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Millington: Mark Whisnant preview
A determined Whisnant heads for Memphis. MEMPHIS, Tenn. ^Ö This weekend Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, will travel to Memphis, Tenn. to race the 15th Annual O^ÒReilly Mid-South Nationals. At the last ...
Published: Sep 20, 2002, 5:45 AM
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A determined Whisnant heads for Memphis.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ^Ö This weekend Mark Whisnant, driver of the RW Performance Pro Stock Chevrolet Cavalier, will travel to Memphis, Tenn. to race the 15th Annual O^ÒReilly Mid-South Nationals.
At the last three races Whisnant has had what he calls ^Ñdisappointing^Ò finishes. In the last three races he has exited the race in the first round twice, and the second round once. Although Team RW has consistently qualified well, Whisnant is not content with his performance as of late, and is determined to turn his luck around in Memphis.
"To say that I was very disappoint with myself after Reading would be an understatement," said Whisnant. "Lately I have been letting my team down and not getting the job done. We have also had some mechanical failure, which cost us the race in Indy. It^Òs very discouraging to know that you have your opponent covered, and then give the race away at the starting line, or have the car break.
As any driver will tell you a string of bad luck can mess with a driver^Òs mind. There is enough pressure on a driver to perform, but when you add the extra pressure the driver puts on himself after a few bad races, it will undermine the driver^Òs confidence. That kind of tension will make a driver get out of sync, throw off his timing, and make him second-guess his self.
"To be a good driver you have to be able to disregard the pressure, and concentrate on driving. When you pull up to the starting line it has to be automatic, if you think too much, you will be in trouble. I guess that has been my problem lately, thinking too much. I need to get out of this rut for myself, but more importantly for my guys.
"This RW Performance team gives me a great racecar every weekend. They dig hard, and consistently give me a car that could win every race. They^Òre good, but going out first round is wearing on them too.
"Together as a team, we are determined to turn our performance around in Memphis. This weekend I am going to dig deep and concentrate harder on driving this Cavalier. My crew is going to concentrate on giving me the best possible racecar. Together we are going to wrestle this monkey off our backs and get back to racing like we know we can."
Qualifying at the 15th Annual O^ÒReilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., begin on Friday Sept. 20, and continues on Saturday Sept. 21. Eliminations begin at 11:00 AM EST on Sunday Sept. 22.
-wr-
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