NASCAR-BGN: Atwood Continues Strong Performances

4 November 1998

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Casey Atwood and the LYSOL Racing team finished 17th in Saturday's ACDelco 200 at North Carolina Motor Speedway.

"The car handled great," said Atwood, who improved four positions from his 21st-place finish at the first stop at Rockingham. "During happy hour the car had a push, but the LYSOL crew made all the necessary changes and our car was near perfect."

The LYSOL Chevrolet climbed to 19th place prior to its first pit stop on lap 35. "We wanted to wait and see what the leaders were going to do," said crew chief and owner Jeff Hensley. "Tires mean everything at Rockingham and we had to stay with the guys up front. Even though we only had 35 laps on our tires, we could not afford to get behind."

Atwood stayed in the top 20 until the caution flag flew on lap 76. The LYSOL team decided it would stay out on the racetrack and wait for the next caution to change tires. "It was a chance either way you look at it," Hensley said. "We decided to follow the leaders and try to climb our way to the front."

Atwood raced in heavy lap traffic during the next 30 laps but managed to climb up to 18th place when the caution flag fell. The LYSOL Chevrolet was one lap down, but with fresh tires the team would have a chance to pass the leaders and get its lap back. Atwood continued to battle lap traffic and finished in 17th place, still a lap down.

"Casey did a great job for us today," Hensley said. "This is the same car that we took to the Atlanta test where we had great results. Casey has proven that he can handle himself on the larger tracks and we are anticipating strong finishes for Atlanta and Homestead."

Reckitt & Colman, maker of LYSOL cleaning products, has been donating money to The Children's Health Fund (CHF) based on the LYSOL Chevrolet's top-20 finishes. As a result of the 17th place finish, Reckitt & Colman will donate $1,500 to CHF, bringing the total contribution to $19,500.

The Busch Series races next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 7.