Santerre Aims For Quicker Start At Homestead
Santerre Aims For Quicker Start At Homestead Andy Santerre and his Ted Marsh Racing teammates spent much of the weekend at Phoenix trying to solve the #31 Whelen Monte Carlo’s handling problems. A 35th place qualifying effort and struggles in final practice left the part-time team frustrated. But when the green flag dropped on the Busch Series race on Saturday, Santerre rocketed toward the front of the field as one of the fastest cars on the track. Santerre passed nearly 20 cars before a brief brush with the wall led to other problems that ended his day. Santerre, who is making his third start in the Whelen Monte Carlo for the injured Steve Park, said he and the team plan to take the knowledge they gained at Phoenix and apply it this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The team is bringing a different Chevrolet to Florida this weekend - one tweaked for the aerodynamic demands needed to go fast on the flat mile oval. Aerodynamics as well as finding the right setup with the harder compound tire Goodyear plans to bring to the track will pose the biggest challenges to Busch Series drivers in the season-ending race. Santerre On Homestead: “It’s very similar to a Loudon New Hampshire, but just a little bit longer. I raced there my rookie year and we had our troubles. We were pretty fast but hit the wall in practice and then blew a motor in the race. But it is a place I think I can get around pretty well.” What Did You Learn At Phoenix: “I think we proved that we could be a fast car. It just took us longer than we thought it would. With Marsh Racing running a limited schedule and me not running the full schedule we kind of struggled all weekend, but once the race started we were really good. Hopefully what we learned at Phoenix will help us at Homestead. We need to unload off the truck better and not take too long to get the car right. There are some similarities between the two tracks. Homestead is chassis and aerodynamics. We are taking a different car to Homestead that has a little bit better nose on it and a little less drag. You never know until you take your first lap.” Santerre On Tires: “I think the tire we are running is the one we raced in Pike’s Peak this year. It took everybody a little while to get going on it. Hopefully, it will work out good. I think it is a lot harder and that means we will have a little less grip in the corners. But I really like what Goodyear is doing and I think it might make for a pretty good race.” GNC Live Well 300 Homestead - Miami Speedway Saturday, November 10 Time: 1:00 p.m. ET TV: NBC Radio: MRN Marsh Racing’s 2001 Busch Series Statistics With Steve Park 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 Outback 200 (Phoenix) Santerre 35 42 37 200 Rear End $13,215 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 32 32 169 $14,025 Outback Steakhouse 200 (Phoenix) 35 42 37 $13,215 For More Information Drew Brown 1335 Torrence Circle Davidson, NC 28036 704-895-3651 H 704-906-7992 C drew_brown@mindspring.com