Food City 500 - Dodge Qualifying Quotes

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge) – Wins Third Pole of Season, Fifth straight for Dodge

“You basically just go as fast as you can with what you’ve got to work with. We set the bar last spring here and we came back last fall and didn’t qualify as good. We were more competitive in the race. This time we’re looking forward to being competitive in qualifying and in the race. Practice tomorrow is going to be important.

“It’s equally important to be patient when you don’t have a car that’s handling. It’s easy to get spun out here, so patience is a virtue in all situations.

“I think we tested here two years ago. We didn’t test here this year or last year. To get around this place as fast as we did is not simple by any means. You’ve got to hit your marks, but you’ve got to hit your marks everywhere.

“You’ve got to get your car set up for the long runs and if you do that they’re usually not that good on the short runs. You’re out there a long time on a half-mile racetrack.

“(Snapping your fingers) is a little quicker (than a sub-15-second lap). Sitting in the car it never seems as fast speed wise or time wise. Even at Indianapolis where we’re going close to 200 mph in turn one, it never feels like 200 until you hit something. Here, it’s rough and you start falling out of the seat with all the G-forces. It goes quicker when the car’s not handling right.

“(Qualifying) is more for bragging rights. Let’s put it this way. They don’t give points for qualifying and rarely do they pay money to the guy who sits on the pole. It’s all about getting a good starting spot for Sunday and getting a good pit selection. You prove you’ve got the fastest car, and that starts the weekend off right. It’s easier to stay on top of the hill than it is to climb the hill.

“I figured it would take an .88 or .85 to win the pole. That’s why I said I didn’t think my lap would hold up for the pole. I thought Jeff or Junior would have a good shot at it. It just worked out good for us.

“It’s a team sport, and I don’t amaze myself. Matt Borland doesn’t amaze himself. It’s all about teamwork and amazing other people. I guess that’s what it’s all about.

“It’s a concerned (slower cars), but it’s no bigger concern than it was last week. I never saw Gordon’s wreck last week, but I don’t think the accident was the field filler’s fault.”

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge)

“That was about what we practiced. I thought we could run a flag, but it seemed like we couldn’t get any grip out there. It wasn’t bad. I think we’ll be in good shape for the race.”

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

“That was a good lap. It’s the first time I’ve run a lap under 15 seconds here. We had a real good test, and we’ve got the three Penske Dodges in the top 10, so hopefully we’ll all have a good day on Sunday.”

JEFF GREEN (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge)

“The lap felt pretty good, but it wasn’t that fast. That’s what’s kind of disappointing. We got in a pretty good lap and it just wasn’t that fast.”

JEREMY MAYFIELD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge)

“We worked a lot on race setup in practice today. We might have given up a little bit in qualifying, but we got in a decent lap. I was pretty happy with that.”

CASEY MEARS (No. 41 Target Dodge)

“We took provisionals in both races here last year. I don’t know what it is about qualifying here. We just don’t seem to be able to nail it down. It seems like I can qualify well at most tracks, but I haven’t got Bristol figured out yet. If we can start somewhere in the top 20 we’ll be in a lot better shape than we were here for both races last year.”

BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 77 Kodak/Punisher Dodge)

“Buddy Baker was up there barking at me, and we got settled down a little bit. This is the best we’ve qualified, and we’re ready to go. I’ve always said that short tracks weren’t my strong point, but I might have to change my tune a little. Rusty Wallace helped us up here during the test, and I think we’re going to be in good shape for the race. I think it’s very appropriate that we have the Punisher on the car this weekend. We didn’t get in the second qualifying lap. I had to throw it away, and it’s always my best one.”

JAMIE McMURRAY (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge)

“It’s been a long day, but we came out of it in pretty good shape. I think it helped that we were the last car to qualify. We even picked up a little bit on the second lap, so that’s about all you can ask for out of a backup car. I’m not real sure what happened this morning, but Bristol isn’t the type of track where you can gain an advantage like that. We’ll practice hard tomorrow and get ready for the race. We had two good runs here last year, so hopefully we can pick up where we left off.”

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge)

“I was satisfied with that lap. You always want to go faster, but we got in a pretty good run. We were a little tight getting into the center of the corner, but we should end up in pretty good shape. I wish we could have won the pole, but fifth isn’t too bad.”