---

NASCAR WCUP: Driver notes and quotes, Homestead qualifying

11 November 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 AARON'S PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"We were a little tight. Not terrible, but enough that we didn't run as good as we would have liked to have seen. We freed it up a little bit going into qualifying, so it kind of surprised us that we were tight. But that is where we ended up."

JOHN ANDRETTI, NO. 43 CHEERIOS/STP PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"That's as good as we've been all day. We struggled when we first unloaded, but the guys kept working on it. It's difficult to know how it's going to turn out, but it's definitely going to be better than we have been in the last several weeks, so I feel OK about that. I feel pretty good about the race if we can get the car what we need it to do, obviously. Then we'll be in good shape, but that's kind of the same for everybody."

WARD BURTON, NO. 22 CATERPILLAR PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"The Cat team worked real hard from the last practice to qualifying. We changed about everything but the number on the side of the car and made some good adjustments. I probably overdrove it a little bit into turn three. We carried quite a bit of momentum through there and probably gave up a little bit of time. But 30 or 45 minutes ago I would have taken that (time) in a minute. We're pretty happy with that lap."

TONY STEWART, NO. 20 HOME DEPOT PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

"We've got a good car. We've got a lot better car than what I just qualified. The driver made a mistake again. I've been doing that a lot lately it seems like. We just should have picked up more than that. I think I know where I lost my ground. But I'm fairly happy with it. It's not going to be a terrible starting spot, but it should have been a lot better."

RICK MAST, NO. 14 CONSECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

(ON QUALIFYING YOUR BACK UP CAR SO WELL) "That's pretty wild. The bad part is that the car I wrecked is the car that we tested here and man, I felt good about the race set-up. That thing was really running good. But we went out, cut the right front on the first lap (of practice), we wreck and have to pull out the back-up car. When I first went out with it we were like 46th or 47th fastest. We came in and worked on it a couple times and got it up to 36th fastest, but that was all the time we had in practice. But then Philippe (Lopez), me and the guys put our heads together and changed some stuff around on the set-up and went out in qualifying and picked up almost half a second. That's been the good part about what we've done the last couple months. We've been able to help ourselves a lot. We're happy with it. We've got some work to do tomorrow, but we'll be alright. We've got two hours."

Text Provided By Al Larsen

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.