NASCAR BES: Pierre Bourque Looks For More In Stafford
Pierre Bourque Looks For More In Stafford “New Diversity Driver Adapting Quickly" STAFFORD SPRINGS, Connecticut (June 13, 2006) - - After performing better than expected last weekend at Greensville-Pickens Speedway, 2006 NASCAR Busch East Series Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Pierre Bourque strolls into Stafford Motor Speedway looking to improve on his respectable 18th place performance from last weekend and capture his first top-15 finish of 2006. With no experience at the grueling short track, Bourque, the only full-time Canadian running in NASCAR is heading in with an open-mind. “Stafford is just the first of many new stops for me this season. We didn’t have the opportunity to test there, so we are just going to have to work extra hard in practice to dial our Chevrolet in right.�?? The first race of the 2006 season is now in Bourque’s rear-view mirror, he’ s already met one of his early goals, finish the race. “Any time you short track race, you have to have the mentality you’re going to get bruised up a little bit. I did. But we finished the race on the lead lap, despite being spun out three times and having an unscheduled pit stop to check the radiator. I don’t have a lot of experience on the shorter tracks, but I loved it.�?? Much of Bourque’s early success can be attested to the guidance of former ARCA RE/MAX Series champ, Andy Hillenburg. Hillenburg along with his Fast Track Racing team have put together Bourque’s program for the NBE season along with preparing for some ARCA starts later in the year. “Andy Hillenburg, you cannot say enough about that man,�?? Bourque continued. “He has put together a very competitive program this season. I know that it might take us a few races to get the consistency we are looking for, but we will get there. The confidence I have in him is endless and I’m sure it’s vice-versa. I’m really adapting well to the team and we’re confident about this weekend’s race.�?? Heading into the TSI Harley-Davidson 150, Bourque currently occupies 18th in the national standings, just a mere 26 markers outside the top-ten. “If we can just keep our nose clean again this weekend, we can easily move up in the points. Right now, points isn’t the most important thing for us, but it’s a priority. Seat time is the biggest thing right now. We’ll worry about points in the next couple of races.�?? Thus far, Bourque has competed in both the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the NASCAR Busch East Series, but the Ottawa, Ontario native doesn’t see a huge difference between the cars and series. “The competition is just as competitive, sure the cars are a little different, but it’s all really close. I’ve got two more NBE races before we’re planning on running the ARCA race at Kansas. I’ ve had a lot of testing and some action on the short tracks, so having the opportunity to run on a bigger track will really broaden my horizon and benefit me down the road.�?? Bourque will pilot the No. 10 _Full Metals Minerals_ (http://www.fullmetalminerals.com/) -_Pollara Strategic Public Opinion_ (http://www.pollara.ca/) Chevrolet this weekend and he is looking forward to giving his sponsors some additional publicity. “The hype is starting. I know that we will contend for the win this year and it will be a great feeling for Full Metals Minerals and Pollara Strategic Public Opinion. They are great sponsors and we’re excited to have them onboard this weekend. They are in this for the long haul. Come seasons end, I’m sure we’ll have a lot to boast about.�?? The TSI Harley-Davidson 150 (150 laps/75 miles) is the second of 11 events on the 2006 NASCAR Busch East Series schedule. Practice begins Friday, June 16th with an hour and twenty-minute (2:00pm-3:20pm EST) session planned. Busch pole qualifying is on tap Friday afternoon (5:00pm EST) with the race set to take the green flag later that night at approximately 9:00pm EST. The race will be tape-delayed and can be viewed on the SPEED channel on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 12:00pm EST. In the coming weeks, Bourque along with FTR (Fast Track Racing) will unveil a new racing website. ### ATTACHMENT: JPG image of Pierre Bourque DATE: June 13th, 2006 NAME: Chris Knight, Fast Track Racing PHONE: 734-674-9108 EMAIL: _Knight849@aol.com_ (mailto:Knight849@aol.com)