solid. Q. Can you talk about the team that you've been working with? I know at Indianapolis you had a change with Kyle Moyer going over to Marco's car and Michael Andretti coming over to your car. Talk about how well the team's worked together and gelled from your pit crew to you and the car? RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: It's really working great. The environment and the team is the best it's been. It's cohesive, the chemistry is there. I think it really lends itself to the fact that I've found a home there. I've been there for three years now, and that makes a big difference. I've had the opportunity to drive for many different teams. What is nice about that is that you really get to hone your skills in developing relationships with people and relationships that actually benefit on the racetrack. Now that I've been with the team for three years, we're like one big family. We know what one another wants. We support each other. Ray and I, Ray Gosselin and I, my engineer, just the communication is easy. It happens. He knows what I want. I know what he wants. With Michael Andretti in the stand, you've got a legend there that is calling the race and talking in my ear. Couldn't get much better for me. Q. There are only five races left in the season, and only one oval. Traditionally, Americans like ovals, but you seem to like the road courses. Can you talk a little bit about why that is and how it came to be? RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: I really like the mix. That's what Indy car has always been for me even when I was a fan of the series before I even started racing go‑karts. I just loved the fact that every weekend you see the cars on a different type of track, and it's constantly changed up. To do well in the series and in this championship, you've got to kind of master it all. We have some great racetracks coming up with two road courses, two street circuits and an oval. I love them all. I really do. When you have a good car on an oval, that is some of the most fun you can have, really, in a race car. I've found some success on road and street circuits as well. I don't know what my stronger suit is, really. It's kind of tough to pin that one down. Q. Did you do something in particular to learn road racing or street racing? RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: I think it just came from karting. Like when I started racing go‑karts, everything was road courses. I never did any oval racing in go‑karts and I never did any oval racing in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge series either. It was all road courses. My first oval was in the Barber Dodge Road series, and I believe that was the Chicago track. The old one they had. That was a completely new experience, and I loved it from the first lap. It was so cool. It can't get much different. You go from a road course to an oval, everything is different. The way the car stood up, the mentality, the way you drive it, your approach, everything. That's what I love about it, the difference. Q. Taking Texas and Indy out of the equation, because they were mechanical failures, you've been highly consistent this season. Is there any circumstances that you believe has led to that? RYAN HUNTER‑REAY: I think that the new car has leveled the playing field a little bit and allowed Andretti Autosport to get back where it belongs up in the front. I think that, combined with the fact that I've been working with the same group of guys and the same team for three years, there are a hundred variables that go into one IndyCar race let alone three of them in a row. That's pretty special. I don't know that I could really point one thing out. It's a number of factors that have brought us to where we are right now. We're certainly enjoying ourselves. We have a long way to go. Five races in the championship feels like an eternity right now. We're just focused on racing, and on being solid. Being solid week‑in, and week‑out, and putting ourselves in a position to win races.
