2000 RAYBESTOS BRAKES NORTHWEST SERIES RACE FACTS & NOTES OF INTEREST

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 05/17/2000

WHAT: Pepsi 125
Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series Race No. 5 of 16

WHERE: South Sound Speedway, Tenino, Wash.
0.333-Mile Paved Speedway

WHEN: Saturday, May 20, 2000 -- 7:30 p.m. PDT DISTANCE: 125 Laps/41.625 Miles POSTED AWARDS: $25,650

FIELD: 22 cars possible. Fastest 17 cars through time trials with two provisional starting positions available to the top 20 drivers based on the current 2000 Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series point standings, two starting positions from the top two finishers in the non-qualifiers race, and one additional starting position for a former Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series champion who participated in as a driver in 1999 and did not qualify in one of the original 17 starting positions.

SCHEDULE:
Saturday, May 20
12:00 noon Registration and inspection
2:15 p.m. Mandatory Spotters' & Crew Chiefs' Meeting
2:30 p.m. Alternating Practice Sessions to 4:45 p.m.
5:00 p.m. Mandatory Drivers Meeting
6:00 p.m. Two-lap time trials
TBA Qualifying Race and Trophy Dashes

THE RACETRACK: South Sound Speedway is a high-banked .333-mile paved oval.

RECORDS:
QUALIFYING: Dan Press 6/25/94 94.537mph 14.28 seconds
RACE: Joe Benedetti 5/22/99 65.559mph 38 min 8 sec

1999 TOP 10 IN THE EVENT
1. Joe Benedetti
2. Chris Hart
3. Pete Harding
4. Tom Sweatman
5. Ray Wallace
6. Wilbur Bruce
7. Jerry Fink
8. Joe Constance
9. Bill Lawrence
10. Wes Rhodes

1999 RACE STATISTICS
Bud Pole: Tom Pinkowsky
Time of Race: 38 min. 8 sec. (Record)
Average Speed: 65.559 mph (Record)
Margin of Victory: 0.13 sec
Caution Flags: 4 for 19 laps
Lap Leaders: Joe Benedetti (1-125).

NOTES OF INTEREST:
· Joe Benedetti set a race record last year, turning the 125 laps in 38 minutes, 8 seconds, for an average speed of 65.559 mph on the tight .333-mile oval. The race had only four cautions, helping the pace of the race.

· Garrett Evans has claimed more wins at South Sound Speedway than any other driver in series history. His nine wins tops Ron Eaton who has seven.

· The all-time Bud Pole winner at the track is former champion Dirk Stephens. He won the pole six times at his home track. Evans is just one behind with five.

· Qualifying will be of utmost importance at South Sound Speedway. The starting field will have only 22 cars. With 28 cars pre-entered, teams will be concentrating on qualifying during practice to ensure they get one of the 17 starting positions based on qualifying speed.

STAT OF THE WEEK:
· Wins at South Sound Speedway have been spread around the various manufacturers. Chevrolet has 20 wins at the track. Ford and Pontiac each have 14 wins. Buick claimed 2 wins while still on the circuit.

1999 IN REVIEW: · Joe Benedetti led every lap of the Pepsi 125 last season. While that might not sound too exciting, he had a mirror full of Chris Hart for most of the second half of the race. Pete Harding rallied from his 13th starting position to claim third. Tom Sweatman came from 16th on the grid to finish fourth. Ray Wallace rounded out the top-five.

2000 Rookie-of-the-Year:
1. Matt Kelley 38
2. Gaylon Stewart 33
3. John Zaretzke 33
4. Steven Howrd 30
5. Rod Schultz 8
6. Motohiro Nakaji 5

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