Diamond Hill Plywood Co. 200 - Rookie Post-Race Quotes

Unofficial Raybestos Rookie standings after Darlington:

Kyle Busch: 48
Paul Menard 40
Donnie Neuenberger 33
Rick Markle 9
J.J. Yeley 9
Stan Boyd 9
Billy Parker 8
Kevin Conway 1
Brian Conz 1

DONNIE NEUENBERGER, #77 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND/BG PRODUCTS FORD:

"It looks like a tire came apart. This is the second race in a row that we've had bad luck. We figured out how to get around here. This is just a tough break for the team. Jimmy Means [crew chief] and all the guys really believe in me and we've just had two bad races in a row."

PAUL MENARD, #33 MENARDS/PEAK CHEVROLET:

"We had a couple close calls. Our strategy was off. We tried staying out on that last caution on old tires, hoping for another caution and put on new tires and hopefully pass a few guys but it didn't work out that way. Who would have guessed that in 50 laps of green here that it [no cautions] wouldn't come into play but it didn't. The guys worked really good all week so we'll be at Bristol, I guess." DID YOU LEARN A LOT TODAY? 'I learned a lot following some of those guys. I was behind Harvick for a little bit and some guys like that and definitely picked up a few things. Unfortunately we didn't have tires for that last run."

KYLE BUSCH IN THE #5 LOWE'S/BRIGGS & STRATTON CHEVROLET WAS THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE OF THE RACE AT DARLINGTON. Notes: Busch finished 17th and has now been the top rookie in all four races this season. He became the first Raybestos® Rookie to lead a lap at Darlington since P.J. Jones in the March 2000 race. Unofficially Busch has an eight-point lead (48-40) over Paul Menard in the Raybestos Rookie standings.

"We did finish and got the points we needed. Overall, the Lowe's guys did an awesome job in the pits all day. We had a chain break on us in the rear end. We don't know how or why or what happened there but I guess we will go back to the shop and review it and figure it out and we'll go on to Bristol." WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT BEFORE THE START OF THE RACE WHEN YOU HAD TO STOP ON PIT ROAD? "We put a water bottle in and I guess they thought we were putting traction control in so they wanted to come over and make sure that we weren't doing anything." YOU WERE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A SOLID RUN ALL DAY. IS THAT SOME CONSOLATION? "We ran all day. I don't know what we need to do to make that thing better. We can run like a bat out of hell for about 25, 30 laps and that's about it. We're junk from then on. The 22 car went by me like nothing and then I couldn't even hang on to the 15th spot. We've got some work to do but I guess we still weren't nearly as bad as the 25 car and he'll always be good in the rest of the races."

BUSCH POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

"Pretty much in the beginning of the day we had a good car but overall at the end of the day I guess it proved that we didn't have what we needed to in order to keep up front or get back to the front. We started out the day pretty decent. We were able to lead a little bit and we got behind the two Roush cars. I knew those guys were going to fly. I got behind them and seen if I could hang out with them for a while and then it was just one of those deals where got behind on our adjustments or whatever. Lance [McGrew, crew chief] and the Lowe's guys did an awesome job all weekend in order to get this car prepared. Maybe we'll just beat out the side and go to Bristol and bang it up some more." WHAT WERE THEY LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU CAME BACK IN THE PITS THE SECOND TIME? "Pretty much throughout the run there was something holding the rear of the car down. It felt like it was bound up or the rear end bushing was moving or something. What it was, somehow the right rear chain broke and the car going down the straightaway when the left side chain would get bound up it would hold the left side of the car down and pick up the right front going down the straightaways. We had to come down pit road and snip the left side chain so the car would be free moving in the back again. From there we were like 32nd or something. It's so hard to get caught back up, especially here at Darlington where you can't pass and if you do pass and you go hard then you're wasting your tires and just can't get going."