NASCAR BGN: Spencer returns to site of first win with Yellow Racing team
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 6, 2001CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Jimmy Spencer and the #1 Yellow Racing Team return with high hopes to the site of their first victory together - Friday night's Autolite FRAM 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (RIR).
On May 4, Spencer won the Hardee's 250 Busch Grand National Series event at the .75-mile oval. This weekend, the 44-year-old driver hopes to win again and sweep the season's Busch races at Richmond.
"We had a real good car last time at Richmond," Spencer said. "It's pretty nice going back to the place where Phoenix Racing, Yellow and I got our first win together as a team. We think we should be a contender for the win again."
Spencer dominated at Richmond in May. The #1 Yellow Racing Chevrolet led 192 of the 250 laps, including the final 75 circuits. Although Team Yellow Racing is bringing the same Chevy to RIR, Spencer says more work can be done on it to make it faster.
"There were a couple of little things from last time that we could improve on," Spencer said. "We will focus this week's practice time on our speed in the turns. We want the Yellow Chevy to roll better through the corners at RIR. We're not taking it for granted that we had the best car last time."
"The pressure is on the team defending its title," said Spencer, who qualified third for the spring race. "Just because you won last time doesn't mean you'll win again. The weather conditions could be different or something little could go wrong that could change the outcome of the race. The pit stops have to be good again and you still have to qualify well. You've got to go into it thinking about being better than you were the last time, even if you won the race before."
Spencer and Team Yellow Racing have two chances to sweep both events at one race track this season - this weekend's event and the race at Dover (Del.) Downs International Speedway on Sept. 22. No team has done it yet in 2001. Jeff Green is the only other Busch driver with a chance to win both races unless Todd Bodine drives the #00 race car at the North Carolina Speedway. Green won the spring race at Lowe's (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
"We would like to be the team that sweeps at a race track in the Busch series this season," Spencer said. "That's a neat deal. We've got a better chance than anyone to do it this year."
Text provided by Chris Hunt
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