NASCAR BGN: Sam's Town 250 Qualifying Notes and Quotes
29 October 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
SAM'S TOWN 250 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RACEMEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK
Saturday, October 28, 2000
Jeff Green, No. 10 NesQuik Chevrolet Monte Carlo (Pole-sitter): "These guys have really worked hard and have put me in the best NesQuik Chevys every week. It's just easy for me to drive. Harvick put out a good lap and I didn't know if we could beat him or not. My teammate Jason (Keller) came back and told me the track was better than it was in practice. So I just went after it and this Chevy stuck and went around there. It was pretty smooth. It got a little tight up (turn) four there the first lap and I had to get off the gas. Pretty smooth lap. Anytime you go that fast, I never dreamed we'd go that fast. It's just a great credit to our guys.
"It was pretty exciting, but then qualifying always is. More times than not, I slow down when I qualify over what I practiced. So I was pretty proud of that. We picked-up a little over two-tenths from where we practiced at. We adjusted on our NesQuik Chevy really hard over the time we had between practice and qualifying. Harold (Holly) made some great adjustments in the car to free it up to where we could use all the motor we could. It was a pretty perfect lap, the second lap. The first lap was a little bit off, but we were able to get the pole on the first lap. I just went after it a little bit harder and the car stuck. This Chevrolet was just awesome today."
Kevin Harvick, No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet Monte Carlo (2nd): "Our first lap was pretty good. Second lap wasn't so good. It should have been a couple-tenths better. My fault. But I just tried to get a little too much out of it and the car got loose. The guys have worked hard since we've been here. We come down here and tested for two days and so hopefully that will pay off for us. The car is about how it was when we tested and the weather's about the same. Hopefully it stays that way for tomorrow. We led a while in the (NASCAR Craftsman) truck race here last year and finished second. So our history's been good at Memphis.
"Coming into this year, I didn't know what to expect. We came in with a new team and a new driver. This time last September, we didn't have any cars, we didn't have a shop, we didn't have anything. Every time we'd do something good one week, we'd go the next week with different goals. We've had a pretty good year. We've won a couple races and sat on a couple poles. Racing with these guys is a whole different world than racing in the Truck Series. Qualifying's a whole different race in itself. The cars are so different. It's been a big adjustment for me. I've learned a lot this year. We'll be better next year."
Casey Atwood, No. 27 Castrol Chevrolet Monte Carlo (3rd): "I got a little bit loose on the second lap getting into (turn) three. I feel real good about it. That's about all the car had. We went faster than we did in practice and missed it (the pole) by just a little bit. This will give us a nice up-front place to start and we'll see how we can do in the race. We need a good finish. We have three more changes to get a win here in the next couple of weeks. So we'll see what happens. We tested here, but we didn't test this car. The car we tested wasn't quite like we wanted so we brung back a different car. We brought back the car we run last week in Rockingham and we finished 8th there."
Todd Bodine, No. 66 Phillips 66 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (5th): "We should have been better. I messed up in both laps in (turns) one and two. I didn't get either one of them. I got (turns) three and four real good in both laps. One and two's a tough corner. You gotta get it right, and get through the middle, and get in the throttle. I kinda messed 'em both up. But that was a good run. It's a good time. We've got a good car. We're good for the race. We ran real well here last year. So hopefully we can carry it out in the race and get a good finish."
Jay Sauter, No. 43 Qualify Farm & Country Chevrolet Monte Carlo (7th): "It was a pretty decent lap. Just a hair loose up off. You know, I'm amazed. When we tested out here, our second lap was always the quickest. And since we've been here, our first lap has been the quickest and it was again in qualifying. I feel like we need to make a little adjustment to get a little more but it's the fastest we've run all day. We'll take it. The (NASCAR Craftsman) trucks have been good to us here. I think we qualified on the front row and finished 2nd and 3rd when we raced here. We're looking forward to the race."
Bobby Hamilton Jr., No. 26 Carroll Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo (8th): "We knew we was pretty good. We unloaded and the car cut real good. We made a lot of fenders and made a lot of downforce on the nose but we just kept trying on them old tires. We made out on our last sticker run. We was just a little bit tight. We made an adjustment for that, so I knew we'd be in the top ten (for qualifying). We didn't test here, but me and my dad went to Greenville and tested. It's a whole lot tighter track. If we could get it to turn there, we'd definitely get it to turn here. It worked out. I don't mind taking those kind of days off to go test."
Jimmie Johnson, No. 92 Alltel Chevrolet Monte Carlo (10th): "We won the ASA race here. We ran here last year. It was one of the five races we ran. We ran real good and had a solid top-five run, but late-race contact with Elton Sawyer put us back to 12th (place finish). So we're excited. We've got a good car. I have fond memories of this track. We've run good here. I really like this for a short track. It has a lot of grip."
Jason Keller, No. 57 Excedrin Chevrolet Monte Carlo (14th): "We've just been battling just a little bit. It's nice to run your fastest lap of the day in qualifying. It's always tough when you slow-up in qualifying. We've still got to find a little more speed in this Excedrin Chevrolet and I think we'll be okay. I don't think the track has changed much at all since practice. We made a little bit of a change and my car ran a little bit better."
Tim Fedewa, No. 36 Stanley Chevrolet Monte Carlo (12th): "The hardest part is getting in and out (of the car). Once I'm in there, it's okay. I feel pretty good. I messed up on the second lap a little bit, which is okay. It's a lot better than it was last week though. I'm back in the car. I don't have any worries. I'd like to thank all the people that have sent me cards and flowers. It's been real nice."
Text Provided By Nancy Wager
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