Bakersfield, California (March 18, 2001) – Eric Norris moved closer to his goal of winning the 2001 NASCAR Winston West championship with a 4th place finish at the Foods Co. 200 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California today. The finish catapults Norris from 6th to 3rd in the Series’ championship points standings.
“This was a good points race for us,” said Norris. “To come out of a short track like Bakersfield with the Jani-King car in one piece and to move to 3rd in points puts us in a good position heading to California Speedway (April 28). We really didn’t have a good handling race car today but our pit stops were awesome and we were able to stay out of trouble.”
Once again Norris demonstrated his driving prowess by posting the third fastest qualifying time for the race, marking the third time in four races he has started in the top-3 positions (Phoenix-2nd, Tucson-2nd). In the early stages of the 200-lap event Norris maintained a position in the top-5 but slowly faded to 10th as the race neared the halfway point.
Said Norris, “The car was decent at the start but started loosening up on me as the race progressed. I think we guessed wrong about the weather because we thought it might cool down and the track would tighten. It didn’t cool down and may have actually gotten hotter and made a loose car looser. Needless to say I was happy when we came in to pit around lap 100 so we could make some adjustments.”
Norris followed eight of the nine cars leading him into the pits at lap-102, with his crew chief Clinton Cram calling for right side tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Fully serviced, Norris returned to the race in third place.
“That had to be one of the best stops we’ve ever had. It gave us the track position we needed to come away with a top-5 finish,” explained Norris. “Clinton’s got this Jani-King team clicking. I know a win is coming soon – hopefully at Fontana.”
With six weeks before their next race at the two-mile California Speedway in Fontana, California on April 28, Norris will split his time directing an episode of the CBS TV show “Walker, Texas Ranger” starring his father Chuck and testing race cars at Fontana and Irwindale, California.
For more information on Eric Norris and Norris Racing, visit www.NorrisRacing.com.
