Team Penske Duo Pace Ford at New Hampshire Qualifying

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 AutoTrader.com Ford Fusion (Qualified 6th)

“We will take it. I kind of feel like I hurt our team a little when I messed up my first qualifying run locking up the left front into three and I went way up the race track and had to make the second run. I don’t think the third run was any better with tires. Knowing that, it frustrates me. I felt like maybe I could have ran a 70 if I didn’t have to make that second run in the first session. Overall, for a backup car and making two laps on it before qualifying I am proud of where we ended up. I just wanted more.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Redd’s Ford Fusion (Qualified 7th)

“We were okay. We just needed a little bit more. We ended up seventh but I feel like we might have had a touch more left in it but probably not enough for the pole. We have been pretty fast so far and we just have to keep working on it to find a tiny bit more and I think we will have a shot to win on Sunday.”

CAN YOU COMMENT ON THE CONSISTENCY OF THESE TEAM PENSKE CARS FOR LOGANO TO JUMP IN A BACKUP AND BE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU AGAIN? “That sure is neat to see for sure. We joke about it all the time that we end up qualifying right next to each other and close in times and I think we were within two or three-thousandths today. The consistency of the cars is amazing and it shows where we are at with drivers too.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 43 Charter Ford Fusion (Qualified 19th)

“It was just too tight. We have struggled with that. We have been looking to get more grip in our race car and haven’t found exactly what we need. Trent Owens and all these boys on the 43 team have a plan and we are going to change a lot of parts and pieces to get ready for tomorrow and come up with something new.”  DOES THAT MAKE YOU NERVOUS AT ALL? “No, not at all. I like the effort and we are certainly in a position to try stuff so we might as well.”
CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion (Qualified 14th)

“We almost made it to the top-12 and we almost made it into the final round but this place is so tough. I am pretty proud of my guys for being able to pick it up that second run. I guess we will start 14th but hopefully we can find some stuff tomorrow. We have a whole bunch to try. For us this is really a race where we can try some things for the second race of the Chase because it is going to be so important to try to make it through that first round.”

ARE LOT OF GUYS ARE CONSIDERING THIS A TRACK THAT GIVES THEM A GOOD CHANCE TO GET INTO THE CHASE? “Yeah this is a short enough race track and close enough quarters that a lot can happen here. I think you could see a guy sneak out a win here that maybe hasn’t been running that well all year. It is a tough track and a crew chiefs track and a drivers track and if you get things perfectly and play it right, anybody can get a win here.”

WHAT MAKES IT SO TOUGH? “This track is a little bit deceptive. It appears pretty simple. It is a flat, one mile oval, but it is really a technical race track. If you look at the speeds and spread, everyone is very close. The difference between good and bad here is such a fine line and you have to do everything perfectly to get it right. That is why it is tough. It is tough because it is easy. Everybody is fast so to be exceptional you have to be perfect.”

YOU GAINED 10 SPOTS ON THAT FINAL RUN, HOW IMPORTANT WAS THAT? “As disappointed as I am to not be in the final round I don’t know we would have been much better than 11th or 12th. To move us that many spots is part of this process I didn’t really expect but now I am seeing it. You have to make those multiple runs whether or not you have a chance to make it to the final round and it is a little gratifying to move up that many spots with a good lap.”

IS HALFWAY FAR ENOUGH TO HAVE AN OFFICIAL RACE IF IT IS IN THE CHASE, ESPECIALLY AN ELIMINATION RACE? “I have only been doing this for 10 years or so but in my opinion NASCAR does a really good job of finishing the races when they can be finished. I can not remember, except maybe one truck race where I felt like it shouldn’t have been canceled. Who knows. It seems they do a really good job. I don’t envy that position. There are a lot of things they have to balance, especially when you get to the second day of a race delay. I am okay with whatever they are doing.”