Food City 500 - GM Saturday Quotes

[During the off-season, Jerry Nadeau, who drives the U.S. Army Pontiac for MB2 Motorsports, visited much of the region where U.S.-led forces are currently involved in military conflict. Nadeau, who will start 13th in tomorrow's Food City 500 at Bristol, shared his perspectives on the current situation.]

JERRY NADEAU, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

(HOW DID YOUR VISIT TO THE REGION CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVENTS UNFOLDING NOW?) "I'm like everybody else. I'm glued to the TV, too, trying to see what's happening over there. Obviously, it means more to me just because of our U.S. Army sponsorship and the fact I was out there and got to see a lot of the troops.

"It's devastating that we're at war, but I'm supporting the President and the troops.

"Obviously, their effort has been very well calculated. These guys are so well trained. The equipment they have and the technology and the power - it's just incredible."

(YOU WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY DRIVE A TANK DURING YOUR VISIT...TALK ABOUT THE LEVEL OF EQUIPMENT IN USE OVER THERE...) "They've got awesome stuff. The technology is so advanced and they've got so much equipment. When I went to Afghanistan, I was totally amazed. I was totally amazed when I got off the plane and saw how much stuff is actually over there. Then, we went another 2,000 miles to Kuwait and it's like, 'Wow, we've got twice as much stuff over here.' Of course, it's not just us. There are other nations involved in this - Britain, of course. But, they've got a lot of horsepower over there.

"Our hearts and prayers really go out to all the troops out there - and especially their families."

(THE TROOPS APPEAR VERY CONFIDENT AND FOCUSED WHEN VIEWED ON TELEVISION...WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON THEM WHEN YOU MET THEM?) "These people are much stronger than we are. Obviously, we take what we do very seriously. But, what they're doing is at a whole different level when you talk about things that are serious. What they are doing compares to nothing we've ever done in our lives.

"They are so confident, but they are trained to do this. Obviously, they are putting their lives on the line for us. That's what people need to understand. They're fighting for our country. That says a lot. They've got a lot of guts - these men and women - and I honor them."

[Jeff Green, who drives the AOL Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, hits a milestone tomorrow when he starts his 100th Winston Cup race. Green shares his thoughts on reaching that mark.]

JEFF GREEN, NO. 30 AOL CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

(WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HIT A MILESTONE LIKE THIS?) "It's been a long time. This is really only my second full season in the Winston Cup Series. I dabbled in it for a lot of years, so it seems like it's been four or five hundred starts instead of 100.

"We haven't won yet, so that's disappointing. But, the good news is that I won my first Busch race in my 100th start, so hopefully we can have the same success tomorrow. I think we've got a pretty good car here at Bristol. We've got as good a chance as anybody if we do the right things throughout the day. You know how Bristol is - it can eat you up pretty quick, but hopefully we can stay out of that mess and just have a good day. I don't look at tomorrow any different. Hopefully, I can be around for three or four hundred more."

(YOU SPENT A BRIEF TIME IN THE SERIES A FEW YEARS BACK, THEN YOU WERE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN AND NOW YOU'RE BACK WITH ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TEAMS IN WINSTON CUP HISTORY...DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE RIGHT WHERE YOU NEED TO BE?) "Absolutely. I feel like I've got the best opportunity in here. We definitely have a lot of room for improvement. I've got a lot of room for improvement. But, we're definitely heading in the right direction. I think RCR will hopefully be back on the map where it's supposed to be in the very near future. To be able to go out and win races each and every week - I don't think there is a better team to be with. We're all still young as a team this year, but we're getting better. The decent runs that we have had this year are promising. The bad runs are terrifying, you might say. But, last year was a pretty good year for us. We had some times that we could have won some races and didn't pull them off. Now, with the experience that we've got, I think we can pull them off if we put ourselves in that situation again."

(YOU'VE ARRIVED AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF STOCK CAR RACING, BUT YET THERE MUST BE TIMES WHEN YOU'RE REALLY DOWN ABOUT THE WAY THINGS WENT THAT DAY...HOW DO YOU BALANCE THOSE EMOTIONS?) "I just remind myself what I'm dealing with. The guys I'm racing against are all champions. A lot of these race teams have been together for a long time. They're working on four or five years of experience together instead of what we are, with two or three months. Last year, our race team was a whole different race team than it is this year. All the guys are new. Really the only two guys that are the same are the driver and the motor tuner, and the rest of the guys are all new.

"I really just look at going back and trying to make it better the next day, I guess. That's all you can do. You can't dwell on happened yesterday. You've got to go ahead and make it better for tomorrow. We all know that we can win. We all know we can run good each and every week. We've just got to make sure we do that."

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