Mid race quotes - Freedom 100.

"It is very frustrating. We had a great car and a great weekend going. To start and just run a couple of corners and then have the yellow come out, it just teases you. We will have to wait it out and see what happens, but it is a nice feeling to have a good car under me." - Ed Carpenter

ED CARPENTER (No. 14 Futaba/Delphi/A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"It is very frustrating. We had a great car and a great weekend going. To start and just run a couple of corners and then have the yellow come out, it just teases you. We will have to wait it out and see what happens, but it is a nice feeling to have a good car under me."

AARON FIKE (N0. 91 RFMS/Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"We only got half a lap or three-quarters of a lap up to speed. I think we have a good car. We got a couple of cars at the start of the race, but I can't tell you what kind of race it's going to be. I don't know if it's going to be as bunched up as I thought it would be or not. I know it will be a close race. No one will walk away with it."

On the delay:
"Mother Nature has not been special to us today. We'll still have a good race car. We got through Turn 1, and we were single-file, so I think it will be a good race."

ARIE LUYENDYK JR. (No. 5 Grill 2 Go/Smith & Wesson Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"The start was not so great for me. I fell back a few positions. It was kind of a blessing in disguise because the big accident happened right in front of me, and I was able to avoid it. So I thought our luck had changed for this year, but it turns out that the alternator caught on fire. We don't know why. It put us out of the race. I just feel bad for all of the great sponsors that came on board. Smith & Wesson came on board for this race, and Grill 2 Go stepped up to be our major sponsor. There are a lot of people out here cheering us on, and we were definitely going to make a run for the win here, so I'm a little disappointed."

Did you see the accident happen in front of you?:
"(Matt) Beardsley just got loose on his own, and Thiago (Medeiros) couldn't avoid him. He went high, but that's where Matt went. Everyone just really wants to do really good in this race. I think they all got on it a little too soon. That's why I fell
back a little bit because I had to see how my car was before I could go full bore. I'm glad I didn't get involved in the wreck, but unfortunately we had this fire, and it put us out."

MARK TAYLOR (No. 4 Fulmar Panther Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"It's really disappointing. We had enough time to maybe finish the race. It's difficult to explain. The front row was behaving themselves. I don't think anyone else was. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the laps. Hopefully we'll be able to get a run in tomorrow. If not, it's very disappointing to not get to run at a great place like this."

Did you run enough to know who had the stronger car between you and the 14 car?:
"It would have been interesting. We were very close. We both got away on that second restart, and it would have been a really good race with him. It might change tomorrow and the cars will change, but it should still be close."

MATT BEARDSLEY (No. 12 Alpine Bank/Old Republic Land Title Dallara/Infiniti/ Firestone):
"I went into Turn 3. The car got just a little loose. Someone got behind me and took the air off the back of the car. I got a little wiggle, I got it back, and it just snapped around. I knew it was too far. I just tried to hold on and get on the brakes. The thing hit pretty good."

JEFF SIMMONS (No. 20 Western Union Speed Team/Duesenberg Dallara/Infiniti/ Firestone):
"On the start, I had a pretty good run, just not enough to get into the lead. We never really got a chance to feel the car. We never really got up to temperature. We had a little problem on the second restart where my car just started to die. I guess it was just going richer and richer on the gearshifts."

How did it feel going into Turn 1 on the first lap of the Freedom 100:
"It was good. I wasn't really thinking about the fact that it was Indy at that point. The whole time around on the warm-up laps, I was thinking about that. But once we started, I was just trying to position my car and give the guys room in front of me when I realized I wasn't going to be able to get by."

JONATHAN URLIN (No. 3 Budget Rent A Car Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"We were feeling really, really good. We had the right gear setup. We're there. I don't know if our actual handling setup is there yet because we didn't really have time to get going good, but I think once we get up to speed, we'll definitely be all right. I'm looking forward to going back out."

About the start:
"It was so good. I can't even believe it. Everybody slowed down -- I think they were just kind of intimidated with all the cold tires on the first lap of the Freedom 100 -- but I kind of took it a little bit quicker and gained four positions, so I loved it. I loved it more than anything else we've done here this week. I'm really happy. I think we're looking really good if we can continue this race."

How does the rain delay affect you?:
"It's fine. I'm going to grab some water, shake some hands, talk to my family and get back out there. This is a new thing for me. I've never been able to be in the pits, dressed in street clothes, but still be in the middle of a race. It's kind of crazy, but it's all right. I'm just going to fill my belly and say hi to people."

CORY WITHERILL (No. 92 WSA Healthcare Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"It wasn't too bad considering we started seventh and moved up to fifth. You can't really complain about that. We knew we were starting in the fourth row and had to pace ourselves and take out time to move to the front."

Were you close to any of the incidents?:
"I got a view. It happened right in front of me. Basically what happened was I think it was Matt Beardsley. He was right in front of me. I just passed Thiago (Medeiros), and Beardsley was in front of me. I go to his left, and Thiago goes to my left, and we're going three (wide) across into Turn 3, and I'm in the middle, and I thought: 'This is not right. I don't think this is going to work.' So I backed off the throttle and let the two cars go. One was really low, and one was really high, and I thought, 'They aren't going to see each other.' The next thing I know, Thiago goes diving underneath the other car and just loses and cuts the wind out of Beardsley, and both of them crashed into the wall. I don't think they made contact right at the very beginning. One lost it being too long, and the other was in the wrong place and the wrong time and had the wind taken off his wings."

BILLY ROE (No. 37 Bowes Seal Fast/Hoosier Wholesale Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"I started in the wrong gear on the restart, which looked like a blessing in disguise because I was with all those guys that crashed. Going down the back straightaway the transmission just popped, and I didn't have any gears. I was just coasting. And now I'm walking."

GARY PETERSON (No. 27 Automatic Fire Sprinklers Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone):
"I was just trying to stay out of trouble and keep away from the fast cars. I think our cars, Nos. 25 and 27, will both be good cars in the race. They are both set up well. We just need to get green-flag laps."