NASCAR BGN: Rain follows Busch Drivers to Kentucky

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

June 16, 2001

For the third consecutive race, rain has followed the NASCAR Busch Series, and as a result, qualifying for Saturday's Outback Steakhouse 300 has been postponed until tomorrow at noon.

JEFF GREEN-10-Nestle Nesquik Ford Taurus - WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE CALL TO QUALIFY TOMORROW? "I think it's great. If they were to line them up by points, someone would go home. Just to give them an opportunity is great. If you don't have an opportunity you can't make the race. To give those guys an opportunity to make it will make it a better race. There are some guys that have been in the races that don't need to be here. Now you'll get the fastest 43 and it will make it a better race."

DO YOU THINK WE WOULD BE DOING THIS IF THERE WERE ONLY 43 CARS ATTEMPTING TO QUALIFY? "Probably not. We would probably line them up by points again. I'm telling you, the last two weeks we haven't had a chance to qualify and I don't like that. I want a shot at the pole. Even though we lined them up by points at Dover, I still want a shot at legitimately winning the pole. This team is capable of that each week and I want to give them that opportunity." WHAT ABOUT QUALIFYING AT NOON? "That's a little bit different from what we planned for and I think the track will just be a little bit slower. I think the cars will be balanced the same and the guys that were fast today will be fast tomorrow."

JASON KELLER-57-Albertsons Ford Taurus - THIS IS SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. "Well, it seems like we've already been here three days just practicing, but I just don't like the extra practice in the morning. Everybody is already dialed in as much as they are going to be dialed in. That's just the way it goes."

DOES THE NOON START FOR QUALIFYING ADD SOME GUESSWORK TO THE EQUATION? "I've really commended NASCAR all week saying that they've done good to give us late practices so we can practice in kind of the same conditions that we're going to qualify in, and now all of a sudden we're back to qualifying in the middle of the afternoon. I guess you have to improvise sometimes and that's what we'll do."

YOU'RE FOURTH IN POINTS AND ENDED UP FIFTH IN PRACTICE. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PREFERENCE? "Either way I don't mind. If they do line them up by points, we're good enough where it's not going to mater. But, we were good enough on the practice sheet that we have a shot to be that good anyway."

IF THERE WERE ONLY 43 CARS ATTEMPTING TO QUALIFY DO YOU THINK WE WOULD BE DOING THIS? "We probably wouldn't, but that's their decision. We'll just have to wait and see."

GREG BIFFLE-60-Grainger Ford Taurus - WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT EXPANDING TOMORROW'S ACTIVITIES? "It really doesn't affect us a whole bunch. We just need to get a good qualifying run. We really should have made a couple of more qualifying runs today, so maybe this will help us out to make some more before tomorrow's qualifying session. If it's dry, the conditions should be similar to when we go out there at noon. So, in Happy Hour we'll just get it tuned up to where it feels good on four new tires."

WHAT DOES THIS DO TO KEVIN HARVICK'S WEEKEND? "It makes it better for us; it just puts more pressure on him. A lot of times, though, it's a drive to do better. A lot of times we do better when our backs are against the wall and you've got to come through. It makes you dig deep, so it could work both ways."

Text provided by Greg Shea

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