CHEVY ROOKIES PUT THREE MONTE CARLO SS RACE CARS IN TOP 10 STARTING SPOTS FOR SUNDAY'S SAMSUNG/RADIO SHACK 500 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

New to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series this season, rookie drivers J.J. Yeley, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Chevy, and Martian Truex Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy qualified their Monte Carlo SS race cars in the top 10 starting spots for Sunday's Samsung/Radio Shack 500. Yeley, who qualified second, will start on the outside front row; while Hamlin will start eighth and Truex Jr. ninth. All three drivers are Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year candidates for '06.

J.J. YELEY, NO. 18 INTERSTATE BATTERIES CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Qualified 2nd:

"It was a really good run. I was actually lucky to even get out. But the team struggled getting through some of the tech (inspection) and they had to go back through and we were on the five-minute clock. So we made it with only about 15 seconds to spare. So I just went out and put down a decent lap. I didn't want to overdrive the car. I knew that Denny, my teammate had gone out and put down a pretty good lap at the time.

"So I just went out there and took it easy. I got through Turns 1 and 2 really good. I got a little bit free off of Turn 4. It probably cost me a little bit. I don't know. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't enough to get the pole. Kasey (Kahne) put down quite the lap there. So I'm definitely pleased with qualifying second and it's a good pit stall for Sunday."

WHAT WERE THE INPECTION ISSUES? "It had to do with the rear cambers on the rear end. I think they've changed the way that they've been checking. They used to check directly off the rear-end housing. Now they have a new method of measuring off of wheels, which, any set of wheels could be off a little bit. So I know that we went through tech earlier and had no issues at all. We went back through and we were about two-tenths off. So they had to go back and do a little bending on the rear end and luckily the guys worked hard enough and we got the car back through tech."

WHAT WAS YOUR MINDSET WHILE STANDING ON PIT ROAD WAITING FOR YOUR CAR TO GET OUT THERE? DOES IT CHANGE HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR TO TAKE YOUR LAP? "It does a little bit. But at the same time, you're worrying about the car and not thinking so much about what you're going to go out and do with the race track or how the changes with the race track had come. I know here at Texas, when the race track generally sits, it gets looser. I didn't really concern myself with anything other than where my car was. Luckily we got through and I didn't give it much thought.

"It was actually worse having to sit on pit lane in the provisional pole position and having to wait until Kasey came and knocked me off. You're pretty much captured on the front straightaway and it's hot and you can't go anywhere. So, unfortunately we couldn't hold on for the pole, but we'll be good for Sunday.

TONY RAINES, NO. 96 DLP HDTV CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS - Qualified 36th

"We struggled a little bit in qualifying trim but we made some changes and were able to pick up about 3/10th. We might have made some changes that made it a little too tight off but we were too loose in most of practice so I am encouraged that we made the car better.

"The car in race trim pretty will be pretty good I think. I felt good about it in practice even though we struggled a little bit.

"I have a few jitters about doing well here in Texas. We wanted to qualify well but, if we race well on Sunday, all will be forgotten. I think we can race better than we did at Martinsville. This track is going to be a little bit better for me. I am just excited about it and think I have good race car."

JEFF GREEN, NO. 66 BEST BUY CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Qualified 4th:

"It was a good lap for us. I think this team has been really working well together all year, we have just had some complications in races that haven't let us show how good of car we had. Our Best Buy Chevy is running really good this weekend. I am really proud to be a part of this operation and all the guys who work so hard to give me good cars every week. We have a great race car and be really competitive this weekend. I think we can really race with these guys and put up the final results and be in the top ten when it is all over."

JOE NEMECHEK, NO. 01 U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Note, crashed on first lap of practice and went to a back-up for qualifying - qualified 17th

"Not bad at all considering everything we went through. I had what I had and I had to make the best of it. We're trying a lot of new stuff and we didn't get much time in the backup car in practice. The Army car wasn't comfortable enough and we didn't have any time to work on it. I didn't think it was a very good lap at all.

"It's very difficult on a high-speed racetrack like this if your car is not driving comfortably. You're trying to run a 189 miles per hour lap out there and if your car is not driving right you can't make it go. It didn't have the right feel getting in the corner. We'll have a whole new program in race trim tomorrow and we'll be good to go by Sunday."