NASCAR BGN Series Notes (Week of August 28)
28 August 1997
NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division Notes of Interest Week of August 25, 1997 DAYTONA BEACH, FL - Raybestos Rookie of the Year Candidate Steve Park has set numerous rookie records after 23 events in 1997. He has the most top-five finishes ever in a rookie season with eight; most points by a rookie in a season with 2,337; tied with Dennis Setzer for most wins by a rookie in a season with two; and most money won by a rookie in a season with $340,411. - Chevrolet has officially clinched the NASCAR Busch Series Bill France Performance Cup for 1997. It's Chevrolet's fifth title in the last six years. Chevrolet has won the award five times, Ford once and Oldsmobile once, since it was started in 1991. If Chevrolet can win six of the last seven races, they will break Pontiac's old mark of 21 wins by a manufacturer in a single season. - Chevrolet has also surpassed Pontiac for most wins by a manufacturer in the 15-year history of the NASCAR Busch Series. The breakdown of wins goes: Chevrolet 128, Pontiac 125, Oldsmobile 78, Buick 75, and Ford 55. - When Dale Earnhardt, Jr. led laps 47-68 of the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway Friday night, it was the first time an Earnhardt has led a NASCAR Busch Series race since his father (Dale) led lap 81 of the Fram Filter 500k at Talladega Superspeedway on July 23, 1994 -- (85 races ago). - Did You Know? NASCAR Busch Series rookie Steve Park has seven top-10 finishes in his last 10 starts. - Driver Tracy Leslie became the 18th driver in the 15-year history of the NASCAR Busch Series to top the $1 million mark in career winnings. He is the fourth driver to achieve this milestone in 1997. - Jimmy Spencer's win at Bristol Motor Speedway was his first NASCAR Busch Series win since August 8, 1992 (55 races ago) when he won the Texas Pete Sauces 300 at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, NC. - Spencer's win also broke a seven-week streak of repeat winners in 1997. - NASCAR Busch Series points leader Randy LaJoie has led 938 of the 4,770 laps (20%) run so far this year. - There have been 11 different winners in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1997. If there are seven new winners in the last seven races of 1997, that will tie the all-time record of 18, set in 1988. Stat of the Week Two weeks ago in Michigan, Steve Park and Jimmy Spencer finished one-two in the race. This past weekend at Bristol, Spencer finished first and Park second. This is the seventh time in the 15-year history of the NASCAR Busch Series and first since 1984 (Jack Ingram & Sam Ard), this feat has been achieved. But that still isn't the record. The record was set in 1983, when Tommy Ellis and Jack Ingram traded spots over three consecutive races with Ellis coming away with two wins and a second and Ingram having two seconds and a win. TOP 10 - TENTH: Kevin Lepage jumped back into the top-10 with a 10th place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. - NINTH: Tim Fedewa held onto the ninth spot for the third week in a row. Fedewa has three top-10 finishes in his last seven starts. - EIGHTH: Elton Sawyer has six top-10 finishes in his last 11 races. Sawyer finished 34th in the Food City 250. - SEVENTH: Only twice in the last eight races has Mike McLaughlin finished lower than 13th. - SIXTH: Buckshot Jones has seven top-10 finishes in his last 11 starts. - FIFTH: After four-consecutive top-two finishes, Elliott Sadler has finished 18th and 41st in his last two races. - FOURTH: Phil Parsons has never been lower than fourth place in the point standings in 1997. - THIRD: Rookie Steve Park has eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes after 23 races. Eleven of those 14 top-10 finishes have come in his last 15 starts. - SECOND: Even with his 19th top-10 finish of the season coming at Bristol this past weekend, Todd Bodine still lost 18 points in the NASCAR Busch Series Championship point standings. Bodine now trails LaJoie by 130 points. - FIRST: Randy LaJoie sits on top of the points standings for the sixth week in a row. He has four wins, 10 top-five, and 14 top-10 finishes in his last 18 starts. LaJoie has not been lower than third-place in the point standings since March 23, 1996, when he was in fifth -- 45 races ago. Turning to Darlington and the Dura-Lube 200 Presented by Trak Auto - In the 14 previous NASCAR Busch Series fall races run at Darlington Raceway, a NASCAR Busch Series regular has never won a race (0-14). - This spring Randy LaJoie became only the fifth NASCAR Busch Series regular to win a race at Darlington Raceway. Overall, (spring & fall races) the NASCAR Busch Series drivers are (5-24) versus their NASCAR Winston Cup Series counterparts at the track "Too Tough To Tame!" - Randy LaJoie has finished in the top-five in two of the last four NASCAR Busch Series races at Darlington. - In 13 of the 29 (45%) overall NASCAR Busch Series run at Darlington Raceway, drivers starting on the front row have won the race. - Mark Martin has all five of Ford's NASCAR Busch Series wins at Darlington Raceway. - NASCAR Busch Series drivers have won 7 of the 28 Busch Pole Awards at Darlington since 1982. Larry Pearson is the only driver NASCAR Busch Series driver to win more than one (two) Busch Pole Awards. By NASCAR Public Relations
