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Bodine Crew Chief Tryson Wins RCA Award

14 August 1997

                  ROOKIE CHIEF HELPS BODINE TO SECOND; 
                        GRABS FIRST EVER RCA AWARD


CONCORD, NC - It was a strategy Geoff Bodine made everyone else learn the 
hard way at Watkins Glen last year. 

Bodine and his crew made the Bud at the Glen a two-stop race en route to 
Victory Lane in 1996. This year everyone attempted to do the same thing, the 
trick was to do it out of sync with everyone else and still be covered on 
mileage and tire wear. Rookie crew chief Pat Tryson and Bodine decided to 
make their first stop early on Lap 25 instead of waiting until lap 30. 

"We pitted as soon as we could, so we would have the window covered," Bodine 
said. "That got us in ahead of everyone else, and when they pitted we were 
ahead of them. It worked again."         

Well, almost. 

Bodine had to settle for second - to Jeff Gordon - this year. But for Tryson 
and his crew's efforts, he has earned his first career RCA Pit Strategy 
Award. Tryson, who was the chassis specialist for Ricky Rudd's team last 
season, will be presented with a check for $5,000 and RCA's mascot Nipper 
during pre-race activities at Michigan Speedway this weekend.

"I guess you have to ask why it took so long (for everybody else to use the 
two-stop strategy). I don't know, but we did it first and now everybody seems 
to be doing it," Bodine said. "It worked for a while and got us in front and 
that was great. But you can't take anything away from the Hendrick group, 
Gordon as a driver and the equipment they have is pretty awesome."

Tryson is the 11th different winner of the RCA Pit Strategy Award this 
season. Terry Labonte's crew chief Gary DeHart and Ricky Rudd's Jim Long 
remain tied for the lead in the year-end points standings with three awards 
apiece. A year-end prize of $50,000 will be awarded at the Winston Cup awards 
banquet in New York in December. In the event of a tie, the winner will be 
determined by race wins and then points position, if necessary. 

Terry Labonte has yet to win a race this season. Rudd has two victories.

POINTS LEADERS

CREW CHIEF        CAR #     POINTS
Gary DeHart         5         3
Jim Long           10         3
Jimmy Fennig        6         2
Larry McReynolds    3         2
Todd Parrott       88         2
Robin Pemberton     2         2
Marc Reno          28         2
Paul Andrews       37         1
Ray Evernham       24         1
Ryan Pemberton     36         1
Pat Tryson          7         1

By RCA Racing Public Relations