Lleffler Wins Third Straight Pole

Friday, July 19, 2002	
New Hampshire International Speedway  
Dodge notes and quotes.     



ROBERT PRESSLEY (No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge Ram)
"We never made a qualifying run in practice. We've really been working on the race setup all morning. We were better in qualifying, so we'll get ready to race now. I think we'll be in good shape for the race. I really like this place. It's one of my favorite tracks."
 
CARLOS CONTRERAS (No. 43 Hot Wheels Dodge Ram)
"I couldn't get back in the throttle like I needed to. I'm really not sure what was wrong. We had the same problem the first practice. It was hard to find the setup for qualifying, but we found a very good setup for the race. I'm happy with the race setup. I think we'll be OK."

BILL LESTER (No. 8 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Ram)
"The truck went from real good in practice to real free in our qualifying effort. We don't know why. We made some minor changes that we thought would pick us up. This thing was turning itself in the corners, and I was doing all I could to keep it from backing in the wall. We're baffled. The good news is we're in the race and the most important thing is how we do tomorrow. We'll battle back."

TED MUSGRAVE (No. 1 Mopar Performance Dodge Ram)
"That wasn't too good. The last couple of weeks we haven't been hitting it. We've been really bad in qualifying and not much better in the race. It looks like it's continuing. We're struggling pretty bad right now. We're going to have to do something here pretty soon to get this thing straightened out. If I knew what it was I'd fix it. It's a mixture of things. We've changed everything on the truck today, all four shocks, all four springs, swaybars, weights, you name it. We haven't hit on it yet. We'll keep working on it and see if we can get it right in Happy Hour."

BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 62 NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Ram)
"I don't think we got all of it. We left a little bit on the track. It was a little too loose. For as bad as we've been qualifying all year. We might end up in the top five. We know we've got a good motor program. We know that the Dodge body is at a little disadvantage at the moment, but that's what makes our teams better. We've got to learn to push through it. It's still the same truck right now. We've got the wacky setup underneath there, and it seems to work right now."



JASON LEFFLER (No. 2 Team ASE/Carquest Racing Dodge Ram)
NOTE: On the pole again. Leffler captured his third straight pole position on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Circuit and his fourth pole in the last five races. Leffler leads the circuit with seven poles this season.

"The truck is obviously fast. I've got to thank everybody at Ultra Motorsports and Dodge and all my sponsors. The 29 was really quick, and he didn't back up his time. I think the track slowed down quite a bit. I just took it easy and luckily repeated the same lap I ran in practice and it was good enough for the pole. I felt better about it after I saw the 29 slow down. It was just a matter of us repeating the lap in practice and me doing my job right. The 29 will be quick in the race. A lot of trucks will be fast, but the 29 is the king of the flat tracks. We're going to have to keep up with him.
"We'll get down to business and work as hard as we can and do the most with what we've got right now. We have good trucks and we run in the top five. I don't know what else to do to win. We have great pit stops and we've just got to keep doing what we're doing and our day will come. Maybe a little bit of luck would help.
"We're feeling good about contending for the championship. We know we're on the right road. We've just got to continue doing what we're doing. Our main goal is to win the championship. It's not necessary to win races to win the championship. If we can run in the top three in the race, we're pretty happy, but we'd still like to win.
"I've always struggled at this track, but when you drive something that handles good, it makes you like the track. Every track we've gone to this year, I like now. It's fun to be with this team. We've got a strong team, and it's nice to be a part of it. If we keep doing what we're doing, maybe we'll come away with the championship.
"I feel really confident. I feel like this group could go Cup racing any day of the week and run competitively. They know what they're doing. They work hard. They work 24-7. The truck drives great. It's the best thing I've driven since I've been down south."

JIM SMITH (Truck owner Ultra Motorsports)
"Jason (Leffler) and the team are really starting to gel. I can see the difference every week. His first win, hopefully, is just a day away. If he keeps running like he's running, he'll get the win. Between our two trucks, we've got 9 out of 12 poles this year. That has to do with the fact they've taken a lot of downforce away from the Dodge trucks. It allows us to qualify good. They've given us a little back this weekend. Maybe we can be in the hunt tomorrow. They didn't give us enough, but it was better than nothing. We just need to get the trucks the same as the Fords and Chevys and Jason will win. Anybody that watches TV can see that the Dodges push in the corners because they have the high valence on the wickers. They just don't have the downforce. How can you not be pleased with the season so far? You've got one truck leading the points and we've got two wins and nine poles. The other truck is in fourth spot. We feel that Ultra Motorsports will be stronger in the second half than some of the other trucks. I think we've got a tougher group when you start racing every weekend. We're going to do the best we n every week. Musgrave is struggling. They've missed the setup, but we'll steal it from the 2 truck and throw it over there. He'll be good by tomorrow."