Fullerton, CA (November 12, 2001) – Eric Norris solidified his 5th place standing in the 2001 NASCAR Winston West Series points championship with a 9th place finish at the season finale “Jani-King 250” at Irwindale Speedway this past weekend. The Dana Point, California resident has improved his championship standing since entering NASCAR’s premier west coast series in 1998, finishing 14th, 11th, 7th and 5th, respectively, the past four season.
In the season-ending “Jani-King 250” at Irwindale Speedway, Norris qualified thirteenth and quickly maneuvered his #32 Jani-King Ford to the top-5. After an excellent pit-stop at lap 195 for right side tires, Norris re-entered the race in sixth place with visions of winning the race for Jani-King, who was sponsoring the race in addition to being Norris’s primary sponsor the past three seasons.
“I really thought we had a car capable of winning but that last stop for right side tires ended up hurting us,” explained Norris. “The new tires made the car really loose coming off the corners, so it was all we could do to hang on for ninth. It’s disappointing because we had a good car all night and our pit stops were great. I really wanted to win this one for the team and Jani-King, who had around three-hundred people at the race. Hopefully we’ll get another shot at it next year.”
Norris is currently negotiating his 2002 race plans with Jani-King and his other sponsors, including Emer’gen-C (Alacer Corporation), James Hardie Building Products, The Whisky Bar, California Water Service Company, Pacific Coast Building Products and others.
Said Norris, “To finish fifth in the championship standings is pretty good considering the level of competition in the Winston West Series. We missed several opportunities to win races and had a lot of bad luck this year, but that’s part of racing. Everyone know this Jani-King team is capable of great things so we look forward to the 2002 race season.”
For more information on Eric Norris and Norris Racing, visit www.NorrisRacing.com.
