Best #8 Team Radio Chatter of the Day
During the pace laps before the race started.
Ty Norris (team spotter) "I can see you clearly down the backstretch but I
may be guessing everywhere else."
Dale Jr: "That's OK. I'll be guessing a lot myself."
Seconds later, as Dale Jr. slowly drove past the Budweiser pit area, one lap
before the start of the race:
Dale Jr: "Hey y'all get off that wall there, you guys need to get ready to
work tonight. We got some work to do. And tell that (PR guy) to get the hell
back. He's in the way there."
Dale Jr. requested a slight adjustment of one-quarter pound of air pressure
the left rear tire during the first pit stop. After running a few laps at
top speed, he radioed the crew to check on what change was made.
Dale Jr: "I'm loose off of turn two for some damn reason. I feel like I'm
gonna spin out back there every lap. Tony Jr., what did you change on
this?!"
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief) "We added a pound in the left rear."
Dale Jr: "A pound?! I said a quarter-pound! You won't listen to me?!"
Tony Jr: "We can't make that small of an adjustment."
Dale Jr. "What?! Are you sayin' I can't tell the difference in a
quarter-pound of pressure, 'cause I can! I asked for it and you didn't
listen. Damn man, I am more valuable to you than you'll ever know."
Tony Eury Sr. (crew chief): "No, he meant our tire gauge won't read that
small of a change."
Ty Norris: "Hey, you're all worth a lot to each other, my brothers!"
When teammate Steve Park was in second position, Dale Jr. attempted to help
Park fend off the advances of Matt Kenseth, the third place car.
Dale Jr: "Ask Steve what he wants to do. Does he wanna run high or low? Let'
s pretend I'm driving the 1 car (Park) right now. You tell me when the 17
car (Kenseth) has a run on the 1 car."
Ty Norris: "He has to run high to stop the 17 car from passing him on the
high side."
Dale Jr: "Alright, then we'll see who's gonna help me, OK?!"
Dale Jr. saw most of the action in his rear-view mirror tonight.
Dale Jr. "They're racin' like hell back there!"
Tony Jr: "That looked like a pretty nice save there, driver."
Dale Jr.: "Well. what can I say?!... (long pause) I got a good car here. I'm
just showin' 'em my ass."
As the race neared its conclusion, the team debated whether to change no
tires, two tires or four tires on the final pit stop. When the yellow flag
flew on lap 142, the team decided to take four tires.
Dale Jr. "If I get four tires, I'd like it. but if I NEED to race these guys
with no tires or two tires, I dunno about that. But, I'm pretty comfortable
now. No matter what, I'll drive my ass off."
Ty Norris: "Everybody else seems to be saying four."
Tony Eury Sr: "OK, pit this lap."
Dale Jr.: "Alright now guys, everybody calm down. Let's do things like there
are 100 laps to go, OK? What do y'all think? Two or four tires?"
Tony Eury: (as Dale Jr. rolls down pit lane toward the pit box): "OK, four
tires. Four tires."
As the race approached the final green flag with six laps to go, the Bud car
was in sixth place. Dale Jr: "I wanna win this one pretty bad. If we don't,
we shoulda. I'm sorry."
Joey Meier (secondary spotter, located along the back stretch) "Jr., you've
been great. The five cars in front of you haven't been able to keep up with
you all night. If you can believe it, it was that 31 car (Mike Skinner) that
started that big crash."
Dale Jr: "Why wouldn't I believe that?!"
Joey Meier: "I was being facetious."
Dale Jr: "Yeah, so was I."
Teammate Michael Waltrip slid into second place with two laps to go, and
slotted himself on Dale Jr's back bumper to the finish.
Ty Norris: "That's the 15 car right behind you! That man is committed to
you, I know it. He is committed to help you. (as the last lap begins) He's
gonna stay with you. just protect the bottom of the race track. just like he
did in the 500. protect the bottom. You got it! You got it!"
Now does that sound like a driver that knew he was going to win? It
sounds like a driver determined to win!!
Thanks David for the full update. Some of it was hard to hear on the
scanner.
Dave Thirion
Mvovr1
"David L. Cook" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<FJB27.76449$[email hidden]>...
