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Thursday, 29th April 2004

Day one of the Indianapolis group test passed off largely without a hitch, and it was established circuit pacesetter Penske which led the way from Robby Gordon's impressive privateer effort.

Today was, I wouldn't call it qualifying, but closer to qualifying set-up. We'll probably stay above 20 gallons tomorrow all day and just try to have some information in the bank. Thomas Knapp is my engineer. He's very good here at the Speedway, closest ever come to winning the race was in '99. And I thought, when we put this package together with Meijer, that I would try and get as many people in the past that I worked with that I felt were quality people and let them do their job.

That's kind of what we have going on with the Busch car. I own the Fruit of the Loom Busch car, but I have a guy that worked with me at Walker named Bob Temple that runs that programme for me completely. So, even though I own the car, I drive the car like Sam and Helio do. I show up and tell them what's wrong with it and try and make it better and go away from it. I don't really have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis. I have some really good people involved in the company.

Q:
Helio and Sam, the first test last time was 217, and today it's already 219. How fast do you think you can go in two weeks from now or three weeks?

HC:
I think it's difficult, 220,223. I think probably a little faster, not only the track, it's four miles an hour, probably engine manufacturer both is probably going to come with some engine, you're going to have like a whole month until the race, and, I don't know, I'm predicting 225 would be the fastest. Hopefully it will be me. Hopefully everybody will be slower, but I'll be - I hope it's going to be like that.

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SH:
A lot of that first test, everybody was trying to get all of the bugs worked out. It was a new-car set-up with the rear wickers that we have to run now and the wicker running up the car and the ride height. Everybody was kind of trying to hit it. It was a pretty windy day that day, too, and a lot of it is just, everybody finds new things, and you know, there's not a whole lot of time between now and the beginning of May. So I don't know how much speed is going to be picked up. I think somewhere between, you know, 222 and 223, somewhere probably, that's probably going to be a good speed to run if you can be over 220 for the four laps consistently depending on what the weather is like, you'll have a pretty good shot of being in the top half of the field.

Q:
With the extra horsepower, going into turn three, were you all flat or were you having to lift?

SH:
I was pretty flat. Once in awhile, it gets pretty gusty down there. You not only have the wind to your back, but you're trying to turn the car into the wind at the same time. So, you know, it was the case where quite a bit of understeer today. So, it was more of working on the car so that you had good grip there, but not that you had so much that you couldn't carry the speed around the rest of the track.

RG:
I guess that's where they beat me, I had a lift.

MC:
It used to be when a driver announced he was doing the double, that it was viewed as this gargantuan task, and you've done it so many times, you've made it look, I don't want to say easy, but that's the first word that comes to mind is the fact that you have done it so many times and you know the routine, is that what makes it somewhat easier for you to pull it off and make it look simple?

RG:
A lot of that is the teams that you do it with. Last year, I think we finished 14th at Charlotte, and that was disappointing because I think, with 14 laps to go or something, it started raining, and we were running eighth and came down pit-lane and worked on the car. And that was 14 cars on the lead lap, and unfortunately we got a 14th-place result because we never went back racing again. What is good is we can come race inside the top ten in both series, and I think a lot of that is the teams, obviously sponsors, which help the teams, and experience just doing it enough times, coming to Indianapolis, thousands of miles here, and I enjoy this place. Charlotte is a big event for us on the Cup series, and we're going to go there and test sometime I think during the first week, fly over to Charlotte and test for an evening, do a one-night test there so that we will start Charlotte with a little bit of practice, as well.


Is the wicker a problem?

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