NASCAR Busch Grand National Division Notes (Week of 10/13/97)
14 October 1997
NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division Notes of Interest Week of October 13, 1997 By NASCAR Public Relations DAYTONA BEACH, FL - Only 159 points separate positions four through nine in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings. - There have been 12 different race winners on the NASCAR Busch Series in 1997. Five of those 11 are first-time winners. - Steve Park had his string of five consecutive top-five finishes ended at Charlotte last week. Park still has a streak of seven consecutive top-10 finishes. - Steve Park's sixth-place finish last Saturday at Charlotte gave him his 18th top-10 of the season. That's the highest number of top-10's for a NASCAR Busch Series rookie since Kenny Wallace finished with 16 in 1989. - Mark Green finished fifth Saturday, marking his first top-five finish of his NASCAR Busch Series career. - Question? Which driver has completed the most laps among the three new tracks (Las Vegas, Texas, and St. Louis) the NASCAR Busch Series has visited in 1997? Answer: Hermie Sadler. Sadler has completed 637 of 640 total laps or 99.5%. - Todd Bodine has a good chance of making up some ground on points leader Randy LaJoie this weekend at California. Bodine's average finishing position in the three races at the new tracks is 10th while LaJoie's is 18th. - Even though Elliott Sadler's average starting position at the three new tracks is tops among all drivers at 5th, his average finishing position is 17th. TOP 10 - TENTH: Hermie Sadler has just two top-10 finishes in his last nine races. But he has hung in the top-10 for five of those nine weeks. - NINTH: Tim Fedewa has finished no better than ninth in the last six races. - EIGHTH: Elton Sawyer has spend 23 of the 27 weeks in the top-10 point standings. - SEVENTH: Buckshot Jones' 10th-place finish Saturday was his fourth top-10 in the last seven races. - SIXTH: Mike McLaughlin has only one top-five finish in the last seven races. - FIFTH: Elliott Sadler trails fourth-place Phil Parsons by just one point. - FOURTH: Phil Parsons never has been lower than fourth place in the point standings this season. - THIRD: In the last 11 races, rookie Steve Park has only finished outside the top-10 once. - SECOND: Todd Bodine has only three top-10 finishes in the last eight races. - FIRST: Randy LaJoie sits on top of the points standings for the 10th straight week. He has not been lower than third-place in the point standings since March 23, 1996, when he was in fifth -- 50 races ago. STAT OF THE WEEK Randy LaJoie could be the first driver since Larry Pearson (1986 & 1987) to win back-to-back NASCAR Busch Series Championships. LaJoie, who has a 246-point advantage over second place Todd Bodine, could clinch the title this weekend in California. If LaJoie wins the Kenwood Home & Car Audio 300 and Bodine finishes ninth or lower, LaJoie would clinch the title. There are 27 other scenarios for LaJoie to clinch.
