"I'm not sure how much of an impact lane choice is
going to have tomorrow. The right lane came around this
afternoon after everyone complained, which suggests they
treated it differently." --
Warren Johnson after qualifying sixth
"That tells us we need to pay a little more attention
to details." -- Greg Anderson
on qualifying seventh
"That's a nice welcome-back present. I'll take anybody
I can. I'm just glad to be here." --
Richie Stevens, back in NHRA P/S after a two-year absence,
on having to face two-time defending series champ Anderson
in the opening round
"The Top Fuel and Funny Cars preferred the right lane,
but it was kind of different in Pro Stock. I don't know
why, but it was. We got stuck in that bad lane. I think
that's a lot of the problem; not all of it, but a lot of
it." -- Stevens after shaking
the tires in his first-round loss to Anderson
"The track had cooled a little between rounds, and,
as a result, it actually stood up pretty hard on the launch
in the semis, and I could feel it spinning. It ran through
the middle part fairly well, but when I put it in high gear,
it spun really hard and shot to the centerline. Still, I
knew it had been a decent run, so I expected to see the
win light come on." -- Kurt
Johnson on losing to a holeshot by his father in the semis
(Zak Hawthorne photo)
"I guess I'm still not completely used to this car,
as I'm sitting over to the left about an inch and a quarter
further, and I was apparently pointing to the left at the
starting line. Basically the car went that way and got out
of the groove. It's just one of those things. I'm not sure
we would have had enough steam to beat him at this point
in time; however, given these initial results with relatively
untested equipment, give us time." --
WJ after finishing runner-up to Connolly
"Everything went very smooth for us today. It's not
very often that happens and I guess you have to take advantage
of the weekends when it does." --
Connolly on his fourth career P/S win (Zak Hawthorne photo)
"I didn't really get nervous racing Warren. The guy
has done a lot for the class and you have to respect his
accomplishments. I don't know if I've ever even raced him
before. Certainly to beat him in the finals is a huge deal
for anyone." -- Connolly again,
on defeating Johnson, a 92-time national event winner
