RACE FACTS & NOTES OF INTEREST

WHAT: Pepsi 125      Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series Race No. 9 of 14
WHERE: South Sound Speedway, Tenino, Wash.   .375-Mile Paved Speedway
WHEN: Saturday, August 3, 2002 – 8:30 p.m. PST
DISTANCE: 125 Laps/46.875 Miles
POSTED AWARDS: $30,250

FIELD: 22 cars possible. Fastest 15 cars through time trials with two provisional starting positions available to the top 30 drivers based on the current 2002 Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series, NASCAR Touring Championship point standings, two starting positions from current top 30 car owners in the 2002 Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series, NASCAR Touring Championship point standings, one position for a former champion of the series who has not qualified in the original 15 positions, the final two positions will be filled by the top two finishers in the Qualifying Race.

SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR)

PROMOTER: South Sound Speedway 1995, Inc.

CONTACTS: Doug Pace, NASCAR, 509/469-4401

Butch Behn, South Sound Speedway, 360/273-6420

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, May 11
Noon Garage opens

1:00 p.m. Mandatory Crew Chief’s Meeting

1:15 p.m. Draw for qualifying order

2:30 to

3:15 p.m. First Practice Session

3:45 to

4:30 p.m. Second Practice Session

4:45 p.m. Mandatory Driver’s Meeting

5:00 p.m. Mandatory Rookie Meeting

5:45 p.m. Time Trials (2 Laps). All positions

6:45 p.m. Trophy Dash

7:00 p.m. 15-lap Qualifying Race

8:30 p.m. Pepsi 125

THE RACETRACK: South Sound Speedway is a slightly banked .375-mile paved oval.

RECORDS: Driver Date Speed Time

QUALIFYING: Ken Kaltschmidt 5/12/01 92.504 mph 13.621 seconds

RACE: Ron Eaton 5/20/00 67.167 mph 37 min 11 sec

2001 TOP 10 IN THE EVENT
1) Tom Sweatman

2) Kevin Hamlin

3) Wes Rhodes

4) Joe Benedetti

5) Troy Conrad

6) Chris Hart

7) Shane Biles

8) Wilber Bruce

9) Rick Suran

10) John Bender

PAST 10 RESULTS OF THIS EVENT
Winner

2001 Tom Sweatman

2000 Gary Lewis

1999 Shane Biles

1998 Joe Benedetti

1996 Gary Lewis

1995 Garrett Evans

1994 Dan Press

1993 Garrett Evans

1992 Garrett Evans

1991 Ron Eaton

2001 RACE STATISTICS

Bud Pole: Tom Sweatman

Gatorade Front Runner: Wes Rhodes

Rookie of the Event: Troy Conrad

Time of Race: 51 min. 18 sec.

Average Speed: 55.382 mph

Margin of Victory: 0.5 sec

Caution Flags: 6 for 41 laps

Lap Leaders: Rhodes (1-92), Sweatman, (93-125)

NOTES OF INTEREST:

· Kevin Hamlin is the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series points leader heading into the Pepsi 125. With his third top-3 finish in as many races, Pete Harding holds down second place, just 82 markers behind the leader. Gary Lewis sits in third place only 94 points back. Less than 148 points separate the top-five drivers, with three series champions (Hamlin, Harding, and Lewis) in that group.

· Four of the first six drivers in the series points standings have won at least one race this season (Hamlin, Harding, Lewis, and Jefferson). Only Chris Hart and Troy Conrad have miss claiming a victory in the current season. Hart was a runner-up to Hamlin’s spring race victory while Conrad came home in sixth place after starting second.

· The series last two races have produced first time Bud Pole Award winners. Puyallup. Wash. native Troy Conrad picked up the fast time award at the last stop for the Northwest teams, held at Yakima Speedway. Zach Niessner won the Bud Pole Award at the July 13 event held in Monroe, Wash.

· This is the last Western Washington stop for the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series in 2002. The remainder of the schedule will be held in Eastern Washington, Western Montana, and Southern Idaho facilities, culminating with a championship event in Wenatchee, Wash. on September 28.

· Derrick Cope won the first Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series race ever held at South Sound Speedway back in 1985. Two drivers who finished in the top-3 of that event, Ron Eaton and Garrett Evans, are scheduled to race in this weekend’s Pepsi 125.

· The Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series has entered its 18th year of competition. In that time, 14 different drivers have won a race at South Sound Speedway. Hometrack hero, Joe Benedetti, has two career victories on the Northwest Series, both coming at the Tenino, Wash. facility.

STATS OF THE WEEK:

· Chevrolet has dominated the competition at South Sound Speedway with 24 victories. Pontiac and Ford are tied with 14 each; Buick has won twice on the .375-mile track. Behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, Hamlin won the first stop at South Sound in 2002 for the Northwest Series. Joe Benedetti was the last Pontiac driver to win a race in Tenino. Shane Biles was the last Ford driver to find victory lane. Both of those drivers captured non-Chevrolet wins in 1999.

RBNWS Race Winners in 2002:                 Bud Pole Award Standings:
Kevin Hamlin 4                                                  Jeff Jefferson 3

Jeff Jefferson 2                                                  Troy Conrad 1

Pete Harding 1                                                 Garrett Evans 1

Gary Lewis 1                                                    Pete Harding 1

Ron Eaton 1                                                     Zach Niessner 1


Gatorade Front Runner Award Standings:
Jeff Jefferson 9

Kevin Hamlin 8

Chris Hart 5

Gary Lewis 4

Garrett Evans 3

Shane Biles 1

Wes Rhodes 1

Pete Harding 1

Top-10 Driver Standings: Rookie-of-the-Year Standings:

1. Kevin Hamlin 1. Kelly Mann

2. Pete Harding 2. Travis Powell

3. Gary Lewis 3. Aaron Young

4. Chris Hart 4. Brian Saling

5. Troy Conrad

6. Jeff Jefferson

7. Joe Benedetti

8. Garrett Evans

9. Rick Suran

10.Wes Rhodes

2001 RBNWS Manufacturers’ Championship
                         Points       Wins

1. Chevrolet        69              7

2. Pontiac           51              1

3. Ford               32              0
 

View the Northwest Series on NASCAR.com with Results - Standings & Driver Profiles