2001 FEATHERLITE SOUTHWEST SERIES RACE FACTS & NOTES OF INTEREST
WHAT: Coors Light "125" Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring Race No. 3
WHERE: Mesa Marin Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif.
1/2-Mile Paved Oval
WHEN: Saturday, April 7, 2001 -- 9:00 p.m. PST
DISTANCE: 125 Laps/62.5 Miles
POSTED AWARDS: $33,720
FIELD: 30 cars possible. The fastest 26 cars through time trials with two provisional starting positions (27th & 28th) available to the top 30 drivers based on the final 2000 Featherlite Southwest Series point standings, who have not qualified for one of the original 26 starting positions, provided eligible drivers attempt to qualify. The 29th and 30th starting positions will be filled by the top two (2) highest finishing drivers from the Qualifying Race, electing to transfer.
SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR)
PROMOTER: Mesa Marin Raceway, Inc.
SCHEDULE:
Saturday, April 7
10:00 a.m. Registration & Inspections
12:00 noon Mandatory Rookie Driver's Meeting
12:30 p.m. Drawing to determine Qualifying order
1:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Practice
3:30 p.m. Mandatory driver's meeting
5:30 p.m. Time Trials (2 Laps). All positions
7:00 p.m. Qualifying race
7:30 p.m. Trophy Dash
THE RACE TRACK: Mesa Marin Raceway is a 1/2-mile paved oval track.
RECORDS:
QUALIFYING: Frank Adamo 10/16/98 100.903 mph 17.839 sec.
RACE: 100-Laps Loren Kelley 6/30/90 81.743 mph 36 min. 44 sec.
FEATHERLITE SOUTHWEST SERIES NOTES:
- M.K. Kanke will surpass the $300,000 mark in career earnings at Mesa Marin
and become the first Featherlite Southwest Series driver in history to
achieve that milestone. Kanke needs just $118. Ron Hornaday Jr. is second
with career earnings of $285,920.
- Bob Lyon, Aqua Dulce, Calif., is the iron man of the series with 221
appearances.
- Doug McCoun has the longest active streak of consecutive seasons finishing
in the top 10 in the final standings. McCoun has managed top 10 finishes
eight straight years.
- The record for most different Bud Pole Award winners in a season is 13,
set in 1997 and tied in 1998.
- Matt Crafton, 2000 Featherlite Southwest Series champion, will not be back
in 2001 to defend his title. Crafton has moved up to the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series to run for Rookie-of-the-Year driving the #88 Sealmaster
Chevrolet.
- More than 12 Rookie -of-the-Year candidates have officially declared their intentions including Brandon Miller of Rancho Santa Fe, Burney Lamar, Troy Adams, Eddie McKean out of Jerome, Idaho, and Scott Brandt from Kalispell, Montana.
2000 RACE REVIEW: Jon Nelson won the Bud Pole Award with a time of 18.050 and started the event in the sixth position due to the invert. Frank Maronski led the first 18 laps from his outside pole starting position, then lost the lead to Auggie Vidovich Jr. on lap 19. Vidovich went on to lead the next 80 laps and looked to have the race won, when a hard-charging Sean Woodside made a last lap pass to record his first win of the season. The spring 2000 event at Mesa Marin Raceway was a 100-lap race.
2000 RACE STATS
Bud Pole: Jon Nelson
Time of Race: 53 min, 10 seconds
Average Speed: 57.7423 mph
Margin of Victory: .391 seconds
Caution Flags: Five for 39 Laps
Lap Leaders: Frank Maronski Jr. 1-18, Auggie Vidovich Jr. 19-98, Sean Woodside 99-100. Two lead changes among three drivers.
