NASCAR BGN Food City 250 Report: #88, Kevin Lepage
27 August 1997
#88 Kevin Lepage, TBA Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division Food City 250 Race Report Bristol Motor Speedway August 22, 1997 LEPAGE REGAINS LAP TO FINISH 10TH AT BMS BRISTOL, TN - Kevin Lepage, driving the #88 TBA/Ryder Driver Recruiting Chevrolet, lost a lap when he spun on Lap 130 of the NASCAR Busch Grand National Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night. "I just spun coming out of Turn 2," stated Lepage after the race. "Before the race, I made a bet with the crew that I could move up to 10th from my starting position of 24th in 35 laps. Obviously, I didn't make in 35 laps, but I was moving up. I guess I was just trying too hard." Lepage's spin brought out the sixth of 13 caution periods of the night. On the restart after the eighth caution period, Lepage was lined up with race leader Jimmy Spencer since he was the first of the lapped cars. After three laps of side-by-side racing, Lepage passed Spencer to regain his lap. "Spencer drove me clean for three laps," said Lepage. "I knew I had a fast car. C.R. (C.R. Miller, Crew Chief) told me I was running as fast as the leaders before the caution, so I knew if I just hung in there I could pass Spencer." Lepage went on to finish the night in 10th place, his first top-ten finish since finishing fourth at South Boston in June. "This is our sixth top-ten finish of the season," stated Crew Chief C.R. Miller. "The guys in the shop have done a great job. We have had some disappointing finishes lately, but the crew just keeps going strong. This finish means a lot to them. I can't say enough good things about them." Lepage's 10th place finish puts him back in 10th place in the NASCAR BGN Driver Points with 2620 points, just 15 points behind ninth place Tim Fedewa. "We are back in the top-ten in points, which is one of our goals this year," stated Lepage. "We are only 171 points behind Buckshot Jones who is in fifth place. It's a long shot, but we could still catch him before the end of the season." Visit Ridling Motorsports' new website at www.ridling.com. Keep up with Kevin Lepage and his Ridling Motorsports teammate Dennis Setzer. By Ridling Motorsports Public Relations