Daytona: Randy Humphrey race notes

Humphrey runs well in season opener.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 10, 2003) - Randy Humphrey had a solid ride underneath him for the Goody's Dash "150" at Daytona International Speedway.

"The car was great all day. We settled in early on and let the laps tick away. There were a lot of good cars out there today," said Humphrey. "And it was nice to be one of them."

Randy started the race in fifth place. The race was off to a fast start as the field worked side by side for several laps with Scott Weaver showing the way. The top five cars soon broke away from the rest of the pack. Mickey York soon made his way to the point.

Weaver's engine let go on lap 23 bringing out the first caution. Humphrey joined most of the lead lap cars in pitting for fuel. The Randy Humphrey Racing pit crew pulled of a great stop which allowed Humphrey to exit the pits in second place behind Eric Wilson.

Humphrey pitted again during the second caution, along with most of the leaders, giving up his position on the track. Robert Huffman remained on the track and inherited the lead.

In what would ultimately be the last five laps of the race, Humphrey quickly passed several cars to move into 10th place. On lap 42 the caution flag came out for the third time.

Two laps later it started to rain. NASCAR threw the red flag and the cars were led down pit road. After a few minutes it was obvious that they were not going to be able to keep the track dry. So, the race was called.

Humphrey was happy with the day. "We had a solid run and the car is in one piece. You cannot control the rain. If we had decided to stay on the track, we might have seen a different outcome. But, the way the cards fall, if we had stayed out the sun probably would have too."

"I am happy with the race team and their hard work was rewarded with us coming away from here with a top ten."

-rc-