I'd really like to run top 10, and I think maybe we can do that. It's just how soon, I don't know. I think if everything lines up right, you could possibly win a race.

If you give up a lot early, it is really the last 50 laps where you can gain a lot of spots if your car is in one piece. There are going to be incidents throughout the race, and you just have to stay focused on saving your equipment.

Once I get past Texas, the rest of the season will be a breeze. Everybody's pretty excited to race here, but there's definitely some anxiety, some added pressure to succeed. You've got the fans, the sponsors, they all want a good show.

It's definitely the best opportunity that I've had. This is a huge leap forward. When I walk in, I see more than four guys working on a race car. I see more than two race cars. I see equipment everywhere. I see engineers.

It was a tough day. We started off OK, but it seemed like we could never get the car to handle the way we wanted it to. I probably drove more defensively then I should have, but that's what I wanted to do this first race run the race and finish.

To me, it's like a ramp up. This is the high point. Get past Texas and as a team and as a driver, we'll be able to develop on racing and developing a team. ... Just coming out of the gate, get through Texas in good shape and the rest, I think, would be a breeze.

We're not throwing in the towel. I wish we were running a little better.

Troy and Roger aren't getting into this just to be there. They are successful people who are doing this to be competitive and win.

We've got our eye on that 21 car in the owners points. It will be hard to beat those guys because Kevin has had some strong runs and Childress has dominated the series over the last several years,

Without a doubt, this is the best opportunity of my career. I kept pinching myself to make sure it was real.