Joliet: Richie Stevens Jr preview

STEVENS SEEKS FIRST 2005 WIN AT TEAM OWNER'S HOME TRACK

JOLIET, Ill. (June 8, 2005) - Since Richie Stevens Jr. returned to NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock competition in the Team Mopar/Valspar HEMI-powered Dodge Stratus this year as a member of the largest pro team in NHRA history, Don Schumacher Racing, he's been aching for a win to add to the four he earned his first time around from 1998-2002.

The New Orleans native has been close: He made it to the final round in Bristol, Tenn., with lane choice the whole way, but fouled out to Warren Johnson. He's qualified for every race and claimed the pole at the Phoenix race and now stands eighth in Pro Stock points.

This weekend's CARQUEST NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, team owner Don Schumacher's home track (whose Schumacher Electric is located in Mt. Prospect, Ill.), would be the ideal venue for Stevens' first win of the year.

He and tuner Bob Glidden, the 10-time Pro Stock champion, continue to work hard towards achieving their goals with ongoing development and testing at every opportunity, including a Memorial Day test following the last event at Heartland Park Topeka.

"We tested some tires for Goodyear in Topeka after the race," said the 26-year-old Stevens. "It seemed to go pretty well. We made some good runs. We went 6.73 (-second elapsed time) three times, which was a hundredth and a half (of a second) off of what Greg (Anderson, Topeka winner) had run over the weekend. That made it a real positive test.

"We should do pretty well over the weekend at Don Schumacher's home race. Everybody wants to make a good showing here. We'll try our best and hopefully come out on top.

"Route 66 is definitely a great facility. The track surface is really smooth, and it's always a track that everybody looks forward to and it's one that I definitely look forward to racing at. Under the right conditions, it's also a track where Pro Stock records can be broken, as they have been in the Fuel classes."

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