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NASCAR BGN: Jason Leffler post race notes and quotes, Phoenix

5 November 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

JASON LEFFLER, NO. 18 MBNA PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"It was pretty good for us. Obviously, starting on the front row and running up front is something we would like to do every weekend. We've struggled here as of late, but we're coming around.

"I'm looking forward to next year. The MBNA Pontiac was working good all day. I just made a couple little mistakes getting in the pit box on that green flag stop and (Jeff) Burton was able to pull away from us. But I'm excited to run second. I wish it could have been first, but maybe next weekend (it will)."

(ON THE PIT BOX MISCUES) "I just slide sideways pulling into my pit box and that cost us a couple seconds.. A couple seconds on the track is a long ways. It's just one little mistake, but when you win a race everything has to go your way. It did for the most part today. That's just the way it goes. That's racing."

(ON TRACK POSITION BEING CRITICAL TODAY) "It was. If you have a good car you should have been able to get up through there. But in the Busch Series it is so competitive, where you start is obviously a big advantage. The races aren't that long compared to a Winston Cup race, so it's definitely difficult if you're in the mid-pack to get up front."

(ON HIS INCREASING COMFORT IN STOCK CARS) "I was real comfortable here, obviously. I've got a lot of laps around here and this is my favorite track. I had a lot of confidence coming in here. The car worked good. It was a brand new car that the guys built at the shop and it was fast right off the trailer. That's what we need. It builds a lot of confidence for us, obviously. We're slowly getting better and progressing. This was a big jump for us, but hopefully we can run up near the front of the pack next year."

(HAVE FAR DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE PROGRESSED THIS YEAR?) "I feel a lot more comfortable than I did, let's say, the first half of the season. The first half of the season I felt like maybe an open-wheel driver racing a stock car. Now when I go back and run my open-wheel car I feel like a stock car driver driving an open-wheel car.

"This feels like my home and I'm looking forward to a good future here with NASCAR and MBNA and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. I want to be here the rest of my career. I enjoy the racing."

Text Provided By Al Larsen

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