"We felt like when we went into last year we had a pretty good chance to win the championship from the previous year with the fall we put together. We've got the same everything now, so I think we can come back and be as strong this year"
About this Quote
Notice how he anchors belief in a specific timeline: “the fall we put together.” That’s a nod to the sport’s long memory, where momentum is built in chunks - late-season setups, team rhythm, small gains that don’t show up in a highlight reel. By pointing to “the previous year,” he’s doing two things at once: legitimizing his expectations (we earned this confidence) and reminding everyone that championship windows can be brief. In NASCAR, “same everything” is practically a magic spell. It signals stability in a world of constant tinkering: crew, equipment, sponsors, rules, luck. If you can keep the machine intact, you can keep the story intact.
There’s also a subtle leadership move. Marlin uses “we” throughout, distributing ownership across the team, which is both culturally expected in motorsports and strategically protective. If things go sideways, it’s not on one driver’s swagger; if it hits, it’s a collective payoff. The intent is to set expectation without jinxing it: disciplined hope, calibrated for a sport where the smallest variables - a pit stop, a caution, a tire - can turn “same everything” into a totally different season.
Quote Details
| Topic | Victory |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Marlin, Sterling. (2026, January 16). We felt like when we went into last year we had a pretty good chance to win the championship from the previous year with the fall we put together. We've got the same everything now, so I think we can come back and be as strong this year. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-felt-like-when-we-went-into-last-year-we-had-a-135898/
Chicago Style
Marlin, Sterling. "We felt like when we went into last year we had a pretty good chance to win the championship from the previous year with the fall we put together. We've got the same everything now, so I think we can come back and be as strong this year." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-felt-like-when-we-went-into-last-year-we-had-a-135898/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We felt like when we went into last year we had a pretty good chance to win the championship from the previous year with the fall we put together. We've got the same everything now, so I think we can come back and be as strong this year." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-felt-like-when-we-went-into-last-year-we-had-a-135898/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.






