BUSCH: Tony Stewart Hickory Preview

HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY ANOTHER FIRST FOR TONY STEWART AS THE SHELL TEAM PREPARES FOR GALAXY FOODS 300 HICKORY, NC - The 1998 NASCAR Busch Grand National season continues to be a series of firsts for Tony Stewart as the driver of the #44 Shell Pontiac. Hickory Motor Speedway will add another first to that list when the Shell team competes in the April 11 Galaxy Foods 300. At just a .363-mile distance, Hickory is the shortest track on which the Busch Series competes.

“I’ve run plenty of short tracks in my career, but this will be my first race in a Busch car on a track this short,” stated Stewart. “The Shell team tested at Hickory last month and were pleased with the results but it will be different when we actually race on the track with 30 other cars.

“Competing in the Busch Series challenges your versatility as a driver,” Stewart said. “For instance, last week we raced at Texas Motor Speedway which is a mile and a half, now we go to the shortest track on the circuit followed by Talladega at two and half miles. You have to be able to quickly make track adjustments to get the car up to speed in order to qualify. With the level of competition in the Busch Series at an all-time high, it’s critical for us to get a good starting spot. Avoiding trouble early in the race will be key in securing a good finish for the Shell team.”

The Galaxy Foods 300 will be televised live by TNN on Saturday, April 11 beginning at 4:00 p.m. (EDT). Radio coverage will be provided by MRN to over 250 affiliates nationwide.