KLEENEX/HUGGIES TEAM GOING TO TOUR LA

The Kleenex/Huggies Racing Team of Kenny Shepherd has been taking the No. 9 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour car to some very impressive finishes. And it looks like it did not go unnoticed.

It was announced that Kleenex/Huggies has expanded their sponsorship of the race team to include all remaining races of the Series schedule. On 8-30-99 a spokesman from Kimberly Clark made the news public.

This was to be a limited sponsorship from Kleenex/Huggies that included 9 races of the Featherlite Southwest Series schedule, but they were so impressed with the team's performance while running on limited funding the decision was made to expand to sponsorship.

Shepherd said, " I'm very excited, this was completely unexpected and says a lot about the quality sponsor I have in Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, they are giving us the chance to stay in this championship battle and my fans and my race team are very grateful for their kind support."

RacingWest: What is it like to turn right?
Kenny Shepherd: As long as I'm in the race car I'm having fun, turning right or left.

RW: How much of a difference is there to the chassis set-up when you have to turn both ways?
KS: It is a lot of work getting the car ready for a road course, rearend, swaybar, a-frames, coolers and transmission are just a few things that have to be changed.

RW: With this being a completely different "road course" than Sears Point does your set up differ from Sears Point to LA?
KS: The LA set up is a mix of the Sears Point set up and an oval track like Madera.

RW: Since you are not going flat out and turning left, do you need to beef up the transmissions or change the ratios in some of the gears?
KS: We use a special road race transmission.

RW: How do you set the car up to avoid spinning the tires?
KS: My crew chief "Snake Eyes" tapes an egg under the gas pedal and if I break it I buy steaks instead of burgers.

RW: At the race last year we saw a lot of the cars were extremely loose coming off the last turn onto the front straight. Will you try to do something to alleviate that this year?
KS: I think forward bite will play a big role in winning the race, again I go back to a Madera or Cajon set up and mix it with Sears Point.

RW: Would it mean more to win this race than another race the Tour runs? Why or why not?
KS: Yes and no, yes because its the biggest race in the history of the series and in 98 it was an important race for the champion of the series. I say no because I feel the Sears Point event is the most important event for a driver (live TV and the cup owners in town, etc.)

RW: How many spotters will you use at this event?
KS: We will use three spotters.

RW: Will you use any additional crew for this race?
KS: Our team is made up of all volunteers but we have a group of extra volunteers that help us at all the big races.

RW: Do you have any special plans while in LA?
KS: Our special plans for LA are to race our car at 110% and try to get closer to the points leader in this Featherlite Southwest Series championship.