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BUSCH: Charlotte: Riggs qualifying press conference

SCOTT RIGGS-10-Nestle Nesquik Ford Taurus (Qualified 3rd) YOU HAD A RIGHT-SIDE TIRE GOING DOWN ON PIT ROAD. DID YOU FEEL THAT ON YOUR QUALIFYING RUN? "I don't know if that was making me so uncomfortable on that second lap. The first lap felt ...

Edited: Apr 16, 2008, 12:40 AM

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SCOTT RIGGS-10-Nestle Nesquik Ford Taurus (Qualified 3rd)

YOU HAD A RIGHT-SIDE TIRE GOING DOWN ON PIT ROAD. DID YOU FEEL THAT ON YOUR QUALIFYING RUN? "I don't know if that was making me so uncomfortable on that second lap. The first lap felt really stable and it started getting a little free with me in three and four coming to the white. Then on that last lap, it was a handful. The front end wanted to slide and the rear would come around pretty quick. I'm just glad that we got a good lap in before it went down."

DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A SHOT IN THE POLE AFTER YOU SAW WHAT HARVICK RAN? "We picked up a half of a second and that was great for us. I don't know where those guys got that. That's an awesome job by them and they're in a different zip code right now for qualifying. A different zip code in qualifying is only two positions for us and when the race comes it should be a lot more equal ground."

THE GUYS WHO RAN IN WINSTON CUP OR ARCA TODAY WERE AT THE TOP OF THE SPEED CHART IN QUALIFYING. ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO QUALIFY IN THE TOP FIVE? "We came here in qualifying mode because we thought that our practice was going to be rain shortened. We worked on qualifying and we talked about it after practice and we agreed that it was our worst practice ever. We didn't learn anything. We didn't get to make a lot of changes and we weren't very fast. It was not our kind of practice. We like to unload in race mode, get a good feel for everything, get a good baseline and then go qualifying. It wasn't good for us it, but it just shows how good our communication is right now and how everything is clicking on this team right now."

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU'RE PUTTING YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO MAKE A RUN A THE CHAMPIONSHIP RIGHT NOW? "I feel like I have the best the team. There may be some teams that we're equal to, but I don't think there's anyone better. I feel a lot of confidence in my team. All of the guys are focused and they're stronger than they've ever been and I feel like we're stronger than we've ever been. We struggled a little bit in the beginning of the season with some bad luck, but everything is starting to come together now. It's making it a lot of fun. Everybody is having a good time and everybody is smiling more and everybody is working hard and that's what it is all about."

"I thought that we had a 60 in the car. Of course, that was a half of a second off of where we practiced, but we were really struggling through three and four. I sat down with my crew chief and all of the guys and talked it over. It just goes to show how god our communication level is and how we're able to tear everything down and diagnose what the car is doing and why I feel the way I feel in the car and what the car is doing to make me feel that way. I told them that I thought I had a 60 in us if we could get through three and four like the way I needed to. I knew it was not going to be the pole; those guys are in a different zip code right now it seems like. That's just for qualifying and it's a good, solid starting spot for us and all of the guys on the Nesquik Ford Taurus. We deserve a good starting spot because we've been working really hard."

WHAT WILL YOU LOOK FOR IN HAPPY HOUR? "Just some consistency in the car. We came here realizing that weather was going to be a threat and would probably shorten our qualifying session. We came in qualifying mode and only got to make eight or nine laps on the track in qualifying mode. Now we'll put it in race mode for the first time and see if the car feels stable and consistent to me. Of course, a place like this is so temperature sensitive. To practice when it's so cool and overcast the way it's been all day, and we'll come out here tomorrow and the sun will be shining, the birds will be chirping and everybody will be glowing with sunshine and then it will be a totally different race track. Just to go out here and get a good balance under the race car and get some laps under our belt."

"Nesquik and all of the people at Nestle are going to pull out from motorsports once again. It was not because they wanted to. It was because some things changed around in the upstairs office and they are not going to be with us next year. We feel strongly about finishing out this year as good as we can. Right now we're talking to a lot of other sponsors. Greg Pollex, who is the owner of this team, is talking to a lot of people trying to secure something next year and for the next few years. There are a lot of things on the table, but right now we're wearing the yellow and blue colors and we're trying to finish out as strong as we can."

-ford racing-

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