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BUSCH: Chicagoland: Stanton Barrett preview

'Busch-whackers' Don't Bother Barrett Points, good finish for National City Chevy Key for team at Chicagoland event SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The difference between three or four spots in the current NASCAR Busch Series national standings comes down to ...

Edited: Apr 16, 2008, 12:40 AM

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'Busch-whackers' Don't Bother Barrett
Points, good finish for National City Chevy Key for team at Chicagoland event

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The difference between three or four spots in the current NASCAR Busch Series national standings comes down to maybe two or three feet. That's the feeling of Stanton Barrett, who will drive the #36 National City Chevrolet in Saturday's Busch Series race at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway.

"With the points as close as they are for so many positions right now, everything single spot is important in a race. It always is but it seems even moreso as we go through the middle portion of the season," Barrett said.

He should know. Running in the top 15 a good portion of Friday night's 250-miler at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Barrett seemed poised to not only finish strongly but also to jump in the standings. But a multi-car pileup in front of him collected his car, as well as that of 12 others, ending the night two laps from the end.

"A couple of feet either way, and I'm through it without any problems. Instead, we end up on the (wrecker) hook and a finish some 18-20 spots behind where we were running," Barrett noted.

When the National City Chevrolet takes to the track at Chicago this weekend, that won't go unnoticed, he added. The fact that several Cup drivers will run the event is also a factor.

"I have no problem racing head-to-head with the top Cup regulars. It makes it a better race for the fans and, in a lot of ways, more fun for the drivers," Barrett said. "Having the Cup guys there has historically brought greater attention to the Busch Series and, when you look at National City's involvement with our race team, obviously that greater attention is pretty important.

"The thing we have to keep in mind is how it affects our points. Whether it is four Busch regulars or four Cup guys in front of me, that's still four finishing positions and that has the same effect on our points standings."

Barrett is 20th in the NASCAR Busch Series but still in the thick of the hot 10th-20th battle that has been racing all season. Without the wreck in front of him two laps from the end of the Daytona race, Barrett would be sitting at least 17th in the standings. He is well within shot of the top 15 by the end of the next two races, if not by the last lap of Saturday's Chicagoland race.

"There are a lot of things that are pretty important to us right now," Barrett said. "We want to give National City a great run at Chicago. We want to impress other potential sponsors for this season and for next year. We want to make a solid statement as far as the points are concerned, and we want to have a good, solid finish for ourselves. This National City Chevrolet team has worked pretty hard and we've made some great progress this season. We want to keep that going."

-cw-

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