Kentucky Speedway has been very, very good to Tony Raines (No. 74 Outdoor Channel Chevrolet) and Ashton Lewis (No. 46 Lewis Motorsports Chevrolet). Raines finished third in both 2001 and 2002, while Lewis was fifth in 2001 and seventh last year. Both drivers will be looking for more of the same when the NASCAR Busch Series pulls into Kentucky Speedway for Saturday nights Meijer 300 presented by Oreo. No surprise, but Raines calls the 1.5-mile showcase facility a favorite. A lot of that has to do with the fact I havent finished outside of the top three there, Raines says. Its a given that you like to race on tracks where youve had success, but with that comes the pressure to repeat that success. This sport is constantly changing and teams learn new tricks every weekend. Just because you were a rocket in the last race doesnt guarantee it will be that way again, but it always helps your confidence coming in with a good track record. While comparing the tracks shape to Lowes Motor Speedway and its banking to that at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Raines says the track is also challenging for crew chiefs as well as drivers. It is hard to keep the cars handling consistent at Kentucky, Raines continued. 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, so obviously you need your car to run its best at the end when it counts. Lewis has a list of things necessary for doing well at the track. The Chesapeake, Va., native is the only driver entered in the event who has completed all but one lap of NASCAR Busch Series competition at Kentucky Speedway. I think one of the keys to Kentucky is being very smooth, Lewis says. You need to turn into the corners with really slow hands and be smooth on your throttle, roll-out and brake application. If you can make yourself be smooth in these transitions, it will really help you run an aggressive, fast setup. Another thing that is very important is track position. And the last thing you need at Kentucky is a good, adjustable setup. Since this is a night race, the track temperature will keep decreasing as the race goes along. You need to have your car where you can free it up as the race goes on. If you start the race a little free, it will put you in a better position to keep up with the track during the race.
