Winning four poles last year was not only a personal record, but a guaranteed spot in this year’s Bud Shootout. What are your thoughts on competing in your third Shootout? “I am really looking forward to it. I hate going to Daytona when there is a race running and I’m not in it. This year we’re able to go down there and get a race in before the year starts and I think that’s a really good thing. I’m excited about it. It was really cool last year to have the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet sit on four poles. I never thought that I would be able to accomplish that. One of the team’s goals was to get in the Bud Shootout, so we got that done. The Shootout is a fun race to watch and hopefully it’s more fun to be a part of.”

Do you look at running in the Bud Shootout as a good tune-up for the start of the season? “I think the more you can race, the better. Early in the year, I like to race and get into it. You can’t simulate a race no matter how much testing you do. For me, I like to get going, get my juices flowing. It’s definitely an advantage, not only for the driver but for the crew chief and team, as well. They get to call the race, pit the car and do all the things they can do in order to prepare themselves for the Gatorade Duel 150’s and the Daytona 500.”

Talk about capturing your first pole last year for the Daytona 500. “It was pretty cool. We talked a lot about being a better race team, how to prepare for the year and then we captured the pole. It was fun to be a part of. It was exciting to sit on the pole for the biggest race of the year. It was cool to get the race started and pacing the field to the green flag was neat. But what I remember most about Daytona was not running very well and sitting on the pole didn’t get us a whole lot.”