Boris Said, driver of the No. 08 No Fear Racing Ford Fusion, was the highest-qualifying Ford and will start ninth when the green flag falls tomorrow. He is still looking for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win and hopes to achieve that tomorrow with the help of the Wood Brothers pit crew.
Could history repeat? Remember, the Wood Brothers pit crew helped Jimmy Clark win the 1965 Indianapolis 500. Ford Racing spoke with Said and got Wood Brothers co-owner Eddie Wood on the telephone this morning at his home to talk about their arrangement.
BORIS SAID – No. 08 No Fear Racing Ford Fusion – YOU’VE RUN ALL KINDS OF CARS ON ROAD COURSES. HOW IS THIS CAR TO DRIVE ON THIS TRACK? “It’s kind of like riding a bull in a China shop. My Ford Fusion is over 850 horsepower and the tires aren’t that wide compared to a sportscar. We don’t have a lot of downforce, and then you put in the 43 guys that are like Dobermans with hand grenades in their mouth, especially this weekend with double-file restarts. It’s gonna be an exciting race for the fans.”
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO SUNDAY TO GET A GOOD FINISH? “Goodyear brought a new tires, so I really think to be consistent on the tire. It’s a softer tire, so it’s gonna go away and I think it’s gonna be a tire conservation race – who can go the longest. Our Ford Fusion gets unbelievable gas mileage, so I think our last stop is gonna be a long run to the end and, hopefully, that will get us good track position.”
CONSERVATIVE? IS THAT POSSIBLE FOR YOU? “Like yesterday in qualifying I pretty much had a restrictor plate on me. Frankie (Stoddard) put it on me because he said, ‘If you spin off and make a mistake, we’re going home, so let’s just get it in the show.’ That’s the important thing to be here racing for John Carter, who put a lot of effort into this and this is probably the best qualifying he’s ever had, so I know he’s gonna be happy when he gets here tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to see him.”
PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT YOU AS A CHANCE TO WIN HERE AND SOMETHING ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAPPEN. DO YOU FEEL IT ALL HAS TO COME TOGETHER ONE DAY? “I hope so. It’s just that for a part-time guy it’s hard because, one, I haven’t driven one of these cars since February in the Twin 150’s. These guys are the best in the world at what they do and they’re in these cars week-in and week-out, and we throw some guys together and show up every three or four months, so it’s just tough. That’s a bigger uphill battle. We’ve been really close a lot of times and I’m not giving up. That’s my goal is to someday win one of these things.”
IS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE ON SUNDAY PIT ROAD? “This weekend we have Bill Elliott’s guys, the Wood Brothers 21 crew pitting our car, so I’m really happy about that. The Wood Brothers have been really nice about helping us out.”
EDDIE WOOD, Co-Owner – No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion – HOW DID THIS ARRANGEMENT COME ABOUT? “We spoke a few weeks ago and Boris mentioned he was going to run Sonoma and didn’t have a pit crew, so since that race wasn’t on our schedule and we had no intentions of going, we offered up our guys. Boris Said helped us out at Watkins Glen a couple of years ago and has done a lot to help our road racing program overall,l and he’s just a friend. In fact, we’re trying to find some money to take Boris to Watkins Glen in one of our cars. We haven’t been successful so far, but we’re trying because there aren’t many better on a road course than him. Really, it’s just a case of friends take care of friends. He needs something and I’m glad we’re the ones who can be able to help him out. I’m sure he would do the same for us.”
