NASCAR BGN Series MBNA 200 Preview: #96, Stevie Reeves
17 September 1997
#96 Stevie Reeves, Big A Auto Parts Ford Thunderbird
NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division
MBNA 200 Advance
Dover Downs International Speedway
STEVIE REEVES NOTES & QUOTES: MBNA 200
DOVER, DE - If there is such thing as a "concrete driver," it would be
Big A Auto Parts Ford driver Stevie Reeves. The Indianapolis, Ind.,
native is considered one of NASCAR Busch Grand National racing's real
experts on concrete surfaced speedways. Just three weeks ago, he
stormed to a seventh-place finish on the concrete surface at Bristol
(Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
This is Reeves' and the Big A Auto Parts Ford team's first full season
on NASCAR's Busch Grand National circuit. Yet, the team has held a
solid position among the top 20 in the standings all season, without
the benefit many teams enjoy such as Winston Cup crews and
technology. Among true Busch Grand National teams, the Big A Auto
Parts Ford has proven itself as one of the top up-and-coming teams.
Reeves, 29, is a native of Speedway, Ind., who grew up literally in
the shadow of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was born while his
parents lived in a house three blocks from the fourth turn of the
famed speedway; he later moved to within one block of the first
turn. Seemingly destined to drive a race car, Reeves has two national
USAC championships and is still considered one of the best midwestern
U.S. drivers.
CAA Motorsports fields the Big A Auto Parts Ford. CAA is owned by John
Andretti, one of just four drivers in history with major race
victories in NASCAR, CART and IMSA; Cary Agajanian, one of the best
known racing promoters and administrators in the country; Mike Curb,
the former Lt. Governor of California who has owned CART and NASCAR
Winston Cup cars; and Don Laird, one of the top race managers in the
nation.
The thoughts of Big A Auto Parts Ford driver Stevie Reeves heading
into Dover:
"I guess (spotter) Tony Hunt will start clearing his throat on Monday
and he may be hoarse by the end of the day Saturday. It seems like he
is talking all the time when we race at Dover. There is just so much
going on on the track at the same time.
"I can't think of a busier race track than Dover. First of all, it's
so fast. It's one mile but you're zipping around the place in 24 or
25 seconds, so things happen in a hurry. A lot of the track is one
grooved too, so there aren't a lot of places to go to get out of the
way of trouble if it's nearby. If you're the one in trouble, all you
can do is hold on and hope for the best. If somebody in front of you
is in trouble, all you can do is hold on and hope for the best. Half
the time, if somebody behind you is in trouble, all you can do is hold
on and hope for the best. You can get in trouble really quick.
Sometimes I hear Tony yell, 'Caution!' and breathe a sigh of relief
when I find out I'm not the one in trouble.
"It's still a great place to race. You really get a good grip on the
track, and that makes you move pretty fast. It's aim and go a lot of
times. But it makes Dover a really racey track. There have been some
great races there, and some really great Busch Grand National
races. It's the type of track that lends itself to that.
"We're excited because this Big A Auto Parts Ford team has run pretty
well on concrete this year. We ran great in the first Dover race and
ran great in the first Bristol race, both of those on concrete, and
some mis-placed caution flags cost us pretty good finishes. A couple
of cautions falling at the right time and we could have had some
really good finishes in those two races. Things worked out pretty
well for us at Bristol a few weeks ago and we had a seventh-place
finish. A few breaks this week, and I don't see any reason we wouldn't
be running among the top five at the end of the race and maybe even be
in a position to do something really big.
"We're getting there. I think a lot of people don't realize what a
small amount of time this team has been together, and how far we've
come in the meantime. We're working hard and we're heading in the
right direction. Maybe sometimes the progress doesn't go quite as fast
as we'd like but we're still making progress. We know there are some
really great things ahead for this race team, and we're excited about
the future."
By Williams Company of America, Inc.
