Where the Raybestos Rookie qualified at Phoenix:
Hamlin 6th
Bowyer 8th
Truex Jr. 9th
Stremme 29th
Yeley 30th
Sorenson 34th
Sherman 41st

DENNY HAMLIN IN THE No. 11 FEDEX EXPRESS CHEVROLET WAS THE TOP RAYBESTOS ROOKIE QUALIFIER AT PHOENIX. “It definitely had a lot of room for improvement. We fought loose all day and just over adjusted on it there considering the conditions but it’s a great lap for us. We weren’t very good in practice so we’ll definitely take where we’re at. Hopefully it’s a top-10 and we’ll take this FedEx Chevrolet and put it in race trim and I know we’ll be good.” HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU AT PHOENIX? “Pretty comfortable. This is a racetrack that suits me pretty well and I like coming here. The whole atmosphere of Phoenix is fun to be around and I can’t wait to come back here.” YOU HAVE ONE FULL NEXTEL CUP RACE HERE UNDER YOUR BELT. DOES THAT GIVE YOU A LOT OF CONFIDENCE? “It definitely helps to know that we have a full Cup race here. I know what the track is going to do. I know how I need to have my car setup a little bit better this year than what I had last year. If I can just improve on it from last year, we had a top-10 car last year we just got caught in the pits here on the last stop and had a little bit of trouble. We’re going to have a good starting spot, hopefully in the top-10. We’re definitely on the right track. We’re working hard and qualifying well every week. This team never gives up.” IS THIS A TRACK WHERE YOU HAVE TO CHANGE FOUR TIRES EVERY STOP? “I think last year some guys changed two and it didn’t work out that well for them. This is definitely a four-tire racetrack, I believe. We’ll definitely be coming in and getting four tires whenever we can.” HOW MUCH WILL THE TRACK BE DIFFERENT AT NIGHT VERSUS DAYTIME? “It’s going to be a lot different, just a little more grip. The cars are going to be a little bit tighter. You’ve got to allow for that and hopefully stay on top of the racetrack all day and make sure you do all the right adjustments to keep up with the racetrack.” IS TRACK POSITION CRITICAL HERE? “Yeah, it really was. I went to the back last year on the last stop and took forever just to try to get up to the top-10. Track position is going to be very important.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 07 SYLVANIA CHEVROLET: “The track is going to keep getting faster. It’s just a good effort for the Sylvania Chevrolet. They’re new coming on board. I ran my first Cup race here last year with them on board so it’s pretty cool to have them back on. I’d like to thank Gil and all these guys for working hard on this car. It’s going to be a good start no matter what. That was a really good pickup for us from practice. I’m really happy with the Sylvania Chevrolet and I think it will race good as well. This has been a good track for us in the past and it’s a track that we’ve been looking forward to coming to. If the car handles good you can drive back up through them but it sure doesn’t hurt anything starting up front. ” HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO QUALIFY WELL HERE? “It’s very important. If nothing else it serves as team motivation and confidence in knowing that you had the best hotrod right there and you can get it done. I’m really proud of these guys. We’ve struggled the last two or three weeks and I told them that Phoenix was going to be a good place to get things turned around and start off back on the right foot.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS CHEVROLET: “It’s good because we picked up but everybody is. I probably should have got a little bit more. I think I left a little bit out there but it’s hard to know how much faster you can really go. This is one of those tracks where it’s really easy to overdrive. I drove a little harder than I probably should have on the second lap but went the same speed. I felt like I could have got a little bit more on the first lap but I didn’t.” HOW MUCH FASTER IS THE TRACK WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN? “It was worth almost three tenths for us. I’m not sure what everybody else is picking up. We made our car a little better than it was in practice. I still feel like I should have got a little more. I’m a little disappointed in myself [smiles].” DO YOU GET MORE GRIP WITH THE COOLER TEMPERATURE? “It’s faster and you get more grip. Most of it is through the center of the corner where everybody fights all their problems throughout the weekend. You let off the brakes quicker and you get on the gas earlier and that translates into quicker speeds.”

DAVID STREMME, No. 40 COORS LIGHT DODGE: “It was okay. I think we still have some things to work on but definitely better than what we have been. I think it will be a pretty decent time and put us in. We’ll keep working on it and see. The main thing is get in the race and we can work from there. I think we have a lot of improvements left but Steve and all the guys have been doing a great job for everything that has gone on this week.”

BRENT SHERMAN, No. 49 SERTA DODGE: “I’m always smiling, at least I try to smile. We just made a couple of changes after practice because we thought the track was going to tighten up and we were just a little too free. There’s such a fine line between wrecking in qualifying and making the show and obviously we want to make the show. We may have gone a little too far on the changes we made. I gave it the best shot I could. I think we needed to be a little bit faster. The team deserves more and I think we’re better than what we showed tonight and if we do get in we can make things better for the race.”

REED SORENSON, No. 41 TARGET DODGE: THERE WAS A LOT OF SMOKE FROM THE CAR IN TURN 1 ON YOUR FIRST LAP. “The left front locked up under braking.”