Bashas' Supermarkets 200 - Jason Leffler Notes

Jason Leffler will make his 39th NASCAR Busch Series start and fourth for the Haas CNC Racing team this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

JASON LEFFLER ON RACING IN PHOENIX…” Phoenix International Raceway is really a great track to race on. It’s a short, flat track, a lot like a Martinsville, but faster, obviously, since it’s bigger. I’ve run trucks, Cup cars and Busch cars here, so this is a track where I’ve got a good idea of what you need to do to be successful. We got a pole here back in the 2000 Busch race, so maybe that will help us. Anything like that helps, not only because you have the knowledge you need to get it done, but because mentally you know you can be successful at the track.

“We’ll have our work cut out for us this week, since this is the first time this Haas Automation team will race on a track like this. Hopefully we can show up and be pretty close to where we need to be in the first practice and then get in a good qualifying run, but at the same time, I don’t want another week like last week in Atlanta. We were able to qualify pretty well, but when it came time to race, we just couldn’t get handling of the car where it needed to be. It was frustrating, but I guess we need to remember that the whole reason we are working so hard to race these last couple of races this year is so we can come out of the box strong for next season. There’s no reason this Haas Automation team shouldn’t be able to make a run for the championship in 2004. We have the tools we need and are working hard to put the right people in the right places to make the team as strong as possible. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to run these last four or five races, so we should get stronger every time we go out. No doubt we’ll work hard in the off-season to make this team a championship-caliber team.”

PHOENIX FAST FACTS

( This will be Jason Leffler’s second Busch Series start at Phoenix International Raceway.
( Leffler’s best finish at the track came in the 2000 Busch Series event. Leffler finished in second after starting from the pole position.
( The Haas CNC Racing team will utilize chassis No. 248 in Phoenix. This is the first 2003 appearance for this particular Haas Automation Chevrolet.
( Leffler made 10 Winston Cup Series starts this year in the No. 0 NetZero HiSpeed Pontiac. He qualified as high as sixth (Michigan and Kansas), and finished a high of 25th in Dover.
( Leffler began the season racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In 16 starts, he posted one victory (Dover, Del.), two pole positions, five Top-5 finishes and 10 Top-10s.

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.

JASON LEFFLER BUSCH SERIES CAREER STATS…

TOTAL STARTS: 38
FIRST CAREER START: 1999 Kroger 200, Indianapolis Raceway Park
No. 18 MBNA Pontiac
Started 14th, Finished 41st – Accident
BEST QUALIFYING: 1st (Three Times)
Texas Motor Speedway (2000)
Indianapolis Raceway Park (2000)
Phoenix International Raceway (2000)
BEST FINISH: 2nd
2000 Outback Steakhouse 200, Phoenix International Raceway Started 1st, Finished 2nd – Running

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