This is only the beginning of a 14-race season for us, and the fact that we finished 13th in class means we'll go home with 18 championship points that we wouldn't have if we'd have just quit. Everyone, our engineer Kyle (Brannan) and the crew chief, Terry (Wilbert), the whole crew just dealt superbly with anything and everything that was thrown at them, and let me tell you, everything got thrown at them.

I woke up race morning with a headache and some pain - I didn't think I was going to be able to pull a full stint at the limit and do what I need to do, which is give Alex a car in contention to win. This was a tough race for us - but being in the top-10 in points even with all the problems we've had is something we can build on for the season.

They did not specify that I had to run the race from the beginning, ... about a block and a half from the finish - and I entered it immediately behind the fellow who was leading the race. He looked over his shoulder and there I was, fresh as a daisy. This poor man put on a desperate sprint, which is quite a feat if you've run 26 miles, and he managed to cross the finish line before I did, which gives you some sense of my speed.

It's easier at the beginning of the race because the tires are fresh and I still have a lot of energy, as well. The last 10 laps slowed down because I took it easy if someone wasn't willing to let me pass.

Beginning next Thursday, it's a rat race around here until the end of the season because of the state tournaments.

We tried to zero in on how to better market the educated work force.