Pennzoil Dodge Race Preview: Raines Heads to Colorado as Hottest Rookie
16 July 1997
Raines Heads to Colorado as Series' Hottest Rookie In winning "rookie of the race" honors Saturday at Louisville, Pennzoil Dodge driver Tony Raines showed veteran patience, gaining three positions in the last 75 laps to finish fourth. He'll need that same patience when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visits the 3/8-mile Colorado National Speedway Saturday for the Colorado 250. Raines won five "rookie of the race" awards during the first half of the 26-race schedule, including the last three. That string of performances vaulted him to a third-place tie in the battle for Cintas Rookie of the Year with 13 races to go. Raines on... ...his goals for the second half of the season: "For starters, I want to have three solid finishes on the road courses. I won a race on the road course at Topeka in ASA (American Speed Association), so I know it can be done. If we could go out and put the Pennzoil Dodge in the top five, two or three times on the road courses, I think we would be in good shape. I also think we need to win another race to really make this year an accomplishment. "I think the rookie title is definitely within reach, but I want it to come with another win. If you're going to be considered top rookie, you want to be the best in all aspects. I don't want a `gimme.' Kenny [Irwin] set the stick up pretty high when he won his first race at Homestead, but then I matched it at I-70. Then he won another one at Texas. So, now we have to go out and get our second one." ...keys to maintaining patience on a short track: "I really think it is a matter of whether you want to finish or not. It's just common sense. You can't lose your head, because if you do, you'll tear up your stuff and you won't finish. As the old saying goes, `to finish first, you must first finish.' That is the key to the way I think and the way I drive the Pennzoil Dodge. You just have to be cool. That's just part of it. You're going to have situations that test you all the time, and you have to deal with them correctly." ...competing for Cintas Rookie of the Year: "If I would win this rookie title, I would feel like I won a championship. This series has a bunch of good drivers and a bunch of good teams that are rookies. This rookie class should be long-remembered because it is a very talented bunch." Cintas Rookie of the Year Standings (Top Five) 1. Kenny Irwin 149 2. Rick Crawford 127 3. TONY RAINES 112 Boris Said 112 5. Stacy Compton 98 For More Information Contact: Al Larsen Cohn & Wolfe (404) 880-5267 al_larsen@cohnwolfe.com