Bobby Labonte (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Charger, finished 9th)

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A TOP 10 FINISH? “It feels pretty good. It’s only our second one of the year. The guys did a really good job. We qualified in the top five and had a pretty good first practice. The second practice we weren’t as good and Doug made some good calls in the race. The car gave up a little bit throughout the day but definitely not like it did here the first race. We made some head-way on that and had a really smooth weekend.”

HOW IS IT WORKING WITH DOUG? “It worked really well. I think he works really well with the guys and I’ve known Doug for a long time. I’ve never worked with him before. I think he has a great demeanor about him. I think that is just what the doctor ordered.”

Ryan Newman (No. 12 alltel Dodge Charger, finished 16th)

“I would like to congratulate Kurt, but we gave one away. The guys didn’t do well on pit road. I had some sharp things come off and couldn’t hold a rivet in the race car. It was disappointing but we’ll do better next time.”

Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger, finished 26th)

ON THE OPENING LAP SPIN

“Yea we were lucky there. They just came down and hit us. We spun. Luckily we didn’t hit anything. Then we came back. We had a strong car. Then on one of the long runs we came in and changed tires. The balance went and we lost over half a second a lap.”

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, finished 31st)

“Same story different weekend. We struggle when rubber gets on the track and in traffic. It’s no fun. That’s just the way it is.

“I’m looking forward to Bristol the COT stuff has been better for us. And Bristol has been a lot better with the COT than some of the other places .So I’m looking forward to that and hopefully our first good finish of the year.”

Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, finished 32nd)

“I just couldn’t do anything with the car. It was loose entering the corner and everything we tried just didn’t help the situation. On one occasion, I though I had a flat tire, but after changing all four the crew found that wasn’t the case. It’s frustrating. We didn’t practice that bad and we had a good qualifying effort. We just didn’t’ get the car hooked up with the track. That’s a problem here. If you don’t have your racecar hooked up in the corners, you have no momentum off the corners. Bristol is next. We had a great car there earlier this year, the first for the COT.”

Scott Riggs (No. 10 Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Dodge Charger, finished 36th)

"We had great pit stops all day and at the end of the race the car was handling the best it has all weekend. But this was not the finish we were looking for. We struggled to find the right balance with the car. It would react to adjustments but was always loose somewhere in the turns. I will be happy to get to Bristol next week, and get another shot at a top finish."

John Andretti (No. 49 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge Charger, finished 37th)

“We started off, the car was good. Then all of a sudden on the second run it was loose, loose, loose. There was nothing we could do. We made some changes but weren’t catching up on it. It is unfortunate because I thought that we had a pretty good car. In the race it was good then was just couldn’t get caught back up.

“In reality something happened. We had to get shocks off. It was a balance issue. It started off just fine and then we could never get in back. I think we accomplished a lot this weekend and we’ll continue to do that throughout the rest of the year.”

Roger Penske (team owner of Penske Racing)

“Obviously to come to Michigan and win in our backyard is awful important. It’s great to bring my pal Bob Nardelli (CEO of Chrysler) another Dodge win. That’s pretty special for us. Kurt had to race all day, came from 15th and worked his way almost up to first before his first pit stop. Our stops were as good as we’ve had this season. They were all lower than 14 seconds. I think we had a 12.6 and then Tryson’s (crew chief, Pat Tryson) call just added to the continuity of today’s victory. The yellows at the end made it a little bit dicey. But I think the calls were spot on. We just had a perfect day.”

ON PAT TRYSON “I think the key thing is we’ve had some good runs this year. I think Pat has brought a level of experience. I think it’s just come together. Kurt has a lot of confidence in Pat. Pat is experienced and to me we were very fortunate to have him join our team. I take my hat off to him. He reminds me a lot of Buddy Parrott when Buddy joined our team back when Rusty was on roll. I think this is common glue throughout the team. All I can say is that these teams that have won all these races in the past have good continuity. You build a family and we’re starting to get that family with the right continuity and experience.

“Pocono was one we couldn’t believe. Last week we had a great car. We made the decision to come in and play it straight because Earnhardt had fallen out. We wanted to be sure we didn’t have to come in and put under green and we made that move and got back to 11th. Today was a resounding success based on execution.”

ON KURT BUSCH “Let me say this. Kurt Busch was a great driver from the very beginning. I was very disappointed in the situation that took place at Phoenix because Kurt did not have a DUI but it was thrown up that way. Then when he was let out of the team it aggravated a situation that we didn’t need. We’ve worked with Kurt. I think he sees the benefit. We brought him in as part of the family. Right out of the box he won a race for us his first year. I think he’s matured as all young men do. I’d rather have a guy that I’m pulling on his belt and having to kick him in the butt. I can tell you that. It’s all about race drivers here. We will work on the personality. We will work on the things you might need to do. I think Kurt appreciates what we’re putting behind him. As we do Ryan (Newman), as we do our other drivers on our team. And he’s delivering. I can tell you it’s making a huge difference. We’re always right on that half inch of being successful or behind. He certainly has demonstrated in the last races here how good he really is. I think he is right at the top of his game. His age, his experience and now with us giving him the tools that he needs he is going to be fine. I think it was the best move I ever made. We hung with him when he was down, face down quite honestly. Remember, we had a beer sponsor too. So it wasn’t the coolest time for me to walk into Phoenix with that going on. But the Miller Brewing Company stood behind him. The team has stood behind him and certainly you can see what has turned out to be a terrific team and some great success to date.

ON GETTING INTO THE CHASE “We have to get in the Chase. We have three races to go now; I don’t know what the points look like today. I think he picked up some key points and if he is in, he is going to be a car they have to beat.”

ON THE NO. 12 CAR “I think the No. 12 car has run real well today. They had something on the side window which got him a lap down. To me, both cars have run real well. He almost won the first Pocono race. He is up in the points. Everyday it’s hard to judge which one is better from the standpoint of one day’s result. They have openness from a standpoint of what each car is running. I think the opportunity now is for us to continue and let the 12 move on. Hopefully get in the Chase with the No. 2 car. We are cautiously optimistic when we come to the next three races. The good news is these last two have just been absolutely key for us. To get Dodge in that Chase will be a real important thing for us. We have been a partner of Dodge for a number of years. One of our best friends and business associates Bob Nardelli is now the CEO. For him it’s a great day. Hopefully he can continue that success inside the company.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING THE BEST TEAM HERE TODAY UNDER THE UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES? “Well I feel real good about being the best team here today. I have a long history with this race track. I bought this track when it only had 16,000 seats and there are probably 160 here on Sunday. Michigan and Canadian race fans, people from Ohio and Indiana and Pennsylvania that come here are just amazing. When I look down and see the number of people that were here it blew my mind. I think it shows you the strength of NASCAR and the strength of the fan base here in the Midwest. To me, it’s the strength of the Michigan Speedway and the great show we have here every year.”

HOW IMPORTANT WOULD IT BE FOR YOU TO HAVE A TEAM THAT WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “I just want to get in the same club as Roush, Rick Hendrick and these guys. If I could get into that club, that would be tremendous for us. I think we have to finish these next three races there’s no doubt we’re in the Chase, but I think if we’re in the Chase, we’ll be one of the teams to beat.”

TELL US ABOUT THE CHOICE TO START THE RACE YELLOW AND THE WAIT FOR THE FOG TO DISAPPEAR? “I was up with the spotters during the race, and from up there you couldn’t even see with binoculars into turn three and four. I think the decision to wait for a few minutes when the weather was clear west of us, NASCAR did the right thing. Mike Helton, to show you how he operates, came to the spotter’s stand himself and took a look to make sure he was making the right decision.”

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, finished 1st)

“It was a great run for the Miller Lite Dodge. To be able to get the race underway was a relief. I thought we had a good car in practice, and it turned out to be true. We made one big adjustment at the end of Happy Hour and three days later we were able to put it to use. It really turned out great. It was a really smooth and steady day for us. We had to race some guys hard and got to move forward. We led some laps and put ourselves in position. That’s what it takes when you’re running for the Chase, to get in, its just smooth and steady effort. Pat made excellent pit calls. With all the restarts at the end, it challenged me to be my best and to be on top of my game with restarts and feeling the car out. This Dodge ran magnificent in the corners and the straightaway power was Penske/Jasper Power and it was great. It was a total team effort. You can’t leave anyone out. To be conservative is our approach and so far it’s worked out.

“We started off a little bit on the tight side with the Miller Lite Dodge and we freed it up from there. It was able to maneuver through traffic. We, fortunately, had flawless pit stops. The guys did an awesome job. Everybody is working so well together and once we get up there with clean air, we’re pretty hard to handle. The motor was awesome again today. I can’t say enough about the motor program we have at Penske.”

WILL YOU CELEBRATE WITH THE SHOP? “We have an abbreviated week this week. Last time we won we were able to get everybody together at the race shop and ordered over a 100 pizzas and I said, ‘next time around we might need to start this party around four o’clock’. I’m sure Roger will let us get out an hour early and we can have pizza and beer and that way everybody gets to celebrate.

“When you go to these big tracks aerodynamics is key. Those guys at the body shop, we know how hard they work and the paint shop and the guys that bolt these cars together and the engine shop. You can’t win at a 2-mile racetrack, or a 2.5 mile, without some serious power. We do need to do some more brownie points for the motor shop.

“I can’t thank everybody that’s involved for the long haul here, especially the way that it took awhile to get some wins, but then the new guys that have come aboard seeing that we are building something strong. They are able to enjoy the victory as well.

“Great celebration all around; I don’t think this team has any trouble celebrating.

“It’s great to go to Victory Lane and celebrate and know we did the best with this style car and this set-up. The next time we come to Michigan we’ll have to put this set-up and race car in the garbage because of the Car of Tomorrow. Our focus has been primarily the Car of Tomorrow races and to be able to win while we’re revamping our mile and a half program feels incredible. With Pat (Tryson, crew chief) taking the reins it filled in some of the holes we were missing, so to speak, and it has just hit with gear. We have both the Car of Tomorrow races at Bristol and Michigan. They are very important to get into the Chase. We have a very good car we are taking to California. Beyond that, you look at half the races that are left in the Chase. We’ll test Memphis and I’m sure we’ll test again. We’re going to test at Talladega. All of the testing we are doing is for the Car of Tomorrow, looking ahead to 2008.

“I would say right now we feel very comfortable with where we stand with the mile and a half program. With the Car of Tomorrow races, we have a good shot. We don’t have the edge now with Pocono and Michigan behind us. The Car of Tomorrow races we’ll have to work hard. Bristol will be survival like it always is. We finished fifth at Richmond in the spring and we’re looking to build on that.

“I’m more at ease with this group. I’ve worked with Pat in the past and working under Roger and learning his ways to deal with people whether it is internally or with Miller Lite and our other sponsors. It really gave me a better perspective of what this racing thing is all about. Maybe before, I pushed too hard thinking I could predict or control the outcome of races and not use the team atmosphere. You take some hits when you’re younger and you learn it makes you better in the long run. I’m happy flying under the radar and I’m happy delivering wins for our sponsors. Right now, the most important thing is to just get into the Chase. Having great guys and people all around me makes everything feel like we’re pulling the rope in the same direction. I just feel satisfied racing for this race team.

“Right now we’re pretty strong, but we still have more work to do. I felt today that we had a good plan going, but is just been the same plan that we’ve had for the last five or six weeks. It’s just to gain points and don’t loose track of the big picture which is to get in the Chase.

“We don’t need to change much. I would say that after Charlotte and Dover and the middle of May and first of June, we had two DNFs in a row plus a penalty. We were seventh in points just before that and dropped all the way to 17th. My approach has been just to race each race to grab points a little at a time and stay steady. At the same time, our cars and our team and set-ups have developed into being stronger and that has helped us.

“I’ll start by just saying that Bristol, no matter what car we take there, if we’re running a truck or a Busch car, a Hooter’s Pro Cup or a pace car, you try and survive. You try and miss the accidents. The cleanest car usually has a shot going to Victory Lane. That’s the approach I’ve taken there every year and I’ve had some wins.

“Ryan (teammate, Ryan Newman) started with some problems and at the end I got his car running quicker and at the end was able to pass the second place car. I think that just gets back to the two teams working together, not on the track necessarily, but set-up wise. The combination with the two teams has never been stronger.

“I was astonished by the support of this group of fans. To be here on a Tuesday, I’m sure some of them may not have a job when they show up tomorrow morning. There are some die hard fans in this area and I think Roger knew that when he bought this place back in the late fifties, early sixties when he turned it from a 15,000 seat oval to a two-mile oval with over a hundred thousand seats today. The heart that NASCAR fans have is incredible.”

Pat Tryson (crew chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger)

“Everybody was frustrated with the weather. You look up at the stands a lot of fans here. Anytime you win you are happy. One of the things that fortunately happened for us was Roger Penske was nice enough to fly a lot of our guys. We went home last night and were able to sleep in our own beds and get some rest and fresh clothes. Everybody felt pretty good coming into today and I think that kind of helped. Everybody felt really good about themselves and about everything going on. It was a really good feeling.

“Right now we’re keeping the same mode we’re in. The plan has been the same all along. When we started eight races or so ago, we try and get 20 points more than whoever is behind us and in front of us. It is easy to loose 90 points in one day. You can break a motor or get caught in a mess. We just need to continue doing what we’re doing and going hard. If we do that, we’ll be in good shape.

“We’ve been doing testing for our mile and a half program with the Car of Tomorrow and we’re going to incorporate that into our Bristol car. We left one of our key guys at home today to work on the car, Jeffrey Thousand. He’s our set-up guy and working on that car today. We missed him in Victory Lane today, but he’ll really help us get a good car for Bristol.