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ASA: Tristan Dupuis Wins Miller Lite 300 in ASA at Minnesota

5 September 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

2ND Year Michigan driver gets first career win at Labor Day classic

St. Paul, MN --A combination of using one less pit stop than the other leading competitors and on two occasions leaving the pits as the first car back onto the track, allowed Michigans Tristan Dupuis to outrun the field and win the Miller Lite 300 at the Minnesota State Fair Speedway. It was the first victory in ASA for the Iron Mountain, MI second year driver and he becomes the eighth different winner in 2000.

ACDelco Series championship points leader Gary St. Amant of Columbus, OH, finished second, his sixth runner-up finish of the season. He holds a 351 point margin over Kevin Cywinski with four of twenty events still remaining. The defending ASA National Championship Tim Sauter finished third.

Dupuis, started seventeenth, with the top-20 positions having been established from points standings following the previous event. Pole-sitter St. Amant topped the field for 16 circuits before surrending the lead to Kevin Cywinski. The Lakeville, MN based Cywinski led for 71 laps until Tim Sauter passed him on lap 87. Cywinski and Sauter both later held race-leadership including throughout a 100 lap stretch of green flag racing that triggered a competition yellow flag on lap 213.

Tristan Dupuis was the first of the lead lap machines to exit pit road, grabbing the top position on lap 216 and not relinquishing it again. "I had a great car today and when you can be first out anytime from the pit stops is a tremendous advantage," said Dupuis. "This win is for (car owner) Ron Daniels and the team. Honestly, Im surprised I havent won before, although this series is extremely tough. It was my first win in a race car of any kind in over two years." The 37-year Dupuis claims over 300 feature wins in various divisions in his home state of Michigan.

There has been considerable speculation on the future of racing at the decades old State Fair Speedway. ASA and Minnesota State Fair officials announced that the traditional Labor Day classic will return for 2001. The event is the only race held throughout the year on the .5-mile oval track.

The next event of the 2000 ASA ACDelco Series is set for Sunday, September 10 at Memphis Motorsports Park in Millington, TN. The green flag is set for 3 p.m. (Eastern) on the Memphis 200 presented by Jani-King. It is the 17th of 20 races in the 2000 ASA ACDelco Series season. The race will be televised live on TNN Sports.

St. Paul, Mn.--The unofficial order of finish from Sundays American Speed Association ACDelco Series $215,350 Miler Lite 300 at the Minnesota State Fair Speedway. Listed is finishing and starting position (in parenthesis) driver, make of car, laps completed and reason out, if any.

1)(17) Tristan Dupuis, Pontiac, 300
2) (1) Gary St. Amant, Chevrolet, 300
3) (4) Tim Sauter, Chevrolet, 300
4) (2) Kevin Cywinski, Chevrolet, 300
5) (3) Mike Garvey, Chevrolet, 300
6) (6) Butch Miller, Pontiac, 300
7) (7) Mike Miller, Pontiac, 300
8) (15) Glenn Allen Jr., Pontiac, 300
9) (16) Greg Stewart, Pontiac, 300
10) (22) David Stremme, Pontiac, 299
11) (11) Robbie Pyle, Chevrolet, 299
12) (23) Ted Smokstad, Chevrolet, 299
13) (19) Dave Sensiba, Pontiac, 299
14) (5) Scott Hansen, Ford, 298
15) (21) Paul Paine, Pontiac, 298
16) (10) Joey Clanton, Pontiac, 298
17) (13) Jack Landis, Ford, 298
18) (14) Brandon Sperling, Chevrolet, 297
19) (12) Rick Beebe, Pontiac, 297
20) (20) Mark Dismore, Chevrolet, 297
21) (8) Ricky Johnson, Chevrolet, 297
22) (30) Jason Schneider, Chevrolet, 297
23) (18) Larry Foyt, Pontiac, 296
24) (27) Pat Kelly, Chevrolet, 296
25) (26) Tim Taylor, Chevrolet, 296
26) (29) Russ Tuttle, Pontiac, 295
27) (31) J.C. Beattie Jr., Chevrolet, 294
28) (25) David Bonnett, Chevrolet, 291
29) (32) Buddy Gainey, Pontiac, 289
30) (34) Carroll Adamy, Chevrolet, 287
31) (24) Ricky Bryant, Pontiac, 286
32) (33) Mark Cole, Pontiac, 277
33) (9) Scott Wimmer, Chevrolet, 270
34) (28) Greg Williams, Chevrolet, 80

RACE STATISTICS:

Time of Race: 2 hour, 6 minutes, 18.003 seconds
Average Speed: 71.259 mph
Margin of Victory: 2.862 seconds
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers

Lap Leaders: St. Amant, 1-16; Cywinski, 17-87; Sauter, 88-109; Dupuis, 110-119; Sauter, 120-193; Cywinski, 194-215;, Dupuis 216-300 Cautions: 6 for 30 laps

Unofficial ASA ACDelco Series point standings after 16 of 20 events: 1) St. Amant, 2,861; 2) Cywinski, 2,510; 3) Garvey, 2,441; 4) T. Sauter, 2,402; 5) B. Miller, 2,282; 6) Hansen, 2,281; 7) M. Miller, 2,234; 8) Clanton, 2,134; 9) Johnson, 2,117; 10) Pyle, 2,091;.

Text provided by Jeremy Troiano

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