BUSCH: Dover II: Raybestos Rookie Scott Riggs interview

Riggs was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the MBNA 200 at Dover in June. he finished 11th completing all 200 laps of the event. Riggs was the highest qualifying Raybestos® Rookie at Dover, earning the fifth starting position.

SCOTT RIGGS, NO. 10 NESTLE NESQUIK FORD TAURUS:

YOU HAD A GOOD RUN AT DOVER IN JUNE. DOES THAT RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS WHEN YOU GO BACK IN SEPTEMBER?

"We had pretty high expectations when we went there the first time. We just didn't quite get the car consistent feeling enough to me to be able to run fast and consistent. It was just a little too tight there before. I look forward going back again because we're taking the same car and we'll have better notes. I'll have a better feel of what the Busch car is going to feel like around there and hopefully be able to make better adjustments and get us a lot closer to the front."

DOVER HAS A REPUTATION OF BEING TOUGH, THE MONSTER MILE. IS THE TRACK REALLY THAT TOUGH?

"It's the kind of place that you really have to be careful and not overshoot the corners. You have to carry a lot of speed in the corners because the corners are so banked and there is so much banking there to catch you, you are able to carry a lot of speed through the corner. If your car is off a little bit, you can't hustle the car around there and go fast. You have to have the car handling pretty well. It's hard to make up for anything that the car doesn't have."

HOW HARD IS IT TO PASS AT DOVER?

"It's hard. You come off the corners and the walls come up really quick. You have to have a lot better car than the guy in front of you to be able to pull your car down lower than him to make a run off the corner to try and get under him by the next corner."

IS IT EASY TO GET IN TROUBLE AT DOVER?

"I think so. You are running so fast, and there is so much banking and the track is rough, I think it's real easy to overshoot the corner and slip and slide around. It's easy to get involved in a wreck, especially if you are behind an accident. It's really hard to get slowed down quick enough without getting collected."

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AT THE SEPTEMBER DOVER RACE?

"Qualify somewhere on the front row would be nice, just to be able to have a gap for all the accidents and all the melee early. We want to stay up front or right there close to the front the whole race and try to make a good effort to get ourselves in position to win the race."

IS DOVER LIKE A SHORT TRACK IN THE SENSE THAT TRACK POSITION IS SO IMPORTANT?

"It's like a big Bristol. It's really fast. One thing about it: it has a lot of grip which makes the speeds so fast that it's easy to slip the tires because you are going so much faster than usual. It's a place that you have to be careful and take care of your stuff and try to be there at the end."

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