Dale Jr. Quotes for Rockingham
"This is a place that can chew up the tires, so you have to be aware of that for the entire race. We seem to be getting better all the time at getting the car set-up and the driver's brain into that type of mind-set, so I think we have a chance to do well. I mean, who would have predicted that we would get two top-fives at Martinsville before this year, so we should be able to have that same kind of improvement here this week, shouldn't we? I can't seem to put my finger on why we haven't had better results because we did run well here in the Busch Series. I do like it that you can run in a variety of grooves - kind of like Atlanta - where you can go where your car is working and you're not just out there playing follow-the-leader.
"Five-straight top-10s (and nine finishes of 11th or better in the past 11 races) is really good for our confidence right now. The Bud team has never had a better streak of finishes, so we are trying to do everything we can to keep the string going. We're determined that the top-10 in points is ours if we keep up what we've been doing lately. When things are going so well, you want to go right to the next track after each race is done. It helps the attitude of everyone on the team, and we have as much or more momentum as anyone on the track right now. We believe we should be up there racing for the win every week, and we're putting up the numbers to back up what we have believed all along."
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Rockingham
Previous Winston Cup Starts: 5
Best Start: 7th (February, 2000)
Best Finish: 15th (November, 2001)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 21st
FIN: 15th
It's Getting Better All The Time
Despite a well-documented mid-season slump, this year has actually been the most productive of the first three full Winston Cup seasons for the entire Budweiser team. With three races left in 2002, the team has already equalled or surpassed last season's numbers in the following categories:
2002 Previous Best (all in 2001)
Top Five Finishes 10 9
Top 10 Finishes 15 15
Laps Led 917 765
Races Led 20 16
Bud Pole Positions 2 2 (also 2000 season)
Top-10 Starts 17 12
What:
Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400
1.017-mile oval / 393 laps / 400 miles / Race #34 of 36
Where:
North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, NC
When:
Sunday, November 3 / 1:00 p.m.
Watch:
TNT / Pre-race 12:30 pm
You can also tune in on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) on a
radio or computer near you… you know the drill by now…
Bud Pole Qualifying:
Bud Pole qualifying can be seen live Friday at 3:00 pm on TNT and heard on MRN affiliates across the nation. (All Times: Eastern)
Thanks to Jade for this Budweiser Race Preview!
www.Budweiser.com |
