NASCAR

SWS: Irwindale: Brandon Whitt preview

Whitt ready for King Taco 150 at Irwindale Speedway Clean Line Motorsports returns to competition after month-long May break BAKERSFIELD, California (June 2, 2003) - Most people who got a month-long vacation from their jobs would be overjoyed. But ...

Edited: Dec 21, 2003, 10:27 PM

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Whitt ready for King Taco 150 at Irwindale Speedway
Clean Line Motorsports returns to competition after month-long May break

BAKERSFIELD, California (June 2, 2003) - Most people who got a month-long vacation from their jobs would be overjoyed. But racing is not your everyday run-of-the-mill occupation, and NASCAR racer Brandon Whitt has spent the "spring break" hiatus in the Featherlite Southwest Series schedule finishing his class work, logging test laps, and itching to get back to competition.

Going racing again is not the only good thing about the beginning of June. The first race back from the break will be the King Taco 150 as part of Berryman Products Night at the half-mile Irwindale Speedway, one of California's short-track crown jewels and a track that Brandon and his team knows very well. Although the track presents considerable challenges to the unwary with its "blended" banking and demanding turns, Brandon's many laps at the facility and the local fan support make each race feel like a homecoming.

"I'm very excited to get back to racing," says Brandon, who tested in May at both Irwindale and Infineon Raceway at Sonoma. "Irwindale is a tough track but we feel really good about coming here this season. It helps that we have good equipment under us. (Crew chief) Jerry (Pitts) and (crewman) Marc (Lundgren) have helped me a lot - they have been coaching me about different ways to get around the track. We've found a pretty good line around there so we feel very positive about the race."

Brandon's upcoming start in the #28 Moen Faucets/Victory Circle/GS3/Simpson Race Products Pontiac Grand Prix at Irwindale will kick off two grueling months of races for the Clean Line Motorsports team. Following Irwindale, the team will race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. in concert with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series on June 21st, then return to Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. the next weekend for the second Southwest Series event of the season at the track. Then, with hardly a pause for breath, the team will pack up and embark on a two-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series stint in Kansas City and Kentucky in the first weeks of July. The roller coaster will come to a stop at Madera Speedway in Madera, Calif. on July 26th.

But again, racer that he is, Brandon Whitt feels nothing but excited anticipation for what's ahead of him this summer. "I'm looking forward to it!" he says enthusiastically. "It will be a very busy two months, but I think it will be the most fun we have all season. From Sonoma to Kentucky we have four straight weekends of racing. It's a dream come true for me!"

The King Taco 150 at Irwindale Speedway will see the green flag on June 7th, 2003.

-clm-

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