Pennzoil Dodge Preview: Raines Looks Forward to Good Show in Topeka

23 July 1997

 #19 Tony Raines, Pennzoil Dodge 
 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
 Lund Look 275K Advance                    
 Heartland Park Topeka         
 
            RAINES PLACES HEAVY EMPHASIS ON GOOD RUN IN TOPEKA

      
TOPEKA, KS - During the past several weeks, Pennzoil Dodge driver Tony Raines 
has excelled on the five oval tracks the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has 
visited. In fact, the first-year driver has scored the eighth highest point 
total of all drivers in the series during that stretch.
     
The tour now makes its first road course appearance of the season, and Raines 
knows that a strong performance at Heartland Park is both necessary and 
within reach. Raines, who captured the American Speed Association (ASA) title 
last year, won an ASA race on the Kansas road course in 1995.
     
     NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Points (last five races)

     1.      Ron Hornaday    811     6.      Jay Sauter      703 
     2.      Rich Bickle     805     7.      Jimmy Hensley   679 
     3.      Joe Ruttman     760     8.      TONY RAINES*    675 
     4.      Jack Sprague    743     9.      Mike Bliss      626 
     5.      Rick Carelli    717    10.      Stacy Compton*  624
     
     (* rookie)
     
Raines on...
     
...the importance of running well on road courses:
     
"Since we have three of them this year, I would like to finish in the top 
five at all of them. Boris [Said] and I are both competing for this rookie 
championship, and since he comes from a road racing background, I'm sure he 
has to be figuring on running really well at Topeka, Watkins Glen and Sears 
Point. It will be important to put up good finishes on the road courses to 
keep pace in the rookie race."
     
...the key to posting four straight top 10 finishes:
     
"Honestly, just finishing. Actually, since we won at I-70, we've had good 
enough runs going at every race to finish in the top 10, but three times we 
had mechanical problems. You just have to be there at the end to get 
anything good out of it."
     
...his impressions of Heartland Park Topeka:
     
"It's a pretty easy road course, really. It's flat and has predominantly 
left-handed turns. It's got a long front straightaway -- not the longest 
I've been on --but pretty lengthy. They're putting a new `kink' into the 
track this year, so it may be little different than in the past, but it 
shouldn't change much. This will be my first time there with the Pennzoil 
Dodge, but since I won there in `95, I feel like we should be pretty quick."

By Cohn & Wolfe