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NASCAR WCUP: Tony Stewart looks forward to leading the pack at Pocono

23 July 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

THOUGHTS FROM TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT PONTIAC GRAND PRIX

(ON HIS POLE WINNING RUN YESTERDAY) "We came back with a different qualifying package this time. It's something that Greg (Zipadelli) and Jimmy (Makar) worked on. It's to Greg's credit. That's the reason we ran as quick in qualifying as we did. It's just a matter of can the car drive as good in the race now."

(DOES HE FEEL LIKE A WIN GOT AWAY FROM HIM HERE IN JUNE?) "There were three of us that were really good all day. Before we got that last yellow we were in a position to where we had the best car that we had all day during that run. Whether the '12' (Jeremy Mayfield) and the '2' (Rusty Wallace) had their best car, I don't know. But we were right during that segment of the race. That next set of tires it was a little bit different. It wasn't a big change, but it was just enough that being behind those guys, and the fact that our car was typically better during a long run, it was pretty hard in that short amount to try to get back to the front."

(IS THE TEAM IGNITING AT THE SAME POINT IT DID LAST YEAR?) "I feel like it's happening that way again. The cars are driving good again, and for some reason, this is the point in the season where we started having good consistent runs (last year). The last six weeks have been pretty good to us. Hopefully it just started earlier than last year and we can just carry it the rest of the year."

(ON THE POINTS RACE) "We take it one race at a time. I don't really think about the points that much. Sunday night I look at it, and Monday morning I can't hardly tell you what I saw when I looked at it Sunday night. But we take it one race at a time and see what happens. But I know we're in a better position at this point in the year this year than we were last year. I don't know how realistic it is, but we're just going to keep pushing forward. You never know what can happen."

(DOES HE HAVE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS AFTER WINNING THE POLE?) "Every week you've got to treat it as two events. Qualifying is one event and the race is the other. It's two totally different packages under the hood. Now we have to worry about the other half of the event and try to get our car right (for the race) like we did for qualifying."

Text provided by Al Larsen

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