PORTLAND, Oregon – Excitement was in the air as rookie Scottie Jenkins prepared himself for Opening Night at Irwindale Speedway. With only a few days of practice in a late model stock car under his belt, Jenkins hammered down a two-lap qualification time worthy of the eleventh starting position in a twenty-nine car field.

“Sitting in the starting lineup I was beginning to get a little nervous about the race and how it would go, but didn’t have much time to think about it. The green flag dropped and Johnny (my radio spotter) was yelling ‘GREEN-GREEN-GREEN!!’ in my ear and the race was on!” raved a wild-eyed Jenkins as he climbed out of his car. “We ran real strong the first half of the race and stayed in the top ten, but slipped a little in the second half. It’s quite apparent I need more days on the track getting a better feel for the E.F.I. / High Point Racing #51 car and this style of racing. Practice doesn’t always make perfect, but it sure helps,” chuckled Jenkins.

The first race of the season wasn’t without incident; drivers dealt with three yellow flags, including a spooky multi-car collision and spin just behind Jenkins that had a rainbow of cars swerving into the infield to avoid the fray. Later, Scottie’s driver’s-side door panel was crushed and tire tattooed while racing three abreast down the front straightaway at almost 100 MPH.

“This is completely different than open-wheel racing; I can barely describe what it’s like to race a late-model stock car. It’s like you’re fourteen years old and have never driven a car before, then for your first lesson you’re bumper to bumper on the Autobahn. Scary…but fun,” grinned Scottie.

An environmentally-conscious racer and businessman, Scottie Jenkins is the Plant Manager for Environmental Fibers International, Inc., a family-owned and operated recycling company located in Portland, Oregon. For more information about Scottie Jenkins and valuable sponsorship opportunities, visit scottiejenkins.com or contact: Scott Jenkins Motorsports, 4325 N. Commerce Street, Portland, Oregon 97217 (503) 737-2100.

See Also .:

News Index | E-mail to a Friend