NASCAR WCUP: Tony Stewart satisfied with qualifying performance at Pocono
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 16, 2001TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"I'm pretty happy with that. That is about a half a second faster than what we ran in practice and all that goes to the guys on the team. We've been struggling a little bit the last couple weeks and everybody has been working really hard to try to fix that. Not just the guys at the track, but everybody back at the shop has been working two shifts to try to get us back up to where we need to be. I think this run is proof that they've been working hard."
(HOW DID YOU PICK UP SO MUCH FROM PRACTICE?) "I think I just sucked it up a little bit."
(ON POCONO) "It's difficult. With three different turns like this, it's the most unique place we go to, by far. Every track we go to has got its challenges. There is no easy racetrack. This one has its own unique characteristics and challenges."
(HOW MUCH BETTER DO THINGS FEEL THIS WEEK AS COMPARED TO LAST WEEK?) "This is just a different racetrack. You just have to keep working to try to find the balance every week."
(WHY DOES THIS PLACE WORK SO WELL FOR YOU?) "Shoot, I don't know. I never think I can qualify that well until it comes time to qualify. Even in the past, if you look at those time sheets, we've never been that good until we go out to qualify. Even when we broke the record last year, I think we were ninth or 10th on the practice sheet before we did it. "I don't know, to be perfectly honest. I think a lot of it is the guy putting the setup on it. There is no voodoo that he does right before we go out for the run. I just do like everybody else does when it comes time to get the job done for the real deal. I just try to suck it up and make one lap count. Today I sucked it up three times - once for each corner. If you can get a tenth or two in each corner, it adds up to a pretty big chunk at this place."
Text provided by Al Larsen
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