AEROSMITH Guitarist Talks To NASCAR Illustrated

Brad Whitford, who has played rhythm guitar on AEROSMITH's wild ride since they formed in 1971, is a diehard race fan, even taking his RV to several NASCAR events. The 55-year-old owns the F1 Boston go-kart racing facility and his bio lists, "burning fuel at the race track" as his favorite smell.

Whitford recently spoke to NASCAR Illustrated for its April 2007 issue. A few excerpts follow:

On NASCAR:

"I love it. It is, by far, the best racing to watch because guys are battling it out all the time. I like open-wheel racing, but the ?elds are too small and there's never enough passing. That's why guys like Juan Montoya are coming over from F1. They want to mix it up with the best on the biggest stage for the biggest money."

On being a guy from Boston who digs NASCAR:

"I've always loved cars. Growing up, I had a neighbor who built dragsters. They were like street hot rods — '30s Fords and such — but they were gorgeous. He would get 'em out in the driveway and ?reup the engine. Flames would shoot from the short-pack exhaust. Seeing that as a kid, I got hooked on anything with four wheels that goes fast."

On his favorite cars:

"I've got some old Chevys and Porsches, but today you just have to love what's going on. Even with gas prices soaring, there are horsepower battles being waged between manufacturers. Street cars with 500 horsepower and all the modern amenities … that's just awesome. It's like a return to the days before the ?rst gas crisis in the early '70s when everyone was going for lighter and faster. It may be the last hurrah, but I'm just glad I'm here for it."

On going to races:

"My schedule doesn't allow me to go very often, but when I do, I like to stay in the in?eld and have the total experience."

On the craziest race fans:

"The 12 Hours of Sebring gets a really wild crowd. The race is de?nitely secondary for those people."

On the two lives of AEROSMITH:

"In the beginning, everything we did came right from the gut. We didn't listen to anybody and made a lot of great music, but we also made a lot of lousy decisions. After the RUN DMC thing and 'Permanent Vacation', we started listening to people and doing things differently. We were more mature and knocked the cobwebs away."

On music today:

"One nice thing is that it seems young people are starting to rediscover LED ZEPPELIN and JIMI HENDRIX. Maybe they're sick of how 'packaged' music has become. Groups today don't tour around in station wagons playing clubs and developing as bands. It shows in their performance, musicianship and how disposable they are. They have no bones, no foundation. So much of today's music is just forgettable."

On hearing AEROSMITH songs on the radio:

"I still turn 'em up … especially the old stuff."

On reworking "Back in the Saddle" for ESPN's NASCAR coverage:

"As you can imagine, I've wanted to partner with NASCAR for years, so I'm really excited to combine two classic American icons: AEROSMITH and NASCAR."