Trans-Am: Huffaker/Qvale, Tommy Bahama, and Chris Neville weather Detroit rain, stretch points lead
11 August 1999
DETROIT, Mich. (August 10, 1999) Chris Neville drove his #88 Huffaker/Qvale Motorsports/Tommy Bahama Mustang to a fourth-place finish today in the rain-shortened Johnson Controls 100 BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series race, part of the Tenneco Automotive Detroit Grand Prix. After qualifying third, it was a difficult race, but the end result was an increase in Neville's season points lead after eight of thirteen rounds. Brian Simo won the race, which saw only eight of the 26 laps completed run under green flag conditions. "We're keeping our eyes on the big picture, and that's the championship at the end of the year," said Neville, who also signed on with Tommy Bahama and Huffaker/Qvale Motorsports this weekend to compete together through the year 2000 season. "The conditions in the rain were really treacherous, and I lost radio contact with the crew, but we made it to the end in one piece. The Tommy Bahama crew gave me a good car; it’s a shame we didn't race long enough to show it. We still have our points lead, though, so we're ready to go on to Grand Rapids and get back on the podium." "We're really pleased to have signed with both Tommy Bahama and Chris through next year," said team president, Bruce Qvale. "Chris had a good run in really awful conditions today, and came away with valuable points." "A lot of cars finished this race in the pits or in the wall," added Huffaker/Qvale vice president and technical director Joe Huffaker. "Chris drove a good race, and brought the car to the finish, so we're still in good shape in the championship. We know the Huffaker/Qvale team does well on street circuits, and we've got two more coming right up, so we're ready." Neville now has 185 points, with Paul Gentilozzi and Mike Lewis tied for second at 179 each. Race winner Brian Simo jumps to fourth in points with 174, while John Miller is fifth with 168. The next race is the August 29 West Michigan Grand Prix, at Grand Rapids. The race is scheduled to take the green flag at 1:00 pm (EDT), with the telecast on a same-day delay. The broadcast is slated to begin at 4:30 pm (EDT), on The Nashville Network (TNN).