FW: Team Monte Carlo Qualifying Notes - Darlington, Mar. 15

TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
Carolina 400 Qualifying GM Racing Communications
Friday, March 15, 2002 nmwager@aol.com
Darlington Raceway
Page 1

Robby Gordon, No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "We were just
a little bit loose the whole way around. We were a little tight in practice
and tried to free it up to go quicker, but ended up staying about where we
were in practice. Darlington changes so much. When I was out there, there
wasn't a cloud. Now there are clouds. A tenth is a big difference here. I'm
pleased with it. We're obviously in the field and we'll keep working on it
for Sunday."

Michael Waltrip, No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It was a good lap. I
was a little bit loose and I feel like if I hadn't been, I would have jumped
on the throttle harder and maybe picked up some speed in this NAPA Chevy.
But it was a good lap for us, and the boys did a good job getting the car.
Our little hot rod was good. This Chevy was much better in (turns) one and
two than it was in (turns) three and four all day. I'm happy with how much
we were able to pick-up from practice."

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "We were a couple
tenths faster than we were in practice and that's a good start for this GM
Goodwrench team.  We're looking forward to Sunday."

Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "I think in the race,
this track will favor the veterans. But in qualifying, you've got to hang it
out. I learned a little bit from watching Ryan Newman in practice today. I
just got a little greedy and clipped the apron into (turn) one. I turned the
car sideways and I didn't turn left the rest of turns one and two. I was
driving it off the right rear with the throttle. I just happened to come
through there with a solid effort. I'm just having a lot of fun. I feel very
fortunate that I've been here in the past in the Busch car and have learned
a lot about the race track. We still came back here and tested so I could
get used to a Winston Cup car here. The motor difference is huge at the end
of a run. In the race, the veterans will be up there and they'll be beating
up on us rookies."
(Did you know right away that it was a great lap?) "I thought that it was
but Chad (Knaus, crew chief) didn't say anything on the radio. So I ran the
second lap.  I made him promise me before qualifying that if I had a good
first lap, that he wouldn't make me run the second lap. So he didn't live up
to his end of the bargain."
(How do you keep an eye on the wall and not tap it?) "It's pretty weird.
There's a peripheral vision that lets you recognize where you are. If you
looked at the wall, you'd probably drive straight into it. After a while,
you get used to how close you are to it. And then when you run around guys
like Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton - they're right up against the wall - and
you get a visual of where they are and how they use the throttle to stay
along the wall."
TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
Carolina 400 Qualifying GM Racing Communications
Friday, March 15, 2002 nmwager@aol.com
Darlington Raceway
Page 2

Jeff Green, No. 30 AOL Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It was pretty good. We were
just tight all day.  When you try to get all you can, everybody picks up
more on this side (Winston Cup) than they do on the Busch side when they go
to qualify.  So, I had to get a little bit more out of my Chevy. It didn't
react quite as much as I needed to, but it kept us up there and we've got a
good starting spot."

Steve Park, No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It's really good to be
back. It was nerve-wracking. I think the hard part is behind us. The car was
good in practice and it was good in qualifying trim and we tested with it. I
feel good.  The Pennzoil team has done a great job.

"I had hoped to qualify in the top five. I mean I've had six months off. I
just didn't sit around and relax. I worked hard to be able to come back and
race this car. And when they throw the checkered flag on Sunday, I want to
say, 'The race is over already?' That will be the biggest accomplishment to
have the stamina. Qualifying is one lap were you have to king of hold your
breath and drive the wheels off it.  We passed that test, and the next test
is going 400 or 500 miles. At the end of that, I might be so happy I might
jog home from Darlington.

"This whole racing thing is all about pressure. The team did a great job of
giving me a great racecar - one that was capable of qualifying in the front
row.  I didn't let them down, but I didn't put the car in the front row and
that's where I want to be."

(Does this feel like a victory in itself?) "It does. It's like a big weight
taken off my shoulders. It inspires me to be able to come back and run as
well as we did. We tested here and ran good and I feel good. We're not on
the pole, but we're solidly in the top five."

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It was a great lap and a
great day for us. We just kept making gains on it all day. This is
Darlington, a place where I run well.  So I had a little bit of confidence
coming in here. It was great to have that kind of lap.

"Me and my buddy, Ricky Craven, will be on the front row and that's awesome.
We've struggled a little bit here recently and some of it started on
Friday - on qualifying day. I knew we needed to get better qualifying runs.
Today was a great effort by the entire DuPont Chevrolet team. Hopefully this
will start our weekend out right as we go into Sunday and have a Darlington
race like we've seen in the past."
TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
Carolina 400 Qualifying GM Racing Communications
Friday, March 15, 2002 nmwager@aol.com
Darlington Raceway
Page 3

(Have you been un-Gordon like lately?) "Yeah. Part of our strength is
qualifying and it just hasn't been the case here lately. Last week (Atlanta)
was my fault. The car was certainly there but I got turned into (turn) three
a little bit too early. Today I felt like I got everything out of the car
that I possibly could. Hopefully this will get us headed in the right
direction this weekend and give us some momentum going into Bristol."

(Is this a veteran's track or a young buck's track?) "Qualifying has become
so important that a lot of times the young guys are pretty brave. If the car
sticks for them, they're going to cut a great lap and they're going to start
up front. When that happens, it's hard for the guys that start further in
the back - whether they're veterans or not - to work their way forward.
We've just been starting too deep in the field. Hey, I'm really looking
forward to having a great starting position and hopefully we can take
advantage of that."

Media Center Q&A's with Jeff Gordon:
(On his qualifying lap) "I knew we were better than what we had practiced.
We had made some adjustments that should have been better. Darlington is one
of those places where you've got to be really committed to the lap and hope
the car sticks. And that's what I did. I drove into (turn) one really hard
and stepped on the gas hard and hoped it would stick. And it did.  It was by
far the best lap we put together all day. The ends of the track changed for
me. All day I'd been tight in (turns) one and two and really good in (turns)
three and four. During that lap I was good in one and two and tight in three
and four. It's just awesome to have a shot at it and be that close. We've
been on both sides of this one before where I've beat Ricky Craven by a few
thousandths and he has beat me by a few thousandths, and I don't mind
sharing every once in a while on those types of situations on the front row.

"It was a good day for us. We needed to get a good qualifying run and this
is a place where I knew we could do it at. We haven't been qualifying the
way we are capable of the last few races. I think we've been struggling in
the race because of it. I like to qualify up front. Because I've qualified
up front as many times as I have, I'm maybe not as good at getting from the
middle or the back of the pack to the front like some other guys are.
Hopefully we can capitalize on it (this qualifying spot) this weekend."

(Because of the turns, is this track more unique than any other oval track
on the circuit?) "I think Pocono is probably the extreme because it has
three separate corners that are different. But as far as an oval is
concerned, there's no doubt that the ends of this track are total opposite.
When you go into turn three here, you slam on the brakes pretty
TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
Carolina 400 Qualifying GM Racing Communications
Friday, March 15, 2002 nmwager@aol.com
Darlington Raceway
Page 4

hard. You have to really slow the car down compared to turn one. Turns one
and two are really sweeping. You really have to compromise here as a driver
and the team has to compromise on the set-up because you're not going to be
perfect on both ends. You just have to get both ends as close as you can.
We had a good combination today."

(Do you have to like the track in order to run well, or do you have to run
well in order to like the track?) "I've always had a lot of respect for this
track and all the stories around it and how this place will just reach out
and grab you and the Lady in Black and all that. It was the same thing when
I went to Winchester for the first time in a sprint car.  They try to
intimidate you before you get there. So I just try to have a lot of respect.
I've never had a problem running fast up next to the wall. I've always liked
a track that you run up high against the wall. I like this place a lot when
it comes to qualifying. I like it a lot in the race until I get about 50
laps into the run and I start sliding and hitting the wall and bouncing off
of it. As soon as you think that nothing can mess your lap up, you hit the
wall and you don't know why. I've had success here and I guess you tend to
like it more because of that."

(On the current points race) "My only concern is that we've not run as well
as we would have liked. We haven't battled for wins other than Daytona and
that's been disappointing. We're not going to panic because we're 11th in
the points this early in the season. I've seen guys have much rougher starts
than we have and come back. We're going to fight to the last lap of every
race through the whole season. If it's your year, it's your year. Things
just click. Today was a sign for us that things, hopefully, will start
clicking for us."

(Would giving the Chevrolets a rules change give the No. 24 car another
weapon?) "Why shouldn't the cars be equal?  That's what I ask. You can't not
give this guy or that guy something because of what they might be capable of
as a team. There's no doubt that Hendrick Motorsports has unbelievable
resources and great race teams. With the right ingredients, we've certainly
proved what we're capable of.

"All I ask is that we're equal. And when they go to the wind tunnel and they
come back and say that we're not (equal), I've got a problem with that. Now
that wasn't our racecar, but I know just by watching other racecars out
there that we're off in a few areas. We're trying to get everything we can
out of it. I didn't say, 'Hey, we need help'. I said to go to the wind
tunnel and let's see what the numbers show. And they came back and said,
'Yup, you're right. The Chevys are at a disadvantage.


TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
Carolina 400 Qualifying GM Racing Communications
Friday, March 15, 2002 nmwager@aol.com
Darlington Raceway
Page 5

"They didn't jump to conclusions and make a quick change this week. We're at
Darlington this week; we're at Bristol next week. We can probably get away
with that - a very abrasive high-banked race track at Darlington and then a
short track at Bristol. But when we get to Texas and California, if we're
not equal with the competition, that's not right. That's all I ask is that
we're on equal territory."

Media Center Q&A's with Steve Park:
(On his qualifying lap) "It really felt good. We came here and tested and
that was part of the rehabilitation program. We decided after the test to
come back here and race. To come back here and qualify as well as we did is
a testament to the team. They gave me a great racecar and all I had to do
was turn the wheel. This is one of my favorite tracks. I gave a big sigh of
relief when we qualified as well as we did.  Now we can concentrate on
racing this Sunday."

(What was going through your mind when you climbed back into the racecar for
the first time?)  "Obviously I was nervous, but I was excited too. I've been
racing since I was 10 so it was like getting back to normal. I knew we had a
car that was capable of qualifying in the top five or 10. The team and the
sponsors have stuck by me and maybe this is a small reward for them."

(What was the toughest thing throughout this whole recovery ordeal?) "Not
racing. Obviously getting hurt was the toughest thing. I've worked extremely
hard with rehab and all to get back into the racecar."

(Did your heart jump in your throat when you grazed the wall on your second
lap?) "No really. That's just Darlington letting me know that she's still
here. You're not running fast at Darlington until you hit the wall. When you
come into the garage on Sunday, you'll see a scrape on everybody's car
that's been up front."

(What are the remaining steps in your rehabilitation process?) "It's not the
last step for me. I've earned the right to be here today to qualify. And
that was through hard work. We finally worked our way up where I felt
comfortable coming to Darlington just to fill the field and qualify 28th. I
felt that I was recovered enough to qualify good and race good on Sunday.
We're not out of the woods yet.  To race Darlington this week and Bristol
next week are two of the hardest tracks to race on. Nobody can answer the
question about how I'll feel after 400 or 500 miles. We'll find that out on
Sunday."

TEAM MONTE CARLO Contact: Nancy Wager
Carolina 400 Qualifying GM Racing Communications
Friday, March 15, 2002 nmwager@aol.com
Darlington Raceway
Page 6

(On the significance of making his return at Darlington) "It's kind of
ironic to get hurt here and then come back here. We didn't really plan that,
 it just fell into the right timeline that we had set for ourselves. I'm not
going to let an injury overshadow how much I love coming here and racing
here."

(On making progress in his speech) "It is frustrating. I'm from New York and
it's hard not to talk as fast as I'm thinking. When I learned down south, I
tried not to use my hands and just let your mouth do the talking. So I can't
do that now, and I'll just let my right foot do the talking for me."

(Was watching Ricky Craven come back a motivational tool for you?) "It was.
It was nice to be able to talk to him and know what he has been through.  It
makes me feel like I'm not on this island all by myself. There are other
people out there too.  That helps me."

(How much do you feel you owe Kenny Wallace for his efforts?) "A lot. I
can't think of a better guy than Kenny Wallace to take my place. He did a
fantastic job. To represent our sponsors and race the car as hard as he
did - I'm thankful for that. You have to remember one thing. I'm a racecar
driver so I'm not good at patience. Pennzoil and Teresa Earnhardt stuck by
me and gave me the opportunity to heal and come back on my own schedule.  I
probably could have come back a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to come
back and qualify well and race well. It paid off today."

(If at some point, you have to come back out of the car, would it be harder
because of all the attention on you?) "Nobody puts more pressure on me than
I do. The main thing is that I feel good behind the wheel.  There are 42
other competitors out there that I have to think about. If I don't feel
good, I'll get out. We have Kenny Wallace under contract for the whole year
to either race or fill-in or whatever. We're not out of the woods yet.
Bristol is real hard on drivers. If we can get through the next two weeks,
we'll be pretty close to being out of the woods. Right now, we're just
taking it cautiously. I don't want to put myself or anybody else in
jeopardy."

(Do you think your doctor felt added pressure not to sign off on you too
soon because of all the recent safety issues in NASCAR?) "If you sit out of
a racecar and just sit on the couch, they'll be happy because you're less
likely to get hurt that way. That's all I've done since I was 10 years old.
It was tough for them to sign off because they know that no matter what we
have in the way of safety devices, driving racecars is not the safest thing
in the world to do. But we love it so much we take that risk. As long s
you're healthy enough, nobody is going to hold you back from what you love
to do."