Stevens looking for a bit of luck in Sonoma
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 15 of 23 FRAM-AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS INFINEON RACEWAY SONOMA, Calif. Race Dates: July 29-31, 2005 SONOMA, Calif. (July 28, 2005) - Richie Stevens Jr. is looking for that little bit of luck that has been eluding him in his first Pro Stock season with Don Schumacher Racing. He'd like to find that talisman here at Infineon Raceway this weekend at the Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals, the 15th event of the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and the last of the three-race Western Swing. New Orleans native Stevens, driving the Team Mopar/Valspar HEMI-powered Dodge Stratus R/T, has had a diverse year since returning to the Pro Stock class after a two-year hiatus to take care of family business. He qualified No. 1 at the second event, in Phoenix, went to the final round in Bristol, where he was runner-up, and has qualified at every event and in the top half nine times. The four-time Pro Stock event winner, however, has also had seven first-round losses, including the last three events. In the ultra-competitive class of nearly-equal cars, Stevens has had to deal with two first-round match-ups against the reigning champion Greg Anderson, one versus the six-time champ Warren Johnson, and two against his teammate Jeg Coughlin, one of which he won. His round win-loss record stands at 10-14 and he's currently eighth in the Pro Stock point standings after hanging on to sixth through four events. Stevens believes he has some karma here at Infineon based on what he calls a gift he received here six years ago. "We need some luck," he said. "I haven't been to Infineon in quite some time. I did have one round where I was pretty lucky at that track in the past. Maybe there will be some karma left over from that event and our luck will change for us. "I had a huge gift given to me then. We were in the first or second round against Mike Thomas. That was just when the NHRA went to these manually-shifted transmissions. Before, they were air-shifted. You just hit the button and it shifted. On the manual shifter in my car it still had the button on it. Well, when I left the starting line, instead of pulling it, I pushed the button. The button wasn't activated, of course, it was just there. I pushed the button and it never went into gear and I had to shut off. But, it turned out that Mike had red-lighted, so luckily I got that win. "We need a break this weekend to boost our motivation, to boost confidence. Everybody is kind of down. We haven't given up, but we're just wondering why, why, why on Sunday we just can't find that string of wins that we're looking for. Not necessarily to win the race, but just to go some rounds and have a good outing. And we just haven't had that in some time, and we desperately need it. "I'd like to have it in Sonoma. I'd like to have it anywhere, if possible, but the sooner the better, and Sonoma is sooner. We ran real good in Seattle. We made some good runs and the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge is performing fine. We just have to find some luck." SCHEDULE: On Friday, July 29, pro qualifying sessions are at 3:45 and 6:45 p.m. On Saturday, July 30, pro qualifying sessions are at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. On Sunday, July 31, pre-race ceremonies begin at 10 a.m., final eliminations at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: On Saturday, July 30, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 8 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, July 31, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 9 p.m. (ET). RICHIE STEVENS JR. QUICK FACTS: * Eighth in 2005 Pro Stock points after 14 races, reached final round once, was No. 1 qualifier once * Joined Don Schumacher Racing after sending in a resume for 2005 season * Cut short driving career in 2002 to run family business while dad Richie Sr. underwent open-heart surgery * With dad Richie Stevens Sr. owns Stevens Collision Center in New Orleans * Born and raised in New Orleans, is 26 years old * His career-best ET and speed so far: 6.669 ET (Englishtown 2005) and 207.08 mph in Gainesville, Fla., 2005 * Has longtime relationship with associate sponsor Valspar * Capped off rookie season in 1998 with a victory in his first final-round appearance (Pomona 2) * Is youngest Pro Stock driver to win a national event, at 20-one month, in 1998 * Has four career wins in eight final rounds, two No. 1 qualifiers to his credit * In 1999 he became the eighth member of the Speed Pro 200-mph Pro Stock Club with a 200.08 mph run in Richmond, Va. * Competed in Roy Hill's Pro Mod car in 2004, with a semifinal finish at the U.S. Nationals his best result