Fw: Peach State Story & Team Press
Releases
----- Original Message -----
From: USAR
To: Tim Southers
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2001 12:23 PM
Subject: Peach State Story & Team Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Timmy Hutson
USAR Media Relations
(770) 719-0204
usar@bellsouth.net
The Taste of Victory, with a Johnsonville Brat.AGAIN
Jefferson, GA - Shane Huffman, driver of the #84 Johnsonville Bratwurst Ford took his second career USAR Hooters ProCup win Saturday night at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, GA during the running of the Jackaroo Sauces 250 presented by Ingles. Bobby Gill, the USAR defending champion, in the #5 Triple Diamond Enterprise Ford, "tailgated" him to the finish line. Huffman received his first career USAR Hooters ProCup win at Jacksonville, NC's Coastal Plains Raceway. Hal Goodson, Brian Vickers, and Lee Tissot rounded out the top-five.
"I can't believe we were able to get our second consecutive win," said an ecstatic Huffman. "We had the car set up to run the high side of the track and it worked for us tonight. Of course the great pit stop is what gave us the lead. I told the guys if they could get us out first, nobody was gonna get by us and they came through big time."
The race was slowed five times, once when Kurtus Davis and Scott Hall slammed into the turn three retaining wall on lap two. Davis went on to finish the race in 29th position; Hall needed assistance from the local wrecker crew to load his crumpled #54 Taylor Motorsports Chevrolet in the hauler.
The field was slowed again on lap 38 after Mike Laughlin, Jr. and Kevin Sasser clashed as the two were banging on each other's door entering turn three. Sasser, sideways in turn four, cut the wheel hard to the right, missing the field and the front straight inside retaining wall by just inches and continued on without damage.
During the restart, Steven Christian, driver of the #16 Lucas Oil Products Ford, was leading the field to green when his axle snapped heading to the line. Christian was able to finish in the 28th position, 44 laps down.
Turn four also displayed another driver's ability to control his machine, as Neil Browder, driving the #78 Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet around while exiting turn four. Browder tried to gather up his car, resulting in spinning three times and, creating a cloud of smoke, which brought out the fourth caution on lap 124.
Jon Kerley, driver of the #44 Catawba Valley Community College Ford, made hard contact against the outside retaining wall as his car slid up the turn one bank, bringing out the fifth and final caution of the night on lap 194. Kerley was able to continue, bringing his battered car home in 25th position only eight laps down.
Northern competitor Vickers drove his #42V Stewart Components Chevrolet to the top of the field to capture the Lance Snacks Pole Award with a 19.012 second lap, and an average speed of 94.677. Gill received the Lucas Oil Products Halfway Award. Jason Sarvis, making his first appearance in the #92 Bryant Heating & Cooling Chevrolet, received the Miller Lite Rookie of the Race award, coming home in eighth position, the first car one lap down. Derrick Kelley's #21 Discount Auto Parts Chevy pocketed an extra $500 as he received the W.J. Plemons Investments Hard Charger Award.
The next stop for the USAR Hooters ProCup Southern division will be at the famed Hickory Motor Speedway, for the running of the Hooters ProCup 250, with the field battling to start on the Lance Snacks Pole at 5:30 p.m. and the green flag falling at 8 p.m.
Contact: Patrick Rogers
Racing Relations
(336) 210-8529
E-mail: pat@racingrelations.com 05/14/01
Huffman makes it Two in a Row with Win at Peach State
JEFFERSON, Ga. - The beat goes on for XTRA Motorsports and Johnsonville Racing, as driver Shane Huffman held off a hard charging Bobby Gill to record back-to-back wins with a victory Saturday night at Peach State Speedway in the Jackaroo Sauces 250, presented by Ingles. The win propelled Huffman to second in USAR Hooters ProCup Series Southern Division points after the sixth of 14 races on the South schedule.
Although starting a somewhat surprising 13th, after being near the top of the speed charts all day during practice, it did not take long for Huffman to make his presence known, as the Hickory, N.C. driver moved into the top-five on lap 60. "We had the car set up to run the high side of the racetrack," said Huffman. "That's what we worked of when we tested here and we knew that's where the car would have to run when the tires went away. (Crew Chief) Ronnie (White) did a great job getting the car where we needed it and that obviously made the difference tonight. During that first segment, he kept telling me to take care of the tires and we just waited for everybody else to fall off."
By the time the caution waved on lap 125, Huffman had moved up to second and was reeling in Gill. It quickly became apparent that, as is usually the case on the USAR Series, pit stops would play an important role in the outcome of the race. "The pit stop won the race for us, no question," said Huffman. "I told the guys if they could get us out first, nobody was gonna get by us and they came through big time."
"Our car and (Gill's) were pretty close," continued Huffman, "but catching him and passing him are two different things on a slick track like this one. That 'Brat Bunch' did it for me in the pits."
Fans can catch all of the action from the Jackaroo Sauces 250 via tape-delayed broadcasts by the Speedvision Network on Thursday, May 16, at 9:00 p.m. and Friday, May 17, at 1:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m. (All times EST).
For more information visit www.shanehuffman.com or www.usarprocup.com.
Puryear Has Good Showing For Naturally Fresh Foods Car
In his first start driving the Naturally Fresh Foods/Mitchell Shook owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Stacy Puryear finished 13th at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, GA Saturday night. Puryear was 7th quickest in practice according to USAR Official timing sheets. He started 24th after putting a race set up on the car and quietly moved up to 9th position by Lap 122. Puryear would stay in the 9th position until Lap 209 when the right rear shock broke and he faded to the 13th position by the end of the race. Puryear stands 8th in the points, 134 behind leader Jay Fogleman and 66 behind 5th place Steven Christian.
"I am very excited about this new deal with Naturally Fresh Foods and Mitchell Shook. I'm pleased with the finish but at the same time I'm a little disappointed because I want to continue to run up front and win races. This is a totally new team and with a little time we will be a contender. The pit crew did an excellent job in the pits and we will continue to improve" said Puryear.
Great Start For The #92 Team With Sarvis
Jason Sarvis started out strong in his first race in the #92 Bryant Heating & Air / Black's Tire Monte Carlo. Sarvis qualified 8th and also finished the race in the 8th position. The finish was good enough to win the Miller Lite Rookie of the Race honors.
"This was a good start for us tonight," stated Sarvis. "This is a great group to work with, everyone works great together. I'm happy to be associated with an organization such as RBR Enterprises and look forward to representing them as well as Bryant Heating & Cooling and Black's Tire. We only have the Bryant organization with us for just a few races but hope we can keep them on throughout the year. We're definetly going to try to give them the exposure they deserve and try to take them to victory lane."
This weekend's race will be rebroadcasted on
Speedvision Thursday May 17, 9:00pm
Friday May 18, 1:00am
Friday May 18, Noon
Sunshine Network Monday May 21, 8:00pm
Tuesday May 22, 2:00pm
Comcast Cable Saturday May 19 4:00pm & 8:00pm Saturday May 26 8:00pm
The RBR Team will be back in action in 2 weeks at the Hickory Motor Speedway. This will be the beginning of a 3 week in a row schedule for the team. May 26th----Hickory Motor Speedway
June 2nd----Indianapolis Raceway Park
June 9th----Myrtle Beach Speedway
For more info:
email racecar@weblnk.net
Determination A Must for Tom Pistone
For Immediate Release
Sunday May 13, 2001
Contact: Tom Pistone
PSM Inc.
704.201.4292 (TPP72@aol.com)
Jefferson, GA - USAR Hooters Competitor Tom Pistone and the Bully Hill Vineyards Ford Taurus experienced set backs at Peach State Speedway.
The team competed in its first Hooters North Race in Thompson, CT last week. "All day at Thompson, CT we were searching for a major miss. However, we were never able to find it. The next week we brought our entire ignition system to Nelson Specialties in Mooresville, NC. Nelson and David determined our problems to be faulty MSD boxes and a bad coil. We entered Peach State Speedway with renewed enthusiasm. However, our whole day was spent searching for a handle of the car. Although there is no lack of support by the Bully Hill Team, we were just not seeing good results. Our next race is at Hickory Motor Speedway. Hickory is my home track and we plan on some major regrouping during this break. I feel how we run at Hickory will be the determining factor as to how we look back and view our season. If we fail to post a top 10 finish at Hickory, I will be greatly disappointed." Driver Tom Pistone stated.
Performance Sports Marketing (PSM) would like to thank our special guests from Sheline Consulting - Steve Sheline, Hayley Sheline and Andy Sheline were on hand at the Peach State event. The two firms (Sheline and PSM) hope to have an agreement for a partnership in a motorsports venture.
In addition, PSM has announced the promotion of Gregg "Bone" Morgan to Vice President of the Motorsports Division. Bully Hill wishes to congratulate driver Shane Huffman for his past two victories in the Hooters Procup Series. Bully Hill is a New York State wine available at all wine retailers. Please support all of the sponsors in the Hooters Procup series such as Bully Hill and Johnsonville Brats.
Contact: Jason Wise, (704) 633-7439, x15
or E-Mail: jwise@image500.com
- For Immediate Release -
Goodson Scores Third-Place Finish at Peach State
Taylor Motorsports Driver Continues Momentum in USAR ProCup Series
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 14, 2001) -- Hal Goodson left Peach State Speedway Saturday night with a third-place finish in USAR ProCup Series action, but was disappointed to see victory slip through his hands.
"While I'm happy with a top-three finish, I'm disappointed too because we were never able to get the car right tonight and saw a shot at victory go away," Goodson said. "We struggled during practice, and were never really able to find the right set-up for the car."
After the dust had settled following qualifying, Goodson had his No. 45 Taylor Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the 11th starting position for the 250-lap race.
During the race's early stages, Goodson used patience to maneuver past traffic and began to set his sights on the leaders. "Our car was better on long runs, but we fought a pushing condition in the middle of the turns all night," he said. "It was a 250-lap race, but I feel like I ran 350 laps."
By the race's midpoint, Goodson had worked his way up into third place and settled there for the remaining laps. "I could see the leaders, but just couldn't catch them," the Darlington, S.C. native said. "The car was pushing really bad and I'm just glad we held on for third."
"Hal and everyone on this team did a great job tonight," said Colan Ingle, crew chief. "They never gave up and Hal drove the wheels off the car to get it up to third. We'll take that finish and get ready for the next event."
Goodson's third-place finish at Peach State Speedway was his third top-five and fifth top-ten of the season on the USAR ProCup Series. Goodson remains in the top five in USAR ProCup Southern Division point standings.
Goodson and his Taylor Motorsports team get a weekend off before heading to the next USAR ProCup Series Southern Division race May 26 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
For more information about Hal Goodson and Taylor Motorsports, visit the team's official website at www.taylor-motorsports.com.
- For Immediate Release -
Lady Luck Not Kind to Scott Hall
USAR ProCup Series Driver Sees Strong Run End Early
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 14, 2001) -- Scott Hall entered this past weekend's
USAR ProCup Series race at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Ga. hoping to
make his debut in the racing series. Hall's night would turn out to be
bitter sweet.
After qualifying an impressive ninth, Hall was feeling confident that he
could keep his No. 54 Taylor Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo near the
front during the race.
"I was extremely happy with our qualifying effort," Hall said. "I just wish
we would have been given the opportunity to race and get some laps under our
belt."
Heading into turn three on the third lap of the race, a car got sideways in
front of Hall, causing the Walkertown, N.C. resident to check up. As Hall
let off the gas, he was punted from behind and was sent spinning hard into
the wall. The impact caused extensive damage to the rear of the machine,
ending Hall's night early.
"All I know is that a car was spinning in front of me and the leaders
checked up and when I hit the brake to avoid running into them, I was hit
from behind and I was along for the ride at that point. I hate it for
everyone on this Taylor Motorsports team. They worked really hard to give me
a good car tonight and it's a shame that it had to end like that."
"There was nothing that Scott could have done to avoid the incident," said
Jason Hall, crew chief. "He took a pretty hard hit and I'm just glad that
Scott is okay. I want to thank everyone at Taylor Motorsports for supporting
us in this effort. We'll come back even more determined."
Hall's next USAR ProCup Series race is scheduled for June 23 at Lonesome
Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va. Taylor Motorsports will enter Hall in select
USAR ProCup Series events this season in preparation for a full-time ProCup
schedule in 2002.
Hall returns to racing action this Saturday behind the wheel of the No. 25
Carlin Financial Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Taylor Motorsports in ARA Racing
Series All-Stars competition at Montgomery (Ala.) Motor Speedway.
For more information on Scott Hall and Taylor Motorsports, visit the team's
official website, www.taylor-motorsports.com.
____
Press Release - 5/14/01
*For Immediate Release
Vickers Collects First Career Pole and Fourth Place Finish
Thomasville, NC - 17-year-old Brian Vickers and BLV Motorsports collected their first career Lance Snacks Pole Award and followed it up with a strong fourth place finish in the USAR Hooters ProCup Series 250 presented by Ingles at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, GA this past Saturday night.
³We finally got our first career pole tonight.* That was actually one of our goals last year. We felt we would be able to get a pole award before we ever won our first race. It turns out it was the other way around. We had a good car in practice and we were just trying to work on a few things. I am just really happy for the whole team. Hopefully, we will be able to follow-up our qualifying spot with a good finish tonight,² stated Vickers.
Vickers led the opening 19 laps in the #42 Stewart Components Chevrolet Monte Carlo before relinquishing the top spot to Steve Christian, who suffered mechanical problems 25 laps later. Vickers regained the lead on lap 44 before Bobby Gill took over the top spot on lap 60. ³The car was really good at the beginning stages of the race. Steven was pretty quick before he had problems and Bobby was also quick,² Vickers continued, ³We were just pacing ourselves and saving our car for the end of the race. The car starting getting loose by the time we made our first pit stop on lap 120.²
³We did a two and two tire stop instead of one four tire stop and tightened the car up. Dean (Crew Chief Dean Johnson) and the guys did a great job on pit road. The car was still a little loose before we made our second stop. Late in the race, we had a good battle with Lee (Tissot) and Bill (Plemons) and we were able to get a good top five finish,² commented Vickers.
The ProCup 250 presented by Ingles will be broadcast on Speedvision Thursday, May 17th at 9:00pm. Brian and the BLV Motorsports crew will be back in action on Saturday, May 19th at Louisville Motor Speedway in Louisville, KY for the Naturally Fresh Dressings 250, which takes the green flag at 7:30pm. Learn more about Brian and the team at www.brianvickers.com.
* Editor¹s Note: Vickers had qualified in the top-3 16 times in 28 career starts before gaining his first career pole.For More Information, Contact:
Kevin J. Steele
BLV Motorsports
(336) 472-2242 phone
(336) 472-0378 fax
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