NASCAR SJAPS: Greased Lightning 100 Race Preview

6 July 1998

WHAT:   Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse/Greased Lightning 100
WHERE:  Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, Pa., 1.000 mile oval
WHEN:   Sunday, July 12, 1998, 1:00 p.m.
DISTANCE:       100 laps (100 miles)
POSTED AWARDS:  $74,850
TV/RADIO:       Tape delayed - The Nashville Network - Air Dates & Times
TBA.

FIELD: 36 cars. Starting positions 1-32 will be determined by time trials (2 laps), positions 33-36 will be available to any of the top 30 eligible drivers in the current 1998 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Championship point standings, who have entered the event, but have not qualified for one of the original 32 starting spots. If a starting position(s) remains unfilled, then that starting position(s) will become available to the next eligible car from the qualifying procedure for the event.

SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR)

PROMOTER: Pennsylvania International Raceway (A Pennsylvania Corporation)

CONTACTS: Jim Noltimier, NASCAR, (770) 486-3591
Bryan Shelton, Nazareth Speedway, (610) 759-8000

SCHEDULE:       Friday, July 10
        Team Hauler Parking     5:00 p.m.
        Saturday, July 11
        Registration & Inspection       6:00 a.m.
        Mandatory Rookie Drivers' Meeting       8:00 a.m.
        Practice        9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
                11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
        Time Trials (2 laps, all positions)     Following Truck Series
Time Trials
        Practice        Following Time Trials (time permitting)
        Sunday, July 12
        Garage Opens    8:00 a.m.
        Mandatory Drivers' Meeting      11:30 a.m.
        Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse/
        Greased Lightning 100   1:00 p.m.

THE RACE: The Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse/Greased Lightning 100 is the 10th of 19 races on the 1998 Slim Jim All Pro Series schedule. This race represents the first time that the Slim Jim All Pro Series will compete at the 1.000 mile oval.

RECORDS: Track Qual. Record: To be established this weekend. Fastest Avg. Speed: To be established this weekend.

NOTES OF INTEREST

Everyone's a "rookie" this weekend. This is the first time that the Slim Jim All Pro Series cars will have competed at Nazareth Speedway. Only Steven Christian and Hal Goodson have driven on the 1.000 mile track. They participated in a Hoosier Tire test earlier this year.

Based on the aforementioned tire test, and fuel calculations, it is expected that many drivers will attempt to go the distance on one set of tires and will not need a fuel stop. Actual tire strategies may play out differently depending on if, and when, the caution flag flies.

This weekend's activities constitute the third of five events that serve as a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series/Slim Jim All Pro Series double bill. The two series have already shared the track at Homestead, Fla. and Odessa, Mo. After Nazareth they will also drive in each other's tracks at Louisville, Ky. and Memphis, Tenn.

Nazareth, Pa. is the northernmost point on the Slim Jim All Pro Series schedule. Keystone state drivers expected to participate include Jason Mignogna from Greensburg, Rob Marhefka from Windber, and Rick Miller from Connellsville, Pa.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Nazareth Speedway is the second of three tracks that serve as first time tracks for the Slim Jim All Pro Series in 1998. Volusia Speedway Park's newly paved 0.375 mile oval and Memphis Motorsports Park's 0.75 mile oval are the other two.

HEADQUARTERS MOTEL: Ramada Inn at the Malls, 1500 MacArthur Road, Whitehall (Allentown), PA 18052, Jane DiGirolomo - Director of Sales, (610) 439-1037, (610) 770-1425 FAX, 60 rooms, singles & doubles, $70 + tax.