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Autolite Platinum 250 - Hank Parker Jr. Notes Hank Parker Jr. / GNC Live Well Racing Pre-Race Notes EVENT INFORMATION - Event: NASCAR Busch Series Autolite/Fram 250; Time and Date: 8 p.m. EDT, Friday, Sept. 7; Site: Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va. Live Coverage: TNT Network (television) at 8 p.m. EDT, and MRN (radio) at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Qualifying: 3 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Sept. 6; Happy Hour: Thursday, Sept. 6, 6:15 p.m. EDT. LAST RACE (South Carolina 200) - Hank Parker Jr. claimed his best finish since the July 1 GNC Live Well 250 at the Milwaukee Mile, where he finished 14th. Starting from the 32nd position, Parker battled his way to a 17th-place finish at Darlington Raceway, one lap down to race-winner Jeff Burton. STANDINGS - Hank Parker Jr. now sits 20th in the NASCAR Busch Series Drivers' Points Standings, while team owner Scott Welliver is 23rd in owners' points. Parker's $600,012 in winnings is the fifth-highest total of any Busch Series competitor in 2001. 2001 SPRING RACE AT RICHMOND- Fresh off their victory in the Auto Club 300 at the California Speedway on April 28, Hank Parker Jr. and the No. 36 GNC Live Well Race team scored an 11th-place finish in the Hardee's 250 on May 4 at Richmond International Raceway. Parker and Jimmie Johnson put on a driving display for the fans as the two competitors swapped positions a number of times during the closing laps of the event. GO BACK, JACK, AND DO IT AGAIN - The car that Parker will pilot this weekend is chassis No. 005, known as "Schultzie." It's the same machine he drove to an 11th-place finish in the spring Richmond Busch Series event. "Schultzie" is the same car Tim Fedewa drove to both the pole and the win in the Busch 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway in May 2000. NEW OWNERS - The restructuring that the team ownership is currently undergoing is exciting for Hank Parker Jr. and the No. 36 GNC Live Well Race team. It was announced last week that Wayne Jesel, President of Gasoline Alley Engines, has teamed with Welliver Racing. The organization is now doing business as Welliver-Jesel Motorsports. Jesel is the head of Jesel Valvetrain Innnovation, the leading valvetrain supplier to teams in NASCAR's three premier series. "Gasoline Alley makes great horsepower and great engines, and Jesel is one of the most respected names in the garage area," Parker said of the new partnership. "I'm excited that I've got names like that backing myself and this team. Welliver-Jesel has a plan to get all three teams (the No. 34, the No. 66 and the No. 36) running at the front of the pack, and I can't wait to see the results. The changes we're seeing are breathing new life and new enthusiasm into this team. It's a shot in the arm that's been sorely needed this season." NEW CREW CHIEF - Along with the new ownership comes a new crew chief, Gary Cogswell, who most recently worked on the No. 00 Buckshot Racing team. In the first four races of the season, Cogswell, with Todd Bodine as his driver, led the No. 00 team to two wins (Rockingham and Las Vegas) and a fifth-place finish in Atlanta. "Gary is a very smart man and a very talented crew chief," Parker said of his new team leader. "He came in on Friday at Darlington and immediately fit right in with the team. I like his leadership style, kind of quiet but firm. His track record speaks for itself. He's had a lot of success with Gasoline Alley Engines this season, so that's a plus for myself and the team as well. I think that Gary will be a great asset to our organization, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for our partnership." HANK PARKER JR. ON RICHMOND - "I love racing at Richmond, even though my finishes don't really show it. It's a fun short track and I love night racing. It reminds me a lot of when I was running Late Model Stocks a few years back. We had a real shot at a top-10 here in the spring, but fell just a little shy. I enjoyed racing Jimmie (Johnson) at the end there. I think we put on a pretty good show for the fans. I think we'll have a good shot at another top-10, if we can stay out of trouble. Sometimes, that's a little easier said than done here." CREW CHIEF GARY COGSWELL ON HIS FIRST WEEK AT WELLIVER-JESEL MOTORSPORTS - "This first week has gone as well as can be expected. There's a lot of people working at the shop with three teams being there. It's going to take me some time to learn everyone's names and responsibilities. We're going through all the equipment, evaluating all the cars. It's a pretty big project, but it shouldn't take that long. The main thing we want to do is get this thing back to being a three-car team, instead of three teams being under one roof. A lot of the equipment is different, which is not necessarily a bad thing. What we want to do is get everything streamlined and consistent across the board. ON GOALS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON - "I feel like we need to show improvement in all areas of the team, with our on-track performance being the most obvious indicator of that. I don't think we need to focus on trying to win races as much as trying to get four or five solid top-10 finishes in these last eight races. Consistent performance is the main thing we're looking for in these last couple of months. "Mainly, we want to build a solid foundation and get our plans in place for 2002. We want to get everyone pulling in the same direction at the same time. The idea is to be ready to go to Daytona next February and be competitive right out of the box."
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