Casey Mears wins Pocono Pole; Dodge Quotes

Friday, July 30, 2004
Pocono Raceway.
Pennsylvania 500 Qualifying.
 Casey Mears (No. 41 Target Dodge) - Pole Winner, first Cup pole; 10th
pole of the season for Dodge

"It's just so awesome. It's never happened before, so I don't know
exactly how I feel. I'm happy and really happy for the people that stuck
behind me through last year. We struggled bad. We knew we were going to
struggle. We didn't know it was going to be that bad. Chip and Felix and
all the guys at Target said they were going to stick behind me. Here we
are getting top 10s now and getting poles and running up front. I can't
thank all those guys enough. Another guy I want to thank is Jimmy
Elledge, my crew chief. He really stuck behind me 110 percent. It's such
a gratification to get a pole. It's not a win, but to give these guys
something back they worked so hard for.... Jimmy really stuck behind me.
We had a lot of late night talks last year, and this year it's been a
lot easier. It's been a lot more fun.

 

"I felt like I had a car that could have been a top five (in
qualifying). We were 10th in practice. I thought if we could pick up two
or three tenths we could end up in the top five. We made some
last-minute changes before we went out, some on gear, a little on
handling as far as tire pressure goes. Jimmy made a really good call on
the gear. It worked out, and it was just right. It went through the
corners really fast. Before I got through with the lap I knew it was
going to be really good. I had no idea it was going to be a .40. I
thought it was going to be a .60 and that would put us in the top five
maybe. It wasn't a perfect lap, but it was a very good lap.

 

"For the first time I expect to see no one in front of me (entering turn
one on first lap Sunday). I plan on leading. If I can get in that first
corner and lead off turn one, it's a huge advantage here to be in front
and not have anybody in front of you. Aero is such a big concerned these
days as far as the handling of your car. If you can get out front and
lead, I noticed that a lot last year. I'd be a lap down and start on the
inside and beat the leader to the first corner and get the lead for
awhile, I could run as fast as he did. Being out front is really
important. Being inside the top five and being in the clean air is huge.
We've got a really good car. We ran it at Chicago and should have
finished in the top three, but we ended up with some stuff on the grill
and went a lap down getting that off because we were about to overheat.
I feel really good about the car. Jamie did some race runs this morning,
and we'll be able to use his notes. Let's hope we get a Happy Hour and
dial it in and get ready to go.

 

"I think it was pretty apparent by the end of last year that we needed
to pick it up. If we didn't pick it up I don't think I was going to be
around by the middle of this year. It was clear we needed to get our
ducks in a row, and I think Chip is stepping up to the plate. We've
moved into a brand new shop. It's an unbelievable facility. We get a lot
of support 

 

 

 

from Target. We've got a brand new airplane. The team is really going to
the next level. We're missing that small, little half a tenth. We've
been seventh, seventh, seventh. We need to crack that top five. If we
can crack that top five. If we can crack that top five we can win races.

 

"It was optimum (weather conditions on qualifying lap), but it was
pretty good. The track was better at the end. I got a little bit tight
in turn one and felt I left a little bit on the table. I was worried
there at the end because the cloud cover did come over. That's huge.
When a cloud comes over and the track temperature drops, that's huge. I
was worried there at the end. I thought Jeff was going to be strong.

 

"(Indy) is a place I really, really want to run well because of my
family history. Typically if someone runs good at Pocono they're pretty
good at Indy. Qualifying is one thing. Race trim is another. I feel like
we've got a good car. There's no reason we can't run up front. If we do
that, it's going to be a huge confidence booster going into Indy.

 

"This is probably one of the tracks I've got the most experience on. We
run 500 miles here, but as far as the races go, if I feel like a veteran
at all, it would be at this track because I've got a lot of miles at
this track. The ARCA races definitely helped. That's why we did it last
year. I'm glad we did because I wouldn't be as comfortable as I am
today. It's weird. When we come here I feel like I'm at home a little
bit. Right out of the gate, the first laps I ever had on this track, the
second lap out was good enough to be in the top 10. For some reason,
some tracks just come to drivers, and I've adapted well to this track
for some reason.

 

"We had a gear that we had run here traditionally that worked. The
engine packages have been changing over the years. There was a big
emphasis three years ago where everybody wanted as much torque as they
could get. Now everybody is trying to turn as much rpm as they can. We
were right on the cusp of having the right gear or too much gear with
the gear we went to. We took a chance and said, 'OK, we're going to run
a little bit more and it paid off for us. We'll more than likely run the
same gear in the race.

 

"You've got a lot of the cookie cutter tracks that everybody is fairly
good at. Pocono definitely separates us a little bit. Guys run good here
and some guys struggle because of the unique style of the track. I hope
this is a race where we can capitalize on some points and make a run at
that championship cutoff. It's disappointing when I look at things that
have happened to us this year. I'm very excited with our performance,
but we've had blown motors, burned up gears, stuff getting on the
grille. If we could make a good run and turn it around here at Pocono,
we can make a run for the top 10.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This is awesome. I've always enjoyed Pocono. Right out of the gate here
we ran well. The team has improved. Jimmy Elledge (crew chief) has done
a great job. This is the car we ran at Chicago that we liked so much.
It's working well here. The motor is running strong. Everything seems to
be coming together. We've had some bad luck this season, and it really
feels good to see all the hard work pay off. This is the first pole for
Target in the Cup Series. It's awesome. I've got so many things going
through my mind right now I don't know what to say. We struggled a
little bit at the Indy test, but Sterling and Jamie went back and tested
there. I'm really looking forward to going to Indy. A lot of times if
you run well at Pocono it carries over to Indy. I would like nothing
more than to run up front at Indy all day long. Everywhere we go from
here on out I feel good about. Watkins Glen will be a good track for me.
We're just going to run as hard as we can and hope we can break back
into that top 10 soon."

 

JAMIE McMURRAY (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) - Qualified 7th

"I think getting your car balanced in all three corners is the key here.
It seems like if you're good in one end you're not as good in the other.
You've just got to get a happy medium for you. This is a long race. It's
very boring as a driver. You get to shift, but it's a boring race to
run. We've run well here, so I'm looking forward to it. I think the guys
7th-15th in points are watching each other pretty close. It'll be
interesting. The racetrack had a lot more grip when we qualified. I saw
what Casey (Mears) ran, and I couldn't believe he picked up that much,
and I think we picked up the equivalent. We worked on race seteup all
morning, and I hope it rains all day tomorrow so me and Matt and a
couple of other guys will be the only ones who have race practice."

 

BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 77 Kodak/Jasper Dodge) - Qualified 10th

"We had a good car. We saw what everybody else was picking up, so we
thought we could do it, too. I messed up in turn one. The key to this
place is getting a good lap out of turn three. It's a first-lap deal,
and I had it on the bottom. I had a great run to get the green flag. It
would have been better if I could have kept it on the bottom in turn
one. We were awesome through the tunnel turn. The last time we were here
the tunnel turn was my arch nemesis. We got through it today, so I'm
pretty happy."

 

GREG SACKS (No. 13 ARC Dehooker/Vita Coco Dodge) - Qualified 38th

"This just feels great. That lap was exactly what we needed, and it paid
off. We knew we needed half a second, and that's what we got. It feels
great to make the race on speed. We worked really, really hard to get to
this point. Today is a building block. People say you can't do things,
but we want to prove that we can. It turned out to be a great day."

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) - Qualified 12th

"The car was pretty good off the trailer. We made some spring changes
and made a big gear change at the very end and a little swaybar change.
It all worked out. The team did a great job today. I'm not saying I'm
out of it (chase for 10th place). We can't afford any more problems. We
had a blown engine at Michigan and we had the spinout with five to go
last week in New Hampshire. That was a real kick in the pants, and it
really hurt the team. Anybody that knows me knows I'm not a quitter.
We're way behind, but I'm going to give it everything I've got until the
last minute. We're going to try to win all the races we can and with 10
to go we'll see where we end up. We're going to go for it every week,
but the bad thing about it is that we've been going for it every week
already. We've just been having stupid problems. I guess what really
killed us is running out of gas running fourth with one lap to go at
Sears Point. Between Sears Point, Michigan and last week at New
Hampshire, those three races really took us out of the top 10."

 

CASEY MEARS (No. 41 Target Dodge) - On the pole, comments immediately
after qualifying run

"We knew we'd pick up a little bit. When you do all the things you do to
these cars for qualifying, the car really responds to it. I'm really
proud of the guys. They gave me a great car today. This is the Dodge we
race at Chicago. Hopefully we can get a good qualifying spot and have a
good race. It probably helps me here since I have a lot of experience
shifting. For me, downshifting is just like braking. It doesn't bother
me. I'm comfortable shifting, and we ran real good out of the box the
first time we came here last year. It's been a good track for me, and to
come back here with some experience, it should be even better. This car
is a lot more consistent than the car we ran here in June. Hopefully
we'll have a little bit of an advantage with this car."

 

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Aspen Edge Dodge) - Qualified fourth

"We were pretty decent in practice, and we were a little surprised we
picked up that much. They tuned the car a little bit. We put on some new
springs, and the car drove real good. I just drove in too deep in turn
three. I lost about 150 rpm's coming back to the start/finish line. I
think we might have had a shot at the pole, but congratulations to
Casey. Those guys did a real good job, and they deserved it. We've
always run good at Pocono. I like this place. We concentrate on getting
the car driving good and handling through turn three. I just went in
turn three too deep in qualifying. I drove it like a drunk going for
more liquor."

 

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) - Qualified 20th

"It was all right. The back of the car was a little loose and we got
through all three corners about the same, not great but not bad. I think
maybe it'll get us a top 15, and hopefully we can have a good run on
Sunday. (The race in June at Pocono) was a big help. We started off too
tight and couldn't get the car to turn. By the middle part of the race
we had one of the better cars. I think we had a pretty good shot at a
top 10 or maybe a top five and I got into the wall. Hopefully I learned
something there and it won't happen again and we'll be able to race all
day."

 

JEFF GREEN (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge) - Qualified 32nd

"We've been having a hard time with the car pushing all day. It was
better that time, but we couldn't get it turning good enough, especially
over the tunnel, and that's where you can make up a lot of time. I got
back in the gas quick, but I had to back off. That probably cost us a
couple of tenths. That was still the best lap we've run. I enjoy this
track. It's a challenge and it's fun. You can pass in a lot of places.
You've just got to get the car driving good, and hopefully the Cheerios
Dodge will be doing that Sunday. We didn't make a lot of laps this
morning, and the car had been too tight. A guy got in my way when we
tried to do a mock up run in practice, so we really didn't know what we
were going to do in qualifying. It was a good lap for us. It'll put us
in mid pack somewhere, but this is a big old track. I'm looking forward
to Sunday. You've just got to be easy on your stuff. I shift twice a
lap. You've also got to be aggressive with it to maintain the pace you
need to maintain. It's like driving three different racetracks. You've
got three different corners here. The crew chief pulls his hair out and
the driver does, too. For the most part, it's really fun. It's 500
miles, and that makes for a long day. Still, it's an exciting race and
we hope we can get up there and battle with them Sunday."

 

RYAN NEWMAN (No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge) - Qualified 30th

"It wasn't fast enough. We definitely picked up some. The conditions
aren't quite as good, but nevertheless we need to be faster. Hopefully
this car will race better than it qualifies. It's hard for me to say
that, but I think it will. It's a unique racetrack and for that reason
it's unique to set up the car. We slipped down in turn three and were
decent in turn one, but we weren't real good in turn two. We'll make
some corrections and see how we are in race trim if we get the
opportunity tomorrow. We didn't practice in race setup, and this is not
the same Dodge we had here last time. It's the Dodge we won with at
Michigan. We weren't that good here the first race, so hopefully we can
pick it up for Sunday. It's our 100th Cup race, and it would be nice to
win it, but we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to win it."

 

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