SWS: II: Pre-race notes

Stellar Field Ready to Battle In Southwest Clash at PIR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fl. (September 28, 2004) Jim Pettit II of Prunedale, Calif. leads a stellar field of competitors into Phoenix Int'l Raceway this weekend as the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series prepares for round eleven of the 14-race championship series. Pettit leads 2001 series champion Craig Raudman of Bakersfield, Calif. by 25 points on the strength of three wins and eight top ten performances.

Phoenix Int'l Raceway has been long held in esteem by veterans racers and aspiring young drivers as the "Daytona 500" for drivers in the western United States. Joining the Southwest Series regulars for his first trip to PIR is Brandon Riehl from Boring, Oregon. Riehl just completed his second full year of competition on the AutoZone Northwest Series with a seventh place finish in the standings. That finish earned Riehl an invite to the prestigious NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown that will be held in November at Irwindale (CA) Speedway piting the top ten drivers from the four series of the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division.

"I have wanted to race at Phoenix for so many years" Riehl said. "This place is special to us weekly guys in the west. All the great names have competed here and to finally have the chance is more than I could have imagined. We have worked real hard this year and competing at Phoenix this weekend will certainly be a highlight."

The JC Glass "100" is set to take the green flag at 1:00 pm PST this Sunday, October 3 and will be televised live on HDNet. Fans of the series should check their cable and satellite listings for times in their local area.

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