Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen - Chevrolet Qualifying Quotes

NOTE: BUSCH SERIES COMMENTS FROM TONY STEWART, NO. 33 OLD SPICE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Pole winner for the Zippo 200 NASCAR Busch Series race:

"We had a really good car yesterday. We couldn't put up a big number like some of the other guys. But the car was really consistent, time-wise, from lap to lap. I think that's going to be a key to running really good here today. If we can just put together a bunch of consistent laps. I don't think putting up a lap that's a half a second quicker is going to be any good if you can't back it up lap after lap. I'm just really happy with the way the car is driving. We made some adjustments yesterday but didn't really get a chance to try them. We were a little bit off yesterday in the first session. We got the adjustments made. This is the first weekend with a new crew chief (Mark Tudor) and he's going a great job. I'm pretty excited about it."

(CAN YOU TAKE ANYTHING FROM THE BUSCH CAR TO THE CUP CAR AFTER SUCH A GOOD RUN?) "No, not really. The cars have two different packages on them. The biggest thing is just having that confidence I guess -- just knowing we just ran a good lap. The Cup car is really good too. I'm hoping it goes out and runs a lap very similar to that."

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 5 KELLOGG'S CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"I was pretty happy with that. I screwed up a little bit getting into Turn 1 there and used a little too much brake initially, which made an initial wheel-hop. I was able to recuperate from that and get up through the esses and down through the carousel. I think we really picked up through the inner loop and the carousel there. That's what I was working on all day yesterday -- trying to get off that carousel and trying to make some passes in Turn 6. I'm pretty with that overall. We'll see how it lays out here for the rest of the day."

(ARE YOU HOPING THE SUN WILL COME OUT?) "Oh, yes. I went through the same thing at California Speedway earlier this year. We went out pretty early. The sun came out and heated it up and nobody else could run anything quick. I'm praying for sun right now."

RON FELLOWS, NO. 32 TIDE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"We got a little loose at the top of the esses. But other than that, the car was pretty good. You always want to go faster than that and I'm sure there will be lots of guys who do. But we've made a lot of progress with the Tide Chevy. We'll have a decent race car. It's a bit of a crapshoot -- qualifying is -- as I have learned (laughs). But I'm happy with the progress we've made. So we'll see how it goes on Sunday.

(HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE UP FRONT TO START, OR HOW DAMAGING IS IT TO START FROM THE BACK?) "Well, we've started from the back many times and been able to pass cars. Watkins Glen is a place that lends itself to great racing and plenty of passing opportunities. There are a couple of unusual places to pass, which we won't reveal (laughs)."

TERRY LABONTE, NO. 11 FEDEX CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"It was an okay lap. I left a little bit lying there, probably. But I didn't want to make a mistake and drive in the corner a little too far. As it turned out, I don't think I drove in quite far enough. The car was just a little bit too loose. But it was still a pretty good run for us. This is the same car we ran in Sonoma. Hopefully this will get us a decent starting spot."

(AS A HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVER, HOW IS IT THAT YOU ARE DRIVING FOR JOE GIBBS RACING THIS WEEKEND?) "Rick (Hendrick) and Joe (Gibbs) are good friends. They asked me about running the car at Sonoma for them and I did that. They called and asked if I'd run a few more races and Rick said it was okay. So that's what we're going to do."

BRIAN VICKERS, NO. 25 GMAC CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"We were really loose. The lap turned out okay. We were fighting a really tight car all weekend and we were having a problem with wheel-hops real bad in practice. They definitely got the tight out of it, I can tell you that. We'll see what happens on Sunday."

JOE NEMECHEK, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"I was really bad loose up through the esses and was completely out of the gas two or three times. And that just kind of kills your lap. Everywhere else I was really good. It's just unfortunate. If we could have it hit that, I know we could have gone a lot faster. That's the key place here at Watkins Glen on making your speed. But still, that should be a top 10 starting spot and I'm proud of all my guys."

TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"It was a pretty cool lap. Actually, I didn't think I ran as fast as I did. I got really loose in the carousel twice and through (Turn) 10 I got quite a bit loose. But that's a good sign. Any time you have an impound race, you want to be a little bit free when you take the tape off so the balance is right where it needs to be. So I'm pretty happy with the way the car drove. I think it's going to be pretty awesome tomorrow."

JEFF BURTON, NO. 31 CINGULAR WIRELESS CHEVROLET:

"I'm happy with the car, but I had them tighten the car up too much. I was so loose in the Busch car this morning that I figured this would be the same. This car was loose already. But I asked for too much. I feel like I got all I could out of it. And as a driver, I asked for too much adjustment and got it a little slow. But we'll take that and that will give us a good enough starting position."

ROBBY GORDON, NO. 7 JIM BEAM CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

It was good. Obviously the Jim Beam Chevy is pretty fast. Tony (Stewart) did an excellent lap there and I knew it would be tough to match. But most importantly, I'd like to have the opportunity to hang it out and match it. But if we get sideways and get the car off the course, we go home. We had to get the car in the show. But I think we have a decent shot for the race when it comes down to it."

"Tony (Stewart) is definitely on a roll. He's been on a hot streak. It'll be a good race. When you build the confidence like he's built right now, it's hard to stop him. He's going to be tough in the Busch race and tough in the Cup race tomorrow as well."

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"During my run I kept kicking myself going, 'Oh man, I know I can drive it in deeper.' I was really getting the car slowed down before the corner. We didn't get a chance to make a qualifying run yesterday. So, that bit us a little bit, but I think it's bitten a lot of guys. But all in all, I'm fairly pleased other than with this rain. I hope it dries up because we don't want to start by points, that's for sure."

(WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING FOR YOU, ROAD COURSE RACING COULDN'T HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME, RIGHT?) "There are so many good tracks for us that we have to take full advantage of them and live up to our full potential on those tracks. That's what we haven't been doing the last couple of months. That's what we hope to do over the next five or six races."

BORIS SAID, NO. 36 CENTRIX FINANCIAL CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO:

"I was way too conservative. Because of not having the points for a mulligan the plan was to run about 90 percent, but it looks like we went around 80 percent. It's a tough call -- you don't want to be overly aggressive and not make the show. But on the other hand we should have had a much better starting position. I am confident I can make up the track position, but it's always easier starting from the front. I hate holding back -- I like to make birdies, not pars. I am not even sure if today's run was a par."

QUALIFYING WAS INTERRUPTED BY RAIN AND THE FIELD FOR SUNDAY'S RACE WILL BE SET BY POINTS. TOP THREE DRIVERS IN THE CURRENT POINT STANDINGS VISITED THE MEDIA CENTER:

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Second in points; was set to go out 43rd in the qualifying order, but did not make a run due to rain.

"We work hard throughout the entire season. The question is always whether or not you put that lap up there (starting by points) and truthfully, we've worked hard and have had a pretty good season. We've earned the right to start up there, so we'll just see what happens.

"We had some trouble during practice yesterday with the brakes. We figured out what was wrong and we've got that corrected. I was really looking forward to qualifying. But the rain came and we'll start second."

(HOW WILL YOUR RACE CAR RACE ON SUNDAY, AND CAN YOU HANDICAP THE HENDRICK CARS) "I really feel that we're going to be strong. Jeff (Gordon) and I were both very strong at Sonoma but had some transmission troubles. We've corrected that and shouldn't have that problem this weekend. The limited practice with the brake problem I had -- and I know Jeff had some issues too -- kind of leaves some concern or question in my mind. But Jeff went out and laid down a great lap. So I think he's back on track. In a way, I wish we would have qualified so I can sleep on it tonight to know what I'm going to have in the morning when the race starts. I think we should be good. The guys have worked very hard to get the pit stops right. It's a lot easier to pass here on pit road than out on the race course. We should be in good shape."

(ARE YOU TRYING SOMETHING NEW?) "We're always trying new things to make the cars better. Our team, along with quite a few others, had a similar (brake) problem. We're always trying to make the car better. It's tough to know what's causing it because when you make the brakes better, the car squats more on the nose and makes for a tire slider. So is it the fact that our brakes are so good in carrying the back of the car, or do we have too much rear brake? So that's what we had to work to yesterday. We feel like we figured it out."

(ON THE RECENT STRENGTH OF TONY STEWART AND THE NO. 20 TEAM) "Without a doubt, those guys have been the strongest for the past two months. Tony is one of the best at road racing. I feel like I've improved as a road course driver. I've raced against him but on the same team with the Crawford group with the 24 Hours of Daytona. I was able to race with him and pass him. So I feel I'm getting better as a road course driver. Jeff Gordon is one of the best and so is Robby Gordon. It should be a really good race tomorrow. It's hard to look at the speed that he (Tony Stewart) put up and the separation between himself and second. They've got the whole package working. They're really on top of their game right now. It doesn't matter if it's a road course or superspeedway or Indy or a short track, those guys are very well rounded right now."

(IF THE CHASE WEREN'T IN PLACE, WOULD BEING IN 2ND PLACE IN THE POINTS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE?) "Not really. You have to keep your eye on the ball. You always have to try to make the most out of a bad day. You've got to collect points regardless of the point system. Last year, I thought at times I had a different format or mindset. But in the end it still added up to gaining points. In a 10-race schedule, you can look at it as having to be more consistent or your can look at it and say you've got to win races. Last year, we won a lot of races but came up eight points short. Kurt (Busch) had a solid 10 and ended up being the champion. So I think there are some things that are different, but at the end of the day you've got to get points."

TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Point leader:

"I was a little loose off the Carousel and off Turn 10, but we've been fast since we got here," said Stewart, who was more than a mile per hour faster than GET NAME HERE. "When you have an impound race, you want to be a little free so that when you take the tape off, your balance is where it needs to be."

"Either way, there were still nine cars to go, so if somebody beats us, they beat us. Starting on the pole either way doesn't matter to me, because we earned it either way. I'm really proud of that, no matter what happens.

"If it rains and we start on points, it might help us a little bit on the front. Guys that weren't maybe that fast on speed are going to be starting up there, so that may help us get away a little bit and save our equipment. Either way, I feel confident that we have a good car."