Nextel All-Star Challenge - Chevrolet Qualifying Quotes

NEXTEL Open qualifying quotes

Mike Bliss #0 NetZero Chevrolet Pole winner, NEXTEL Open qualifying

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I guess I don't have to worry about these guys (All-Star Challenge qualifiers) beating us, because they've got a pit stop. I'm glad I didn't have to worry about that. I was a little bit surprised, I think, because we weren't that good in practice. We were too loose, but I think that the race track changed quite a bit in our favor and I think that kind of helped me.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO START AT THE FRONT IN SUCH A SHORT RACE? I think it's going to be the biggest, I think personally, that it's going to be a key to be start close to the front, because the track's so fast. It's going to be a little bit hard to pass until everybody's cars start giving up grip. I knew that going into it that we'd have to qualify good and I was hoping that we had something to do it.

HAVE YOU TRIED THE LOW LINE HERE ON THE TRACK? When we tested here in testing I did that. I was in the old Charlotte line. Kept figuring out everybody kept moving up and moving up and gaining more grip. It just seems like there's more grip out there. I saw out there and watched the big screen there and hadn't been there all day and just figured I stayed where I was. It's such a momentum place right now that it doesn't kill the momentum as much up there. They told me my first lap on the back stretch and I knew I got through 1 and 2 a lot better on the second lap and I think I watched Kyle go better on the second lap, so I thought I'd try it. It really stuck a lot better the second lap.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW TRACK SURFACE? You know, I like the old track because it had a lot of character because it was tough and you had to work hard to get a hold of the race track. Now it seems like it's almost an equalizer and makes the cars a little bit closer. But, we'll see tomorrow night after the races. You're handling is going to go away of course on a lot of cars. It's going to be hard to pass the first 15 laps because you can't go around the outside, you have to do it wide open I think. And on the bottom you have to be pretty good. It's going to be tougher to pass, I think, but maybe I'm wrong.

DO YOU THINK THIS TIME WILL SURVIVE QUALIFYING NEXT WEEK? We tested here and we did a qualifying run but we weren't in an impound situation and we had at least 250 lbs more right front spring than tonight. I was really concerned about driving in the with the balance, which we have to race with. And just hurting the front end of the race car and just hitting the ground. So I was really kind of surprised that we didn't do that. But, I'm going to say we're going into a night qualifying, we're going to be able to run pretty close to wide open through 1 and 2 at least. I think a Ryan Newman is probably going to be in the 27's, I think.

Kyle Busch #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet 2nd position

HOW WAS YOUR LAP? It was pretty good. I'm hoping it sticks kind of like yesterday. It was a really good lap. The Kellogg's Chevrolet has been good all day and we've been very fast. It's just like the Craftsman truck, if we can keep it up there and run all night tomorrow night, the first twenty and then the final ten, I think we can be right there for a shot at a win. We've just got to keep it rolling. Practice was really good. We were really strong on the long run and good here in qualifying, so I'm hoping we can keep it up there.

Brian Vickers #25 GMAC Chevrolet 5th position

YOU SAID YOUR RUN WAS DICTATED BY HOW YOU CAME THROUGH TURN 4 A little disappointed. It was just really loose coming to the green. We ran on sticker tires and the car was there early, but it snapped and we lost all of our momentum. We just never really recovered from that. Heat up the rear tires and the car stayed loose. But the GMAC Chevy team did a good job and we're ready for tomorrow.

HOW ON THE EDGE ARE YOU OUT THERE? We're definitely on the edge. We're using up every bit we've got. This race track is really fast right now. Grip is so much, but when it lets go, it lets go real fast. But we're excited to be here in my hometown of Charlotte and thankful for all the fans.

Martin Truex, Jr. #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 8th position

It was alright. Our car was real good in race trim today. We did a qualifying run and it got real loose. And we tried to change it up the best we could for tomorrow night's race. We got a little bit better. Too loose for qualifying, but it will race good.

Robby Gordon #7 Fruit of the Loom Chevrolet 12th position

HOW WAS YOUR LAP? We're pretty happy with it. Better than we ran in practice. We never got to run a qualifying run. We focused on race setups, which we think will be pretty good tomorrow night. My focus has been on that, and we're just kind of hoping we would run better in qualifying. We picked up seven tenths, or eight tenths. It's about what we thought we would.

HOW IS THE TRACK? Fast. We were just a little bit too loose. Had we tuned out a little bit better, we would have been just a little bit better as well.

Boris Said #36 Centrix Financial Chevrolet 22nd position

HOW WAS YOUR LAP? It was pretty good. We came here to test a week ago and we got rained out. The Centrix team has given me a great car, it's just that I haven't done any qualifying runs. It was my first time doing it. I was a little cautious and got a little loose the second lap. You know, it was the fastest lap I've run so far. If I can pick up that much more next week, I think I'll be in good shape. But, it's a great lap. It's really fast and it's a lot of fun.

Mike Wallace #4 Lucas Oil Chevrolet 24th position

HOW WAS YOUR LAP? It's just frustrating, you know. We've been loose and just trying to tighten it up. You're tight one lap and you're loose the next go around. Just disappointed. Thought we should have been a lot better than that. We came down here and tested with another car that we're running in the 600 that seems to be better than this car. I just can't get this car to drive like that car drives. I think I am trying too hard for the car that I have right now.

Other notes from qualifying: Scott Riggs (#10 Valvoline Chevrolet), 27th position, and Jason Leffler (#11 FedEx Ground Chevrolet), 28th position, both suffered accidents during their qualifying runs.

NEXTEL All-Star Challenge qualifying quotes

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's Chevrolet 5th position

It was good. Clean in all the major segments. We could have been a little quicker. We felt like we could lose more than gain, so we played it a little cautious in every area and put up a good time.

Joe Nemechek #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet 9th position

It's pretty uneventful. Pretty routine deal. We didn't do any qualifying runs in practice. We worked on race stuff and didn't really know what I had in qualifying, so I gave up quite a bit of time on my lap. It's all part of it. Hope we get a decent starting spot and go from there.

Bobby Labonte #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet 12th position

I think it's going to be alright. We tightened it up quite a bit just from what happened earlier. You know, I think it's a great race car. We tested it down here and we just have to overcome what I did earlier and hopefully we will be there tomorrow night.

Terry Labonte #44 Pizza Hut Chevrolet 13th position

Well, the car was really pretty good. We were pretty good in practice. I'm realy happy with it. You know, there's so much that has to come together to get a good qualifying spot here. I don't know if I got on pit road quite as fast as I could have, our pit stop could have been a little bit better. We had a lug nut come off and they had to put it back on. But overall it was pretty good-we didn't have any penalties and the car is handling well. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night.

Jeff Gordon #24 DuPont Chevrolet 14th position

Note: 5 sec penalty for one loose lugnut

Well, penalities are getting a lot of guys and they got us. I think we had one (lugnut) loose on the left front, so that's unfortunate because it would have been a great run, got to pit road good. The pit stop was really nice, other than that one little bobble. In this deal, that's the factor you throw in there when you throw the whole team in there. You try to go hard and fast and get all you can and not make mistakes. You know, that one got us and we'll start a little bit farther back and some of the other guys that had problems as well.

DO YOU THINK THAT WILL MATTER MUCH? No, I don't think so. You always want to have good track position, but we'll take this DuPont Chevrolet and wherever we start we'll find a way to get to the front, because this car is running great.

Michael Waltrip #15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 16th position

Kind of everything went wrong. I about spun out, and I saved it, so I was pretty happy about that. Then I got in the pits, I thought, okay and pretty good really and off good, really. We just had some trouble during our stop. You know, these guys - it's just such a different mentality on this pit crew competition than in the race and they just try to do it as wildly fast as they can, hoping they hit it, and it will get us a pole. Our team is right on time on pit road. We're always where we want to be on pit road. But, today we just went for it a little bit and I think it cost us.

Tony Stewart #20 The Home Depot/Madagascar Chevrolet 17th position

YOU SPUN THERE COMING ONTO PIT LANE. WHAT HAPPENED? I think I ran out of talent. I was talking to Jeff Gordon and he's got a new driving school. Maybe I can go to his driving school to learn how to get on pit lane here. I don't know. I didn't want to be the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver to not spin out today. We're just trying to have fun with this Madagascar Chevrolet tonight.

WHAT DID YOUR CREW CHIEF SAY ABOUT THAT? He just started laughing. I think we've all learned this year to have a lot of fun. When somebody has a mistake, instead of poking at them too hard. He knew I made a mistake. When I came down pit road I could see him laughing. What else can you do but laugh at yourself when you make mistakes?

THERE WERE A FEW INCIDENTS WITH OTHER CARS WITHIN YOUR TEAM We've got some carnage going back to the Joe Gibbs Racing shop tonight. At least we saved this one for tomorrow.

Kevin Harvick #29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet 18th position

Note: 20 sec penalty for entering pit lane too fast

We qualified third here every time we were going for it. I was either going to spin it through the grass or put it on the pole. Just a little too fast, it slipped out on me in turns 1 and 2, but she was awful fast. We went for it, but didn't get it.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #8 Budweiser Chevrolet 20th position

Note: 20 sec penalty for entering pit lane too fast

Well, the car drove real good. I was in a real bad mood earlier today. The car wasn't working, Michael's car was struggling, couldn't get the cars to turn. I made a mistake on the pit road going too fast, just trying to go for it. But I'm real happy about how the car turned and how the car worked. So, way more optimistic now, I guess, than I was two hours ago. So, just want to keep making a few more changes and get the thing a little bit faster. Man, I would even forfeit it and start in the rear because it really doesn't matter. We've just got to get the car right for the race. We've got a long time to get up to the front and if we get it right, we can do it.