Ford 400 - Rookie Qualifying Quotes

Where the Raybestos Rookies will start at Homestead:
K. Kahne, 4th
B. Vickers, 14th
B. Gaughan, 17th
S. Wimmer, 21st
S. Riggs, 25th
J. Sauter, DNQ

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER QUALIFYING QUOTES FOR THE FORD 400 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2004.

KASEY KAHNE, No. 9 DODGE DEALERS/UAW DODGE: "It was a little better than it was this morning. The car steered through the corner better. We were up out of the racetrack a little bit but I think everybody probably will be here for a little bit. The track is pretty hot and it's just a little different. We'll see. Hopefully that will get us a top-five starting spot. It will be close. This is a great racetrack for me. I enjoy racing here, the Craftsman Truck Series race today, the Busch car tomorrow and the Cup race on Sunday. I should have plenty of laps before Sunday's race and hopefully we'll be able to take out Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge into victory lane." DID THE QUALIFYING DRAW MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? "It's tough to say. It was sliding around pretty good right there but I imagine it will for a while for everybody. I don't think it matters a whole lot once a couple of cars go. We were the third car but after three, four, or five cars I think the track will be about as good as it will be all of qualifying." HOW WAS THE LAP? "It was a pretty good lap. It was sliding around getting in. We carried more speed than we did in practice. They made some changes that definitely helped. If we wouldn't have made those changes we wouldn't have run nowhere near that. I think everybody is going to be sliding around some." EVERYBODY THINKS THIS MIGHT BE THE RACE WHERE YOU WIN. IS THAT A LOT OF PRESSURE? "I think there is a lot of tracks that fit us pretty well and we didn't win at any of them yet. We came close at a lot and hopefully we'll come close again this week." DO YOU NOTICE ANY BIG CHANGES TO THE TRACK? "It's lost a little bit of grip. Everywhere just feels like it's not quite as grippy as it was but I think the track is going to move around and it's [the groove] going to keep getting higher as the Busch race and truck race go and Sunday you'll be able to race anywhere you want."

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET: "It was better than practice. It was okay. It wasn't great. Obviously it's not going to be a pole and I doubt a top-five but probably a top-10. It's a solid effort. I just had a lack of grip. It's just all I had. At one end or the other the car the car was giving at some point everywhere around the racetrack. The car was tight both laps but the second lap it got real tight. I went for that little bit extra and just didn't have it." IT'S GOT TO BE SPECIAL COMING BACK TO THIS TRACK. "It is. I've thought about a lot of things coming back here. This is where I went and I talked to Rick and Ricky and got the ride at Hendrick Motorsports, this is where we won the championship. So many things have happened for me in my career here. It's a neat place. I love North Carolina but this definitely beats the weather there now." WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR SUNDAY? "Our goal is to win the race but a top-five or top-10 would be great. We want to go out there and win, we want to see our teammates win the championship and have a good weekend."

SCOTT RIGGS, No. 10 VALVOLINE CHEVROLET: "I think the track got hotter and I think we were pretty good, setup wise. The way the track was this morning we kept freeing the car up a little bit trying to help it and I think the track getting a little slicker made us a little too free. I just hope that everybody else slows down the same." HOW DIFFERENT IS THE TRACK THIS YEAR VERSUS LAST YEAR? "Good question, because I don't know because I was taken out of the race the first lap last year [Busch race]. I go into this place this race like it's a brand new racetrack that I've never seen before and so far I like it."

BRENDAN GAUGHAN, No. 77 KODAK EASY SHARE/JASPER ENGINES AND TRANSMISSIONS DODGE: "From what it sounds, everybody else is slowing down a lot more than that. Kasey Kahne picked up. Those guys have been on top of their game all year and that's why he's going to be the Raybestos Rookie of the Year because he's been on top of his game all year. I think we'll still end up in the top-15 maybe. This is a good start for the Kodak team. We were pretty quick in practice and pretty happy. We only lost about a little over a tenth. We'll take it and see what we can do with it. Shane [Wilson, crew chief] asked me who was going to get the pole: the guy who drives it in there or the guy who gets on it? It's definitely going to be the guy who gets on it the fastest. I tried, had a great one and two and a decent three and four, but just couldn't quite put it all together." THIS WAS A SOLID EFFORT FOR YOU GUYS. "I'm in the car and can't tell how much guys are dropping. I wish we could have got a little more out of it. I lost a little bit of time in three and four but this track is a fun place. They've done a nice job building this track. The Miami sun is definitely taking its toll on the grip of it but it was a good lap. The Kodak team will hopefully start in the top-15. We'll take that right to the bank."

JOHNNY SAUTER, No. 09 MICCOSUKEE RESORT DODGE: "That was not very good. We were a little bit tight all morning in practice and it freed up. It was my decision to raise the track bar up and the car was just way too loose. We'll take what we can get and hopefully it makes the race."

SCOTT WIMMER, No. 22 CATERPILLAR DODGE: "We dropped a little bit from practice. The track bit us a little bit. We had a little earlier draw than a lot of guys. We were about in the middle of the field. It seemed like everybody lost a little bit of time there. I'm proud of my guys. They've been working real hard and the car is driving real good. I'm excited about the race. I think we've got a decent qualifying run in and now we'll get ready for the race." THIS TRACK HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO YOU IN THE PAST. "It's been real good to me. I ran real good down here on the old track. I haven't found my groove quite yet on the new one. We finished 12th here last year and hopefully we can pick up a couple more spots and head into the off-season with a decent finish. The guys have been working together real good and have been coming up with some good ideas. This is a lot different team than it was a couple of weeks ago at Atlanta that missed the race. I'm excited. I think we're going to have a lot of neat things this off-season. Bill Davis is doing a lot to make this team stronger and hopefully we'll be there and can fend for a championship." IS THERE A LOT OF PRESSURE ON YOU NOW? "I want to perform better and I usually do perform better. I had to go through a lot of things during the off season and had a good start at Daytona but then hit a lull and not making a race, stuff like that, it just kind of wears on you. I'm looking forward to the season ending and just starting with a fresh piece of paper and getting our team right and getting everything right and we'll shoot for 'em next year."