CASEY MEARS, NO. 41 TARGET DODGE:
"It's okay, that's all it was really. I think we could have been better than
that but I overdrove it a little bit getting into two. We had a brake
problem we ran with all first session. I was just kind of dealing with it.
I was pumping the brakes and the brakes worked so much better when we went
out for qualifying I slowed it down too much the first lap and the second lap
I overdrove it a little bit. It was just a matter of getting comfortable
again with where everything was. I think considering having a little bit of
problems we had in the first session and we really wanted to go out and scuff
a set of tires. That would have worked better for us and we didn't get a
chance to do that because that caution came out late in practice and we
didn't get a chance to get out on them. It was really slick the first lap
and the second lap it was just coming in so it would have been better if we
could have scuffed them."
JAMIE MCMURRAY IN THE NO. 42 HAVOLINE DODGE WAS THE TOP QUALIFYING RAYBESTOS®
ROOKIE AT LAS VEGAS. HE HAS BEEN THE TOP QUALIFYING FRESHMAN DRIVER IN EACH
OF THE THREE WINSTON CUP RACES IN 2003.
"That was really good. That's the best that we've run so far this weekend.
After wrecking in the Busch car, I mean I knew my car was really good, but
you always wonder a little bit like 'Am I going to have the courage to do or
not.' It was really good. We've adjusted on the car since we've been here
and gotten it better each time so year, they did a really good job."
HOW WAS THE TRACK?
"My car was really balanced. I actually thought I probably ran faster than
that as good as it felt. I would have thought we would have ran in the 20s
just then but I'm still happy with what we ran."
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BUSCH CAR?
"I don't know. I let off to let Michael (Waltrip) go by and he ran into the
back of me. It wasn't intentional, obviously, you know that."
DONNIE WINGO, CREW CHIEF, NO. 42 HAVOLINE DODGE:
"That was a good lap. After what happened right before qualifying with
(McMurray) wrecking the Busch car and stuff I was a little bit worried about
it. He amazes me every time he goes out. He steps up and does what he has
to do and he did it again tonight. We came out here and tested and had a
real good test and ran fast in testing. That's probably the best that we've
got right now."
WITH TODAY'S CIRCUMSTANCES, HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO COME HERE AND TEST?
"I think it was real important because basically we came back with exactly
what we thought was the best. We kind of tweaked on it a little bit in
practice because we weren't exactly like we wanted to be and we did get it
better. It did help to come out here and test."
DID QUALIFYING AT NIGHT THROW YOU OFF?
"I don't really believe the racetrack has really changed that much. It
didn't seem to for us. I'm going off past experience at Charlotte, you know,
how that racetrack changed a lot but at night most of the time at Charlotte
you just get more overall grip and tonight it seemed to be the same thing.
We made a little air pressure adjustment before we qualified."
LARRY FOYT, NO. 14 HARRAH'S DODGE
"It was just one of those things where we didn't get to come out here and
test and just kind of took a guess on the setup. We've been gaining on it,
gaining on it and gaining on it. I almost wish we could go do it again. I
think we could go a little bit faster. We'll just have to see if we can make
it in the top-36. The track felt real good. I don't think it hurt us. We
kind of planned on it tightening up a little bit and made some adjustments
that way and like I said our car was good. I wish we could do it again;
maybe I could a little bit more out of it."
TONY RAINES, NO. 74 STAFF AMERICA CHEVROLET:
"We really didn't have a good lap. I'm pretty happy we made it in on time
with the lap that we had. I thought we could run an eight or a high seven if
I did everything right but going at night the car, balance-wise, it was off.
It was a little bit loose in. I just didn't want to turn it down. That's
what we ran out here testing but everybody came back a little quicker and we
had too. It was just a little bit loose. I just couldn't make it happen. I
knew we would get in the race either way but obviously being in on time was
what we were shooting for. We'll work on race trim and we'll get in Atlanta
and we'll get in on this year's points and hopefully we can continue to
qualify on time and get better each week."
