Civil Air Patrol Racing
Ashton Lewis, Jr. Race Preview
Darlington Raceway
Winn Dixie 200
August 30, 2003
CAP Racing Notes & Quotes
Last Race - (Food City 250)- Lewis, Jr. and the No. 46 Civil Air Patrol
Racing team posted a 10th place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway for their
sixth top-10 of the season.
Standings - Lewis, Jr. moved up one spot to 13th in the NASCAR Busch Series
Drivers' Points Standings. Team owner Ashton Lewis, Sr. holds the 14th spot
in the Owners' Points standings.
Ashton Lewis, Jr. on Darlington Raceway:
"Darlington is a pretty tough track to race on. It's demanding, both
physically and mentally. You have to race the track as much as your fellow
competitors. The surface of the track is so abrasive that it eats up the
tires after just a few laps. As a driver you have to keep your patience in
check but you have to be aggressive. If you are too aggressive, you'll wear
the tires out even faster so you have to pick the right moments to make a
pass. On the other hand, passing is tough so when you have even a small
shot you have to go for it. Finding a setup that is good on long runs and
on worn out tires is the key to a good run at Darlington. If you can't, it'
s probably going to be a really long day."
Crew Chief, Charlie Lewis on Darlington Raceway:
"Darlington is one of the oddest shaped tracks on the circuit and one of the
most difficult to find the right set-up for. The track is shaped like an
egg and turns three and four are much tighter with less banking than one and
two. When settling on a set-up you have to compromise. There is no way for
the driver to be perfectly happy with the car on both ends of the track. If
the car handles too good in turns one and two, it will be terrible in three
and four, and vice versa. So you have to give up a little on both ends of
the track to make it perform well all the way around."
Equipment:
The No. 46 Civil Air Patrol Racing team will compete with chassis No. 5 this
weekend in the Winn Dixie 200. Lewis, Jr. has recorded three top-10
finishes with chassis No. 5 this season at Charlotte (8th), Kentucky (7th)
and Pikes Peak (9th).
Viva Las Vegas:
It's been a busy week for Lewis, Jr. as he arrived home from Bristol around
2am on Saturday morning then caught a flight the next day for Las Vegas, NV.
The purpose of the trip? The annual Civil Air Patrol National Board meeting
that was held on Monday at the MGM Grand Hotel.
