Conversation: B. Said

Q: When you first came to Nextel Cup, did your reputation precede you or did you have to build respect in the garage area?

Said: That's a good question. I never really felt like an outsider, like Days of Thunder, where guys are going to ram you off the track or anything. It was the opposite, really.

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Will someone give Said a full-time ride?

Boris Said drove the No. 60 Ford to a 14th-place finish in the Daytona 500. Josh Pate would like to see Said in that car every week.

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I don't know if it was because I came in kind of helping people with their road racing or not. On the track, you need to gain respect, and that's driving with a little give and take and not being an idiot. I hope I've done that.

I haven't made too many people mad: Jeff Burton, one time, is the only time I can remember them coming down with clubs and torches after the race. Other than that, you just gain respect by how you do on the racetrack.

Q: The last eight months or so, ever since the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, has that increased your confidence?

Said: I just think I need more experience on the ovals to do well. I feel pretty proud that the small team I put together is 5-for-5 in races we've attempted to qualify for.

At Indy, it was a really hard race to make, and the Daytona 500, a really hard race to make, and then to go out there and actually be running decent ... I just think the more and more I run, the better and better I get, and the more confidence I get.

Q: Is there a goal you've set for yourself?

Said: Actually, I set goals every year. I told my wife this year I've got four goals: 1), to make the Daytona 500; 2), to win a Busch race; 3), to win a Cup race; and 4), I'm trying to become a BMW dealer, trying to get a BMW franchise.

Q: Of the four, which one is the hardest?

Said: I thought the Daytona 500 would have been pretty hard. Now, to win a Cup race is not easy. For that matter, neither is winning a Busch race. There's just 43 really good guys -- and it's just tough. (Continued)