RACE FACTS & NOTES OF INTEREST

WHAT: Pepsi 125

Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series Race No. 3 of 15

WHERE: South Sound Speedway, Tenino, Wash.

.375-Mile Paved Speedway

WHEN: Saturday, May 11, 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 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: 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) Ron Eaton

2) Chris Hart

3) John Bender

4) Troy Conrad

5) Pete Harding

6) Joe Benedetti

7) Ray Wallace

8) Tom Sweatman

9) Roger Habich

10) Steven Howard

PAST 10 RESULTS OF THIS EVENT
Winner

2001 Ron Eaton

2000 Ron Eaton

1999 Joe Benedetti

1998 Garrett Evans

1997 Event Not Held

1996 Kelly Tanner

1995 Monte English

1994 Dan Press

1993 Garrett Evans

1992 Dirk Stephens

2001 RACE STATISTICS

Bud Pole: Ken Kaltschmidt

Gatorade Front Runner: Joe Benedetti

Rookie of the Event: John Bender

Time of Race: 40 min. 36 sec.

Average Speed: 63.824 mph

Margin of Victory: 0.55 sec

Caution Flags: 6 for 39 laps

Lap Leaders: Chris Hart (1-45), Joe Benedetti (46-106), Tom Sweatman (107-110), Ron Eaton, (111-125)

NOTES OF INTEREST:

· Kevin Hamlin is the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series points leader heading into the Pepsi 125. He holds a ten-point lead on Jeff Jefferson. Hamlin finished 12th in this race one year ago. Jefferson did not race at South Sound Speedway in 2001.

· Ron Eaton has won two straight spring races at South Sound. The Lakewood, Wash. native has eight career victories on the .375-mile paved oval and has captured four career Bud Pole Awards.

· Garrett Evans has nine career victories at South Sound, the series leader in that category. Evans is tied with Dirk Stephens for career Bud Pole Awards at the Tenino, Wash. facility. Each driver has earned six fast times in the 18-year history of the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series.

· Evans is fifth in the current points standings after two races. This is the highest the Ardenvoir, Wash. driver has been on the points ladder since September of 2000, the year of his fourth series championship.

· South Sound Speedway has produced a considerable number of current and past drivers on the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series including: Joe Benedetti, Wes Rhodes, Steven Howard, Troy Conrad, Ralph Hubbert, Tom Sweatman, Wilber Bruce, Ray Wallace, Dirk Stephens, Dan Press, and Derrick Cope.

· 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 year’s Pepsi 125.

· The Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series has entered its 18th year of competition. In that time, 13 different drivers have won a race at South Sound Speedway. Joe Benedetti has two series victories, both coming at the Tenino, Wash. facility.

STATS OF THE WEEK:

· Chevrolet has dominated the competition at South Sound Speedway with 23 victories. Pontiac and Ford are tied with 14 each; Buick has won twice on the .375-mile track. Eaton and Tom Sweatman both came home in 2001 behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. 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 1 Jeff Jefferson 2

Jeff Jefferson 1

Gatorade Front Runner Award Standings:
Gary Lewis 3

Jeff Jefferson 3

Chris Hart 2

Shane Biles 1

Kevin Hamlin 1

Top-10 Driver Standings: Rookie-of-the-Year Top-5:

1. Kevin Hamlin 1. Kelly Mann

2. Jeff Jefferson 2. Travis Powell

3. Pete Harding 3. Aaron Young

4. Chris Hart 4. Brian Saling

5. Garrett Evans 5. Kristi Schmitt

6. Rick Suran

7. Kelly Mann

8. Shane Biles

9. Gary Lewis

10.Troy Conrad

2001 RBNWS Manufacturers’ Championship
                       Points Wins

1. Chevrolet      18       2

2. Pontiac         12       0

3. Ford            8          0

source: NASCAR Public Relations
 
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