BURTON AFTER WINNING THE POLE:

HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS TO WIN A POLE AT THE BRICKYARD? "It's pretty special. Obviously we got a lot of benefit from going out early. But we knew we had a pretty good car because we only made a few little adjustments to it. It's real rewarding to sit on any pole, but to sit on the pole here means a great deal. And for Clint Bowyer to be on the outside pole is really special."

ON WINNING BOTH THE DAYTONA 500 POLE AND THE BRICKYARD 400 POLE THIS YEAR: "Qualifying has gone well for us this year. Winning both (poles) is really something special for me. In fact, I think I've gotten more poles this season than I have in my entire career. Overall, our average start has been really good. We'll just keep putting ourselves in position and keep working and hopefully good things will happen."

HOW WAS THE CAR IN TESTING AND IN RACE TRIM? "It was pretty good in testing. We worked yesterday in first practice and we weren't near good enough in race trim. We've made a lot of changes going and hopefully we made the right changes. We weren't as good as we needed to be yesterday by any means."

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

HAS THE HARD WORK ONLY BEGUN TODAY? "Nah, we're in good shape."

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE LAP? "No, I'm not happy with the lap. But it'll make it more fun on Sunday because we'll be able to pass a lot of cars. That'll make it fun in itself."

DOES QUALIFYING REALLY MEAN MUCH? "Yeah, it's track position and pit selection. It's not going to be a very good starting spot by any means, and it's probably not going to be a very good pit selection. But we have nice, huge pit boxes here at Indy, so from that standpoint, it won't be so terrible."

WHY DID YOU GO ONLY ONE LAP INSTEAD OF TWO? "It won't go two laps without getting too hot. So you put enough tape on it to make one lap to try to get one really good lap instead of two mediocre laps. That's why everybody just runs one lap."

NOT THE BEST RUN FOR YOU TODAY "Yeah, it was a little too tight. Well, it was way too tight. We'll be all right for tomorrow. We had a car that started off really loose yesterday, which is a great sign in race trim. I'm not too worried about the qualifying run; it just means we'll have to pass a lot of cars; which makes it fun. We started 22nd last year and worked our way up there with no problem. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

WELCOME BACK TO INDIANA AND THE BRICKYARD... YOU'RE HOME "Yeah, I could have gotten up and driven here this morning and beat the traffic still, so it's nice to be running in our backyard at a place that means so much to me. So, this is my biggest weekend of the year for sure."

HOW MUCH DOES A POOR PIT SELECTION HURT YOU HERE? "It's shouldn't. The pit boxes are really big here, so it shouldn't be an issue at all."

DO FEEL PRESSURE BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE OR DO YOU FEEL LAID BACK? "No, this is a much more laid back atmosphere than anything we've had in the past here, so it's definitely made it a lot more fun this year."

ON THE TIRES IF IT RAINS SATURDAY NIGHT "It shouldn't be a big deal. Even if it does, NASCAR will have a mandatory caution that will give everybody a chance to make 10 laps in that first run and then go ahead and have a caution where we can get fresh tires and not have to worry about any problems. NASCAR is a pretty smart group. They'll make sure we're all safe."

ON THE TRACK CONDITIONS "The track has more grip this morning. That's why the speeds are up. We missed the set-up today."

ON THE RACE STRATEGY OF TAKING HIS TIME WORKING THROUGH THE FIELD "The strategy is going to be exactly the same. That's exactly the way we should do it every week. Unfortunately I don't do it every week quite that good. But this race is one where I've got two other guys on the radio that will help me stay focused and patient all day too.

"I'm confident. I'm not going to say we can go out and win the race, but I know we're going to finish a lot better than where we're going to start tomorrow.

WHAT WILL YOU DO DURING PRACTICE TODAY? "We got some ideas from yesterday. The first session all we did was work on race set-up. Everybody sat down last night and took some time where we're not pressured in an hour trying to figure out exactly what we're going to do. So now we can kind of take a break and get everything ready for this afternoon now."

TONY RAINES, NO. 96 DLP HDTV MONTE CARLO SS:

"I don't know how it will stack up. We picked up. I think a lot of guys will. We have to gauge it off of is we were 32nd in practice, and we can be 25th or 22nd or better in qualifying, that will just show we've improved, and that's what we're working on right now."

"Well, as big as this track is and the car gets maxed on speed and the engine won't take the heat on a second lap. Even there, at that end of that first lap, it was getting hot. There is just no way. If you try to make two laps, you'd sacrifice a lot of speed. So it's just one and done as they say and if you mess us one corner here, it kills you. I got three out of four pretty good. The last corner was a little rough, but it was a good pick up for us. That will put us in the top 25 or 20 maybe."

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S MONTE CARLO SS:

ON HIS LAP "It was really good. I felt like the first three corners were right on pace to be on top of the board. And then getting into Turn 4, I got a little tight and I know I lost some time off of Turns 3 and 4 and off of Turn 4. I knew it was going to hurt the lap. I know we lost some time there. But I'm very proud of the team. We didn't have the best race practice. And then in qualifying trim, we picked up some speed today. Hopefully that'll be a top 10 starting spot and we can be comfortable with our pit stall selection. The track's going to get hotter and it's going to be tough for guys to go fast so now we'll just focus on race trim. Now, the first part of the weekend is over with."

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 8 BUDWEISER MONTE CARLOS SS:

"We ran what we did in practice. The car drives good. I ain't much of a qualifier anyway, so."

THIS IS A PLACE YOU CAN WIN FROM THE BACK "Yeah, I ain't really worried about that. We got a long race. We'll be fine. We got a pretty good car and we tested really good. The car drives good. I don't know. I ain't a good qualifier - especially here for some reason. The car's got a lot more speed in it and I'll be fine when we get to racing."

IS THIS RACE A TURNING POINT IN THE RACE TO THE CHASE? "Yeah, this one seems to take the points deal and turn it around. It's a big race. You try to come in here and get a good finish, just like everywhere else, but it seems like the size of this whole place and this whole spectacle at Indy will get under your skin or get in your head and make you do some crazy thing out of it."

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS:

"We drew a late number so obviously that handicaps you a little bit going in. But we struggled yesterday and needed to make some changes and some gains and I feel like we definitely went in the right direction. So this is better than the last couple of years, actually.

"Anything can happen here at Indianapolis. We've shown that in the past. We've won races here when we weren't a factor throughout most of the race. So I think this is a race track where you have to never give up on throughout the whole race and I think we're in a good position, but we're not in the best position we need to be at right now and we'll find out more this afternoon."

HOW DO YOU PUT YOUR DRAW INTO PERSPECTIVE WITH YOUR QUALIFYING? "We get the luck of the draw every weekend. It's just that here at Indianapolis is so crucial. It's hard to pass here. It's a big hyped race so all of us want to be up there up front. And we knew as soon as we drew that number (41st) that we were already behind the competition. So all we could do is go out there and get our best run. We've won this race from mid-pack before and all we can do it go out there and try to do it again."

HOW EASY IS IT TO PASS HERE? "When you have a good car, it's easy. But we're going to rely a lot on our pit crew. We still have to find out what this tire is going to do. This tire has been temperamental, and we've had some issues with it. We're going to find out a lot more this afternoon."

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 REESE'S / GM GOODWRENCH MONTE CARLO SS:

"I didn't get all of it through three and four but our Reese's Chevrolet is really good and for the time of day we went out, it was a good lap. I am so proud of my guys for doing such a good job and make it easier for me to go back and forth between here (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and IRP (O'Reilly, formerly Indianapolis, Raceway Park. We didn't hit anything and that is a good thing.

"I will be able to run both practices here and the final practice and qualifying for the Busch car.

"I think this is a good starting spot for us going out as late as we went out. We have a good race car, I have been really happy with it since we unloaded. I am looking forward to the Busch race tonight and this race tomorrow."

ROBBY GORDON, NO. 7 MENARDS / JOHNS MANVILLE MONTE CARLO SS:

"Being able to drive a car like that is nice. When I drove it in deep into turn one and picked up the throttle early, I knew it was going to be a good lap. I was hoping to pick up a little more time than we did, but we can still be proud of that effort. Looking forward to Sunday and hopefully putting the No. 7 Menards/Johns Manville Chevy in Victory Lane."

JEFF GREEN, NO. 66 INTA JUICE MONTE CARLO SS:

"The car was a little tight, but it felt better than it had in practice yesterday. With as good as the car felt, I thought we had a better lap time than what the board showed. We worked a lot on race runs yesterday, so we knew it wasn't going to be a top-10 effort. When we tested here, our first day of testing got rained out, so we felt like we needed more race information. I think we'll be pretty good in the race."

ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD - POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE JEFF BURTON, RICHARD CHILDRESS, AND CLINT BOWYER

CHEVY MONTE CARLO SS DRIVERS JEFF BURTON AND CLINT BOWYER CAPTURE FRONT ROW AT INDY SIX BOWTIE DRIVERS SCORE TOP-10 STARTING SPOTS FOR ALLSTATE 400 AT THE BRICKYARD

Indianapolis -- Jeff Burton, No. 31 Cingular Wireless Monte Carlo SS captured his third pole of 2006 for Sunday's running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Burton becomes the first driver in history to win the pole for both the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in the same season.

His lap of 49.420 seconds, 182.788 m.p.h. gave Chevrolet their fifth pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and their seventh of the 2006 season\.

Burton is joined by his Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Raybestos Rookie Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Monte Carlo SS giving RCR the distinction of being the first team owner to capture the front row for the race at the historic track.

Bowyer's career-best starting position gives him the distinction of highest qualifying rookie in the history of the Brickyard event.

A total of six Monte Carlo SS drivers grabbed top-10 starting spots for the 160-lap race. Current NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points leader Jimmie Johnson will start the No. 48 Lowe's Monte Carlo SS fifth with Raybestos Rookie J.J. Yeley, No. 18 Imitrex/GSK Monte Carlo SS along side in the sixth starting position.

Robby Gordon, No. 7 Menards/Johns Manville Monte Carlo SS qualified ninth with former Brickyard 400 winner Kevin Harvick, No. 31 Reese's/GM Goodwrench Monte Carlo SS rounding out the top-10.

Defending race winner Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS will start deep in the field in 32nd on the outside of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 8 Budweiser Monte Carlo.

The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live television coverage on NBC. The race will be aired live by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and XM Satellite Radio.

JEFF BURTON: Well, first of all, I want to say I'm sorry for not being here, you know, right when the qualifying was over. We're doing both races tonight and certainly wasn't dodging you guys, I just was working. But it was a really good lap for us. Obviously, we had benefit with the draw; on the same token, we had a fast car and we were able to take advantage of it. So proud of the effort with the Team Cingular, proud of the effort with all of RCR to have all three of us in the top 10. That's a heck of a feat. If we can do that tomorrow, that will be even better.

RICHARD CHILDRESS: Yeah, we came up here and tested, and I felt really good. I didn't know how fast we'd be in qualifying, but in race trim Jeff was really good. Neither one of the cars made a run, to my knowledge, in qualifying trim when we were up here at the test. We all went back and felt good and went back and done some homework. These guys just done it all, you know, him, Clint (Bowyer) and the whole group just did great.

Q: Richard, can you sum up what it means to come here with two guys in the top five in the points and then sweep the front row?

CHILDRESS: It feels great. I feel good for everybody at RCR that's put in so much hard work over the winter and the summer and the communication between the drivers and crew chiefs and engineers. It's just a great group of guys and ladies at RCR that's putting out an effort that's showing now, the efforts, the hard work they put out is showing.

Q: Jeff, you said at one point when you left the 99, and that was the race where they were going to start the new engines and how much you were looking forward to that moment. When you look back to that point then and look at where you are now, do you feel like you're having a second opportunity to race again?

BURTON: Well, you know, I've said this before. I didn't go join Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to wrap up my career. I went to Richard Childress Racing because I was trying to restart my career. When I looked at the opportunity that Richard was putting in front of us, when I looked at the resources that would be available to us, when Richard gave me the commitment that he would do whatever it took to build a world-class racing operation, that's why I left. And I didn't leave -- a lot of athletes, if you look at their careers, late in their careers they make a move, and that's the end of it. That wasn't my intention. My intention was to get it stepped back up. So, you know, Richard has done a hell of a job. He's done everything he told me he would do and more. We are working exceptionally well together. At the same token, there's a whole lot for us to do. You know, this doesn't pay us any points; this doesn't get us in the Chase. We have always got to be looking what the next thing ahead of us is. Quite honestly, we've won one race this year, the 29 has. No other team's won. Richard, before the year, you know, wanted us to win three, the 29 and 31, to win three races each. We thought we could do that. We still think we can do that. So we're short of our goals at the moment. We aren't where we planned to be. You know, I know everybody's like, 'Hey, everything is great; you guys are running good.' The way we're looking at it, we're not doing enough yet. That's the attitude of everyone, but it feels damn good to be where we are, but still not good enough.

Q: Richard, if Jeff or Clint wins this race tomorrow, you'll be the first car owner to have three wins here with three different drivers. Can you maybe expand on what that would say about RCR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, how you guys seem to have figured this place out?

CHILDRESS: It would be great to win with either one of them. I just think Indianapolis is special, you know, with all the tradition and history and everything that's went on here for many years. To win a race here is great, but to win three races here would even be better. So we're looking forward for a good day and excited. All the cars are running good. I think we've got a real good shot.

Q: Could each of you mention what you think the No. 1 thing is that has turned around at Richard Childress Racing to make you guys successful and moving toward that direction?

CHILDRESS: Well, kind of like Jeff said, it's about people, a lot of people and dedication. I think, you know, everybody working together, and I couldn't put my finger on one thing. But I do know there's a lot of people there that want to win, want to be a contender every week. We know we've got a lot of work ahead of us to get where we want to be and we're going to keep working until we get there.

BURTON: And I don't think there's one thing, Claire, I don't think we can -- you know, when I first walked into Richard Childress Racing, like I said, everything's there to succeed. We haven't done one thing, we've changed everything. I mean, Richard has changed every department. I mean, I'm talking about even merchandising and marketing. Everything has been changed. Fortunately, you know, Richard deserves a tremendous amount of credit; the things that were changed were changed correctly. It's easy to change stuff, damn hard to change it right. Richard has done a phenomenal job of taking what was a company last year that really couldn't put a team in the top 10 to honestly having a shot for having two and with that, with some good luck, Clint would have a shot, too. That 07 car has run, and they have just had some miserable luck. So we feel really good about the changes that were made, but there's not one thing. I mean, you just can't, it's impossible to say it's one thing.

Q: You've told us before, Jeff, that just because a guy has a down year, a few down years, he hasn't forgotten how to drive and just because a guy is up, it doesn't mean he's a better driver. Are you a different driver at all? Are you a better driver?

BURTON: I'm smarter today than I was five years ago. I think I'm a better driver than I was five years ago. I know I'm a smarter person. I know I'm more mature. I know that I know how to handle things better, and I'm much more calm. I think I'm a better driver than I was five years ago. The fact of the matter is, though, five years ago I was winning five races a year, and I'm not doing that right now. So until we can get doing that, then I'm not. So I challenge myself every day to be better, and I know I need to be better. But, you know, I think that not only does that go for drivers, it goes for car owners, too. When Richard Childress has won six championships, he didn't forget how to do that, you know. Richard's down time about matched my down time, if you look at it. And Richard, you don't fall into six championships. I'm sorry, you just don't do it. You don't fall into winning 17 races, you just don't do it. So the talent is there, we just got to put it together.

Q: Jeff, as well as things have gone for you today, what are your primary concerns for tomorrow? What do you need to do yourself and for your team to do for you?

BURTON: Well, there's obviously concern over tires. Obviously, you know, we had some left fronts go down today. The right front tire wear is an issue that will improve. That's the thing that's in front of me right now that I'm concerned about. This racetrack has a way of - weird things happen here. I want to have a normal race. If we have a normal race here and we don't have things bite us, then we'll be in good shape. That's my biggest concern, is having something strange happen that takes us out of contention. Because this race always, people get wrecked on restarts, weird things happen at this racetrack, and that's the tire issue and then, you know, the ancillary things that you can't control. The main thing I'm concerned about is making sure our car drives well. The faster you go, the more margin you have when things don't go well. We are fast, but I don't think we're right where we need to be just yet. We're close, but we've got to find some stuff tonight to make the car just a touch better.

Q: Richard, does Clint have standing orders to let Jeff lead the first lap to get the five bonus points?

BURTON: Yes. (Laughter)

CHILDRESS: Just don't wreck, that's the orders. I remember when Dale was up here and he was on the outside pole, he told me, 'I'm going to lead that first lap.' He did lead; he got over to (Turn) 4 and then hit the wall. So I will remind Clint of that tomorrow. (Laughter)

BURTON: The one thing we've got going on now is that Richard doesn't have to talk to the drivers about -- we're all on the same page. You know, we really are. So whoever beats who, you know, around will lead the lap. I mean, that's how it should be. But it will be clean; I can guarantee you that. He better let me lead the first lap. (Laughter)

Q: Qualifying was obviously good across the team, kind of looked like practice was, as well. Is that the case, fast, consistent throughout the sessions, throughout the team?

BURTON: I think so. I think that, of course, I have a skewed point of view because I don't have a chance to really look at what the other two guys are doing until later. But, yeah, I think that we're all competitive. It's a matter of who takes what they have now and find a way to make it a little better and then who takes that and finds a way to make it even better tomorrow. I think that we're all in that category of being able to do that. I think that's a fair assessment.

CHILDRESS: Yeah.

Q: Jeff, you said you're a faster, better driver now than you were five years ago, but you're winning less. Do you think the level of competition has raised that much?

BURTON: Well, you know what? Being perfectly honest here, there's no question the level has raised and is more competitive than it's ever been ever. But when you win a lot, you continue to win a lot because you have put yourself in that position over and over and over, and you know how to deal with things better. I went through a period where I couldn't put myself in position to win, so I got a little rusty at finishing things off. So I think some of us not being able to finish it off is my rustiness, to be quite honest. But I don't know, I mean I'm driving fast race cars, Richard is giving me fast race cars, and Scott is doing a really, really nice job.

Where we are, my assessment of where we are is when we are at our best, somebody can still be a little better. We've got to get to the point when we're at our best, nobody can be better. So we keep putting ourselves in position, we've put ourselves in position a lot this year, we just haven't found a way that when we're our best, we're our best at the right time in the race, number one; and number two, nobody can be better. We're there, but we're not all the way there.

Q: Jeff, you touched on this a little bit, but you had a chance to do some longer green-flag runs in conditions that are going to be a lot like tomorrow. What did you see when you got the tires off and were you happy?

BURTON: We definitely got more laps on tires today than we did yesterday. We got more laps on tires in the second practice versus the first practice. So the tire wear will continue to improve, but it's not fixed just yet.

Q: Jeff, you have three poles this year and if Kerry was right, only two the rest of your career. What's going on there?

BURTON: That's odd, isn't it? Damn if I know. The first qualifying attempt we made this year at a, you know, normal racetrack, not counting Daytona, was California. We qualified well, and I went, 'Hmm,' and went to Vegas and qualified well and thought that's odd; then went to Atlanta and qualified well, and I said, 'Well, that's a miracle.'

I don't know. I mean, you know, I've worked mentally on qualifying quite a bit and feel good about the things I've done to get myself prepared to qualify. But, you know, Scott Miller and my guys are giving me stuff that will go around the racetrack. You know, that qualifying thing is a lot like racing. When you're doing it poorly, it's hard to improve it because it's hard - you don't make gains. You know, I went through that for a long time. But, really, when I first came over here, we've been qualifying pretty decent. Like when I came here, I said: 'Richard, I'm going to tell you, I can't qualify. I'm terrible at it.' He was used to that because Dale sucked at it, too. (Laughter) So we figured, hell, it will be all right.

But I don't know, I mean it's -- obviously, the cars drive great, and I've worked on myself to be ready when I get in the car. I think all those things have come together at the same time.

CLINT BOWYER: ON HIS LAP: It was a lot of fun. This track's unbelievable. It was a good lap. I think I got everything, you know, through (Turns) 1 and 2 and 3, that's possible. If I gave up anywhere, it was probably in 4 as I saw a lot of people do. But easy to slip up over there, get a little too much out of it, get in the corner a little too hot and can't get off the corner full speed. Other than that, the Jack Daniels Chevrolet, it was really good and it's neat to have two RCR cars on the front row for Richard (Childress).

Q: Clint, where do you slot this in terms of highlights in your career?

BOWYER: Oh, it's big. Would be a lot bigger if we can finish up front. That's the name of the game. Qualifying is one thing; it's neat to be able to qualify up front, put down a good lap, but we've got to put down a lot of them tomorrow, and I think we can do it. The car is fast in practice. Tires are giving us a little bit of a fit, but I think as the track rubbers up more and more, that issue is going by the wayside, hopefully.

Q: Can you talk about the incident in the second practice? Was that a situation where you ran over anything?

BOWYER: I think I might have ran over something down on the bottom of the track or something, because we ran that same air pressure in the tests a couple weeks ago. You know, first practice all the way through, 10 laps into that practice and just all of a sudden, you know, it happened. Just luckily for us, thank God it happened where it did, coming off of (Turn) 4 instead of going into 1 like it did Kurt.

Q: Clint, you're a rookie, are you surprised that you've adapted so quickly in this series to be as competitive as you guys have?

BOWYER: I think all of us rookies is a very strong class. I think all of us are really talented, been given a gift and been given good equipment, too. That's the second thing, is I think all of us are in pretty good equipment for the most part and showcase our talent well all across the board.

Q: Clint, RCR has a great track record here. How much confidence does that give you going into this thing now that they have won with Earnhardt and Harvick in the past?

BOWYER: Well, it's definitely neat. You know, I have confidence for myself. Confidence for me came two weeks ago in the test. I knew the car was fast when we left there, left with a good, positive attitude knowing that we were going to come down here and run good. We unloaded really good, really strong right off the bat. So I'm not really surprised that we're running well. I didn't quite think we'd be this good. All three cars are really strong, Jeff and Kevin, you know. That old guy, he put the whooping on me. I think he was cheating or something, but that's too bad. It's funny, I was telling my dad it's funny how quick you can get greedy. When I first came here this week, it's just amazing that pulling through the gates to be able to participate in such a race and then after qualifying, you're already, you know, can't believe that you left some on the table and got beat and you're mad because you're not on the pole. So it's funny how quick you can get greedy.

Q: Clint, you're hopped on the chopper and headed over to the other racetrack. I know next year a lot less guys are going to try to run this double. Has it been harder than you thought it might be? And what's been the hardest part about it?

BOWYER: I think the hardest part is, you know, bouncing back and forth, you know, the weekends that you're not at the same racetrack. It's just difficult. Knew it going in, you know, you know that going in that that's going to be the hard part. I think it just took away a little bit of your focus, your concentration off that Cup car. The Cup Series is where it's at. That's where the concentration needs to be. It's hard not to think about that Busch car. You don't want to go down there and run bad in a Busch car, so you're concentrating on that and sometimes too much, sometimes not enough. They just take away a little bit too much from each other, I think, for me. I'd like to focus more on the Cup Series and making that Chase.

Q: Clint, what did Richard say to you after you captured that second qualifying effort? And then what is the one thing that you think most has changed over at Richard Childress Racing? We're seeing so much success from you guys, but pick one thing out.

BOWYER: I think, you know, Richard just said he's proud of me. It's always a good feeling when the car owner like that that's so successful, seen a lot of races won, won championships. You wouldn't think many things excite him anymore but he still has the fire. It's fun to see him with a smile on his face because of your effort. So just fortunate he gave me the opportunity and, you know, that was that.

What was the second part of it?

BOWYER: Oh, yeah, yeah. Was teamwork. I think that's the biggest thing, teamwork across the board. Everybody at RCR, the three drivers are all getting together, we have a lot of fun with each other; we enjoy each other. We push each other to be harder, you know, better racers. The chew chiefs all get along well together; they share notes. They do the things that teammates do. I think it's easy in this sport to get to racing within the same company, you know, it's easy when the guy at the plate next to you at the race shop is beating you to get frustrated and wanting to beat him and get to racing within the shop and not sharing notes and things like that. It's easy to do that. So I'm really proud at everybody at RCR, how our teammates work, and I think that's the reason we're moving forward, everybody.

Q: Given some of the incidents that have happened the last couple of weeks, including the one with you and Tony (Stewart) and Carl (Edwards), do you feel some of this road rage stuff, it might get out of hand, that somebody could get hurt if these things continue to happen with the regularity that they've been happening the last few weeks?

BOWYER: I'm not one to beat a dead horse. Definitely we're in a dangerous sport, and we have to respect that. Things happen out there on accident that can possibly injure or kill somebody. When they're on purpose, that's when you've got to be concerned, you know, point-blank.

Q: Just kind of backing up that point, like during the conference call on Thursday, Tony had talked about how he feels like he's saying things that other drivers are thinking. I was wondering if anybody has come to you or you've had other drivers talk to you about

BOWYER: Not one, never.

Q: Have you talked to Tony since?

BOWYER: I just said I didn't want to beat a dead horse. Sorry.

Q: Clint, it's pretty obvious you weren't intimidated or awed by this track, its reputation or history. Is that a fair statement?

BOWYER: Yeah. You know, this is Indianapolis, this is what you've worked your whole life for, to be given a shot at even making a lap around here. I've got to give people rides in a Z06, you know, Impalas for Chevy, made a lot of laps around here in the last couple weeks and just unbelievable, unbelievable racetrack. Even got to play golf at a racetrack, so that's pretty cool to just be given those opportunities and, you know, going out here and trying to give it your best and be given an opportunity to win a race tomorrow. We've got a shot at this thing. We've got a fast hot rod and starting up front, and track position is key, and you've got to keep it up there.

Q: Clint, I was going to ask you if this track holds anything special for you because it means so much to some of the guys out there, but you kind of touched on that, so I'll just ask. You were mentioning your teammates, who's the best driver at RCR right now?

BOWYER: You know, I think -- right now I think Jeff Burton is, you know. And the reason I say that is he's, I think he's mentally, he's prepared himself mentally better than myself or even Kevin (Harvick). You know, Kevin is a very talented race car driver. Just as soon as he gets that mindset that he can do it, there's no stopping Kevin Harvick. That's one thing that he has going for him. As soon as he gets a little bit of confidence, it's look out for a while until he gets it knocked down. But Burton is just a machine right now. I'll tell you, he's a rejuvenated driver. It's fun to see him. His attitude is awesome, and he's been a big help, you know. When you get it back to the wall and can just as easily go the wrong direction, it's easy to think what Jeff would do right now.

Q: What made the teamwork happen? What turned that around? There were changes at Richard Childress, he formed a lot of things over there to make changes in the engine department and all that, but what made the teamwork happen? Was it Jeff Burton? What was it?

BOWYER: I think Jeff coming on board helped a lot. He brings a fresh attitude, a good attitude. That's what Jeff Burton has. He's always positive, he's always telling you, you know, you're doing a good job. If you feel you screwed up, he's the first one to come over and call you or whatever and tell you, you know, chin up, you've been doing a hell of a job, just keep doing what you're doing. That goes a long way having a guy, 17 Cup victories, been in the series a long time, he's seen it, been there and done that. When he gives you that phone call, Rich Childress, when he gives you that phone call, gives you a lot of confidence.

But I just think teamwork between all of us has been key and, you know, Jeff coming on board and either crew chiefs, really got a good combination of crew chiefs, they all share the same personalities, and everybody is having fun. It's easier to run good than it is to be bad because everybody gets down, everybody's in a bad mood when you're running bad and it just goes downhill from there. When you're running good, everybody is having fun, everybody wants to help each other. And fun is the name of the game. This is a grind. This sport is a grind on you. If you're not having fun, it's a long year.