Did you think you were going to be on the pole?

“I felt confident yesterday that we would make the race. I really didn’t think about the pole. The two runs I got in the final practice were both wind-aided. We didn’t really know what we had. Our qualifying lap was faster than what we ran in practice. If I only had to worry about my car, I would’ve been happier. But, I had to worry about Dale (Jarrett) and David (Reutimann) making the race, too. It is more important for me to have all three cars in. For me to be first is a bonus. To have all three cars in the race is very gratifying.”

Can you talk about the car you brought here to Talladega?

“All the boys that worked on this NAPA Camry just did a great job. When we tested here, we drafted a little bit, and then we worked on our car for speed for two days. After that, we got back in the draft, and I liked my car best then. This is not a qualifying setup. It’s ready to go. We concentrated on qualifying more than the others, so I know that’s why we’re faster than them at this point, but this car is ready to go.”

How is your car going to be in the race?

“I’m ready to go. We tested down here a couple of weeks ago and we got our car as good as we wanted it speed-wise. After that, I got in the draft and was able to drive to the front and ride around in the middle of it and I was happy. I told my guys last night that if we made the race, I think we can win. Now that we did, I have to show them we at least have a chance to win.”

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