NASCAR AUTOZONE ELITE DIVISION, SOUTHWEST SERIES
Source — NASCAR Public Relations
Date Posted — November 10, 2005
- Auggie Vidovich was the fastest driver in the 2-1/2 hour practice that started at 8:00am MT/7:00am PT this morning with a speed of 128.783 mph. Championship leader Jim Pettit only managed the 21st fastest speed. "The car felt real good and I know we have a good set up for the race," Vidovich said.
- Erik Darnell and Todd Hansen both lost motors during the morning practice. Both crews are busy replacing powerplants before the two-lap qualifying session scheduled for 1:30pm MT/12:30am PT this afternoon.
- Brandon Loverock #10 withdrew from the event after losing a motor in the morning practice. "We just wanted to make the show and don't have a backup, so we are just going to head home," Loverock said.
- Burney Lamar who currently sits third in the Southwest Series standings clocked in with the sixth fastest time in practice but was not real happy with the car. "The car is tight and we really could not get it to turn," Lamar said.
- Eddy McKean could not find the sweet spot that he normally has here at Phoenix. "The car just isn't turning like it has in the past. We are going to go back to a neutral set up and hope it is right," McKean said.
- Tim Schendel from the Midwest Series was third fastest on the board and likes his race car for the race. "I have a great car for the race. Practice doesn't pay anything but everyone remembers the winner. I plan to be there at the end," Schendel said.
- 2005 Southeast Series champion Jeff Fultz had difficulty finding the speed to run with the front runners and just hopes to be there at the end of the race. "This race is about 125 laps and I plan to run each of them. The car is tight and nothing we did helped. I am looking forward to race; it will certainly be a lot of fun," Fultz said.
- Southwest Series championship point leader Jim Pettit II rebuilt his racecar after the last series event where his was involved in a late race incident that destroyed his car. "We decided to put it back together and not let the Mesa Marin incident get us down. The car got better during practice and I know we'll have a good car for the race. We need to post a good lap in qualifying but if we don't then we'll just race each lap as it comes," Pettit said.
- Sunoco Rookie leader Don Campbell was a bit off the pace in practice, but his focus is solely on finishing the race. "We don't have the motor to be really competitive at Phoenix. Our goal is to just run all the laps and finish the race. We want to win the rookie title and if luck falls our way we might finish the season in the top ten point standings," Campbell said.
- 15 drivers from today's field will load up after the race and head for Irwindale Speedway in California for the third annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. Drivers include Jim Pettit, Auggie Vidovich, Burney Lamar, Eddy McKean, Greg Voigt, Nick Lynch, Greg Pursley, Rip Michels, Thomas Martin, Jeff Fultz, Tim Schendel, JR Norris, Dusty Williams, and Greg Pope.
