BUSCH: Compton tests notes from California Speedway

No. 59 Team Keyed Up about The 2004 Season

FONTANA, Calif. (March 3, 2004) - NASCAR Busch Series driver Stacy Compton completed a two-day test at California Speedway this week. He piloted his No. 59 Kingsford Ford around the 2-mile, D-shaped oval, completing 117 laps, most of which were short (five to seven lap) runs.

"This was a good test," Compton said after he was finished late Tuesday afternoon. "We figured some things out about the car." His Kingsford team tested two cars, one of which they'll use in Las Vegas this weekend for the Sam's Town 200. Compton's quickest lap came when he toured the superspeedway at 39.87 seconds (180.90 mph).

Compton's no stranger to California Speedway, competing in eight events in all of NASCAR's top three racing series. His best finish is third, which he's attained twice, once in the Craftsman Truck Series race in 1999 and once in the Busch Series race in 2002.

"I led some of the race here last year," he said. "California Speedway is a place you can learn a lot at. We are learning more about the car, things we can take to Las Vegas, Nashville and other tracks on the circuit. Tires are going to be critical at places like this," Compton said regarding the new Goodyear tire. "I was going 201 getting into the corner of the frontstretch.

Known as the undisputed fastest gun in NASCAR, Crew Chief Jeff Chandler was excited about the information the team learned in Southern California. "Some radical new set-ups are starting to trickle down to the Busch Series," he said. "California Speedway being the smooth track that it is was the perfect place to come get a reaction to how they'll work. Some set-ups we can use, one we'll use in Vegas this weekend."

"The Busch Series was competitive last year," Compton said. "It will be 50 percent more competitive this year. There were at least 22 good racecars competing last year, there are at least 30 this year."

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