“As exciting as this week has been (after his victory at Dover), we realize you can’t celebrate too long in this sport. While you’re busy patting yourself on the back, all the other teams are getting ready for the next race. The guys were back at the shop early Tuesday morning working on our Pocono cars; they didn’t take any time off. That just shows how hungry we are to keep this momentum going.

“Even though I’ve only raced twice at Pocono, I feel like I’ve already gotten a pretty good feel for the place. We had two good cars there last year and got a top-10 finish in the second race. Each turn is different so setting up the car properly is vital. We’re bringing the car we qualified seventh with at California, so I’m feeling pretty confident about this weekend. Our DEI engines have been strong this year and we’re really gonna need that horsepower to get down that long frontstretch.,/p>

“Personally, it’s cool for me that a lot of fans from New Jersey always come to Pocono. It’s always nice to have some support from my home state.”

Martin Truex’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stats for Pocono Raceway:

2 starts, 399 of 400 laps completed (99.8%), 0 laps led Win: 0 (0.0%) Average start: 16.0 Total Winnings: $195,641 Top 5:0 (0.0%) Average finish: 17.0 Top 10: 1 (50.0%) DNF: 0

Quotes from Dale Earnhardt Jr. / Driver, #8 Budweiser Chevrolet:

"It's mixed emotions this week. The loss of Bill France Jr. is sad for anyone who works in the sport because of what he achieved in his life and how his leadership means a lot of us can make a good living doing what we love to do - and millions of people across the country can enjoy NASCAR every Sunday. On the other hand, everyone at DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) has to be pumped up and proud of how well Martin (Truex Jr.) and the entire company performed at Dover. To get a win like that lifts everybody's spirits and it's something that motivates and inspires the company from top to bottom. Anytime a DEI team wins, they fly a checkered flag on the flagpole in front of the shop. It's been awhile since that's been up, so it's a welcome sight, and it makes everyone want to see it raised a few more times this year.

"Forget the 22nd-place finish (at Dover). That Bud car was among the top-five cars from the start of practice on Friday until the race ended. If the rain hadn't washed all the rubber off the concrete, I think we would have been right there battling Martin for the win and not wearing our tires down to the cords. We can't worry about the bad luck that's in the past, but we can focus on the positives and build on how well we've run this season. We're halfway to the Chase, and despite everything that's happened - all the bad breaks and the flat tires and being penalized 100 points - we're only a few points out of 12th place. Our engines have been strong and really pulling hard lately, and my cars have been handling great. We'll need every ounce of that horsepower at Pocono, where the straightaways seem to go for a day and a half."

Cup Car Facts: #053, finished 42nd at California in February

Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at Pocono Raceway: Previous Starts: 14 Best Start: 5th(June 2003) Best Finish: 2nd(July 2001) This Race, Last Year: ST: 11th/Fin: 14th Top-Five Finishes: 3 Top-10 Finishes: 4 Laps Led: 89 laps led/4 races led Top-10 Starts: 2 Average Start:16.93 Average Finish: 18.79 Career Winnings: $1,300,049

Primary Chassis this week: #042... most recently raced at Atlanta(finished 14th)

There have been 58 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Pocono Raceway since the first race there in 1974. While Paul Menard has yet to turn a lap around the Pocono Raceway, the Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate is looking forward to his double duty weekend at the 2.5-mile Long Pond, Pa., track. Not only will Menard focus his attention on making a solid NASCAR Nextel Cup Series debut at the track, but the Dale Earnhardt Inc. backed team will race in Saturday’s ARCA event.

Driver Paul Menard was heavily involved in the planning of the set up of the ARCA car. Crew Chief Mike Grechi and Menard came up with two solid setups to try in Friday’s practice. Grechi brings the experience from his past achievements at Pocono. No stranger to ARCA Series success himself, Menard went to Victory Lane in the 2003 ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Paul Menard on the Pocono 500: This will be the last track that I haven't been to on the Cup schedule. Any time you go to a track for the first time there's always an excitement and nervousness at the same time. I'm looking forward to the challenges the unique layout will bring.

Paul Menard on the Pocono 200: It’s great to get back to the ARCA Series. There are some really talented drivers and teams that compete in the series on a regular basis so we’ll have our work cut out for us. But our goal is still to go for the win and more importantly to learn things that may help our Cup car for the weekend.

Nextel Cup Primary Car: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chassis #038/ Back up Car #037

Last Used: While #038 hasn’t been run yet this year, last year’s showing were particularly strong. Not only was this the car that Menard drove to a seventh place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March of ‘06, but it is also the car Menard brought home in 20th place at Michigan Int’l Speedway in August. DEI put a new body on it this month and hopes to have similar success with #038 at Pocono.

Race Facts: 200 laps / 500 miles Qualifying: Friday, 3:30 p.m. (ET), SPEED Channel Race: Sunday, 12:30 p.m. (ET), TNT TV, MRN Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio