Allstate 400 at the Brickyard - Dodge Friday Quotes

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 Mobil 1/Alltel Dodge Charger)

“It’s special, but for all the people it’s special (racing at Brickyard), so we’ve got to beat them at that specialty game. I look forward to another opportunity. We’ve been close to winning here, and we’ve been close to getting on the pole. We’ve got an opportunity to come back and do what we do – try to beat everybody else. We’ve got a brand new Charger, and we’ll see how it runs here. We’ve had a quick test with it to shake it down, so I’m looking forward to another opportunity to spank some butt. Pocono prepared us a little bit, but we’re not bringing back the same car. The track is definitely going to be fast with these conditions when it does try out. We’ll see what it’s like today when it dries out and then tomorrow for qualifying and especially for the race.”

WOULD IT BE SPECIAL TO BEAT THE OTHER HOOSIERS? “Gordon is not a Hoosier. He’s just not proud of being from San Francisco. Tony Stewart is tough here. He’s probably got more laps than anybody here in IndyCar testing and IRL and stuff like that. It’s a fun place to drive. Tony has done well here. We look forward to beating him, too.”

SEVERAL DRIVERS HAVE BEEN ON A ROLL THIS YEAR. IS YOUR ROLL COMING? “We tried to get on that roll at Darlington, and then it got derailed really quick. We’ll just keep doing our best and when the train comes by we’ll try to get on it and ride it for as long as we can. I think there’s definite potential. Our rally back at Pocono was huge. We had a pretty good finish at Loudon. We struggled on some pit stops and stuff there, but generally we’ve done well as a team, but not well enough to be in the victory lane column yet.”

HOW DO YOU BACK UP QUALIFYING WELL? “After qualifying you’ve got no excuse to say you’ve got a fast car. You’ve just got to get it right for long-run laps. This track is kind of unique in that we get around 35-40 laps on a tank of fuel where at other tracks we might get around 125. It’s unique in that you only have to corner so many times on a set of tires. It’s just a place that’s a lot of fun for me. We look forward to another opportunity to qualify well, and then from a racing standpoint you just do the best job you can. You can only go so fast, and the tires have been a definite question mark this year. We’ll just go out and run ‘em hard.”

WITH THE NEW SURFACE COULD THIS BE A MULTI-GROOVE TRACK? “I doubt it. There’s always going to be one fast groove. You’ve have to have a guy that’s misbalanced pretty bad to be able to work around him or underneath him. The way the cars are with the aerodynamics and stuff, they’re more sensitive than they’ve ever been. It’s definitely going to be a sticky situation, but you can make an effort to pass people. Whether we can pull it off or not we’ll have to wait and see.”

HOW SPECIAL IS IT RACING BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA? “It’s special for sure. I grew up close to home and I grew up racing quarter midgets in the Midwest and that consisted of South Bend, Columbus, Indianapolis and places up in Michigan. I’ve got a lot of fans from the open wheel days in midget racing, Silver Crown and Sprint Car racing around here. My favorite racetrack of all time, Winchester, is just down the street a little bit to the east. I enjoy it for a lot of reasons and it’s special from that standpoint, but when we get to victory lane it’ll be easier. For someone to want to go to college because Ryan Newman did or want to race cars because Ryan Newman does or look at you as an idol or somebody that’s a competitor it really doesn’t matter as long as they think good of you. That’s cool for sure.”

HOW WOULD YOU GRADE YOUR SEASON SO FAR? “We’re about a B on the old grading scale. We’re sixth in points and that’s the biggest accomplishment from a points standpoint. We’re in a lot better situation right now than we’ve been in years past, so that’s good. We’ve been hot and cold at times and we’ve struggled to get to victory lane. We had one taken away at Darlington, but that’s part of racing. When you’re knocking on the door it’s OK. When you’re back there running 20th and you can’t get to 15th, that’s when it gets frustrating.”

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO RUN BETTER AT THE BRICKYARD? “Well, we got crashed here last year. Vickers crashed us in the short chute between one and two. The year before we had a really fast car and the year before that we had a really fast car and I think we finished fourth. We’ve always been a really fast car running well here, but we’ve never got to victory lane. We finished fourth with a problem with the racecar in 2002 and for sure should have had a shot at winning that race.”

DO YOU HAVE BREATHING ROOM WITH SIX RACES LEFT BEFORE THE CHASE? “There’s no cushion for breathing. Even Tony and Greg and Jimmie don’t have breathing room. They have a little cushion, but no breathing room. You just have to stay focused. Some of these tracks coming up are tracks we won’t go to twice. It’s important to get things right, but it’s also a situation where you’re not going to be able to apply things to Loudon and Charlotte and places where you’re already ran. There’s no defined cushion, at least in my eyes. You just have to keep doing the beat you can and if everything is going right the ultimate decision won’t be made until Homestead.”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT DOWN THE STRETCH? “You can never know what to expect in this business, whether it’s from the points standpoint or the racing standpoint it doesn’t matter. You have to just keep doing your best every second whether it’s qualifying, racing, pit stops or whatever. You just have to keep doing your best and hope your best is good enough to win.”

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE RAIN TODAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN’T GET ON THE TRACK? “It is what it is. If it rains, then we don’t practice. We’d definitely like a shot at qualifying here. We think we can qualify well, and that’s important as far as pit selection. It’s relatively difficult here because of a tight pit lane.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE SEASON SO FAR? “I’ve learned anything can happen. We’ve had some goofy things happen to us and we’ve had some good things happen. The biggest thing about Pocono looking back is we rallied from 24th to fifth in the last 40 laps. That’s a tough thing to do at a track like that where it’s aero sensitive and hard to pass.”

WOULD A COUPLE OF WINS BOOST THAT B TO AN A? “It might boost it to a B-plus, but the championship makes an A or A-plus.”

COMMENT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AT PURDUE “My experience at Purdue was a big learning process from a personal standpoint, learning about different classes and things I could apply to the future. I learned how to do two things at one time, go to school and race at the same time. Going to school was a great opportunity for me to learn time management and problem solving. That’s the ultimate in daily life activities if you’re in business. I learned a lot about that. I’m not perfect at it by any means. I don’t know if anybody is, but going to school and going to Purdue was definitely a good thing for my career.”

HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR DRIVING? “I wouldn’t say it’s affected my driving, but I’d say my major has helped me be a better person on and off the racetrack, to help me communicate with the guys on the team and to help me understand you guys and communicate through my communication classes and things like that. The whole idea of education making you a well-rounded person, and that doesn’t mean my belly is any bigger.”

DID YOU LIVE ON CAMPUS? “Yes and then I went to Hilltop University Apartments. I never went to a bar. I never went to a single football game or basketball game. I was strictly racing and understanding how many classes I could skip and still get a passing grade. I was by far not the perfect student, but I did learn and that helped me for the future. I think people are looking at what I did as far as education and trying to apply that to their lifestyles. That’s not necessarily perfect. Everybody has to be their own individual person whether it’s going to be Purdue or being an engineer or being a veterinarian at IU. It doesn’t matter. It’s about getting an education and becoming smarter. I was interested in being an engineer and Purdue at the time was a top 10 school as far as engineering. It was two hours from home, so it got me out of the house, but it gave me an opportunity to go home on Friday afternoon to be able to spend time with my parents, work on the racecars and do family functions and things like that. It was a good match for a lot of reasons.”

WILL THE NEW SURFACE MAKE A DIFFERENCE HERE? “When we tested here at the Goodyear tire test it was brand new. We had tar building up underneath the racecar. It was that fresh. It’s probably changed a lot since we came here and tested. It was really grippy then and really fast. The month of May came after that and all the other NASCAR testing. We really don’t know what the track is going to be like other than the fact it is super smooth and was super fast. If that’s still the case, then that’s fine.”

HOW PRECIOUS IS PRACTICE TIME? “It’s definitely precious. From our standpoint, we tested before everybody else and the track was a little bit different. These other guys tested later. We’ll just have to see if we can play catch-up if we don’t get to practice.”

HOW TIRED ARE YOU OF THE INDIANA QUESTIONS? “I’m not super tired of it, but I get the opinion that everybody thinks because you’re home it’s supposed to be something special. It’s special, but it’s not as special as everybody seems to think it is. I look at it as a coincidence that I was born and raised in Indiana. The track is definitely special to me because of my appreciation of auto racing in the past whether it’s thinking about the open wheeled roadsters back in the 60s or thinking about watching Earnhardt and Gordon coming around here. I was here at the first test. I was over at the Steak N Shake and heard the cars running. I came over here with my mom and came over here for the test. Those are some of the memories I have.”

COMMENT ON GORDON GOING FOR HIS FIFTH BRICKYARD VICTORY “Some of that was racing luck. I don’t take anything away from Jeff, but look at what Earnhardt did at Daytona. He won so many times there and only one 500. Richard Petty won seven of them. Some of that is racing luck, and I think Jeff will admit that to you. We look at it as an opportunity to go out and do the best job we can and hopefully that will put us in victory lane. If it puts us in the top five, that’s still a good day for us, but we’d like to be in victory lane.”

BILL ELLIOTT (No. 91 Stanley Dodge Charger)

Stanley announced its entry into the automotive aftermarket on Friday at The Brickyard, including a new companion line of storage products featuring a Bill Elliott tool chest.

“The last time I worked around the house I slipped on a garden hose and broke my kneecap. I need Stanley to build something that will roll up a garden hose and get it out of my way. Anyway, we’re here to have a good weekend with the Stanley Dodge Charger. Hopefully the rain will stop so we can get some practice and get a good starting spot for Sunday.

“To run a race team today and be a car owner going up against Hendrick and Roush and Penske is a David and Goliath scenario. I think Ray (Evernham) was one who initiated all the strenuous work he put in as far as the crew is concerned. If you can gain two positions in the pits these days, that’s big because it’s so hard to pass on the track. The way I look at it, he looked at it and saw the opportunity to do all he could to make the best stops, and that’s what people are doing today. They’re doing their best to pit these cars and do whatever they can do to make it all work. If you’re lacking one thing, you’re probably not going to win the race on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s going to be different (without Rusty and Mark). When I came in I had Richard, Cale and all those guys. It seems like that was just yesterday and now they’re gone doing something else. It’s ironic that I did a little race up in New Jersey last year. Cale and Harry Gant and Dave Marcis and a bunch of those guys were there, and the stories those guys have is just amazing. I guess I’m fortunate enough to be one of the drivers to see everything from the early 70s until today and all the changes NASCAR has gone through.

“I’m just taking it a day at a time. If it looks like it’s a pretty good deal, I might do it. If it’s not, I’m not. I told Casey Atwood the first year he was with Ray, I told him to enjoy it because the first time he turns around you’ll be 41 and you’ll look back and wonder where it all went. You better work hard and enjoy it while you can. That’s the point I’m trying to make. A lot of those guys who raced around me are not around today. They’ve retired or gone somewhere else. I guess I’m fortunate to be able to accomplish the things I’ve accomplished and today enjoy a different look and a different part of the sport.

“I didn’t envision running a handful of laps today anyway. All you get is three sets of tires before you qualify, so it’s a moot point. It’s good to go out and see where the track is, but for all practical purposes everybody is in the same boat. We’ve just got to get out there and lay it down. Whether it’s three hours or 30 minutes, these guys are going to get it done. With 50 cars or whatever is here, it’ll work in pretty quick. It won’t take it long to get into shape. I think once the rain passes and it gets dried out, we’ll get out and see how it goes.

“When we go out and qualify in the morning, this afternoon will be more like what qualifying conditions will be and tomorrow afternoon’s practice will be more like what it’s going to be on Sunday. Hopefully it’ll work out pretty well.

“I never was around Charlotte much, and I felt like I couldn’t do it. I don’t have the personality to race on Sunday and to go back where everybody is on Monday. It was hard enough running my own deal out of Dawsonville, but at least I could get away and clear my head for a couple of days. It helps give things a better perspective when you do go back to the racetrack. To me it’s two totally different worlds. You start in February and go to November and all the testing and everything else, so it’s a year-round deal.

“Today, you’ve got to have the skill and everything has to fall your way. A lot of guys have won with a lot of different strategies. You’ve still got to be able to put it all together or you’re not going to win the race.”

RAY EVERNHAM (President, CEO Evernham Motorsports)

“When we won Indy in 2002 it took our program up to another level. People looked at us differently, the same as making The Chase last year. People looked at us differently. There are certain things you can put in your resume to make your team more of a contender week in and week out, especially when you’re trying to build a portfolio and bring sponsors on. It helps your stock go up. Having a race team is like being in the stock market. We’ve got to keep that stock up.

“I wish we were struggling like that (24 team). He’s 15th in the points with three wins. If we could struggle like that it would be great. They’ll be fine. I’ve always got a soft spot for Jeff because he’s a close friend and you hate to see him have problems, but in reality, I believe Jeff Gordon is going to make The Chase and probably end up winning two or three more races. I would only hope at some point he could have a soft spot for me when we’re only winning three or four a year.

“I think it’s really all about athletic ability now (pit stops). We’re still using the same tools, same number of guns, jacks, the same tools we’ve used for the past 10 years. We’ve picked up two or three seconds and that’s all the human element. It’s no different than the Olympics or any challenging sport. They keep running faster, jumping higher, jumping further. It’s all the human element. I think that’s what’s brought the speed of the pit stops down. We’ve actually got two trainers. One physical trainer and one choreography coach and they’re out there at the colleges and some of the high schools looking for these guys. You’ve got people out there recruiting. When I first looked at pit stops back in 1992 and ’93, I could never understand how you expect a guy to work on the car 12-14 hours a day and be great at doing a pit stop. I saw some good cars lose races because of bad pit stops. We started working on it right away and it paid big dividends for the 24 team at that time. Now you’ve got to do it to stay status quo. If you’re not doing it, you’re going to get beat terribly on pit road. The more competitive the cars are and the more equal everybody is, the more advantage there is on pit road.

“We went into it with Bill with no pressure. We said we’ll run as much as we can the first year and we’ll keep looking for partners. I think Bill is where he’d like to be between this and the Busch cars. It’s allowed partners like Stanley to come in and get their feet wet in NASCAR without having to write the big check with big pressure. For Stanley, I think it’s a great deal. They’ve got a legend in the sport on a part-time basis, and they can introduce a lot of their tools. Hopefully more and more people will follow suit and the companies will see they don’t have to write a $20 million check to be involved.

“You can use all the clichés, but hopefully the guy believes in you enough to know it’s just the way the sport is. It’s cyclical. Right now, we’re probably off a little bit with our cars and we’ve got to work on that a little bit. He (Kasey Kahne) has had some good runs, but he’s either got crashed or blown an engine and that’s going to happen. The key thing is you’ve got to keep everybody together and keep digging and keep believing in yourself and fix the problems one at a time. If you continue to work at it it’s not going to be bad for you. No one who works hard goes unrewarded. Sometimes you feel it’s a little easier for the next guy, you’ve got to keep fixing and working on the things you think are a problem.

“I think with this Ford thing behind him you’re going to see a different guy, probably a little more relaxed. Kasey is a very competitive person. He wants to run up front. He wants to lead every lap. He wants to sit on every pole and he wants to win every race, and that’s what I love about the guy. He’s got to make sure he doesn’t let the days he doesn’t do that that frustration eat him up.”

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

“The key is not making mistakes and if you do like we did at Pocono, we didn’t hit on much and we kept fighting back. That’s been our goal all year. It’s not about the good days. The good days are going to come and they’re going to be good for you. Most of us are going to have more bad days than good days, so we’ve taken the stand that when we should have finished 35th, we’ve finished 15th, 17th or 20th. That’s helped us a lot. There’s more points to be gained by that than trying to make every day a good day.

“I don’t know if it’s the Dodge as much as all the changes the Dodge teams have had to go through. Any glitch in anybody’s program anymore creates a huge difference in your race team. The Fords and Chevys had a spoiler change and that’s it. We had a body change and our team had a crew chief change. A lot of stuff went on. I don’t know if it’s the Dodge or everything else got everybody behind. The Charger has proven it can run up front. Rusty has been running good. We’ve had our times. Kasey has run good. I feel like we’re getting closer and closer. All three teams had a good test here. I can’t really say it’s the Dodge as much as everybody getting caught up.

“I think all year up until the final 10, you’ve got to points race. After you get in the final 10 it’s going to be a different deal. Last year nobody knew how it was going to play out. Now that we were in it last year, after the 26th race we can go race like there’s no tomorrow. If you’re in the top 10 you’re locked in and you race every race to win then. You still need to points race, but points racing isn’t going to do you as much good in 10 races as it would for 26 races.

“Every race this year will make or break you. If we hadn’t got 17th at Pocono we wouldn’t be in the top 10 right now. Every race is a make or break race and that’s how we’re looking at it. It’s going to come down to the wire at Richmond like it did last year. Afterwards, Richmond was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life. Going into Richmond wasn’t so much fun. We had made a lot of mistakes in the two races before that and took ourself out of it. We had no choice but to do what we did. How we did it, I don’t know other than everybody was determined to work together and get it done. We’ve been doing that every week this year. I’d like to be locked in and then go win Richmond. We’ve been good at Richmond. We were good the last race there. We had a little incident on pit road that knocked in our fender. Our teammate won, and that’s the next best thing to us winning.

“New Hampshire (first race in The Chase in 2004) knocked the air out of us. We came into New Hampshire ready to go and got an uppercut in the gut that knocked the breath out of us. We came back and ran good the week after that. The week after that we wrecked. We kept going up and down and the last four races we didn’t hit on nothing. It shows how important momentum and team effort works.

“Slugger (crew chief Labbe) has been cool. We argue a little bit every once in awhile. He gets on me and I get back on him, but we need that. After the race we’re always laughing about it and we shake hands. I need that from a driver’s point of view, someone to get on me and keep me straight during the race. When I feel like I’m right I get on him. We’ve got a great relationship. We get along as good as anybody, pretty much like brothers. We both have an even veto. Right there is the veto man (Evernham).

“The good thing about the Chase is you’ve got all those wild races in there and anything can happen. Who knows what’s going to happen at Bristol and Talladega? Whoever survives those two races and end up in the top 10 you’ll be in good shape for the championship.

“This year we’re testing like crazy. We tested on Tuesday and Wednesday at Kansas after Pocono. We came back and went Monday morning at 5 o’clock and went to Watkins Glen and tested for two days. After here, we’re going to Michigan. We’ve been wide open. We saved a few tests last year. This year we’re going all out and get all we can and let the last 10 go. I’d rather make sure we get in the top 10 than saving some (tests) just in case you do.

“I’ve thought about what the sport is going to be like without Rusty and Mark. It’ll be some hard shoes to fill. I like Bill Elliott and Rusty. That’s what’s cool about my career. I was able to drive for Cale Yarborough and race against Dale Earnhardt, drive for Rusty and Roger Penske. I’ve had a great career as far as being able to be a part of people I looked up to. When they’re gone I don’t know what it’s going to be like.

“It could go either way here Sunday. The track is so smooth and so fast. It gets hot here. If it stays cool it might be all right, but I don’t know what to expect. I know Goodyear has done a great job so far on everything, but we need that practice today.

“This is still a huge race. Everybody wants to win here because it’s Indy. I want to win Indy more than anything, but it still pays the same points that Watkins Glen is going to pay. You’ve got to look at it that way, but it’s definitely a big race prestige wise.”

JAMIE McMURRAY (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger)

IS THERE A DIFFERENT FEELING AROUND THE TEAM WITH YOUR IMPENDING DEPARTURE? “Obviously the first couple of weeks it was pretty tough, but I told them what the situation was and told them I wouldn’t give up and told them I didn’t want them to give up on me. I think for all of us Pocono wasn’t a turning point but everyone realized no one is going to give up. We have a lot of issues. We had an alternator go out and had to replace a battery. We had to put a right front fender on my car with 60 or 70 laps to go. We were running 25th with 40 laps to go and ended up 11th. It shows that no one is giving up and everyone is still giving 100 percent. As far as the relationships between me and everyone on the team it’s as good as it ever was. I spent the whole day in the garage hanging out with them today. It’s still cool. When you see race teams fall apart when drivers leave. I want to make our race team an exception. When we went to Loudon and had such a good car and ended up getting wrecked and ended up finishing 40th and went to Pocono. We sat on the pole and had the trouble and I thought ‘man, it’s not really in your control. It’s just happening.’ Our race team isn’t going to fall apart. That’s not a concern of mine right now. Everyone is going to stay and everyone gets along well right now. As long as everyone gets along well and you have good results it’s a tough situation to want to leave.”

DID IT TAKE A LOT TO GET EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE? “Everyone in racing understands that sometimes what’s best for you is not best for other people. I’ve had guys in years past on race teams come up and say they’re going to leave because it’s better for me. You’re not going to be mad are you? Certainly not. If you think what you’re going to do is going to be better for you and your career and your livelihood, then that’s what you should go do. That’s the unfortunate part about our sport. Sometimes you don’t make everyone happy about your decision.”

COMMENT ON NO PRACTICE TODAY “The majority of teams have tested here. I’m not sure how many, but a tremendous amount of people have tested here, so it’s not that big a deal. I’m almost relieved it got rained out today because I dread qualifying. It’s not something I ever really look forward to. When we go to the impound races we work on race setup and make one qualifying run at the end of the day. I’d be just as content if they’d draw pills and start wherever the pill is.”

QUALIFYING IS AT 3 SATURDAY. WILL THE SWINGS BE AS GREAT? “I would say a late draw would be good, but I don’t know if it’s as critical. When you start at 10 a.m. it’s very cool. I think the hottest part of the day is probably 4 or 5, so I don’t know if it’ll make as big of a difference. If you qualify at 3 later is better everywhere and if the track is temperature sensitive it might be more important.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN SUNDAY’S RACE? “I’ve never really viewed this track as boring. It’s one of my favorite tracks to come to. There’s a lot of history here, but it’s different than anywhere else we go and it’s fun. We came and tested here and I came in the first time and said ‘I love this place.’ It’s so different. It might be boring for you to watch sometimes, but for a driver it’s a cool racetrack.”

DO YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT STRATEGY FOR THE FINAL SIX RACES LEADING UP TO THE CHASE? “It’s a little bit different this year. The guy in sixth is not even safe and last year it was ninth and 10th through 15th, so there are a few more seats available to make it in. I’ve never really been in a points battle until last year. Even in the Busch Series I think I finished fifth or sixth in points my last year. It wasn’t a make or break deal. I think everyone who was real close last year was devastated if they didn’t make it in to The Chase. We missed it by 16 points or whatever. Last year, I got all stressed out. I didn’t deal with it the right way. This year, even when the alternator went out last week, you almost laugh and just try to make the most out of it. You always give 100 percent. I heard a question asked if braver moves will be made. We do that every week whether it’s to make the Chase or for 32nd place. You race your heart out.”

COMMENT ON THE NAME CHANGE OF THE RACE FROM THE BRICKYARD 400. “I’ve never thought about it. Honestly, I didn’t know what the name of it was. I didn’t realize they had changed it. I signed autographs last night at a Dodge appearance and a race fan in the back screamed in front of about 20 other people. He said, ‘it’s always going to be the Brickyard 400.’ I didn’t realize what he meant until 10 minutes later and then I started signing flags that said Allstate 400. I guess in the drivers’ eyes, not to take anything away from Allstate because sponsors drive our sport, but it probably will always be the Brickyard 400. The Daytona 500 will always be the Daytona 500 whether a sponsor comes along or not, but I think it’s wonderful they found a sponsor. It says a lot for our sport.”

HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO MATT KENSETH? “No, I haven’t. I need to get over and discuss things with Matt. It’s gotten out of hand. We’ve had an off week. I didn’t think about racing on my off week. I went to Mexico and hung out with friends and tried to get away from all the racing and enjoy myself. I need to find Matt this weekend. Maybe tonight will be the night and go discuss with him and get it all worked out. It doesn’t do any good to let it go on. It’s probably somewhat my fault. He tried to call me on Monday and I didn’t call him back. I didn’t really know what to say at the time. I didn’t know if it was going to come out right. I’m over it. I don’t really have a problem with it and Matt is going to be my teammate some day. I look forward to that.

Matt in my opinion is one of the best drivers in our sport. I grew up racing late models against him and he was always good at everything he did. He would be a very valuable teammate. I look forward to that one day. I certainly don’t want to have any problems.”

DODGE LUGNUTS – Jeremy Mayfield said Friday that if he ever buys part of Ray Evernham’s team, the team would be known as Mayham…. Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman and Mayfield are currently ranked in the top 10 with Dodge driver McMurray only nine points out of 10th place…. Wallace honored his crew chief Larry Carter, at a Last Call dinner Thursday night. Wallace said when he won the championship back in 1989 with crew chief Barry Dodson that the team won a lot of races and “never lost a party.”….. Casey Mears, driver of the No. 41 Target Dodge Charger, has two career poles in 92 attempts and they came back-to-back last season at Pocono and the Brickyard.