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News and Results | Point Standings | 2007 Schedule | 2007 Teams | 2006 Schedule and Results | 2005 Schedule and Results Sharpie 500 - Dodge Qualifying Quotes
“We’ve been junk all day so that is about what we were in qualifying. The track is slick, but it’s the same for everybody. It’s not too bad being concrete. If it was asphalt it’d be real slick, but it’s concrete so it’s not too, too bad.”
“It was a little bit too loose, just had a loss of grip throughout the lap. It didn’t quite have the grip we had in practice but I think you’ll have that when the track sits for awhile.” DO YOU FEEL THE EXTRA THREE FEET? “There is a little bit more but we don’t really use it all not all the way around the corners. It’s a little flatter down there. It’s not banked as much as it use to be.”
“That was pretty frustrating. We are pretty off right now. We’ll keep working on it. I’ve got 500 laps tomorrow night to make it better. We’ll end up about 20th or 25th, so we’ll have to battle for track position a little bit and see if we can make it a little better.”
Like everybody it’s never the lap you want. I don’t think it was too bad for me just hooking up with these guys. Not to mention we were really late getting through tech and I was standing here talking and I ran (to get into the car) at a full sprint. They were pushing the car so fast the car was outrunning me. I got in the car panting and breathing hard and went out there and ran a 34/37. I just know I have a long night ahead of me. What I really have to do is get them some points because the 45, Adam Petty’s car, has fallen to 34th in points. I gotta run all night long, that’s my goal to get them some top 20 points. WAS IT EASIER TO QUALIFYING KNOWING YOU HAD A GUARANTEED SPOT IN THE FIELD? “What inevitably happens is when you not trying to put it in on speed you go end up going faster, because you’re not on pins and needles. When you’re not trying to make it into the top 35 every week you’re more relaxed in all your actions. When you’re outside the top 35 you are always on defense. It feels really good not have to worry about making it into the race even thought that lap would have put me in the race.”
“We changed so many things between practice and our qualifying run that I didn’t know what to expect on the first lap, so it was really good that we were able to pick up. But, it was a little bit of a scramble to get us to that point, so I thanked my guys right now like I would thank them in victory lane on Sunday. We worked that hard, we made improvements and we could have been 30th and we’re going to be maybe 15th. That’s a heck of a lot better than we would have been.”
“We had to come here with the agenda that we had to get into the show. I think we all did a good job of keeping focus and working on our car to make sure it was good for two laps. We didn’t quite back up what we did in practice, but it’s a little bit warmer, so we’re pretty happy with the run. It wasn’t too bad.”
“The car was good. It was sliding around a little bit just on the hard tire, but the track is really smooth. It’s going to be fun. It’s a pretty cool track. I hope that we hold up on the pole. I’ve never had a pole here, so it’d be pretty neat to finally get one at Bristol.”
“We didn’t qualify as well as we’d hoped to. We were way too loose, just about like everyone else’s run. It wasn’t like practice, but the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge team is going to work hard and do the best we can come tomorrow night under the lights. We’ll have to work our way up, but we are up for the challenge.”
“We were just okay during qualifying. I got loose on the first lap, but it was an improvement over practice so that’s good. We’re just going to run as best we can from where we are and go from there. It’s easier to start seventh than 27th.”
Note: “The car felt good. I left the pits came through three and four the car coming to the green, it turn really good. The tire is hard so you are kind of up out of the track but the car turned really well and I could carry a lot of speed, more so then the other guys. So, I just felt the same at both ends, kind of slipping and sliding around the whole place and that’s what we had. It was a good lap. The cloud came out just before I went out so I think that might have helped just a touch. We hit the track at the right time.” IS THIS POLE INDICATIVE OF RAY’S EFFORTS TO CONCENTRATE ON THE COT? “We’ve struggled some, but we qualified second here the first race. We run in the top four the whole race until we got a flat left rear, started dropping back and got together with some other cars. For some reason we’ve been fast at Bristol. We were fast here the first race and then today in practice it felt really good. Qualifying felt good and we ran a real fast lap there. It feels similar to what how it did the last time and the Busch car feels a lot different then what it’s felt like. So, I think they’ve done some good work with the Car of Tomorrow to make it handle the way it did today.” WILL THE LACK OF TESTING MAKE THE RACE DIFFERENT? “No, I don’t think it will be any different. The only reason it would be different if it is, is because we are on such a hard tire. The track is awesome, it’s smooth, there is a top, a bottom, a middle; tons of grip across the whole track. It’s just hot out. It’s hot and that takes away grip and then you bring a brick and it’s hard to race, hard to pass, hard to drive when you have that. That would be the only thing that throws any difference of a race at us tomorrow night. Other than that everything is really good. ARE YOU GOING TO MISS THE CHARACTER OF THE OLD TRACK? “Yea, I have definitely had fun watching all the Bristol races growing up. Enjoying being in the last few that I’ve been in and now it’s a completely different track. You’re going to move around more, there is going to be different type of passing. Will you still bump and run? I don’t know. We’ll find out. I would imagine there will be some of that still. It’s definitely going to be a lot different than what it’s been in the past. We’ll just wait and see how it all happens tomorrow night. It’s going to be fun.”
“I got into the corner too slow and came out sideways. I knew the second lap wasn’t going to be faster. All we practiced in the morning was one lap and that was good. It was a little bit on the loose side and some of the guys were tugging the wheel coming out of four. The last time here we started 30-something and we’re second right now so it’s half-decent, I guess. I’ve got to be pleased with that. The car is handling pretty good today. We were quick from the get-go today. It’s a bit of a shame because we got a little too tight there that last corner.” HOW BIG OF A FACTOR IS JUST GETTING MORE LAPS AT THIS TRACK? “That’s a lot. A lot is me and a lot is the team. The team is just stepping it up every week and we’re running stronger and stronger. This is a nice disappointment. Some days you are disappointed when you qualify 35th and now I’m disappointed because I’m second.” DO YOU HAVE ANY STRATEGY FOR THE RACE? “You know, starting out here is so much easier. You don’t have to worry about getting lapped. I think you can just get in your own rhythm and let the laps go by.” DO YOU NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE TRACK? “Oh yeah. I don’t know if you saw my car but I’m running way high and it worked. In race trim I tried the bottom and high and you can run everywhere. Before if you weren’t in the bottom you stunk. I think it changed a little bit the way you get into the corner. Where the back starts is a lot nicer for racing.” WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JACQUES VILLENEUVE COMING OVER HERE? “I think it’s cool. I think it’s nice to see Jacques and hopefully he does well. If I can help in any way I will. He’s a nice guy.” DO YOU THINK HE’LL ADJUST TO THIS QUICKLY? “I don’t know. For me, I think he’ll adjust pretty quickly. Hopefully he does. He’s going to have a bit of a shock his first few races but when he gets used to it he’ll like it.” IS EVERTHING COOL BETWEEN YOU GUYS? “Yeah, the first few years were rough but at the end we had a good relationship.” HAVE YOU OPENED THE DOOR FOR MORE F1 GUYS? “I think I opened the door for a lot more people, not from Formula One but people that are afraid coming to NASCAR because they thought ‘Aw, it’s so much different nobody can do it.’ Myself being competitive I think people are saying ‘Man, this is the sport to be in’ and I think in a way it’s good for NASCAR because it’s going to become the sport to be in and I think it is. I think I was smart enough to come here early enough.” DO YOU THINK VILLENEUVE GOT TIRED OF THE LACK OF PASSING? “He was a little bit like me. You know, he likes racing and he’s an aggressive guy and I think he’ll like it. I’m sure he will like it.” YOU GUYS WERE IN THE SAME BOAT WHERE HIS REPUTATION TOOK A HIT UNFAIRLY. “We both run hard and people don’t like that. I guess people here like it. Some do, some don’t but I think the fans love it.” IS THERE ANY ADVICE THAT YOU WOULD GIVE HIM? “Just be patient. You’ve got to be patient. There’s going to be weeks where you’re going to run bad and you’ve got to learn that that’s all you can do.”
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