2002 RAYBESTOS BRAKES NORTHWEST SERIES

RACE FACTS & NOTES OF INTEREST

WHAT: Big ‘O’ Tire 125

Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series Race No. 1 of 15

WHERE: Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, Wash.

.646-Mile Paved Speedway

WHEN: Saturday, March 30, 2002 – 8:30 p.m. PDT

DISTANCE: 125 Laps/80.75 Miles

POSTED AWARDS: $37,675

FIELD: 40 cars possible. Fastest 31 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 31 positions, the final four positions will be filled by the top four finishers in the Qualifying Race.

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

PROMOTER: International Promotions, Inc.

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

Mickey Beadle, Evergreen Speedway, 360/776-2802

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, March 30
10:30 a.m. Garage opens

11:00 a.m. Mandatory Crew Chief’s Meeting

11:15 p.m. Draw for qualifying order

1:30 to

2:30 p.m. First Practice Session

3:00 to

3:30 p.m. Final Practice Session

4:15 p.m. Mandatory Driver’s Meeting

4:30 p.m. Mandatory Rookie Meeting

5:30 p.m. Time Trials (2 Laps). All positions

7:00 p.m. 10-Lap Qualifying Race.

8:30 p.m. Big ‘O’ Tires 125

THE RACETRACK: Evergreen Speedway is a slightly banked .646-mile paved oval.

RECORDS: Driver Date Speed Time

QUALIFYING: Garrett Evans 3/25/95 104.984 mph 22.152 sec.

RACE: Gary Lewis 4/7/01 86.698 mph 55 min 53 sec

2001 TOP 10 IN THE EVENT
1. Gary Lewis

2. Kevin Hamlin

3. Gaylon Stewart

4. Pete Harding

5. Ron Eaton

6. Garrett Evans

7. Steven Howard

8. Zach Niessner

9. Troy Conrad

10. Ray Wallace

PAST 10 RESULTS OF THIS EVENT
Winner

2001 Gary Lewis

2000 Gaylon Stewart

1999 Gary Lewis

1998 Gary Lewis

1997 Gary Lewis

1996 Garrett Evans

1995 Monte English

1994 Gary Lewis

1993 Tobey Butler

1992 Garrett Evans

2001 RACE STATISTICS

Bud Pole: John Bender

Time of Race: 55 min. 53 sec. (Record)

Average Speed: 86.698 mph

Margin of Victory: 0.55 sec

Caution Flags: 1 for 7 laps

Lap Leaders: Ron Eaton (1-65), Gary Lewis (66-110), Tom Sweatman (111-119), Lewis (120-125).

NOTES OF INTEREST:

· Kevin Hamlin is the defending champion of the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series. He is the youngest titleholder in the 18-year history of the Northwest’s premier NASCAR division.

· Jeff Jefferson is the defending Bud Pole Award winner for the series. Jefferson collected three fast time’s and finished 19th in the 2001 Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series points standings. Last Season, the Naches, Wash. native captured a fifth place finish in his only start at Evergreen Speedway.

· Since 1993, Gary Lewis is the hottest driver on the series to race in Monroe, Wash. Lewis has seven wins, 11 top-5 finishes, and four career poles at his home track. The Bothell, Wash. resident won the 2001 spring event and four of the last five season openers. Others who have had success in the same span include Ron Eaton, who has four wins, 10 top-5’s, and five career pole awards and Pete Harding with three wins, seven top-5 finishes and two career fast time awards.

· John Bender, the 2001 Totem Travel Rookie of the Year, may be building a similar record to Lewis. Both drivers are former Late Model champions from Evergreen Speedway. Bender made his series debut at Evergreen Speedway in the 2000 season opener. Since that time, he has one top-3 and four top-5 finishes in seven races at his home facility. Bender captured the Bud Pole Award for the 2001 season opener at Evergreen Speedway.

· Garrett Evans also has a knack of earning Bud Pole Awards and victories in Monroe. During the 18-year history of the series, Evans has 16 pole awards and 13 wins including the first event ever held at the historic .646-mile paved oval. The Ardenvoir, Wash. native also holds the record for one the closest finishes in series history, .0001 seconds, at Evergreen Speedway on March 31, 1990.

STAT OF THE WEEK:

· The Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series, NASCAR Touring, enters its 18th season of competition. In that time span, Pontiac leads all manufacturers with 22 wins at Evergreen Speedway. Chevrolet is second with 21, Ford has four wins and Buick has one checkered flag to its credit.

RBNWS Race Winners in 2001: RBNWS Bud Pole Winners in 2001:

Kevin Hamlin 4 Jeff Jefferson 3

Ron Eaton 3 Kevin Hamlin 2

Gary Lewis 2 Garrett Evans 2

Pete Harding 2 Bryan Wiener 1

Tom Sweatman 1 John Bender 1

Shane Biles 1 Steve Hodge 1

Ron Eaton 1

Ken Kaltschmidt 1

Tom Sweatman 1


Final Gatorade Front Runner Award Standings:
Gary Lewis 13

Ron Eaton 10

Joe Benedetti 8

Kevin Hamlin 8

Pete Harding 7

Wes Rhodes 3

Zach Niessner 3

Tom Sweatman 3

Jeff Jefferson 2

Garrett Evans 2

Five Drivers Tied With 1

Top-10 2001 Point Standings: 2001 Rookie-of-the-Year Top-5:

1. Kevin Hamlin 1. John Bender

2. Joe Benedetti 2. Troy Conrad

3. Pete Harding 3. Ralph Hubbert

4. Gary Lewis 4. Matt Hall

5. Shane Biles 5. Howard Ford

6. John Bender

7. Wes Rhodes

8. Troy Conrad

9. Steven Howard

10.Chris Hart

2001 RBNWS Manufacturers’ Championship
                     Points Wins
1. Chevrolet   108    10

2. Pontiac        80     2

3. Ford           59      1