Race No. 12
US 500
Presented by Toyota
Michigan Speedway — Brooklyn, Michigan
July 23-25, 1999
Saturday Quotes from Michigan: |
Pioneer Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota Qualified: 5th |
| SCOTT PRUETT | |
| "Today was a huge step forward for us, but it really shows where the Pioneer Electronics team and Toyota are and what we're capable of achieving. We've had a great car all weekend, and the guys on the crew pulled really hard to get the car ready for me today. They've all done an amazing job, and I'm proud to be a part of this with them. The car was flat-out all the way around, and it felt great out there. We've really been focusing on running the car in traffic to prepare for race conditions. We just kind of trimmed the car for qualifying this morning, and we figured we'd just give it what we could this afternoon. We got everything out of her that we could find this afternoon. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. The team and the equipment are ready for the next 500 miles. The trick will be to have smart pit stops and stay on the lead lap." | |
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MCI Worldcom Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota Qualifiedn: 10th |
| CRISTIANO DA MATTA | |
| "I was flat out all the way around without a problem. I have to give all the credit to the guys on the MCI WorldCom team. We had an engine problem at the end of the practice session this morning, and they worked really hard to change the engine in time for me to qualify. They did the engine change in something like 50 minutes, which is incredible. It's a lot of hard work to do that. I'm very comfortable in this car at this track. The Handford device makes it a little trickier to drive in traffic, because the guy behind you can pick up a draft and pass you very easily. Tomorrow will be an exciting race." | |
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Team Gordon Swift Toyota Qualified 25th |
| ROBBY GORDON | |
|
"This is definitely a first to qualify and wind up last.
I've
been disqualified in tech before and had to start to last, but to go out
and
try to qualify with a result like this is really disheartening.
Actually,
it looks like as of right now something happened to Jourdain to put him
below us, but it still doesn't make things better. I feel bad for the
team. Everyone works hard every weekend trying to give me good car. But
we just don't
MIKE HELD (co-owner)
STEVE ABRAHAMS (hospitality manager) | |
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Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes Qualified 21st |
| GREG MOORE | |
|
"Our qualifying position is far less important here on a super oval because
this a particularly long race," remarked Moore, who put in a fast lap of
32.204 seconds (223.575 miles per hour), while Carpentier clocked 31.729
(226.922 mph). "Also, the start isn't as trying or nearly as dangerous for
contact as it is on other tracks." Moore, who is seeking his second win of the season, said the race is "strictly a question of strategy, with seven, maybe eight pit stops." He expressed confidence that the Player's team will be among the contenders at the end, noting that "our engine is very good on super ovals." | |
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Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes Qualified: 12th |
| PATRICK CARPENTIER | |
|
"Qualifying here is not of utmost importance," reiterated Carpentier. "For
us, the main thing is that the car is stable and the engine is solid. The
improvement on the car between yesterday and today is quite impressive.
This morning's practice session was great, as the car drove well in
traffic. I'm very confident, along with the guys on the Player's team, that
our efforts and planning will pay off top dividends tomorrow."
Both Moore and Carpentier demonstrated at last year's U.S. 500 that qualifying positions on this speedy super oval do not carry that much significance. Moore, the Maple Ridge, B.C., driver, qualified 14th at Michigan in 1998 and ended up winning the race with a thrilling last-lap pass of Jimmy Vasser. Carpentier, the Joliette, Que., driver, started 21st on the grid last year and was down two laps at one point before launching a stirring comeback to finish eighth. | |
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Tecate Beer/Quaker State Patrick Racing Reynard Ford Qualified: 2nd |
| ADRIAN FERNANDEZ | |
| "Yesterday the car was very strange. The car was very evil. It was loose and it had a push. I just couldn't drive it. I felt the rubber (on the track) was a big part of it but then you saw other cars going quick. But this morning we made a lot of changes and I think we found the problem. This morning the car was very quick and well balanced, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to figure out the new wings on the 1999 Reynard because it is a little bit different. On my qualifying run we were a little loose. I wanted to take two warm up laps and on my first flying lap I wanted to give the car little bit of push because it was a little bit too neutral. But instead of hitting the weight-jacker I hit the fuel mixture. When I realized it, I was entering turn one and right in the middle of the turn I was trying to set it back to zero which is normal fuel. That cost me a little bit because I could feel the hesitation in the engine. After that I saw my first lap was 229.4 and I lifted a little bit in turn one. I don't know what is happening in Turn 1 this year because it seems to have two different levels. I don't remember it being that way last year. I knew on my second lap if I kept my foot flat I was going to hit the wall like I did last year in Fontana and I didn't think it was worth it and decided to just bring it home." WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN THE RACE TOMORROW? "You are just going to need a good racecar for tomorrow. It's tough to know what to expect especially after the rubber is put down from the trucks. At Homestead for the race the track was terrible (after the trucks ran). We have to be very careful how we set up the car for tomorrow because I don't think anything we did today is going to help you tomorrow because the track is going to change a lot. It's going to be a guessing game." | |
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Herdez Competition Payton/Coyne Lola Ford |
| MICHEL JOURDAIN | |
| "The car has too much drag but there isn't anything we can do. We have not grip in the corners either. I don't know what we can do. It is frustrating. The guys are working very hard right now to make the car better. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow but I think we can improve." | |
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Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford Qualified 4th |
| MICHAEL ANDRETTI | |
| "I didn't think I was going to have such a strong run today. So, it good we did. I am very happy right now. We made a change right before we went out and based on what Christian came back and said and the car was better. I have to give credit to the Ford engine. That thing was strong" | |
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Patrick Racing Visteon Swift Ford Qualified 22nd |
| P.J. JONES | |
| "My car is perfectly balanced and we ran flat out all the way around the track. We are just slow. I have no idea why. We can't run faster than 222 or 223 mph by ourselves. By myself we should be running 227 to 228 mph but we are not. We are not even fast enough to be in the draft for tomorrow." WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO TOMORROW? "It's going to be a long race, but for us, it's going to be a long, long race. We are struggling. The only thing I can do is go wide open and I have that down but we just can't get out of the 223 mph range." | |
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Miller Lite Team Rahal Reynard Ford Qualified: 6th |
| MAX PAPIS | |
| "I am really looking forward to tomorrows race. I really want to win an oval this year. We were a little on the loose side during qualifying today. I would say we had a good run. We were aiming for the pole today and came up a bit short, but, it's nice to be in the first three rows for tomorrows start. The Miller Lite guys did a great job and I am looking forward to the race. I think we will be strong tomorrow." | |
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Shell Team Rahal Reynard Ford Qualiified7th |
| BRYAN HERTA | |
| "The track was a little more slippery during qualifying than it was in practice this morning. The car feels comfortable. I think the car is pretty good and I am looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe we could have trimmed out the car a little more and gotten a better result. I am pretty happy we got a solid run in there though." WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE TOMORROW? "You can go from tenth to first to tenth in two laps as everyone saw last year so it's going to be exciting. We just need to stay clean so we can be there at the end." | |
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Kmart/Texaco Havoline Newman/Haas Racing Swift Ford Qualified 16th |
| CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI | |
| "Our run could have been a little bit better. I had the car wide open but we didn't have anything more in it." WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TOMORROWS RACE? "I think it will be a good race. We definitely need to finish the race first and make sure we have a competitive car at the end. The key for tomorrow is having a car that works well in traffic. It's long race and I am sure we can improve the car tomorrow and be there at the end." | |