Did You Know?
Fun Facts About Winston Cup Drivers
* John Andretti holds a business management degree from Moravian College.
* Ward Burton spent two years living in a log cabin, surviving off the land.
* Ricky Craven holds an annual snowmobile ride in his native Maine to raise money for charities.
* Bill Elliott has a pilot's license and is rated to fly multi-engine planes and helicopters.
* Ryan Newman graduated from Purdue University with a degree in vehicle structural engineering.
* Elliott Sadler is a hunting guide and raises Walker hunting dogs in the winter.
* Mike Skinner is an excellent amateur pool player, winning tournaments in five states.
* Rusty Wallace says his most embarrassing moment came in a win, after a race in Springfield, Missouri, where he crashed while waving to the crowd.
More Seats
Obviously race fans just can't get enough of short tracks.
This winter, while Bristol Motor Speedway works to add 10,000 seats, construction crews will be at Richmond International Raceway expanding seating by 3,000. The Richmond expansion will include grandstand seats, luxury suites, "club" seats (complete with armrests and cup holders), and a new press box.
When the dust settles at Richmond, the track will have 40 luxury suites, up from 34, and a total seating capacity of 105,000. The track's last expansion came prior to the September 2000 race, when 6,500 seats were added.
Plenty of rubbing, plenty of passing, plenty of spills. Hmm ... any wonder why people want to go back to this place?
Storm Chaser
Consistency and a pair of assists from Mother Nature helped Scott Autry wear a pair of crowns in 2002. The Autryville, North Carolina, driver rallied to win the Late Model Sportsman track title in the final points race of the season at Wake County Speedway, a quarter-mile asphalt oval in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he raced on most Friday nights. He also mounted a late-season charge to win the championship of the Carolina Clash Series, which sanctions dirt Super Late Model races in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia.
Rainout of Friday events on the Clash schedule in July and September enabled Autry to compete in, and win, double-points events at Wake County. One of those was the season finale, where he took the race lead with less than 10 laps left to win the championship by 13 points.
Autry entered the final weekend of Clash competition in October trailing Billy Hicks of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. They left the Friday portion of the Clash twin bill with Autry back in front by just one point and headed for Hicks' home track, 311 Speedway in Madison, North Carolina, to decide which of them would pocket the $5,000 title bonus.
Autry and Hicks collided two laps from the finish, and both drivers were sent to the rear of the field for the restart. Autry raced back to the checkered flag two spots ahead of Hicks to swipe the championship by nine points.
Says Autry, "If I don't ever get to move up in racing any higher than this, this is probably the biggest season of my entire career."-Thomas Pope
One Sweet Deal
Not that you have to be nuts to sponsor Kevin Harvick in NASCAR Busch Series competition, but definitely nuts and caramel.
Richard Childress Racing announced recently that PayDay, the nut and caramel candy bar, would sponsor Harvick in 15 of 34 Busch Series races in 2003. Johnny Sauter will take care of the remaining dates.
Just remember, Kevin-you have to eat your vegetables first.
Mission Possible
About six years ago ironworker Mike Brogan was hard at work when a pier shifted, causing Brogan to fall 25 feet. Two large beams then crushed his legs. Brogan survived, but his injuries forced a double leg amputation.
For many people, this situation would lead to severe depression. Not Mike. Instead, he decided to go racing, despite the fact that he'd never before driven a race car.