OLSON LOOKING TO CONTINUE RECENT SUCCESS

ON RAYBESTOS BRAKES NORTHWEST SERIES

NACHES, Wash. (September 18, 2002) – After a top-5 run in his most recent Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series, NASCAR Touring event, up and coming driver Ken Olson is looking to build upon that success this weekend at his hometown Yakima Speedway in the Frank’s Chevrolet 125.

above: Ken Olson's # 15 Monte Carlo racing the Raybestos Brakes NW Series

(photo courtesy of NASCAR)

Olson ran at Tri-City Raceway on September 1 in the Kingsgate Plumbing 125. Despite a poor qualifying effort, he said the Northwestern Auto Glass Chevrolet came to him during the course of the event. Now he’s hoping for a similar outcome on the .500-mile oval in Yakima.

“The goal of our first race at Yakima (in July) was to finish well, to be on the lead lap and we were close to that,” Olson said. “At Tri-Cities, we looked to get the monkey off our back because of the curse we had of coming home on the hook. Halfway through the race we realized that we had a good car and could get to the front. Coming into Yakima, I don’t want to set to high a goal but we’d like to get a top-5 finish.”

Olson has run late model stock cars in the Northwest for almost eight years. He’s built championship race cars for Gary Lewis and Butch Gilliand and is a master set-up man. Finding the right combination at Yakima Speedway is a major factor to the results of this weekend. One thing is for sure, the Tri-City Raceway package will not be used.

“I change the set-up quite a bit between the two tracks,” Olson said. “A lot of guys try to run similar set-ups (Tri-City is also a .500-mile), but I’ve found that there are enough differences between the two tracks that I need to go with a different set-up.”

With crew chief Bob Dexter calling the shots on race day, Olson does much of the preparation before an event himself he said. “I’ll put the initial set-up in the car here at the shop because I can think straight in the shop. When we get to the track I pretty much let the crew do the work. I’ve found that works much better for me.”

“I’ve learned a lot about this Goodyear tire that we’re on and I’m happy with the decisions we’ve made to the car to adjust to that tire at the track,” he added.

Olson knows that he is taking part in the series at an important time of the season. With a championship on the line, and many points positions unsettled going into the Frank’s Chevrolet 125, he plans to run hard but, stay out of the way of the regulars on the series. “I drive my own race and not worry about what those guys are doing.”

“I do try to be the most courteous driver I can be, I don’t want to upset their race to much. I don’t mind taking a position (on the track) away from a guy but with a points battle I don’t want to be known as a guy who took out the leader and cost them a championship. I do however want them to walk away from this race remembering the No. 15 car.”

Some of the hottest drivers in the Northwest hail from the tiny city of Naches, Wash. including Jeff and Jason Jefferson, the great Harry Jefferson, and legendary car owner George Jefferson. Olson is at a lose to explain what it is about the community that produces talented racers.

“The only thing I can say is that myself and the Jefferson brothers have been around late model racing for many years, since the day’s their Uncle (Harry) raced,” Olson said. “We were all in diapers watching those guys run. I think that has been a big drive for us is to be that successful, knowing that one of the most successful drivers in this area came from right here in our hometown.”

Olson has been around many great drivers since he got started racing in the early 1990s, one person does get credit for helping further his career he said. “Butch Gilliland showed me how to save a car for later in a race. I’ve learned from him to let the tires come to me, and that’s a big part of saving your car and I did learn that from Butch.”

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