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NASCAR Trucks: Ford Racing Notes and Quotes, Daytona Qualifying

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
RICK CRAWFORD-14-Milwaukee Electric Tools Ford F-150 (qualified 28th) - "We were where we thought we would be. Realistically, that was it. We had a good lap, the truck went where it was supposed to go and the handling characteristics of the Milwaukee Electric Tools Ford F-150 was where it was supposed to be. It was a smooth lap, no drag and it was as fast as it was going to go. It was on the floor."

HOW WERE THE TRACK CONDITIONS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY? "It was a little cooler and it looks like the track conditions are going to be equal for everyone. It didn't matter if you were first or last or whatever. And, the Busch Series just got done cleaning it off, so it was pretty clean for us. That's about what we expected."

YOUR FIRST LAP WAS FASTER THAN YOUR SECOND, WAS THAT TO BE EXPECTED? "Most of them are. We used sticker tires because we didn't feel we had the grip to bog the truck down."

NATHAN HASELEU-99-Roush Performance Ford F-150 (qualified 32nd) - "That's all we got. That's all we had in practice. We're going to race good. It's good in the draft. It's just frustrating being here and we can't go any faster. But, we'll be all right in the race, and I'm looking forward to the race."

HOW WERE THE TRACK CONDITIONS? "The track is about the same as it was yesterday, hazy and cloud cover. For engine tuning and so on that's all we had. The truck is handling great, it's just not going fast."

LARRY GUNSELMAN-63-Waterloo Tool Storage Ford F-150 (qualified 29th) - "I think we probably should have put a little more gear in it with the weather being kind of humid. We didn't turn quite enough RPM. It looks like the Dodge boys are pretty tough out here today. I'm not quite sure the disadvantages we have, but the truck drove great, I just wish we could have gone a little bit faster. I don't think there was anything left in the truck, except for maybe putting a different gear in here. The grip was good, the track was good, I think we have missed a little bit on the gear selection, but I don't know if that made all that much of a difference. I figure we'll end up in the top 30, but we need to be in the top 25. It's going to be close."

RICK CARELLI-66-Phelon Motorsports Ford F-150 (qualified 14th) - "We just ran wide open. It was just one of those deals where we held her down and went on. I think the biggest think we need to worry about is the race. We need to put a good race package in the truck, and I hope we've got that."

DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE BETTER IN THE DRAFT? "I think we're down a little in drag, but I think it's just one of those deals. We find out in the race just how good we are."

CHUCK HOSSFELD-50-JR's Garage Ford F-150 (qualified 21st) - "That will get us in. Once we get in the draft we'll be in a lot better shape. It was a little nerve wracking because we knew our best time, but we beat that. There's not a whole lot you can do driving-wise, but I tried to do the best I could do to get that time. Dan Binks put his head together with the guys and came up with a little bit of time. That's the best we could do."

TERRY COOK-29-K Automotive Ford F-150 (qualified 16th) - "That's probably been the best lap by ourselves, and that's what you want to do during qualifying. We'll take that and go with it, even though we seem to be at a little bit of a disadvantage right now with the Blue Oval. All I can tell you is that these race really good. They don't seem to qualify that well and they don't run fast by themselves, but they race well and that's what we came here to do - race. I can't ask for a better driving truck. You can put it on the bottom and you can put it on the top, so as far as driving the truck, it's superior. Now it's just a matter of finding more speed in the truck, but I think we'll be good for the race."

YOU'RE THE SECOND FASTEST FORD TEAM, YET YOU'RE ONE OF THE NEWEST IN THE FORD CAMP. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN IT? "We did our homework and we got a lot of help from the Ford people, Robert Brooks, Dan Davis and Greg Specht. A lot of people came together to put this deal together. Both Bob and Ron Kesolowski are knowledgeable people and have been in this business for a long, long time. We've got an Ernie Elliott motor under the hood, so when you combine all those things, we've had a great week so far."

NOTE: Michael Dokken and the No. 31 Brevak Racing team did not qualify after NASCAR ruled that they were ineligible for first-round qualifying because they had failed to participate in a practice session. The team experienced mechanical difficulties yesterday, and Tuesday's first practice session was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Text Provided By FORD

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