NASCAR Cup
Indianapolis: Bill Elliott press conference
BILL ELLIOTT (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Intrepid R/T Starts 2nd. Misses pole by .230 seconds. "I'm kind of on the pole. I'm just on the wrong side of it. I'm proud of my guys and what they've done. I'm very happy with the Dodge ...
Edited: Aug 4, 2002, 1:16 AM
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BILL ELLIOTT (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Intrepid R/T
Starts 2nd. Misses pole by .230 seconds.
"I'm kind of on the pole. I'm just on the wrong side of it. I'm proud of my guys and what they've done. I'm very happy with the Dodge program. >From where it started almost a year prior to the first event that Dodge entered at Daytona (in 2001), we've come a long way.
"The main thing here is just try to hit all your points because you don't have a lot of extra room for mistakes. You saw some of the guys got a little squirrelly here and there and round about in practice. When I went out the car stayed under me real well. Tony said it felt like an Indy car here, and I don't know how an Indy car feels, but I'm proud of Tony winning the pole. He's had a lot of ups and downs this season.
"I think the last couple of months has brought the team together. We tested a lot. We had a lot of races together, but we're starting to have a lot of good communication between us. As I said earlier, that's the most important part.
"Ricky Rudd and I were talking last week and we started back when there was no money in this sport. We raced as hard back then as we do today. That's what it's all about, regardless of what the purse is. The money is nice, but to come out here and best these kids here today... They make it tough on us.
"I try to look at this deal as it's all about putting things in perspective. There's a time for fans and there's a time for media and there's a time to race. I think that's what everyone has got to understand about this business. We don't have enough time to do everything we need to do. I can't do it all and do it all well. I've got to kind of do one thing at a time. We've got to learn to live and deal with that. A lot of the newcomers come in they want to do it all and you've got to realize you can't do it all. I think sometimes it's hard for all of us to deal with everything that's thrown at us. I had my struggles in the 80s, and I still have them today. When you come here there's a lot of hype and a lot of attention a lot of things going on around you you've got to learn to deal with. My point is you've got to put it in perspective. When we come here to the race track, it's time for us to race.
"I feel old when I get out of the race car on Sunday afternoon. It gets harder to get out of it. I've said it a million times. It's just evolution. I'm just glad I've been around the sport. I've had a long and successful career. If it ended today, I've enjoyed it and I'm proud to be a part of it. What it's going to be like in 10 or 15 years, I have no idea."
-dodge-
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