Novato, CA (Monday, January 28, 2002) - For the second year in a row, Jim Pettit II will be behind the wheel of the #03 BayPac Racing/Hall Kinion.com Ford Taurus when the 2002 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series gets underway at Phoenix International Raceway on February 2nd.
Pettit, who finished 8th overall in the 2001 driver's standings, is excited as he readies himself for the 2002 campaign.
"I can't wait to get going," Pettit said. "We went down to Phoenix earlier in the month and did some testing, and the car ran great. With the testing and two races at PIR under our belt, we hope to improve upon our 13th place finish in last year's season opener."
Back in February 2001 at the season opener in Phoenix, team owner Jesse Rhodes was realistic when it came to his expectations for the season. He expected a top-10 finish and hoped for a top-5 finish in the overall standings from Pettit, who himself felt a top-5 finish was within reach.
After a 13th place finish in Phoenix, the short-track specialist flexed his muscles and came away with a thrilling 2nd place finish at Cajon Speedway. That race, more than any, let the regulars on tour know that they had to worry about the #03 Hall Kinion.com/BayPac Racing Ford Taurus week in and week out.
Pettit would go on to tally three top-5 finishes and five top-10 finishes on his way to that 8th place finish in the final driver's standings. Along the way, both he and team owner Jesse Rhodes learned a thing or two that will help their campaign in 2002.
"Just being out there every week for a year and getting a feel for what's necessary to be successful will help us this season," said Rhodes. "There were times when no one would give us the time of day, but the team worked its butt off all year and eventually gained the respect it deserved.
"Now we have to take it to the next level."
BayPac Racing has once again signed Hall Kinion.com as their primary sponsor, and has also inked a secondary deal with Headhunter.net for the 2002 season.
Hall Kinion is a global leader in technology recruiting and placement and can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hallkinion.com.
Headhunter.net is the foremost online job search and recruiting site on the
Net and can be found at http://www.headhunter.net.
