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CAT team looks for same success at road course "They are trying to make Sears Point a more fan-friendly race track by taking out most of the hills so the fans can see more of the race. The multi-million dollar renovations are certainly helping ...

Edited: Jun 21, 2002, 4:24 AM

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CAT team looks for same success at road course

"They are trying to make Sears Point a more fan-friendly race track by taking out most of the hills so the fans can see more of the race. The multi-million dollar renovations are certainly helping the track, but has posed some problems for the teams because it is different each time we go back there."
- Tommy Baldwin, crew chief of the Caterpillar Dodge

BALDWIN ON SEARS POINT...

"We didn't test Sears Point this year, so we haven't seen a lot of the renovations that have been made to the track since we were there a year ago. Apparently, the new grandstands they have put up allow the fans to see most of the action. They really needed to do that. My concern is, what ahs done to the racing for the drivers and the teams. The track can't be much tighter or it will make it very difficult to pass anywhere. The track is very narrow in some places and that can pose problems, especially if you don't get a good lap during qualifying. Starting in the back of the pack at a road course is not a good thing. We need to have a good qualifying run and get a good starting position for Sunday's race.

"The thing with qualifying is there is a lot of pressure on you for those two laps and it's very easy to mess it up. If you get just slightly off course, it can ruin the entire effort. We're going to do everything we can to make sure that the No. 22 is set up for a good qualifying run and then we'll go to work on the race setup.

"The No. 22 and the No. 23 teams went to VIR (Virginia International Raceway) a couple of weeks ago to shake down the cars we're taking this weekend. We wanted Ward to get comfortable with the car and just make some laps. We had our best road course run last year at Sears Point and hopefully we can duplicate that run this year."

TEAM NOTES...

Bill and Gail Davis embarked on their motorcycle road trip. They left from Michigan following Sunday's race and headed west to Sears Point. They will then join the Kyle Petty Charity Ride from Sears Point, Calif., to Trinity, N.C., next week. They have been a part of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride since its inception in 1995. To follow The Davis' and the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, please visit www.kylepettycharityride.org/ for more information.

-bdr/cat-

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