Hopefully, in these next nine races we can see some good things that are going to happen for the entire organization. That's what all this was done for.

I wasn't a lap down and, as we've seen, a lot of these races end under 'green-white-checkered,' and there's no free pass in the last 10 laps. I've got to try to stay in front of the leader to try to make sure I give myself a chance to earn as many points as I possibly can.

[Etc.: Jarrett, who has led only two laps this season, has finished 14th or worse in his last eight races to drop out of the top 10.] What we have to do now is get to the point where we can call ourselves a top-10 team, ... Right now, we can't do that.

A good run in the Bud Shootout doesn't guarantee a good run in the Daytona 500, but it is a nice indicator that this part of the program is at least headed in the right direction. The extra seat time is always good to have, and I think there are things you can learn by participating in that race that the teams who aren't competing don't have the opportunity to learn.

It's definitely having an impact. I don't know that you can say yet that it is good or bad.

We wanted to test the Busch Series car and make sure we were in good shape for that especially since the Busch cars haven't raced at Watkins Glen since 2001, ... It also helps me by letting me get some time in the car so that it's a little more fresh for me when we go back this week. I was able to go and get some laps. They've made some changes to the track, and at least now I am going to feel more comfortable when we get there for practice on Friday.