Food City 250 - Ashton Lewis, Jr. Notes

Civil Air Patrol Racing
Ashton Lewis, Jr. Race Preview
Bristol Motor Speedway
Food City 250
August 22, 2003

CAP Racing Notes & Quotes

Last Race - (Cabela's 250)- Lewis, Jr. and the No. 46 Civil Air Patrol Racing team posted a 36th place finish at Michigan International Speedway. During the first pace lap prior to the official start of the event, Lewis, Jr. noticed that the carburetor was not working properly. He was forced to pit so that his crew could replace it with a new one, putting him three laps down by the time he was bale to get back out on the track.

Standings - Lewis, Jr. is 14th in the NASCAR Busch Series Drivers' Points Standings. Team owner William Lewis, holds the 15th spot in the Owners' Points standings.

Ashton Lewis, Jr. on Bristol Motor Speedway:
"The night race at Bristol is probably the most exciting race of the year, for the drivers as well as the fans. It's one of our favorite places to go because Bristol is what racing is all about. There is much more emphasis on the driver's ability because you take out factors like aerodynamics and fuel mileage. It is racing in its purest form. We have always run well there but we haven't had the luck we need to go with it. In the last two events there we have been able to avoid all of the wrecks, but both times had a flat tire under green, which put us two laps down.

We're looking for a little good luck to come our way this weekend. The last two races (Indy and Michigan) have been disappointing for us and have hurt us tremendously in our quest to break into the top-10 by season's end. Bristol is not exactly the track you pick out to turn things around, but for us it is. I am confident in our ability to win this race. We have everything we need to do it - a great car, a great pit crew, great motors from Roush and good notes from successful runs here in the past. We just need a little help in the luck department."

Crew Chief, Charlie Lewis on Bristol Motor Speedway:
"You just try to survive at Bristol. That pretty much sums it up. You don' t have to have all the fenders on the car to win. You just have to make it to the end and that's a lot easier said than done. Qualifying well is extremely important and is the first thing you focus on when you unload. It is so easy to go a lap down there and if you start in the back it will happen before you know it. After that, it's about staying out of trouble and avoiding the accidents, and apparently for us, praying you don't have a tire go down under green. "

Equipment:
The No. 46 Civil Air Patrol Racing team will compete with chassis No. 11 this weekend in the Food City 250. This is the same chassis that Lewis, Jr. drove in earlier events this season at Milwaukee (12th) and New Hampshire (11th).

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