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2013 Daytona 500: Tony Stewart NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying Quotes
TONY STEWART, NO. 14 BASS PRO SHOPS/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET SS - QUALIFIED 5TH
YOU WERE THE FIRST CAR OUT. HOW WAS IT?
"I guess it was okay. I don’t know. We’ll see. But so far, so good. I can’t complain. We ran faster than we did yesterday and that was the main thing. But it’s literally just a waiting-game right now and watching the board up there and seeing how we stack up. So it will be a long day of waiting.
DID YOU WANT TO GO OUT EARLY? IS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE IN WHEN YOU GO OUT?
"It just depends on what the weather does. I don’t know. It can change here every half hour. So, I don’t think anybody wants anything unless they know exactly what the weather is doing to do and I don’t watch weather channels."
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE DUEL RACES? WOULD YOU RATHER WATCH THE FIRST ONE AND BE IN THE SECOND ONE ON THURSDAY?
"It doesn’t matter which one we’re in. You’ve still got to just run your own race. We learned enough stuff last night so hopefully we’ll be ready to go no matter which race we’re in."
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 | DID YOU HAVE A GOOD BREAKDOWN AFTER THE RACE LAST NIGHT AND SPEND SOME TIME HANGING OUT WITH YOUR TEAM?
"We talked about everything that we learned. Ryan (Newman) was there and we talked about how the race went and stuff that he’ll want to know getting ready for Thursday. It’s just the stuff that you do when you have multi-car teams like that. We only had one car in the Unlimited last night, so it was important to communicate the information we learned with our teammates."
ALL YOUR CARS HAVE BEEN FAST. DO YOU FEEL LIKE USING MOBIL 1 HAS GIVEN YOU AN ADVANTAGE?
"I think so. The best thing is we have a sponsor on the car that actually contributes to making it go faster, too. They work as hard with our team as our guys do. So, this is a day that showcases what their products are about. We ran a decent speed there I think. So, I think last night and today just showcases what Mobil 1 does."
YOU MUST HAVE A LOT OF PRIDE IN SEEING THE PRACTICE SHEET AND HAVING DANICA PATRICK BE GOING SO FAST.
"To have three cars in the top eight was awesome. It looks really good to see two Chevys sitting there in the top two spots. Hopefully. We’re the only Chevy up there right now but it’s in the spot that matters."
HOW DO YOU SPEND THE REST OF THIS TIME? IT’S SUCH A LONG WAIT FOR QUALIFYING TO BE FINISHED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU GO OUT FIRST
"I’m going to go change my uniform first because I got wrestling with one of my crew guys and it blew the zipper out of my uniform (laughs); so that’s why I’m wearing a jacket. Honestly, I’m going fishing with Johnny Morris with Bass Pro Shops Monday and Tuesday and I’ve got three reels that need line put on them. So I’ll go back and just watch qualifying on TV and I’ll get my gear ready to go fishing tomorrow."
WHAT ARE YOU FISHING FOR?
"Bass."
FOR TODAY, HOW WERE THE CONDITIONS? WERE THEY IDEAL FOR WHAT YOU WOULD WANT?
"As long as it stays the same for everybody, it doesn’t really matter. The biggest thing is being consistent. If the conditions get better as the day goes, it’s not going to be ideal for us by any means. If it gets worse, it will be ideal for us. So, you just have to wait. We didn’t have any gust of wind or anything so we’ll just go do our deal."
AFTER THE SPRINT UNLIMITED, KEVIN HARVICK MENTIONED THE SIDE-VIEW MIRROR BEING IN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT SPOT AND NEW WINDOW NETS MAY HAVE CHANGED DRIVER JUDGMENTS WHEN LOOKING TO THE LEFT.
"I didn’t notice any of that."
MARK MARTIN SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE WINDOW NET, TOO. HE SAID IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE.
"I didn’t notice it. It doesn’t mean that other guys don’t. We’ve all had different window news until now. I think it’s just personal preference in what you’re used to."
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS - QUALIFIED 6TH:
ON HIS LAP
"The Farmers Insurance Chevrolet was fast. We were close. We were right in the hunt. Hendrick engines are very strong; we’re all right there in the top five and the Chevy SS is obviously very good. I feel good about where we’re at. We’re right there. It’s all really close.
HOW WAS YOUR HALF-MARATHON TODAY?
"It was awesome. I enjoyed it. I’m glad I did some training to be somewhat prepared for it and not lose it the last couple of miles (laughs). I made it home, so it was good. I had a blast. And running down the beach was probably the best part. The sun was coming up and it was cold and just running down the beach was really neat."
HOW WAS THE SECOND TRIP OVER THE BRIDGE?
"It was definitely tougher than the first trip over the bridge. We were getting further and further along there. The bridge was tough. And then for me, the last two miles my legs were burning and I was going as hard as I could to make it back."
HOW WERE THE WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING YOUR QUALIFYING RUN? DID THE WIND DIE DOWN?
"It was either the same or it had died down, one or the other. It seems like it died down a little bit. I think we had a great draw and we were right there; we just barely missed the pole. But it was certainly a good run."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE DUEL RACES ON THURSDAY?
"I want to get a little more practice in on Wednesday and try to figure this drafting thing out a little bit more. I learned a lot last night, but I felt like I made some bad decisions at times and I need to work on that and just kind of get my end of the deal together a little better. I just want to learn more and be prepared for Sunday."
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU LEARNED LAST NIGHT AS FAR AS WHAT THESE CARS WILL DO?
"I think, to me, you need race cars out there. The more cars you have on the track, the bigger runs you can get and the better you can just move around and pass cars. The less cars out there, the more difficult it made it to pass the car in front of you or two cars in front of you, and that showed. I think with the big field, the big pack, it’s going to be an exciting Daytona 500 when everybody wants to go."
DO YOU THINK WE’LL SEE A LOT OF SHUFFLING FROM FRONT TO BACK?
"If the guys want to race, depending on who wants to race at what time, there will be a ton of shuffling and a ton of movement front to back. It is a 500-mile race and you want to be there at the end. But the way the car is, and things, it could definitely make for a lot of shuffling."
PaddockTalk Perspective
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