Ameriquest 300 - Stacy Compton Notes

Compton's Kingsford Sure Fire/Bush's Baked Beans Ford Looking for Redemption at California Speedway

FONTANA, Calif. - Stacy Compton has waited for six months for redemption.

The driver of the Kingsford Sure Fire/Bush's Baked Beans Ford wasn't happy with his Ford Fusion when he last raced at the California Speedway, the Feb. 25, Stater Bros. 300. Now he's bringing a different attitude to the two-mile raceway for Saturday night's Ameriquest 300.

"The last time we were at California, it was just our second race with the new Fusion," Compton said. "On top of that, we had re-organized at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing, so we essentially went there with a new team. We finished 24th there in February, but we came away with pages of notes to make the car better.

"We knew it was going to take half the racing season to get things sorted out, and we've done that. We're going back to California as a different, a dramatically improved race team."

Compton now is 17th in the NASCAR Busch Series standings, which is an impressive improvement over the season-low 28th-place ranking earlier this year. The biggest difference, Compton said, is the way they turn bad days into good finishes.

"Early this year, if the car was off or if something happened to us, it only got worse," he said. "If we missed the setup or had a little bad luck, it snowballed. Now when we're off a little bit, we're still able to step it up. It takes a good knowledge of the car and full confidence between the race team and the driver to accomplish that."

A week ago at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Compton started 40th and had trouble getting the car to grip in the corners. And yet, he still found a way to bring the car home in one piece - and in 16th place.

"We turned something bad into something good," he said. "Believe me, we're not satisfied with 16th, but it's a lot better than 40th. And it's a lot better than what we were able to do earlier in the year."

Compton now hopes to see just how far the team has progressed. The race at California should be a good barometer.

"This is a good opportunity for us to compare our performances," he said. "It's going to be interesting to see just how much we've progressed."

Qualifying for the Ameriquest 300 is at 6:40 p.m. ET Saturday. The main event follows at 10 p.m. on TNT.

Stacy Compton Fast Facts