I'm very happy to put the GAINSCO Pontiac Riley on the pole once again, ... We knew coming into qualifying, because of all the practice black flags, that I would need to go quick early on. It's great to be starting up front, and the whole team has really been working hard to get us here. |
It will be a challenge (for the IRL cars), ... Some guys will be able to do it better, of course. |
Mario (Andretti) was within two seconds of me for the whole race, ... We had a stellar cast. |
Mario was the fastest guy on Firestone (tires), ... The Firestone/Goodyear (tire) war was really heated then. I never had anything I could call a comfortable lead. My car, as it got low on fuel, became more and more difficult to hook up. I had to finesse it (into corners) and go like hell (on the straights). |
Obviously it's great to be on pole again, ... The way things go wrong in these sessions - they're so short - that you have to be absolutely flat out from the first lap. That's basically what our plan was and it seemed to work out. I didn't qualify at the last race at Watkins Glen - my teammate Bob Stallings did - but that's two poles in two qualifying sessions for me, and that 's something we're pretty happy about. |
There was a lot more freedom from a design standpoint, which you can't do anymore in this country, ... Today's drivers are just as brave, just as much gladiators, as we were then. |