JIM INGLEBRIGHT LOOKS TO CONTINUE STRONG PERFORMANCE AT PHOENIX NASCAR WEST SERIES RACE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jim Inglebright (No. 1 Jelly Belly Chevrolet) says Phoenix International Raceway has a personality he likes. And it shows.

He has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in five starts in NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series competition at the one-mile track in the Valley of the Sun. In addition, Inglebright netted a major win there with a victory in the NASCAR Elite Division, Southwest Series portion of the Copper World Classic in 1999.

Inglebright hopes to add to his PIR stats when the West Series returns to Phoenix for the AlphaTrade.com 150 under the lights on Thursday night. The $208,800 race, a companion event at PIR with the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series, will be televised to a national audience live in high definition on HDNet. In addition, SPEED is to provide an enhanced replay.

This race has been circled on Inglebright’s calendar for some time, with his Roadrunner Motorsports team building a new race car in preparation for it. “We’re really looking forward to it,” said the 45-year-old driver from Fairfield, Calif. “We’re just finishing up a brand new car and it is a Phoenix car.”

When it comes to PIR, Inglebright speaks of its particular characteristics in describing the track. “There are little things about that track, its personality if you will,” he said. “I kind of learned its personality right out of the box, on where you can and can’t go and what you need to do if your car is doing a certain thing.”

Using various lines around the track allows drivers to adjust for the conditions of their cars, according to Inglebright. “At that track you can move the race car around,” he explained. “If it’s tight or if it’s loose you can move the race car around and the race track will help you out if your car’s not perfect.”

Inglebright’s fondness for the D-shaped oval can be traced back to his first race there in 1992. It was the first track where he raced as part of a NASCAR traveling circuit after winning back-to-back championships at a NASCAR-sanctioned short track in Northern California. “For some reason I’ve always liked Phoenix,” he said. “My first Southwest Tour race was at Phoenix. I went from Roseville (Calif.), a little quarter-mile, to the one-mile track at Phoenix.”

Among the features he likes best about PIR is the speed. “For some reason I seem to do a little better on the bigger tracks,” Inglebright said. “Phoenix has what I call very inviting corners. You can roll off in there pretty deep. And that’s what I like to do. I’m not one for letting off the gas early. That track just kind of works for me. It is a great facility, just an awesome place.”

Inglebright attributes finishing well at Phoenix to qualifying well there. “More than anything, qualifying up front lets you race up front,” he pointed out. “It’s racing the guys that you should be racing.”

The key to qualifying fast at PIR? “Tighten down the belts,” Inglebright said with a chuckle. “Rick Carelli actually helped me with the qualifying thing at Phoenix, with markers on where you need to be back flat on the gas. There’re some marks on the wall. We’ve got different reference points. No matter what, when I’m at that point I’m to the mat. You better just hang on and hope it goes.”

The addition of lights at PIR, meanwhile, provides Inglebright with an added thrill. “I love night racing,” he said. “There is nothing better than racing at night. I love it. Absolutely love it, especially at Phoenix. They have those lights on the inside in the infield. It’s like going by telephone poles, with the lights shooting at you. You really get the sensation of speed. You really feel the sensation with the infield lights. It’s pretty cool.”

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