Raybestos Rookie Happy Hour speeds:
Hamlin 4th
Bowyer 8th
Truex Jr. 16th
Stremme 26th
Sorenson 27th
Yeley 38th

CLINT BOWYER, No. 07 JACK DANIEL’S CHEVROLET: “We keep getting better and better, just got to keep digging. Hopefully we’ll have a good night tonight and learn some. I think the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet is pretty good.”

DOES THE BUSCH CAR HELP THE CAR HERE? “Yeah, especially at a place like this. Laps and seat time is everything at a place like this. The more laps you run the more breathing you do and the more comfortable you get and that’s the key at a place like this. You’ve got to be comfortable, you’ve got to be relaxed and not fall out of the seat. It’s just easy to get caught up in it and you’d be tense and not breathe and do your normal things and be worn out quick. You just get relaxed and this race tonight should help that, gain a little confidence and learn what I need to make a good run tomorrow.”

THIS MUST BE ONE OF THE MOST PHYSICAL DAYS OF THE YEAR. HOW MANY LAPS DID YOU RUN TODAY BEFORE THE BUSCH RACE? “Probably 300 or 400 already [laughs]. We’ve already run a race, that’s for sure. I’ll be about 300, probably. You know, I think it is more than that. You want me to find out?”

THAT IS A DAY’S WORK. “I know, I’m done now [smiles]. You think they’ll let me?”

WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD FINISH FOR YOU IN THE CUP RACE? “Tomorrow night, top-10. I mean, we’ve got to get the points back, get back inside the top-15 where I feel like we belong. We’re just snake bitten right now. We’ve got to get over that and get some things rolling our way and we’ll be just fine.”

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO PIT HERE? “It’s hard to pit. It’s hard to do the right things, make the right calls. Track position is everything and you’ve got to be there when it counts. You’ve got to stay up front, that’s the bottom line. Unfortunately in the Cup car, we qualified back a little bit and got to get track position and then got to keep it.”