BUSCH: Memphis: Stacy Compton race report

Memphis race week was good to Compton.

MEMPHIS, TN - October 20, 2002 - Stacy Compton had quite a week. First, he won a charity golf tournament on Monday by hitting an Eagle from the fairway as holes were winding down, earning a set of new Ping irons and woods. On Thursday in Memphis, he decided to try out his new clubs and came just inches from his first ever hole-in-one. On Sunday, he came just a few laps short of recording his first Busch Series win in the Kingsford/Johnsonville Chevrolet.

Compton qualified 8th on Friday and was a dominant car in the final "Happy Hour" practice. A line of rain showers washed out the race on Saturday and forced the team to wait an additional day to see just how dominant the car would be in the race. When the green flag finally fell on the Sam's Town 250, Compton patiently worked his way through the field. Different pit strategies throughout the race saw Compton get as low as 16th in the running order and as high as 1st, leading the race at one point for 15 laps. Commented Compton, "Our car was extremely strong all day, and the adjustments that we made during pit stops made it even stronger. Even though our pit strategy put us back in traffic at times, it didn't take long for us to work our way back up to the front each time."

The race's final caution fell with Compton in 5th place, behind leader Scott Wimmer, Ron Hornaday, Jamie McMurray, and Tim Sauter. On the restart, Compton went to work on passing Sauter when McMurray and Hornaday began "trading paint." A masterful move on the race's final lap allowed Compton to pass all three and take home his second runner-up finish of the season. Reflected Crew Chief Steve Plattenberger, "Stacy drove the wheels off that car all day and the move on the last lap showed what a great driver he is. We had fresher tires than Wimmer and I would have liked to see what we would have done with another five or ten laps, but I sure am happy with a second place finish."

The finish left Compton in 12th place in the NASCAR Busch Series Championship standings, but he is now only eleven points out of 10th place with four races remaining. The team now turns its attention to the high speed and high banks of Atlanta for next Saturday's race.

-stm-