NASCAR Cup
Robert Pressley Makes Good Improvement at Rockingham
Pressley Rocks from 40th to 14th ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Feb. 22, 1999) It was the comeback run of the ages for the Jasper Motorsports team in Sunday's Dura Lube/Big Kmart 400 at North Carolina Speedway. Robert Pressley began the day in 40th starting ...
Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Pressley Rocks from 40th to 14th
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Feb. 22, 1999) It was the comeback run of the ages for the Jasper Motorsports team in Sunday's Dura Lube/Big Kmart 400 at North Carolina Speedway. Robert Pressley began the day in 40th starting spot, only to gun his way to a 14th-place final position.
When the green flag was waved Sunday, the No. 77 Ford seemed a tick off the pace as Pressley fought the handling of the car for the first 65 laps. After a dazzling pit stop, the Jasper Taurus took off in search of the potential it lost at the start of the race. It didn't take long. Pressley slung the car high and wide often and passed many cars around the outside as he steadily moved up the leader board until he was flirting with the top-10. Pitting on the backstretch cost the team position on the track several times, and those same several times, Pressley fought and regained them.
The car crept its way past competitors and raced very hard to put itself into a competitive position. There were several late cautions in the race due to debris on the track, a spin by Elliot Sadler in the Wood Brothers car and a slide and slam by MB2 Motorsports driver, Ernie Irvan.
As the laps ticked down slowly, the car kept on the move under the guidance of crew chief Newt Moore and spotter Mark Wallace. The combination hit paydirt as the car seemed to perform better and better on long green flag runs. When it was all over, the Jasper Motorsports team raced its way to a very respectable 14th position.
"This Jasper Engine Ford got off to a good start," Pressley said. "We had a good race car today. I think we had as good a race car as anybody here. In the long run, pitting on the back straightaway was an absolute disaster. We'd pass every one of them cars and then the caution would come out. We just messed up. You've got to earn that front pit and it cost us today.
"I think had we not at that caution at one time, I can't remember which one, but I had the fifth place car in sight and we were running faster than the leaders all day. We'd let the leaders go by and then we'd get about 20 laps on our tires and go right by them, but when you start 40th and you start on the back straightaway, you're asking for what you got."
The Jasper crew is picking up some serious momentum as the 1999 season gets underway. The team is now solidly in 13th place in the points race after two events. The crew is performing flawless pit stops time after time, Moore is coaching Pressley to the front, and spotter Wallace has kept his driver completely out of trouble.
The team gets a much deserved week off to contemplate its quick start to the season and to prepare for the next event on the schedule -- the Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Source: NASCAR Online
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Rockingham - Unofficial Results
Next article Kenny Irwin, Kevin Harvick at Cleveland Auto Show
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ernie Irvan
Where are they now? - Recapping those featured so far
NASCAR
NASCAR
Where are they now? - Recapping those featured so far
Where are they now? – Ernie Irvan
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Where are they now? – Ernie Irvan
NASCAR new Chase a return to the mindset of days long past?
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR new Chase a return to the mindset of days long past?
Latest news
Tom Cruise interested in racing ARCA car, per NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
5 h
Tom Cruise interested in racing ARCA car, per NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell
Gibbs, Spire and Gabehart argue over contempt and injunction
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
8 h
Gibbs, Spire and Gabehart argue over contempt and injunction
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
8 h
William Byron to run Jeff Gordon throwback Axalta scheme at Phoenix
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 8 h
Alexander Rossi takes over IR-28 testing as IndyCar pushes new chassis to the limit at Sebring
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe