Final notes from Greenville-Pickens
Best Finishes … Several NASCAR Camping World Series East drivers posted their best career finishes within the series in the season opening event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. They include: Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon, winning in his first start as did 2007 rookie Joey Logano; second-place finisher Marc Davis, whose best prior finish was third, twice; Ben Stancill, third, best prior finish of 15th.
Rookie Derek Thorn, 22, originally from Lakeport, Calif., turned in a remarkable performance at Greenville. The ALS Association/racingforacure.com Ford driver qualified sixth-fastest, and ran inside the top 10 for the first 95 laps of the 156-lap race when a spin slowed his pace. He recovered to finish 24th, completing 153 laps. His team towed 16 hours from Wisconsin to enter the event, and had to make the field through qualifying.
Checking the Grenville-Pickens Barometer ... Since 2006 when the NASCAR Camping World Series East began opening the season at Greenville, the top five finishers in the race have been an unusually keen predictor of the outcome of the season’s championship points race. Here are comparisons of the Greenville race finish and the final points standing of both years: 2006 — Greenville top-five, Sean Caisse, Brian Hoar, Mike Olsen, Matt Kobyluck, Bryon Chew. Final points: Olsen, Caisse, Chew, Hoar and Kobyluck; 2007 — Greenville top-five, Joey Logano, Caisse, Chew, Peyton Sellers, Rogelio Lopez. Final points: Logano, Caisse, Sellers, Kobyluck, Jeffrey Earnhardt. Based on the top five at Greenville last month, the ones to watch in 2008, in order of finish: Austin Dillon, Marc Davis, Ben Stancill, Eddie MacDonald, Ricky Carmichael.
Tracking the Veterans ... Tracking veterans of NASCAR’s three national series, here are their 2008 performances at Greenville: Jody Lavendar (NASCAR Nationwide, NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Sixth; Steve Park, (NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Truck) Eighth; Richard Johns (Nationwide), 13th; Bobby Hamilton Jr. (Cup, Nationwide, Truck), 29th.
Drawing A Crowd … A number of VIPs and special guests were on hand for the NASCAR Camping World Series East season opening event. Among those in attendance was Martha Earnhardt, wife of the late two-time Greenville-Pickens track champion, Ralph, the 1956 NASCAR Sportsman Division champion, who attended the event for the second-consecutive year. Mrs. Earnhardt is the grandmother of Kerry Earnhardt and great-grandmother of series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt.
Richard Childress was on hand to see his grandson, eventual winner Austin Dillon, compete in his first NASCAR series event. Wendell Scott Jr., namesake son of the first African American to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event (1963), attended the event. Veteran NASCAR driver Ken Schrader, a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner, was in attendance as owner of two NASCAR Camping World Series East teams.
