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Dover: Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying Quotes, Recap - Hamlin Third
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 3rd
Are you happy with your qualifying lap?
"That was a great lap for us. We definitely didn’t qualify that fast and we’ve qualifying terrible all year long so no matter where we end up in the top-10 I’m sure it will be better than what we’ve been qualifying this year. This is what we needed. We’ve worked so hard on qualifying today and it’s paid off."
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How important is it for you to start up toward the front of the field on Sunday?
"It’s a great accomplishment for this whole FedEx Ground team. We’ve really, really worked hard at qualifying today and very happy with our outcome so far. No matter were we end up, it’s going to be probably better than what we’ve qualified all year."
How do you think your qualifying lap today?
"It’s our ninth top-10 start because seven of them were rainouts. We don’t qualify that well. Regardless, if we ended up in the top six or seven, it was probably going to be our best run all year. This is the first race that we did nothing but qualifying trim. We spent a lot of effort on that, and it paid off. It’s good to have a reward when you work so hard."
What have the last couple of weeks done for you and your team?
"We knew when to come on, and we didn’t sweat what was going on for the regular season. We knew we just had to get in. We didn’t want to have to squeak in like we did. We didn’t necessarily squeak in, we probably made it by 150 points. We knew the final 10 was a total different ball game. I learned last year that it does not matter what you do the first 26 races because the last 10 are all that count. We set the world on fire last year before the ‘Chase’ started. When the ‘Chase’ started, it just went straight downhill. We had one bad race, and next thing you know, it just snowballed, and had continuation of bad races trying to make up for just one race. I think I’m more patient this year with that. You try 110 percent each week, but you find a little bit extra juice in your tank these last 10 races when you’re given a boost like our race team has, and that’s kind of carrying us on right now."
Can you explain how some drivers within teams have more success than others at certain times?
"It’s hard to say. You take Jeff Gordon, for instance. There’s no doubt that he’s just as good as Jimmie Johnson is. Why isn’t he winning the races? I don’t know. It’s just some years, it seems like, you struggle to find what you need in your race car to make it work. And there are some years when you can’t do anything wrong. It’s tough for us to figure that out. It seems like we went through a stage at the beginning of the year when our best effort we could run in the latter half of the top-10. We couldn’t do anything to run up front. It seems like now that we can’t do much wrong to the car to run out of the top-five. It’s tough to say. We’re not changing anything. There is no pecking order. The only pecking order for us whatever team is higher in the points gets a better hotel room. And that’s about it. For us, it doesn’t make much difference. I know I have the same thing as Kyle (Busch). I have the same thing as Tony (Stewart). Me being higher in points, or worse in points doesn’t make me a worse or better driver than I was three races ago. It’s just sometimes you get things clicking and you get everyone fired up, and everyone’s pumped up going to the race track with their chest out. I think it goes a little bit further. The chemistry goes a little bit further on the race track than people realize."
Can you clarify your comment about the difference in hotel rooms for the teams?
"There are a few race tracks where Joe Gibbs Racing has so many people on the road that you can’t all fit in one hotel room. Usually, I think it works where the team that is lowest in points gets the hotel that is furthest away. So, that’s how it works. I got razzed by the guys for the last few weeks about being the last one to choose them a hotel room. Now, we’re the first."
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 11th
How do you think your car has been handling so far this weekend?
"Our race trim is pretty good. We felt real good with that. Qualifying trim just didn’t act to where we wanted it to. We’ll work on it here tomorrow, and try to make race trim a little better."
DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 14th
How much did the clouds help you with your qualifying run?
"It never hurts, but being a concrete race track it’s not quite as sensitive as it is with a lot of places that we go. Ryan Pemberton (crew chief) and everybody on this team has been doing an outstanding job. I’m pretty sure that (time) is not going to hold up, but hopefully it will be ok. It was a pretty good lap. It was a little slower than what we’ve practiced but all in all it’s pretty good."
How is your car in race trim?
"I’m actually pretty happy with it. We’ve got a little bit of work to do with it. We’ve been unloading and been pretty close the last couple of weeks so when you can do that, it makes life a little bit easier."
How do you feel about your chances this weekend at Dover?
"The UPS Toyota was pretty good in race trim when we unloaded and we got two qualifying runs at the end of practice. I don’t know -- every time I think we’re really, really good we’re not. I’m pretty optimistic. The guys have been doing a great job and this is another one of our new cars. It’s been a godsend for sure so we’ll keep plugging away at it and see if we can get a good win."
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 18th
Did you plan for the cloud cover during qualifying, and what did it do to the car?
"We were still a little too loose. It didn’t really tighten up that much with the clouds. I was kind of thinking it would a little bit, but it didn’t. I’m a little disappointed in that lap. I thought we could’ve run better than that, but I guess you can’t really win them all."
MICHAEL McDOWELL, No. 00 Champion Mortgage Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 28th
How do you think your qualifying lap went?
"The last run in qualifying trim in practice we were a little loose, we adjusted for it, and just over-adjusted. Historically, this place gets loose in qualifying, but it didn’t. It tightened up with this cloud cover, so we were just a little too tight. I’m a little disappointed. We were 26th in practice, I think, and that’s about where we’ll end up. We have a good race car for Sunday, so we’ll keep working on it tomorrow."
How important are these last nine races for you?
"They are very important. We have to keep this car in the top-35. It’s important for Michael Waltrip Racing and it’s important on whether or not I have a job next year. We’re all fighting hard here, and it’s an important part of the season for us."
KEN SCHRADER, No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry, Hall of Fame Racing Starting Position: 43rd
How was your run today after going to a backup car during practice?
"It started out pretty screwed up and they got the backup car out in time to get a couple of laps and we ran a 95 in a couple of our laps so we ran better than we did in the primary car. We made some small adjustments and just went out and tried to get a lap and it looks like it worked."
How did the backup car run compared to your primary car?
"The backup car is fine. We had never made a run in the other car in qualifying trim so it’s kind of comparing apples to oranges, but they both had the same feel and they were good."
AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 30th
TONY STEWART, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 33rd
DAVE BLANEY, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Camry, Bill Davis Racing Starting Position: 37th
MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 40th
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