True Value/The Tennessean 200 up at Nashville

September 26, 2001
4:52 PM EDT (2052 GMT)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nashville Speedway USA has been a good racing facility to Gatorade All Pro Series, NASCAR Touring point leader Wayne Anderson and he is hopeful it will be good to him during Saturday’s True Value/The Tennessean 200.

Anderson has won two All American 400 events at the .596-mile oval (1996 and 1999) and he won earlier this year when the series competed here in April. Anderson has five wins under his belt in 2001 and enters this event in quest of his second NASCAR championship.

With three races remaining on the 2001 schedule, Anderson enters this event with a 43-point spread between himself and Randy Gentry and a 59-point margin over third place driver Jeff Fultz.

"We don't come to a race thinking about points," said Anderson. "We come to win the race. Winning and running up front is consistency and that alone is the key to winning championships. If you can do that then the points will take care of themselves.

"Nashville has been good to us over the years. I like this track. It is a racer's track with the banking and the straightaways and you can pass. The only tricky part of the track is in Turn 2, going over the tunnel, but once you roll out you have the long backstretch.

"I have complete confidence in Augie and Frankie Grill on the set-up for this track. There have been so many outstanding drivers behind the wheel of a Frankie Grill prepared car, I just feel fortunate to be able to drive for the man. Winning two championships for this team would be great."

"This championship run is not over by any stretch of the imagination," said Gentry, who has been first or second in points since the fifth race of the season. "Our team has been very consistent and we have only lost 12 laps in 2,511 run so far this year." Gentry would like nothing better than to put his name in the record books during this championship showdown with a win at Nashville.

"I know we are capable of winning," said Gentry. “We just have to have a few breaks go our way."

Anderson, Gentry and Fultz have been the most consistent drivers on the series recording 11 top-10 finishes in 13 starts. Additionally Gentry has the best laps completed percentage at 99.50 percent, followed by Fultz at 93.40 percent and Anderson at 93 percent.

Two drivers who certainly could be considered for any hard luck award are David Reutimann and Eddie Mercer. Reutimann is fourth in points and was leading two recent races, late in the race, when mechanical problems ended his night.

Mercer is fifth in points. He too has had his share of mishaps with his last four finishes outside the top-10. Mercer finished third in the spring race at Nashville after putting his Chevrolet on the Bud Pole for the third time at this track.

Any of the top-five drivers in points can be strong contenders to win the final 200-lap series event of 2001. They all have made their impact on the series this year. Anderson is just hoping his good fortune continues and that this event will help propel him to another NASCAR title.

Another close battle on the series is between Jody Lavender and Charlie Bradberry for Wireway/Husky Corp Rookie of the Year honors. Entering this event Lavender leads Bradberry by two points with two races remaining after Nashville.Bradberry has competed at this track on numerous occasions. In April he was the highest finishing rookie with a ninth place run while Lavender finished 32nd.

Action for the True Value/The Tennessean 200 gets underway when race teams register at 7:30 a.m. Practice will be from 12 - 2 p.m. with Bud Pole Qualifying at 4:30 p.m. The green flag will start the 200-lap event at 8 p.m. CT.