Pocono 500 - Chevrolet Qualifying Quotes

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 GM GOODWRENCH CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Responds to Craftsman Truck TV broadcast comment on 6/10 reporting that Harvick would be making a move to Dodge: "I think that Ray (Dunlap, SpeedTV on-air talent for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) will probably be thoroughly embarrassed in the next couple of months there with everything we've been working on (contracts). The bad part about it is that I have another year on my contract with RCR and a couple of years with Chevrolet. I think if the facts would have at least been checked on and not just dreamed up over a couple of beers, we probably would have had a much better telecast on the Speed channel last night watching the Truck race. They need to worry about what the hell they're doing and things will be reported a little more accurately."

(ARE YOU A WANTED MAN? ARE YOU GETTING CALLS?) "No, I haven't gotten calls from anybody because I'm not available. It's one of those things that's dreamed up. Richard and I are working on a lot of things to go forward in the future and there isn't any other home that's going to be available for me. It's unfortunate, but stuff happens. Like I say, in the next couple of months it'll be something that he'll probably regret. He'll be embarrassed about saying it."

(WERE YOU WATCHING THE TELECAST LAST NIGHT?) "Yeah, the disappointing part about it is that I'm laying in my motor home and (Ron) Hornaday is pretty much annihilating them during the race. And they were talking about me driving another car and not even reporting on the race. That's the unfortunate part for GM Goodwrench and the race fans and everybody. They're not even worried about their own telecast. It's unfortunate. So I went to bed with a headache, to say the least.

"I was watching the race with the guys on my team and with Scott Wimmer, actually, and they all kind of looked at me and I (shrugged shoulders) said, 'Hey, you guys know how this world works.' So it was unfortunate. But like I say, it's pretty easy to put to rest and that's why I wanted to make sure that it didn't go any further. If all the facts were known with all the contractual stuff, it wouldn't even be reported."

(WHAT ARE YOU AND RICHARD CHILDRESS WORKING ON LONG TERM?) "Oh, it'll be great. It'll probably catch you guys (media) off guard a little bit. But once we get it all done, it'll be awesome."

(DOES IT INVOLVE OWNERSHIP?) "Oh, you never know."

JASON LEFFLER, NO. 11 FEDEX CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "It's faster than we went yesterday, but it's still quite a bit off the pole speed. But where we're at, we just need to concentrate on getting in the field. Mike Ford (crew chief) and all the guys have done a great job. The car drove really good. It was a lot better than it was yesterday. It's tough being out of the top 35 because it's hard to give 110 percent because if you spin out or hit the wall, you're going home. There's a fine line between trying too hard and not hard enough. But I think we'll be all right though and get this FedEx Chevy qualified for tomorrow."

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Note: Brushed the wall during his qualifying effort: "We've been fighting a real loose condition when we put the car in qualifying mode. That's part of the impound deal. Once you get the car right for the race, you've got to really find that right combination to get to qualifying. We've just haven't been able to find it. I got a little bit loose there over off the tunnel turn and caught the wall with the right rear. It's not really that badly damaged. We're slow anyway. We're probably just going to repair the damages and just start in the rear.

"We just haven't been able to tighten up the car enough. We got the car really good with the race set-up and I was pretty happy with it. So hopefully once we pull the tape off the front and everything, it'll be good. But the damage is minimal. It's nothing we can't fix. We're going to be starting far back anyway, so we might as well just get it fixed right."

(HAS THIS BEEN A FRUSTRATING WEEKEND?) "It has been frustrating. We were really far off. We're trying to do things here at Pocono that we do at places like Texas and when you don't get that comfort level, this can be a really tricky place. I felt like we really hit on some things yesterday in the second practice for our race set-up. But we made one qualifying run and it was horrible. And we've tightened it up a ton from there, but it was still really loose. There is not much we can do about that.

"You can't say I'm not used to this. I've been there and done that. That's just part of racing. Trust me, I don't like it. But we've been in this position before and come out fine on race day. We just got real loose off of the tunnel turn and caught the right rear on the wall."

BRIAN VICKERS, NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "It was a good run. Our GMAC Chevy was awesome. It was a little loose, and I wish it could have been better. But we really focused on race trim. All through practice we only made one qualifying run. We weren't really going after the pole, but we've got a good race car."

(ON THE SUNDAY'S RACE) "It's just so competitive right now. When the rules change, it's different for each of us. Jeff Gordon has been used to a certain set of rules for a long time. For me, that's not the case. I come in here with a little bit more open mind, maybe. But I think it's just finding that balance that everybody is looking for. It's just a tough track. Years ago, you could find a good balance for one corner and it would be okay for the others. Now, it's like you've got to be great in all three corners."

JOE NEMECHEK, NO. 01 US ARMY CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "I definitely thought we could go a lot faster than that. I got through Turn 1 pretty good. There are some big bumps in Turn 2 and it seemed like when I hit them that it really made my car jump sideways and I lost all my time right there. Again, we were quite a bit free in practice yesterday during our qualifying runs, but in race trim I thought we were decent. So we'll take that. And hopefully that'll be a halfway decent starting spot and we'll get after it tomorrow."

SCOTT RIGGS, NO. 10 VALVOLINE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "It seemed like the track was definitely a lot faster at the start of qualifying. I think we still left a lot on the table there. I think our car was pretty good. Everyone was screaming about being loose and we just overcompensated for it. But I'm just proud of all the guys. Even with the changes we went through this week, it's all been positive. We really pulled together."

MICHAEL WALTRIP, NO. 15 NAPA CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was. Tony Jr. really gave me a good car and that's fun to drive. I was going to call him when I left Turn 1 and say, 'Hey dude you got me fixed up,' because I knew right then. I was loose yesterday. We've been loose every qualifying session. I'm real proud of my team. I saw yesterday in practice there wasn't anybody I got around that I couldn't pull up on. Richie Gilmore and those boys have done a great job too. I just want you to think of me when I walk off as a guy who is really happy with this whole situation right now."

TONY EURY JR., CREW CHIEF, NO. 15 NAPA CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "This is just working out awesome. Everybody at the shop has been working really hard. We knew we had him in the top 10 yesterday and we got him tightened up a little bit, we'd be right there. We're really happy."

BOBBY HAMILTON JR., NO. 32 TIDE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "I don't know where that came from. We were loose all day. The track has so much more grip. That's the hardest I've driven it since I've been here. You always try to pick up a little bit in qualifying and we did. We are just a little bit free. We're having trouble getting over the bumps. I haven't figured it out yet. We got in the race and we can work on our car tomorrow and get a decent finish."

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 8 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET: "It wasn't that bad until I got to Turn 3. I just got real loose on the exit and I could never get the car back underneath me to get on the gas. I just lost a half-second right there. We were terrible in practice yesterday. I feel real good about how the car is going to race. We got some help from the No. 15 (Waltrip). They're obviously real good. We've got the car driving good in race trim. I just got in the corner and got real loose. We would have had a better lap if I hadn't made that mistake."

(IS YOUR TEAM GETTING BACK WHERE IT SHOULD BE?) "We have a long ways to go. We want to win every race we enter. We've got a long ways to go to get there. That's impossible, but that's the goal you shoot for. We're working on it. This team works hard and they motivate me to work really hard. I try to do the best I can for them and by them. They give me pretty good cars and I'm just trying to give them the run they deserve."

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "That was pretty fast, but it didn't end up being the lap that I thought I would be. The car was on edge and a little loose. Yesterday, we were tight and made some adjustments that made me a little loose in qualifying, but I thought it would be better."

(ON PIT STRATEGY) "It always comes into play. Something always works out where you've got to stretch the fuel to keep track position. It's so difficult to pass here."

TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "Since yesterday, we changed everything but the steering wheel, the seat, and the driver - and I'm not sure I wasn't on the list of changes to consider (laughs). Zippy and everybody did an awesome job. They changed everything underneath the race car. We just couldn't get anything close yesterday. And this Home Depot Chevrolet is a lot better. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be in good shape."

Post-Qualifying Press Conference with Michael Waltrip & Brian Vickers

MICHAEL WALTRIP, NO. 15 NAPA CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Bud Pole Winner - Note: last pole won was at Michigan on June 21, 1991 - 456 races ago.
"I'm a little amazed really. I didn't see this one coming. We haven't qualified very well this year. Our best starting position was 18th. And that was last week at Dover and we got that because it rained. So to get first here, I'm pretty amazed. I knew I did Turns 1 and 2 really well. But then when I exited (Turn) 3 I got sideways a little bit and I had to let off a little to correct it. I remember when I won a pole, you had to be about perfect to do it. We weren't perfect, but yet we were still good enough. Our car is one of the best cars in race trim. It was right. I feel real confident about the race. Qualifying today was just a bonus. We are really optimistic about winning the race tomorrow. This proves how fast our car is - to have a car that races as well as it does and to make the few adjustments you're allowed and qualify like we did too."

(HOW MUCH CREDIT DO YOU GIVE TO TONY EURY JR. AND HOW DID THE NO. 8 CAR TESTING AT MICHIGAN HELP?) "Any time you can gather information it helps. The credit goes to the team. I can't express to you how much more important having a team is than having a great driver. The driver is part of the team, but you have to use that driver and all work together and have great resources and smart people and I'm in a position now where Stiffy (nickname for Eury Jr.) believes what I tell him and he hears what I'm saying. I've never met anybody who knows as much about the sport as he does. When I say that, I think I know a lot about the sport because I've been around it my whole life. When I talk to him, he says all the things I think I already know. When you take his knowledge of the sport and savvy of the crew guys and the car, and couple that with his knowledge of springs and shocks and aerodynamics, you've got a guy right there who is hard to beat. I promise you this, I've already heard rumblings of it, people are saying, 'He can take Michael and run good with him. Just think what he could do if we gave him a real driver.' And so I think it's going to be an all-out assault on Tony Jr. and I'll bet you he gets some offers to be somebody else's crew chief. I just want him to be my crew chief forever because he's definitely the best I ever had."

(WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT 1991?) "We started out in the Daytona 500 and were running second with just a handful of laps to go and broke an engine. No, that was '92. Maybe I don't know anything about that year. No.we came to Charlotte in May, fourth in the Cup standings and won the Open and Dover was the next race. We got the pole there and then we went to Pocono and then I won the pole in Michigan. But, we started breaking engines and had to change engine builders and went into a bit of a funk for the rest of '91 and part of '92. And then in '93, '94, and 95, we got that No. 30 car running pretty good. I remember specifically that pole at Dover and that pole at Michigan and I didn't dream I'd be an old man when I won my next one."

(WHAT DID IT MEAN TO HAVE THE NO. 15 AND NO. 8 TEAMS SWAP?) "We had an adjustment period of about one day. We had a lot of good conversation prior to heading to Daytona for our first test. We worked through that first test. There were some things they did to the car that I really liked. They began to hear what I was saying relating to what the computer was showing. I think I gained their utmost confidence and respect that day to day all right, he knows what he's talking about. We had a chance to win the Daytona 500, but broke. We had a chance at California, but broke. We adjusted to each other right away. I wasn't as comfortable with my situation at DEI last year. I didn't feel like I had the respect of my crew guys and didn't think they thought I knew what I was doing. I told Richie Gilmore that something needed to be different for me. One day, when I walked in, they said I was going to drive the No. 8 car now and Dale Jr. is going to drive your car. I said, 'All right.' Think about that for a minute. That was pretty cool. I just hoped I could fit into that car like Dale Jr. did. That's how it went down. They accepted me and believed in me. I fit in great. It's all been good for me. Obviously Dale Jr. has struggled a little bit. But I think that DEI will be better and stronger because of this swap. I think everybody sees that one team was a little bit better than the other one. Now we've got to get them both ramped up to that par."

TONY EURY JR. JOINS THE CONFERENCE...

EURY JR.: (ON WINNING THE POLE) "It's been pretty awesome. I think we've had a very successful season other than motors blowing and the little bobbles and incidents we've had. When you win a pole, it's pretty gratifying because that means your whole weekend is coming together, not just part of it. We were really impressed with the way the car ran in practice yesterday. We knew if we could get it tightened up for him today, he'd have a good shot. That's probably been my fault all year. But we put it all together today and hopefully that'll show in the weeks to come."

WALTRIP: (WHY IS ONE CAR GOOD HERE AND ANOTHER BAD?) "This is an impound race. Somebody has something good for the race that might not work for qualifying. I would reserve my comment on that until the weekend is over."

WALTRIP: (WHAT HAVE BEEN THE DIFFERENCES IN THE START OF THE YEAR UNTIL NOW?) "We broke in the first two races and ran crummy in Vegas. After that, we got on it. If you take from Atlanta through Talladega, we led the points. That's like a seven or eight race string there that we led the points. Everybody thought we were running bad because people have a tendency to just look at the points.

"But we've been happy from the start and confident from the start that we could do this."

WALTRIP: (ARE YOU SURPRISED ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NO. 8?) "They've had some change. I, quite honestly, wanted some change if I was going to drive that car again this year. So I guess I'm not overly surprised. I do believe though that Dale Jr. has the talent and ability to work with his crew and then Richie Gilmore is bringing both teams together to share information more than we've ever done before. The change is going to be good for DEI."

EURY JR.: (WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO DEI TEAMS) "It's not really been like you can't see my notebook or anything this year. Last year, both shock guys worked really well together. I've got a new shock guy this year. He's brought in a lot of information to help us. Just getting the two teams to gel and figuring out who wants to stay long term at DEI has been the biggest deal. We don't just want to learn a lot of stuff and get these cars running and then have the doors open to where the Hendricks people and Roush people can get in and get our information. We still feel like we're a solid company. They put us with Michael because they thought we could get his confidence up and make him the driver that he's capable of being and we thought Dale Jr. was a good enough driver that he could pick up that team and maybe bring some experience along to make that team step up. That's what the whole swap was about. Yes, we're probably on the better end of the stick right now. But in the long run, both of them will be really good."

EURY JR.: (ON MAKING WALTRIP COMFORTABLE IN THE CAR) "They way my dad brought me up - and this is the way I feel about anybody - is that the driver is the only one who knows what's going on in the car. If he's not comfortable, he's not going to run fast. My main goal is to do whatever it takes to make Michael Waltrip comfortable. I don't care what anybody else's set-up is in the garage. I've got to concentrate on what he wants. That's what sets our team apart. We try to do our own thing, and that's what keeps Michael happy.

EURY JR.: (DO YOU THINK YOUR TEAM WAS UNDERSOLD BEFORE?) "We've got our dues. When you've got Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving your car - he's one of the greatest race car drivers out there - there's a lot of drivers out there (like) Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. There are a lot of drivers out there and all you'll hear is the driver's name. You won't hear the guys behind the scenes and what they're doing. So, in some aspects, yes. It's nice to get out on our own and make Michael successful like he needs to be."

WALTRIP: (ON WORKING WELL WITH TONY EURY JR.) "I really believe there are drivers who go into circumstances and that begin to believe they are the reason why things are successful. I just don't happen to buy into that all the time. You have to have a partner and Tony Jr. has been my partner this year. I tell him all the time I believe I'm as good as Jeff Gordon. But I don't believe I've had a chance to show that. Someone that wanted to argue that could pull out some notes and make me look like an idiot to say that. But when we got in our cars to qualify today, I had just as much shot to go around there as fast as Jeff Gordon does. That's my thinking. I don't know where my final employer will be or who, but I do know I've learned a tremendous amount over the past 13 races about what it takes to be successful. And that makes me feel content to know that.

"I don't believe in the youth movement and I don't believe in drivers being superstars unless they have a great organization. I believe you can take a cat like me and make him a superstar when you put people like Tony Jr. behind him. You have to have a front guy. I can be the front guy. But you've got to understand why it's all happening. I understand it better than anyone. In 1991 when I won that pole 14 years ago, I might have thought I was smarter than I am now. You just grow up and learn. I'm glad I'm where I am right now. I hope I can race my car for a couple three years and then figure out what I want to do next.

"I really believe it's directionally correct for our company to go about things the way we're going about them. Dale Jr. is getting a lot of help from Tony Jr. and those guys and they'll implement that and he'll start running up front."

WALTRIP: (ON NOT SHIFTING AT POCONO) "My mental state was so positive coming here because I didn't want to shift. I never felt my car would go any faster when I would shift. I just thought it was a lot of work for nothing. I wondered why it was necessary. What are the chances if you finish in the race if you don't shift? They are about 50 percent - at least - greater, because you're not going to have to stress your engine for rpms and you're not going to break your transmission or your gears. So it's just a simpler way to go about something. People will say you can't pass. You explain to me the logic in that statement. You shift, to try to pass, but the guy you're trying to pass is shifting too. Now you're both not going to shift. Why the heck is that going to make it harder to pass? How is that any different? It's crazy. Don't tell anybody this, but drivers get on my nerves, too."

BRIAN VICKERS, NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Qualified 3rd:
"In general with the gear and transmission changes, I think NASCAR went in the right direction, but I think there are some things they could do a little different there. In a place like this maybe you make an exception. You kind of give us a transmission where we could shift. I think it would make it a little more exciting and add another challenge back to the track and make the racing a little bit better. But all in all, the GMAC Chevy was really pretty good in race trim and qualifying trim, and we're looking forward to a good start."

(YOU WERE 9 YEARS OLD WHEN MICHAEL WALTRIP WON HIS LAST POLE. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?) "No, I don't. I know I was in first grade, and probably just worrying about getting the colors in the lines at that time. Congratulations to Michael. It was a great effort to run that lap. I ran with him a little in practice yesterday. In race trim, he had a pretty good car too."

(ON IMPOUNDING THE CARS AT POCONO) "The first 10 minutes of each practice, the car handled different than it did in the rest of the practice. I'm sure we're going to deal with a little bit of that tomorrow. Hopefully we can get some long green flag runs and have a good race."

(ARE THERE ENGINE CONCERNS FOR SUNDAY'S RACE?) "I don't think so. I think it's going to be easier on the engines, probably, not turning many rpms and honestly, the gears that have been given to us, we can't even turn the rpms we're capable of to even be comfortable with. So we're well in the good. I've heard some guys have tried to shift and it didn't work out too well. But if they continue to try to do that, they're going to be looking at some problems tomorrow. But I think that's going to be few and far between."