Chuck Etchells Finds Positives During His
"Most Difficult Season"
(Note: The following is attached in text format for your convenience.)
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
Phone: (704)
662-3121
Fax: (704)
662-3021
www.etchellsracing.com
ETCHELLS FINDS POSITIVES DURING HIS "MOST DIFFICULT SEASON"
Putnam, Conn., September 7, 2001 - Over the past decade, the Chuck Etchells
Racing entry has been a perennial contender in the NHRA's Funny Car division.
During that period, the Etchells "fuel coupe" compiled an impressive
record, including fifteen wins in thirty-four final round appearances, twenty
No. 1 qualifying positions and a eight-year string of Top Five finishes in
the Winston Drag Racing Series points standings. The team's trademark
consistency made them a threat at every event.
At first, it seemed this trend would continue in 2001, as team owner Etchells
made a triumphant return to the driver's seat with a semi-final finish at the
season-opener in Pomona. However, unbeknownst to those outside the
organization, the Putnam, CT native had been battling with serious
sponsorship issues throughout the winter, which forced him to limit all
expenditures to those absolute necessary in order to simply keep his team
afloat, a task further complicated by the expansion to a second car.
Finally, following the fifth event of the season in Las Vegas, Etchells made
the difficult decision to temporarily curtail his efforts to the single
Racing Champions/Matco Tools Camaro driven by Jim Epler.
Etchells' fortunes took a turn for the better in late April, when Sunoco came
to his rescue and picked up the primary sponsorship of his car for the
balance of the year. Even so, Etchells knew their troubles were not yet
over, as they struggled to be competitive during arguable the most tightly
contested year in the history of Funny Car.
"We knew our chances for a successful season, performance-wise, were gone in
Gainesville," explains Etchells. "In essence, we were forced to sit out
three or four races, and it took another four after that for our team to
regroup. There's no way you can fully recover from giving your competition
a thirty percent head-start on the year."
But despite the many trials and tribulations, Etchells is still able to find
positive areas as he looks back on the events to date.
"One of the best things we did through all our difficulties was to maintain
our R & D effort," said Etchells. "With all the distractions, it's something
we could have very easily discontinued. But we're in this for the long run,
and some of the systems Larry Meyer has developed, such as the clutch dyno
and track surface adhesion, device should pay huge dividends. If we're to
compete with the top teams, we need to find a performance advantage, and this
will help do it.
"I'm also very proud of our crew guys. We've had a lot of changes, and we're
still filling in a few holes, but I think the group we have right now is the
best in terms of chemistry and compatibility that we've had all year. These
are guys you can go to war with, and we're going to do our best to keep them
together."
Etchells also admits to being surprised by his own demeanor during this
uncharacteristic season.
"I've actually done better than I thought I would," opined Etchells. "I
normally don't have a lot of patience, and expect things to go right all the
time. This has been the most difficult season of my career, and I've had to
learn to be patient. It was a matter of dealing with the problems or
quitting, and I am not a quitter."
In recent weeks, there has been a resurgence in the Etchells team's efforts,
highlighted by Jim Epler's final round appearance in Sonoma a month ago.
Heading into next weekend's event in Reading, Etchells has spelled out his
goals for the team's on-track performance for the final six races of the 2001
season.
"Naturally, I'd like to see us win a race of two before the end of the year,"
stated Etchells. "It won't be easy, and we're running out of chances, but I
believe we can do it. In addition, I'd like to be able to get Jim a Top Ten
points finish, something that's also achievable. We're heading into the
good, high-horsepower tracks where smoking the tires should be less of a
problem, and our brain trust is continually making progress with the tune-up.
We're looking to make the best out of this difficult season, and it's all
within our reach."
Etchells Excerpts: Chuck Etchells and Jim Epler will be making a personal
appearance as part of the Reading Fan Fest, which will be held from 6:00 -
9:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Reading Hotel in Reading, PA on Thursday, September
13…This will be Chuck Etchells' 13th appearance in Reading, but first with
the Sunoco colors … In his twelve previous races at Maple Grove Raceway,
Chuck has lost in the first round only four times, and he will be looking to
duplicate his winning performance from 1995 … Chuck is hoping to duplicate
on his No.1 qualifying effort at this race from 1993 & 1997.
Epler Exclusives: This weekend marks Jim Epler's 8th appearance at Maple
Grove Raceway, where he will be looking to improve upon his semi-final finish
from this event in 1999. In qualifying, Jim will be looking to better his
previous best effort of 5th, which came in 1995. Jim is currently in the
11th position in the Winston points standings.
Fast Facts
WHAT: 17th annual Keystone NHRA Nationals, the nineteenth event on the
24-race 2001 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Schedule.
WHEN: September 14-16, 2001
WHERE: Maple Grove Raceway, Mohnton, Pennsylvania
SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying opens on Friday, September 14 with two
sessions at 4:30 & 7:30 p.m., , and concludes with two rounds at 1:00 and
4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15. Final eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m.
on Sunday, September 16.
TV: The Reading event television coverage will start with ninety minutes of
qualifying highlights on Saturday, September 15 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. on
ESPN2. This will be followed by two and a half hours of final elimination
coverage from 8:30 - 11:00 p.m. on ESPN2. In addition, the weekly NHRA
magazine show, NHRA Heat, will air on ESPN2 from 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. on
Thursday, September 13. (Times given are Eastern. As always, please check
your local listings.)
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