Tropicana 400 - Rookie Post-Race Quotes

LARRY FOYT, NO. 14 HARRRAH'S DODGE:

"I'm okay. I hate it because that was probably one of the best racecars that we had. I had been loose and I kept telling them that I was loose getting in but I would get tight in the middle. I wrecked about three times and just saved it but that time I couldn't save it. I did a big wiggle once and I caught it but when I did it sent me about halfway up and then you are in the marbles and you are just hanging on."

JACK SPRAGUE, NO. 0 NETZERO PONTIAC:

"That's just the way this year has kind of gone. Hendrick has built us great engines and this is the first problem that we've had. This place has so much grip that you are taxing the motor hard. The NetZero Pontiac was pretty good but the first set of tires I couldn't do nothing with the front tires. They weren't lifting up and I got a lap down. After that I could run in the front with those guys and run good. The set that we put on there was the best that the car had felt and it broke. We just can't seem to get the 1,000 monkeys off our back, I guess. I'd like to thank NetZero, Pontiac, and Gene Haas for supporting this deal. I know it's tough right now, especially tough on me but sooner or later it's got to come around. I think the first set of tires sucked and I don't know why. After that it was decent. It wasn't great but it was decent."

CASEY MEARS IN THE NO. 41 FUJI FILM/TARGET DODGE:

"I don't know if something broke or the right rear tire blew. As soon as I turned into the corner it just went backwards and into the wall hard. It's really, really a shame. I know that people say that a lot. We've had tough races all year long and finally we were having the best race all year and had a really good car. We were in contention to run up front. The tire just blew or something broke in the rear end or something. I want to thank Fuji Film and Target and everybody that stood behind me, Chip Ganassi Racing. It's been really good and we're getting better all the time. This is a good weekend and it proves it but we just couldn't bring it home. It's too bad." WHAT HAPPENED WITH JOHNNY BENSON? "What happened was I was passing Mark (Martin), I was alongside Mark and he was on the outside of me and he made a move down, like he was going to pass the person in front of him and I had to move to keep from missing him and then when the 10 car (Benson) was trying to pass me I hit the 10 and then whatever happened behind me, I don't know."

GREG BIFFLE, NO. 16 GRAINGER FORD:

"Oh man, it was a really tough day but we kept fighting. I didn't tighten it up enough at the beginning and got another lap down. That's a tough break, the way it goes. I ran out of gas. I just don't why the car was so free. I don't really have any idea. We made some changes before the race and I'm not really sure why it was so loose. It was loose all day, really." IF YOU ARE OFF THE MARK HERE, CAN YOU MAKE ENOUGH OF AN ADJUSTMENT HERE TO CATCH UP? "Yeah. Basically, what my problem was I was so far off that I didn't know how big of an adjustment to make. I made an adjustment and it wasn't nearly enough so that's when I got the lap down."

DONNIE WINGO, CREW CHIEF, NO. 42 HAVOLINE DODGE:

"I thought we had a car good enough to win the race today, which at the beginning we did. The car was so good at the beginning I don't think we adjusted on it enough for the end of the race. That's one reason we stopped there at the end. We didn't have a car that could win the race so we wanted to try and adjust on it, hoping that we could get a short run, get a caution, and we get the car better. We were just to tight there at the end of the race and we just couldn't go." DID THE TRACK CHANGE? "We got tighter as the day went on and we made a few adjustments there earlier in the race and it just wasn't enough to stay after it. We were trying to keep track position and stay up toward the front as much as we could and that just hurt us. We just didn't get enough adjustments in early in the race like we should have to stay ahead of the game." IS THIS ANOTHER BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE SEASON? "We've had a pretty decent first half of the season. We've had some mechanical failures. We've had some problems but other than that I think we've had a pretty decent first-half. We've had some bad luck, been at the wrong place at the wrong time, but we've got some good cars that we've built up now and I think we're going to be good here in the second half."

TONY RAINES, NO. 74 BACE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET:

It wasn't too bad for what we went though today. We had a decent racecar. I think that's our best finish other than Richmond and Talladega so that's a sign of progress. The car was pretty good. We just didn't get track position all day and then Michael Waltrip hit us in the pits. It just makes for a weird day. All in all, for all that we went through, I'd say 21st isn't bad. WHAT HAPPENED WITH WALTRIP ON PIT ROAD? "I had gotten my tires and I was leaving the pits and he was coming in. I had left the pits pretty hard and there was no slowing up and he just turned in. He could have waited or turned in behind me. I don't know, I couldn't see him. It's probably just one of those racing deals. We both probably could have done something to avoid it but we didn't."

JAMIE MCMURRAY IN THE NO. 42 HAVOLINE DODGE WAS THE RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE OF THE RACE AT CHICAGOLAND. HE FINISHED EIGHTH, HIS FOURTH TOP-10 FINISH OF THE SEASON (MOST OF ANY RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE). HE HAS TAKEN TOP ROOKIE HONORS IN SEVEN RACES THIS SEASON.

"What the deal was, we were running like fifth and we weren't fast enough to win. We had talked about making some adjustments the run the stop before and I said if we had it to do all over again Donnie, I said I was change something. So then the caution came out and I said we're not going to win so I said let's take a chance and put tires on and try it. Our adjustment helped a little bit but we need to work on getting our car better for the end of the race. We were really good at the beginning of the race. Here and California, Tony (Stewart) and I probably had the two best cars at the beginning. They are better at adjusting on their car so we just need to maybe not be quite so scared or intimidated to make a change." YOU HAD A GOOD SOLID RUN TODAY. "Like I said earlier we just need to work on adjusting our car for the end of the race. Man, at the beginning it was unreal how fast the car was and it didn't fall off. I really thought that Tony and I were going to get to have a California deal all over again by getting to race. It seemed like we had the two dominant cars we just need to adjust on our car a little bit more throughout the race. You can't point a finger at anybody because neither one of us were willing to change anything. I'm thrilled. Once again we didn't tear our car up. I had a fast car and something that I find odd is that when we are fast, we are really fast. We don't ever run like 11th. It seems like we are really good so that's encouraging. If we can get good at all the racetracks like we are some of these really fast places, man, it could be great." DID THETRACK CHANGE DURING THE RACE? " Being stuck back in the lap traffic, that hurts you. And then the racetrack tightened up a little bit. It just looses grip and that's what we're struggling with. We just need some more grip." IS THIS TRACK PHYSICALLY DEMANDING? 'I think most definitely. The tires just don't fall off. Most places you go it's hard on you and then the tires start sliding, you loose so much grip. But man, this place it's fast the whole time. Your neck gets tired. Sterling's (Marlin) doesn't but I think that's because he's lifted more hay than I have. I was pretty tired today."

Unofficial Raybestos Rookie Standings (top-five):

Greg Biffle 196
Jamie McMurray 188
Casey Mears 158
Jack Sprague 152
Tony Raines 144

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