FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES
Save Mart 350 (Qualifying)
June 24, 2011
Infineon Raceway
Ford Sonoma Qualifying Order
7th AJ Allmendinger
8th Marcos Ambrose
22nd Greg Biffle
23rd Carl Edwards
29th David Gilliland
33rd Matt Kenseth
34th David Ragan
39th Terry Labonte
40th Brian Simo
41st Andy Lally
DNQ Tony Ave
CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 Scotts Ortho Ford Fusion (Qualified 23rd) “That was a pretty good lap. I know it won’t probably be top 10 but if it’s top 15 that would be good for us. We focused on race trim in practice because I was going to go to Road America tomorrow and have no practice. We finished practice and didn’t get any qualifying in and it was very frustrating. Billy Johnson is fastest in the Fastenal Mustang at Road America. I don’t think Billy Johnson knows he is driving that car there tomorrow but we made the change. Fastenal is amazing. I called Will Overton the CEO after practice and he said it was cool and they were part of the team and wanted to do whatever they could to help us be fastest. So that is the plan now. We have changed it. I want to win this race bad.”
DAVID RAGAN, No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion (Qualified 34th) “I smoked the right front tire a little getting into 11 and probably over drove it a little getting to the checkered. Sometimes that smoke can get under the hood and make it appear like it’s something. We will change a gear and change a few things from qualifying. I never felt like I was in a rhythm out there. The track lost a little grip and I was a little aggressive which slowed me down a little bit. Last year I wrecked so it’s not bad to bring it back in one piece.”
GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 3M Ford Fusion (Qualified 22nd) “It wasn’t bad. I left a little out there. I didn’t get the right turn into the corners and there was more grip out there than I thought in a few spots. You know, it is give and take and I wish I would have taken a little more in some spots and been a little easier in some other spots.”
MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion (Qualified 8th) “That was good. We were struggling in practice a little bit but we got a gain there so I feel better about it. We are going to get a good race car out of it we just have to keep working away. This new tire they brought here has thrown us for a loop a little bit. We just aren’t quite prepared for it. We will get it right by Sunday.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion (Qualified 7th) “That was a lot better than I usually qualify here. I will take it. I think my best ever was 17th here, so that was okay. The lap was solid. I felt like I could have gotten a little bit more but overall I hit my marks fairly decent. I am pleased with it. It is a lot better than we have ever started here and I think the car is pretty decent so we will keep working on it tomorrow and keep working on forward drive. I will take it.”
