Bobby Hamilton, Jr. on Daytona:
"Winning at Daytona is not always about how good your car is. It also has a
lot to do with how lucky you are. Of course you have to have a good motor,
a good aero package, and good pit stops, but I think luck plays a bigger
factor in the restrictor plate races than in other races. Finding someone to
work with you in the draft is another important element. You cannot win or
even finish in the top-15 if no one will work with you. You can lose ten
positions in one lap at Daytona. Of course, the biggest concern for
everyone is avoiding "The Big One." The restrictor plate rules bunch us up
so much that one mistake by one person can cause a huge problem for a lot of
people. Just look at what happened at Talladega. An accident on lap 11
took out 24 cars. That's over half the field. Overall, I would say that the
key at Daytona is being at the right place at the right time every single
lap.
Fred Wanke on Daytona:
"We had an excellent test session in Daytona a couple of weeks ago," said
Wanke. "We concentrated mostly on two lap runs in preparation for
qualifying. We've got the same car we competed with last year and I was
really pleased with its performance. To be honest, with the new shock rule
that is in place, the car ran a lot faster than I anticipated. We'll have
to wait and see what it can do in the draft, but we're not going to worry
about that until after we qualify. Right now, we're focused on a starting
place at the front of the pack. Our first concern is to start up front so
we can avoid that mess we got caught up in last year."
Spotter, Ronnie Russell, on Daytona:
"In a word, spotting at Daytona is very nerve-wracking. The track is so big
that when the cars are on the back straightaway, they look about the size of
a 1/64th scale die cast car. Imagine trying to clear a car by less than six
inches on something that small going 190 mph. While you have your eyes on
the car at all times, you are also like a lobbyist up on the spotter stand.
You are constantly moving around making deals with other teams, finding
someone to draft with your driver, or arguing with someone whose driver is
holding yours back. It can get pretty interesting up there. You are
genuinely relieved when the checkered flag falls.
Testing & Equipment:
The No. 25 Team Marines tested at Daytona International Speedway on January
20-21, 2003. The team will compete with chassis No. 21 in the Koolerz 300.
This is the same car Hamilton, Jr. drove in both 2002 events at Daytona
International Speedway finishing 30th (accident) in the season opener and
33rd (accident) in the July race.
