Where the Raybestos Rookies qualified on Daytona 500 pole day:
Bowyer 7th
Hamlin 12th
Yeley 17th
Sorenson 29th
Truex Jr. 37th
Stremme 43rd
Sherman 50th
Chaffin 52nd

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER QUALIFYING QUOTES FOR THE DAYTONA 500 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2006.

CHAD CHAFFIN, No. 92 FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET: ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT YOU DIDN’T PICK UP MORE ON THE SECOND LAP? “I had no idea what I was running in the car, but they told me we didn’t pick up none. That’s very unusual and we may have a problem. I guess we need to make sure that everything is all right. Typically we speed up six or seven tenths of a second on our second lap but I didn’t feel it losing power or anything so I don’t know what’s going on. From my standpoint everything was good. I was watching the rpm gauge and can’t imagine what happened.” HOW MUCH WILL YOU CHANGE ON THE CAR TO MAKE IT RACE READY? “We don’t change a whole lot on this particular car because you have to run the same springs and stuff in the back and NASCAR gives you the shocks. We’ll change the front springs and the sway bar and the wedge setting but it’s not a big difference.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 07 JACK DANIEL’S CHEVROLET: “I think that was good, a good pick up for us. I don’t exactly what the guys do but they always have some tricks up their sleeve. I think that was a good run for us. It was a little bit off the pole but I’m happy with that and hopefully that will land us somewhere in the top-15 and we’ll be good. This is a testament to all the hard work they put in all winter long. I’m happy with that.” WILL THE CAR DRIVE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT IN RACE SETUP? “I don’t think dramatically different. It probably drives a little bit different but it drove good in qualifying so I’m happy with it.” ARE YOU GLAD TO GET QUALIFYING OUT OF THE WAY? “Yeah, finally no more single-car runs, none of that boring stuff. We’re ready to get racing and learn from these guys.” WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR THE 150? “Obviously learn and gain some respect and finish good. I think our Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet is really good and it’s fast, it’s got the speed. If we can keep the fenders on it and earn some respect that will be a good day.” COMMENT ON GOING THROUGH SPEEDWEEKS FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A RAYBESTOS ROOKIE. “There have been a lot of single car runs and I’m ready to get out there and get to learning from these guys and see how they race these Cup cars.” THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE GROUP OF RAYBESTOS ROOKIES. HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GUYS COMMUNICATED ABOUT HOW SPECIAL THIS SEASON CAN BE? “I’m really excited about this year. I think it’s going to be a big year for all of us Raybestos Rookies. I think it’s going to be an exciting race right down to the end. All of us know what we’re getting into and we know what kind of talent we’re up against, equipment-wise and everything else. I think it’s going to be a strong rookie class all year long and I think it’s going to be a race right down to the very end.” WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF RUNNING FULL-TIME IN BOTH NEXTEL CUP AND BUSCH? “We’ve got our back up against the wall at a few of the racetracks. There’s no way of getting around that. But it is what it is and it’s the same for all of us.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER CHEVROLET: ARE YOU GLAD THAT QUALIFYING IS OVER? “It’s real boring for us, to be honest with you, to ride around there in practice yesterday and do laps and then today, too [smiles.]. I’m sure our starting spot for the 150 won’t be all that great but I look forward to the race. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I enjoy racing here and I feel like our car will race good so I’m excited about it.” WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR WEDNESDAY WHEN YOU GET BACK ON THE TRACK IN RACE SETUP? “Get out there and knock the rust off and get comfortable and get in some packs of cars and see how my car runs. Hopefully it will suck up well and it’ll drive well. That’s the two most important things for here. Our cars have done that really well in the past and if it does it again we’ll have a really good day on Thursday.”

DAVID STREMME, No. 40 LONESTAR STEAKHOUSE DODGE: ARE YOU GLAD THAT QUALIFYING IS OVER? “Yeah, I’ve told them that my job starts come Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when things will be important. I’m proud of all my guys. We knew that we didn’t have a shot at the pole or anything. We just need to make the car race well so when we get in the 500 we can finish the whole race.” WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR PRACTICE ON WEDNESDAY? “We’ve got to make sure that the car drives right. And the other thing is to earn a lot of respect from our fellow competitors. We’ve got to go out there and kind of mind our own business and get respect and go into Thursday with good confidence and come out of there clean, too.” DID THE COLD WEATHER TODAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? “I don’t know. You’ll have to talk to my Lonestar crew about that because I just got in it and run my two laps. I think anybody could have done what I did there.”

REED SORENSON, No. 41 TARGET DODGE: “At least we didn’t slow down so that’s a good thing. The car drove good and that’s the best we’ve been since we got here. That should put us somewhere near 10th to start the 150.” COMMENT ON THE TEAMWORK BETWEEN YOU AND THE OTHER GANASSI DRIVERS. “We haven’t gotten to do a whole lot of drafting together yet. I’m sure by the time we get to the race we’ve got 500 miles to get together and beat and bang and have a good time. I’m sure that having two teammates will help out a lot.” WHAT HAS THE LEARNING PROCESS BEEN LIKE THROUGH TESTING AND TO THIS POINT? “We tested out here and the test at Daytona was pretty calm, nothing crazy going on. I had a really good test out in Vegas and felt like we were pretty smooth out there. We’re looking forward to getting on some of the tracks where we can see where we stand with the rest of the field.” ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT LAP? “Yeah, I thought we’d run like a 40-something and I think we ran like a .32.” DID THE WIND BOTHER YOU? “It was moving the car around a little bit but nothing crazy.”

J.J. YELEY, No. 18 INTERSTATE BATTERIES CHEVROLET: “I guess it would be better if we were done [smiles]. I think the key was going out early today. It was an excellent run in the Interstate Batteries Chevrolet. I think the cooler track temperatures definitely helped some of the earlier cars. We’re locked in the show no matter what on points and this is going to be a good starting spot for the 150 so we’re looking forward to it.” WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS ENTERING THIS WEEK? “I’m just looking forward to a good year. Coming into Daytona I think the Raybestos Rookies are going to have to stick together or the veterans are going to pick on us. There’s enough of us this time that I think we can form our own line and go to the front so that will be good. We definitely have a good shot at winning Raybestos Rookie of the Year with this team and this car. We’ll just have to see what happens.” WHAT DOES IT MEAN STARTING YOUR CAREER WITH JOE GIBBS AND INTERSTATE BATTERIES? “Absolutely. Interstate Batteries has been in this sport for a very long time and this is probably one of the most recognized racecars out here. It’s just got a different guy behind the wheel. As long as fans realize that I’m the new guy in the 18, I’ll be good.” HOW BIG OF A FACTOR WAS THE WIND? DID THE WIND BLOW YOU AROUND A LOT? “It did. The worst part was that the wind just kept moving. You go down the backstraightaway and it was going sideways and the next time it was a headwind. If it could have just stayed blowing in one direction it would have been a little bit better. It was like little tornadoes swirling all over the place. We didn’t have a shot at the pole but we picked up what we needed to and I figured we could start in the top-15 and that would be a good starting spot.” WHAT IS YOUR GAMEPLAN FOR THE PRACTICE SESSIONS ON WEDNESDAY? “We definitely need to take care of the car. We’re locked in the field. When we were down here before, the car drafted real well. It’s just a matter of stealing enough confidence in the veterans that I’m a guy they can go out there and give a little help to and race clean with.” ARE YOU GLAD TO GET QUALIFYING OUT OF THE WAY? “You just have to downplay it [laughs]. I did that when I did the Indianapolis 500. You’ve just got to treat it as another race. If you can keep that behind you and just treat it like that, the pressure doesn’t build up as if you’re going out there thinking ‘Man, I’m qualifying for the Daytona 500.’” DO YOU THINK GOING THROUGH THE MONTH OF MAY AT INDY HAS MENTALLY HELPED YOU HERE DURING THESE TWO WEEKS? “I guess it probably could. I guess the best thing is that I spent a couple of years in the Busch Series. You kind of get the feel for the fans and the atmosphere of how it is here in NASCAR. If you came from a different series and tried to make your very first Daytona 500 and never raced in NASCAR before, I think it could definitely be a little hairier situation.”

BRENT SHERMAN, No. 49 SERTA DODGE: “These guys have worked so hard to get the car right and I thought maybe we’d pick up a little bit more with the cool weather. We changed a ton of stuff yesterday. We were either going to go faster or go slower and we picked up a tenth. We’re slower than when we tested so that’s not too good. I thought we’d be a little bit better. It doesn’t matter, really, because we’re in the show. We’re going to run real hard on Thursday and I think we’re going to have a good car to run in the draft as long as we just hold on to the draft and just stay in line and not get into any trouble I think we’re going to be fine. I think on Wednesday we’re really going to get a feel for what we have for the race setup. But with the package that you have here I think everyone goes tight toward the end of the run. I just need to get used to running the car free enough at the beginning of the run to where we’re neutral at the end of the run. I’m looking forward to Wednesday’s practice and the race on Thursday and getting in the show and getting on with this. I think we’re pretty much going to know what we have Wednesday, to be honest. But practicing with all the cars out there and where the car likes to be on the racetrack and if anyone will even think about helping me out is important. I’m really just focused on finishing this race [Daytona 500] and I want to gain some respect out there and show them that I can run with them and not make any stupid mistakes. That’s the goal: no mistakes, stay in line, finish the race and move on to California.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FEDEX EXPRESS CHEVROLET: “That was a pretty good effort for us. We were hoping to maybe get in that 47-second bracket but we turned a flat. We picked up a couple of tenths from practice so we can’t be too disappointed. We’ll probably end up between 10th and 12th. That’s not bad. That’s a good run.” HOW BIG OF A DIFFERENCE IS THERE BETWEEN THE CUP CAR AND THE BUSCH CAR? “There’s quite a bit. There’s a lot more experience level out here in Cup but I’ve got a lot of guys out there as Raybestos Rookies with me so maybe we can get a little help from them. I’m looking forward to the Bud Shootout later on, maybe build some friends for the 500.” DID YOU HAVE AN OIL LEAK? “We’ve got quite a bit of rear end overflow problem. I was surprised that we turned the lap that we did with that problem.” DID YOUR QUALIFYING DRAW MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE? “I think early looked like it was really good, but now it’s kind of leveling off and everybody is pretty much on the same playing field.” DID THE WIND SLOW YOU DOWN? “I think it slowed us down a little bit on our second lap, that or the oil did because we’ve been picking up seven and a half tenths all weekend. We ran a .50 on our first lap and only picked up a half-second so something was a miss.” WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR PRACTICE ON WEDNESDAY? “You’ve got to go out there and try to drive clean and stable and not get a DNF, that’s the most important thing.”

CLINT BOWYER PRESS CONFERENCE

COMMENT ON YOUR LAP AND YOUR PERFORMANCE TODAY. “Gil [Martin, crew chief] preparing the cars and just the dedication to all the employees at RCR and how hard they’ve been working to get things turned around. They’ve always been pretty good at the plate races but we’re all really excited at the changes at RCR and really optimistic about the season.” IS THIS THE FORMULA ONE ENGINE BUILDR THAT HAS YOU GUYS FAST? “It’s just everybody in the engine R&D. They’ve really been doing their homework and studying really hard. They’ve been working hard, night and day, Saturdays and Sundays, these guys have been putting their time in and doing their homework. It’s paying off and we’re just thankful that we’ve got good hot rods down here to have fun with.” ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT YOU AND JEFF BURTON BEAT KEVIN HARVICK, WHO HAS BEEN IN THE CAR THE LONGEST. “I think a lot of people are surprised about that after practice. We just stayed with our game plan and I don’t know what happened to Kevin. I really haven’t talked to him. They weren’t quite as fast. But as far as Jeff and I, we were actually about the same but he picked up more than we did. It was a good lap for both of us. All of us are pretty close to the top-10. I’m really proud of everybody at RCR and happy for Richard [Childress, car owner]. I know he had a smile on his face when I just saw him.” HOW MUCH DID THE GUYS FIND BETWEEN TESTING AND WHEN YOU CAME BACK? “Quite a bit. The engine was the biggest part of it. Fine tuning the body and massaging everything was important but the main thing was bringing them ponies underneath the hood back.” DID RICHARD TALK TO YOU OR ANY OF THE OTHER DRIVERS ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS SEASON IS GOING TO BE? “RCR needs to come back. They need to change; they need a turnaround. Richard has made a lot of difficult changes personnel-wise, big changes for all of us. It was for the good and it’s already starting to show. This is our first race but through the attitudes through the shop we’ve just improved all the way across the board from our aero program to our engine program. Our Busch cars were always really awesome last year and the Cup cars struggled. I think Gil and Todd and Scott have done a good job figuring out the differences between those and found a couple of things that we can pick up on the Cup cars as well. Aside from Daytona, that’s one thing, but I’m really optimistic about getting to California and seeing what we’ve got there because I think we’re going to be pretty happy there as well.”