DALE JARRETT -88- Quality Care/Ford Credit (2nd)
"This shows that this race team is ready, even though it wasn't long ago that this was put together. The guys have worked awful hard and done a tremendous amount. The pit crew did a great job again today. We made one little adjustment that got us off there one time and we got that back. I thought we had a shot there. A lapped car raced me pretty hard. I don't know that I could have held Dale off anyway. It would have been fun trying. But this is a great start for the Quality Care/Ford Credit team. I'm awful proud of these guys. Todd Parrott did a great job calling the race, and I'm looking forward to every'race." IS IT OK TO CALL YOU TITLE CONTENDERS?
"We've got a while before that's going to happen. We've got to be considered a threat when we show up for the races now. We do have good race cars, good engines, good pit crew, so we've got all the ingredients." ON YOUR BEST ROCKINGHAM RUN:
"It was a great feeling. There were a lot of great cars out there today. Obviously, Terry Labonte had everybody covered, until he had problems. I see a couple of guys right behind me that ran great at times. Ricky Craven had a great run, and I hated to see Bobby Hamilton have his problem, because he was having an awesome run. We'll take this one today, because it was important for us to come here and run well and stay up in the points, get as many as we can. We're pretty happy right now." "The track was pretty slick and everybody wanted the same groove. If you got caught on the inside, everybody'd go past you on the outside, so you really had to pull a slide job to use up the track there. I saw a lot of that today. For the most part, guys did a pretty good job." ABOUT THE RED FLAG, WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING OUT OF FUEL.
"That was pretty serious. First of all, I hope Loy's OK, but we were right at getting ready to pit and when were running around under caution with pit road closed, I thought I was going to run out on the front stretch. We were able to make it. That would have been unfortunate, but we picked up just enough to make it."
ERNIE IRVAN -28- Texaco Havoline (14th)
"We were just too tight all day. If we'd loosen it up, it would slide the rear end. Larry and I looked at the records on this car last night and it wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty good on a 40-lap run.
MARK MARTIN -6- Valvoline (32nd)
"We broke a timing chain or a cam. We were off a little at the first of the race, but we got it going pretty good. Some days, you just break parts."
TED MUSGRAVE -16- Family Channel/Primestar (31st)
"I didn't see it. The spotter said they're starting to wreck and by the time I got there, there were more cars in it than I figured and I got in the middle of it. The guys are working hard on it. It's not damaged to bad (sarcastically). Just the radiator, the oil cooler, the whole suspension, but these guys won't give up. We need points. We'll go back out. Returned 74 laps down and hit the wall again in a one-car incident on lap 265.
"I'm going back for some more fun. We've got to finish this deal. I went into the corner and I don't know if a tire went down or what, but we hit the wall again. I think it's dafe to say this hasn't been oour day."
HUT STRICKLIN -8- Circuit City (30th)
"I'm not really sure what happened. I went into the corner beside Marcis there ans I don't know if he pushed up or really what happened. It was just one of those deals."
KENNY WALLACE -81- Square D/TIC (7th)
"Here's the deal. We had a good race car today and we accomplished what we wanted to do. We set out to finish in the top-20 in all the first four races so we could get up in the points, but at least I was able to carry the Ford banner today. We were the third-quickest Ford in qualifying and third-highest-finishing Ford in the race. I did everything I could do to finish in the top-five and 'bout ended up crashing the field in the process. The biggest thing is we want to establish this team, let everyone know we're a Winston Cup team. Money makes things happen. You'd be surprised what that does."
DERRIKE COPE -12- Straight Arrow (8th)
"This was a shot in the arm for us today. We had a really good day and I think this means a lot to everybody. We had great pit stops all day long, except one time -- and that was going to be a great stop, too -- but a tire got away and NASCAR penalized us. That was the only lap we lost today, or we would have had a little better finish. On the last restart, I had a chance at making a lap up, and with that many laps to go, there was still a chance for a caution, so we had to try to get back up there so we could race with the leaders. The guys up front got back around me. But it was a great run for us."
BOBBY HILLIN -77- Jasper Engines/Federal Mogul (17th)
"We cut a tire down at the end. We had a pretty good car today, and it was the first race for this pit crew to work together. We missed the Daytona show and really needed to have a good rebound here. It was good the guys got a lot of experience to4ay. We had a really good race car. After 20 laps, I don't think anybody waa any faster than us on a run. We just kept having too many cautious. I wanted for it to go green for the last 200 laps. If that had happened, we could have probably come away with a sixth-or-seventh-place. But, I cut that tire down. Man, I tried to nurse it around because there were just five laps to go, but it blew out and the car hit the wall. I knew we could run well, because we ran well here in October and ran well at Atlanta. We just screwed up big time on restrictor plate stuff, and we paid the price for it. We've got a lot of new people. I know what we have and what we're capable of doing. We've just got to get it to jel."
JIMMY SPENCER -23- Camel (27th)
EXITED WITH LESS THAN 100 LAPS TO GO WTTH ENGINE PROBLEMS:"We had great pit stops and a great car today. Donnie Wingo's done a great job since he joined us here. I tell you, everything's going the best it can be. That's life. I'll take it all the time if I can be up there and lead those races like we did today. That's all I can ever ask from my crew. This car was so fast. I couldn't do anything wrong. I bided my time my time with Terry. I thought he had the best car next to mine. Terry did a hack of a job racing me really good. I passed him anytime I wanted to. I tell you something, I'd like to see Richard Petty's car win this race. Sentimental reasons there."
RICKY RUDD -10- Tide (4th)
"We had a little miscue on the last pit stop that cost us track position for the last restart, but the guys had done a really good job right up until the last stop. That's a new crew, and I'm pretty proud of the job they've done. They were great right up until the very end. I'm a little dissapointed, because I thought we had at least a shot at second. We adjusted the car to make a run at Earnhardt and go for the win. The adjustment didn't really help it or hurt it, but I think we could've held off Dale Jarrett for second. Anyway, all in all, we're pleased. Richmond's a big question mark. The first two races of the year I've run have been with cars I bought from Kenny Bernstein, the one at Daytona and today's. Both came from Bernstein's auction. Richard Broome has a way of doing things and all we have to do is blend the two. Richard's cars are usually super tight, and I don't like a car that is that tight. My cars are usually extremely loose, so we're hoping we can marry the two and make something good out of this. "Looking at our sheets yesterday from the long runs, we were right there. I felt like a top-10 finish was in grasp today -- eighth to 10th. I told Richard this morning if we stayed out of trouble and miss the wrecks, we could finish in the top-five. I tell you, I just missed getting whacked by the 43 car when it came off the fence. It looked like he was aimed at my rear quarter panel. And that big pile-up in three and four, I Just missed that."
GEOFF BODINE -7- QVC (39th) Got of the car on the first caution because of broken ribs in an accident in the Daytona 500. Todd Bodine took over until the car retired with a burned piston.
"I could have gone a little further, but we we're lucky and caught the caustion early, so I got on out. It husrts more now that I;m out of the car than when I was in. The only time I really had much pain was when I had to twist to get out of the car."
MICHAEL WALTRIP -21- CITGO (35th)
"The oil pressure went down and something broke out on the front of the motor. I aw it about when it happened and shut it off, but not in time to keep it from hurting the bearings. I eased out of this one this year. I sort of went out with a bang last year. I'll take this over that."
