MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 1st
Did you think you were going to be on the pole?
"I felt confident yesterday that we would make the race. I really didn't think about the pole. The two runs I got in the final practice were both wind-aided. We didn't really know what we had. Our qualifying lap was faster than what we ran in practice. If I only had to worry about my car, I would've been happier. But, I had to worry about Dale (Jarrett) and David (Reutimann) making the race, too. It is more important for me to have all three cars in. For me to be first is a bonus. To have all three cars in the race is very gratifying."

Can you talk about the car you brought here to Talladega?
"All the boys that worked on this NAPA Camry just did a great job. When we tested here, we drafted a little bit, and then we worked on our car for speed for two days. After that, we got back in the draft, and I liked my car best then. This is not a qualifying setup. It's ready to go. We concentrated on qualifying more than the others, so I know that's why we're faster than them at this point, but this car is ready to go."

How is your car going to be in the race?
"I'm ready to go. We tested down here a couple of weeks ago and we got our car as good as we wanted it speed-wise. After that, I got in the draft and was able to drive to the front and ride around in the middle of it and I was happy. I told my guys last night that if we made the race, I think we can win. Now that we did, I have to show them we at least have a chance to win."

DAVE BLANEY, No. 22 Caterpillar Camry, Bill Davis Racing
Starting Position: 2nd
How hard has your team worked on its superspeedway program since the beginning of the year?
"There are different circumstances this time, since we're racing the COT and have a different restrictor plate. The engine guys definitely did a great job. We're happy with it. We thought we could come here and qualify pretty good and we did. Hopefully it will race good. The times were so close between the 'go-or-go home' guys, that we didn't get a chance to work in the draft in practice. I'm sure we'll have to work on the car all day Sunday."

How big of a focus is the top-35 in points for the team?
"That's the number one focus right now, to get in the top-35 in points, so we don't take a chance of missing the race every week. The more times we're out, the more chance of missing we have. Obviously, we'd like to be in the top-35 after this weekend, but the ultimate goal is to be in the top-35 after Homestead. For me, the sooner the better."

BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Camry, Team Red Bull
Starting Position: 3rd
How has the team improved its superspeedway program from the beginning of the year?
"The team has been working so hard at it. The COT program definitely helped catch us up to everyone else. Toyota came back with more power, and that always helps. The people at Team Red Bull just built a great car. Obviously the hard work has paid off. We had a good test here and practice was good yesterday. So far, we feel pretty good about it."

Can you talk about your qualifying lap?
"I just had to hit my shifts and hold it wide open. I'm so proud of these guys. Everybody at Team Red Bull and on the 83 car did a great job. This car is pretty good. We've caught up a little bit on the COT compared to where we were with the older car."

JACQUES VILLENEUVE, No. 27 Unicef Camry, Bill Davis Racing
Starting Position: 6th
Did you think you had a car fast enough to make the show?
"We knew yesterday that we had a pretty quick car. We were a little bit faster yesterday in practice, and we were hoping that we could've had a faster time today. We missed some practice time early, but when we got out there, we showed some good speed."

How do you think the car will race Sunday?
"Qualifying is one thing, but racing here is another thing. The car was running really strong after we started yesterday, and I am feeling more and more comfortable in the draft. The crew worked hard yesterday to get it going, and it was pretty strong, so hopefully we'll be good to go. There are plenty of fast cars out there that we had to qualify against, but racing here will be completely different."

DALE JARRETT, No. 44 UPS Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 43rd
How have you seen the team progress since the first race at Talladega?
"We've come a long way. We've put a lot of effort into this. We've had time to get ready for this race with the COT. Toyota has done a good job getting us more power. That is obviously very important. It's been a really good effort. We weren't even that satisfied when we were down here testing. We thought we were reasonable then. It has been a really good effort by Michael Waltrip Racing to get us to this point."

What role has Dr. Eric Warren (MWR Technical Director) played in the team's recent success?
"He showed us how badly we needed someone in that position. I have to give credit to Michael (Waltrip) and Ty Norris (MWR general manager). We had a lot of opportunities with other people, but we waited until we got the right person to fit into Michael Waltrip Racing. Eric is that person. You'll continue to see a lot of good things come from the team. He's brought a lot of stability to the team. He shuffled some people around in different areas. He knows that we have good people on the team - it was just a matter of getting them into the right places. He saw what our strengths were, and how to maximize those, and he saw where our weaknesses were and addressed those."

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Burger King Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 5th

AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 84 Red Bull Camry, Team Red Bull
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JEREMY MAYFIELD, No. 36 360 OTC Camry, Bill Davis Racing
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