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Pontiac - Indianapolis Brickyard test quotes 2002-07-15

BOBBY LABONTE, NO. 18 INTERSTATE BATTERIES PONTIAC GRAND PRIX: THOUGHTS ON TESTING THE CHEVROLET AND PONTIAC "Well, we've only got two laps on the Monte Carlo right now. We're still trying to figure it out. We've got the Pontiac here also, ...

BOBBY LABONTE, NO. 18 INTERSTATE BATTERIES PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

THOUGHTS ON TESTING THE CHEVROLET AND PONTIAC "Well, we've only got two laps on the Monte Carlo right now. We're still trying to figure it out. We've got the Pontiac here also, trying to work out some bugs in it. So far we're doing okay but thankfully we've got tomorrow too."

ON RUNNING THE MONTE CARLO AT THE BRICKYARD 400 "Well, that's why we are here these two days - to figure out if that's what we are going to do or not. If I had an answer I'd tell you, but I don't right now."

ANY MIXED FEELINGS ON MAKING THE SWITCH TO CHEVROLET? "We've got to look toward the future. Right now we're racing a car that's many years older than the other cars. There's nothing wrong with the Pontiac, we just feel that this is the best decision for our team."

THOUGHTS ON BEING BACK AT THE BRICKYARD "It's always exciting to come here. It's definitely always a challenge. The track is pretty good right now and we're going to learn a lot these next couple of days."

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PONTIAC AND CHEVROLET "That's kind of premature. We tested both cars in Texas, too, and at that time we were a little better in the Chevrolet. Today we're not. We're running the same speed in both and they are pretty identical. We're going to test a lot with it to get used to it."

THOUGHTS ON THE RACETRACK "There is a lot of grip on the racetrack. It's got more grooves in it. I notice that there is more grip on entry than anywhere else. We've basically brought two totally different cars than we've had in the past so we're trying to figure it out. I don't think the track will be too much different from last year."

COMPARE THE BRICKYARD TO OTHER TRACKS "To me this ranks up there with the best. One reason is because I've won here. This track is a different kind of animal compared to Daytona. It's a car-and-driver track. But it is becoming more of a car track than a driver track."

JERRY NADEAU, NO. 10 VALVOLINE PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

THOUGHTS ON TESTING "So far so good. We got a pretty late start this morning and only got in 15 laps. The track seems really good and it has a lot of grip. This Pontiac Grand Prix is working great. I think the tires are wearing a lot more than they ever have in the past. The more laps you put on the car and the more wear on the tire, the car starts to get tight. I think you are losing more front grip because the tires are wearing more. But other than that I think the track is pretty decent. I think we will know a lot more once we make some more laps on the racetrack."

THOUGHTS ON BEING AT THE BRICKYARD "I love this place. I've got a lot of good memories here. It's a very exciting place. I can't wait to come back. It should be a lot of fun."

STACEY COMPTON, NO. 14 CONSECO PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

THOUGHTS ON DAY ONE OF TESTING "We need to be a little quicker. The track looks like it's got a bunch of grip right now. We're completely in race mode at this point. I think we'll be okay. We want to get into qualifying mode a little bit later on or maybe even wait until tomorrow. But right now we're just trying to shake the car down. We're trying a couple of things before we go into that qualifying mode. So, we'll see what happens. It's always great coming here. There's a lot of history here and of course it's home to Conseco. A.J. will always have his mark here too, so we need to come here and run really good."

-pontiac-

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