SONOMA, California -- Vince Little of Clovis, Calif. has dreamed about racing since he was a kid. Over the years he has achieved moderate success racing in the Spec Truck Series and his local racetrack. But as his dream is no different then most, Little eyes a chance to move up the racing ladder, and this weekend he will attempt to qualify for the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
Little, a painting contractor in Clovis, has spent the past couple of season concentrating on business and putting his racing hopes on the back burner. Little is now ready to make to move back into the drivers seat and this weekend will put all of his skills to the test as he is one of more than fifty drivers who will attempt to qualify for the Snap-On Tools "200".
For Little and several other teams, the weekend will be all about qualifying as only 42 positions are available on the starting grid. Several road racing veterans are in town and will try to steal the limelight from Little and other up and coming hopefuls who will all vie for their share of $92,994 in posted awards in race seven of the 14-race championship series. The event will feature NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars Kevin Harvick and road racing ace Boris Said. Harvick won last year's race.
The twisting-turning 1.99 mile road course of Infineon Raceway will present many challenges to Little who primarily has turned left in his racing career. The competition will be as tough as Little has ever faced, yet he is confident about his chances for a god run on Saturday. In 2001 and 2002, Little finished the 64-lap race in the 11th position both years. In both events he had been running in the top five with less than 10 laps to go only to have some bad racing luck strike. "I know I can race good if we get into the race," Little said. "This is such a big race for guys at our level. If we can go out and run good, it can make all the difference for our team."
Little may be the "David" in a field of "Goliaths", but his determination to succeed makes him a giant among his competitors.
Little racing is sponsored by Vince Little Painting, Jack Bayer Racing Engines, and Bad Attitude Apparel. Additional information regarding Vince Little Racing is available by logging onto www.wincelitleracing.com.
