NexCup Chevy Race Notes - Bristol, Mar. 28

      
NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES 

FOOD CITY 500 RACE NOTES 

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

March 28, 2004

 

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "I guess the lug nut wasn't on there and so we had to come back in on that second stop and put a lug nut on. And at that point in the game, it was terminal."

 

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 GM GOODWRENCH CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - Finished 3rd - Post race press conference:

 

"This is Bristol. We came and we really worked on our car and really tried to do everything we could to get up to where we need to be. We got up along the No.40 (Sterling Marlin) and we just got tangled up and knocked the left-front fender in but all in all it was a good day.

 

"We had a very up and down day. We started off really tight and had to make some really big adjustments to get our car going. We stayed on the lead lap and barely avoided trouble a couple of times and just kept ourselves in the race. We finally hit it. We thought we were in the right spot there and just got tangled up with the No. 40 and knocked the fender in and flattened the left front tire. The tire was flat in post-race inspection. 

 

"It was one of those deals where you just have to take what you can take. I had to race the No. 40 (Marlin) on the outside and he was getting all he could get and wound up getting into the front of us. But it was a good day for the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet."

 

YOU SAID EARLIER THAT BRISTOL IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE TRACKS.  WHY?

"I grew up on a half-mile, high-banked race track at home - not anything like this - but just kind of the same technique that we have here. It's one of those things where we've had a lot of success here. I've finished second a couple of times in a Cup car - and third, and fifth, and fourth or whatever, I don't even know where all I've finished. But I know we always seem to end the race running really good here. We just came up a little bit short. But this is a really good track for us and I'm looking forward to coming back in August."

 

WHEN THE RACE WAS RED-FLAGGED, WHAT WAS YOUR STRATEGY? WERE YOU HOPING THE PEOPLE IN FRONT OF YOU WOULD MESS UP?

"I really thought we were in the right spot because I knew my car wasn't capable after that yellow and after I had contact with the No. 40 (Marlin) of getting by those two. 

 

"I thought I was sitting in the right spot if Rusty (Wallace) could get to him (Kurt Busch). But Kurt just got a good restart and Rusty really spun the tires and couldn't go anywhere. And so it didn't work out like that but it was a really good day for us in the points and a good finish for us today. You just take what you can get."

 

WHAT KURT BUSCH'S SECRET TO WINNING THREE IN A ROW HERE AT BRISTOL?

"The secret is he's got 160,000 people that boo at him when he wins. He may be winning races, but the fans hate him."

 

WHEN DID YOU GET TANGLED UP WITH STERLING MARLIN?

"I'm not sure. I can't watch the leader board and drive the race too. It was before the red-flag re-start."

 

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 8 BUDWEISER CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO - finished - "I could have been passing race cars. Somebody else could have been passing cars. These people bought tickets to watch a race. It's just ridiculous (red-flag stop).

 

"I could have finished in the top 10 easy. Easy. It's just aggravating, you know. I had one of the best cars. And then they decided to start blowing the track right when I had all that trouble. It's not spiteful, I'm not saying, I think it's just stupid.  To heck with the race track, at that point. There were 30 laps to go. What difference does it make? They hadn't been blowing the whole time, so what difference does it make? What difference does it make? It makes no difference. 

Nobody is going to get up and get a hot dog. There were 30 to go."

      

ON RUNNING INTO THE NO. 77 OF BRENDAN GAUGHAN: "I ran into the No. 77 accidentally. But everybody was piling up there. He was in the gas. That was unfortunate. It's happened to me 100 times."

 

BOBBY LABONTE, NO. 18 WELLBUTRIN XL CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO: "We got caught up in a wreck early and, obviously, that put us behind the rest of the day. The guys worked really hard to repair the damage so we could get back out and get some points. You need to be in the top 10 after 26 races and every point counts, so everybody knows the hard work can mean a lot down the road."