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#01 - Joe Nemechek
Quoted: “When you’re going to a restrictor-plate race with a MB2 Motorsports prepared car that is overseen by (crew chief) Ryan Pemberton, you have every right to feel confident. This team has always had an excellent plate program and I'm happy that I am now part of it. We have not won a pole this year and we’re running out of time. We’ve had a couple of outside poles and started fourth in the spring race at Talladega, but we never got to wear the Bud Pole hat…yet. I understand that it doesn’t make much difference where you start this race from, but taking the pole will mean a lot to the team, and of course, give us a berth in next year’s prestigious Bud Shootout.”
#02 - Hermie Sadler
Quoted: "Our season has not been what we had hoped for to this point. But this race is a chance for our team to show what we can do and turn our season around. Just the thought of driving a Yates car at Talladega is a dream come true."
#06 - Chad Blount
Quoted: “It means a lot to be able to work with the Penske organization, Ryan Newman, Don Miller, Brendan Gaughan, Rusty Wallace, and especially Roy McCauley. He’s been kind of the main supporter of my career the last year or so. He’s a great person and he’s just as hungry as I am. Roy and I are kind of like Ryan and Matt [Borland]. We know each other, he knows what I like, and I know what to tell him I want in a race car. We just have a real good rapport with each other.”
#09 - Mike Wallace
Noted: Mike Wallace finished 10th at this race last year in the #09 car.
#0 - Ward Burton
Quoted: ”Talladega’s a crapshoot. Always has been, always will be as long as we run restrictor plates there. It’s a game of strategy in some respects. You have to plan ahead and you have to be able to figure out who you can run with. You need to know who you can pit with if need be and then you have to plan to make a new plan at a moment’s notice. We should have a pretty good NetZero Chevrolet and we’re hoping to have better results than we’ve had the last two plate races. It’s a game of luck at Talladega, really, and we hope luck will be on our side.”
#1 - Kenny Wallace
Quoted: "I am very honored that DEI asked me to drive the car at Talladega. It's great to be back in the No. 1 Chevrolet again; it was probably the best time of my career when I drove the car before and I hated to leave. I know I am going to have a big part in Talladega. The same crew that helped get Ron Fellows to a second place finish at Watkins Glen is going to be helping me. Richie Gilmore, DEI and Michael Waltrip have been great through all this and I can't wait to get there."
#2 - Rusty Wallace
Quoted: "We always go into the Talladega races expecting to keep our noses clean and come out of there with a good finish and that's certainly the case again this weekend. But we're smart enough to know that with this brand of racing, anything can happen. We've had our share of ups and downs at Talladega. We went through a period where it seemed like we either crashed or blew up in almost every race at Talladega," said Wallace, whose track record shows an incredible 14 DNFs (did not finishes - in a third of his races to date). "But during the last five to seven years, our luck has really done a big turnaround. We've been running strong, led a bunch of laps and really had genuine chances of winning many of the races. That's what we're looking to continue there this weekend."
#4 - Jimmy Spencer
Noted: Jimmy won the July 1994 race at Talladega in Junior Johnson's #27 Ford.
#5 - Terry Labonte
Quoted: There are tracks coming up where we should do well. We've won before at Talladega, Charlotte and Phoenix. We'll go to Darlington as defending champions of the Southern 500. We may be 23rd in the points, right now, but this is not a 23rd-place team. I think we'll show that over these last eight races."
#6 - Mark Martin
Quoted: "Talladega could be the wildcard in the Chase. You really can't control what goes on there, and our goal is to not wreck, avoid the 'big one' and try to get a high finish. We know that we don't have a good enough car to drive to the front and stay there, so we'll be in that pack moving around all day - front to back, back to front. We finished fifth and sixth in the two restrictor -plate races that we've finished and I hope we can do that good again. Hopefully we can just get through this week and move on to Kansas where we should be strong."
#8 - Dale Earnhardt Jr
Quoted: "Talladega is so much fun. It's not at all physically tough to race there, but the mental strain, the mental part of it is extremely exhausting. You have to be aware at all times about where you're at, and where everyone else is. I can't think of many things more fun than running three-wide at Talladega. You're using every bit of your peripheral vision, while trying to watch the guys behind you in the mirror and not running into the guy in front of you. You can really use the air to your advantage. I always have fun there."
#9 - Kasey Kahne
Quoted: “Actually, I love racing at that track (Talladega) because of the close racing; it’s a lot of fun and I enjoy it a ton. It’s just so unpredictable about what’s going to happen, how your car is going to be, if you’re going to be in the big wreck, there’s so much going on. For driving, I love it. It’s pretty easy to keep your focus there because you know what will happen with one little mistake. You always have to be on top of it and not make that mistake."
#10 - Scott Riggs
Quoted: “The team has really stepped our superspeedway program up. Each time we’ve gone to a big track this year, our performances have improved— we've qualified well and had great runs until something knocked us out of contention. Riggs started fifth in Talladega’s April event, but was forced to retire early after a multi-car accident collected the No. 10 Valvoline Chevy just before the halfway mark of the event. We had a great racecar in April. I was trying to keep the fenders on it and keep my nose clean and wanted to wait until later in the race to show my hand. I was doing a lot of giving and wanted to do my taking later, but we never got the chance.”
#11 - Ricky Craven
Quoted: "I'm looking forward to it (driving for JGR at Talladega.) It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to use this opportunity to explore options for next year."
#12 - Ryan Newman
Quoted: "I think that I make it quite clear that restrictor-plate tracks are not favorites of mine. People often take that as meaning that I don't like the restrictor plates, but it goes beyond that. I truly don't like tracks that have an 'out of bounds' line. To me, that's just not racing. Talladega, although not a race we look forward to, offers the same amount of points that all the other races do. So, with that in mind, the ALLTEL team looks at it like every other race. We do all that we can to win the race and get the most possible bonus points. We accomplished that at Dover, and are definitely going to try to repeat that feat at Talladega."
#15 - Michael Waltrip
Quoted: "The last trip to Talladega was interesting for the NAPA team. We ran very strong. We ran up front and made it almost to the lead with 10 to go and got shuffled back. I firmly believe that we would have been vying for the win if the checkered flag had not come out with five or so laps to go. The flag took away our chances to win. We led the last plate race and we are as strong as we ever have been heading to Alabama this week."
#16 - Greg Biffle
Quoted: “I’m not a huge fan of restrictor-plate racing but I’m excited about our chances to run well this weekend. We’re taking the same car we’ve run at all the superspeedways this season and it’s a great car. We scored the pole with it for the Daytona 500, and we were able to race to the front after starting from the back after an engine change. It also ran extremely well in the first Talladega race and this summer at Daytona even though the final results don’t necessarily show it. It’s definitely capable of running up front with the lead draft and it’s capable of winning if we can put ourselves in position in the closing laps. This is a pivotal weekend for my teammates competing in the chase, so it will be beneficial for us to work together and make sure we give those other teams that typically dominate restrictor-plate races a run for the money.”
#17 - Matt Kenseth
Quoted: "We just need to go out this week and try to run up front. We need to stay out of trouble all day long and a lot of times that’s a factor that’s out of your hands, but we have to do our best. I think we have a good car that we’re bringing and we’ll see what we can come up with on Sunday and hopefully get some of our points back.”
#18 - Bobby Labonte
Quoted: "We've made progress in the last few weeks and are coming together as a team. We had a fast race car last week, we just had the spin on pit road, which cost us a lap. Talladega should be interesting as usual. I've won there before and also been involved in a 20-car wreck, so I've been on both ends of the spectrum. Hopefully, we'll end up on the right side this week. We need a win and Talladega wouldn't be a bad place to get it."
#19 - Jeremy Mayfield
Quoted: “Something I learned a long time ago about Talladega, you’re either real good off the truck or you’re not. Whatever you’ve got is pretty much what you have all weekend. All you can hope for is to have a good enough car to run up front and, hopefully, stay away from the trouble. There are still going to be cars running in a pack, so it’s definitely a test of nerves from the green flag to the checkered flag. Staying focused is something you know you have to do. You don’t have the opportunity to take a mental break, it’s not an option. You try not to be the one that makes the mistake that creates the problem."
#20 - Tony Stewart
Quoted: "The race just carries more variables that are out of your control than any other race. When they have crashes at Talladega, the number of people caught up is normally pretty large. That's kind of why we view Talladega as a wild card race. You can't really predict anything. It's not as easy as saying, 'These guys run well here.' Guys who don't run well at Talladega could be contenders to win the race if the right circumstances happen. It's one of those scenarios where the guys in the top-10 are really going to be careful, but they're still going to have to race hard to gain as many points as they can."
#21 - Ricky Rudd
Quoted: "I tell you, winning anywhere, to me, is important. It doesn't matter if it's foot race, I guess, right now would be good. I never won at Talladega, I ran third, I think, a couple of times, maybe second. It would be a neat deal. It's just sort of a crapshoot there. Just being in the right place, and a lot of it's luck. Plus, you got the DEI cars that tend to dominate down there. Everybody else is sort of a lot of luck involved, where you finish. I would take it anywhere; Talladega would be as good a place as any."
#22 - Scott Wimmer
Quoted: “It’s going to be different going this weekend to a restrictor plate race without a teammate.The other plate races we’ve raced in this year, we’ve had a teammate that has helped us a lot. Blaney pushed us to the front in the (Daytona) 500 and then we had him here in the spring to help. It’s just so tough to do this kind of racing without a teammate because you have no friends out there. We’ll see what we can do and hopefully come out of there with a good finish.”
#24 - Jeff Gordon
Quoted: "I think every race in the final 10 is crucial. To be honest, I think Martinsville is more of a wildcard than Talladega. That is, unless the ‘big one' occurs. The best way to avoid the big wreck is to be out front or near the lead. Ideally, I'd like to be in the lead pack running single file with everyone else battling two and three-wide behind me. But that rarely happens here because there are 42 other drivers with the same goal, and that's to win."
#25 - Brian Vickers
Quoted: "Some guys say get to the back and some guys say go to the front. I personally go to the front but I probably wouldn't be the best one to ask, either. I've gotten into a lot of trouble at the superspeedway races this season whether it's my fault or not. It's a tough situation. I think a lot of it is just luck and putting yourself at the right place at the right time and who you put yourself around. We led for a while and we've had some good runs at the superspeedways so I'm excited about going back."
#29 - Kevin Harvick
Quoted: "This weekend's race (at Talladega) will probably be one of our best chances to get a pole and a win. This GM Goodwrench racing team has been successful on the superspeedways recently and our finishes have shown that. I'd really like to get a pole and a win before the season's over to ensure us a spot in the Bud Shootout and All-Star race in Charlotte. We're putting a lot of effort into Sunday's race to hopefully obtain at least one of those goals."
#30 - Jeff Burton
Quoted: "The superspeedway program here at RCR has been stellar. It’s really been something to look at with a lot of envy. The DEI teams have kind of taken the lead here in the last few years, but RCR is always up there. To be honest, I really don’t know what to expect. Really I just go to Talladega a dumb driver, I don’t know much about the superspeedway cars here at RCR, but in the end it really doesn’t matter since the driver isn’t that much help. We’ll just see what we have when we get there.”
#31 - Robby Gordon
Quoted: “I had a career-best run at Talladega in April. We had a strong car and game plan. We’re bringing back the same car and I’m sure we’ll play off the same game plan. I started outside the top 20 in the spring, but was leading the race less than 30 laps in. It was like we hit the right combination on everything. We had a strong car, pit strategy and I don’t think we had to make one mechanical adjustment the entire race. The pit crew was phenomenal. I believe they came off from that weekend winning the pit crew competition, too. It wasn’t just Team Cingular, RCR was just strong all around at Talladega in the spring. I know we were all inside the top 10 at one point, running like a high-speed freight train.”
#32 - Bobby Hamilton Jr
Noted: Bobby Jr finished 14th in his only Talladega Cup race in October 2001 in the #4 Chevrolet.
#33 - Kerry Earnhardt
Quoted: “I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to Talladega. After the run we had going in the spring the entire team is pretty pumped up for this weekend. We were running as high as fourth until we were collected by another car in an accident that wasn’t our fault. We’re taking the same car we raced in the spring at Talladega and this summer at Daytona so we like our chances.”
#37 - Kevin Lepage
Noted: Kevin has 8 Cup starts at Talladega with a best finish of 10th in last race in October 2001.
#38 - Elliott Sadler
Quoted: "Talladega is a wild card race. Anything can happen and it usually does. When we went to New York City a few weeks ago we were sitting in about four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. The only difference between that traffic jam and racing at Talladega is 190mph. It is really hard to ask 43 human beings to be perfect for three and a half hours."
#40 - Sterling Marlin
Quoted: “We made some changes to chassis #005. We qualified well here in the spring and just had some bad things happen. Then we took this car to Daytona in July and it did not run well and we did not finish as well as we would have liked. The Coors Light crew has made some changes and I look forward to driving the No.40 Rascal Flatts/Coors Light Dodge into Victory Lane this weekend.”
#41 - Casey Mears
Quoted: “I was really happy with an eighth-place finish in April, but I would like to see what would have happened if the race finished under green. It was awesome running out front in the Target Dodge and leading some laps at a track like Talladega. Running up front at a place like that is a huge testament to the team. I’ve learned a lot with the draft, and it’s all showing. I can go out there and have a lot of fun with it now."
#42 - Jamie McMurray
Quoted: “It’s cool that Texaco/Havoline is going back and paying tribute to the history they have in NASCAR. We got to run a special tribute paint scheme last year at Talladega to honor Davey Allison and it’s neat we’re running another special one this year to honor Texaco/Havoline’s heritage in this sport. I think it’s a nice way to give long-time NASCAR fans something to remember the past by. I can’t think of a better place to run this paint scheme than at Talladega given the history of the Texaco/Havoline car at that track.”
#43 - Jeff Green
Quoted: “You have to look out the rear view mirror a whole lot more than you look out the front windshield. It’s can be a mental game more than actual racing. Don’t get me wrong, you definitely have to have the right skills to put yourself and the car in the right position at the end of the race. You have to know how to use the draft off the guy in front of you and behind you, but it’s more of a chess match than anything else. Moving to the right place at the right time is everything. A lot of tracks, somebody hands me a Coke after the race is over. Talladega is so mentally tiring, I’m looking for a Coke and a Goody’s Headache Powder."
#45 - Kyle Petty
Quoted: “Once the restrictor plates went on these cars for Daytona and Talladega, the racing changed dramatically. The draft always played an important role in those races but nothing like it does now. Before the plates, you could use the draft to pass, to slingshot by. These days, you use the draft to hold onto what you have. I’m not saying one is better than the other, just saying things are different now."
#48 - Jimmie Johnson
Quoted: “I think it’s a love hate deal. If you’re fortunate to make it through the weekend without any problems and miss the big one, you’re going to buy some freedom, some points and be able to separate yourself. If you’re caught up in it, you hate it. You’re going to cuss the points system. You’re going to cuss going to Talladega with so much on the line. I think that’s why there will be more people tuned in and watching than what we had in the past. It’s great for everybody up in the stands. For the guys back here in the trenches, it sure cuts down on the sleep that we get.”
#49 - Ken Schrader
Noted: Ken won at Talladega in Hendrick Motorsports's #25 Chevrolet in July 1988.
#72 - Kirk Shelmerdine
Noted: Kirk finished 26th in his only Talladega Cup race in May 1994.
#77 - Brendan Gaughan
Quoted: “When Mr. Penske and Mr. Bawel joined forces at the beginning of the year, one of their joint commitments was to improve the superspeedway program for all three teams. The guys working on that program feel pretty confident they have made improvements, it is just a matter of seeing where we are now so they can start working on the 2005 program. Ideally, I would like to have a car as strong as a DEI car when we unload. It is no secret they have the strongest superspeedway program right now. I think they raised the bar."
#80 - Carl Long
Noted: Carl has never qualified for a Cup restrictor plate race.
#88 - Dale Jarrett
Quoted: "Every race takes patience, as well as a good handling race car. Talladega requires all of that and the right mixture of good fortune. Like I said, it is a race where one team's fate is in the hands of all 43 competitors. All 43 drivers have to be smart, exercise patience and make good decisions while on the track."
#89 - Morgan Shepherd
Noted: Morgan's best finish at Talladega was 3rd in the Wood Brother's #21 Ford in April 1995.
Quoted:
#97 - Kurt Busch
Quoted: "Talladega is definitely going to be the wild card in the ‘Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.’ If you're running in the top-five during the race, usually you're single file and out of the three-wide pack - that's something you try to position yourself for. If you're stuck in the middle of the pack, there's not much you can do. You don't want to get caught up in that big wreck, so you have to decide if you want to go forward or if you want to hang out in the back and wait for a pit stop to jumble up the field. Qualifying is important, but, if you qualify up front, you can get shuffled to the back quickly if you get into the wrong draft. We'll just see how it shakes up. We have a good car. It's the car we ran at the first Daytona and then here again in the spring, so I'm excited to bring it back. We're second in points by a single point, but I have a feeling that could change pretty drastically considering how these restrictor-plate races tend to go.”
#98 - Larry Gunselman
Noted: Larry finished 34th in his only Cup restrictor plate race in July 2004.
#99 - Carl Edwards
Quoted: “I'm really, really excited to race at Talladega. This will be my first time running there and my first restrictor-plate race. I tested the No. 17 Ford there last week and it helped a little as far as helping me learn the track. Like where the bumps are, the different lines, all that kind of stuff. It will be much different drafting than running by myself though but to be honest, you can test at Talladega for a month and when the green flag drops, it's totally different.”
#01 - Joe Nemechek
Quoted: “When you’re going to a restrictor-plate race with a MB2 Motorsports prepared car that is overseen by (crew chief) Ryan Pemberton, you have every right to feel confident. This team has always had an excellent plate program and I'm happy that I am now part of it. We have not won a pole this year and we’re running out of time. We’ve had a couple of outside poles and started fourth in the spring race at Talladega, but we never got to wear the Bud Pole hat…yet. I understand that it doesn’t make much difference where you start this race from, but taking the pole will mean a lot to the team, and of course, give us a berth in next year’s prestigious Bud Shootout.”
#02 - Hermie Sadler
Quoted: "Our season has not been what we had hoped for to this point. But this race is a chance for our team to show what we can do and turn our season around. Just the thought of driving a Yates car at Talladega is a dream come true."
#06 - Chad Blount
Quoted: “It means a lot to be able to work with the Penske organization, Ryan Newman, Don Miller, Brendan Gaughan, Rusty Wallace, and especially Roy McCauley. He’s been kind of the main supporter of my career the last year or so. He’s a great person and he’s just as hungry as I am. Roy and I are kind of like Ryan and Matt [Borland]. We know each other, he knows what I like, and I know what to tell him I want in a race car. We just have a real good rapport with each other.”
#09 - Mike Wallace
Noted: Mike Wallace finished 10th at this race last year in the #09 car.
#0 - Ward Burton
Quoted: ”Talladega’s a crapshoot. Always has been, always will be as long as we run restrictor plates there. It’s a game of strategy in some respects. You have to plan ahead and you have to be able to figure out who you can run with. You need to know who you can pit with if need be and then you have to plan to make a new plan at a moment’s notice. We should have a pretty good NetZero Chevrolet and we’re hoping to have better results than we’ve had the last two plate races. It’s a game of luck at Talladega, really, and we hope luck will be on our side.”
#1 - Kenny Wallace
Quoted: "I am very honored that DEI asked me to drive the car at Talladega. It's great to be back in the No. 1 Chevrolet again; it was probably the best time of my career when I drove the car before and I hated to leave. I know I am going to have a big part in Talladega. The same crew that helped get Ron Fellows to a second place finish at Watkins Glen is going to be helping me. Richie Gilmore, DEI and Michael Waltrip have been great through all this and I can't wait to get there."
#2 - Rusty Wallace
Quoted: "We always go into the Talladega races expecting to keep our noses clean and come out of there with a good finish and that's certainly the case again this weekend. But we're smart enough to know that with this brand of racing, anything can happen. We've had our share of ups and downs at Talladega. We went through a period where it seemed like we either crashed or blew up in almost every race at Talladega," said Wallace, whose track record shows an incredible 14 DNFs (did not finishes - in a third of his races to date). "But during the last five to seven years, our luck has really done a big turnaround. We've been running strong, led a bunch of laps and really had genuine chances of winning many of the races. That's what we're looking to continue there this weekend."
#4 - Jimmy Spencer
Noted: Jimmy won the July 1994 race at Talladega in Junior Johnson's #27 Ford.
#5 - Terry Labonte
Quoted: There are tracks coming up where we should do well. We've won before at Talladega, Charlotte and Phoenix. We'll go to Darlington as defending champions of the Southern 500. We may be 23rd in the points, right now, but this is not a 23rd-place team. I think we'll show that over these last eight races."
#6 - Mark Martin
Quoted: "Talladega could be the wildcard in the Chase. You really can't control what goes on there, and our goal is to not wreck, avoid the 'big one' and try to get a high finish. We know that we don't have a good enough car to drive to the front and stay there, so we'll be in that pack moving around all day - front to back, back to front. We finished fifth and sixth in the two restrictor -plate races that we've finished and I hope we can do that good again. Hopefully we can just get through this week and move on to Kansas where we should be strong."
#8 - Dale Earnhardt Jr
Quoted: "Talladega is so much fun. It's not at all physically tough to race there, but the mental strain, the mental part of it is extremely exhausting. You have to be aware at all times about where you're at, and where everyone else is. I can't think of many things more fun than running three-wide at Talladega. You're using every bit of your peripheral vision, while trying to watch the guys behind you in the mirror and not running into the guy in front of you. You can really use the air to your advantage. I always have fun there."
#9 - Kasey Kahne
Quoted: “Actually, I love racing at that track (Talladega) because of the close racing; it’s a lot of fun and I enjoy it a ton. It’s just so unpredictable about what’s going to happen, how your car is going to be, if you’re going to be in the big wreck, there’s so much going on. For driving, I love it. It’s pretty easy to keep your focus there because you know what will happen with one little mistake. You always have to be on top of it and not make that mistake."
#10 - Scott Riggs
Quoted: “The team has really stepped our superspeedway program up. Each time we’ve gone to a big track this year, our performances have improved— we've qualified well and had great runs until something knocked us out of contention. Riggs started fifth in Talladega’s April event, but was forced to retire early after a multi-car accident collected the No. 10 Valvoline Chevy just before the halfway mark of the event. We had a great racecar in April. I was trying to keep the fenders on it and keep my nose clean and wanted to wait until later in the race to show my hand. I was doing a lot of giving and wanted to do my taking later, but we never got the chance.”
#11 - Ricky Craven
Quoted: "I'm looking forward to it (driving for JGR at Talladega.) It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to use this opportunity to explore options for next year."
#12 - Ryan Newman
Quoted: "I think that I make it quite clear that restrictor-plate tracks are not favorites of mine. People often take that as meaning that I don't like the restrictor plates, but it goes beyond that. I truly don't like tracks that have an 'out of bounds' line. To me, that's just not racing. Talladega, although not a race we look forward to, offers the same amount of points that all the other races do. So, with that in mind, the ALLTEL team looks at it like every other race. We do all that we can to win the race and get the most possible bonus points. We accomplished that at Dover, and are definitely going to try to repeat that feat at Talladega."
#15 - Michael Waltrip
Quoted: "The last trip to Talladega was interesting for the NAPA team. We ran very strong. We ran up front and made it almost to the lead with 10 to go and got shuffled back. I firmly believe that we would have been vying for the win if the checkered flag had not come out with five or so laps to go. The flag took away our chances to win. We led the last plate race and we are as strong as we ever have been heading to Alabama this week."
#16 - Greg Biffle
Quoted: “I’m not a huge fan of restrictor-plate racing but I’m excited about our chances to run well this weekend. We’re taking the same car we’ve run at all the superspeedways this season and it’s a great car. We scored the pole with it for the Daytona 500, and we were able to race to the front after starting from the back after an engine change. It also ran extremely well in the first Talladega race and this summer at Daytona even though the final results don’t necessarily show it. It’s definitely capable of running up front with the lead draft and it’s capable of winning if we can put ourselves in position in the closing laps. This is a pivotal weekend for my teammates competing in the chase, so it will be beneficial for us to work together and make sure we give those other teams that typically dominate restrictor-plate races a run for the money.”
#17 - Matt Kenseth
Quoted: "We just need to go out this week and try to run up front. We need to stay out of trouble all day long and a lot of times that’s a factor that’s out of your hands, but we have to do our best. I think we have a good car that we’re bringing and we’ll see what we can come up with on Sunday and hopefully get some of our points back.”
#18 - Bobby Labonte
Quoted: "We've made progress in the last few weeks and are coming together as a team. We had a fast race car last week, we just had the spin on pit road, which cost us a lap. Talladega should be interesting as usual. I've won there before and also been involved in a 20-car wreck, so I've been on both ends of the spectrum. Hopefully, we'll end up on the right side this week. We need a win and Talladega wouldn't be a bad place to get it."
#19 - Jeremy Mayfield
Quoted: “Something I learned a long time ago about Talladega, you’re either real good off the truck or you’re not. Whatever you’ve got is pretty much what you have all weekend. All you can hope for is to have a good enough car to run up front and, hopefully, stay away from the trouble. There are still going to be cars running in a pack, so it’s definitely a test of nerves from the green flag to the checkered flag. Staying focused is something you know you have to do. You don’t have the opportunity to take a mental break, it’s not an option. You try not to be the one that makes the mistake that creates the problem."
#20 - Tony Stewart
Quoted: "The race just carries more variables that are out of your control than any other race. When they have crashes at Talladega, the number of people caught up is normally pretty large. That's kind of why we view Talladega as a wild card race. You can't really predict anything. It's not as easy as saying, 'These guys run well here.' Guys who don't run well at Talladega could be contenders to win the race if the right circumstances happen. It's one of those scenarios where the guys in the top-10 are really going to be careful, but they're still going to have to race hard to gain as many points as they can."
#21 - Ricky Rudd
Quoted: "I tell you, winning anywhere, to me, is important. It doesn't matter if it's foot race, I guess, right now would be good. I never won at Talladega, I ran third, I think, a couple of times, maybe second. It would be a neat deal. It's just sort of a crapshoot there. Just being in the right place, and a lot of it's luck. Plus, you got the DEI cars that tend to dominate down there. Everybody else is sort of a lot of luck involved, where you finish. I would take it anywhere; Talladega would be as good a place as any."
#22 - Scott Wimmer
Quoted: “It’s going to be different going this weekend to a restrictor plate race without a teammate.The other plate races we’ve raced in this year, we’ve had a teammate that has helped us a lot. Blaney pushed us to the front in the (Daytona) 500 and then we had him here in the spring to help. It’s just so tough to do this kind of racing without a teammate because you have no friends out there. We’ll see what we can do and hopefully come out of there with a good finish.”
#24 - Jeff Gordon
Quoted: "I think every race in the final 10 is crucial. To be honest, I think Martinsville is more of a wildcard than Talladega. That is, unless the ‘big one' occurs. The best way to avoid the big wreck is to be out front or near the lead. Ideally, I'd like to be in the lead pack running single file with everyone else battling two and three-wide behind me. But that rarely happens here because there are 42 other drivers with the same goal, and that's to win."
#25 - Brian Vickers
Quoted: "Some guys say get to the back and some guys say go to the front. I personally go to the front but I probably wouldn't be the best one to ask, either. I've gotten into a lot of trouble at the superspeedway races this season whether it's my fault or not. It's a tough situation. I think a lot of it is just luck and putting yourself at the right place at the right time and who you put yourself around. We led for a while and we've had some good runs at the superspeedways so I'm excited about going back."
#29 - Kevin Harvick
Quoted: "This weekend's race (at Talladega) will probably be one of our best chances to get a pole and a win. This GM Goodwrench racing team has been successful on the superspeedways recently and our finishes have shown that. I'd really like to get a pole and a win before the season's over to ensure us a spot in the Bud Shootout and All-Star race in Charlotte. We're putting a lot of effort into Sunday's race to hopefully obtain at least one of those goals."
#30 - Jeff Burton
Quoted: "The superspeedway program here at RCR has been stellar. It’s really been something to look at with a lot of envy. The DEI teams have kind of taken the lead here in the last few years, but RCR is always up there. To be honest, I really don’t know what to expect. Really I just go to Talladega a dumb driver, I don’t know much about the superspeedway cars here at RCR, but in the end it really doesn’t matter since the driver isn’t that much help. We’ll just see what we have when we get there.”
#31 - Robby Gordon
Quoted: “I had a career-best run at Talladega in April. We had a strong car and game plan. We’re bringing back the same car and I’m sure we’ll play off the same game plan. I started outside the top 20 in the spring, but was leading the race less than 30 laps in. It was like we hit the right combination on everything. We had a strong car, pit strategy and I don’t think we had to make one mechanical adjustment the entire race. The pit crew was phenomenal. I believe they came off from that weekend winning the pit crew competition, too. It wasn’t just Team Cingular, RCR was just strong all around at Talladega in the spring. I know we were all inside the top 10 at one point, running like a high-speed freight train.”
#32 - Bobby Hamilton Jr
Noted: Bobby Jr finished 14th in his only Talladega Cup race in October 2001 in the #4 Chevrolet.
#33 - Kerry Earnhardt
Quoted: “I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to Talladega. After the run we had going in the spring the entire team is pretty pumped up for this weekend. We were running as high as fourth until we were collected by another car in an accident that wasn’t our fault. We’re taking the same car we raced in the spring at Talladega and this summer at Daytona so we like our chances.”
#37 - Kevin Lepage
Noted: Kevin has 8 Cup starts at Talladega with a best finish of 10th in last race in October 2001.
#38 - Elliott Sadler
Quoted: "Talladega is a wild card race. Anything can happen and it usually does. When we went to New York City a few weeks ago we were sitting in about four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. The only difference between that traffic jam and racing at Talladega is 190mph. It is really hard to ask 43 human beings to be perfect for three and a half hours."
#40 - Sterling Marlin
Quoted: “We made some changes to chassis #005. We qualified well here in the spring and just had some bad things happen. Then we took this car to Daytona in July and it did not run well and we did not finish as well as we would have liked. The Coors Light crew has made some changes and I look forward to driving the No.40 Rascal Flatts/Coors Light Dodge into Victory Lane this weekend.”
#41 - Casey Mears
Quoted: “I was really happy with an eighth-place finish in April, but I would like to see what would have happened if the race finished under green. It was awesome running out front in the Target Dodge and leading some laps at a track like Talladega. Running up front at a place like that is a huge testament to the team. I’ve learned a lot with the draft, and it’s all showing. I can go out there and have a lot of fun with it now."
#42 - Jamie McMurray
Quoted: “It’s cool that Texaco/Havoline is going back and paying tribute to the history they have in NASCAR. We got to run a special tribute paint scheme last year at Talladega to honor Davey Allison and it’s neat we’re running another special one this year to honor Texaco/Havoline’s heritage in this sport. I think it’s a nice way to give long-time NASCAR fans something to remember the past by. I can’t think of a better place to run this paint scheme than at Talladega given the history of the Texaco/Havoline car at that track.”
#43 - Jeff Green
Quoted: “You have to look out the rear view mirror a whole lot more than you look out the front windshield. It’s can be a mental game more than actual racing. Don’t get me wrong, you definitely have to have the right skills to put yourself and the car in the right position at the end of the race. You have to know how to use the draft off the guy in front of you and behind you, but it’s more of a chess match than anything else. Moving to the right place at the right time is everything. A lot of tracks, somebody hands me a Coke after the race is over. Talladega is so mentally tiring, I’m looking for a Coke and a Goody’s Headache Powder."
#45 - Kyle Petty
Quoted: “Once the restrictor plates went on these cars for Daytona and Talladega, the racing changed dramatically. The draft always played an important role in those races but nothing like it does now. Before the plates, you could use the draft to pass, to slingshot by. These days, you use the draft to hold onto what you have. I’m not saying one is better than the other, just saying things are different now."
#48 - Jimmie Johnson
Quoted: “I think it’s a love hate deal. If you’re fortunate to make it through the weekend without any problems and miss the big one, you’re going to buy some freedom, some points and be able to separate yourself. If you’re caught up in it, you hate it. You’re going to cuss the points system. You’re going to cuss going to Talladega with so much on the line. I think that’s why there will be more people tuned in and watching than what we had in the past. It’s great for everybody up in the stands. For the guys back here in the trenches, it sure cuts down on the sleep that we get.”
#49 - Ken Schrader
Noted: Ken won at Talladega in Hendrick Motorsports's #25 Chevrolet in July 1988.
#72 - Kirk Shelmerdine
Noted: Kirk finished 26th in his only Talladega Cup race in May 1994.
#77 - Brendan Gaughan
Quoted: “When Mr. Penske and Mr. Bawel joined forces at the beginning of the year, one of their joint commitments was to improve the superspeedway program for all three teams. The guys working on that program feel pretty confident they have made improvements, it is just a matter of seeing where we are now so they can start working on the 2005 program. Ideally, I would like to have a car as strong as a DEI car when we unload. It is no secret they have the strongest superspeedway program right now. I think they raised the bar."
#80 - Carl Long
Noted: Carl has never qualified for a Cup restrictor plate race.
#88 - Dale Jarrett
Quoted: "Every race takes patience, as well as a good handling race car. Talladega requires all of that and the right mixture of good fortune. Like I said, it is a race where one team's fate is in the hands of all 43 competitors. All 43 drivers have to be smart, exercise patience and make good decisions while on the track."
#89 - Morgan Shepherd
Noted: Morgan's best finish at Talladega was 3rd in the Wood Brother's #21 Ford in April 1995.
Quoted:
#97 - Kurt Busch
Quoted: "Talladega is definitely going to be the wild card in the ‘Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.’ If you're running in the top-five during the race, usually you're single file and out of the three-wide pack - that's something you try to position yourself for. If you're stuck in the middle of the pack, there's not much you can do. You don't want to get caught up in that big wreck, so you have to decide if you want to go forward or if you want to hang out in the back and wait for a pit stop to jumble up the field. Qualifying is important, but, if you qualify up front, you can get shuffled to the back quickly if you get into the wrong draft. We'll just see how it shakes up. We have a good car. It's the car we ran at the first Daytona and then here again in the spring, so I'm excited to bring it back. We're second in points by a single point, but I have a feeling that could change pretty drastically considering how these restrictor-plate races tend to go.”
#98 - Larry Gunselman
Noted: Larry finished 34th in his only Cup restrictor plate race in July 2004.
#99 - Carl Edwards
Quoted: “I'm really, really excited to race at Talladega. This will be my first time running there and my first restrictor-plate race. I tested the No. 17 Ford there last week and it helped a little as far as helping me learn the track. Like where the bumps are, the different lines, all that kind of stuff. It will be much different drafting than running by myself though but to be honest, you can test at Talladega for a month and when the green flag drops, it's totally different.”