Stevens and Team Mopar refreshed for Brainerd

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2005 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 16 of 23
LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS
BRAINERD INT'L RACEWAY
BRAINERD, MINN.
Race Dates: Aug. 12-14, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell, 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net

STEVENS AND TEAM MOPAR REFRESHED FOR BRAINERD

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 11, 2005) - Richie Stevens Jr. will make a visit this
weekend to another NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series venue that he hasn't
seen in a  number of years. It's been five years since he competed in Pro
Stock at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals and three since he's raced regularly
in the Pro Stock Class.

Now, in his first season with Don Schumacher Racing driving the Team
Mopar/Valspar HEMI-powered Dodge Stratus, he's eager to get back on
Brainerd's quarter-mile. Following the grueling three-race Western Swing,
the New Orleans native is looking to improve on his results. He is ninth in
points, was No. 1 qualifier once so far this season and reached the final
round once.

"Brainerd has always been a good place. It's always been pretty decent to
me," said Stevens. "It was one of the first tracks that I ran on in NHRA
back in 1997.

"We just need a turn-around," he said of his recent early-round losses. "We
need to get some momentum back and maybe Brainerd will see our first
victory. On the Western Swing and we didn't do as well as we wanted to, so
maybe this next string of races will be good for us.

"We'll find out this weekend. We'll have all our engines freshened up and
have everything back the way it should be. The engines were getting a little
worn out after three races, so everything will be fresh and ready to go and
I'll be fresh and ready to go, and so will everybody else on the
Mopar/Valspar team."

Including crew chief and 10-time Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden. Glidden,
although retired from competition, is tied with Bruce Allen and Warren
Johnson with most wins at this track, four. Those victories came in 1983,
1985, 1986 and 1992. "Bob's experience and record here is definitely a
benefit to our team and my teammate Jeg Coughlin's team," Stevens said.
Glidden tunes both cars for DSR.

"If I remember right it could be pretty cool up here," added Stevens. "If
the temperatures are in the 70s that will be great. It's probably one of the
cooler tracks we race on in the summertime. It will be good for the Pro
Stock cars, as long as the track will hold it. The cooler conditions always
produce the quicker numbers."

SCHEDULE:      
On Friday, Aug. 12, professional qualifying sessions are at 2:30 and 5:30
p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 13, pro qualifying continues at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. On
Sunday, Aug. 14, pre-race ceremonies are at 10 a.m. and final eliminations
begin at 11 a.m. 

TELEVISION:     
On Saturday, Aug. 13, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights
at 6 p.m. (ET). On Sunday, Aug.14, ESPN2 will televise three hours of
eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). Also on Sunday, Aug.14, ESPN2 will televise
NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET).

RICHIE STEVENS JR. QUICK FACTS:
* Ninth in 2005 Pro Stock points after 15 races, reached final round once,
was No. 1 qualifier once
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing after sending in a resume for 2005 season
* Cut short driving career in 2002 to run family business while dad Richie
Sr. underwent open-heart surgery
* With dad Richie Stevens Sr. owns Stevens Collision Center in New Orleans
* Born and raised in New Orleans, is 26 years old
* His career-best ET and speed so far: 6.669 ET (Englishtown 2005) and
207.08 mph in Gainesville, Fla., 2005
* Has longtime relationship with associate sponsor Valspar
* Capped off rookie season in 1998 with a victory in his first final-round
appearance (Pomona 2)
* Is youngest Pro Stock driver to win a national event, at 20-one month, in
1998
* Has four career wins in eight final rounds, two No. 1 qualifiers to his
credit
* In 1999 he became the eighth member of the Speed Pro 200-mph Pro Stock
Club with a 200.08 mph run in Richmond, Va.
* Competed in Roy Hill's Pro Mod car in 2004, with a semifinal finish at the
U.S. Nationals his best result

***