Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010
Dodge Motorsports PR
Talladega Superspeedway
AMP Energy Drink 500
Post-Qualifying Quotes
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
www.media.chrysler.com
KURT BUSCH (No. 2 Operation Home Front/Miller Lite Dodge Charger) Qualified 3rd “It was a great lap for us. It’s nice to see all those Penske Dodges up front. Our Dodge ran faster than expected and I’m really excited about our chances on Sunday with the speed that we show by ourselves. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to a pole at either Talladega or Daytona.”
YOU’VE BEEN KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF A RESTRICTOR-PLATE WIN. YOU MUST BE EXCITED ABOUT TOMORROW? “This is one of the biggest moments of my Friday career at a restrictor-plate weekend, to come into the media center after qualifying. I’ve never been in the top-three. I had a shot at the front row all the way until (Clint) Bowyer went out. It’s a whole different feeling. To see the crew guys slapping high-fives and Steve Addington having that smug smile on his face knowing that he achieved something special. And it gets further back than just the guys here at the track. Our engine shop and fabrication shop who are committed just to build restrictor-plate bodies. It’s really exciting to see our chances unfold in front of us and to be third overall and come into the media center after a qualifying effort after a restrictor-plate track, this is new for my 10 years. I’m savoring the moment. It’s neat. We have our work cut out for us tomorrow. That’s what it’s all about; being in the position and so far we’ve had a great run with our Miller Lite Dodge.”
YOU WERE REALLY STRONG IN A TWO-CAR RUN YESTERDAY; “We were working on stability as far as how the car would handle in the bump draft. It showed that the changes we made to the car helped and now, it’s a matter of being on the right sequence and right strategy for tomorrow. All three Dodges are fast and if we can work together during the race and be there with 20 laps to go, we’ve got a pretty good shot at a win.”
CAN YOU COMMENT ON THE LOSS OF NASCAR’S JIM HUNTER? “I’ll remember the ability he gave me to go talk to him about anything and the way he took me under his wing early on in my career and say, ‘Hey kid, you can do things the hard way or do things the right way.’ He really helped me out and was a good friend of mine. It’s tough to see him go.”
SAM HORNISH JR, (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger) Qualified 10th “I think all three of the Penske Dodges are really fast. I think we’re all excited about tomorrow and think that we’ll be able to work well together in the draft. If we help each other, we should be really strong all day. The Mobil 1 Dodge is really fast in race trim. We weren’t sure what we were going to have in qualifying trim, but it worked out for us. I’m pretty happy with where we’re at so far this weekend.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI (NO. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) Qualified 11th HOW IS YOUR CAR HEADING INTO TOMORROW? “Our Dodge Charger is pretty good. This race is the great equalizer. I feel like we are all pretty equal. You’re gonna have to make the right moves in the draft and put yourself in the right position. I think we’ll have a shot at a win tomorrow.”
HOW WAS YOUR CAR IN A TWO-CAR DRAFT? “We did a couple of two-car runs and our car was good. It felt solid and seemed to push and get pushed well. It’s a little hard to tell. Small changes in pack size really make a difference in the performance of the car. It definitely looked like the Gibbs cars and ECR-engine cars are fast. We’ve got our hands full, but our Dodges are fast.”
