Martinsville Team RC Story

TEAM RC CAPTURES NASCAR CRAFTSMAN POINTS LEAD COMPTON COMPLETES VIRGINIA SWEEP IN NASCAR SERIES LEADERS

HARRISBURG, NC- A second place finish last weekend at Martinsville Speedway gave Stacy Compton sole possession of first place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Hurt, Virginia native completes the 'Virginia Sweep' in the Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman points lead with Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) and Elton Sawyer (Chesapeake, VA) in control of first place in their respective series.

Compton collected 170 points for last week's performance in the NAPA 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Team RC earned an additional five points for leading the race, giving Compton 835 points through five races of the 1999 season. Ron Hornaday is currently in second place in the NCTS standings with 820 marks. Jack Sprague, Kevin Cywinski and Mike Wallace round out the top-five in points.

"I can't say enough about our team," said Compton. "They put us in position to win every week and that's why we're ahead in the points. Our pit stops have been the key this year."

So far this season Team RC has not lost any positions in the pits, averaging +2 positions with each stop. Compton finished third at the season opener at Homestead, fourth at Phoenix, fourth at Evergreen (Monroe, WA), third at Mesa Marin Raceway and second last weekend at home at Martinsville Speedway.

Compton was leading the Martinsville race through laps 196-213 when Jimmy Hensley, a fellow Dodge competitor, slipped underneath the No. 86 RC Dodge out of turn four on lap 213. Hensley's No. 43 Dodge took the front position and the checker flag on lap 250 for the win.

"We lost power steering early in the race and I couldn't hold the truck on the bottom of the track," said Compton. "Jimmy is a tough racer and we don't mind losing to him. It's a great victory for Dodge and for Jimmy and his team."

Jeff Burton is leading all Winston Cup competitors with 1,064 points and two wins through seven events this season and Elton Sawyer has 1067 points with a third place finish at Bristol two weeks ago. This marks the first time ever that three Virginians hold the top three positions in their series in NASCAR history.

"It says a lot about Jeff Burton and his crew as well as Elton and his team," Compton stated. "It's still early in the season but I'm excited for everybody and very proud of my team. I'm really happy for our sponsor RC, they have been the best to work."