1-800-PIT-SHOP.COM 300 - Randy LaJoie Notes

No. 7 Kleenex®/Scott® Brand Products Racing Preview

Event: Auto Club 300
Track: California Speedway
Track Specs: 2-mile oval, 14º banking in corners
Coverage: 4:00 pm EST

Randy LaJoie Looks Ahead to the Auto Club 300:

“Fontana has not been good to me in a Busch car the last couple of years. I’ve finished fourth there in an International Race of Champions (IROC) car in 1997 in a Lime-green car. But, other than that, I really haven’t had any kind of luck in a Busch car.

“For qualifying, you’ve got to be down on the white line of the track to get the best lap. Eventually, during the race when enough rubber has been laid down, the groove widens out.

“You can pass at California, and the draft also plays into the equation. If you want to catch the guys in front of you, you’ve got to be able to draft up to them. Trying to catch them on your own is pretty difficult.

“They’ve done an A-1 job with that facility. (Roger) Penske is always a class act. It’s not only a competitor-friendly track, it’s fan friendly.”

Wally Rogers, crew chief for LaJoie, Looks Ahead to the Auto Club 300:

“In a sense, California reminds me a lot of Talladega (Ala.). You have to be as good down the front and backstretch as you are in the corners. You’ve got to have a car with low drag and high down force to be competitive.

“Having a good motor is extremely important at California, especially for the straightaways. You still have to make the car turn in the corners, but there’s a fine line between being too tight and too free. That makes my job a little more difficult.

“We didn’t test California. We’re planning on taking car 001, which is the car we ran at Rockingham, Darlington and Texas. It’s a pretty odd combination of tracks but in my eyes it’s one of our best cars. It’s the first we built for Evans Motorsports and I think we did a good job. It responds well to changes so for a crew chief that’s a good thing. Anytime I can make my job easier in the hopes of running better, I’m going to take as much help as I can.”

©Copyright 2003 Race 2 Win