WHAT: Costco 125
Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series Race No. 2 of 15
WHERE: Tri-City Raceway, West Richland, Wash.
.500-Mile Paved Speedway
WHEN: Saturday, April 27, 2002 – 9:00 p.m. PST
DISTANCE: 125 Laps/62.5 Miles
POSTED AWARDS: $30,250
FIELD: 28 cars possible. Fastest 21 cars through time trials with
two provisional starting positions available to the top 30 drivers
based on the final 2001 Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series, NASCAR
Touring Championship point standings, two starting positions from
final top 30 car owners in the 2001 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 21
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: Williams Promotions, Inc.
CONTACTS: Doug Pace, NASCAR, 509/469-4401
Dennis Williams, Williams Promotions, 509/248-0647
SCHEDULE:
Saturday, April 27
Noon Garage opens
1:00 p.m. Mandatory Crew Chief’s Meeting
1:15 p.m. Draw for qualifying order
3:00 to
3:30 p.m. First Practice Session
4:00 to
4:30 p.m. Second Practice Session
5:00 to
5:30 p.m. Final Practice Session
5:45 p.m. Mandatory Driver’s Meeting
6:00 p.m. Mandatory Rookie Meeting
7:00 p.m. Time Trials (2 Laps). All positions
7:45 p.m. Trophy Dash
8:00 p.m. 15-lap Qualifying Race
9:00 p.m. Costco125
THE RACETRACK: Tri-City Raceway is a slightly banked .500-mile paved
tri-oval.
RECORDS: Driver Date Speed Time
QUALIFYING: Jeff Krough 4/22/95 103.211 mph 17.440 seconds
RACE: Chris Hart 6/5/99 86.772 mph 43 min 13 sec
2001 TOP 10 IN THE EVENT
Event Not Held
PAST 10 RESULTS OF THIS EVENT
Winner
2001 Event Not Held
2000 Event Not Held
1999 Event Not Held
1998 Event Not Held
1997 Event Not Held
1996 Event Not Held
1995 Ron Eaton
1994 Garrett Evans
1993 Tobey Butler
1992 Dirk Stephens
2001 RACE STATISTICS
Event Not Held
NOTES OF INTEREST:
· Kevin Hamlin is the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series points leader
heading into the Costco 125. He won his first career Bud Pole Award
last season in West Richland, Wash. In 2001, he had one win and two
top-5 finishes at the .500-mile tri-oval.
· Hamlin has won two straight races dating back to last year. The
22-year old Snohomish, Wash. native won the season opener at Evergreen
Speedway on March 30, and the 2001 season finale at Wenatchee Valley’s
Super Oval.
· Since 1994, John Dillon the 1990 series champion, has three wins,
six top-5 finishes. Dillon has earned two Bud Pole Awards at Tri-City
Raceway during his career. Five of his 14 career victories have come
in West Richland, Wash. Dillon has become a part-time driver on the
series over the last ten years.
· Gary Lewis, the 1998 series champion and currently second in the
2002 points standings, has won at least one race three of the last
four years at Tri-City Raceway. Since 1997, he has five top-5 finishes
and five career Bud Pole Awards on the tri-oval.
· Chris Hart, who is third in the current points standings, picked up
his first career win in West Richland, Wash. during the June 1999
event. Hart, a native of Yakima, Wash., has also captured one Bud Pole
Award at the .500-mile speedplant.
· Garrett Evans and John Dillon are the leaders in career wins at
Tri-City Raceway. Each has come home with the checkered flag five
times during their respective careers. Evans has seven pole awards to
his credit while Dillon has two. Ron Eaton and Gary Lewis are tied for
the second highest win total at the West Richland track. Each driver
has three victories apiece.
· The Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series has entered its 18th year of
competition. In that time, 18 different drivers have won a race at
Tri-City Raceway including four first time winners since 1995. That
list includes Chris Hart, Martin Rosler, Chris Cunningham, and Marc
Groskreutz.
· Tri-City Raceway has hosted many spectacular events and some of
NASCAR’s brightest stars as part of its storied history with the
Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series. Among the well-known drivers in the
Tri-Cities record book, Chad Little, Derrick Cope, Rick Carelli,
Hershel McGriff, Tobey Butler, and Jeff Krough. Each of the
aforementioned drivers has gone on to fame in higher NASCAR divisions
across the United States.
STAT OF THE WEEK:
· Chevrolet has dominated the competition at Tri-City Raceway. With 20
wins, the bow-tie brigade has more than twice as many wins as Pontiac
(8). Ford has captured six wins in West Richland, Wash. while
Oldsmobile has one victory to its credit.
RBNWS Race Winners in 2002: Bud Pole Award Standings:
Kevin Hamlin 1 Jeff Jefferson 1
Gatorade Front Runner Award Standings:
Gary Lewis 3
Kevin Hamlin 1
Shane Biles 1
Chris Hart 1
Top-10 Driver Standings: Rookie-of-the-Year Top-5:
1. Kevin Hamlin 1. Kelly Mann
2. Gary Lewis 2. Kristi Schmitt
3. Chris Hart 3. Travis Powell
4. Pete Harding 4. Aaron Young
5. Jeff Jefferson 5. Brian Saling
6. Shane Biles
7. Gaylon Stewart
8. Rick Suran
9. Kelly Mann
10.Joe Benedetti
2001 RBNWS Manufacturers’ Championship
Points Wins
1. Chevrolet 9
1
2. Pontiac 6
0
3. Ford 4
0