Santerre Going to Phoenix As Primary Driver This Time
Santerre Going to Phoenix As Primary Driver This Time Maine Native Tested For Park Last Year, Now Gets Chance to Drive Phoenix Last year when the #31 Whelen Monte Carlo team tested for the Busch Series race in Phoenix it called upon friend Andy Santerre to help work on the Phoenix setups. The team spent a day at New Hampshire International Speedway working with Santerre who was standing in because regular driver Steve Park had Winston Cup comitments. This year, Santarre is filling in as Park recovers from injuries suffered in Darlington in September. Santerre hopes his work on the flat track in New Hampshire that many say is similar to Phoenix as well at Ted Marsh Racing’s Phoenix experience will pay off on the fast mile oval in the Arizona dessert. Santerre, who is making his second start in the Whelen Monte Carlo, said the key to success will be hitting on the right setup with the tire compound Goodyear will have all of the Busch teams run when practice begins on Thursday. Santerre On Phoenix: “I’ll be honest with you, I have never run at Phoenix. I went out there in 2000 with Team Rensi Motorsports as the backup driver. It was a pretty awesome race track. It’s kind of right up my ally. Most of the guys that go there say the setups are very similar those used at New Hampshire and Milwaukee. I have run good at those places so hopefully we can go out there and run just as well in the Whelen car.” Comparing Phoenix To Other Tracks: You try to get a good baseline and that can be off other tracks. One of the advantages we will have this weekend is Teddy Marsh and that team raced at Phoenix last season. They were real good out there last year with Steve Park. I did the testing for that team last year at New Hampshire. They went right from the test to Phoenix where they were one of the top five cars all day in practice and ran real good in the race before they broke a drive shaft. I think we will be pretty close when we start practice so we can spend the rest of the day fine tuning it and getting it ready for qualifying and the race. Tire Compounds: “It is tough. Goodyear has a lot less compounds this year but there is a big variance from what we run at a short track to what we had at a bigger place like Kansas City. The compounds do make the cars drive different and the setups are a lot different. The tire dictates the setup you run at the car. The tires we are on at Phoenix is probably my favorite of the three or four compounds we have been on this year. . I was on them at Indianapolis and we were really good there.” Marsh Racing’s 2001 Busch Series Statistics With Steve Park Points Race/Track Driver S F LC TL Status Winnings Suncom 200 (Darlington) Park 15 7 147 147 Running $ 9,951 Hardees 250 (Richmond) Park 29 9 250 250 Running $ 10,210 CVS Pharmacy 200 (Loudon) Park 3 6 200 200 Running $ 12,531 MBNA 200 (Dover) Park 38 5 200 200 Running $ 17,505 Sams Club 200 (Chicago) Park 21 42 37 200 Running $12,965 Food City 250 (Bristol) Park 8 4 250 250 Running $16,460 South Carolina 200 (Darlington) Park 15 38 49 200 Accident $8,320 Mr. Goodcents 300 (Kansas) Santerre 32 32 169 200 Engine $14,025 Santerre’s 2001 Busch Series Statistics Race Start Fin. Laps Winnings ALLTEL 200 (Rockingham) 16 23 195 $9,125 Cheez-It 250 (Bristol) 29 31 187 $8,495 Pepsi 300 (Nashville) 25 33 162 $7,885 CVS Pharmacy 200 (Loudon) 9 27 191 $9,186 GNC Live Well 200 (Milwaukee) 19 18 82 $8,840 CARQUEST Auto Parts 250 (Charlotte) 35 16 199 $20,345 NAPA Autocare 250 (Pikes Peak) 18 13 249 $19,275 Kroger 200 (Indianapolis) 10 17 200 $10,845 Mr. Goodcents 200 (Kasas) 32 32 169 $14,025 OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE 200 Phoenix International Raceway Saturday, October 27 Time: 3:00 p.m. ET TV: TNT Radio: MRN Defending Champion: Jeff Burton Thursday, October 25 12:00 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. Practice 4:00 p.m. Qualifying (2 Laps, All Positions) Friday, October 26 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Final Practice Saturday, October 27 2:30 p.m. Drivers Introduction 3:00 p.m. Outback Steakhouse 200 (200 Laps) WHAT: OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE 200, NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division Series Race #31 of 33 WHERE: Phoenix International Raceway, 1-Mile Paved Speedway WHEN: Saturday, October 27, 2001 DISTANCE: 200 Laps / 200 Miles POSTED AWARDS: $1,025,621 FIELD: 43 Cars. Fastest 36 cars through time trials. Seven provisional starting positions, including either six or seven based on the current 2001 NASCAR Busch Series car owner points and possibly one provisional position for a former champion of the circuit. SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) PROMOTER: Phoenix Speedway Corporation TV: TNT(Live),Airtime: 3:00 p.m. ET, Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach, Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Matt Yocum RADIO: MRN Radio (Live), Airtime: 2:30 p.m. ET, Announcers: Barney Hall, Joe Moore, Turn Reporters: Dan Hubbard, Mike Bagley, Pit Reporters: Jim Phillips, Winston Kelley, Jason Toy RECORDS: Qualifying: Jason Leffler - Pontiac, 130.957 mph, November 3, 2000 Race: Jeff Burton - Pontiac, 115.145 mph, November 4, 2000 THE TRACK: Phoenix International Raceway is a 1-mile paved oval with 11-degree banking in turns 1-2, nine-degree in turns 3-4, three-degree on the front straight and nine-degree on the backstretch. The length of the frontstretch is 1,179 feet and the length of the backstretch is 1,551 feet. Phoenix International Raceway has hosted the Outback Steakhouse 200 since 1999. 2000 RACE REVIEW: Bud Pole: Jason Leffler, Pontiac (130.957 mph, 27.490 seconds) Time of Race: 1 hr., 44 mins., 13 seconds Average Speed: 115.145 mph Margin of Victory: .962 second Lead Changes: 9 lead change among 7 drivers Caution Flags: 1 caution for 5 laps THE NASCAR BUSCH SERIES AT PHOENIX POINTS OF INTEREST Both of the Phoenix races have been won from a third-place starting position (Jeff Gordon in 1999 and Jeff Burton in 2000). Jeff Burton is the only driver with a top-five finish in both Phoenix races (fourth, 1999; first, 2000). In addition to Jeff Burton, three other drivers have had top-ten finishes in both Phoenix races: Ron Hornaday (sixth, 1999 and fifth, 2000); Matt Kenseth (eighth, 1999 and sixth, 2000); and Kenny Wallace (fifth, 1999 and seventh, 2000). Ron Hornaday is the only driver to lead both Phoenix races, 98 laps in 1999 and four laps in 2000. Elton Sawyer's 17 top-ten finishes this season give him a career total of 129 top-ten finishes, tying him with Larry Pearson and Jimmy Hensley for fifth in all-time career top-ten finishes. Sawyer has not had a top-ten finish at Phoenix. The record for the most top-ten finishes in the NASCAR Busch Series is held by Tommy Houston at 198. Three of the 25 drivers who have competed in both NASCAR Busch Series Phoenix races have started in the top ten in both races. Ron Hornaday is the only driver with two top-five starts--second, 1999, and fourth, 2000. The other drivers with top-ten starts are Jeff Green and Mike McLaughlin. The average speed for each of the NASCAR Busch Series Outback Steakhouse 200 races was less than one-tenth of a mile apart: 1999, 115.053; 2000, 115.145. Each of the Phoenix races had only one caution. Both races had under 10 caution laps (1999 - 8; 2000 - 5). The NASCAR Busch Series Point Battle Three races remain in the NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division 2001 season. Kevin Harvick leads second place Jeff Green by 203 points and third place Jason Keller by 210 points. Greg Biffle is 399 points behind Harvick and has not yet been mathematically eliminated from the competition. The most points that can be earned in a race is 185 points to the winning driver if that driver also leads the most laps. The most points that can be gained/lost in a race is 151, the difference between first place, 185 points and 43rd place, 34 points. Kevin Harvick cannot clinch the NASCAR Busch Series championship title at Phoenix if Jeff Green or Jason Keller start the race. Harvick will clinch the 2001 championship if his last three races result in an average of 15th place points. The most points that Jeff Green could end up with is 4783 (win and lead the most laps of all three remaining races). With an average of 15th place points, Kevin Harvick would end up with 4785 points and win the 2001 NASCAR Busch Series championship. Similarly, Kevin Harvick will eliminate third place Jason Keller by averaging 16th place points. Keller and Harvick would both be tied at 4776 and Harvick would win the title based on having more wins (5) than Keller (4). Greg Biffle will be eliminated if he is more than 370 points behind Kevin Harvick after Phoenix. Thus, he needs to gain at least 29 points on Harvick at Phoenix or he is eliminated from contention for the 2001 season title. Also, if Harvick averages 36th place over the last three races, he wins the title no matter what Greg Biffle does. Drew Brown 1335 Torrence Circle Davidson, NC 28036 704-895-3651 H 704-906-7992 C drew_brown@mindspring.com