Spencer has his own ideas for The Winston
The Winston Advance - Lowe's Motor Speedway


MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 14, 2003) - When it comes to the future of The Winston all-star race and the ongoing debate of whether it should be moved from Lowe's Motor Speedway to another venue, Jimmy Spencer has a suggestion.  Granted, Spencer's suggestion has the traction of a bowling ball, but that's never stopped him from sharing his thoughts before, and he's not about to make history today.  So here you go:

There's a racing venue up north only several people in the NASCAR Winston Cup garage know about, because it remains to this day "invites only."  You want to race at this track, you've got to earn it.  There are no records, no inspection lines, and certainly no manners.  The proof is in the name of its annual event:  The International Race of … well, something to do with bodily waste and craniums.

At this track, sweet, little, old ladies have their automobiles snatched away by inconsiderate drivers looking for a car to race.  Really, that's no lie.  One of the best stories ever told was the time Richard Childress went scavenging for a car after wrecking his so bad it wouldn't crank.  He came back with a four-door Dodge owned by a sweet, little lady who used it to tote laundry back and forth from her house to the laundry machines.  He ended up wrecking it, too.

There are more stories like this one, timeless tales of Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Tony Stewart and others racing around this little, eighth-of-a-mile dirt track located right out back of the Spencer family home in Berwick, Pa.  The track has no official name, but if you want to single out the best driver in all of racing, bring The Winston here.  Just one request:  Please keep away from Mrs. Spencer's laundry wagon.  She's still angry about the time her first one mysteriously disappeared.

As the No. 7 SIRIUS Racing Team prepares for Saturday night's Winston Open (7:30 p.m. EDT on FX) and, hopefully, the premier race that follows (9 p.m.), Spencer continues his argument of bringing The Winston to his boyhood home, and he also weighs in on Mongo's chances for success this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.


Team SIRIUS driver Jimmy Spencer's thoughts:

From what it sounds like, you guys don't race at your junkyard track with the intension of using those cars again.  Is that true?
"Those cars end up in a crush pile.  I'll put it this way:  If you compared the cars we tear up at our track back home to the car (North Carolina) governor Mike Easley tore up the other day (while taking practice laps at Lowe's Motor Speedway), the governor's car still looks like it belongs in the factory showroom."

So is this track in Pennsylvania really a good place to hold The Winston all-star race?
"You want to find out who's the best, don't you?  This track tests every talent and skill God ever gave you.  Buddy Baker is one of the best drivers in NASCAR history, but at our track he ended up in the swamp pit outside of turn 3.  I remember it like it was yesterday."

Why was he in the swamp pit?
"Because me and Dale Earnhardt ran him off the track right into the swamp pit.  We timed it perfectly."

You and Earnhardt were in the same car?
"This is what happened.  One of Earnhardt's tires went flat, but, of course, he kept racing.  Eventually the tire came off the wheel, and then the ball joint broke.  That was the last straw for that car, because it came to a complete stop.  I'm coming around the turn in my car, and I see him standing on top of the roof of his car yelling for someone to stop.  So I pull over, and he slides in.  But he wanted to drive, so we're wrestling for the steering wheel, and he eventually forces me out of the driver's seat.  So we're riding along, and we start to catch Baker.  I say to Earnhardt 'When you get over there to turn 3, push Baker into the swamp pit.'  We started laughing, and sure enough we proceed to run Baker straight into the swamp pit.  The next time we drove by we glanced down there and saw Baker just sitting in his car in the middle of this swamp, trying to figure out how he's going to get the car out.  No sooner does my brother drive up in a big, Caterpillar tractor with forks on the front to pick him up.  My brother slides those forks underneath the car, lifts the car eight feet in the air with Baker still in it, backs the car out, and sets it down on the ground."

What did Baker have to say about that?
"The swamp pit is awful.  Take my word for it; you didn't want to go in it.  There were snakes everywhere.  About the time my brother pulled Baker out, our cars were pretty much junk.  None of them were running anymore, and the race was history.  We went back to the house to eat steaks, and Baker says, 'I thought I was in deep trouble when I was in that swamp pit, but when I saw Godzilla coming, I knew I was in trouble!'  We still laugh every time we think about that.  We stayed out there until about 11 o'clock that night.  Earnhardt said it was illegal to have that much fun."

It actually doesn't sound like a bad place to stage The Winston all-star race.  What kind of advice would you give (crew chief) Tommy Baldwin in setting up the car?
"Make sure it has a high crush factor."

What about this Saturday night?  You guys will be trying to race your way into The Winston by winning The Winston Open.  What are your thoughts heading into this big-money weekend?
"We're excited about this weekend.  We really think we can win The Winston Open and race our way into The Winston, because we've shown how strong a team we are.  Our finishes aren't indicative of how well we've run.  We had a shot to win Bristol.  And had a tire not cut down at Richmond, I honestly believe we could've won that race, too.  Things just haven't gone our way so far this year, but that doesn't hide the fact we're certainly capable of winning the Winston Open, and then going after that $1 million in The Winston.

If you were to win the $1 million Saturday night, do you think you might buy your mom a new laundry wagon?
"I'll buy my mom a lot of things, but a laundry wagon isn't one of them.  Childress owes her that."

Long day got longer for Team SIRIUS
The Winston Open Qualifying Report - Lowe's Motor Speedway


CONCORD, N.C. (May 17, 2003) - A blown engine in Friday night's final practice for the Winston Open will nullify a third-place qualifying effort for the SIRIUS Racing Team, sending the No. 7 Dodge to the back of the field for the 30-lap sprint.

Driver Jimmy Spencer had qualified for the race with a time of 29.449 seconds (183.368 mph) around the 1.5-mile speedway.  Only two cars -- pole winner Steve Park (29.309) and Todd Bodine (29.401) -- were quicker.  But now, Spencer will have his work cut out for him, as he will have to start in the final spot of the 26-car field due to the engine change.

"I don't really know how to describe this," said Spencer, who sat atop the team hauler by himself in deep thought into the late hours of the night.  "It seems like every time we get the ball rolling, something happens.

"But look at those boys down there," he said pointing to his crew, hard at work with the engine change and trying to get as much down before the 11:30 p.m. closing of the garage.  "Does it look like they're giving up?  Not a chance."

Spencer says he can still win the Winston Open (7:30 p.m. EDT on FX).  To do so, he'll have to be in the top 14 after 20 laps, as the field will be cut down to that number for the final 10-lap sprint.  The winner of the Winston Open wins $50,000 and moves into the final starting spot for the premier race, The Winston, immediately afterward.

"I told the reporters yesterday that Mongo could hunt from the third spot, and we had a car capable of winning The Winston Open and going after that $1 million in The Winston," Spencer said.  "Well, you know what, Mongo can hunt from the back of the field, too.  And our car is still good.  It didn't start off too hot, but (crew chief) Tommy Baldwin, (car chief) Trip Bruce and the whole crew worked their butts off and found something that made the car a lot better."

SMITH MAKES HISTORY:  What's the best way to alleviate the headache of a blown engine the night before your car is to race for $1 million?  Well winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck race sure helps.

Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith became the all-time winningest car owner in Craftsman Truck history when Ted Musgrave took the checkers in the inaugural truck race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the Hardee's 250, last night.  It was the 26th win for Smith as a truck owner, and the 11th for Musgrave, driver of the No. 1 Mopar Dodge.

"This feels so good to finally get this win," Smith said.  "Winning never gets old.  It's the only thing you can do to convince yourself you're not crazy for owning a race team."

Musgrave moved within 50 points of point leader Bobby Hamilton.  Ultra's other entries, Jeremy Mayfield and Jason Leffler, finished 6th and 21st, respectively.  Both of those drivers were leading the race at one point.  In fact, Leffler looked to be the top contender for the win in the No. 2 ASE/Carquest Dodge before a flat tire ruined his chances.  Mayfield, likewise, was strong in the No. 07 American Tire Distributors Dodge, as took over the lead late in the race.  But a caution flag flew while pitting put him a lap down. 

"The worst of the three trucks won tonight," Smith said laughing.  "How often does that happen?"

Team SIRIUS finishes 6th in Winston Open
The Winston Open Race Report -- Lowe's Motor Speedway


CONCORD, N.C. (May 17, 2003) -- With 26 cars chasing a single bone in a 30-lap sprint, not even George Lucas could've written this script.

With $47,200 in prize money and a spot in the premier race on the line, Saturday night's Winston Open at Lowe's Motor Speedway was hardly undercard material.  Jimmy Spencer had a lot to do with it.  Racing his way from the back of the pack, Spencer drove the No. 7 SIRIUS Dodge to the front, avoided two wrecks along the way, and put himself in the mix for a 10-lap dash to the checkers.

In first place on the double-file restart on lap 21 of 30, Spencer became sandwiched in a three-wide situation that became the doom of his chances to win.  With Jeff Burton in the No. 99 on the outside and Mike Skinner's No. 4 on the inside, contact was made when Skinner rode up the track, causing enough damage to the No. 7 Dodge to send it to a disappointing sixth-place finish.

It was disappointing because the SIRIUS Racing Team was the class of the field.  Having to give up his third-place qualifying position the day before due to an engine change late Friday night, Spencer was forced to start in the back of the 26-car grid.  But it took only the drop of the green flag on this cool and overcast evening for Mongo to make its move.

OFF AND RUNNING:  By lap four, Spencer was 17th.   By lap five, he was ninth.  He managed to avoid two wrecks in the process, benefiting both times by the guidance of spotter Donnie "Fat Boy" Eppling.  The No. 7 Dodge then fought its way into fifth place by the time the 20-lap segment was over.

"I'm a little tight from the center off," Spencer radioed to crew chief Tommy Baldwin.  "I think we need to raise the track bar for sure."

With the field cut to 14 cars for the final 10-lap sprint, Spencer brought the SIRIUS Dodge down pit road in fifth place, but he wasn't in that position when he left.

THE DOG POUND ANSWERS: A super quick, two-tire pit stop by the SIRIUS pit crew sent Spencer out in first place.  Rick Pennington jacked up the car in place of the injured Ross Shattuck.  Scott Ward and Trip Bruce raced around to the right side, swapping out the front tire.  Chaz Meyer and Brent Wentz put fresh rubber on the back.  Jeff Miles added gas, and Jeff Seaburg held the catch can.  Pennington dropped the jack, and Spencer sped off, just beating Burton to the line.

"This is what you live for, man," Baldwin radioed to his driver.  "Now let's go get our money."

THE RESTART:  As the green flag dropped to start the final 10-lap sprint, Skinner immediately dove low, taking his car into the grass.  As he came back up, he ran into the side of the No. 7 Dodge, then again into the left-front fender.  The contact forced Spencer to back off the gas to recover his car, and it immediately dropped him to fifth place.  Even worse, it knocked the toe-in off line, severely altering the handle of the car.

Jeff Burton went on to an easy win, which awarded him the final spot in The Winston.  Dave Blaney finished second, Skinner third, Brett Bodine fourth and Greg Biffle fifth.

SPENCER QUOTES:  "These kinds of races either leave you really happy or really mad.  Right now, I'm not too happy, because this team worked so hard to get this car ready for this race, and we had a shot to win it.  We blew an engine only four laps into Happy Hour last night.  But this car was awesome, and you would've never known we had the trouble we had yesterday."

ABOUT THE RESTART WITH 10 TO GO:  "Mike Skinner drove up into me and crashed into me.  That ruined any chance of us doing anything.  I really thought we were there.  The pit crew did such an outstanding job.  We made a two-tire stop, they got me in and out, and we were leading the race.  I don't know if Skinner just had a brain fade or what, but he hit us pretty hard.  (The contact) knocked the toe-in out and roughed up the fender real good.  The car got to pushing really bad after that, and it killed us.  I guess Skinner thought he needed to do that to get by us.  But this is the Winston All-Star weekend, and there are no points up for grabs-just cash and pride.  We were all racing for a ticket into The Winston.  You get that many cars going after one ticket, stuff like this is going to happen.  I really wanted that ticket.  Mongo really wanted it.  I guess I'll just have to watch it on TV."

JOHNSON WINS THE WINSTON:  Jimmie Johnson became a $1 million richer Saturday night by winning The Winston and a record cash prize.  Johnson took the lead away from teammate Jeff Gordon three laps into the final 20-lap segment, then pulled away to an easy victory over Kurt Busch in NASCAR's annual all-star race.
Bobby Labonte finished third, and was followed by Joe Nemechek and Michael Waltrip.
Only 12 cars could compete in the final sprint, which was originally set to contain 14.  But a big crash at the end of the second segment eliminated many contenders, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Terry Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin and polesitter Bill Elliott, who suffered three broken bones in his foot.  Last year's winner, Ryan Newman, was involved in a crash seven laps earlier.

NEXT WEEK:  The NASCAR Winston Cup Series will return to points racing with the longest event of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.  That race is slated to start at 5 p.m. EDT on Fox.