Young, Mullins Martinsvilles race

Martinsville, VA (September 21, 2000) --- Ray Young and Jimmy Mullins didn' t expect to be in the Taco Bell 300 this Sunday when the NASCAR Late Model Stock season began last spring. But the two drivers from Bassett, Va. will compete along with more than 115 cars that have arrived at the track on Thursday afternoon. More cars are expected Friday for the Taco Bell 300 at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Young and Mullins drove for the same team a year ago as Young finished second and Mullins was seventh. Mullins led from lap 160 to 189. But the two were out of a ride for this season when their car owner decided to trim back his racing operation. Now, with the Taco Bell 300 this Sunday, both of them are in competitive cars. Young is driving the Mabe Trucking Company Pontiac and Mullins is in the car owned by Bill Lemons of Ridgeway, Va. Young has only driven the car in a couple of races getting caught up in a wreck on the first lap of his first race. A week later, he went to Ace Speedway and led much of the race before finishing fourth. Young and Mullins are happy to be at Martinsville Speedway. "I tell you I have been waiting for this all year," Mullins said. "Me and Ray Young both drove for Packaging Products last year and he kind of sold out everything. Neither one of us did anything for over half of the season." That's when Lemons called Mullins. "Bill talked to me about driving on a race to race deal. I was fortunate to get that and especially to get to come over to Martinsville to the Taco Bell 300. I tell you this is our main race around here," he said. After having a good day in the Taco Bell 300 open practice last Wednesday, Mullins feels good about his chances. "I'm fortunate right now to be driving for Bill Lemons, and we have Danny Cox motors," he said. "I tell you he builds awesome motors. It's one of them deals where there's no excuse for anyone but the driver." Young said it feels good to get the opportunity to run in the Taco Bell 300. "It does but you know a lot of the good cars now wind up on the trailer going back home and don't even get in the show," he said. "Just getting over here and getting into the race, you have climbed the mountain. You just haven't quite gotten over the top. The main thing we want to do is get in the race." Young should feel like Martinsville owes him one after the past two years. He was leading late in the race when he lost his brakes in 1998 and finally finished seventh. Last year, he finished second. "For two years, I have been let down pretty bad, but that's typical Martinsville. It can be real good to you or real bad to you. The last two years we've put ourselves in a position to win the race and then come up a little short," Young said. "Last year, I was on probation. NASCAR got on me pretty hard about a driving error that happened at New River," Young said. "I could have knocked the guy (Robert Powell) out of the way and won the race. Whenever NASCAR puts you in a situation like that it's hard to really get aggressive. I'm not on probation this year." Robert Powell is the defending champion of the Taco Bell 300 and is entered again this year. Only the fastest 20 cars will nail down starting positions in the 1 p.m. qualifying this Saturday for the Taco Bell 300. The other 22 starters will be decided in four 25-lap qualifying races to begin the $91,095 Taco Bell 300 at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 24. After the starting lineup is set, the 200-lap feature will get underway. The race will be stopped at 100 laps with the leader receiving $5,000 and a trophy from BB&T, and a number of the leading cars will be inverted. At lap 190, the race will be put under caution with the leaders lined up single file for ten green flag laps to the finish. If necessary, the race will be extended to complete the ten green flag laps. Tickets for the Taco Bell 300 are unreserved and are $20.00 for adults and $5.00 for children ages 6-12. Great reserved seats still are available in the concrete areas for the NAPA AutoCare 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race on Sunday, October 1 from $40-$45. They may be ordered by calling toll free at 877-722-3849 or 540-956-3151. Tickets also may be ordered online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.