Each week, we’ll go through media reports, interviews, PR and all our own stuff to find the best quotes from the Nextel Cup race, capturing the story of how the weekend unfolded. It’s the most original commentary you’ll ever find: the truth, coming straight out of the mouths of the drivers, crew members and the car owners themselves. This week, here’s a sneak peek at what a select few were thinking following the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway:
“That was tough racing. Matt was crowding me, and I was trying to move him up a little bit… and we were doing all that at 190 mph. It was pretty intense… I was really disappointed that Matt [Kenseth] was able to hang on so long with two tires. I think I was too focused on the prize, and I was pretty crossed up a couple of times. I do know we’re racing for the championship… and now we have control of it, I guess.” – Jimmie Johnson
“We just flat out got beat [Sunday]. We just weren’t very good right from the start. There at the end was the best we were all day and night. We made the most of it. It was a disappointing day, but I’m happy for Jimmie and those guys. They did an awesome job.” – Jeff Gordon, finished seventh
“We raced a long time, but [Jimmie] was probably pretty confident I wasn’t going to wreck him. I didn’t give him much extra room at all. I felt like I was sideways the whole time. One time, [I] just about spun out. That would have been bad. I’m glad I was able to gather that up and keep going.” – Matt Kenseth, finished second
“It was a tough day. We finished not where we were running. The Miller Lite Dodge was a little better, but we just kept getting too loose.” – Kurt Busch, finished eighth
“It was a weird race. The car was tight. It was loose. Whatever it was doing was unpredictable. It was doing so many things in so many weird parts of the racetrack that it was a handful.” – Tony Stewart, finished 11th
“We did the best we could with a car that just wouldn’t cooperate. I can’t carry that thing on my back all day. It’s hard to explain: it was loose… it was tight… it was slow. It ain’t no fun to run like that, but we hung in there and stayed on the lead lap.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished 14th
“It was a long day for us. We could never get a handle on the car. Right from the get go, we were way too loose or way too tight, and never could find a balance in it. We ran our brakes a lot here today and I don’t know why – I can’t explain it. It was a long day all together. Considering we got a top 25 in today’s race – we’ll take it.” – Brian Vickers, finished 23rd
“That’s a couple of top-15 finishes in a row for the No. 19 Dodge Charger. It’s fun when you’re making progress, and we’ve done that in recent weeks. We want to turn those top-15 finishes into top 10s these final two races.” – Elliott Sadler, finished 12th
“It’s a shame. That’s just the way our luck has been going lately. Something broke in the motor. The car started off really tight and the guys got it freed up. We were running in the top 15, and all a sudden, we dropped a cylinder.” – David Reutimann, finished 43rd
“We’ve said the last few weeks that our goal is to finish strong and finish in the top 25 in owner points. We had a good points night tonight, and we just need to have strong runs at Phoenix and Homestead to accomplish that goal.” – Tony Raines, finished 20th
