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NASCAR WCUP: Atlanta qualifying notes and quotes, Pontiac drivers

11 March 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

DAVE BLANEY, NO. 93 AMOCO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"I blew third gear out of it taking off on the first attempt there. I shifted to fourth and I thought the transmission was just broke. So we came back in and just got it going as quick as we could in second gear and shifted, and it was OK in high gear. That's a pretty good lap. We're pretty happy with it. (Turns) one and two were just really good. But I got really loose, so I just slowed down a little bit in (turns) three and four, and made sure I didn't make any mistakes. We're happy." (RELIEF AFTER A COUPLE TOUGH QUALIFYING WEEKS) "We've been struggling more than we though we would, to be honest. We came here thinking we had a really good set-up because we qualified in the top 10 last fall. But they brought a new tire here and we were just out to lunch. We were so loose I couldn't drive it. I was loose all day and I was still loose there. But it was enough to go one lap. This gives us Saturday morning for race practice which we haven't been able to do, so we're real happy. We were hoping we could come here and just get in the top 25 and get into race mode. That's our only goal here on Fridays."

BOBBY LABONTE, NO. 18 INTERSTATE BATTERIES PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"We've pretty much been gaining on it all day." (WILL IT BE GOOD ON RACE SET-UPS) "I don't know, Until we put the race set-up in it, I don't have a clue. This is a different tire that Goodyear has brought so I'm not sure what we have." (DID THE CHANGING WEATHER AFFECT YOUR RUN) "I couldn't tell the difference."

WARD BURTON, NO. 22 CATERPILLAR PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"That was a lot better than we practiced. Bu it is still not good enough to get where we need to be though. We just keep bottoming out down in (turns) one and two, and we just never were that good in (turns) three and four. We had some high hopes that might get us into the top 10 or top 15, but we knew it would be 'iffy.'"

TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"That felt a little bit better. We're not running as good as we want to run right now. But that is part of it. We just have to try to keep making our program better." (ANY EFFECT FROM THE WEATHER) "Not really. We just haven't gone as fast as we need to go right now."

MIKE BLISS, NO. 14 CONSECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"We tested so good here, and we thought we were testing with the same tire. But they came back with a different tire or something. I don't know - maybe it's the same tire with a different serial number. Anyway, it has loosened the car up a lot. We've just been too free all day, and I don't know what we're going to do about it. We tested real good. We ran just as quick as the guy sitting on the pole. But that's testing, you know?"

JEFF FULLER, NO. 27 VIAGRA PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"That was about three tenths quicker than what we practiced at. I knew that I left a little bit down there (in turns three and four) in practice and could have gotten back into a little bit quicker. I tried right then and it stuck.. So we're happy with it." (RANGE OF EMOTIONS DURING THE RAIN) "You don't know how happy I am to see this. At least give us a break to get this done and get in the right way. That points stuff - that wasn't going to play into our hand at all."

JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 LYCOS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"One and two went pretty good. I figured that was the area we were going to struggle with. I actually got through one and two really good. Three and four I shoved the nose just a little bit. You know we picked up about four tenths but that doesn't look like it's going to end up very good for us today." (CHALLENGES WORKING WITH A NEW TIRE, CHASING THE WEATHER) "Everybody has had to deal with the same problems, so I don't know what to tell you there. It's so hard to tell. We've been struggling. It's a new car and we've been struggling since we got here. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know if that will send us home or if that will keep us here. We'll just have to see how things play out here real shortly."

Text provided by Al Larsen

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