"HIT OR MISS" SEASON START STILL LEAVES RAINES CONFIDENT

>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 18, 2002) - Four races into the 2002 season, Tony Raines has notched two top-10 finishes at Rockingham and Darlington, two tracks that had proven to be a thorn in his side during his initial three years of NASCAR Busch Series competition.  It's the other two finishes, 34^th and 36^th, that mar the solid start for Raines and the No. 33 BACE Motorsports Team.  Still as Raines and company head into the high-banks of Bristol, they find themselves ahead of the pace set last season which resulted in a sixth place finish in the points standings.

Entering this season, Raines had fallen victim to "The Rock" averaging only a 20^th place starting position and a 23^rd place finish.  Same story for Darlington.  The "Track Too Tough To Tame" had troubled the Indiana native in his first three seasons resulting in an average starting spot of 34^th, only slightly bettered by a 23^rd place average finish.  In 2002, the No. 33 Team has wiped the slate clean notching top-10 starting positions at both tracks and finishing ninth and seventh at Rockingham and Darlington, respectively. 

"We tested at Rockingham before the start of the season and we learned a lot that transferred not only to a strong finish there but also at Darlington," Raines said.  "The two tracks are very similar.  Tire management and a good-handling car are important.  We worked on long runs during testing and although we fought tight conditions during parts of both races we were able to make corrections to the car and stay near the front of the field."

Keeping Raines out of the top-10 of the Busch Series point standing are poor finishes at Daytona and Las Vegas, both results of involvement in multi-car accidents.  In Daytona, Raines' race to the front ended on lap 74 after being caught in an eight car melee exiting turn four. It was also an early exit from the event in Las Vegas after the No. 33 spun as a result of fluid on the track in the same incident that collected NASCAR Busch Series rookie driver, Ricky Hendrick.  Raines currently sits 17^th in the points standings, just 74 points out of the top-10. 

"Luck definitely plays a factor in the outcome of the race at the end of the day, sometimes it plays in your favor and sometimes it doesn't," continued Raines.  "Las Vegas was disappointing because we had a top-five finish there last season and we were running near the front of the field that day.  We're still pleased with our progress so far this season.  We're ahead of where we were at this time last year and our sights are set on continuing to have solid finishes and winning races.  We have the right components in place, with the right team and good equipment, so now we're just focused on being the first one to take the checkered flag."

Raines and his No. 33 BACE Motorsports Team head to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this weekend, where just like Rockingham and Darlington, they are looking to get the proverbial monkey off of their back.  In six starts at the .533-mile concrete facility, Raines has only recorded one top-10 finish, an eighth place effort in March 2001.

            BACE Motorsports has the distinction of being the only team to win the NASCAR Busch Championship over three consecutive years (1995, 1996, and 1997).  The team has 16 total victories, twice recorded Rookie of Year honors (1994, 1999) and has set 17 NASCAR Busch Series records.