RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 US Marines Luczo Dragon Racing, qualified sixth): “I was a little too conservative on the first lap and the modifications we made right before qualifying didn’t work. Starting position is so important here and sixth is a good spot. After I got up to speed the car felt really good, it was consistent and I think we’ll have a good car tomorrow. You have to have a smart strategy here. It’s a long race, the conditions will be difficult at night and the car changes a lot. We’re very fortunate to have our pit too, there’s a lot of space on the way in and out. Hopefully that will help us tomorrow.
E.J. VISO (No. 13 PDVSA HVM Racing, qualified seventh): “I think we did a good job. This little achievement shows that testing is very important, and obviously, the development we did here a couple weeks ago is paying off right now. It’s also important to qualify close to the front at this track, being one of the most difficult tracks to overtake in the championship and being such a criminal track last year in the race. Less than 10 cars finished, and that means that were many accidents. Obviously, you want to be as close to the front as possible to have fewer risks in front of you.”
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HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 27 Formula Dream, qualified eighth): “I think we have a decent car. I wish we could’ve started farther up the field, but you never know how the race will unfold. The track was getting better as qualifying went on, so I really don’t know where we would’ve qualified if we went out later. I hope to make my way through traffic tomorrow night and have a strong finish.”
DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Boost Mobile/Motorola, qualified 10th): “It has been a frustrating day for the whole team. We were really strong here last year, and we are completely off our marks this year. We have to put our heads together and hopefully we can figure out what we can do between now and tomorrow. Richmond is a difficult track to pass on, so we are we need to be strong on the start, any restarts and in the pits to make up for it.”
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