Dodge's Bill Lester misses first career Bud Pole by one-thousandth of a second at California-- Dodge Notes & Quotes

Thursday, November 07, 2002
Phoenix Int'l Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Chevy Silverado 150 - Qualifying


BILL LESTER (No. 8 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Ram) - Second
NOTE:  Lester will start a career-high second place in tomorrow's Chevy Silverado 150 - just one-thousandth of a second from today's pole position time.  Lester's fastest lap of 28.054 sec. held him in the No. 1 spot until the last qualifier of the day, Rick Crawford, edged the Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate with a time of 28.053 sec.   Prior to today, Lester had started third three times this season (Kansas, Kentucky, California).  He has been the top-qualifying rookie in 11 races this year, the most by any 2002 Raybestos Rookie of the year candidate.

"I'm trying to get over the fact that we lost the pole by just one-thousandth of a second.  The lap was one of those where you can definitely say that there was no more left on the table.  I did everything I could to extract all I could out of that No. 8 Dodge.  It was a breath of fresh air to have Bobby (team owner, Hamilton) work with the No. 8 team, work with my crew chief Jeff White, and work with my pseudo-crew chief Kip McCord who's gone on to some larger responsibilities.  It's really relieving for us to have picked up, essentially, four-tenths of a second over what we practiced both yesterday and today.  I don't think anybody would have expected us to do what we did.  It's really a big vote of confidence to the guys to take what I've told them - with as little experience as I've had - and turn that into a Dodge that did just about everything that I asked of it.

"It's hard for me to really hang my head here even though it's heartbreaking.  Going into this deal, I don't think any of us expected to come out of it like we've had.  It's refreshing.  It's good.  It just encourages us more.  We know we're going to get a pole.  We know we're going to get a win.  It's just going to be a matter of not if, but when.  We're hoping to roll off real strong, and finish maybe just a little bit stronger.

"The fact of the matter is that I couldn't even stand it (watching to see if his qualifying time would hold).  After I realized that I picked up as much as we did after practice, I basically went to the lounge of the hauler and just waited it out.  I couldn't even look at the scoreboard.  I didn't know that we got taken until the last spot, and needless to say Crawford did and I congratulate him.  I can't take anything away from Bobby Hamilton Racing, Arrington Engines, the Dodge Dealers and Dodge Motorsports for giving me this opportunity that I've worked so hard for.  It's meant everything to me to be here competing.  As a professional I worked at this since starting out in 1984-1985, and it's been a long hard road to get here.  I'm hoping this is just the beginning.

"We've qualified well this year, but it's been dicey come race day.  We're really focusing in on tomorrow.  This is all great.  We've qualified third three times this year, and we know we're fast.  But we've got to be fast over the entire race distance.  That's what it really comes down to.  While this is all great, it's really tomorrow that counts.  I'm just being cautiously optimistic about having a truck that's just as good in the race as it was in qualifying."

"I think my communication with the team is getting better, but I still don't know enough about these trucks to say that I'm getting better at really setting them up.  That's not the case at all.  These guys are able to interpret what I'm trying to tell them, and they give me what I need."

STACY COMPTON (No. 17 Harris Trucking Dodge Ram) -- Sixth
"This team has put a great Dodge Ram under me each time we come out with it.  Phoenix has traditionally been pretty good to me.  We've had three, four, five poles here (two in NCTS 1998, 2001).  I like this place.  I like flat tracks.  Some Joey Arrington horsepower doesn't hurt a thing in the world either.  It was a good lap for us.  We picked up a couple tenths from where we were in practice, so it was a decent run."

JASON LEFFLER (No. 2 Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge Ram) -- Seventh
"The balance was little off on our No. 2 Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge, so we'd like to be a little faster.  I think it helps to have some experience around at track like Phoenix.  It seems like no matter what kind of car or truck you drive around here the line is pretty much the same.  Having some laps around this place in some other series can really help you a lot.  It's one of my favorite tracks.  I love coming here. We've steadily improved as the week has gone on, so I'm really looking forward to the race.  I think track position is critical at a place like this.  It's a racing type of track, but it's still hard to get through the pack if you're behind."

TED MUSGRAVE (No. 1 Mopar Performance Parts Dodge Ram) --14th
"The racetrack changed a little bit.  It's not really swamped.  We ran faster earlier in the day, but the racetrack was in better shape then.  That was just race stuff that we had out there on our qualifying lap.  A lot of times when we unload the Mopar Dodge we just work on the race conditions and then switch over right before we qualify.  If we can run those speeds in the race, we'll be in good shape.

"At Phoenix you've got to remember that as the week goes on it gets slicker and slimier out here.  You've got to set the racetruck up for a long duration run, because as it goes on it's more or less like Daytona during Speedweeks - it just keeps changing on you."

ROBERT PRESSLEY (No. 18 Dickies/Square D Dodge Ram) -- 10th
"I'm just happy to see Bill (teammate, Lester) up at the top again.  I thought we had a shot at it, but man I was just a little bit tighter out there than I was this morning.  The track picked up a lot of grip.  We're happy.  We know we've got a nice little racetruck here this weekend.  This track will change on you though, so it helps to know what it's going to be like later in the weekend from past experience.

CARLOS CONTRERAS (No. 43 Hot Wheels Dodge Ram) -- 26th 
"We ran the same time that we had in practice.  I guess we were a little bit faster.  We were tight off of the corners, so we can be a little bit faster in the middle of these turns out here.  We'll work on that and try to find a good setup for the race

BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 62 NAPA/Orleans Dodge Ram) -- 23rd
"Phoenix is just a good, flat racetrack.  We've raced here a few times in the last couple of years here.  We've had one of the best trucks out there week-to-week, but we keep running behind a few Dodges that stay in front of us.  We've got to try and keep up with the Dodge boys.  

"This is one of those tracks where experience will really be the key, it's a big deal.  This track is such an odd deal.  It's really flat in turns three and four, and it has kind of an odd one and two.  That little half-wall kind of scares you as you come out of turn two.  I remember the first time I came here, it kind of intimidated me.  This week I think we just kind of slipped a little.  Every time I let Shane (crew chief, Wilson) make the calls we look great.  The second that I start meddling with them, we go to hell.  So, this week was my own fault.  We'll just have to battle away around here and see if we can't be one of the best Dodges out there and get a win."

RYAN HEMPHILL (No. 4 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge Ram) -- 20th 
"It feels good to be back.  I'm feeling great, feeling fine.  We've very happy to be here and not have to sit out another race.  We're pretty good out here today.  The crew has just been busting their butts to get this Dodge where it needs to be.  We're just struggling a little bit, but we're getting closer and closer.  

"There was a little question at the beginning of the week, knowing whether I'd be cleared to race by the doctors.  I knew Saturday morning after we hit the wall at California that I'd be ready to go for the next race.  I just let my leg heal, and try to keep weight off of it.  Everything else has been fine though."