Slim Jim All Pro Greenville preview

1997 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Race Facts

WHAT: Domino's Pizza 200 WHERE: Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Greenville, SC, 0.500 mile paved oval WHEN: Saturday night, April 26, 1997 - 8:00 p.m. EDT

DISTANCE: 200 laps (100 miles)

POSTED AWARDS: $43,200

FIELD: 32 cars. Starting positions 1-28 will be determined by time trials (2 laps),

positions 29-32 will be available to any of the top 30 eligible drivers in the final 1996 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Championship point standings, who have entered the event, but have not qualified for one of the original 28 starting positions. If a starting position(s) remains unfilled, then that starting position(s) will become available to the next eligible car from the qualifying procedure for the event.

SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR)

PROMOTER: Greenville Auto Racing, Inc.

CONTACTS: Jim Noltimier, NASCAR, (770) 486-3591 Pete Blackwell, Greenville-Pickens Speedway, (864) 269-0852

SCHEDULE:        Saturday, April 26
        Registration & Inspection        10:00 a.m.
        Practice        2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
        Mandatory Drivers' Meeting        4:15 p.m.
        Time Trials        6:00 p.m.
        Domino's Pizza 200        8:00 p.m. (approx.)

THE RACE: The Domino's Pizza 200 is the third of 20 events on the 1997 series schedule and, after two events, the points lead is shared by sophomore drivers Jeff Fultz and Nipper Alsup. Each has notched a win and a fourth place finish to date. Neither has ever finished in the top five at this track.

RECORDS: Track Qual. Record: Rick Crawford, Mobile, AL, Ford, 19.325 secs. (93.144 mph), 8/5/95 Fastest Avg. Speed: Mike Cope, Pinellas Park, FL, Oldsmobile, 1hr., 20 mins., 57 secs. (74.11 mph), 8/7/93

1996 REVIEW: Greenville, SC's Toby Porter picked up the win in the Stegall's Mobile Home Sales 200 on April 27, 1996. Rounding out the top five were Dan Matthews, Hal Goodson, Ron Young and Skip Pannell.

NOTES OF INTEREST: Whenever Greenville-Pickens Speedway and the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series are mentioned in the same breath, almost invariably the conversation steers towards the large and enthusiastic crowds that pack this historic .5 mile oval. The Blackwell family has a wealth of experience promoting NASCAR Winston Racing Series and Slim Jim All Pro Series events, and their facility has served as a springboard for many drivers who have moved into, and beyond, the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series. Area drivers such as Randy Porter, Jason Keller, Donnie Bishop, Marty Ward, Shane Hall and Toby Porter have all experienced success locally and in Slim Jim All Pro Series events. Randy Porter, Keller and Hall have moved on to the NASCAR Busch Series-Grand National Division while Toby Porter is a Cintas Rookie of the Year candidate in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. A new wave of area drivers are campaigners in the Slim Jim All Pro Series. Ken Alexander is a longtime series competitor who campaigns his Greased Lightning Hand Cleaner Chevrolet out of nearby Central, SC while '97 Port City Racing Rookie of the Year candidates Randall Gentry, Steven Howard and Shawn Hendricks hail from Greenville, Greer and Easley, SC, respectively. This event will mark the 13th time that the series will compete at= Greenville-Pickens. Each year since the series' inception two events have been held at this track, and the '97 schedule also has two events scheduled for the track, with the second event being scheduled for August 2, 1997.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Fultz and Alsup are tied for the series lead with 340 points. Each has a first and a fourth place finish after two events.

MEDIA SERVICES: NASCAR Online, NASCAR's Official Internet Site on the World Wide Web can be accessed at http://www.nascar.com and offers up to the minute information on the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series and all of NASCAR's racing divisions.

HEADQUARTER MOTEL: Comfort Inn, 1804 Highway 123 South, Easley, SC, Contact: Steve Alexander or Sandy Boggs, (864) 859-7520, 40 rooms, single or Double, $38.00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 20, 1997

Porter Returns to Slim Jim All Pro Series

DAYTONA BEACH, FL-Greenville, SC's Toby Porter is set to return to the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series this weekend as the series returns to Greenville-Pickens Speedway for the first of its semi-annual events at the .5 mile oval. Porter, last year's points runner-up who has moved on to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will field his own Chevrolet Monte Carlo for this event. Nearly 50 All Pro Series drivers have pre-entered the $43,200 Domino's Pizza 200, scheduled for this Saturday. In last year's spring event Porter picked up one of four victories that he earned in `96, while in the late summer event he finished second to Darlington, SC's Hal Goodson. Of the eight different drivers who secured top five finishes in the two events held at the track in '96, six will be competing this weekend. Along with Porter and Goodson, look for strong runs from veterans Dan Matthews, Ron Young, Skip Pannell and Scott Sutherland. Additionally, several area drivers are in the hunt for Port City Racing Rookie of the Year honors and their knowledge of the track could prove to be beneficial. Shawn Hendricks, Steven Howard and Randall Gentry, who hail from Easley, Greer and Greenville, SC respectively, may figure prominently in the final finishing order after 200 laps. Ken Alexander, a series veteran who hails from nearby Central, SC, should also have a strong run in his Greased Lightning Hand Cleaner Chevrolet. Milford, OH's Jeff Fultz and Huntersville, NC's Nipper Alsup lead the point standings by 77 points over Birmingport, AL's Mike Harmon. Each of the points leaders has notched one win and one fourth place finish after two events. Just as Fultz and Alsup are tied for the series points lead, their respective crew chiefs, Jimmy King and Shane Wilson, are likewise tied for the Jasper Engines and Transmissions Crew Chief Challenge. David Reutimann, Zephyrhills, FL, Carl Long, Roxboro, NC, Steve Mendenhall, Raleigh, NC and Shawn Hendricks of Easley, SC are tied for the lead in the Port City Racing Rookie of the Year standings with 13 points each. On Saturday, Registration and Inspection begins at 10:00 a.m. with Practice being held from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Time trials get underway at 6:00 p.m. with the green flag waving on the Domino's Pizza 200 at approximately 8:00 p.m. The starting field will consist of 28 starters, with up to four additional starting positions available to any of the top 30 eligible drivers in the final 1996 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Championship point standings, who have entered the event, but have not qualified for one of the original 28 starting positions. -30- For further information contact NASCAR Public Relations at (770) 486-3591. = jn 4/20/97