BUSCH: Darlington II: Tim Sauter preview

DARLINGTON, SC (August 26, 2002)- Of the 26 tracks that the NASCAR Busch Series will visit in 2002, Tim Sauter is quick to identify the most challenging for him.

"If I had to rate them, I would have to say Darlington is the toughest with Charlotte and Dover tying for second," said Sauter, driver of the No. 19 AP Performance Racing Chevy in NBS competition this season. "Darlington is real abrasive so the tires go away fast. The car sticks for two or three laps and then the pretty much goes into a slide. You drive the car into the turn, let it slide up the track, and then rim ride the wall. I just haven't found the right setup, combination, or gotten comfortable with rim riding like you have to at Darlington."

Despite wrecking his primary car in qualifying for the DarlingtonRaceway.com 200 NBS spring race, Sauter managed to still get in the field and carve out a 22nd-place finish in the event. Sauter faired no better in his first start at the historic 1.366-mile oval, finishing 29th in the 2001 SunCom 200.

"We missed the set-up real bad in the spring," explained Sauter. "The car was tight in the first morning practice, so we loosened it up for qualifying. I learned the hard way that Darlington is a temperature sensitive track, because it got really slick in the afternoon sun. I just barely lost it in Turn 4 during qualifying and hit the wall."

Sauter has reason to believe his Darlington luck will turn around this weekend in the South Carolina 200. Since pairing up with crew chief Bobby Bakeeff a quarter of the way into the 2002 NBS season, Sauter's finishing average has jumped two positions and has claimed all five of his 2002 Top 10- finishes.

"Bobby as some pretty good notes," said Sauter of Bakeeff, who was the car chief for Matt Kenseth's NBS operation before coming on board at AP Performance racing. "Kenseth finished second at Darlington last year, when Bobby was car chief for him. We will also be taking a different car this time, one that we have not used yet this year. With Bobby's input, I know we can be better."

Sauter and AP Performance Racing will take the green flag in the South Carolina 200 Saturday, August 31, at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The event will telecast live on TNT and broadcast worldwide on MRN Radio.

For more information on Tim Sauter and AP Performance Racing, please visit www.timsauter.com.

ABOUT AP PERFORMANCE RACING

AP Performance Racing debuted in 1992 as an American Speed Association entry with team owner Alec Pinsonneault as the driver. The Windsor, Ontario based team notched 16 ASA victories and a pair of division titles with Tim Sauter (1999)and Johnny Sauter (2001) delivering the championship trophies. Now housed in a state of the art facility in Mooresville, NC, AP Performance Racing will field a full-time NASCAR Busch Series effort in 2002 with Tim Sauter again handling the driving chores. AP Performance Racing is a division of AP Development. Also in the family of AP companies are Build A Mold, A.P. Tool and Gauge, Moldplas,Inc, Trimplas, LTD, Trimplas 2 and Trimplas 2000. For more media information, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities concerning AP Performance Racing, please contact Bobby Wooten at Motorsports Management Group at 704-454-5353 ex.28 or by e-mail at bgwootenmmg@aol.com.