NASCAR WCUP: Pontiac Driver Qualifying Notes, Brickyard 400
4 August 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"That wasn't real good. I don't know why we're struggling so bad. We just haven't found it here yet. We've been behind all day for some reason. We've chased both extremes - loose and tight. This is probably the closest we've gotten to being decent, but we just never got there."
(ON THE WEATHER) "Everybody wants to blame the weather. It changes your lap. But the thing is, it's the same for everybody. If it affects you it's going to affect somebody else. The guys that has his car more balanced, the weather is probably not going to affect him as much as the guy whose car is off."
BOBBY LABONTE, NO. 18 INTERSTATE BATTERIES PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"That was a good lap for us. We ran a little bit faster in practice, but the track temperatures went up, too."
(ON HIS CHANCES OF WINNING SATURDAY) "We're real close. We've got a great set-up here so hopefully we can be there at the end and be a contender like we have been the past couple two or three years. It's neat racetrack when you have a good race car, and these guys will give me a good race car." (ON STARTING THIRD SATURDAY) "Maybe this is a good omen. This is the best we've qualified here. The Interstate Batteries Pontiac has run good all day. Actually when we tested up here it was one of our better tests. We can usually struggle pretty bad up here through testing. But we had a good test and came back today with high hopes and great ambitions to do good. We didn't win the pole, but it was good for us to qualify as good as we did. It's a great starting spot."
WARD BURTON, NO. 22 CATERPILLAR PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"That was a little better than we practiced, but we're still missing it a little bit. Everybody is trying to run real soft springs, which some are getting away with. But what it's doing to us, when we get right toward the center (of the corner) it makes the spring rate load up, you get more spring rate and then it makes the car push real bad. It's going down the straightaway well, but not going through the corner that well.
KEN SCHRADER, NO. 36 M&M'S PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"It was pathetic. We were good the first lap right off the truck, but since then we've been chasing something. We've still got a little more time to find it. We'll get it. This just makes it a little harder on race day. It doesn't kill you."
JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 AARON RENTS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
(ON THE TEAM'S NEW PRIMARY SPONSOR) "I can't be any happier for everybody at MB2 (Motorsports) and Pontiac to have Aaron's come on board. It's just a tremendous boost for us because we felt that this race, maybe one more, was going to be the last. They've taken a little vacation time away from us, but we'd rather be racing anyhow."
(ON HIS CHANCES OF WINNING SATURDAY) "It's so tough. Going to every track you've got to feel like you've got a good shot at it. But if we can stay in the top 10 all day long, I think we've got an outside shot. But then again, there are 20 other cars who have got the same idea. As long as we get a good comfortable race set-up on the car I think we've got just as good a chance as anybody else. This car has been running really good. We just need to be a little more consistent. If we can run in the top five or top 10 quite often, then you've got an outside shot at winning one, and we'd love to get one of these."
RICK MAST, NO. 14 CONSECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"We brought a car back that we knew wouldn't qualify quite as good (as the other car). We had two cars here last week. The other car, with qualifying set-ups, was a lot faster. But with race set-ups, this car that we brought back was about three-tenths of a lap quicker than the other car. We basically gave up qualifying for the race."
JOHN ANDRETTI, NO. 43 STP/CHEERIOS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:
"That wasn't very good. We've struggled a little bit since we got here. The lap in practice was OK, but you just don't' have enough time. We probably should have looked at a couple of different things. But it's so hard. Here you've only got to be a little off and you're a lot off. I'm disappointed with our run, but not disappointed in where we came from. "It's handling issue right now more than anything else. I'd rather have a good handling car with less straightaway speed than one that is just a 'hoss' down the straightaways because then you can't keep up with anybody through the corners. We think that we've got a good package. I just didn't quite get it the way I needed it for qualifying. This place is tough. You've got to guess a little bit and I didn't guess exactly right."
Text provided by Al Larsen
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