MBNA RacePoints 400 - Dodge Qualifying Quotes

Note: Ryan Newman earned his 33rd career Bud Pole today in his 144th NASCAR Nextel Cup Series career race. Newman moved to a tie with Fred Lorenzen, ranking 20th on the all-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Bud Pole list. This is Newman’s second Bud Pole and seventh top-10 start in eight Cup Series races at Dover. His qualifying time of 22.770 seconds was less than ½ a second from Jeremy Mayfield’s track-qualifying record of 22.288 seconds, set June 4, 2004. The pole was the ninth of the season for Dodge. Chevy has 12 poles this year, and Ford has five.

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge Charger) – First

“It was good. I don’t think it was perfect, but it was a very good lap. We were faster than in practice, so we’re happy with the speed. We also think we could’ve went faster, but you know, could have, would have, should have. But, we’re happy with our ALLTEL Dodge Charger.

How important is momentum this weekend, coming off your win at New Hampshire?

“It’s important, but we always look forward to coming to Dover. I really enjoy the racetrack. We’ve always performed well here – both from a car setup-wise, and I think me enjoying the racetrack is a big part of it. We’ll see what we can do on Saturday and Sunday. Dover is a really fast racetrack, and when you’re off just a little bit, you can be off a lot and that usually means that the wall is coming closer to you at a faster speed than you want it to. It’s just a really fun track when everything is working just right. I really enjoy it.

On the cooling temperatures later this weekend:

“This is definitely a physically demanding racetrack, so it’s actually just going to help us out more being inside the car with the heat. That’ll be the biggest thing. Everyone has the same advantage as far as the track getting faster if that happens. This car here is the same car that has qualified well in the past, and it’s been in victory lane here in the past. So, this will be another opportunity for it. We’ll see if that doesn’t work.

What do you attribute to getting both poles today?

“Two fast racecars… I’ve just got to thank everybody from Penske Racing. There’s a lot of great teamwork on both sides and together. I just really enjoy this racetrack. It’s not necessarily the concrete, it’s just the shape of it and the speed and the banking. I really enjoy banked racetracks. Again, not to be sarcastic, but having two fast racecars, I just enjoy being able to sit in them and drive them that fast.”

Is this your chance to gain some points on Stewart, who qualified 31st?

“Obviously, yeah. Every chance is a chance. But, we’re not just racing Tony Stewart, we’re racing everybody for a win, and the other nine guys for the championship. Just because Tony Stewart qualified 31st doesn’t mean he won’t be fast tomorrow in practice.”

On having a chance to match Sam Ard’s record in the Busch Series tomorrow:

“I don’t know how that deal works, if it’s four consecutive races or four consecutive races by a driver. But that’s a cool deal for me, whether it counts or not. Winning one race is awesome, but winning three or four in a row, that would make a great season in itself. We look forward to the opportunity. I’m not sure how it ranks in the NASCAR book as far as stats go, but if we can get into Victory Lane, we’ll be happy one way or another.”

What is it about you and qualifying?

“I enjoy qualifying. I enjoy attacking the racetrack. The only person I have to beat out there is the racetrack. There’s no traffic, no dirty air, nothing but myself and the racetrack to be able to go as fast as I possibly can for one lap for that matter. I enjoy it. The team enjoys it. Obviously, I can’t sit here and do what I’m doing as far as qualifying well, I’m in to represent the whole team. And those guys have given me fast racecars. I have to thank them. I’ve always told Matt (Borland, crew chief) I said, ‘If you give me a straight arrow, I can shoot it pretty straight.’ And these 33 poles are a representation of straight arrows.

It seems like guys who win poles in an impound race generally aren’t very good in the race:

“Yes and no. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but who would have thought that Matt Kenseth would have gotten the pole at Bristol and then went on to win the race. First of all him getting the pole, but the pole and then winning the race… So, there are definitely cases where guys who can qualify well and race well at different racetracks. Yes, we have seen some instances where guys that qualified well can’t race well. But, whether it’s an impound or not an impound, we go with what the rules are. We didn’t qualify the way we should have at Loudon. We were just misbalanced. We definitely raced better, but I don’t think that was necessarily a representation of how we did qualify.”

Doesn’t it defy logic that when there’s an impound race, where the cars should be closer to a race setup, that qualifying should be less of a parameter of how the race is going to go.

“You can say that in a way. But, you know yourself how much speed there is available by doing different things to the car. It’s like the person who’s addicted to chocolate, who has a candy dish in front of him the whole time. If they had an opportunity to get just a little bit more, as far as speed, then they would. Obviously, we’re here for competition to be the best and look good for our sponsors, so some teams may do things… If you look a difference instance, but the same idea, the No. 32 car has been qualifying a lot better because they’ve had to qualify. They’ve changed their procedures, and it’s been obvious. That’s part of it. And I think that that’s kind of like a masking of what happens at the impound tracks. Does that make any sense?”

What has happened to you and your team in the last four weeks? What’s the difference in your position today as compared to one year ago:

“There’s no one thing that’s happened to our team. We had some personnel changes back five or six weeks ago. We took the same racecar to Loudon as we did the previous race. So, there’s no one thing other than teamwork, a lot of effort and just pure performance to make the car go faster and us look better. That’s a good question there’s nothing that stands out in my mind that says, ‘Man, this is why we’re running good.’ It’s not like we’ve found some trick right-front spring or something. There’s nothing that stands out.

“Compared to a year ago, we had just come off being out for blowing an engine at Loudon. So, now we’re coming off a win. And in saying that, it’s a perfect example of us just going out to try as hard as we can. Just because we blow an engine last year and came back to win the race doesn’t mean that we’re going to come back and be better now because we came off of a win. We’re just going to go out and do the best job we can, and hopefully that is a win.”

Do you feel that you’re more of a threat, having won last week?

“I appreciate Biffle saying what he said, because it means a lot, knowing his success this year and his talent as far as driving a racecar. It’s nice to be considered a threat, but we have been in the past and you’ve got to follow through with that. But, whether we’re performing up to your expectations or other people’s expectations, you’ve got to go out and do your job.

“We haven’t exactly been sitting back kind of working. We didn’t intend on going into Richmond in 11th in points at all. Just because we get a little streak going doesn’t mean that we’re the dominant team. I just think that right now, in the last two weeks, including this weekend, we’ve been looking pretty good.”

What’s your race plan for Sunday?

“I think every driver has the want to lead 400 laps. But you have to be careful. You never know what the balance is going to be like. And you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow in practice. Hopefully we can keep this car in one piece, start on the pole and lead a bunch of laps. But, yeah, we’d love to lead the first one to get those bonus points, and lead the 399 more after that.”

Have you stopped to think about how dramatic of a turnaround this has been?

“Not really. We don’t really sit around thinking about that. We just try to keep the car going faster and faster each run. Yeah, it has been sort of a turnaround. But I don’t think that you can consider one race at the right time of the season a turnaround. But, we’ve got a good start on a series of 10 races, and hopefully we can do that for all of them. But, it’s going to take 10 races to win a championship. You can’t just count them two or three through.

Do you have a sense that this race, specifically, is going to be a big race?

“Every race is a big race. And every race is equally as important. Statistically, we’ve got a good shot at winning, and our competitors look at it like that. But, we’ve got to follow through as a team, stay focused.”

Do you expect this race to be as eventful as last week’s?

“I don’t expect, and I didn’t expect last week, to see a helmet laying on the back straightaway. I don’t know. But at this racetrack, it’s especially important not to play bumper tag for egos as has happened in the past, because of the speeds and because of the safety issue. Then when we go to Martinsville we can play around a little bit.”

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge Charger) – 2nd

“It was a good lap. It was right where we were in practice. It didn’t seem like the track had changed too much. I thought it would be a little hotter and looser, but the track felt really good.

“The pit stall are so small here that it’s important to qualify good so you can get a good pit stall. It’s key here. If you can get in and out of the pits all day without any problems, getting blocked in or having a hard time getting into your pit that will save you a lot of time throughout the day.

On the cooler temperatures forecasted for the weekend:

“The only thing I can see that doing is maybe helping the racetrack. It seems like when the tracks are really hot some guys get really good and the rest just kind of struggle around a little bit. But, I think it’ll be a really competitive race on Sunday. There will be some two-tire and four-tire pits, and a lot of stuff going on to get a good finish for us. That’s our best starting position in a while for our Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. The guys have worked hard. They do a good job. We just need to keep bringing these cars home in one piece, and not bringing them up in a big wad.

On last week’s incident:

“It’s not a really big deal anymore. I kind of leave last week’s stuff behind me. But, it ends up that we start second and third on Sunday. We both qualified good today, and we’ll have a good race Sunday. I don’t think there’ll be any more contact between he and I.”

“It’s an intense sport. There’s a lot relying on the drivers on how you perform each race, each practice day and in qualifying. And it just builds up. We missed the Chase and we’re trying to figure out what we need to do to get in the Chase next year to run strong through the last 10 races this year, and it was just an unfortunate situation to get wiped out last weekend. But that’s just part of racing, part of growing. But, I feel like it’s happened too many times to us.”

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) – 6th

“The track is awful loose out there right now. It’s really hot. It’s really slick. But, that’s the best lap I’ve ran since I’ve been here, so it’s a pretty good run for us.”

Any thoughts on heading to Talladega?

“No. It’s pure survival – it’s anybody’s game. That’s a race that’s a real wild card when it comes to the Chase for the Championship, because there are so many guys who can do bad and so many who can do good. I feel like I’ve got a good car going there. It’s the car I finished fourth with at Daytona.

Would a top-five at Dover make you happy?.

“I told everybody that I need to get out of the box like we did last week with a good top-10 finish. And the same holds true here. I think in the next five races you’re going to have to do that – just keep establishing points and getting a good foundation. And then after that… Every week I try to win, but it’s very important to keep getting these points right now.”

“It was a pretty good lap. It was a little more loose than I wanted to be down in turns three and four. I definitely got loose down there and left about one-tenth of a second on the table, I’m sure. But, a 23-flat… I think in practice we ran a 23.02, so we picked it up a little bit, and that was a good run for us. It’s pretty hot out here right now. The hotter it gets the slicker it gets, and that’s about it. That’s the nice thing about concrete – it’s not near as severe as the asphalt tracks are. It stays pretty consistent. But, it still gets slicker the hotter it gets.”

JEREMY MAYFIELD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger) – 12th

“It was a good lap. Our Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger has been good off of the truck. And we’re just trying to do the best we can to get a good top 10 start, or top 15, and get ready to race on Sunday. Our car is handling great, but we’ve just got to continue on and close the deal on Sunday. We’re going to work on getting the car driving good and be fast. We’ve got to. We’ve got to be faster than what we are now. We’ve got to step it up. I’m going to be honest with you, we’ve got to step it up if we’re going to win a championship – everything in all areas. We’re on a mission.”

TRAVIS KVAPIL (No. 77 Kodak/Jasper Engine & Transmission Charger) – 13th

“I’m just glad that I don’t have to do it again. It was pretty good. We were a little bit loose. We were tight right at the end of practice, and we freed it up, and we probably just needed it a little bit in between. We’re pretty close. These tires are really good for one lap, so I knew that the second lap wasn’t going to be any grippier. I just drove as hard as I could on that one lap, and we got a decent time out of it.”

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge Charger) – 14th

“All the guys on the Coors Light team have done a good job this weekend. This is one of Casey’s cars, and it’s been really good for us. This is the third time that we’re going to run it and we’ve been in the top 10 just about every time we’ve had it. Qualifying here at Dover you just hold your breath, if you can hold your breath that long. We picked up some time from practice, and this car drives really good. We’ve got a good car for the race, so we’ll see what happens.”