Vanderwyst Motorsports / EXIDE Racing Mosport Report

Vanderwyst Motorsports / EXIDE Racing

For immediate release: June 24, 2002

Vanderwyst smashes pole record en route to sixth-place at Mosport

LONDON, ON - Saturday night's 'Exide presents the Mosport 250' at Mosport 
Speedway provided an opportunity for Exide Pontiac driver Pete Vanderwyst 
to shine. During qualifying for the race, which bore the name of his 
primary sponsor, Vanderwyst smashed the existing CASCAR Super Series track 
record for the race, with a scorching lap of 21.962 around the half-mile 
speedway.
	After starting on the pole for the 250-lap chase, the St. Thomas, Ontario 
racer led the first 73 laps, before his handling went away. In the end, the 
Exide Pontiac came home a respectable sixth in the field of 33 starters, 
which was good enough to boost Vanderwyst to sixth in the overall Super 
Series point standings, following five events.
	"I just lost the handle on the car at the end. We really hit the setup 
early, but you have to give Don Thomson [the race winner] credit for the 
way his hot rod was going tonight. He knows how to get around this place. 
I'd like to thank Donnie for being a real gentleman, too. He could have put 
us a lap down at the end, but he didn't."
	All in all, Vanderwyst was pleased with the outing. "We're pretty happy, 
though. We qualified on the pole and set a new track record. We led a bunch 
of laps today, which also helps us in the points." Vanderwyst was 
especially impressed with the work of his pit crew. 	"My guys got us 
another great pit stop (two right-side tires and fuel). We took some 
stagger out of the car, which tightened it up a bit, but we probably could 
have used some more 'wedge' in the car for the long runs. In the short 
runs, we were really good, and that's the way it goes."
	Vanderwyst was also pleased to put on a solid performance in front of his 
sponsor, Exide, which had several representatives on hand for the race.
	"I just want to thank Exide for putting their name on this race, and 
thanks to Mosport for the show today. There were a lot of Exide people here 
to see us do well and we're proud of that. We're back in the saddle; we've 
proven that in the past four oval races."


NEXT RACE: The next race on the schedule for the Exide Pontiac team is one 
of the most exciting events in the history of CASCAR. On Sunday, June 30, 
at Cayuga Speedway, five NASCAR Winston Cup racers, plus Craftsman Truck 
Series star Ted Musgrave, will be in CASCAR Super Series cars for the race, 
which is expected to draw as many at 20,000 fans to the 5/8-mile oval. 
Vanderwyst Motorsports is playing a significant role in the affair, as it 
is responsible for preparing the cars for Tony Stewart and Johnny Benson.
	"We have a lot of work ahead of us this week, getting the cars ready for 
Johnny Benson and Tony Stewart, as well as getting our own hot rod ready," 
said Vanderwyst, after the Exide 250 at Mosport. "We want to get the cars 
as comfortable and fast as possible for the guys. A 'one-two-three' finish 
for the Vanderwyst Motorsports cars would really be nice."
	Discussing the 'Twin-50-Plus 100' lap format of the Cayuga race, 
Vanderwyst said he believes his style and equipment are suited to the 
event. "My car today would have been perfect for that last 100 lapper next 
Sunday night [at Cayuga]. But we'll put a little bit more wedge in the 
Exide Pontiac for that race and hopefully, we can qualify up front again, 
lead a bunch more laps, and hopefully win the thing."


For more information, contact Pete Vanderwyst at (519) 652-3900, ext. 222 
or visit www.vanderwystmotorsports.com
Prepared by Inside Track Communications