NASCAR Cup

Robert Pressley Fontana Review

Pressley battles to finish 17th FONTANA, Calif. (May 3, 1998) The Jasper Motorsports NASCAR Winston Cup team made the long trek to Fontana, Calif., last weekend for the running of the California 500 presented by NAPA. The team ran ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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Pressley battles to finish 17th FONTANA, Calif. (May 3, 1998) The Jasper Motorsports NASCAR Winston Cup team made the long trek to Fontana, Calif., last weekend for the running of the California 500 presented by NAPA. The team ran the same Ford Taurus it used at Las Vegas, Atlanta and Texas.

Robert Pressley, driver of the Jasper Engines & Transmissions No. 77 Taurus, was 26th- fastest during the morning practice session on Friday. In preparation for qualifying, the team made a change to a smaller sway bar and went out on the track with scuffed tires hoping for a better run.

The adjustments paid off. Pressley continued to show his consistency in first day qualifying with a time of 40.349 and a speed of 178.443 mph earning a 20th starting position for the Jasper Engines & Transmissions No. 77 Taurus.

Pressley finished the race in 17th position, bringing home another top-20 for the Jasper Motorsports team.

"The drivetrain was very strong and that the fuel mileage was excellent," Pressley said of his race car. "The car was 'tight' during the race but I'm proud of the way the crew worked to loosen it up. They really hung in there to give us a respectable finish.

Pressley is currently 24th in the NASCAR Winston Cup driver standings.

Pressley was able to avoid the two major wrecks of the day. The first altercation occurred on lap 86 when Dale Jarrett lost an engine, spilling oil in turns one and two. Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Petty and Bill Elliott spun on the slick track and brought out a caution flag.

Toward the end of the race, Jimmy Spencer got into the back of Steve Grissom causing Grissom to spin with a resultant nine car pile-up.

Source: NASCAR Online

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