Raybestos Rookie Happy Hour speeds:
Hamlin 5th
Yeley 12th
Bowyer 26th
Truex Jr. 30th
Stremme 32nd
Sorenson 33rd

DENNY HAMLIN IN THE FEDEX KINKO’S CHEVROLET WAS THE TOP RAYBESTOS ROOKIE DURING THE FINAL PRACTICE SESSION TODAY AT DOVER.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE CAR? “The car is pretty good. We made a lot of changes between the second and third practice and the car seemed to be 200 percent better than what is was before. I’m really happy about that. We gained a lot of speed at the end of a run, which is the most important thing. We ran about what we did in the first practice on the start of a run but we gained a lot in that seven to 15-lap range. That’s what we were looking for and we just need a few more small adjustments to make it better.”

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO KEEP UP WITH THE TRACK WITH RAIN WASHING THE RUBBER OFF? “It’s really going to be hard to keep track of this racetrack as much as it keeps changing, especially with these little showers. It all depends on how hard the rain is and how much rubber gets washed off. It’s definitely going to be kind of a crapshoot on what you do for setup on how much you free it up or loosen it up. The track is hard to get a hold of anyway, especially when you throw in a bunch of rain showers in between.”

IS TRACK POSITION GOING TO BE CRITICAL HERE TOMORROW? “It’s going to be very important. In the truck race, it looked like two tires worked at times, no tires worked sometimes so it’s definitely going to be a deal where you’ve got to think about track position because you’re not going to make up that many spots on the racetrack.”

IS IT HELPFUL TO HAVE A CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER WORK WITH THE TEAM? “To have Al Shuford and Paul Alepa there, those guys each have their specific part that they work. Al is kind of the medical guy that looks after me, Tony and J.J. and Paul is pretty much the trainer. I know that Al helped me tremendously when I was going through that thing with my hand and I’m still going through it. I’m sure Tony and those guys are in constant contact with them and hopefully Tony gets back here just as soon as he can.”

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE YEARS AGO WHEN THEY DIDN’T USE PEOPLE LIKE THAT? “Someone said that the drivers back in the day were probably twice as tough as drivers today and I believe it. There’s no doubt in my mind that we would never survive in the cars back in those days [smiles]. You’ve got to definitely tip your hat to the veterans that have been through the years with no power steering and had to rough it out with broken bones and everything else. It seems like today you get a little cut on your hand and everybody make a big deal about it.”

J.J. YELEY, No. 18 IMITREX CHEVROLET:

“We went out a little bit late. We wanted to let some cars go out and get some rubber down. We made a couple of laps. The car was really pretty decent. I think we were 12th on the board and I was following up behind the 07 for a while. I don’t think we’ve been slower than 12th in any of the practices and hopefully with a little bit of luck and a little bit of changes we can turn that into a top-10.”

THE FINAL PRACTICE SESSION WAS CUT SHORT BY RAIN. DOES THAT PUT YOU BEHIND IN PREPARING FOR THE RACE? “No, because our car was pretty good. Generally, I think when you have problems like that your car is pretty bad and you want a little more practice so you can get out and work on the racecar. Maybe this is my lucky weekend and things will turn around. Last week we had an awesome run going and I cut a tire down and took us out of a top-10 and turned into a top-20. You can’t be disappointed with a top-20 but 10th to 20th is a big difference. We just need a little bit of luck on our side. We’ve got good racecars and we’ve got what it’s going to take to run top10.”

HOW DIFFERENT IS THE TRACK GOING TO BE WHEN THE RACE STARTS? “It should change a considerable amount. They are going to put a lot more rubber down and the racetrack should tighten up. I’ve only been here once in the Cup car and only a couple times in the Busch car. I never really cared much for this racetrack. Last year I had a good Busch racecar and it changed my view on it a little bit. It’s still a tough place. They don’t call it the Monster Mile for nothing. Anytime you run a one-mile racetrack in 24 seconds in a stock car you’re getting after it. You just have to be good. It’s just like Bristol. If your car is good, you’re going to enjoy it and it’s going to be fun. If your car is bad, it’s tough to get out of the road. It’s tough driving an ill handling racecar here for a long time so hopefully we keep ‘er driving good.”

IS THIS PLACE LIKE A BIG BRISTOL? “People try to compare the two, and I guess because of the banking and it being a concrete track those are the similarities you’ll get. Here the second groove will open up and there’s a little bit more passing here but this place can bite you pretty quick and because of the banking on the straightaways you’re generally going to hit the fence. It’s either the inside fence or outside fence or sometimes both. During a wreck or even if you spin, the chances of keeping the thing in one piece are going to be slim.”

DOES THAT MAKE TRACK POSITION MORE CRITICAL HERE? “Oh, it definitely does. You’re going fast enough here that aero comes back into it, even though it is only a one-mile racetrack. So you need to qualify good and need to stay in that lead pack and you’re going to be really good. If you get stuck back there in the mid-20s, traffic gets pretty heavy, it gets difficult to pass and the next thing you know the leader is coming up on you.”