NexCup: Dodge notes, quotes from Pocono

June 11, 2004
Pocono Raceway.
Pocono 500 Advance Material.
     

 

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge)

NOTE: Kahne, a 24-year-old driver from Enumclaw, Wash., leads the
Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings by 38 points (166-128) over Scott
Wimmer after 13 of 36 races in 2004. Kahne has been the top rookie
finisher six times this season and no other rookie has done it no more
than twice. Kahne ranks 12th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Standings. He's
438 points out of first and 71 points out of the coveted No. 10
position. Kahne led with 19 laps left last week at Dover before slipping
in oil and ending up 21st. He led 36 laps and appeared headed for his
first career victory in Cup competition.

 

"I've been over it (Dover disappointment) all week. I've had some tough
nights sleeping, but I've been over it all week. It was disappointing,
but it's over with and it's just part of racing. We'll just go on with
it.

 

"I don't think it'll affect it (points race) at all. If we would have
finished where we were we would have been 20 or 30 points out of sixth
place. We didn't and now we're (438) points behind. I think we have a
good enough team and good enough people. If we deserve to be in that top
10 we'll be in there at the end of the deal. I've known that (it'll take
a top 10 ranking to race for the championship in final 10 races) all
along. You look at the points and usually the guys up front have such
good years that it's tough to be within 400 points. You're going to need
to be in the top 10.

 

"Tommy Baldwin has been real good this week. He's been mad at times, but
he's been awesome. He's always a good guy to work with, and I think
that's why we've been so good this year. Tommy and our whole crew have
been great this week. I know they were upset that we didn't win the
race, but nobody was down. We went to Kershaw (S.C.) on Tuesday and did
some different things. We went down there (road course) to try to get
ready for Sears Point. It rained all day, so we didn't get on the track.

 

"We came here and tested a week ago for a day and Bill (Elliott) was
here the whole day. He helped us here in a lot of different ways. Bill
goes to most of the tracks I haven't been to and tries to help me at
them. When he can come around for qualifying he helps me with different
things. If I have questions I call him on the phone. He helps me get
through some of the things you have to learn at new racetracks - the
characteristics of each corner or what you need to do shifting. He went
to Sears Point with us. He's been to a lot of different tracks with us
just trying to teach me quicker so I don't have to go through such a
long learning curve. I still have to go through the learning curve, but
if he helps with some little things, then I don't have to learn them.

 

 "I think they should be able to figure it out quick enough that you
shouldn't have to run that many (caution) laps. In racing there's always
the crew chiefs, the teams and the owners and everybody finds different
ways around every rule. NASCAR has to look at that, and it's tough.
There are always different ways to look at things, especially in racing.
There were just too many yellow laps (at Dover). That's for sure, but
how to fix it, I think maybe.... They have the last decision. They could
say this is how it is and that's the way it is and we'll talk about it
next week. That's bad if you're in that position, or just throw a red,
but 24 laps under caution gets old."

 

BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 77 Kodak/Jasper Dodge)

NOTE: Gaughan, a 28-year-old Las Vegas native, ranks fourth in the
Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and has been the top finishing
rookie driver twice this season - Talladega and California. He finished
a career-best sixth at California. He's 29th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Standings, 394 points out of 10th.

 

DO YOU THINK RACING AT POCONO WILL HELP YOU GET READY FOR THE ROAD
RACES? "The only thing that helps you get ready for road courses is to
go road racing. Fortunately for me I have a lot of road racing
experience and really enjoy road racing. I don't know and really don't
care if anyone knows about my road racing. I really hope the drivers
don't know because then they won't expect it. Robby Gordon knows. Jimmie
Johnson knows. Guys I've been around all my life know I have some road
racing experience, but the rest of the garage probably doesn't. I'm a
rookie. They don't know what I can and can't do. They don't know where I
came from, so being an enigma is kinda nice.

 

"OK, you have to shift at Pocono. I guess it's tough for drivers to
shift. This is a fun, fast place. It's the only track I've seen in
NASCAR that has a 60 mph split in a corner from top speed to bottom
speed. That's amazing. That's huge. That really differentiates this
place. Turn 3 is kinda like Milwaukee. It's flat and you dance around. I
kinda like that. I won Milwaukee last year in the truck. The tunnel turn
you just hold on for the ride. It's exciting and I don't know what to
expect with traffic back there. We tested here a couple weeks ago and
had a decent test. We've got the Kodak colors back this weekend, and
hopefully we'll have a decent race. We'd like to keep the primary car
and make it all the way to the end of the race and try to miss the wreck
this time. We feel pretty good about it.

 

"We had two races where we weren't that good, and we're still trying to
figure out why. We had a good car at Dover. We were running 11th when
the wreck happened. We were 

up front to start the race. It was just one of those racing accidents
that I couldn't miss. Blaney made it through the hole and it closed up
right behind him. We missed the other two big ones and finished the
day."

 

COMMENT ON THE RAYBESTOS ROOKIE RACE "I don't really understand how the
rookie points work completely. I know after the 16th race you see the
points go up and down because they just count your 16 best finishes.
It's going to be tough now to make the top 10. If you can rip off a Ryan
Newman-finish to the season you might can get within 400 points. It's
getting further and further away. Right now, we're just trying to work
on that Raybestos Rookie championship, get some good runs for Kodak and
Dodge. We need to get back up front and get in the top 20. If we've
still got a shot for the chase we'll go for it, but right now we're
battling for top 10 finishes."

 

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