NASCAR BGN: Casey Atwood Notes and Quotes, Daytona
15 February 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
WHAT CRASH?: Mention last year's NAPA Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series event at Daytona International Speedway and most recount Casey Atwood's spectacular crash. But the 19-year-old driver of the No. 27 Castrol GTX Chevrolet Monte Carlo would rather be remembered for his team's solid performance.
"We were strong last year," said Atwood. "We qualified fourth fastest, ran in the lead draft and had a chance to win with two laps to go. That's what I remember most. The crash is secondary."
Last year, in the closing laps of the race, Atwood got tapped from behind by another car as he chased down leader and eventual race winner Randy LaJoie. The contact lifted the rear of his car off the ground. It turned over and slid down the frontstretch on its roof before barrel rolling to a stop. He was not injured in the incident.
"If we can repeat our on track performance from last year, we will be happy," said Atwood. "This year both the team and I have more experience on restrictor plate tracks and we know we are capable of winning."
IF WE BUILD IT, THEY WILL PRACTICE: During the off season, the Castrol GTX Racing team focused on improving pit stop performance so much so that it built a simulated pit road behind its shop in Central City, Kentucky. "We have a 150-foot pit road complete with concrete stalls and a retaining wall," said co-crew chief Jason Ratcliff. "We practice for about an hour, three times a week. It may not seem like much but we can make about 35 pit stops per hour."
CASEY ATWOOD SUPERSPEEDWAY QUICK FACT: In two career superspeedway starts, Casey Atwood's average starting position is fifth and average finishing position is 12th.
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999: The No. 27 Castrol GTX car which Casey Atwood is racing in the NAPA Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway is a 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which has one race to its credit, named Redo (re-do).
"After testing the 2000 car in Talladega, we learned our 99 car was just a bit faster," said co-crew chief Kip McCord. "It takes time to learn the characteristics of a new body style, especially on superspeedways. We are focusing on a championship and we need to be at our best in every race. We know what this car can do. It ran once last year at Talladega and started 7th and finished 8th."
Text provided by Craig Bailey
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