NASCAR WWEST: Eric Norris and the Jani-King Team Hope for Better Luck in Vegas
21 September 1999
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Just two and a half weeks after what some might say was the biggest
disappointment in Eric Norris's short NASCAR Winston West career, he looks
forward to better luck at Las Vegas. At the last race, in Salt Lake City,
Utah, Norris was leading with 18 laps to go when his engine let go,
denying
him of his first victory."Man that hurt," said Norris. "In one sense I have to be happy that we ran good enough to win, but to not get the win. I can't even begin to explain how bad it felt when the car lost power. It was just another case of bad luck and circumstances keeping the Jani-King team from a solid finish."
Unfortunately, Norris has the same problem of finishing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Both of the races that he has run, he has had good runs spoiled by problems out of his and the team's control.
"It's been a tough middle of the year," said Norris. "We've had some fast cars all year but I think if something fell out of the sky it would land on this team. Everything that could possibly go wrong or happen has occurred. But this team is tough so we won't let it get us down but we sure do need a good finish. Hopefully this is the place to get it."
The Jani-King team did test on the 15th of this month at Las Vegas, and they were very pleased with what they learned. They took two cars and Norris and the crew think they have a big jump on what it will take to get around the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Norris will be making his 25th NASCAR Winston West Series start when he takes the green flag for the Gold Coast 150 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With a solid top ten finish, he will move over the $50,000 mark in season earnings and also the $100,000 mark in career NASCAR Winston West Series earnings.
The Norris racing team currently sits tenth in money earned this season.
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