LEWIS ATOP ELITE STANDINGS FOR FINAL TIME IN NASCAR HISTORY

Source: Moore-Lewis Racing
Date: 09/20/2006

The curtain has drawn on the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Northwest Series 2006 campaign and 21 years of exceptional racing history.

Garrett Evans, Ron Eaton, Kelly Tanner, Kevin Hamlin, Jeff Jefferson and now Gary Lewis share one thing in common in the series illustrious history; each is a multi-time champion.

The smoke has cleared from the two-time champion’s stellar burnout last weekend, but the feeling of being called newly crowned champion has yet to set in, Lewis acknowledged.

“It really has not sunk yet,” he explained. “I think that comes from still having so much to do in our 2006 racing season such as the trip to Irwindale for the Toyota All-Star Showdown, a trip to New York City for the NEXTEL Cup banquet and preparing for a run in Phoenix later this fall.”

Taking the green flag in Wenatchee awarded Lewis the 2006 championship due to 153-point lead over Brandon Riehl, but the evening started off less than the Moore-Lewis Race Team had hoped for, according to Lewis.

After a spin on lap 2 The Sign Factory USA/Victory Circle Chassis Chevrolet restarted in 19th position on the field; a daunting task ahead for Lewis’ eighth top-10 finish in nine attempts, he added.

“We had such good hopes for last week’s race. Finally we had a race in front of us where the pressure was off and there was no reason to worry about the points,” Lewis said. “For some reason the Nutter Racing Engines Monte Carlo qualified horrible (14th out of 21) after we had been very fast in practice.

“When we took the green the car was back to how it had in been during practice and all I wanted to do was get us back to the front of the field so we could contend for the win. After spinning in the oil slick right off the bat I was a little frustrated and that put us on a mission to make it back up front even if we had to take some chances.”

Determination to win the 06 championship and return the Emery Worldwide Moving crew to the top of the points standings after a sub-par 2005 run started 11 months ago, Lewis noted. A strong run from 34th to 5th at the Toyota All-Star Showdown last year sprang the team to its 06 successes. Including last weekend’s recovery, he confirmed.

“This championship gives us so much momentum that it will carry us on for some time to come. We plan on backing last year’s run in Irwindale up by putting ourselves in a position to win it all this year.”

Those plans mean there is still plenty of work to be done on the No. 73, Lewis added.

“We do have a lot to do in the next few weeks to prepare for the biggest race of the season down in Irwindale. Our motor has to come out and be sent to A.C. Nutter for some freshening. We are getting some bodywork done from Jim Risher and the crew at the Sign Factory and that should also help us at Phoenix by having a nice clean nose. It essence we are going to take the car apart and go through each part and piece to make sure everything is the best it can be for our final two races of 2006.”

Preparation is also underway for 2007.

“We would really like to race for Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR AutoZone Grand National West Series. The team and myself are ready for that next step and hopefully we can pull everything together and make it happen. We also have a new Victory Circle late model chassis that the team is building with a new Aluminum Racing Products Monte Carlo body ready to hang. Only time will tell what our team does. I do know that this team has many more races to come in its future.”

To learn more about Gary Lewis and the Moore-Lewis Racing Team drop by www.garylewisracing.com

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