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