RICHARDS HOPES TO KEEP TITLE RUN ON TRACK AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 04/21/2003

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- A year ago Kevin Richards (No. 85 Monaco Enterprises/Jerry Springer Chevrolet) turned in his best performance in six visits to California Speedway - leading late in the race and finishing second. It's no wonder Richards and his Spokane, Wash.-based team are anxious to return.

They will get the opportunity when the NASCAR Grand National Division, Winston West Series travels to the beautiful 2-mile superspeedway in Fontana, Calif., on Saturday, April 26, for the Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200.

The race, which features $226,814 in posted awards and prize money, will be televised to a national audience on the SPEED Channel cable network on a tape-delay basis. It is scheduled to air Monday, April 28, at 8 p.m. ET.

Richards attributes last year's performance to a different suspension setup on the Gene Monaco-owned entry. "It really suited the way that I drive," Richards said of the change. "It's important to get the body out of the air and seal the car off to the racetrack. It really helps the way the car drives, because air is everything at the speed that you're going at that track."

"I think that is the key, to get the profile of the car down on the track," Richards explained. "Once you get it sealed off and the air isn't getting underneath the car, the car drives so much better. It feels like it's digging into the racetrack. If you have a car that does not get down, it feels like the air is steering it more than you."

While the crew uses a different approach in setting up a car for a superspeedway - compared to a short track - the driver must also adjust, according to Richards. "Going to a superspeedway, you've got to keep your focus," he said. "You've got to be so much smoother, because one little mistake could cost you a racecar. You can make a little mistake on a short track and usually catch the car. On a high-speed track you're definitely going to tear something up if you make a big enough mistake."

Although three of his four career wins came on tracks a mile or more in length, Richards declines to say he is more suited for racing the longer tracks. "I would say it's more that I respect them and I know that I have to be smooth," he emphasized. "We have always had pretty good bodies on our racecars. We had good aero packages with our bodies and I think we'll have the same for California Speedway."

Performing well at California Speedway is important to all the Winston West Series teams, Richards pointed out. "I think there's a couple of reasons why," he explained. "One is that you have all the Busch and (Winston) Cup teams there, so you're trying to look like they need you as a driver or as a team to support their testing or their program in some way. Seriously, you are showcased in front of a lot of people and a lot of team owners in the upper leagues. The other thing is that it is the biggest track that we go to. It's our Daytona and it usually pays the most to win." Richards knows about big purses. As the winner of the Winston West Series championship race in Motegi, Japan, in 1999 - he won a series record $83,470.

In addition to the competing against each other at California Speedway, Winston West Series drivers have had to contend with Ken Schrader and other NASCAR Winston Cup Series regulars in this event. Schrader won the race the first two years and finished second in 1999 and 2000. After failing to crack the top five in 2001 and not competing last year, he will be back in action with the series this week. "I enjoy racing with them," Richards said of the Winston Cup competitors. "You can learn so much, if you're just behind those guys, about things to do when you're driving a racecar - as far as how you want to drive it into the corner, where you want to turn and how you do in traffic. That's what they do every week."

After suffering through a sub-par year in 2001, Richards and the Gene Monaco team turned things around last year - notching a top-10 finish in every event and finishing second in the championship standings. Richards is hoping for even better results this season. "I actually feel that bringing (crew chief) Chuck Carruthers with us and some of the other people we have added to our race team, along with some of the other things we're doing, that this is the year you will see the Monaco Enterprises/Jerry Springer Chevrolet win the championship," he predicted. "We're unloading fast. We're not struggling at this point. If I do my job right and everybody doesn't make a mistake, I think we've got a shot at this thing."

• The race ... This event is the third of 13 races on the series schedule for 2003. It is one of four superspeedway races on tap this season.

• The track ...California Speedway is a superspeedway with turns banked 14 degrees, 11 degrees of banking in the front straight and three degrees banking in the back straight. The track has hosted seven Winston West Series events.

• Last year's event ... Eric Norris led the way in last year's event by winning the Bud Pole Award, his second of 2002. He set the pace, leading the first 47 laps before relinquishing the top spot to Scott Lynch (No. 08 Yerf-Dog/Mr Gas Dodge). Norris took the lead back a few laps later and remained out front until Kevin Richards (No. 85 Monaco Enterprises/Jerry Springer) took over. Once again, however, Norris charged out front - leading the field to the checkered flag in an event that was shortened to 91 laps.

• Two visits in 2003 ... With a second series race slated for November, it will be the second time since the track was built that the series makes two visits to California Speedway in one season. The series competed at the Southern California facility twice in 1998, with Ken Schrader and Kevin Harvick each visiting victory lane.

• Multiple wins ... Schrader is the only driver with more than one series victory at California Speedway. He won this event the first two years it was held - 1997 and 1998.

• Most poles ... Schrader is also the only driver to win more than one Bud Pole Award at the Southern California superspeedway - setting the fast lap in this event in 1998 and 2000.

• Top marks ... Schrader has the most top-five finishes in series competition at California Speedway, with four, and the most top-10 finishes, with five.

• Show me the money ... With $61,940 in winnings, Schrader has won the most money in Winston West Series competition at the two-mile track.

• Running out front ... Schrader has also led the most laps of series competition at the superspeedway, running out front for 188 circuits.

• Return performance ... Scott Gaylord (No. 00 Oliver Gravity Separators/Denver Seminary Chevrolet) is the only driver to compete in all seven Winston West Series races that have been held at California Speedway.

• Manufacturers' battle ... Chevrolet has the most wins at California Speedway among automobile manufacturers, with four. A Ford was in victory lane last year, however.

• Stat of the race ...The Bud Pole winner went on to win the race in four of the seven series events at California Speedway.

• Etc. ... Ninety-seven different drivers have competed in the seven series races at California Speedway. … The winner of this event went on to win the series championship in each of the past two years. It was accomplished by Brendan Gaughan in 2001 and by Norris in 2002. … Lynch and Steve Portenga (No. 77 King Taco Ford) are scheduled to participate in the California Speedway Kick-Off Party at Dave & Buster's in the Ontario Mills Mall from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

• Blow out the candles ... Drivers who will be celebrating a birthday during the month of May include Daryl Harr, who will turn 21 on the 5th; Scott Lynch, who will turn 23 on the 14th; Ross Thompson, who will turn 29 on the 19th; Eric Norris, who will turn 38 on the 20th; Steve Portenga, who will turn 33 on the 22nd; and Scott Schmidt, who will turn 37 on the 31st.

• From the archives ... On June 21, 1997 in Winston West Series competition, Ken Schrader won the inaugural race at California Speedway over Mike Wallace and David Green.

What:

Pontiac Wide Track

Grand Prix 200, NASCAR Grand National Division, Winston West Series Race #3 of 13

Where:

California Speedway, Fontana, Calif.

When:

9:20 a.m., Saturday, April 26.

Track layout:

2-mile superspeedway.

Distance:

100 Laps, 200 miles.

Posted Awards:

$226,814

TV:

SPEED Channel

(tape-delay, April 28, 8 p.m. ET)

2002 winner:

Eric Norris.

2002 polesitter:

Eric Norris.

Pre-race schedule:

Thursday - Practice, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Qualifying, 3:30 p.m. Practice, 5-6 p.m. Note: Subject to change.

Field:

32 cars possible. Fastest 28 through time trials. Two provisional positions based on final 2002 Winston West Series championship owner point standings, one additional position based on final 2002 Winston West Series championship driver standings, one provisional starting position to Winston West Series champion.

Records:

Qualifying: Mark Reed, April 26, 2001, 181.593 mph, 39.649 sec.; Race: Brendan Gaughan, April 28, 2001, 152.316 mph, 1h 18m 47s

See Also .:

• Auto Club Speedway Track Page

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