Where the Raybestos Rookies will restart on Monday at Auto Club Speedway:
Smith 21st
Franchitti 36th
Hornish Jr. 43rd (out)

SAM HORNISH, JR., No. 77 MOBIL 1 DODGE: WHAT HAPPENED? “I was in the middle of two cars, I think Robby Gordon and David Reutimann, and saw the smoke and I started getting out of it. But I couldn’t go high or low and just basically I tried to slow down as much as I could before getting in the back of Sorenson which then I couldn’t steer the car and went to the back of Casey. I couldn’t see anyhow because the hood was pushed all the way up. It was unfortunate for the Mobil 1 Dodge. We didn’t start off the race quite like we thought we would but felt like we made some good adjustments on it over the pit stop. Just need some more track time and that’s something we’re not going to get today.” COMMENT ON THE SLICK TRACK CONDITIONS. “There’s a lot of weepers in between the first and second groove. We could in a lot of ways have the jet dryers run until tomorrow and still maybe not even get it and that’s if it doesn’t rain anymore. I think that NASCAR made the decision that they thought was the best. You had to pick your line going into the corner. You couldn’t cross that center section so maybe not the best conditions for racing but as the cars ran it was definitely going to get better and better. I think it was just one of those things one car got caught out at the beginning of the field. Everybody waits to see the big one at Daytona and they see it a week later [smiles]. Not as very good day for us.” HOW HARD DID YOU HIT? “I think I hit Sorenson harder than I hit the 5 car, but I couldn’t see the 5 car so there was no bracing for it or anything. I was just sliding along and all of a sudden – boom- there was another car there. It wasn’t anything too hard but definitely not a lot of fun when the car started on fire [smiles]. I was able to get it out. Pull the fire extinguisher and get out of there. I still couldn’t even see him once I got stopped. I still couldn’t even see him and then when I started getting out of the car I could see him upside down then. It’s not a good moment when he’s upside down right on the front of my car and the engine’s on fire. I’m glad that everybody got out okay.”

Regan Smith was the top Raybestos Rookie (21st) when tonight’s Auto Club 500 was halted by rain on lap 87.

REGAN SMITH, No. 01 COORS LIGHT CHEVROLET: “We didn’t start off how we wanted to but we’ve been making gains each pit stop and that’s all you can ask for, especially with a new car and with all the different things going on. Doug [Richert, crew chief] has been doing a great job with his pit calls and we’ve got some track position right now for when we do go back green and the car has been getting better and better and better. So now we just need to work on continuing to get better and better each stop and get as much as we can out of the night.” HOW MENTALLY DIFFICULT IS ALL THIS STARTING AND STOPPING? “It’s a pain. You get out there, you get going, you get in a rhythm and then you stop and you’ve got to come back in and change back to your street clothes, hang out for a couple of hours, get ready and then go try to do it again. It’s a pain in the butt when you start and stop and start and stop but that’s part of racing and no different than a 24-hour race where you get in and out of the car, I guess.” HAS THE INTENSITY OF THE RACE PICKED UP? “I wouldn’t say the intensity level has picked up. The guys are maybe pushing a little bit harder and the cars just aren’t what we need, some of us, to be able to do that. I’ve seen some guys get really, really squirrelly a couple times and I’m like ‘Whoa, whoa’ and I guess we’re fighting some weepers out there on the track still also which doesn’t help matters out. The intensity is always high. It doesn’t change because of the starting and stopping.”