Meijer 300 presented by Oreo - Tony Raines Notes

Three is a Magic Number for Raines at Kentucky

Mooresville, NC (June 16, 2004) – Yes, just as the popular SchoolHouse Rocks song says “there are three in the family” for new father Tony Raines who will celebrate his first Father’s Day this Sunday. But on-track the number three holds significance for Raines as well as he returns to Kentucky Speedway. In his only two starts at the 1.5-mile facility, the Indiana native has never finished anywhere other than you guessed it, third. This weekend, Raines looks to find the magic in his third start at Kentucky as he strives to collect his first career win in the NASCAR Busch Series.

Tony Raines on Kentucky…
"I always list Kentucky as one of my favorite tracks but that has a lot of that has to do with the fact I haven't finished outside of the top-three there. It's a given that you like to race on tracks where you've had success but with that comes pressure to repeat that success. This sport is constantly changing and teams learn new tricks every weekend so there is constant pressure to be on top of your game. Just because you where a rocket in the last race doesn't guarantee it will be that way again, but it always helps your confidence coming in with a good track record."

"I would describe Kentucky as a cross between Las Vegas and say Charlotte. The shape of the track is similar to Charlotte but the banking is consistent with the banking at Vegas. It's a track that is as challenging to a crew chief during the race as it is to a driver because it is hard to keep the car's handling consistent. You have to build adjustment into the car especially for a night race when track conditions will change. You are not going to win the race during the first 100 laps of the race, so obviously you need for your car to run its best at the end when it counts."

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