Race No. 13

Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit
Belle Isle — Detroit, Michigan
August 6-8, 1999

	Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes
GREG MOORE
Obviously, the car was a lot better this afternoon than it was in the morning. This morning, when I got into the pits, the Player's guys had the spare car ready to go. I think that's a testimony to the dedication of the people on this team. Since we had to start from scratch with the back-up car, we had to set a quick time early in the session. On the first set of tires, we scrambled around a bit but then we managed to put in a good lap. I think I also left a couple of tenths of a second on the track. Still, overall, I'm quite satisfied.

	Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford
MICHAEL ANDRETTI
I screwed up on my first run at the pole. We decided to make a big change to the setup and again, like Friday, we went the wrong way. Starting eighth is going to be tough tomorrow. This is a tight track where you really have to set up your passes. We are going to really have to work hard tomorrow.

	MCI Worldcom Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota
CRISTIANO DA MATTA
The car in general feels better. We were able to get a good lap in, but by then the tires were six laps too old. The car felt really good this morning, so we decided that since it felt so comfortable for me it would be the one we'd try this afternoon. I'm frustrated that I wasn't able to do better, but everything just came together at the wrong time.

	Pioneer Arciero-Wells Reynard Toyota
SCOTT PRUETT
We made some good progress this morning with the primary car, so it's frustrating that we couldn't go out and build on that during qualifying. We were preparing to experiment a little bit with the primary car, so some of the changes we'd made to it weren't on the back-up car. Actually, it feels pretty good for not having turned a wheel here before this afternoon.

	Kmart/Texaco Havoline Newman/Haas Racing Swift Ford
ROBERTO MORENO
I am very happy with the team. They did a great job. We posted a solid time today with only a little bit of seat time in the car. It's a testament to the guys who work on the car. On one of my quick laps I got a bit sideways which cost us some time so I just decided to bring the car in after that. I am still getting use to the car because it is a much different mechanical and aerodynamic package than the Reynard. Today was a good day, and I hope we can have an even better day tomorrow.

	Herdez Competition Payton/Coyne Lola Ford
MICHEL JOURDAIN
The car was a bit better than it was yesterday and even this morning, but, not quite as good as we needed it to be. It was very loose in the corners which is what caused me to crash. I am very disappointed.

	Miller Lite Team Rahal Reynard Ford
MAX PAPIS
We are definitely on the right track with the car. As I said yesterday, we still don't know our setups that well yet because we have changed a lot of things. We decided to take a different direction with the setup which is very different from what Team Rahal use to run. But, we should be a factor tomorrow. We just need to find that last little bit. Now we know that we are sticking with this setup and we can focus on developing it. I think the first couple of turns are going to be crucial. Getting a good run on people is important. The tires are really soft. Its tough to keep the car under you.

	Shell Team Rahal Reynard Ford
BRYAN HERTA
I lost my telemetry during the session which was a bit of a nuisance. During the session, we made a change but we failed to improve out time. After we put the second set of tires on we just couldn't find any more speed. We just missed a little on the setup. Attrition and pit strategy is going to be name of the game tomorrow. But I think we can get the car to the point where we can pass some people tomorrow. If we are going to get up front we are going to have to pass some people.

	Team Kool Green Reynard Honda
DARIO FRANCHITTI
The lack of track time yesterday certainly hurt us. I've been playing catch-up really. I learn something new about the track every time I go out there. At the start of qualifying, we were working on the setup and the KOOL car felt pretty good. I was just finding my limit each time out trying to keep it inside the barriers, but go that much quicker. I think we were punished a little bit by being in the slower group. There's a lot more traffic and the track is not as fast. The track is usually faster as the day goes on. I'm thrilled to be starting fourth. It's nice to have a good starting spot because you can stay out of trouble in Turn 1. I don't mind passing a few people and having to fight to move up to the front.

	Team Kool Green Reynard Honda
PAUL TRACY
I did two warm-up laps and then really went for it on laps three and four. Unfortunately, I made a mistake on both of those laps in Turns 1 & 2. I was sliding the KOOL car around. My fifth lap, I took it easy and cooled the car down. Sixth, I tried to go for it again; made another mistake. I just got it all together on my last lap. But it was a bit of a compromise. I had to be less aggressive because the tires were no longer at their best. I didn't catch the Firestone tires at the right moment. We were close to getting the pole on the sixth or seventh lap, which isn't optimal. I just backed off a notch and you've got to give it all to get pole. We're happy though. This is a great starting position for us. On the start, I want to slot in first or second if I can. If Montoya gets a jump then that's fine. I'm here to get points. We've got to win the race on the last lap, not the first one.

	McDonald's Forsythe Championship Racing Team Reynard Honda
TONY KANAAN
I made a mistake. It is so hard to get a clean lap and I was blocked again on one of my quick laps, but that's not an excuse. I had a shot to do it and I made a mistake in Turn 12. I lost about 0.2 (seconds) and that's so important here. I am disappointed with myself. I have to think about what I did because I don't like it when I cause my own problems. At the end of the day though, top six is not bad. I think we have a good, consistent car for tomorrow. You need a lot of patience here because it is very easy to go from hero to zero.

	Payton/Coyne Lola Ford
MEMO GIDLEY
We changed motors before the session and we had to scramble to get the O-rings for the radiators connected. That cost us a little time. As for the session, we are getting better and better each time we go out. This weekend is a steep learning curve for us and for me. I am still learning with the team and I have not raced on this track before either."

	Forsythe Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes
PATRICK CARPENTIER
I gave it all I had and the car gave me everything it had, also," said the Joliette, Que., driver. "I lost some time when I had to come into the pits to change the nose cone, but I'm pleased that the car has shown improvement all weekend, from yesterday to this morning, and then to this afternoon. We needed another half-second this afternoon, but it's a tough half-second to go out and get.

	Patrick Racing Visteon Swift Ford
JAN MAGNUSSEN
The time we put up did not really show the improvements we made. Every time the car was supposed to be there we ran into traffic on the track. Our qualifying time looks a lot worse than it actually is. I am just really angry with the way things have been going. Nothing seems to be going our way this weekend. We are just going to have to stay with it all day, continue to work on the car, and take advantages of the opportunities we get. It's going to be tough though.