SES: Gainesville fact sheet

1997 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Race Facts

WHAT:        Old El Paso presents the Kroger 200
WHERE:        Lanier National Speedway, Gainesville, GA, 0.375 paved oval
WHEN:        Saturday night, August 30, 1997, 8:00 p.m.
DISTANCE:        200 laps (75 miles)
POSTED AWARDS:        $43,360
TV/RADIO:        None

FIELD: 30 cars. Starting positions 1-26 will be determined by time trials (2 laps). Positions 27-30 will be available to any of the top 30 eligible drivers in the current 1997 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Championship point standings, who have entered the event, but have not qualified for one of the original 26 starting positions. If a starting position(s) remains unfilled, then that starting position(s) will become available to the next eligible car from the qualifying procedure for the event.

SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR)

PROMOTER: SMFP, Inc.

CONTACTS: Jim Noltimier, NASCAR, (770) 486-3591 Randy Morse, Lanier National Speedway, (770) 967-8600

SCHEDULE:        Team Hauler Parking        8:00 a.m.
        Registration & Inspection        9:00 a.m.
        Practice        12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
        Mandatory Drivers' Meeting        5:15 p.m.
        Time Trials (2 laps)        6:00 p.m.
        Kroger 200        8:00 p.m. approx.

THE RACE: The Kroger 200 presented by Old El Paso is the 15th of 20 races on the 1997 series schedule. Consisting of 200 laps, this event is the second series event to be contested at Lanier National Speedway this season.

RECORDS: Track Qual. Record: John Crow, Concord, NC, Chevrolet, 13.696 secs., 98.569 mph, 7/3/97 Fastest Avg. Speed: (150 lap) Mike Miller, Marietta, GA, Pontiac, 52 secs., 69.339 mph, 5/25/91 (200 lap) Mike Garvey, Muskegon, MI, Chevrolet, 1 hr., 4 mins., 11 secs., 70.11 mph, 6/20/92 (250 lap) Wayne Willard, Buford, GA, Chevrolet, 1 hr., 22 mins., 19 secs., 68.33 mph, 6/10/95

1996 REVIEW: Eventual 1996 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series champion Mike Cope notched the win over local standout Brad Correll, with Shane Hall, Billy Bigley, Jr. and Jerry Awbrey rounding out the top five.

NOTES OF INTEREST: ? 50 cars have pre-entered this 200 lap event which carries a maximum starting field of 30 racers. ? 28 out of 47 cars that made qualifying attempts for the event on July 3 broke the track record, in scorching temperatures. With cooler temperatures predicted for this weekend a new track record is possible again. ? Former series regular Rick Crawford, who is now the leading rookie contender in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will return to the series for this event. Crawford will drive a Chevrolet sponsored by Hogan Lumber Company.

STAT OF THE WEEK: In 1997 there have been just two repeat winners in the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series, Wayne Anderson and Steven Christian. Anderson and Christian have each won one of the last two series events at Lanier.

MEDIA SERVICES: NASCAR Online, NASCAR's Official Internet Site on the World Wide Web can be accessed at http://www.nascar.com and offers up to the minute information on the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series and all of NASCAR's racing divisions.

The NASCAR MEDIAFAX SERVICE is a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, fax-on demand system offering results, statistics, press releases, qualifying and race reports and other information. The number to call is 201/302-RACE (media use only). HEADQUARTER MOTEL: Jamison Inn, 3780 Merchants Way (near Hwy. 53), Oakwood, GA 30566, contact: Michael Castleberry, (770) 533-9400, 25 rooms, single or double, $65 + tax. *Jamison Inn is a new facility, ample rig parking in grocery store parking lot adjacent to motel. Lanier National Speedway is located 4.5 miles north of I- 85 (exit 49) on Highway 53.