NASCAR-CTS: Royal Crown Race Notes - NAPA 250 - Martinsville Speedway
16 April 1999
WHERE IT ALL STARTED, COMPTON COMES HOMENo one has to remind Stacy Compton about the spring of 1996 when the Hurt, Virginia, native shocked the racing world with his qualifying performance for the Winston Cup event here at the famed half-mile oval. Compton qualified ninth in a car he bought the week before, frustrating drivers and getting noticed by team owners. "I knew that everyone was watching us," Compton stated. "We just wanted to make the show and get noticed. (Team Owner) David Hodson approached me afterwards and asked if I wanted to go racing with him and the rest is history."
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME
In the first four races of the '99 season, Compton has collected four top-five finishes and he won the Bud Pole Award last weekend at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, CA. Team RC is currently second in the NCTS point standings with 660 points, only 45 marks behind Ron Hornaday. "We had another top-five last week," said Compton. "We have been very consistent with everything we've done so far. We are going to win races this season. It's just a matter of time."
MARTINSVILLE: THE DAYTONA OF LATE-MODELSCompton reflected on his early career in the Winston Racing Series here at Martinsville. "This was a tough show to make back then," said Compton. "There would be over 120 cars trying to make it through first round qualifying (first 25 positions). It looked like Daytona during Speedweeks. It was pretty intimidating.
STACY COMPTON MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY CAREER STATISTICS (ncts)DATE START FINISH LAPS STATUS MONEY 9-27-97 7 9 256/256 Running $ 6,825
9-26-98 15 4 250/250 Running $13,225
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