Channellock 250 - Rookie Qualifying Quotes

CHAD BLOUNT, NO. 19 APP PRE-PAID GAS CARDS DODGE, QUALIFIED 26TH. HE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN PRACTICE BEFORE QUALIFYING AND WAS SPUN DURING HIS QUALIFYING RUN.

"These guys have really been working their tails off here. We've had a bad day. I don't know what else I can say. We had a good race car here in qualifying. The car got late loose up off the corner. It's really all you can do to just hang on. We had a good lap. We ran a .60 backwards so if we could have had a little but of traction up off the corner there we would have probably been real good. I just hate if for these guys. The car is really good. The guys have been working their tails off today and I really feel bad for them. Hopefully we can keep our head up and just keep on going."

YOU HAVE DAMAGE TO BOTH CARS. WHAT IS THE PLAN FROM HERE? "I think right now we are going to try and fix the first one, the primary car that we came here with. It's bad but not real bad. I'm sure whatever car I'll start in tomorrow these guys will have ready for me."

REGAN SMITH IN THE NO. 22 DANNY BOST MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET WAS THE HIGHEST QUALIFYING RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE AT BRISTOL. HE WILL START 20TH IN SATURDAY'S RACE AND TOOK TOP QUALIFYING HONORS FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. THIS IS SMITH'S BEST START OF THE 2003 SEASON.

"That was better than practice and it's the best lap that we ran all day. I really thought we would be able to run a .40 but I guess beggars can't be choosers, either. That's a pretty decent lap for us. We are starting to turn this team around and we're starting to look like a real race team. I'm learning a lot and it's good to be on a short track. That's where I come from and I know how to wheel these place a little bit better. It was just a tick too loose otherwise I think we could have done at least a .40, maybe a little better."

A LOT OF DRIVERS SPUN OUT DURING PRACTICE BUT YOU HAD A CLEAN DAY. "I don't know. Most of the time I have pretty good car control. My problem comes from trying to overdrive the car. Car control wise, knock on wood, nine times out of ten I'm decent there. This place is a lot about car control. It's a lot about what you have been brought up on and I was always brought up on short tracks, too. If we can make it through the race without having too many events happens then we'll be all set."

YOU ARE SMALL TEAM THAT NEEDS MORE SPONSORSHIP. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE RUNNING WELL IN FRONT OF A BIG AUDIENCE AT BRISTOL? "We're going to keep our fingers crossed. If we can just stay out of the wrecks and come home with a top-20 finish again we'll be happy and have maybe a halfway decent looking race car at the end. That's our goals for the weekend. We'll wait and see what happens."

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