Leffler Posts 11th-Place Finish in Phoenix

Jason Leffler

AVONDALE, ARIZONA (November 1, 2003) - Jason Leffler and the Haas CNC Racing team finished 11th in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway Saturday. Leffler's 11th-place finish matched the team's best run of the season.

52 NASCAR Busch Series competitors vied for 43 starting spots Thursday afternoon during qualifying for the event. Leffler posted a speed of 129.720 miles per hour around the 1-mile track, earning the Haas Automation Racing team the 24th spot on the starting grid.

As the competitors strapped themselves into the car in preparation for the start of the event, raindrops began to fall on the speedway. The cars rolled off pit road and NASCAR did its best to keep the track dry, but the rain continued to fall steadily and the decision was made to park the cars. Following a two and a half hour rain delay, the drivers were called back to their cars and the green flag was thrown. Almost immediately, Leffler radioed to crew chief Bill Ingle that the car was tight. A caution flag on Lap 53 gave Ingle and the team the opportunity to make adjustments to the handling of the car as well as bolt on four fresh tires and fill the tank with fuel. Unfortunately, the car remained tight during the next run.

Leffler was in the 23rd spot when another yellow flag was thrown on Lap 102 and Ingle made the decision to take on only new right side tires during the ensuing pit stop, as well as make more major adjustments to the handling. Leffler returned to the track in 9th place as most of his competitors made four tire pit stops. This time the changes helped and Leffler was able to hold his own near the front of the field before he again began to experience handling problems.

At Lap 160 NASCAR informed the teams that the race would end at Lap 190 instead of the scheduled 200. A caution flag on Lap 165 gave the team one more opportunity to make changes and once again, in an effort to gain track position, Ingle called for only two new tires.

Leffler took the green on Lap 172 in 12th place. Rain began to fall once again and at Lap 175 the caution was thrown. The field made several more laps behind the pace car before NASCAR made the decision to end the race at Lap 181. Leffler took the checkered flag in 11th place.

"Bill called a good race today," commented Leffler. "We got where we were because he made major changes to the car and good calls to take on two tires to gain track position. The Haas Automation Chevrolet was really tight for most of the race and we decided to take some chances with changes and strategy. It was really the best chance we had for a good finish, and it worked. The guys did a good job today."

Leffler will once again be behind the wheel of the Haas Automation Chevrolet for the running of the Target House 200 at North Carolina Speedway next weekend. Qualifying for the event will take place Friday, November 7, with the drop of the green flag scheduled for 1 p.m. (EST) Saturday. The event will be telecast live on TNT and will be broadcast worldwide by MRN.

ABOUT HAAS CNC RACING…

The Haas CNC Racing team, based in Harrisburg, N.C., is owned by Gene Haas, who founded Haas Automation in 1983. Haas Automation, based in Oxnard, California, is the largest machine tool manufacturer in the United States. Racing has been a passion for Haas for years, both as a spectator and a participant. He most recently competed in the 2001 Best of the Desert Off-Road Truck Series, where he and co-driver Joe Custer, who serves as general manager of Haas CNC Racing, clinched the championship in their class. Haas Automation has been involved in motorsports since 1995, forming technical partnerships with the likes of PacWest Racing Group, All American Racers and Hendrick Motorsports. Haas Automation is also a sponsor of the Hendrick teams. The Haas CNC Racing team has continued to partner with Hendrick for engines and technical support and will field both a NASCAR Busch Series team as well as a Nextel Cup team in 2004.