Minnesota State Fair preview

Miller Lite 300 is a Labor Day classic. Pendleton, IN (August 30, 2002) - One of the most traditional stops on the ASA Racing Series, the Miller Lite 300, will take place on Monday, September 2nd at Minnesota State Fair Speedway in St. Paul (MN).

Miller Lite 300 is a Labor Day classic.

Pendleton, IN (August 30, 2002) - One of the most traditional stops on the ASA Racing Series, the Miller Lite 300, will take place on Monday, September 2nd at Minnesota State Fair Speedway in St. Paul (MN). This is the 26th consecutive year that ASA has sa nctioned an event at the .5-mile oval on Labor Day.

In the 2001 version of the Miller Lite 300, it was a successful homecoming for the LaFavre Racing Teams of Lakeville (MN), as its veteran drivers Kevin Cywinski and Mike Garvey finished one-two in the annual Labor Day event.

A duel between 1997 ASA National Champion Kevin Cywinski and then ASA points leader Johnny Sauter highlighted the race. Sauter led the initial 171 laps and turned the point over to Cywinski following the second round of pits tops. The two raced nose-to-tail until the 194th circuit when they swapped the lead three times in four laps.

After the event's fifth caution, Cywinski's pit crew got the veteran out in front of Sauter. Only two laps into the restart, Sauter became sandwiched between Cywinski and Garvey. Contact between Garvey and Sauter resulted in the rookie spinning and falling back to ninth place.

At the checkered flag, Cywinski was 1.803 seconds ahead of then teammate Mike Garvey. Gary St. Amant finished third, with Joey Clanton and Butch Miller rounding out the top-five finishers.

"I don't really have much to say right now," said Sauter after the race. "I guess that is what you get when you get sandwiched by two teammates." Sauter finished in eighth position after dominating much of the event.

Garvey saw a different side of the bump with Sauter, saying he had the preferred line. "I wasn't going to back off," said Garvey, who was booed by the 16,000-plus fans in attendance. "It's time to go at the end of the race. Sauter would have done the same thing. Normally, I've been a nice guy in those situations, but I have to do what I need to do."

The 2002 Miller Lite 300 begins on Monday, September 2, with a 90-minute practice session at 8:30 a.m. and qualifying 11 a.m. Pre-race activities begin at 1:20 p.m. with the Miller Lite 300 scheduled to green at 2 p.m.

Tickets for the event are available through the Minnesota State Fair Box Office at 1-800-333-6213 or www.mnstatefair.org.