Tony Raines No. 74 Outdoor Channel Chevrolet Dover Preview
Tony Raines on Dover…
What’s the key to success at Dover?
“For qualifying, there is a fine line between being successful at Dover or not because you need to be aggressive but still not overdrive the corners. It is really all about timing and hitting your marks at the right times because if you drive in deep or turn in too soon, you’ve lost your whole lap. To have a good race, you need to be consistent and find a good rhythm. It’s a challenging track for a driver and that is probably one of the best reasons why I like to go there.”
You’ve said Dover is one of your favorite tracks. Why?
“I made my first Cup start there in 2002 so that is one reason, but it’s a track that keeps you on top of your game because things happen really fast so I really like it for that reason. We’ve had good runs here in the Busch car before with a couple of top-10s and then a top-five during my rookie year. I’ve had success on the concrete tracks – Dover, Bristol, Nashville and at tracks a mile or under if you want to add Richmond and Milwaukee. Don’t get me wrong, I love to race anywhere but these have been my best tracks statistically, and I think it gives you an advantage when you race at one of them because you remember the success you’ve had there in the past.”
“I think we actually had the car to beat here last September in the Busch race. In the first 25 laps of the race, I realized just how good the car was and I thought, ‘Whoa, I better take care of this thing early on because it’s really good’. In the end, a part failure took us out of the game and ended our day early so I feel like maybe I’m owed one at Dover.”
BACE Fast Facts
The Ride … BACE Motorsports crew chief Mark Tutor has selected chassis #7409 for this weekend’s upcoming MBNA America 200 at Dover International Speedway. The BACE Team planned on taking chassis #7436, the same car they used this past weekend at Charlotte, but involvement in a late race accident prevented the car from making the trip to the “Monster Mile.” This will be the first time Raines takes the wheel of car #9 this season as its only previous duty in 2004 has been at Rockingham and Darlington with driver Damon Lusk.
Leader of the Pack … Over the past decade, BACE Motorsports has scored more victories at Dover International Speedway than any other Busch Series Team. Team owner Bill Baumgardner has visited Victory Lane three times with two different drivers. Johnny Benson scored the first win ever for BACE in September of 1994. Randy Lajoie swept the Dover events in 1996 en route to a second consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championship for BACE.
Getting the Job Done … Last September, Tony Raines picked up his first DNF at Dover International Speedway in nine NASCAR Busch Series starts. Still, Raines has completed over 99 percent of the laps at the “Monster Mile” in a BACE Busch Series entry, failing only to complete 16 circuits out of a total 1800.
Running Neck and Neck … If Tony Raines is able to score his first NASCAR Busch Series victory at Dover this weekend it will tie Bill Baumgardner with owner Frank Cicci for the most wins as an owner at the one-mile facility. Cicci has a total of four victories. Baumgardner is currently tied with Darrell Waltrip with three wins and is one of only seven owners who have multiple wins at the Delaware facility.
