Hershey's Kisses 300 - Stacy Compton Notes

Stacy Compton Celebrates Season of Change with Kingsford/Bush’s Best Baked Beans Race Team at ST Motorsports

The sponsorship from Kingsford Charcoal and Bush’s Best Baked Beans remain the same for Stacy Compton and ST Motorsports in 2004.

Everything else, however, has changed.

The team moved to the Ford Taurus - and Robert Yates Racing engines - for the upcoming season on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit. Compton, who finished fourth in the 1999 Craftsman Truck Series championship, has a new competition director in Stacy Johnson, has a new crew chief in Jeff Chandler, and a new teammate in Robert Pressley.

“I have never been so excited about a race team in my life,” Compton said. “We’ve made a lot of changes, and every one of them has been for the best. We’ve got new Fords. We’ve got engines from Robert Yates, who’s probably the very best in the business. Stacy Johnson is a proven winner from Richard Childress Racing as is Jeff Chandler from Joe Gibbs Racing. I’ve got a new teammate in Robert Pressley, and he has a lot of experience to lend this race team.”

“I can’t remember coming into a season being so thoroughly prepared.”

Compton debuted with the Kingsford team during the season finale at Homestead, Fla., in 2001 by qualifying 12th and finishing 10th. He’s been the only driver for the team since.

Compton had 11 top-10 finishes in 34 starts a year ago. He finished 11th in the point standings, but he feels like the race team was capable of so much more.

“The team worked hard and we had great race cars every week,” Compton said. “We ran well at most places, but we didn’t get the kind of results we deserved. We didn’t make any excuses; we went to work. Steve Plattenberger, who has a successful track record with Robert Pressley, moved over to that team, and Jeff Chandler is the new crew chief with our team. Stacy Johnson is calling the shots on Research & Development and the bigger strategic direction of our racecars. Despite the changes, we’re all working together toward the same goals.”

Two race teams can share technology and information. They can tackle problems as a group and find success twice as fast as a single-car operation.

“When you have two race teams, you have twice the testing dates,” Compton said. “In the off-season, for example, Robert tested at Las Vegas and I tested at Rockingham, N.C. We shared notes and got twice as much done as we could have on our own. And when you’re able to pick the brain of someone as experienced and talented as Robert Pressley, it just elevates everyone.”

Compton has a myriad of experience himself. He’s driven on the Craftsman Truck Series circuit, as well as the Nextel Cup circuit. Like Pressley, he is a product of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, where he won 36 races and 39 poles in seven seasons.

“Everything is in place for us to have a breakout season,” Compton said. “We’ve got new cars and they’re fast. Everyone has worked so hard; everyone in the race shop is so excited to put all that effort to work.

“They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s not true with the Kingsford/Bush’s Best Baked Beans race team. Sometimes change is good.”