NASCAR WCUP: Roush Racing Notes and Quotes from Texas Motor Speedway
1 April 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
An overcast sky provided the backdrop, and perhaps a sign of the weather to come, for first-round qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway. Qualifying began shortly after 3:30 p.m. CST, and all five Roush Racing drivers circled the 1.5-mile tri-oval in Fort Worth, Texas, with four cars locking into the top 25, guaranteed of a starting spot in Sunday's race. Kevin Lepage was the 11th of 48 entries to qualify, Jeff Burton 30th, Mark Martin 35th, Chad Little 36th, and Matt Kenseth 37th competitor to make his one lap of qualifying.
Kevin Lepage, No. 16 FamilyClick.com Ford Taurus (2nd quickest, 28.129 seconds): "That's all the FamilyClick.com Taurus had in it. I had the throttle on the floor about ninety-five percent of the way around the track. Any more, and we would've lost control and we'd be putting it on the hook. Terry (Labonte) got me because he got up to speed faster than I did. But the guys in Liberty (N.C.) built me a great car, and we'll have a good run on Sunday."
Jeff Burton, No. 99 Exide Batteries Ford Taurus (37th quickest, 28.772 seconds): "I'm a little disappointed with this qualifying effort. We broke a valve spring at the end of the second practice session, so the guys didn't have much time to get the car ready for qualifying. Depending on the weather and our speed in tomorrow's practice, we'll have to see if we go out for second round."
Mark Martin, No. 6 Valvoline/Cummins Ford Taurus (10th quickest, 28.369 seconds) "I am really pleased with that lap. That was as sweet a lap as we were gonna get. I sure wouldn't want to have to do it again. I was worried before qualifying because these cars are just so fast. I only lifted about halfway through both corners and I knew it would be a pretty decent lap."
Chad Little, No. 97 John Deere Ford Taurus (16th quickest, 28.495 seconds): "That's exactly what this team needed. We picked up over two tenths from practice, and that came from better handling in the corners. I didn't have to get out of the throttle much at all, and that's the key to getting around here. Now we'll just have to see if it rains tomorrow, but we feel we have a good handle on what we'll need for Sunday."
Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford Taurus (13th quickest, 28.435 seconds): "That felt like a top-15 lap and we ended up thirteenth. We'll take that because this is my first time in a Cup car at this tack, and to make it in first-round qualifying takes the pressure off. We left a little bit on the track, but we didn't need to get loose like we did yesterday (in Busch qualifying)."
Text provided by Kevin Radvany
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