Newman Wins Pole at NHIS
RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge) - Pole winner's interview "We built a little drama after that first lap, but we got everything together for the second lap. We knew we had a fast car from practice, but from that you've got to back it up. Qualifying was the time, and we were able to do it. It took an extra lap, but they give us two laps. We'll get the car to handle well, just like we did today. I messed up my first lap today, but you can't afford to mess up at all. With this racing surface, track position is critical. Once you get to the back, it's hard to work your way back up. We'll try to get a good driving racecar in Happy Hour tomorrow if Mother Nature allows us and get ready for Sunday." COMMENT ON OFF WEEKEND "We had a fan club day up at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday and had about 750 people out there. We had a good deal with ALLTEL and Sony and Dodge. We did some rides in a Viper around Michigan International Speedway, which was eventful and uneventful at the same time. My sister's newborn baby in April was baptized on Sunday, so we got to do a little bit of the family deal." DID GOING OUT LAST IN QUALIFYING HELP? "I don't think it really mattered. I knew going out first wasn't ideal. We went out first at Richmond and ended up qualifying second, and I knew it wasn't ideal there. It's the same type of situation here. You take the cards you're dealt and play 'em the best you can. Going out last didn't hurt us at all, but I don't think it was that big of a benefit." WHAT DID YOU TELL JIMMIE JOHNSON? "Without sounding too cocky, I just told him I was doing my best to get him back from Charlotte when he went out last and got us off the pole and we went out fairly early. The nice thing about that is it's nice to get you back after they've got you." WHAT'S THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS AT NHIS? "I'll say it this way. The biggest reason this place has grown on me is because of the SAFER barriers. I feel a lot better about having those SAFER barriers up there. It's not the most racy racetrack we come to all year, but I know Bob Bahre and the entire organization around here do the best they can and we end up having a good race. It's different than every other racetrack we go to, and that's all we can ask of it. I enjoy that part of it in building a Nextel Cup champion." IS THERE CONSISTENCY TO THE TRACK NOW? "I can only answer for the last three years. The surface has been changing because they've had to change the surface. For awhile the surface was ripping up, especially down in three and four. They've had to repave it and they've added some banking and the SAFER walls. Every time we've come back it's been a little different, but the walls are in the same place and all you can do is work with the grip that's in the racetrack. We bring different cars back and different engine packages and things like that, and I think that's the lesser of two evils. The walls and the track are pretty much the same." WHY WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN YOU GOT YOUR FIRST WIN HERE? "In 2001 and 2002, I said the tracks I liked the least, and I never said I hated this racetrack. I said the tracks I liked the least were Martinsville and Loudon in that order. To get my first win here, it kinda opened my eyes. No. 1, we won on a track that we never really looked forward to coming to. We enjoy all of 'em, but we never looked forward to coming here like we did places like Charlotte, Michigan, Darlington and Atlanta. That was probably the astonishing thing on top of the fact we did it. We had struggled so many times and finished second so many times that year. To win one in the rain was really cool." DO YOU THINKING TESTING HELPED HERE? "Definitely, I think we learned a little about the tires and the tires and the track together. Any laps you get if you're a smart person or a smart team you take into your next event and that was the practice session this morning. We unloaded off the truck pretty good and made it better." RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge) - Wins fourth pole of the season, 22nd of his career in 99 starts. Comments immediately after pole run with rain pelting the track. "We knew we had the potential to do it. It was just a matter of getting it done. I'm happy to do it for the guys. They put a lot of work into what we did here today. The one-day test helped us a good bit. "We got loose going into turn one on the first lap. I was trying to run really hard. I got up in the marbles. Once I knew I did that I threw the first lap away and got set up for the second lap. It made it a little tougher because you've got a one-lap shot. I guess the second bullet is the one that made the kill. "Now we've got the opportunity to lead a lap, make a good pit selection and all the other good things that go along with the pole." BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 77 Kodak/Jasper Engines & Transmissions Dodge) - Qualified 29th "We ran about what we practiced, and it seems like just about everybody is doing that. We thought we had a little bit of a gain coming, but this is a good racecar. We just couldn't find the qualifying speed. It's a brand new Dodge, and we'll be all right. I'm very happy with it so far." KASEY KAHNE (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) - Qualified Sixth "We were a little loose in the center, picking the throttle back up, and that's where we had been tight all morning. It swapped on us a little bit. I think it was a great lap for the Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge. I think going out late helped a little bit. It definitely didn't hurt. The Busch car has helped me out a lot. This is the type of track we've struggled on more than others this year. To run the Busch car has really helped. Hopefully we can keep improving this weekend and have a good top 10 finish on Sunday. I know we're running a different package (from the 19), but his test went well and we got some things from him." RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) - Qualified Eighth "I feel good about qualifying. We weren't real good in practice, but Larry (crew chief Carter) made a big change for qualifying. He talked us into raising the front spring rate up, and thank goodness we did that. That really helped. We changed the right front shock. We got a good qualifying run in, but we're going to have to undo a lot of things for practice tomorrow. I'm real excited about the Busch program. We put a lot of time and effort in that thing. To have it run that fast with Jamie McMurray driving the car, that's a good deal." CASEY MEARS (No. 41 Target Dodge) - Qualified 22nd "I think the lap was OK. We picked up from practice and I was hoping we would pick up more. It's not real fast, but it looks like everybody is slowing down. It's real early in the game, so hopefully it'll hold up for a good starting spot. You just never know. The last 15 guys might really pick up. We'll just have to wait and see. The track seems like it has a little bit less grip than last year. It's starting to slide around a little bit more, but it might make for better racing." STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge) - Qualified 37th "We were pretty good in practice. We were real good on long runs, but we just didn't have any get-go speed. We changed it all up for qualifying, and it was all loose." JEFF GREEN (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge) - Qualified 30th "We're still a little bit off, but we backed up practice and it seems like the track is a little bit slower. We've got a different combination in our motor package this weekend. It's the first time we've been able to turn over 9,200. We're turning about 9,700 (rpm's) now, so that will help us more in the race than it did in qualifying. The track is good. We've got a different tire, and it seems like it's got a lot of grip. We made a 20-lap run in practice, and our fastest lap was on the 18th or 19th lap. It's going to be an exciting race. The tires aren't going to fall off a lot. Track position is going to mean everything again." JEREMY MAYFIELD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) - Qualified 7th "I didn't think the lap was going to be that good, but it turned out all right. Hopefully we'll end up in the top 10 or top 15. We had a real good test up here. We didn't do any qualifying stuff. I know when we put it in race trim we'll be in good shape. The track doesn't seem like it has as much grip, but it's not bad." JAMIE McMURRAY (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) - Qualified 5th "I thought we had a shot at the pole. I thought we could run what Jimmie did, but for some reason all those other guys picked up on their second lap and we could only do it on our first lap. It was a pretty good run, but we just couldn't pick it up on the second lap. It's really cool that we won the Busch pole, especially getting to drive for Rusty. I'm still a little intimidated by the guy. He's one of the guys I don't talk to a lot in the garage. He's always busy it looks like, but I'm really excited about driving for him. It's one of the best Busch teams in the series, incredible equipment and it's really cool to be driving for him."