Daytona 500: They said it

"Fifteen years ago I was sitting in the grandstands in the Seagrave Tower. ... It was awesome. Listening to my dad on the radio spotting for me, all the other things -- all the other emotions, all the hard work, all the people that gave me a shot racing quarter midgets, midgets, sprint cars, Silver Crown cars. I have to thank everybody, including the fans."
- Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 12 alltel Dodge

"Anybody that didn't win tonight is disappointed. ... It is the biggest race. I mean, if it wasn't a big deal it wouldn't bother you, but this is the Daytona 500. If you know you've got a car that's fast enough to win and you don't, you know, you're devastated over it."
- 3rd place Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet

"If (Stewart) would have jumped in front of us, I would have pushed him. He stayed low, and that gave the opportunity for Newman to jump up in front of us. So maybe he did think twice before he jumped up high, that it was me up there.
"Instead of worrying about who it was, he should have just went there."
- 2nd place Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, on whether he had any reservations about working with Stewart in light of last week's Budweiser Shootout practice crash

"I don't know how I stayed out of trouble. I got hit on every corner and was sandwiched in the draft. They had my rear tires off the ground and the nose against the guys in front of me. It was just a handful. I don't know how I survived it."
- 10th place Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford

"We were just slow. Our car just woudn't go."
- 14th-place Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell Chevrolet and 2007 Daytona 500 champ

"The worst part about it is having to wait another year to try again."
- 24th-place Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet, who spun while racing for the lead through the tri-oval on lap 184