Qualifying report

NASCAR Cup

Ford drivers talk about Kentucky qualifying

Biffle was the fastest Ford in qualifying, but his time was only good enough for 11th starting position.

Edited: Jun 30, 2012, 7:07 PM

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Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing Ford

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 American Red Cross Ford Fusion (Qualified 11th) – “There was so much difference between when we were on the track earlier today than now. The track has so much more grip. We knew there would be more grip but I didn’t know how my car was going to drive either. We didn’t get a handle on qualifying and I know I am going to get beat there but hopefully it will be a top-10. I have my fingers crossed and we will see what happens. The car had a lot of grip. I feel like I got what I could and missed it a little bit maybe but everyone else still has to go.”

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion (Qualified 12th) – “That was an okay lap. It wasn’t awesome but we have been struggling a bit all day. We got a favor there with the weather change and we will have a decent starting spot for tomorrow night. That weather change definitely helped us, no doubt about that. We have had two poles in two weeks so we can’t be greedy but if we can get a top-15 spot we will be happy.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 43 Eckrich Ford Fusion (Qualified 13th) – “It wasn’t too bad. We want to be better than that but I think that will be a decent starting spot. I think we will end up in the top-15 for sure. I am proud of the effort from all the guys on this Eckrich Ford Fusion who have been doing a good job this weekend. It has been really hot and we have had a heck of a time getting a handle on this race track. Right there the track cooled down a lot and had a lot more grip. The car drove pretty good right there. There are just a few things we could have done different to be a little better but all in all it was good.”

MATT KENSETH, No. 17 Fifth Third Ford Fusion (Qualified 20th) – “No, I mean that is about where we practiced probably, probably around 19th or somewhere around there. We got lucky with the draw and the cool down and everything but I just underestimated the tail wind going into one and missed the whole corner down there. That scrapped our first lap and after that we just weren’t very quick.”

CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 UPS Ford Fusion (Qualified 25th) – HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS WIND STORM THAT IS BLOWING THROUGH HERE RIGHT NOW? “I guess we stirred something up here. We are going to go get into the hauler in case things start flying, I don’t want anyone to get hit. We got tight down there. I don’t know if the wind was blowing us up the race track or what. Man, I hope everyone is alright.”

CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Ford Fusion (Qualified 21st) – “The conditions were way different. It was way cooler and had a lot more grip. Because we picked up so much speed the front of the car hit the ground real bad so that is how fast I could go. If I went any faster it just hit the ground harder. If we would have known we would have that much grip we could have adjusted and probably gone faster.”

DAVID GILLILAND, No. 38 Taco Bell Ford Fusion (Qualified 41st) – “We were just really loose. Our Taco Bell Ford has been really loose and we haven’t been able to get it tightened up. Qualifying we thought going out on scuffs was going to help a little bit but we haven’t gotten a handle on it yet. We have to try to get it straightened up for the race tomorrow. We attribute a lot of that to the heat. It is slick and if you are going to be a little free the heat is going to make it worse. Right now we are on the free side and it needs to get tightened up.”

DAVID RAGAN, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Fusion (Qualified 33rd) – “It seems to be a little more grip out there and the track seems to be a little more speedy. I think the recent cloud cover cooled things down a little bit. We didn’t know what to expect really but that was an okay lap. We beat a few cars and I wish we could go out there and do it all over again. I am sure we left some speed on the table but we are here to race 400 miles and it is going to be a lot of fun tomorrow.”

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