Allstate 400 at the Brickyard - Rookie Friday Quotes

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER PRACTICE DAY QUOTES FOR THE ALL STATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, AUGUST 5, 2004.

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, No. 5 KELLOGG’S CHEVROLET: THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST RACES OF THE YEAR AND YOU’RE SITTING HERE WATCHING IT RAIN. “It’s real tough. We’re kind of chomping at the bit, ready to get going, because we didn’t really test so well here. We circled this race at the beginning of the year. This is a race that not only with the history of this place and the prestige that goes along with it, but it’s just a real hard race to get a hold of. You have to have a really good car, really good engine, and the track changes a lot so we want to get out there.” CAN A GOOD RUN AT INDY MAKE OR BREAK A TEAM’S SEASON? “I think this can make a season. You don’t want to say your season can hinge on one race. For Jeff Gordon, winning one race isn’t a successful season but for other teams, a lot of people would like to win this race, including us [smiles].” HOW DIFFICULT IS QUALIFYING HERE? “It’s tough. Starting at 10 o’clock, it seems that first half-hour or 45 minutes is a big advantage and just a little bit, a couple of tenths. If you spot a good car a couple of tenths, you’re not going to run them down. I think the draw is really big. If it stays overcast that will probably be less important.” HOW BIG OF A FACTOR IS THE LOST TRACK TIME TODAY? “I think it is, but not for us. We’d be willing to line ‘em up and qualify ‘em. We’re pretty comfortable with what we have. This used to be mandatory test and everybody would come test here but now it’s not and teams select to or don’t, so I think some guys who didn’t would definitely sweat it if they just went with it.” WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH FROM HERE TO THE END OF THE SEASON? “Wins. We want to think championship in 2006 and to do that we definitely need to get the consistency and we need to know how to win. We need to show ourselves and prove to everybody else that we’re contenders to win every race and that’s what we’ve got to do the last part of this season. A win is the big thing. We want to win a race and obviously this race would be a great one to win. If we can do that and then compete consistently for wins and maybe win another one, two would be great.”

MIKE GARVEY, No. 66 EAS FORD: ARE YOU GOING NUTS SITTING HERE WATCHING IT RAIN? “We’d rather be on the racetrack, practicing and fine-tuning everything. We’re actually in a pretty good position. If qualifying does get rained out we’re in the field. It’s not as bad as if we were one of the other 11 cars that aren’t in the field if it rains. It’s nice to know we’re in there if it does ran out but it would be nice to get on the racetrack also.” HOW DIFFICULT IS QUALIFYING GOING TO BE? “It’s going to be hard. This is as good of a group of cars as you’ll see anywhere. I think the toughest group that you’re seen prior to this is probably Charlotte and this is every bit as tough or tougher. We’re going to have to be on the ball and really stand on it.” HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO RUN A REALLY GOOD LAP? “There are definitely plenty of chances to make a mistake. That’s the whole key right there: don’t do it. It’s actually a fun track to drive because it’s challenging. It’s not just a regular oval. You’ve got to enter right and get off that corner. There’s four distinct corners, entries and exits, so you’ve really got to hit your marks. If you don’t hit your marks, you run out of room quick. It’s very technical and you better hit your spots.” DID YOU FOCUS MORE ON RACE RUNS HERE DURING THE TEST? “We worked more on short runs, just to look for speed to start with. We didn’t have a really good race motor here. We knew we were down on power but we tried to see how fast we could get that car to run. We didn’t do any long run stuff; five or six laps at the most. The position that we’re in right now is that we have to make sure that we get in the race first. It’s going to be nice because tomorrow there are two actual Happy Hour sessions, two 45-minute sessions, so that will work out good for us. We came back and put in our race motor in which we know has a lot more horsepower. Hopefully we can get the EAS Ford in there.” HOW BIG OF FACTOR IS THE LOST PRACTICE TIME TODAY? “Because we tested, I don’t think it’s bad. Everybody here right now is in qualifying mode. We’re all looking to qualify to get in the race. After all that is over, we’ve got the two Happy Hour sessions to go to our race setup, which is really nice. We don’t get that option a lot. Usually we have two hours or an hour to try to do both so for our team, this is actually very nice.” HOW SPECIAL WOULD A GOOD RUN HERE AT INDY BE TO YOU? “It would be huge, man. That’s what we’ve got to do. We keep digging and digging and we’re going to get it. It’s hard. You’ve got to remember that you’re racing against the best racers in the United States. That doesn’t make running 30th any easier to take. We’re digging hard and we’re going to keep digging and digging until we get in there.” HOW SPECIAL WAS IT TO COME HERE AS A DRIVER FOR THE FIRST TIME? “This is huge. I was telling all my friends back home that there’s two tracks that really give you goose bumps when you pull into: one was Daytona and the second one was here at Indy. Growing up where I did in Michigan, I used to come here every May and watch Indy qualifying. When you come to some place as a little kid and you walk in, this place is huge and when you’re a little kid, this place is a monster. Every time I’m in Indy, I come over here. I look at the racetrack and go through the museum. To get the opportunity to race here is very big.”