NASCAR Cup
The Nextel: Dodge teams qualifing quotes
RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) -- On the pole "I almost messed us up. We didn't do any blocked up banzai runs when we first went out there in practice. I spent all my time practicing for the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge (race). I ...
Published: May 22, 2004, 6:29 AM
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RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) -- On the pole
"I almost messed us up. We didn't do any blocked up banzai runs when we first went out there in practice. I spent all my time practicing for the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge (race). I drove it down the backstretch really deep and got into three. I bottomed out. I went down and cut it too deep. I hit the left front fender on the apron and shot up the racetrack. It handled real good. I was hoping we'd get a real good pit stop, and the guys busted off a good one. It feels good to be up top right now. Let's hope it stays.
"Roy (McCauley) and the boys dreamed the setup up for qualifying. I went down into three and it turned a lot better than I anticipated. I almost ran it through the infield. It bent the fender all up, but the car handled perfect.
"I was on it. The team was on it, too. Larry (crew chief) Carter worked real hard on the race setup for tomorrow night. They got it handling real good, and then the guys dreamed up the setup for qualifying. We had a good first lap, and the boys knocked out a 12.40 on the pit stop. That was a super killer, and the hotrod ran really great. We're on the pole. It's really cool. I did a good job out there for the guys because they always do a good job for me. We put a can on whup on 'em on that pit stop. They were screaming around the car with those lug wrenches."
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge) -- Qualifies Second
"The pit crew was sweating over this one a little more than I was afterwards. You can still see I'm sweating. It was a good solid effort with a good pit stop. I was conservative getting in with pit road speed. We were pretty good on the racetrack I think. It's ego rights no matter what we're doing as long as you can be up on that podium.
"It's a cool bonus to win, and it's cool that the team is involved with everything we do, whether it's qualifying or the race. I'm excited about being back at a good race track.
"I was hoping we could pull it off for the crew. That would have been really great. I thought the only way we'd get beat was if somebody really banzais us getting on pit road. The guys have been working really hard, and I really wish we could have pulled it off tonight, but we've still got that million to go after tomorrow night."
KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) -- Qualified 16th with 12.2-second pit stop and 20-second pit road penalty, too fast entering.
"We had the fastest lap, so that was a good sign, and our pit crew had the quickest stop. Hopefully that means we'll be good tomorrow night. Our car is good. It wasn't as good when the sun was out, but when the sun went down, the car got stronger."
-dodge-
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