NASCAR WCUP: Roush Racing Notes and Quotes, Coca Cola 600
26 May 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
First-round qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway began shortly after 8:15 p.m. EDT, and all five Roush Racing drivers circled the 1.5-mile oval in Concord, N.C., with three cars locking into the top 25, guaranteed of a starting spot in Sunday's 600-mile race. Kevin Lepage was the third of 48 entries to qualify, Jeff Burton 22nd, Mark Martin 23rd, Matt Kenseth 44th and Chad Little was the 47th competitor to make his one lap of qualifying.
Kevin Lepage, No. 16 FamilyClick.com Ford Taurus (5th quickest, 29.271 seconds): "That was a great run for this FamilyClick.com team. If you would've told us that we'd run a 29.2 in qualifying, I wouldn't have believed it. We struggled during practice, but Pat Tryson and the group made a great call with the chassis and the gear. And, we put a time up that will give us a good starting position Sunday."
Jeff Burton, No. 99 Exide Batteries Ford Taurus (26th quickest, 29.622 seconds): "Wow. That was terrible. But then, it wasn't like we're pole material today. But still, I was hoping that there was going to be a bit more in the race track for us, but we'll just have to get back at it tomorrow."
Mark Martin, No. 6 MaxLife/Cummins Ford Taurus (19th quickest, 29.510 seconds): "We were hoping to do better than that. We weren't fabulous in practice, so we were hoping to pick up more speed now that it is cooler outside, but we certainly didn't get what we wanted. I wish I could have gotten in a little deeper, but we'll make the best of it."
Matt Kenseth, No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford Taurus (21st quickest, 29.533 seconds): "Well, we were 20th fastest in practice and so far we're 20th here. That should get us in first round and that's important for us so we can work on race setup. The group worked hard on the car during practice, and we got it better so we can concentrate on the race. We're much better than we were last week; Robbie and the guys did a great job."
Chad Little, No. 97 John Deere/FFA Ford Taurus (37th quickest, 29.874 seconds): "We picked up from practice, but not enough to put us in the top 25. This is a different car from last week, and we are still trying to get it dialed into the track. The car didn't stick in Turns 1and 2 like we wanted it, and that probably cost us a spot in the top 25. We've still got plenty of time before the race, and with some minor adjustments we should get the John Deere/FFA Ford running up front."
Text provided by Roush Racing
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