Alan Kulwicki 250 - Jason Leffler Notes

LEFFLER HOPING TO ADD HIS NAME TO THE RECORD BOOKS AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (June 21, 2004) - Although the NASCAR Busch Series didn't begin to make The Milwaukee Mile a regular stop on its schedule until 1993, the first race ever at the one-mile track was held over a hundred years ago. Jason Leffler is looking to add his name to an elite list of winning drivers during the Alan Kulwicki 250 on Saturday, June 26. Having worked in Parnelli Jones' shop growing up, Leffler has only dreamed of seeing his name along side his old employer.

"Milwaukee is cool," said Leffler, who will steer the No. 00 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet at the 250-mile NASCAR Busch Series event this weekend. "They have been racing there almost 100 years. This track just has so much history that it's just exciting to still be racing here. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Parnelli Jones' shop and he was the king at Milwaukee. Parnelli won something like six out of seven races at Milwaukee in the 1960s and other guys like Roger Ward, A.J. Foyt and Bobby Unser have all won there. That's a pretty impressive list and one I would really like to add my name to."

Leffler and his Haas Automation Racing Team have chosen to utilize chassis no. 305 for this weekend's event, which was run at St. Louis and Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway earlier this year with a Top-10 finish in each. Even though Milwaukee is a one-mile oval, some consider it as a short track because of the lack of much banking and the sweeping corners.

"When Bootie (Barker, crew chief) picks what chassis he wants to bring to the racetrack he normally picks it by the way the body was built and not the chassis," explains Leffler.

"That's just his preference of deciding what to bring and it hasn't failed yet this year. I've only raced at Milwaukee once in a Busch car, but I really liked the racetrack. Milwaukee is a lot like Loudon; it is flat with long sweeping corners. As the weekend goes on we should be able to work in a second groove, so there will be a lot of room to pass."

Leffler and his Haas Automation Racing team won in Nashville in only their second start at the Nashville Superspeedway and will travel to Milwaukee for Leffler's second start at The Milwaukee Mile in a NASCAR Busch Series car, their first as a team, this Saturday. Leffler has competed at The Milwaukee Mile two other times in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry, finishing second in both. This will be the first year that the Busch Series cars race at the historical mile at night under the aid of temporary lighting.

"I really have no preference in racing during the day or at night," said Leffler. "My first Busch Series win came at night, but that was a stroke of luck. This will be the first time that we get to practice, qualify, and race all in one day. It does make for a long day, but it's nice to get in there and then get out and not extend the weekend over two or three days. We hope that this weekend will give us a Top-10 finish and prove to be a good weekend in the points race."

Jason Leffler now stands in the eighth position in the NASCAR Busch Series championship point standing trailing leader Martin Truex Jr. by 383 points. Leffler and his No. 00 Haas Automation Racing team travel to The Milwaukee Mile for the Alan Kulwicki 250 on Saturday, June 26. The race will air on FX at 8 p.m. (ET).