dodge cup notes from LMS

Sunday, May 30, 2004
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Coca-Cola 600.


JAMIE McMURRAY (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) - Finished Fourth

"Chip is always on us to take chances to try to win races, and that's
pretty much what we did today. The 48 car was pretty fast today. He was
pretty much in a league of his own. He was pretty fast, so we did what
we had to do. He waited a long time to go (on last restart) and we all
got piled up. You try to do what you can, but that 48 was so fast. I
don't think anyone had anything for him.

 

"We were going to finish third if we came in and put tires on. We talked
about putting two on earlier. Chip wants us to do things to try to win,
and we had to stay out to try to win. Jimmie's car was so fast I don't
know that anything could have stopped him tonight. We talked about doing
just two tires and taking a chance. When it came time to do it, Donnie
(crew chief Wingo) said why don't we just not put any tires on. I
thought it was a great idea. That was our only shot at trying to win the
race.

 

"It's really hard to tell when the caution comes out. It was really
close. I really didn't know. You just can't tell when you're racing. I
was more concerned what was going to happen when we got to turn three
than I was when the caution came out. 

 

"I was running second two weeks ago at Richmond and Joe got loose
underneath me and took us out. Really, we've run well all year long. I
haven't been down at all. With every race we've been to, except
California, we've had a top 10 car. I wrecked this racecar at Las Vegas
testing, and it's the car I ran so well with last year at Indy and
Darlington. I ran in the top five almost every time. I wrecked it at
Vegas this year and this is the first time back. There's something about
a racecar where you can put a front clip, a rear clip, a body,
everything on it, but as long as the same car number is on it, it seems
like it drives well.

 

"I was way worse off after the Busch race yesterday than I was today. I
don't mean to sound cocky, but I didn't even sweat until the red flag
came out. I was amazed how cool it was for me tonight. I was junk after
the race yesterday. I made sure I went to bed early and slept until
noon. 

 

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) - Finished 10th

"It felt like I was sitting on a concrete block. I felt great getting in
the car. I got crappy feeling and finally I drank enough water and
started feeling better, but my doggone cushion in my seat was so thin
that it was beating my tailbone to death. I can't even sit right now
because my rear end hurts so bad. We finished 10th and gained some
points. I would have never believed we would get that loose at the
beginning of the race. We needed a caution. When we came in and made a
change we got pretty good. That first run just killed me and got me
behind. Thank goodness we got it back at the end."

 

JEREMY MAYFIELD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) - Finished Eighth

"We had a good night. We started 15th and ran in the top five most of
the race. We made a lot of progress tonight. We were good on the long
runs and kept getting better as the track cooled off. The Dew Crew did a
great job in the pits tonight. They kept making adjustments that made
the car better and better. I wish we could have finished in the top
five, but we finished in the top 10 and moved up two spots in the
points, so that's pretty good."

 

CASEY MEARS (No. 41 Target Dodge) - Finished Seventh

NOTE: Mears finished seventh Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600, matching
his career-best finishes scored earlier this season at Las Vegas and
Texas. He's scored all three of his seventh-place finishes in the same
Dodge. Mears battled the flu all day Sunday and went on to score his
best Cup finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

 

"The guys did a great job all day and made the right adjustments to keep
me up front. They kept me in the game. I didn't feel well, but running
in the top five and top 10 makes you forget about being sick. We gained
a couple of spots in the standings, and that's great. We'll keep working
hard and try to improve on these sevenths. Maybe I'd better take this
Dodge back to Vegas. I guess three sevens is what everyone looks for out
there."

 

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge)

"We had an eighth-15th place car today. It was loose in the beginning
and skating around. We put new springs on it and were coming to the
front. We just burned up a rear end gear. It was a tough day, but we'll
be back and try again next week at Dover."

 

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) - Finished 12th

"The first half of the race we were pretty loose. We had to keep
fighting that. When the sun went down our car got pretty good. It was
still loose in. It didn't take off as good as the 48. Once we got up
there after 20 laps we were even and from 30-60 we were easily the
fastest car until the end. Then we got too tight. 

 

"We just didn't make the right calls there at the end. It was pretty
disappointing to have as good a racecar as we had and finish where we
did. We got too tight at the end. I got into the 19 and a bunch of us
were together and rubbed the wall and kinda flattened the fenders
somewhat which ruined our chances, too.

 

"I think we had a good shot at it. We definitely could have caught him
(48 car) Catching him and passing him are two things, but after 30 laps
we were two, three, four tenths sometimes half a second better than
anyone on the racetrack. I think we could have caught him, and who
knows.

 

"He made an awesome move right there. I screwed up going down the
backstretch. I thought the lap before the 31 was going low and the 19
was going high. I went to pass the 19 down the backstretch and had a run
on him and went in low and killed my momentum. Jimmie did what he needed
to do. He passed me and passed the 19 and passed everyone else.

 

"Actually I feel pretty good. If I had finished the race better it would
have been more exciting. I feel great right now. The way we did it at
the end we had a top two car, and it took a lot out of me right there."

 

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge)

"The car was loose, and we just never got it right. It turned into a
real long day."