Chicagoland: Dodge teams race quotes

JEREMY MAYFIELD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) -- Fifth

"We did everything we could today. We had a good Dodge, but we just didn't have a good enough car at the end of the day. But we gave it all that we've got. That's what we knew we had to do today. We had to come out here and get a top-five finish for this Dodge Dealers Dodge, because we've got to get points. Maybe we couldn't get the win, but we've got to get those points, and we've got to get in that top 10 for the case for the championship. But man, we gave it all we could. Right there at the end it started getting tight on us and getting away from us a little bit, and we just had to get in there bring home this top five. These guys were great, making this Dodge better and better all day. Starting 19th and getting up there up front to lead laps at Chicago for the first time was pretty amazing. Every time we get out here we run better and better. We led for like the 10th time this year, so its good to have us out front again and again, and it just gets us that much closer to winning that race. We know it'll come soon. Kenny Francis, and this Dew Crew just never gave up on us, they kept us up front today. We weren't as fast as we wanted to be in practice this weekend, but those guys kept working on it and gave me a great Dodge when we needed it.

"I don't know about the situation with Kasey and the No. 20 car. I didn't see it. I heard a little bit about it, but I didn't see it and I can't really comment on it. I don't know. Tony Stewart doesn't really bother me. Maybe he's a little more afraid of me than he is of Kasey. I'd say bring him on. I'd like to see what happened if he bumped me."

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge) -- Seventh

"We missed a shift at the end, and couldn't keep the track position that we had late in the race. We missed on an air pressure adjustment on our last stop, and that kept us from getting back in front to run for the win. We did the best we can, though. We've been needing to catch a break lately. If we can just catch a break every now and then, and stay out of the other guys' messes, you'll see us rattling some top 10s and top fives again like we should be. We're happy to bring home a top-10 today."

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) -- 11th

"It was a great run all day long for us, I thought. The four-tire call at the end was definitely the right way to go. I got trapped in the middle, and little Waltrip got underneath me and we lost a couple of positions there. But, the biggest thing I screwed up on was, I was sitting there running sixth. I drove down into turn one, and I got up alongside the No. 25 car. I got super-ass loose and barely saved it. It went on, but I lost about three positions there. But, coming in at the very end there, with about 20 laps to go, to put four tires on was definitely the right call. That got us back up in there. All in all it was a good day. It was a good points day for us.

"I thought it was a good day, but it was just so gosh-darn hot. I can't believe how freakin' hot it is at this place. For some damn reason they put this place and the Brickyard in the middle of the freakin' most hottest place in the world. They need to move the dates it's too damn hot. Other than that it's a great track."

CASEY MEARS (No. 41 Target Dodge) -- 15th

"We were running top-five, and we got a piece of debris on the grille. The motor was getting way too hot, and we had to come in. It put us a lap down. We ran second that whole next run. We were a lap down, but we were running in the second position. Tony was fast enough where he passed the No. 24 car, and instead of us getting the lucky dog a slower guy did. It was just an all around tough day. Finally the next time a caution came out, which took forever, we got a lucky dog pass. But, we had only three laps to go. We just didn't have a whole lot of time to get back towards the front. It's just disappointing really, because we had such a good car.

"Our car was just as good at the end of the race as it was at the beginning. It was just that we were running in traffic. You can't run as good in traffic as you can up front."

BRENDAN GAUGHAN (No. 77 Jasper Engines and Transmissions/Kodak Dodge) -- 30th

"The Penske Jasper team can't catch a break right now, whether I make a mistake or we just have one of those racing deals. Today was a racing deal. I am excited because that was without a doubt the best racecar that we've had all year. Honestly, that racecar was even better than Bristol. Once we came back out after we changed our deal, we ran in that fourth place hole and I was running there like, 'Wow, we're keeping pace for a change.' The guys have been working hard on getting us new equipment, better equipment and getting some of that technology -- and they are. We've just got to catch one of those breaks and start chipping away. We're really excited about the next bunch of races. At Loudon we have another brand new car. At Indianapolis we're actually going to run our first Penske chassis. So we have a lot of new equipment coming in the next couple of weeks and if this racecar is any indication, we're going to make a run for that Raybestos championship."

KASEY KAHNE (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) -- 36th

"We had a pretty good racecar. When we took off, I was in third gear and right as I was getting ready to shift into fourth I started getting a little loose. As I pulled it into fourth gear my car turned right and went into the wall. Obviously, the No. 20 was in the back of me and just put us up into the wall. I don't know why he would do that, or what happened there. He had the car to beat all day. All he needed to do was go through a couple of corners, and he probably would have passed us.

"We had a great car. We kept working on it, getting better and better. It's just a matter of being in open air, clean air. We were back up there, so hopefully we were going to be able to stay up there and work on the car and have a shot at winning at the end.

"Right as our light came on my car started sliding a little bit in the back. I was kind of steering it and steering it, and right as I pulled it into fourth gear I got hit. I guess he was up under me and spun us into the wall. I don't know what he was thinking. Our car hadn't restarted very well all day long. We were just going up through the gears. If the car in front of you isn't going fast, you can't just turn them into the wall on the restart."

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