ORLEANS 150 - QUALIFYING DAY

Source: Janet Peery
Date: 04/21/2000

Las Vegas Motor Speedway just has to be one of the best tracks in the country. The racing is good, it is easy to get from point a to point b and things just seem to go right at the track. Today at the track the IRL were in one section and the NASCAR Winston West in another. Although most of the time I was in the Winston West pits I did venture off to have a peek at the IRL and believe it or not Tony Stewart was there. It is my understanding he was working on a team. But it was the NASCAR Winston West garage that held my interest. There were over 30 cars and most of the cars were looking for speed. John Metcalf of the ReMAX Racing team said the car was find...just needed, you guessed it a little more speed.

Mark Reed said his car was tight and he was having difficulty getting into the gas quick enough. It is the first race for him at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and he is certainly hoping to get the car up to speed for his sponsors, Price Rite (a division of Food4Less) that will be watching from their suites. Besides speed, another driver concern was tires. Reed said he did extensive testing in the Tour car with the Hoosiers and was pleased with them, so would use them for the west. The Reed Motorsports Team wanted to be sure and wish all the fans a Happy Easter! Next weekend Reed plans to attempt double duty running both the NASCAR Southwest Tour at Irwindale and the NASCAR Winston West at California. If time doesn't allow him to make it to Irwindale in time to qualify the plan is for Roger Mears, Jr. to practice and qualify the Tour car.

Eric Norris had the Ash team giving him a hand and they were looking to change springs in hope of bettering the car. But basically they were happy with it. And they were probably right they went on to qualify 3rd quick.

When it came to Sammy Potashnicks car the crew changed everything but the driver. Potashnick is known for going flat out and the team is working on giving him a car as quick as him. Team manager, Randy Anderson has been with Team Walker for 22 years, so getting that car to perform the way it should is no problemo.

Eric Holmes who doubles in both the NASCAR Winston West and the full season in the Star Nursery Southwest Tour car (vacated by Kurt Busch) was dealing with a car that was loose in the middle. The team was trying to tighten it up. Under the eye of Motorsports veterans Troy and Allen Beebe and manager, Mark Paul, they gave Holmes a car that qualified about midpack, but is capable of working it's way to the front for tomorrow's Orleans 150. Holmes will probably be running a few Winston West races this year, perhaps as few as five to maintain his rookie status.

Sammy Potashnick, like his peers, was looking for speed. He was concerned that Ken Schrader ran a 33 flat. He said he was looking to put the car in the top 15 and he did. But what he wanted was the pole. Postashnick expressed a number of drivers sentiments, "If you don't get the pole it doesn't pay anything. I want to race and keep the car and motor in one piece." Great news for Potashnick, he is set to marry the beautiful Michelle Adams, a production assistant for a well-known sports program. The wedding is set for August in Laguna Beach, California with a honeymoon in perhaps Cabo.

After setting the pole in qualifying the Orleans Racing Team was found changing a motor. They said they blew the motor on Brendan Gaughans track breaking pole run.

Austin Cameron's team was funny, when asked if they were going to change anything they said attitude and maybe the motor :^)

Jeff Jefferson blew a right front tire and was sent in a spin. Hoosier will be sending the tire off for analyzing. It was not certain if the tire had 25 or 40 laps on it. Some said something was ran over, but time will tell. It was the Hoosier tire that carried Kevin Richard's to the last NASCAR Winston West win at the track.

Jason Small who is set to run both Vegas and Mesa is extremely ill. The medics were giving him fluids intravenously. He was too sick to practice and Jerry Cain jumped in to scuff the tires for him. He did get a qualifying run in, but came in 17th, it was a car he might have put on the pole had he been feeling better.

Driving the Midgley No. 09 is SCCA road course racer out of Indiana, Tony Kester. This will be his first race in a stock car and first race on a super-speedway.

There is a whole lot more news, will try to post it tomorrow night.

Congratulations to the NAPA Orleans Racing Team. They put it on the pole in 32.202 at a time of 167.691 - WOW!

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