KURT BUSCH (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 2nd
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN? “You just have to man-up and get up on the wheel. I had a good run coming out of Turn 2 and I hit the rev chip so hard that I scared myself. I yanked on the wheel left and when the car landed, I had to steer right and then go back left. There is lot of action during a lap here at Dover. It’s one of those fun tracks that I just love to race on.”
TRACK POSITION IS SO IMPORTANT HERE; YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT IS A GREAT WAY TO START THE RACE FOR SUNDAY? “This will be a great start for us on Sunday. We just need a smooth weekend. Right now, the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge is reacting just like we want it to in race trim. I think we have a fast race car.”
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO GET INTO THE CAR AFTER A NIGHT OF RAIN AND A CHANGING RACE TRACK? “It’s difficult. I remember in years past when the track would be fresh from a rainstorm that it would be on a looser side. With this new car of tomorrow, with the way that it reacts, the way that things panned out, that we would be on the tight side of things this morning. When you’re on the tight side at the Monster Mile, it gives you a little bit of comfort, but at the same time, you don’t have the speed. We loosened the car up this morning anticipating the track coming to us. That’s just a sign of a team that’s confident in their car and their equipment, to make that type of adjustment even without laps in practice.”
ARE YOU SCARED ABOUT HAVING NON-CHASE CARS AROUND YOU TO START THE RACE? “No, it won’t be. We’re qualified on the front row, so you have to trust the guys right around you. It’s only lap one of a 400-mile race. I can’t wait for the beginning to see how it settles in. Does (Martin) Truex want to lead early or do we want that lap led and start adding to our tally of most-laps led. I really feel confident in our car. I hope that what we get out of Sunday’s finish will help our troubles last weekend, and that way, our Chase will be that much smoother for us the next seven weeks.”
YOU START UP FRONT AND YOU’RE KEEPING THE CHASE COMPETITIORS BEHIND YOU: “Yeah, we definitely look at where the Chase guys qualify. Jeff Gordon struggled today. A bunch of the other guys are right in the mix. You race your own race and let it pan out. You cant’ worry too early on in the race. Once you get to the final two pit stops, that’s when you’re looking at other Chase guys.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 15th
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING RUN? “We ran a little bit faster than we did yesterday, so I was pretty happy. I gained a little bit with our Miller Lite Dodge. Our car is fast. I just missed it a little bit on my end. We’ll just have to keep working on it.”
HOW IS YOUR CAR IN RACE TRIM? “I think we’ll be pretty good. I’m pretty happy.”
