BUSCH: Lyndon Amick to finish season in No. 35

AMICK SLATED TO FINISH SEASON IN THE NO. 35

PHOENIX, AZ (Nov. 3)- Team Amick Motorsports announced today that Lyndon Amick will pilot the team's No. 35 SCANA/Powertel Chevrolet in this weekend's Outback Steakhouse 200 Busch Series Grand National Division race at Phoenix International Raceway. In addition, Amick will drive the No. 35 in the final race of the season, the HotWheels.com 300 at Miami-Homestead Speedway on Nov. 13.

The announcement comes on the heels of Amick's 10th place finish in the Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park last Sunday. Team owner Bill Amick, said that the decision to leave the younger Amick in the car for the last two races of the season was not final until the checkered flag flew in Memphis.

"Lyndon really displayed his desire to drive last weekend," said the team owner. "First, he went out and ran the fastest lap in practice on Friday, then qualified well on Saturday. What really showed me something, though, was the way he performed in the closing laps of the race on Sunday. He came up from 23rd in the field to 10th in about 20 laps, which is not easy to do on a short track. I think that he's earned the right to drive these last two events."

The team owner also points out that his organization is preparing for the 2000 season, and seat time for their young driver is a priority.

"We've said all along that Lyndon will be back behind the wheel of the No. 35 in the year 2000," said Amick. "He wants to be as prepared as possible, and that means getting as much seat time as possible before Daytona. In light of that, getting Lyndon back in the driver's seat for these last two races in 1999 is the best scenario for the team."

Bill Amick emphasized that the top-10 on Sunday would not have been possible without the assistance provided this season by Winston Cup rookie Elliott Sadler, who drove four races in the No. 35 for Team Amick.

"Elliott Sadler has done a tremendous job, and was a great help to our organization," Amick said. "Elliott did exactly what we needed him to do, and that's to help us pinpoint the areas where we need improvement. While we're still not as competitive as we'd like to be, Elliott certainly helped to point us in the right direction. He is a great talent, and an even better person, and everyone in the Team Amick organization owes him a tremendous debt of gratitude."

According to Amick, Sadler is very supportive of the team's decision, and he'll be available if his assistance is needed at either of the remaining Busch series events.

"Elliott told us from the beginning that, when Lyndon and the team were ready to put Lyndon back in the car, he'd be happy to step aside and let that happen," said Bill Amick. "When I told him that we felt like that time had come, he was thoughtful enough to say that he would be standing by if he can be of any help at both Phoenix and Homestead. There's not a lot of drivers who would be that gracious."