WINSTON SELECT 500 PRE-RACE NOTES

JEFF GORDON (No. 24 DuPont Refinishes Chevrolet) -- You learn every
time you're out there -- either what you can do to stay in the lead
or what you can do to get past this guy. The whole time you're
thinking, 'What can I do, what can I do?' You're trying to get up
closer, looking to the inside, looking to the outside... The thing
about Talladega -- it doesn't really matter how the car handles. At
Daytona, at the end of a run, the car had better be handling.
You've got to keep looking ahead and it's instinct. You can't think
about what to do -- it's got to be 'boom,' and you go.
     The biggest thing is patience. it's frustrating here if you
know you've got a car that can lead but you're running 10th or
12th. If you drop out of line you might go back to 15th or 25th.
The guys who can run fifth or sixth in line all day and keep their
water temperature down, those are the guys who can be there at the
end. (interrupting questioner) I still haven't found the happy
medium between patience and aggression! It takes a good two or
three years and even then...

MIKE WALLACE (No. 90 Heilig-Myers Ford) -- We have a totally brand
new car from the ground up. The team took a lot of time building
what is its first complete superspeedway car. This is the first
time I've had a brand new speedway car. We're hoping for something
special -- a little better than what we had. We've run pretty good
on the superspeedways -- now we're hoping to win a race. We lease
motors from Power Tech Engines in Concord (N.C.). We had a top 10
car at Daytona in February until we cut a tire and ended up
wrecking off (turn) two.
     (ON THE SEASON) The biggest change this year is that (crew
chief) Bob Johnson and myself have had some time to work together
finally. We're understanding each other, I believe, to a certain
degree. We've struggled this year. We've had good runs, but in the
middle of them we've had mechanical problems that have bit us. It
seems any time we're running good and have a shot at gaining a
bunch of points something goes wrong. This is a tough sport and a
tough business. We've just got to work hard and keep digging on it. 

BOBBY HILLIN (No. 77 Jasper Engines Ford) -- This car replaced the
one we wrecked in the Gatorade 125 (at Daytona in February). It was
finished at 1 o'clock Tuesday morning, right before we went to
Daytona to test.
     (ON THE SEASON) It's been a frustrating year -- up and down
(qualifying for only four of eight races). We've got two good
sponsors, Jasper and Federal Mogul. They're sticking with us and in
the second half of the season we're hoping to make them proud. (ON
THE STATE OF NASCAR WINSTON CUP RACING) Let me put it this way:
Before the year's out, I believe a provisional starter will win a
race. Ernie (Irvan) was a provisional starter (at Martinsville) and
he finished second. That'll give you an idea of the competitive
level of Winston Cup. It's never been this way before. It's tough!

BUSCH BEER SECOND ROUND QUALIFYING FOR WINSTON SELECT 500

JOE NEMECHEK (No. 87 Burger King Chevrolet) -- We got to try a few
things today. The car we are driving is the car that we wrecked at
the Daytona 500 and we haven't had time to test it. We got it back
real close to where it was down there. We qualified 18th at
Daytona. We only got three runs yesterday (in practice) and today
we were able to make seven or eight runs and we got to try a few
things. That's why we were able to pick up some time. It is hard to
come into a place like here and Daytona and be fast right off the
truck. If you don't test, you don't really know. We kinda did our
testing this morning and were able to find a few things to make us
a little faster.
     (ON THE WINSTON SELECT 500) We haven't drafted with anybody.
What we want to do is to get out there and at least finish the race
tomorrow. This is hopefully a turning point for our season. Our
season has probably been the toughest one in my life. Anything that
could go wrong has went wrong and this is a good morale booster for
this team.

MARRIAGE PLANS: Pennzoil Pontiac car owner Chuck Rider and Carolyn
Fischer have announced plans to be married on Nov. 16 in Hilton
Head, S.C.

SEEN IN THE GARAGE: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Joe
Ruttman, the runnerup in the inaugural 1995 series who now drives
for Jack Roush. "On the one side, this is the best position I could
be in. On the other side there's a part of me saying, 'if only...'
I'm dedicated to the truck but I want to stay attuned to what's
going on and not get too far out of the scene. It's the best of all
worlds at this point. (LOOKING BACK AT 1995.) It was amazing. I
knew, and I know today, that given the right opportunity I could
run up front in a Cup car. I call it 'losing the draft,' or your
reputation loses the draft and they don't think you can do the job.
It was Marc Reno who saved me and had confidence and when the truck
deal came along I got that ride (with Irvan/Simo Racing) because of
him. After one year in the truck they're saying 'Maybe he still can
drive.' This is the best situation that Joe Ruttman has ever been
into in motorsports, and I've been into a lot of good deals. That
tells all. I need to pick up a little bit more but I think we can.
     Last week I had the opportunity to repay some of that. I came
down and tested with (Jeff) Purvis. Maybe I lent a little bit to
'em and picked 'em up a tenth or so. I would've loved to seen 'em
qualify in the top five. It makes you feel good to do a little
development and everyone benefits."

MOUNTAIN DEW 500k RACE NOTES

MARK GIBSON (No. 59 Issac Leasco Ford) -- We got knocked into the
wall! I mean, people don't know that if they hit you once, that's
bad enough, but when they hit you twice that's ridiculous. Some
folks don't have any sense -- they're all over the race track. I
don't know -- inexperience I guess. We had a good car today. We had
a lug nut fall off during one of the pit stops and that got us
behind but we could get back to the front at any time. We were just
trying to pick our way back through and follow the right people,
but we followed the wrong person one time and it cost us my car.

PERRY TRIPP (No. 6 WW Transport Chevrolet) -- We had the car
running really well today. We got a lap down there early when we
got mixed up in a deal with ARCA and we had to pull in and take
something off the car that they (ARCA) said was dragging. I was
just riding around today and following the guys and doing the best
I could. All of a sudden the right rear tire cut down and there I
was. (ON INCIDENT WITH MARK GIBSON.) We were running in a real
tight draft and all of the guys were running real good -- running
conservative but running tight and giving each other lots of room.
We got into that turn (one) and I got squeezed up a little bit by
the 44 car and then the 59 car hit me in the rear end. I got loose
and he got looser. It's a possibility we could've picked something
up there in the tire, because we didn't come in and change.

MOUNTAIN DEW 500k POST-RACE NOTES

TIM STEELE (No. 16 HS Die/CIMLINC Ford) -- I was wondering if we
were gonna win this thing the whole time. It was definitely a race.
I got back in traffic, I lost the draft and I think I learned a
little bit today: What to do and what not to do; what this car
likes and what it doesn't like. It ran out of gas coming onto pit
road. They had to push it into Victory Lane but that's OK. It was
real close and we knew it was gonna be a gamble but sometimes you
come out on top -- sometimes you don't -- and we did today.
     Everybody on the crew agreed and Tom (Sokoloski, crew chief)
just kept telling me to wiggle around and give them dirty air. They
coached me through it and it came out great. It's my wife, Brenda's
birthday tomorrow so 'Happy Birthday!' This feels great.
     (ON LAST FEW LAPS.) I thought I had the advantage when I was
on the outside because my car works really well out there. I got
inside once and I didn't seem to run as well. If they were going to
pass me on the inside I had something for them, but if they decided
to pass me on the outside I probably would've gone backwards so we
wanted to be sure and stay outside. When I saw the white flag I
said 'Just one more lap baby, just one more lap.' I knew we had a
car that we could race with them. When I was racing by myself I was
faster than the other guys that were in the draft. My crew did a
great job on the car.

TOM SOKOLOSKI (Crew chief No. 16 HS Die/CIMLINC Ford) -- The car
was pretty much perfect off the truck. We changed a sway bar,
springs and we were good to go. The biggest problem we had was just
being patient and waiting for cautions. We all came close (on fuel)
and everything worked out good. (ON LAST FUEL RUN.) We just made a
gamble. Everybody else came in for gas and tires and we stayed out.
We figured with the cautions that it ought to work out. We knew it
was gonna be real close but the more caution laps the better we
were gonna be and it paid off. No way we were gonna come in!

MARK THOMPSON (No. 66 Midway Island/Phoenix Ford) -- It was the
best and most competitive ARCA race that I've ever been in. I mean,
there were probably 10 cars that thought they were in contention
the whole race. It was pretty clean driving -- there was just a
couple of guys I thought were wild out there. Overall it was just
a good race and I was real pleased, but I would've been happier
winning. I couldn't get anybody to help me all day -- I mean not
one soul the whole day could I get a hand from. I felt like a lone
stranger out there just fighting away.

ANDY HILLENBURG (No. 52 ACDelco Chevrolet) -- I really thought we
had a good run going there at the end. We got beside him (Tim
Steele) but when you're in that Chevrolet-Ford mix at the end and
you're the only guy in your camp it kinda leaves you out in the
cold. Our guys will get back and get the car ready for Charlotte
and we will try to get them there where the draft doesn't count.

JACK SPRAGUE (No. 44 Quaker State 4x4 Chevrolet) -- Our guys worked
their butts off and we came home with fourth place with probably a
seventh or eighth place car. We're pleased with the results of our
first ARCA race. Our car is banged up a little bit -- some of them
guys out there get a little bit excited -- but hey, that's just
racing. We'll take a fourth place finish -- that's not too bad.

JEFF McCLURE (No. 50 UAW/HamBeens/Healthsource Ford) -- We were
just a little bit short of motor and we had to work hard in the
draft and keep somebody either behind us or in front of us all day.
My boys did a good job in the pits and got me out quick. We got a
lof of spots here and there like that. We got to beating and
banging one time and knocked a fender in and had to pit to fix
that. But we're not complaining. We're tickled to death to finish
fifth. (ON RUNNING DOWN SHANE DOLES FOR FIFTH.) It was hard work
baby! I drafted under caution even, it seems like. I had to help it
all I could help it!

BOB HILL (No. 46 Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet) -- (ON LATE PIT
STOP.) We ran out of fuel! Then, we were running by ourselves and
with three laps to go the left front tire went down. Somebody
messed up on the gas is what happened. They told me we could go all
the way and we couldn't. We should've pulled in. It looks better
than it did at Daytona, anyway.

JOHN RAY (Car owner No. 2 Zack's Mesquite Grill Chevrolet) -- The
water pump belt came off it. He came in with two laps to go when it
overheated, the water pump belt was gone so that was it. He ran
good before that and was pretty well pleased with the way the car
ran. He ran some awful good laps when he and that 33 car (Harris
DeVane) got hooked-up. Getting somebody to draft with you is tough
when you're a kid. But we're pleased. We ran good and got some good
experience out of it. There's a good side to everything, I guess.