NASCAR FEATHERLITE SOUTHWEST SERIES INVADES

Automobile Club of Southern California Late Models Also on Hot Card

Irwindale, Calif. - - THEEY'RRRRE BAAA-CK … And they're more competitive than ever! Those ultrafast, ultraslippery NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour Series cars. Led by 2000 season champion Matt Crafton of Tulare, these sleek V-8 stockers are poised to get hearts pounding and fans on their feet as they assemble at "LA's ½-Mile Super Speedway" for 75 grueling miles of flat-out racing in the Food 4 Less 150 Saturday night, April 21.

April 7's Tour race at Bakersfield was all but qualified when the same weather that had shut Irwindale down earlier in the day rained out the third round of the series, leaving drivers, crews, and car owners all the more anxious to get to this Speedway and start grabbing some oval-banked asphalt.

"We're more than ready to get racing," said young Troy Adams of the Irwindale-based CBA Motorsports racing team. "We qualified twelfth and were really looking forward to putting in a full race and getting a solid finish when it started to rain at Mesa Marin. Irwindale is our 'home' track, and we plan on using our 'home field' advantage there." The many-time Karting champ's sentiments were pretty typical among the over forty NASCAR FSWT cars that were on hand at Bakersfield on that wet evening. (We expect them all here and then some.)

The Featherlite Southwest Series became a part of the NASCAR Touring Division in 1986. 2000 proved to be not only a memorable season for the series, but a record-breaking one as well. With the attraction of last year's thrilling championship race, this season promises to offer larger purses, more fans and guaranteed grass roots racing excitement. The series is one of four NASCAR regional touring series, along with the Slim Jim All Pro Series, Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series and RE/MAX Challenge Series; that features Late Model cars under one blanket of rules that allows them to compete on a regional basis as well as at national events that highlight each of the four series.

Featherlite Southwest Series cars are slightly smaller versions of those seen in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Races are open to replicas of American-made production passenger sedans. Approved models include the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford Thunderbird and Taurus, Oldsmobile Cutlass and Pontiac Grand Prix. While the NASCAR Winston Cup Series car weighs 3,400 pounds and maintains a wheelbase of 110 inches, the Featherlite Southwest Series car must weigh a minimum of 2,900 pounds and have a wheelbase of between 101 and 105 inches. Both cars are powered by 350 to 358 cubic inch V-8 engines.

… And the night's "undercard" race is no "tomatoe can" affair either. The Automobile Club of Southern California Late Models have been living up to their advance billing with plenty of passion in this early season.

Todd Burns of Riverside, leads the Auto Club-backed series points coming into this one, Derek Ward (he of the Roman numeral "X" on his racer) from Palm Springs is in second; with Mike Haney (Alta Loma), Jeff Saelid (Covina) and 1999 Irwindale Super Stock champ Mike Price (San Pedro) in third, fourth and fifth places respectively. Oddly enough, this division was also on the "rainout" list on the 7, so they too will be chomping on the bit to get racing on April 21.

For the record, Auto Club of Southern California Late Models are 1990 or newer domestic model stock cars. They must utilize the original frame (with an extensive and sturdy rollcage structure added) and must weight a minimum of 2,950 pounds. 360 cubic inch V-8 motors breathing through a 500 CFM 2-barrel carburetor with a track-specified restrictor plate power these colorful and muscular machines.

This is truly a twin bill that will make faithful NASCAR fans eager to get to Irwindale at 3:30 in the afternoon (to be first in line when the grandstands gates open at 4) so that they can witness every lap, watch every nuance of practice and qualifying and then figure out their favorites for the evening ahead. TV race-watching is one thing … This is the real thing, live. No phone calls, no next-door neighbors dropping over at just the wrong moment, no kids wanting you to fix their bicycle, just pure racing motor-tainment. All the sights, sounds, color, and personalities that add up to make NASCAR short track racing the most in-person, watchable form of motor racing there is.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Derrick Shannon, NASCAR (208) 890-7078 or Doug Stokes, Irwindale Speedway (626) 358-1100 x 206

PHOTO: Matt Reed, Bakersfield