Toyota NSCS Charlotte All-Star Post-Qualifying Notes & Quotes

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Sprint All-Star Post-Qualifying Notes & Quotes
Charlotte Motor Speedway – May 17, 2013

4th, KYLE BUSCH
6th, CLINT BOWYER
7th, DENNY HAMLIN
8th, MARK MARTIN
16th, MATT KENSETH

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Snickers Bites Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position:  4th
How was the qualifying run?
“Everything was pretty good right there, but felt like I gave up a little bit in the middle of (turns) three and four.  Other than that, I felt like our Snickers Bites Camry was really good.  Race speed was really good today and the car moved around the race track really good.  Just a little bit of a mistake on my part, maybe and gave up some time.  It will be a good top-four starting spot and we will be alright and we can race them from there.”

Do you like having pit stops during qualifying?
“I think it’s pretty neat.  It’s once a year and it’s good for these guys to get out here and showcase their talent and post up good pit stop times.  It’s fun for the guys.  I think that is what most of this is all about.  I wish there was a few more like this — I think it’s pretty fun.  The no pit road speed — that’s okay I guess.”

What is the strategy for the race?
“Stay up front, win every segment and get two million bucks and go home.  Sounds easy — we’ll see what happens.”

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position:  6th
How was the qualifying run?
“Just needed a little bit — I’m a second off or something.  Our lap could have been better, I could have been better coming onto pit road — all those little things add up to being so close.  Pretty exciting deal and pretty wild.  Let me tell you, that’s about all you want coming onto pit road at one of these mile-and-a-half tracks like that.  I’m glad that they cleared pit road because I just knew that somehow I was going to climb over that pit road wall and make an embarrassment out of all of us, but thankfully I got through it and so far not so bad.”

What is the strategy for the race?
“Avoid having to do that (no pit road speed limit) wide open down the pit road, because if you do that then you’re completely out of control or somebody done spun you out.  You just go for it — it’s a million bucks, nothing to lose so you might as well win it.  One million dollars — we’re going to have a hell of a party.  It’s done, I got it, I’ve already won.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position:  7th
Is it different having no pit road speed limit?
“It’s different for sure.  Everything is pretty similar, you’re just running faster for just a little while.  It’s a little unsettling, but it went a little less eventful than what I thought it was going to be.  Wasn’t too bad of an effort.”

What is the strategy for the race?
“I think that you’re going to have to have a fast race car, but most of all you have to play your strategy right.  Starting where we’re starting it’s going to be hard to win all the segments so we have to concentrate on having the best average finish for those three or four segments.”

MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position:  8th
What was it like having no pit road speed limit?
“I have missed that (no pit road speed limit) and I certainly appreciate the safety factor, but I have missed it.  It is an exciting element to our sport.  It’s too bad that it’s not safe for our guys over the walls.  One of the best things they ever did was instate the speed limit, but it takes away a little bit of the thrill on entry and leaving.”

What is your strategy for the race?
“Try to win however you can — figure it out as you go.  Try to have the best, do the best.”

MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing (continued)
Why did the team choose to do left side tires first?
“They had practiced that stop and I lost time leaving pit road and couldn’t get the rear tires hooked up coming down through there so I feel like I lost speed there.  There was more there, but we don’t ever do it.  You can’t judge it and you can’t practice it very much.”

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Home Depot/Husky Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position:  16th
How was the qualifying run?
“I think the car was okay and I think my lap time was okay — it wasn’t record setting, but it was okay.  I just did a very, very poor job getting to pit road.  I was going way too slow.  It was disappointing — you always want to try to be your best at everything.  I didn’t do very good at that for sure.”

What is it like having no pit road speed limit?
“It’s kind of cool, but it was just hard to do it for the first time.  You try to practice, but there were cars all over.  I was planning to be a little conservative anyway because I certainly didn’t need to wreck our car to get on pit road and was just going way too slow.”

What is the strategy for the race?
“You want to win the last one is your goal.  We have to approach it like any other race and just race as hard as we can and try to figure out when we’re going to pit and what we’re going to do there and hopefully have a good car and be up there to win.”