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    Dale Jr Quotes after qualifying Archived Message

    Posted by JrBeliever on 2/19/2012, 5:36 pm

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2012) – Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, earned a front row starting spot in Thursday’s Gatorade Duel at Daytona Qualifying Races by posting the third fastest qualifying time today at Daytona International Speedway.

    A total of 49 cars took turns for a run at the front row on the 2.5-mile tri-oval superspeedway. The two cars that earned front row positions are the only ones with guaranteed starting positions for Sunday’s Daytona 500. The remainder of the 43-car field will be set following the finishes in the two 150-mile qualifying races set for Thursday afternoon.


    DRIVER QUOTES:

    DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 3RD:

    HOW WAS YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT? ”From the wind, we had a good lap. Credit it a little bit to the win. The team did a great job preparing the car and trying to put a good car under us for qualifying and they did a great job.”

    ARE YOU PRETTY PLEASED WITH THAT EFFORT? ”Right now I am pretty pleased. We weren’t able to find that speed yesterday. We did a pretty good job today compared to how the week has been going for this car. Particularly as far as single-car runs.”

    ARE YOU SURPRISED AT THE FORDS? ”They definitely have found some speed over the off-season in their Daytona package for sure.”

    DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET A GOOD STARTING SPOT FOR THE DAYTONA 500 AFTER STARTING IN THE FRONT OF THE GATORADE RACE? ”Starting on that front row gives you that kind of feeling. Third on back, you feel like you need to race because somebody’s going to try to take your third starting spot in the 500 if that is where we were to end up. Somebody’s out there to take it from you in those qualifying races so you have to run hard.”

    IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A PRETTY FAST CAR HERE AT DAYTONA: “Yes, the guys did a good job putting a good car out there for qualifying. We made a series of changes trying to improve the car’s speed from yesterday. It didn’t have this kind of speed. I’m sure we got a little help from the wind, but I have to give my guys credit for giving us a good opportunity. The machine they put out there today. A lot of hard work goes into coming down here. The guys at the engine shop and the guys at the body shop…this car particularly has been cut up several times this off season trying to improve it. So, a lot of effort goes into what you see happen here today and throughout the week.”

    HOW NICE IS IT TO HAVE THE LUXURY OF A FAST CAR FOR RACE CONDITIONS HERE? “Last night the National Guard Chevrolet was really quick in the Shootout. I felt like we had great speed. I expect to see the same thing out of the Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet when we get to the qualifying race and throughout the rest of the weekend. I feel like we will be competitive and should be able to be on the offense more than on the defense. That is what you want as a race car driver out there making passes.”

    http://www.catchfence.com/2012/sprintcup/02/19/dale-earnhardt-jr-leads-the-way-for-team-chevy-in-daytona-500-qualifying/?utm_campaign=twitter_tweet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

    Message Thread:

    • Dale Jr Quotes after qualifying - JrBeliever 2/19/2012, 5:36 pm