NASCAR BGN: Green Breathes a Sigh of Relief After Pikes Peak,
19 June 1998
Green Breathes a Sigh of Relief After Pikes Peak,Heads to Watkins Glen With Confidence
Central, City, Ky. - Relief.
It's the only word to describe the feeling experienced by Mark Green and the Timber Wolf/Brewco Motorsports team after scoring a seventh place finish in last week's Lycos.com 250 NASCAR Busch Series race at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
"Boy, did we need that," said the Owensboro, Kentucky resident. "The 1998 season has been frustrating and disappointing. We've been a very competitive team but our results haven't been very impressive. At Pikes Peak, everything seemed to go right for a change. We didn't have any major handling problems, cut tires or other cars driving into us."
In the past seven races, Green and the team had failed to finish two races and the best finish for the No. 37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet Monte Carlo was a meager 11th place at Nazareth Speedway.
But that changed after the team put together a strong effort in the inaugural event at Pikes Peak. They hope to carry their momentum into the Lysol 200 at Watkins Glen International on June 28.
"Not many NASCAR drivers look forward to racing on a road course," said Green. "I'm one who does. I spent the early part of my career racing go-karts on nothing but road courses."
In the nine years he spent racing go-karts in the Southern Indiana Racing Association, he won six consecutive Indiana State Karting Championships.
"We are more prepared for Watkins Glen this year than we were in 1997," continued Green. "We tested for two days in May and have one race under our belts. Last year with no experience on the track, we nearly grabbed a top five finish when we ran out of gas on the final lap and finished 15th. This year, I know the Timber Wolf team is stronger and our chances for success are much greater."
Green's solid finish at Pikes Peak moved him up four positions in the point standings to 10th, eight points out of ninth position. His chance for a top five finish in the series championship is not out of the question.
"We've been taking the championship one race at a time," said Green. "Our determination and desire to finish each race in the very best position we can will lead to a strong points finish at year's end."
