NASCAR BGN: Chevrolet Driver Notes and Quotes, Lysol 200, Watkins Glen
26 June 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
LYSOL 200 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RACEWATKINS GLEN INTERNTIONAL
Sunday, June 25, 2000
Jimmie Johnson, No. 92 Alltel Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It was an incredible ride. I couldn't believe what was taking place. We had just made a pit stop with the Alltel Nokia Phone Chevrolet and the car was running great. We were inside the top 10 all day long. We made a pit stop when it was our time to pit in our fuel window and came back out and just had a brake failure. I don't know what might have caused it. I went to get underneath a lapper and got on the brakes. The pedal was there for a split second and then it felt like something popped and the pedal went to the floor. Then I was trying to look for something to run into to slow me down. I tried to get in the grass and then I went across the track and it was like a it sent me off over the sand trap. I saw white and I thought it was concrete. Fortunately it was Stryofoam and it really softened the blow."
Ron Hornaday, No. 3 NAPA Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "Well, I wish it was (Ron) Fellows walking back here (into the garage) instead of me. We dropped a cylinder. Earlier, we broke a valve spring. But boy I'll tell you. This NAPA crew has been working their guts out. You can tell. We made a bunch of changes and really had a good car here."
Ron Fellows, No. 87 Bully Wine Vineyards Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It was really fun racing Kevin (Harvick) and Butch (Leitzinger) - that was as good as it gets. I couldn't be happier. I'm worn out. We had adjusted for the greasy track, and it was the right choice. The track was still a little bit greasy from yesterday's (NASCAR Craftsman) Truck race, but Brian (Pattie, crew chief) was just a master. He knows exactly what I need with this car and hopefully he can do it again when we come back (for the Winston Cup race) in August. It was a tough race and I had an excellent car. That's what it took to win today. And, we were glad to get it in before the rain."
Butch Leitzinger, No. 30 Little Trees Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "I tried all I could, but Ron (Fellows) was really good today. I think we were out a little bit long on our tires. I'm really happy for the Little Trees team. They did a great job all day and I'm really happy they let me come out and play with them. I think he (Fellows) had a different set-up than I did. While I was behind him, I got some ideas of what to do next year. He really knows what to look for in a car. And if they'll have me back again, maybe I'll have something better for them then."
Todd Bodine, No. 66 Phillips Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "It was a good run. The Phillips 66 Monte Carlo was really good. We didn't quite have enough for them. Our Monte Carlo was tough. It just lacked a little bit. It was a little too tight in the right-handers. But we had a good run. We had good pit stops. It was good for the points. I don't know where Jeff (Green) finished. It's always fun to run Watkins Glen. I've always enjoyed it. I love road racing. I loved to go to Sears Point with the (Winston) Cup cars. That was a lot of fun. There's something about road racing. It's real challenging. And, of course, you've gotta have a good race car. We're coming back here for the Winston Cup race, and hopefully we can just get her a little better."
Mike McLaughlin, No. 48 Goulds Pumps Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "A lot of people here support us..the fans, Goulds Pumps in Seneca Falls, my family being from herewe're happy. I tell you, these guys have done a great job. This Monte Carlo did look too good last
Tuesday. I didn't know if we were going to make it here or not. But they put a great race car under us and progressively made it better. I'm happy for everybody involved. We missed a couple of shifts, but got a top five. It was a good day for us."
Kevin Harvick, No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "You can't ask to follow two good guys with a lot of experience like those two (Butch Leitzinger and Ron Fellows) guys around this place. It was a good day all-in-all for us. First in class. And we did all we could do. We know what we can do better next time, so all in all it was good. We'll go back to the shop, and we'll get 'em next year. We needed to get in the corner better. After about seven or eight laps, the brakes started going away. So we had to kind of back off and save what we had, and hopefully make a late run. We needed to make a couple of adjustments on the transmission, but this ACDelco was good today and we'll take the points."
PJ Jones, No.. 19 Yellow Freight Chevrolet Monte Carlo: "This is our best finish of the year and we're all real happy about that, but I guess we're all a little bit disappointed in the fact that we thought we had a pretty good car and Fellows was the one we considered we had to beat and we should have had a better finish. Plus, we had track position. And the deal with the 30 car (Butch Leitzinger), I don't know. I gave him room when he was on the outside, and he didn't give me any room on the exit of (turn) three up there. I was just trying to get out. I was trying to get out of line and give him the line 'cause I knew he wasn't going to give me any room. When Lietzinger hit me, it just killed the car. It bent the right front suspension, it bent everything. I hung on. I tried to recover, but I was just hanging on (in position). I couldn't get it going down the straightaway, it wouldn't turn. I just hung on to ninth. I was lucky to finish ninth. So that was disappointing. But other than that, it's nice to have a top 10. We've been struggling and we needed a good strong finish. So, it's good for the guys. The whole team needs it. It was a big lift."
Text provided by Nancy Wager
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