12 Quotes by Mike Shank

I am so proud of this team and how hard everyone worked to get this result. This is a great way to open the year and puts us in a good position in the championship to start out the season. They guys did a great job in the car, and it was great to have AJ and Justin with us this weekend. Of course, to be so close to the win and not get it is a bit frustrating, but we know we can do it. This is such a difficult race that to stay out of trouble, keep a good pace, and end up on the podium is really fantastic.

It is going to be a challenge for everyone to just finish this race. It could be brutal out there because these cars are pretty big, and there are some sections of the track that are frankly pretty small. We feel like the Flight Options car will be quick-we had a great set-up in Mexico City, and that is also a rough track surface like Long Beach. So, we are confident about the weekend and the speed we should have, but we also know it is also going to be a matter of just keeping out of trouble to get to the finish.

Our performance today was nowhere near indicative of how strong we are, so of course that's a big disappointment for us, to know we had a good chance to get some points tonight and we just couldn't capitalize on it. We're going to be busy gearing up for Long Beach, and will just try and get this one behind us.

Mike and Paul did a great job today. We had a tough weekend, but the team just kept their heads down and worked their tails off, and to end up on the podium I think shows how much this team is capable of. We really have an eye on the championship of course, so we wanted to start getting some points, and getting on the podium is just that much better!

We've been growing, even with the small ads, just because of the quality of the race and the reputation it's had over the years. We have found that the appeal is: the weather is mild, the course is extremely flat, and people just like coming to the beach.

We will be ready to go on Friday no problem. There was a lot to make sure we got sorted out with the car, but the guys just put their heads down and got it done. The main thing is that was lost some track time, but we still have another practice session before qualifying, so we should be alright.

Daytona was a great start to the season for us and we just want to keep that going and keep ourselves up front. This series is extremely competitive, and getting more so each round, so you really have to have your homework done ahead of time. The guys haven't let up one bit since getting back from Daytona, so we feel like we are ready to go.

This is a big event for us. It's such a difficult thing to win this race, you have to have everything go right for you for twenty-four hours straight. I think the fact that there are so many superstars from all over the sport here to try and win it shows just how much people want to take this win, and hopefully we can get through the night without any issues and be in a position to race to the finish.

It just wasn't our day today. It was great to have Paul back with us, and he did a really good job, just driving really smart out there while everyone else was getting a little too excited, so hats off to him, but unfortunately Mike just wasn't able to make the most of it today with the problem we had.