DAVID GILLILAND, No. 38 Love’s Travel Shops Ford Fusion – QUALIFIED 1^st

(PIT ROAD INTERVIEW) “You know, the win last year at Talladega was big for David Ragan and I feel like this is our strong suit for our team. Out there qualifying we knew that anything could happen and Frank Kerr, my crew chief, has worked really hard on this car and it has a lot of speed. We are really looking forward to tomorrow. We are happy and excited but especially happy because of our special paint scheme on the car with Love’s Travel Shop to support our military and a lot of them have signed the hood. This is special and that just makes it that much more special with the camouflage paint scheme and the Fourth of July, so we are going to go enjoy it.”

GREG BIFFLE, No. 16 3M Stars & Stripes Ford Fusion – QUALIFIED 10^th 
“That was interesting to say the least. It is all about getting a run and fall back and getting a run on a guy. It is sort of different because it isn’t really qualifying, you know what I mean? I don’t know what to call that honestly. It is kind of just being in the right place at the right time. That is really what it is. We were. We were in the right place at the right time there. It worked out for us.”  YOU CONSIDER A TOP-10 A WIN ON A DAY LIKE TODAY? “Yeah. We were eighth before final practice and 10^th in this session so we are pretty happy with that. We have a good car.”

CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 Subway Ford Fusion – QUALIFIED 11^th
“That was actually fun. It is a cat and mouse game. All the Fords got together and we did a good job. I think that was pretty good. I am happy with our starting spot and obviously we would like to be on the pole but considering we were set to start 27^th, I am happy with this.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., No. 17 Cargill/Winn-Dixie Ford Fusion – QUALIFIED 16^th
“These plate tracks have been pretty sporty for us the last five or six races. We are looking for that change to be there at the end tomorrow night and see if we can get this Winn-Dixie Cargill Beef Ford Fusion in victory lane. It is the first time Cargill has been with me since 2012 when we won the Nationwide championships with them. We are really excited they are back on. Hopefully we can put on a good show for them. The car is really fast and felt good yesterday in practice in the draft. I feel it is a better car than we had here in February.”  WHAT DO YOU THINK WE WILL SEE IN THE RACE TOMORROW NIGHT? WHAT WILL BE THE KEY TO PUT YOU UP FRONT AT THE END? “I think you want to hang up in the front all night long if you can. We tried that in February and got shuffled back and had some problems but made our way back toward the front when it counted. We will try to stay up front all night long. I don’t think handling will be an issue but I do think the speed in the race car is important and Mike and the guys brought a fast Ford for us.”

MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 9 DeWalt Wounded Warrior Project Ford Fusion – QUALIFIED 18^th
“I was expecting a cluster and that is exactly what we got. I don’t know how to describe it really. It was like bob the apple out there. You don’t know what to do. You could be first, you could be 41^st, it was totally random.”  WHEN YOU GUYS SPOKE EARLIER TODAY ABOUT QUALIFYING STRATEGY, WAS WHAT WE SAW TODAY A PLAUSABLE OPTION? “We didn’t even talk about it because we didn’t have a plan going in. How do you plan for something that is random like that? For me, it is not what I am here to do. I am not here to drive around in second gear at Daytona, I am here to go 200 miles per hour. It is an odd deal but we got through it.”  HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CAR FOR TOMORROW? “I feel real good about it. It is a good piece. I am pleased we got through qualifying and kept it straight. I think we have something for them.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion – QUALIFIED 28^th
“That was pretty dumb. I don’t know. You have to rely on everybody else and we have a pretty small group with just the three of us that are trying to make something happen so you try to tag along with other groups but you don’t know what they are doing. Sometimes they are lifting, sometimes going. It is very difficult to figure out what is going on there. Before you know it you are stopped on the race track and asking yourself what you are supposed to do. It is what it is. Unfortunately we qualified really bad. The fortunate side is we are in Daytona and it doesn’t really matter a whole bunch. There is only so much you can do as a driver and a  team and you are trying to figure it all out and it is frustrating. I am still trying to get my thoughts all together. Overall our Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion is good and we will try to get it into victory lane.”  HOW WOULD YOU FIX IT? WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT? “I don’t know. It relies so much on what other people are doing. I don’t know the answer to doing group qualifying like this. You see in the truck series every week where they are drafting and playing games all week and you come to a speedway like this and it is even worse. I don’t have the answer. I will think about it and let you know when I come up with it.”

DAVID GILLILAND POLE WINNER PRESS CONFERENCE

DAVID GILLILAND, No. 38 Love’s Travel Shops Ford Fusion – YOU WILL LEAD THE PACK TOMORROW NIGHT. TALK ABOUT HOW ALL THIS HAS UNFOLDED FOR YOU. “I think Front Row Motorsports, our strong point is definitely speedway racing. It is something that is circled on our calendar from the star of the year. We put a lot of emphasis on it. We have good speedway cars. The restrictor plate tracks are a good equalizer. David Ragan and I both have cars good enough to win tomorrow and that is an exciting feeling. It is something myself and my teammate don’t have every week. We would like to have that but we don’t. We are looking forward to it. Starting from the pole and having the number one pit stall will help and having early track position, all of that is going to help. Love’s Travel Shop, their partnership with us this year I am really proud of and proud to be here with them starting on the pole with me. Our Support Our Military camo paint job is very special and a lot of veterans have signed the hood and some Medal of Honor recipients signed it this morning. I think that is the secret to the extra speed in the car. I am proud and honored to drive the car and feel like we have 100-percent as good a chance as anyone to win tomorrow night.”

YOU WIFE JUST TWEETED THAT MAYBE THAT WEDDING RING WAS BAD LUCK. CAN YOU TELL THAT STORY? “We were staying at a condo at the beach. We have been here this week and we were swimming in the ocean and it felt like something was under my wedding ring and I reached down to touch it and it popped off. My daughter and all of us looked for it for about two hours in the ocean but that is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Obviously we didn’t find it and that is why she said that.”

DID YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW THAT WOULD GO WITH THE WEIRD GAMESMANSHIP GOING ON? WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THE STRATEGIES? “We didn’t do this style for the 500 and then at Talladega for two weeks we sat and talked about doing this or that or getting with this group or that. We were going to stick together and we had Eric McClure driving a third car and had to make that race on speed and we talked it a lot. Ragan and I and all three of us were like 35^th and back and we never made it happen. It was so frustrating. This week we just decided to not have a plan. We knew what we had to do to make a fast lap, get toward the back of the pack and get a good run and position yourself right. You can’t plan it. You watch it but there is no planning. You can try to get in a group and do this or that but then guys slow down because they don’t want guys to get a run. You just have to go out there and do what you need to make a fast lap and try to make it happen.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK ON THE POLE HERE AT DAYTONA? “It feels awesome. My first pole every in the Cup series was my first time ever here at Daytona for the 500. That was an extra special weekend but this is every bit as special. Bob Jenkins, our car owner, pours his heart and soul into our team and I know he is proud and excited. It is a huge shot in the arm for our team. When you don’t run the best every week, morale in the shop and the guys, things like this go a long way for an organization like ours and I am proud to be a part of it.”

HOW DO YOU HANDLE THIS WITH YOUR TEAM AND MAYBE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO TOMORROW? “They are all pumped up. They were pumped up a week ago working on this car to come here because they knew coming in that this is one of those races that we have a legitimate shot at. Obviously we put a lot in to each and every race but these races are special for us and our guys, they know. They are working every week and the biggest thing is the morale booster and I can’t wait to go to the shop on Tuesday for our competition meeting and see everybody and they will all be walking a little taller. It is neat to watch.”

DO YOU FEEL THIS IS A STRONG TRACK FOR YOU? DO YOU FEEL AT ALL THAT DAVID RAGAN HAS HIS PLATE WIN SO IT IS TIME FOR YOURS? “Yeah, for sure. I think this style of race track is something that anything can happen on and a lot of times you are on the wrong end and the end you don’t want to be on with the big one or accidents and so on but you know, I think for sure that we have been close. We finished third in the Daytona 500 a few years ago and I feel really good about our chances. I love this race track and having the pit stall and everything else is going to make our opportunity and chances that much better.”

CAN YOU QUANTIFY OR EXPLAIN TO US HOW PRESSURE BUILDS UP TOWARD RICHMOND IF YOU HAVEN’T WON AND IF YOU LEAVE HERE TOMORROW NIGHT AND YOU STILL DON’T HAVE A VICTORY, IS IT EVEN MORESO BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN WIN? “Yeah, for sure. Our team with Bob Jenkins, that is what is extra special about him. He doesn’t have unrealistic expectations. We don’t start out the year expecting to make the Chase. We would like to obviously and we want to and we want to get to become a team one year where we are but with the new format and the new rules, if you win and run good enough at the rest of the tracks to earn a good enough points position come Richmond you can make the Chase. Obviously as a team and organization we sit down at the beginning of the year and say that as much as we would like to win at Charlotte our chances aren’t good with the cars we have now but Daytona, Talladega and some of the road courses we can. This is probably the last shot that we feel like we have so we will put a lot on tomorrow nights race.”

YOU MENTIONED ROAD COURSES, HOW ABOUT WATKINS GLEN? “I have always ran better at Sonoma but my crew chief Frank Kerr has ran really well there with Marcos Ambrose so he is promising me a really good car for Watkins Glen and hopefully we have a really good day there too.”

YOU WERE STRONG OFF THE TRUCK. HOW MUCH EMPHASIS DOES FRONT ROW PUT ON THIS FIRST POLE AND WHAT ABOUT DAVID RAGAN STARTING EIGHTH? “Obviously David Ragan and I work really well together and we are really good friends on and off the track. If it was as easy as sitting down and making a plan before the race started the speedway races would be totally different than what they end up being. David and I will look to work together toward the end but to say we will work together the whole race – we will always look out for each other but come the end hopefully we are in position to help each other and it is nice having someone to work with you know will stick with you and make the moves you want to make at the end of the race. That is what it comes down to usually at the end of these races. The first career pole for Front Row Motorsports is a big deal.”

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