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“No doubt, I want to win Indy again,
but right now we’re in a dogfight for
the world championship and that has to be our
priority. Of course, winning Indy would definitely
help our cause. With only six races left in
the season, we have to make every one of them
count.” — Tony
Schumacher, winner at IRP in 2000, 2002, and
2003, on the drive to maintain his 141-point
lead over D. Kalitta
“As well as we’ve been running,
it’s hard to believe we don’t have
a round win yet this season. It’s not
for a lack of effort; we just haven’t
been getting any breaks. I’d like to
think that maybe we’re saving them all
for Indy and we can translate that into a win
light or two. If you’re going to do it
anywhere, that’s the place to do it.” — Brady
Kalivoda on the chance to turn around his season
at his first U.S. Nats as a driver
“This is the biggest race of the year
and I think it would be a really good place
for us to get our first NHRA win.” — IHRA
Top Fuel champion Clay Millican on arriving
at Indy with high hopes
FUNNY CAR
“This race is its own little championship,
and at IRP it’s all about going fast.
This track, more than any other one, kind of
hangs in there with the heat. We have two night
sessions this year and since positioning yourself
as high as you can in the field is a primary
goal, it’s going to take a big number.” — Cruz
Pedregon on the challenge to qualify well for
raceday
“I’m telling you, it is going
to be so weird to wake up Tuesday morning and
not drive the race car. Because you’ve
driven it Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
It’s every day of getting to drive the
HEMI Oakley hot rod. There’s nothing
better in my life than driving a 330-mph Funny
Car.” — Gary
Scelzi on the unique five-day format of the
U.S. Nationals
“People can get too tense with the whole
Indy atmosphere. I’ve got a different
way of looking at it. I just go out and have
fun. It’s really no different than any
other race, we start with 16 cars and we end
up with one. You shouldn’t change your
entire game plan just because it’s Indy.
I’m going to drive the same as I do in
Englishtown (N.J.) and try to win the race.” — Tommy
Johnson Jr. on his approach to the Indy experience
“I grew up around my uncles (Art and
Jack Chrisman), who were drag racing pioneers.
They’re both in the drag racing hall
of fame, and I know all about the importance
of the U.S. Nationals.” — Jerry
Toliver on his lengthy knowledge of Indy, although
he didn’t make his first on-track appearance
there until 1998
“It’s pretty cool that your first
Indy (as a driver) is the 50th anniversary.
It makes you feel special, but I’m trying
not to get too caught up in it because, if
you get too emotional, you find yourself thinking, ‘Geez,
I can’t win this. This is Indy.’ “ — Eric
Medlen on controlling his rookie jitters
“When you think of Indy, you think of
Big Daddy, the Snake, Shirley, and all the
amazing history that has taken place right
here at Indianapolis Raceway Park. You’re
in very select company if you win it. It would
be a huge deal, and the highlight of my career.” — Phil
Burkart on the mystique of the U.S. nationals
“Just being able to compete at the 50th
U.S. Nationals is a great honor for me and
my team. There’s 25 cars entered for
just 16 available spots to race on Monday and
we’ve spent the past week preparing and
stocking up our war chest for what I’m
sure is going to be a battle just to qualify.” — Bob
Gilbertson offering an assessment of the immediate
task at hand
“If we can continue our qualifying streak
there I would be really happy and, of course,
we’re still looking for that first round
win of the season. But right now our goal is
just to qualify for Indy and we’ll worry
about everything else later.” — Jeff
Arend on his hopes to extend a 10-race qualifying
streak that began in May
“I start getting amped up for Indy weeks
in advance. You dream of winning this race
every year, but this season it’s even
bigger as the 50th Annual. You imagine it,
and want it, and work so hard for it. I’m
pretty wired at every race we go to, because
I love what I do and I’m a little tightly
wound to begin with. But believe me, it all
gets turned up a bit at Indy. The dials get
turned up to 11.” — Del
Worsham on going Spinal Tap at Indy
“Indy is one of the hardest races to
win because—almost
impossibly—everyone’s able to raise
his game just that little bit more than normal
and you think that you are always giving 110
percent all year. But when you come to Indy
you somehow find that extra concentration and
you find that extra performance in the race
car that’s hard to find anywhere else.
And I think it’s because winning Indy
means more than winning any other race. So,
believe it or not, you want it more. And you
find more ways to perform head to head at the
highest level.” — Whit Bazemore,
a two-time Indy champion, on the effort it
takes to prevail at IRP
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