Nextel All-Star Challenge - Dodge Post-Race Quotes

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

“I was right behind it and everybody shot to the left. I tried to go into the grass and they came down on me. I couldn’t really see what started it. I saw three or four cars sideways and getting together. It’s tough to say what started it.

“We weren’t as good as we wanted to be, but we were working on it. Everybody was going for it, and I just shot through there for the grass. It’s an all-star race and everybody is going for it, trying to get up front and put on a good show for the fans.

“Our steering is broke and the brakes are broke. We can’t get back out there. I hit the wall. I didn’t hit it too hard, but it was hard enough to mess up everything. It’s too bad. I wish we could have stayed out there and kept working on the car. It was a good test for next week. It’s a long race next week, and we need to be better than we were tonight.

“It’s disappointing, but it’s the all-star race. Everybody is going for it. Everybody is trying to win. You try to do whatever you can to get up front and things happen. I just saw a replay and it looked like two or three cars got together. I don’t know what was going on. I was backed up. We had just put on some tires. We were better than all those cars in front of me. I just couldn’t get through there. A couple of cars were running side by side and we couldn’t get through there.

“It’s not a points’ race, and that’s the best thing about it. We don’t have to worry about losing a bunch of points. We won last week, and we didn’t do to well this week, but we’ll come back for the 600 and try to have another good one. If the car ran good tonight we were going to bring it back for the 600. It qualified well. I think it would have been a good race car, but it’s probably hurt too bad now.

“We were trying to get back up in the top 12, top eight and try to get a good starting spot for the next segment. We were right in the middle of the wreck. It’s too bad for the Dodge Dealers team. They did a good job getting to this point, but we’re out early.”

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

“We finished, but we struggled. We just never got it right. We survived and got a decent finish, but this race isn’t about a decent finish.”

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

“Ryan just got down into turn one and lost it and spun out in front of us and there was no place to go. I saw him spinning and gassed up and tried to go around the top side. It was just racing man. That’s all there is to it. I finished sixth in that second segment with a pretty good car. Then we had a restart and those guys that stayed up front with only two tires, Gordon really started backing up and locking up the field. We tried to get around him, and Newman went into turn one and just lost it. When he spun he went up the racetrack. I was on the outside trying to clear him and couldn’t do it.

“Not to be. The wreck got us and that was it. It’s too bad two team cars get taken out in the same wreck, but that’s racing and that’s all I can tell you. I thought I was in position to maybe win it. I knew the two cars up front had two tires. I had no idea why they did that, but they did. Gordon started stacking the field up bad and there was nothing to do.

“We were going to bring back another car next week anyway. I thought we were going for a good finish. It was running real good in the first segment and the second. It was a little tight. The track is really hard to pass on. Turn one and two you’ve got to stay on the top. Three and four you can run about anywhere you want there.”

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge Charger)

“We won the second segment, but that’s not the one that counts. Tonight was the sprint. We’ll regroup, come back next week and see what we can do in the marathon.”