COastal Plains Story & Updated Points
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tim Southers, USAR Media Relations
770-719-0204
usar@bellsouth.net
Huffman Conquers Coastal Plains
JACKSONVILLE, NC - For the fourth time in five USAR Hooters ProCup Series Southern Division races in 2001 a different winner has been crowned.
After going through a tough rookie campaign last season, Shane Huffman felt 2001 could bring a new year of optimism to his Johnsonville Bratwurst Racing Team. Saturday night the feeling became reality when the Hickory, NC driver led a total of 177 laps en route to win the Naturally Fresh Mountain Spring Water 250 presented by Bryant Heating and Cooling at Coastal Plains Raceway.
Huffman took the lead from Hal Goodson on lap 166 when Goodson pitted for tires and led the rest of the way for his first career USAR Hooters ProCup Series win in 30 starts.
"I can't thank everyone enough for this win," said Huffman in victory lane. "I want to thank Johnsonville Bratwurst for making it possible for us to be here tonight. We have had a good car all year and tonight we were finally able to put it all together for the entire race."
USAR Hooters ProCup Series Southern Division point leader Jay Fogleman followed Huffman for second, Bobby Gill, Steven Christian and Lee Tissot completed the top five.
Huffman had one of the fastest cars at Coastal Plains Raceway and the former Hickory Motor Speedway track champion qualified on the outside pole position.
Huffman has already collected three top-10 finishes this season. His best finish during 2000 was 11 at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
Toby Robertson circled the 4/10-mile tri-oval in 15.892 seconds (90.612 mph) to win his first career Lance Snacks Pole Award. Robertson led the first lap, then watched Huffman pass for the lead where he stayed until lap 88 when the leaders pitted under caution.
The pole award was a much-needed boost for Robertson and the TWR Motorsports team. Robertson had suffered two consecutive accidents before going to Coastal Plains Speedway and winning the pole award. Robertson was forced to the pits early with mechanical problems and had to park his Chevrolet on lap 99.
Goodson, coming off of his first win of the season two weeks ago at Ace Speedway, stayed on the track and took the lead from Huffman holding it until lap 166. He was the final lead lap car to pit for tires and was never able to return to the top spot.
Huffman never looked back during the final 73 laps of the race. Fogleman and Christian battled side-by-side for second place on several occasions, giving Huffman a little more distance from the two.
Fogleman remains in the top spot in the Southern Division point standings with 693 points. Christian sits second with 651 points, while the win Saturday night propelled Huffman to third in the overall Southern Division point standings tied with Gill at 635. Goodson completes the top-five with 619 points.
Derrick Kelley won the W.J. Plemons Hard Charger Award for his sixth place finish after starting 21st. Kertus Davis followed Kelley for seventh, Jason Sarvis and Mario Gosselin followed in eighth and ninth respectively and Goodson completed the top-10.
Sarvis used his top-10 finish to win the Miller Lite Rookie of the Race Award and Goodson led at lap 125 to win the Lucas Oil Products Halfway Leader Award.
The race was slowed nine times by caution for 61 laps. The most involved accident of the night took place on lap 87 when five cars were involved in a spin in turn two. Mario Gosselin, Chris Gordon, Kevin Sasser, Tom Pistone and Dell Murphy were all involved. Everyone was able to finish the race.
Stacy Puryear and Jon Kerley made the hardest contact of the night when Kerley spun on the backstretch and Puryear hit into the side of Kerley's car. Both drivers were unhurt, however Puryear was unable to continue the race.
The USAR Hooters ProCup Series Southern Division will return to action on Saturday night May 12 when the Series makes its first visit to the Peach State in 2001. Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Georgia will host the Hooters ProCup Series for the ninth time in the history of the Series.
For more information about the USAR Hooters ProCup Series please visit www.usarprocup.com.
NEWS & NOTES
a.. After driving all night from New Jersey to North Carolina, after attending his high school prom, Danny Sammons collected a best-ever 12th-place finish in the Hooters ProCup Series at Coastal Plains Raceway.
b.. Hometown favorite Ray Peele, who made his first-ever start in the Series, was cut short when an oil line ruptured forcing him to end his night on lap 73.
c.. Lee Tissot collected his fourth-straight top-10 finish Saturday night.
-30-
fogleman and premiere motorsports dealt second place finish at coastal plains raceway
Jacksonville, North Carolina -April 30, 2001- Premiere Motorsports Racing's No. 8 Hooters ProCup car with driver Jay Fogleman went to Coastal Plains Raceway wanting to stay consistent and remain in the points lead. They got both, despite an eventful pit stop that required the 8 car to head back to the pits again after it was discovered the left rear tire had no lug nuts. Fogleman was able to guide the car around the speedway, back into pit lane, and into his pit stall, but the tire decided to stay behind just before he got stopped. The tire did considerable damage to the back of the car when it dislodged itself, and forced the team to cycle back through the pits numerous times to make cosmetic repairs, all the while staying on the lead lap and in contention.
Once the team got the car dialed back in, Fogleman went to work on the rest of the field, eventually powering the car into the second position with less than 30 laps to go. The team then set their sights on eventual race winner Shane Huffman and the 84 car, but ran out of time and laps to make things interesting.
"Considering the number of times we were forced into the pits because of the tire deal, and the fact that the car was just not handling well, we have to be happy with a second place finish here. We wanted to stay consistent and hold onto the points lead, and I am proud of our team and how we all handled that little bit of adversity to still be able to get back out there and compete." said Fogleman.
Premiere is focused on competing in the USAR for the full schedule in 2001 after running a limited schedule in 2000 in order to research and develop the cars for the 2001 season. The team is currently seeking both primary and associate sponsorship opportunities for companies desiring to enhance an existing Motorsports marketing campaign, or those interested in starting a program from scratch. Several different customized programs are available.
"We are looking for true business partners, and feel that the unique strengths that our team can bring to the table will enhance our partnership with selected organizations by building long term relationships and exceeding everyone's expectations." said Marketing & Public Relations Director Craig Neff. Interested parties can contact Neff at 919-545-9500, or by email at craig@premieremotorsports.com .
Premiere Motorsports is a World Class auto racing Corporation headquartered in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The Company's 38,000 square foot Motorsports Complex headquarters house a fabrication facility, corporate management offices, a race memorabilia gift shop, and a full service restaurant. You can visit the team on the Internet by pointing your browser at: http://www.premieremotorsports.com/ .
USAR Hooters ProCup Series Points Standings
Pos. Driver Points Wins
1 Jay Fogleman 693 1
2 Steven Christian 651 0
3. Bobby Gill 635 2
3. Shane Huffman 635 1
5. Hal Goodson 619 1
6. Derrick Kelley 617 0
7. Lee Tissot 597 0
8. Stacy Puryear 571 0
9. Daniel Johnson 545 0
9. Mario Gosselin 545 0
11. Kertus Davis 544 0
12. Jason Sarvis 532 0
13. Mike Laughlin, Jr. 521 0
14. Mart Nesbitt 514 0
15. Chris Gordon 490 0
16. John Kinder 485 0
17. Jon Kerley 484 0
18. Dell Murphy 478 0
19. Jabe Jones 471 0
20. R.D. Smith 462 0
21. Tom Pistone 458 0
22. Toby Robertson 457 0
23. Joe Harrison, Jr. 443 0
24. Brent Sherman 421 0
25. Chad Mullis 405 0
