SWS: Jerry Gay to drive Star Nursery car

EL CAJON - Star Nursery, owner of one of the premier cars on the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, has announced that local favorite Jerry Gay will be behind the wheel of their familiar blue #70 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the Coors Light 125 at Cajon Speedway Saturday night, March 23.

The race will be the season opener for the 3/8 mile paved oval located about 15 miles from San Diego. It will be the second event of the year and first short track race of 2002 for the NFSWS.

Gay tested the car on Sunday, March 10 at the track. Both the team and Gay were very pleased with the test.

Gay has been racing at Cajon Speedway for some 30 years and has the second most career main events at the track. He has 136 career victories. This will mark the first time however that he has driven a Southwest Series car. In the past he has run a few series races at Cajon in his late model sportsman. Gay won the NASCAR late model sportsman championship at the track in 1996 and again in 2000.

The www.starnursery.com team earned the 1999 NFSWS championship with driver Kurt Busch. Busch, now a third year Winston Cup competitor, got back behind the wheel for the 2002 series opener at Phoenix International Raceway last month. The late Chris Trickle was the original driver for the team. The past two years Greg Pursley has driven the car. The team is planning on running a limited schedule in 2002.

At the current time more than 30 entries have been received for the Coors Light 125 and more are expected. The largest San Diego contingent in years will take on the best the west coast has to offer. Heading the local entry list is Auggie Vidovich Jr of Lakeside. Auggie has been series runnerup the past two years. Other San Diego County drivers entered include rookie of the year contender Brandon Whitt, Mark Meech, Ron Overman, and Joe Herold. Craig Raudman won last year's event.