Chicagoland: Kasey Kahne qualifying quotes

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) -- Second

How was that lap?

"I thought we'd be up a little faster but we'll just have to see what happens with the weather and some of these other guys. It was a pretty good lap in our Summer Sale Dodge. It would be great to get another pole, but starting second is okay with me."

"I'm excited about Sunday. This track is a lot like Texas and this is the same car we ran there. We've learned a lot since then, so hopefully I'll have a good shot on Sunday. Chicagoland seems like a great track so far, and I've raced here in the Great Clips Busch car, so we'll see what happens. That qualifying lap in our Dodge Dealers car was pretty good so maybe that means we'll be okay for Sunday. I think fans will see a great race on Sunday. There's a lot more groove on it. The track has gotten better and better as more races have been run on it. Hopefully after the Busch race and Saturday's practice we'll have a good track with a lot of passing on it. By Sunday we'll have two full grooves here.

What do you think about the green, white, checker rule? Do you worry about wrecks at the end of the race?

"When you're in the situation you worry a lot about it. It can get pretty wild racing to the finish, but finishing under yellow isn't that great. It's not my decision, but if it was, I'd say they have one shot with the new rule and if that doesn't work we go back to the way it was."

Do you feel any pressure going into the nine races before the cutoff?

"There's some pressure, sure. We have pressure every week to run well. Every move you make really matters now as we count down the races. We want to get in that top 10, that's for sure. We're working really hard to get there. That pressure makes our team work a little harder and that helps make us better. The 10-race chase does loom a little bit in the back of your head. It's a big deal this year to be in that top 10 and that's something we think about every weekend. I'd say it's probably easier to stay in the top 10 than get in the top 10. We're pretty close, but not close enough yet. We'll try to get better and better each weekend."

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