Burry Dolbeare -
cohobo@aol.com
 Jim
Pettit II |
Burney
Lamar |
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
October 24, 2006
PETTIT II SCORES TOP
FIVE IN SHOWDOWN
Irwindale, CA. Jim Pettit II scored a top five
finish, in what may be his last race, at the Toyota All
Star Showdown Saturday night on the half-mile oval at
Irwindale Speedway.
The event brought together for the last
time, forty of the top short track drivers from around
the country in what was the NASCAR AutoZone Elite
Division, comprised of twenty entries each from the
Northwest, Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest Series.
Finishing second in his twenty-car qualifying heat
race on Friday night, Pettit started the 125 lap feature
race on Saturday night in the third spot. However, by
the seventy-five lap ten minute break, he found himself
in eighth. Unlike the previous year in the Showdown, the
re-start for the final fifty laps placed the
frontrunners on the outside row, with lapped cars on the
inside row. "So instead of restarting outside of the
fourth row, I found myself outside the eighth row. It
really made it tough getting by the lapped cars towards
the front", said Pettit. With twenty-four laps to go, he
had worked his way up to sixth, and with two to go,
moved into fifth where he finished. "If we could have
had the car we had in the first seventy-five laps, I
think we would have had a car to be in contention. But,
all in all, it was a good weekend for us".
Part of the good weekend came during the
Banquet for the Division, in which Pettit received two
awards, one as the Southwest Series Most Popular Driver
of the Year Award and the George Stiles Achievement
Award, given yearly to the driver exhibiting outstanding
achievement both on and off the race track. An example
of the latter might be his involvement in inviting some
15 United States Marines to the feature race Saturday
night. According to Jim, "They made quite an impression
on everybody. All of the guys had been to Iraq. And when
they came marching in formation down through the pits to
my car, it really caught your attention. Myself, it gave
me goose bumps, you know? They may be warriors, but the
politest group I ever met. Everything was "sir, yes sir,
sir'. They wanted to know what we wanted them to do, and
I told them to just have a good time, you're our guests.
'sir, yes, sir". They met with a lot of the drivers and
got to see the cars up close and personal, and had a
really good time. They kept thanking me, and I said, no,
thank you for what you do for us. It was a great
experience".
During his twenty-five years of sitting
behind the wheel of a race car, Pettit has compiled
quite a record. Before racing full-time in the SWS in
2001, he raced at numerous tracks throughout California.
In 1984 he was named a Regional Champion in the Winston
Racing Series, and this year was named one of the top
twenty-five drivers in the nation in that Series over
the past twenty-five years. During his career in the SWS,
besides the two awards he received this weekend, he has
won the Power Aide Award, Sportsmanship Award, and two
Series championships. "I'm pretty proud about that",
said the forty-two year old driver from Prunedale,
California.
The Southwest Series has a non-points
race coming up next month at Phoenix International
Raceway. "No, I'm not going to Phoenix", said Pettit.
"The Showdown was my last Series race, and may have been
my last race. For the first time in my racing career, I
have no idea, or direction, of what's going to happen. I
hate to think that way, but you have to be realistic.
What are they going to do with the Series type of cars?
Until they come up with some direction, what is it going
to cost to go Grand National West? I know a lot of guys
would like to go there, or somewhere else. No one wants
to quit. But West is so much money to move up to, and
going out of your own pocket, well, you start out at
ground zero. This weekend may very well have been my
last race".
Burry Dolbeare
Not
a bad evening at CNS . .
Went to CNS (Colorado National Speedway), out in the
boonies about 15-20 miles north of Denver for the second
time this year for the Midwest/Southwest Series carrying
on and it was a good show. While the top cars were the
top cars, it wasn’t like last time (June 3rd) when the
Vadnais kid flat ran off into another zip code.
Jim
had one of the worst qualifying attempts that he could
remember. 20th. According to him, “I just over-drove the
car”, which I assume meant he tried to go faster than
the car wanted to go in the corners.
As
usual in the SWS (Southwest Series, formerly known as
the ‘tour’) qualifying is rather close. Quick time was
16.177 sec. 20th (Jim) was 16.495 sec. If you belch
during qualifying, you’re libel to go home. Four cars
did go home. Whether or not they . . . . . .
In
any event, Jim done good. Nothing spectacular, but
slowly picked ‘em off one at a time. The scoreboard at
CNS only shows the top five, and when they get into
lapped traffic, it’s sort of hard to know exactly where
one is all the time. But when the cautions come out, and
they restart double file with the lapped cars on the
inside, you can figure it out. Remember, this is a
3/8ths mile oval, and laps go by pretty quick. Anyhow,
by lap 53 he was 9th. They had a big incident on the
back stretch that involved about three or four cars
about lap 95-96 and put up a smoke screen you couldn't
see through, but Jim got through it somehow, and on lap
102 he was 7th. Then some ding-a-ling in the #9 car,
(who finished 15th and I assume was a lap down) decided
he was going to hang in there until everyone in front of
him crashed so he could win, gave Jim fits for the next
many laps. As Jim said, the track moved to the high
side, and he just couldn't get a grip coming off the
corners, and he really never had a shot at the front
runners during the closing laps.
He
finished an overall 7th, but 4th as far as the SWS is
concerned which moved him up one in the point standings
to 7th. As I assume you well know, Jim doesn't have a
chance at a championship three-peat, but there's no
doubt he'll be in the top ten and go to the All Star
Toyota Shootout at Irwindale in October.
About his record at CNS. Somebody else might have a
better record, but you'll have to show me. He's run
eight races there, and has only been out of the top FOUR
once. That was 10th last year in the 2nd MW/SW event. He
has three top 4's, a 3rd, two 2nds, a win in 2004, and
the 10th. To me, that's impressive. To Jim, well, he
should have won 'em all.
The SWS's outstanding PR person, Derrick
Shannon, mentioned something about the event being run
under threatening skies. I guess. A lot of the folks in
the pits were looking for wood to build an arc. To the
south and east, it was blacker than the inside of a coal
bin with the top down. There was a line of rain clouds
coming up from the south that just before they got to
the track, hooked a right and went east. And to the
west, the sun broke through and you could see the
beautiful rocky mountains. All we got was a little bitty
sprinkle. Guess the man upstairs wanted to see some
racing.
Maybe all of you who get to go to SWS races and are in
the pits, you already know this, but if you don't, I'd
like to mention a couple of things that impresses me.
Here's Jim sitting on a pile of tires in front of his
hauler, swapping stories with Eddie McKean, whose eating
one of Veronica's (Pettit) wonderful hamburgers. Part of
their discussion was about how they might do thus and
such to try and get to the front and if they got
together during the race what they might do to help each
other out. Sure. You also see the huge smiles on their
faces.
A
little while later, there's Jim and M K Kanke, both
sitting on tires in front of M K's hauler, along with a
few pit crew members, laughing their butts off about
something.
I'm
sure they're weren't the only ones throughout the pits
doing the same thing.
An
hour later, they're on the race track doing battle
against one another.
You
gotta love it.
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
August 21, 2006
PETTIT II SCORES ANOTHER
TOP TEN AT CNS
Dacono, CO Jim Pettit II kept his streak of top tens
alive at Colorado National Speedway Saturday night, with an
overall seventh place finish during the NASCAR AutoZone
Elite Division Midwest/Southwest Series event on the
three-eights mile oval. As far as the Southwest Series is
concerned, the Prunedale, CA. driver finished fourth in that
Series, moving him up a position in the point standings to
seventh after seven races.
In the past eight Series races at CNS dating
back to 2001, Pettit has only been outside the top four one
time, and that was a tenth place finish last year in the
second Midwest/Southwest Series event. He also had a win at
CNS in 2004.
Pettit had one of his poorer qualifying
attempts Saturday afternoon, and started the 150 lap race
twentieth. Gaining three positions in the first three laps,
he steadily moved through the thirty-two car field reaching
eleventh by lap twenty-three; ninth on lap fifty-three and
finally seventh on lap 102 where he finished.
"We were pretty happy with the finish
considering where we started. We were trying some new stuff
on the car, and we weren't exactly sure what the car was
going to do. I felt we were better than the two guys ahead
of us there at the end, but in turned into a high-side race
track. I could get in the turns on the bottom and roll
through the middle, but I just couldn't get off the corners.
I didn't have enough forward bite. But overall it was a good
point night for us, considering the way the season has been
going, and I'm happy with that. Hopefully we've locked
ourselves up for a Toyota Showdown position in October."
The next, and final, points event for the
Series is September 23rd at the Altamont Speedway in Tracy,
CA.. That event will mark the end of the 20 year old
Southwest Series. Although the Series is scheduled for one
more race at Phoenix International Raceway in November
following the Toyota All Star Showdown, it is not a points
race.
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
August 17, 2006
PETTIT II
HOPING TO REBOUND AT COLORADO NATIONAL
Prunedale CA. Although he had a top ten finish at
Irwindale Speedway last week,
Jim Pettit II is looking for better things in the last two
point races of the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest
Series. The next to last point race for the Series is this
Saturday night at the three-eights mile Colorado National
Speedway in Dacono, CO. The event, "The United
Power/Touchstone Energy 150", is a combined
Midwest/Southwest Series race and posts a record $76,900
purse. It's the second such event at CNS this year, and if
past Series races are any indication, a crowd of some
15,000+ can be expected to attend.
Qualifying fifth last Saturday, Pettit
started in the front row due to a six car invert, led the
first five laps, but over the 100 lap event slowly faded
back to eighth. "We tried a different set-up since the last
time we were there but it didn't worked out like we hoped,
and we struggled. We did o.k. in practice and we qualified
o.k., but it didn't race well," said the Prunedale, CA.
driver. "We'll go back and tweak on the car a little for the
next time we go there."
"I think we have a good package for the
Colorado race. We've run the car there before, and I'm
confident in it. We've had some of our best success at CNS
over the years, and during the open practice on Friday, I
feel we can make it a better car than it is right now".
In the seven races Pettit has run at CNS
since 2001, he has finished outside the top four on only one
occasion, and that was a tenth last year. Otherwise, he has
a win in 2003, two seconds, a third, and two fourths.
Although he is the current and two time
defending Series champion, racing luck has not been on his
side this season. In the six events run this season, Pettit
has finished outside the top ten three times, but still has
enough top ten finishes to put him eighth in the Series
point standings. "We've had some really good race cars this
season, and I honestly believe we could have won a couple,
but that racing luck just hasn't been with us this year.
What can you say when you're running up front and an
alternator wire breaks and the battery goes dead".
However, the 42 year old veteran and his crew
on the #03 'Racing for the Missing' Ford, are not about to
give up on the next two races. According to Pettit, "We
still have a legitimate chance to get into the top five in
points. It'll be tough to catch the top four guys because
they're having a great year. Unfortunately we've had three
bad races. In a short season like we're having this year,
it's pretty tough to overcome, especially the way we started
the year with a thirty-first place finish". A piece of
debris from the track went into the engine compartment,
taking out the water pump belt causing the engine to
overheat and damage a head gasket. They parked it after only
thirty-six laps.
As for this Saturdays race, "We're basically
racing for a win. We're not points racing now, because of
the fact that we're not in the hunt for the championship so
we don't have to be as careful as the top four or five guys.
We're going for wins, and the points will take care of
themselves".
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II racing
August 9, 2006
PETTIT II FEELS GOOD ABOUT
UPCOMING INWINDALE
Prunedale, CA Saturday night will mark the sixth race
for the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series this
summer, and the current Series champion, Jim Pettit II, is
looking forward to it. The event is the "Stock Building
Supply 100" on the half-mile oval at Irwindale Speedway.
"I think some good things are going to happen
for us Saturday", said Pettit. While not having the season
he was hoping for this year following his past two-in-a-row
championships, the 42 year old Prunedale, CA. driver is not
discouraged about the rest of the season. "Despite our bad
luck recently, myself and my guys are looking forward to it.
We've found a few things over the last few weeks that
should really help us, and I think we have a good car for
Irwindale". Pettit, who drives the #03 "Racing for the
Missing" Ford Taurus, is currently seventh in the Series
point standings.
In the past seven events that Pettit has
raced in the Series at Irwindale going back to the 2002
season, he has finished out of the top ten only twice. In
three of those seven races, he's finished in the top five,
including a win last year.
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
July 17, 2006
'RACING LUCK' STRIKES
PETTIT II AGAIN
Prunedale, CA. They say you need several things to
win in auto racing, and one of them is what's known as
"Racing Luck". For the third time this season, Jim Pettit II
is wondering where she went. While holding down a strong
third place with roughly thirty laps to go in Saturday
nights NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series event
at Stockton 99 Speedway, "We tore the left rear trailing arm
bracket mount off the chassis" said the current Series
champion. "No, that does not happen very often." allowed
Pettit. Instead of a potential win, he finished 20th.
Despite the finish, Pettit remains seventh in
the Series point standings with three races to go. "The
past two years, luck has been on our side, but this year she
seems to have gone elsewhere."
In the past two years in which he has won the
Series championships, Pettit finished outside the top ten on
only four occasions in twenty-eight races, and had seven of
his eight career wins. So far in 2006, he's been outside the
top ten in three of five races. A motor problem, an
alternator problem, and now a broken bracket. "We just can't
seem to get the monkey off our back. The past two races
we've had good race cars, but luck just hasn't been with
us."
However, Pettit said, "You know, we've had
two great years, and they can't take that away from us.
Right now, all we've got to do is stay focused, win races,
and go from here."
The next event for the #03 'Racing for the
Missing" Ford is August 12th at the half-mile Irwindale
Speedway.
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
July 13, 2006
JIM PETTIT II: "STOCKTON'S
BEEN GOOD TO ME"
Prunedale, CA. Jim Pettit II returns to the track that
he got his first two wins at on Saturday night, as the
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series visits the
Stockton 99 Speedway for the last time.
Back in 1984 Pettit saw his first asphalt
track win in the Late Model Sportsman division at Stockton,
and in 2003 he got his first Southwest Series win, as well
as his first Series Bud Pole Award, at the track. During the
four years he's run on the quarter-mile oval, he has also
recorded a second, third, and fourth in the Series.
"Yes, Stockton's been good to me. I'm really
looking forward, and excited about, going back to the track
that has so much history, and it being the last Series race
there, I'd sure like to be the guy to win the last one",
said the current Series champion. 2006 marks the end of the
Southwest Series.
Although never racing at Stockton for a
championship, Pettit does have plenty of experience there,
having run prior to 2002 in numerous events while competing
for points in the regional Dodge Weekly Series, in which he
won the regional title in 1984.
Pettit also holds another record at Stockton
that he set in 2000. Known as the 'Tri-Holiday
Championship', it consisted of 100-lap races on Memorial
Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. He won all three events, and
led all 300 laps. "I'm sort of proud of that".
So far in 2006, mechanical problems have
plagued Pettit's quest for a three-peat of the Series
championship. An engine problem in the first race of the
season left him 31st in the point standings, and a failed
alternator put him eleventh in another event. However, an
eighth place and a third place finish have elevated him to
seventh in the standings as he goes into Saturdays 'AutoZone
100 presented by Havoline', driving the familiar #03 'Racing
for the Missing' Ford Taurus.
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
July 3, 2006
MECHANICAL WOES
HURT PETTIT II AT ALTAMONT
Tracy, CA. A failed alternator conceivably cost Jim
Pettit II a win at the Altamont Motorsports Park Sunday
night during the running of the fourth race in the NASCAR
AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series 2006 season.
After setting a new track record in winning
the Bud Pole Award, Pettit drew an eight-car inversion,
putting him eighth on the starting grid. Taking the lead on
lap sixty-three of the 150 lap event on the half-mile oval,
he led the next 23 laps until the alternator went bad,
causing a dead battery. Having to go to the pits for a
replacement, he lost enough ground to put him eleventh at
the finish.
"We had a great race car. In fact, there's no
doubt we had the best car. We were almost two-tenths faster
than everybody else, which I think is pretty impressive for
a tour race. And then we got hit with a mechanical problem.
I'll be thinking about this one for the next week-and-half"
said Pettit.
Despite the finish, the current and two-time
Series champion remains seventh in the point standings, 138
points out if first with four races to go in the season.
The next event for the #03 "Racing for the
Missing" Ford is July 15th at the Stockton 99 Speedway
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
June 28, 2006
JIM PETTIT II EXITED ABOUT
ALTAMONT RACE
Prunedale, CA "I'm pretty comfortable going there and
I know the race track well. We're looking for exciting
things to happen". So says Jim Pettit II concerning this
Sundays NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series
event at the half-mile Altamont Motorsports Park complex.
Pettit, the current and two-time Southwest
Series champion was also the Altamont track champion in 1996
and 2000 driving the same type of car that he now drives in
the SW Series. The last time he drove at Altamont in the SW
Series in 2002, he finished fourth.
"We were at Altamont in an open test last
Friday and things went well for us and we're happy with the
results. We're going to make a few adjustments, and then I
think we'll have a car that's capable of winning the race",
said Pettit.
Following a terrible start at the beginning
of the season at Phoenix International Raceway in which he
finished thirty-first because of mechanical problems, the
forty-two year old Prunedale, CA. driver has steadily
climbed upwards in the Series point standings with an eighth
place finish at Shasta Raceway Park and a third place finish
at Colorado National Speedway where he finished third. He is
now seventh in the standings.
"That's been our plan from the beginning.
Taking it one race at a time and digging ourselves out of
the hole we got into at the beginning of the season. We have
been accomplishing that, and if we continue to do what we're
supposed to do, like qualifying a little bit better, then
we'll have the guys chasing us for points, behind us,
instead of us chasing them. And we are definitely working on
our qualifying, which is of course, very important in this
Series as close as the competition is".
One month ago, Pettit was named one of the
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series (formerly the Winston Racing
Series) All-Time 25 drivers in commemoration of the Series
25th anniversary by a poll of more than 120 media members
and track operators. Racing in that Series from 1987 thru
2000, he won a regional championship in 1984, along with six
other championships, including the two at Altamont. "I'm
really looking forward to seeing a lot of friends that I
used to race with in those days", said Pettit. He also
added, "Since the track is only an hour and a half away,
I'll be able to sleep in my own bed the night before the
race for a change, instead of a motel. For me, that's a big
help".
On Sunday, Pettit will take to the track in
his #03 "Racing for the Missing" Ford for practice at 12:15,
qualifying at 3:45, and the 150 lap Altamont Motorsports
Park 150 scheduled for 7:10 pm PT.
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
June 5, 2006
THE FOLLOWING IS EXTRACTED FROM
A NASCAR RELEASE DATED MAY 23, 2006
JIM PETTIT II NAMED TO ALL-TIME TOP 25 IN WEEKLY SERIES
HISTORY
In commemoration of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly
Series (formerly the Winston Racing Series) 25th season in
2006, NASCAR and NASCAR Insider magazine named the NASCAR
Dodge Weekly Series All-Time Top 25 drivers this month.
The list spotlights drivers past and present,
from several regions of the country, representing many
tracks and a variety of race cars. Short track heroes Richie
Evans, Larry Phillips and Ted Christopher received the most
votes.
In the list are six drivers who began their
careers in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series and have graduated
to NASCAR's three national series. Greg Biffle, Clint Boyer,
Denny Hamlin, Mark McFarland, Robert Pressley and Dennis
Setzer.
The results were produced from a poll of
media members and track operators on www.nascarmedia.com.
More than 120 media members and track operators participated
in the voting.
Jim Pettit II - Prunedale, CA. From
1987-2000, Pettit claimed six track championships on dirt
and asphalt. He was a pioneer in the Dodge Weekly Series,
winning a regional title in 1984 after recording 10
victories; competed in 91 feature races that season.
Doug McCoun - Prunedale, CA. Won his first
Watsonville (CA) Speedway track championship in 1975 at age
18. After the Dodge Weekly Series was established in 1982,
he became the first California driver to win the national
championship in 1985 and followed that up with a regional
championship in 1986. He has more than 125 feature wins.
- 30 -
The following is a chat I had with Jim while
sitting in his hauler Saturday night at CNS.
"NASCAR put out a list that they were going
to vote on of the top twenty-five drivers in the history of
the Dodge Weekly Series/Winston Racing Series for their
twenty-five year anniversary. I'm not exactly sure who got
to vote on it, but we were named one of the top twenty-five.
That's probably one of the highest accomplishments I've ever
won. I've won a lot of stuff and I'm very proud of what
we've done, but I think that's a pretty cool award. There
were only three of us from the west coast; Doug McCoun,
Gregg Biffle, and myself".
"A pretty cool award". I'd say so, Jim. One of
twenty-five drivers from around the country over the past
twenty-five years. Congratulations.
Burry
June 5, 2006
Jimmy jumps up in points again. Won't be long before . .
. .
Can't believe I was in Cannan, NH two Saturday nights ago
watching pro-stocks on a 3/8ths mile, and two nights ago,
watching tour cars on a 3/8ths mile in Colorado. Love this
short-trackin'!
Saturday night at Colorado National Speedway was another
good night for Jim and the crew. Went from 13th to 6th in
the points and didn't hurt the car. He was disappointed in
his qualifying, but 12th out of 43 cars ain't too shabby
don't ya think? And a whole bunch of those 43 were some
really good chauffeurs, both in the Southwest and Midwest
Series. Out of the 32 cars that started, 14 were from the
SWS, meaning that 18 were from the MWS. 'course it was the
MW first race of the season, so you'd expect that anyone
hoping to do good in points for the season would show up.
In case you weren't keeping score, Jim started 12th,
moved into 11th on the 8th lap, and stayed there for the
next 53. Wondering the same thing I was, somebody came on
the radio and wondered if the car was o.k., to which he
replied, "I'm saving it for the end".
Finally on roughly lap 90 he was 7th, and from there
on tried everything known to man to gain more positions. He
and CNS's favorite driver, Jerry Robertson, swapped 6th and
7th several times, and when Jim finally got a length or two
on him, he came upon MW's Tim Schendel and tried and tried
to get by him in the final 10-15 laps, but to no avail. As
Jim said, somebody was leaking oil down low, and he couldn't
get a grip. He'd take her down low in one and three, almost
get under him, but had to back out to avoid turning him.
All-in-all, a good show. Don't think anybody
intentionally turned anybody. And the crowd was great. As
usual, must have been 12-14,000 in the stands. And I don't
think they all came there to watch the school buses race.
Yes, school buses. I probably should have stayed and
watched, but the program was over an hour late starting, and
I need my sleep.
In case you were wondering, as I was, what Jim's plans
for the future are, here's his answer. "Well, you know,
we've got all of our options open. We've always been NASCAR,
and we'd like to continue NASCAR, but we're going to have to
see what's out there, and what's best for us. They're
talking about SRL next year, but they're going to have to
determine what they're going to do next year in the next
month or so, so guys can make plans, because if someone
doesn't give us direction, there's no motivation. Hopefully
there're going to come up with something in the next month.
Who knows. I know this is a real popular deal, and I know
there's several tracks that are interested in these types of
cars, and maybe they can come up with some kind of series
together. We'll just have to wait and see what the future
brings, and hope for the best".
'till next time
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
June 5, 2006
PETTIT II
THIRD IN SWS IN COLORADO
Dacono, CO. Jim Pettit II took another big
jump in the points Saturday night, finishing third in the
combined NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Midwest/Southwest
Series event at Colorado National Speedways. Although he
finished an overall seventh in the 151 lap affair on the
3/8ths mile oval, he was the third place finisher in the
Southwest Series, moving him from thirteenth in the Series
standings up to sixth after the seasons first three races.
It marked his second top ten finish in the past two races,
after starting the season in Phoenix last January with an
engine problem that left him thirty-first in the standings.
Pettit qualified his "Racing for the Missing"
Ford twelfth out of a forty-three car field, and after
gaining one position during the first third of the race that
started thirty-two cars, moved up to seventh on lap ninety,
where he took the checkers.
As for Saturday nights race, "We really
needed to qualify better, but we had a great race car there
at the end. Somebody was leaking oil there at the end and on
the low side we just couldn't get a grip and pull of any
passes. I think we were a little better than the three cars
ahead of us, but as you know, catching 'em and passing 'em
are two different things. But it wasn't a bad night. It was
the first top three of the year for us. We lost a few points
to the point leaders, but we gained on almost everybody
else. So we'll go to the next race and hopefully make up
some more points."
On August 19th, another combined
Midwest/Southwest Series event will return to CNS, where
Pettit has finished in the top four in six of seven
appearances, including a win in 2004. The next race on the
Southwest Series schedule is July 2nd at Altamont
Motorsports Park in Tracy, CA..
- 30 -
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
June 1, 2006
PETTIT II LOOKING FORWARD
TO COLORADO
Prunedale, CA. The current and two-time NASCAR
AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series champion, Jim
Pettit II, is among several of the nations top short-track
stock car drivers entered in Saturdays "Auto Trader 150" at
Colorado National Speedway. The program is a combined event
of the Divisions Southwest and Midwest Series.
Currently thirteenth in the Series point
standings after two races, the Prunedale, CA. driver is
coming off of an eighth place finish at Shasta (CA) Raceway
Park last month following an engine failure at Phoenix
International Raceway in January that had him mired
thirty-first in the standings.
"I'm looking forward to going to Colorado
because I've had real good success there and hopefully we
can have some more and make another gain in the points. It's
going to be a tough, competitive race with the Midwest guys
there too. And all those fans in Colorado that come out to
watch us, are incredible". In the six Series races he has
entered at CNS over the past five years, he has a win, two
seconds, two fourths and a tenth place finish.
Pettit will be taking to the track in his #03
"Racing for the Missing" Ford about noon-time Saturday for
practice, followed by Bud pole qualifying just before five
o'clock, and the 150 lap race starting at 8:10 MT.
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
May 14, 2006
JIM PETTIT
II GETS BIG POINT JUMP AT SHASTA
Anderson, CA.
The defending NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest
Series champion, Jim Pettit II, jumped eighteen places in
the Series point standings Saturday night, with an eighth
place finish at Shasta Raceway Park
After an engine
failure relegated the Prunedale, CA. driver to a
thirty-first place finish in the Series opener at Phoenix
International Raceway last January, his finish at Shasta now
finds him thirteenth in the standings, only 113 markers out
of first.
According to
Pettit, "Things worked out pretty well for us at Shasta,
considering what went on. We had a really good race car in
the two practices, but the tire stagger took off on us in
qualifying, and we ended up starting fourteenth."
Commenting on
SRP, the driver of the "Racing for the Missing" Ford, said,
"Shasta is a beautiful facility, but the race track is so
difficult to pass on. It's a one groove track and the only
way you're going to get by there is to work 'em and work 'em.
It takes several laps to get by guys. But we got our eighth
place finish, didn't have any issues with anybody, passed
everybody we passed cleanly, so when we go to Colorado in a
few weeks, we won't have to worry about looking over our
shoulder".
The next event
for the Southwest Series will be at Colorado National
Speedway in Dacono, CO., on June 3rd, which is scheduled as
a combined event with the AutoZone Elite Division Midwest
Series
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
JIM PETTIT II READY FOR
SHASTA
Prunedale, CA. Jim Pettit II, the current and
two-time NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series
Champion, is ready to go racing at Shasta Raceway Park
this Saturday night, following 107 days since the Series
last event at Phoenix International Raceway in January.
The event, the "NARI RECORDS 125" presented by BECCA, is
the second on the Series nine event schedule.
Although Pettit had a very bad start in defense of
last years Championship title at Phoenix, he is very
optimistic about this weekends event. "We got ourselves
in a hole at Phoenix, and we know that. But, we're very
capable of digging out of that hole because of the fact
we know what it takes to do it. My guys in the shop do a
great job making sure we don't have any failures and I
try and do my job in not putting us in harms way."
At Phoenix, a piece of debris from the track went
into the engine compartment and took out the water pump
belt causing the engine to overheat and damaging a head
gasket retiring the car after only thirty-six laps and a
thirty-first place finish.
Regarding Shasta, the Prundale, CA. driver said, "We
tested at Shasta last Wednesday and were pretty happy
with the results. Actually, it went real well. We have a
few things we want to work on to get a little bit
better, but all in all it was a good test. There's an
open test on Friday and we have a few things we want to
try before practice and qualifying on Saturday. We
definitely hope to improve over last years fifth place
finish."
Over his past two Championship years in the Series,
Pettit has only finished out of the top ten on five
occasions in twenty-nine races and has seven wins over
that stretch. Consistency is the key to success
according to Jim. "I have a great team behind me that
knows how to put a winning car under me. The very few
times we haven't finished a race in the top ten, was
when something happened that was out of our control,
like a flat tire, debris on the track, or whatever.
We'll go out there and try to gain fifteen or twenty
points a race and things will come to us. Being
consistent is what we pride ourselves in."
Pettit will again be driving the #03 "Racing for the
Missing" Ford in his quest for a third straight Series
championship which would put him ahead of Ron Hornaday,
Jr., who won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.
- 30 -
Burry Dolbeare
Burney Lamar Racing
March 6, 2006
An interesting three weeks . . .
Starting at the beginning. Daytona. Absolutely
astounding. I'm sure all of you know what happened, so
I'll not go into that, except to say, well, what can I
say.
However, I just hung up the phone with the youngster,
and thought you might be interested in a few comments he
had to say about it.
"Second at Daytona. That was a dream come true. The
biggest thing we set out to do was keep out of
everyone's way and not crashing the car. And that's what
we did. I didn't know what the car wanted, so like about
half-way through the race I figured out it was way too
tight. We made a few pit stops, and my crew chief, Gene
Nead, loosened it up and the next thing you know, the
car was fast. He hit the nail right on the head. I knew
I wasn't going to have much help from anyone, so I found
Tony and Kevin and hooked up with them. The next thing
you know, I was pushing Stewart and pushed him around, I
think it was Michael Waltrip, and there we were. First
and second."
Then it was on to the California Speedway. Started
32nd, finished 21st. About half-way through, he made
what he called a "rookie mistake" and entered the pits
too slow on a pit stop, and went down a lap. It was his
first ever pit stop on a green flag and I'm sure he had
a lot on his mind at the time. However, he stayed
mid-way in the pack all day, learned a lot, and brought
the car home in one piece. (I won't mention that the
first eleven finishers in that race were "buschwhackers".)
About yesterday in ol' Mexico. In my opinion, which
in this case, I'll be more than happy to express to
anyone that wants to listen, he drove the race of the
day. Started 19th, finished 18th. Not too much there to
write home about. But, if you're like me and keep a
running lap-by-lap account of the goings on, you should
be highly impressed with what Burn the Worm did.
Started 19th, moved to 18th on lap 3. Pitted on lap 5
or 6, (along with 18 other cars), came out 26th on lap
7. Moved up to 13th when he pitted on lap 20. Came out
23rd on lap 21. On lap 24, he got spun out. (Did you get
some help with that spin? "Yeah, I think so".) After a
pit stop, he was 33rd on lap 26. He was 14th when he
pitted again on or about lap 45-46. Came out 22nd on lap
47. He moved into the top 10 on lap 52 and into 5th on
lap 57. From lap 60 through lap 72 he moved around from
8th to 11th. Guess what. He got spun again. (Did you get
help on that spin? "Yeah".) On lap 73, he was 31st. On
lap 80 (checkered) he was 18th.
A few quotes from the man.
"I gotta be honest. The track was hard to get used
to. Can you imagine going to a track I've never even
seen? Some of those drivers have been racing that track,
their home track, for years. When they come off the
hauler, they're set up".
"The first practice, I didn't even know where I was.
I got in two or three laps at speed, and the rest were
cautions. But on the second session, I got a lot of help
from Ron (Hornaday) and Kevin (Harvick) and got more
laps in. But I wasn't really comfortable in the car
until the race." (He was 42nd in the first practice,
27th in the second)
Apparently it didn't take him a whole lot of time to
get comfortable with the car. As a result of the first
three races, the rookie is 6th in the Busch point
standings. Not a bad start.
The Burney Lamar quote of the race. When I mentioned
that he went from 31st to 18th in the final 7 laps, his
response was, "Yeah, we were haulin' --- and passed a
lot of cars there". No kidding.
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Burney Lamar Racing
February 13th, 2006
Burney done done it again . . . .
Despite what you read, hear, or whatever, Burney did
NOT start 20th in yesterdays ARCA/ReMax race at Daytona.
He started 40th. If you noticed on the TV (and if you
didn't watch TV, shame) it made a mention that several
cars pulled out of impound, thereby being relegated to
the rear of the field at the green.
They pulled Burney out on account of he said there
was a vibration in the driveline. So they did something
with the drive shaft. (Don't ask me folks, I'm just
telling you what he said)
I say Burney done done it again. If you remember,
several months ago he competed in an ARCA race at
Talladega Superspeedway in which he started 41st and
finished 6th. He did better this time. Started 40th,
finished 4th. (I sincerely hope this pulling out of
impound is not a precedent in his future ARCA races).
Anyhow, if you weren't keeping track, he moved into
27th on lap 3 (that means he passed 13 cars in three
laps), into 11th by lap 21, and 5th on lap 36 (I hate it
when I do this, but that means he improved his position
35 cars in 36 laps). OK. Some had dropped out by that
time including, I'm sorry to say, Andrew Meyers, who got
on his head and slid a few hundred feet that-a-way on
lap 24.
Now, it was about lap 21 that the announcers noticed
that this car #31, driven by one Burney Lamar, was
getting close to the top ten after coming from 20th.
Wrong. Coming from 40th. (They don't even read what they
put on the screen) However, let me say this about that.
One of the trackside reporters had some good things to
say about Burney, and even Kenny Schrader fest up to he
has a lot of talent (he never mentioned Burney beat him
at Phoenix) So all in all, Burney not only did well, but
got some good publicity.
What did he have to say about the race? "It was a
blast". He learned a lot from the race. Drafting.
Side-drafting. Like he used the side-draft around
Damon Lusk through three and four to come in fourth on
the last lap. He learned about how the air moves you
around when you're freight-training. "You can't believe
how the air moves you around". No Burney, I can't.
Course I've never been around a bunch of cars at 183
miles an hour. And the world is better off.
And so we come to Burney's debut in the NASCAR BUSCH
Series. Going for the rookie of the year. The good Lord
willin', and the creek don't rise, . . . . . .
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Burney Lamar Racing
February 3rd
Just talked to Burney . . .
Asked him what he's been up to lately. Seems he's
been doing some testing, working out, and learning how
to deal with the media.
You know about the testing at Daytona. "Things went
pretty well at Daytona". I should hope so. Top ten in
all three days out of a zillion cars.
"One of the biggest things I've been doing is media
training. Getting prepared to do all the media stuff.
What to look out for when reporters ask you questions to
try and trick you into an answer. (Now come on Burney,
reporters would never do that). How to answer questions
and stuff like that. Which was cool".
"And, I'm working out two times a day. Other than
that, . . . . ".
Other than that. Right. Seems he's leaving wherever
on Sunday headed for Las Vegas for testing on the 6th
and 7th along with the boss-man (Kevin Harvick). Is he
looking forward to that? "I can't begin to tell you how
excited I am. We have an awesome team. And the more time
I spend with Gene Nead, the more excited I get about
having a great team this year".
Gene Nead is going to be his crew chief this year.
The man has a ton of credentials including
championships. Is it working well with you two? "It's
working really well".
Burney's next race is the 11th at Daytona. An ARCA
race that at the moment has 71 (that's seventy-one)
entries. Can you imagine that? Thirty (30) cars go home.
Not to worry. He started an ARCA race at Tallageda last
year 41st, finished 6th.
Bye the bye, he's also scheduled to run two more ARCA
races. At Nashville and Gateway (St. Louis) Don't know
the dates, but stay tuned.
The dudes going on TV. You may already know it, but
if you don't, here what's happening. On the SPEED
Channel. NBS 24/7. (That's NASCAR Busch Series, 24 hours
a day, seven days a week). Seems they've picked out a
few rookies to follow during the season, and Burney's
one of them. He won't necessarily be on every week, but
they're going to keep track of him during the season.
The first show is the 13th at 9:30 PM ET.
Bye the bye again. The ARCA race is on SPEED. (Check
your local listings)
In case you forgot, Burney's ARCA car is #31, and his
Busch car is #77 Dollar General.
And the adventure continues . . . . . .
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
Thanks to the owners of this website, I have been
given the opportunity to keep my hand in this wonderful
sport, since some folks with more money than they know
what to do with bought and are going to tear down one
beautiful race track that I had the pleasure of working
at for nine years, and since a driver that I used to
write for (his mug shot is on the
front) has gone on to bigger things, this is the
first of several articles that I hope to write during
the coming season for the Southwest Series multi and
current champion. (I think that's the longest sentence I
have ever written). So, without further a-do . .
Bad Day at Phoenix . . .
First of all, things started off very well, thank
you. Qualified third out of 43 competitors and when the
race was in it's 28th lap, was running 5th. Then
somewhere along the line, "Something on the track came
up and knocked the water pump belt off and basically
pumped the water out. And then by the time we got her in
and got it fixed it apparently had done something to the
head gasket and for all intense and purposes, we were
done". He completed 36 of the 85 laps and finished 31st.
Now here is where I'm going to like to write for this
dude. It's called "attitude". Now this is from a man
that started third and finished 31st. (Turning on tape
recorder) "Well, we've got a little hill to climb. If
anybody can do it, we can. We're very capable of doing
it. We'll figure it out and fix it. We've got three
months to work on it before the next race. We'll go one
race at a time and go forward". No excuses, no whining,
no complaining.
Maybe that's why he's a two-time champion.
Jim only got 70 points which is long way from the 180
points the NASCAR Craftsman truck driver got for
winning, or the 170 points the NEXTEL Cup driver got for
second. Howsomever, we need to realize that probably
half of the competitors that were at Phoenix
will not be racing the entire Southwest schedule. If
Jim can do as well as he did last year and get three or
more wins and 12 out of 14 top 10's, hey . . . . the
fat lady hasn't even started clearing her throat.
"Well, we've got a little hill to climb". Ya gotta
love it.
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Burney Lamar Racing
Burney's Been a Busy Boy . . .
In case you were wondering, Burney's been rather busy
this past weekend. They've been having BUSCH testing at
Daytona preparing for the up-coming Daytona festivities
next month. The Busch-boys tested on Friday, Saturday
and Sunday. In looking at the results, it would appear
that of the two cars he's tested, one is better than the
other. (Wow) Or at least he likes it better than the
other. Whatever. One is 77a, the other 77b. I am
assuming (which is very dangerous on my part) that 77a
is the primary car, and 77b the backup.
Irregardless, for your insatiable desire for results,
here are a few:
Fri. AM - Single car - 77a 181.076 mph 10th quick
" PM - " " - 77a 180.672 mph
10th quick
" Drafting - 77a 185.820 mph
20th quick
Sat. AM - Single car - 77a 180.527 mph 13th
quick
" " 77b 179.211
mph 32nd quick
" AM - Drafting 77b 179.480 mph 38th
quick
" PM - " - 77a 186.139
mph 9th quick
77b 179.565
mph 53rd quick
Sun. AM - Drafting - 77a 181.269 mph 14th
quick
" PM " - 77a 184.490
mph 14th quick
Overall single-car - 1. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #8
183.872 mph
12. Burney Lamar
#77 181.076 mph
Overall drafting - 1. Denny Hamlin #20b
187.402 mph
9. Burney Lamar
#77a 186.139 mph
Now just between you and me and anyone else that
wants to know, I don't think that's
too shabby for a kid with only two (2) Busch races
under his belt.
Burney's schedule:
ARCA/ReMax 200 Feb. 11th Daytona Intl.
Speedway 4:10 PM ET Speed Channel - live
Car #31 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 2006
Monte Carlo
Hersheys Kissables 300 (BUSCH) Feb. 18th
Daytona Intl. Speedway 1:20 PM ET
Car #77 Dollar General Chevrolet
And now you know . . .
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Jim Pettit II Racing
January 20, 2005
PETTIT II STARTS TITLE DEFENSE AT PIR
Prundale, CA. Jim Pettit II, only one of two
competitors in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Dvision
Southwest Series to win back-to-back championships, will
be trying for a three-peat this year as the Series opens
it's 2006 schedule in the 29th running of the Copper
World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway this
Sunday afternoon.
"After we won that first championship in
2004, we definitely wanted to prove that it was no
flute, not that it was, but just to prove it wasn't",
said the Prunedale, CA. driver. "To win it again would
be quite an honor, especially since it's the last year
of the Southwest Series. Also, if we can pull it off,
we'd be the only three time Series champion ever. Last
year we tied Ron Hornaday as the only back-to-back
champions, so that would put us ahead of some pretty
good company."
Since competing full time in the
Southwest Series beginning in 20001, Jim has eight wins
to his credit, tying him for tenth place in the all-time
win column dating back to 1986. Last year he had three
wins and twelve top ten finishes in the fourteen race
schedule in earning his second championship.
As for the upcoming race at PIR, Jim will
be driving the familiar #03 "Racing for the Missing"
2005 Ford Taurus, owned by his wife, Veronica, with
Duane Sharp as his crew chief. "I'm pretty excited about
it", says the forty-one year old twelve-hour-a-day truck
driver who works for his family business, J P Surplus &
Salvage. "We're looking forward to getting off to a fast
start. The last few times we've been there, we've been
racing for the championship instead of racing to win the
race. If we can stay out of trouble, do what we're
capable of doing, we should be a threat to win.
Hopefully we can get out of there with a win and the
points lead, and be in good shape for the next race. I'd
rather they be chasing us, and not us chasing them".
Qualifying for the Southwest Series 100
will be Sunday morning, with the 100 mile race scheduled
for approximately 1:00, Phoenix time, in the afternoon.
December 18, 2005
The last story I wrote back a few weeks ago probably
sounded like it would be the last one,
and maybe some folks wished it was, but unless the
good people that run this website say I can't, I just
might do another one or two. The reason being two-fold.
Number one, I just like to write stories as it gives
this older person something to do in his increasingly
spare time.
Number two, I like Burney, I think he has talent, and
I'd like to see him do good. And if he does good, I like
to write about it.
And on the outside chance you haven't heard about it, I
offer the following.
First of all, I assume you know that he's driving the
full Busch Series schedule (35 races) in 2006. #77,
Dollar General, appears to be yellow and black,
Chevrolet for KHI. (KHI being Kevin Harvick Inc. But you
already knew that)
Now in preparation for that, he's been a busy boy. A
couple of days ago, he "tested" at VIR
(Virginia International Raceway) for a day or so with
none other than Ron and Ron (that's
Fellows and Hornaday) According to Burney, he chopped
seconds (not tenths) off his times
by listening to those guys telling him how to do thus
and such over the 2.25 mile course.
Now Burney is no slouch when it comes to road-courses.
Remember his second at Infineon? Anyway,
Not happy with that, they loaded up and went to Daytona.
That's that place they used to race up and down the
beach and hiway US1 many years ago, (you had to have
been there) but now run around that big ol' 2 -1/2 mile
superspeedway known as DIS. Now why would they do that?
It seems that he's entered in two races there even
though a couple of days ago it was the first time he'd
seen the joint. Two Races? Yep er. An ARCA race and a
Busch Race. The ARCA 200 and the Hershey's Kissables
300. (Kissables? I love it)
Now before anybody gets bent out of shape, let me say
this about that. Remember the ARCA race he was in at
Talladega? First time on that sucker he started 41st and
finished 6th. A couple of days ago, first time on DIS,
fourth quickest in the morning session.
To quote the man, "After running at Talladega,
everything here it easy".
I know. One good race and two good test sessions doesn't
mean he's the next Richard Petty or Tony Stewart, but I
hope he does well. It's all up to him. And I'm rootin
for him.
Burry
November
18, 2005
And so the
adventure ends . . .
First of all, about the Toyota Showdown. I assume it will go
down in history as one of the biggest embarrassments in
NASCAR officiating ever perpetuated upon mankind. I'm
talking about both feature races. In Burney's Elite race,
there were 13 cautions. Some for good reasons, some uncalled
for. I think it will go down in history as the first race
that the pace truck driver determined whether or not the
track was ready for a re-start. Oh well . . . .
Ol' Burney was never more than third down, even led one lap.
Even though I wish the finish had been different, the "three
amigos" did good. Auggie, Burney, and MK. 1 2 3.
Second-in-a-row podium for Burney in All Star competition.
I started out with Burney in 2001 when he was driving for
Mike and Sharon Bonicelli in the #87 car, who asked me to do
his press relations for them. I got to go to several tracks
with them that I'm sure I never would have visited
otherwise. And it was a wonderful experience. In 2002 and
2003 Burney went on his own with his father and grandfather,
although I did a few stories about him in 2003. In 2004,
when he hooked up with Les and Sue DenHerder in the #1 car,
Burney asked me to do his PR, which I did again this year.
Although I only got to see him race four times this year,
the internet and the telephone kept me pretty well up to
date on his adventures.
As all good things do, somewhere along the line it comes to
an end. And this end comes with a great finish. The kid I
met five years ago has seen a dream come true, and in a
small way I've been privileged to have gone along for the
ride. A ride I'll certainly never forget.
And now the young man advances into one of NASCAR's top
three, the BUSCH Series.
Good luck, "mi amigo", and God's Speed.
Burry
LAMAR GETS SECOND TOYOTA
SHOWDOWN PODIUM
Irwindale, CA. Burney Lamar came in second at the 3rd
Toyota All Star Showdown Saturday night, to claim his
second-in-a-row podium finish in a wild and wooly event on
the half-mile oval at the Irwindale Speedway. Lamar started
sixth in the forty-car field, which was made up of the
top-ten point finishers in the four Series of the NASCAR
AutoZone Elite Division.
By the time the first of thirteen caution flags were
thrown on lap four, he had moved his HPS Mechanical/Groeniger/Victory
Circle Chassis Chevrolet into third. Moving into second on
lap nine, he took the lead on lap fifty-three, lost it on
the next lap, dropped back to third on lap sixty-three, but
back into second, on lap ninety-two, where he took the
checkers at the end of the 125 lap event.
Lamar gained his starting position by virtue of starting
fourteenth in his twenty-car, fifty-lap qualifying event on
Friday night. By the start of the third lap he was in eighth
place, and moved into third on the thirty-eighth lap, where
he finished.
At last years event, the twenty-five year old W.
Sacramento driver started his qualifying race in the sixteen
position, took the lead on the tenth lap and never looked
back. Starting on the pole in the feature race, he finished
third for his first podium finish.
Although Saturday's race might be his last of four
seasons with the Southwest Series, Lamar is looking forward
to running in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2006, driving for
Kevin Harvick Inc. in the #77 Dollar General Chevrolet.
Despite having driven the full Southwest Series fourteen
race schedule this year, where he finished fourth in the
point standings, he also ran four NASCAR Grand National West
Series races in which he won two events. He also competed in
one Busch Series race and two Craftsman Truck events, as
well as an ARCA/ReMax Series race at the Talladega
Superspeedway in which he started forty-first and finished
sixth.
For more on Burney Lamar, visit his website at
www.burneylamar.com
October 22,
2005
Season
winding down . . .
Only three
more scheduled races for Burney in 2005. Truck race at
Atlanta the 29th, Southwest race at Phoenix on Nov. 10th,
and the Toyota Showdown at Irwindale on the 11th - 12th.
No chance of him winning the Southwest Series championship.
He's 186 points behind Jim Pettit II. Doubtfull he'll get
second either as he's 135 behind Auggie. If he finishes no
more than two or three spots behind Eddie McKean at
Phoenix, he'll get third in the standings. What ever happens
at Phoenix, it'll make the fifth time in his five Series
seasons he's finished in the top nine in points.
Speaking of
Phoenix, this year he couldn't have done better. Two races,
two wins. One in the SWT last January, and the other in the
West last April. We'll ignore the past years.
Last weekend at Mesa Marin was one to kinda sorta forget.
Suspension problems (polite for wheels and tires) in the SWT
race, and a cut tire in the West fiasco. He was running
second in the West race with about ten to go when
all the defecation hit the ventilation. Seems body parts
came off some body's car, somebody ran over it and crashed,
others decided they didn't want others to win, and in the
ensuing melee, Burney apparently ran over Jaque Debris
(that's French for stuff on the race track) and cut a tire
down, causing a pit stop and a resulting 10th place finish.
Speaking of the West Series. Awesome year. Four starts, two
wins, a sixth, and a tenth. That equals a 4.5 average
finish, the best in the Series. Even with only four starts,
he finished 18th in the points.
I've got my motel reservations made for the Showdown. See
you there . . . .
Burry
October 13, 2005
Burney is really, really pumped for this weekend . .
He is back in familiar territory this weekend at Mesa Marin.
Like he said, the last couple of outings, truck and Busch,
were not only stressful, but the results weren't all that
outstanding. But, he's learning.
He's back racing with his buddies, and in particular in the
Southwest race, in a car he' driven a bunch. He didn't even
mention about racing for points, the championship, but just
about having some fun racing. 'course, like he says, it'd be
fun to win too.
At the moment, there are no more "scheduled" Busch races
this year, but "you never know". He does have two more
scheduled Truck races: Atlanta and Phoenix. He tested a
truck yesterday at Atlanta, and said it went well. "We had
Ron Hornaday in our corner, and his pit crew. It was a fun
time. But you know, every time I go to the track, it shows
me how much I need to learn. Man, there's just so much to
learn". (Love that attitude) When I mentioned that Atlanta
was a pretty fast track, he said, "In the morning when the
track had a lot of grip, it's easy to drive, but when it
gets hot and greasy in the afternoon, it gets slick. It
really gets your attention. But it was fun. There were a lot
of trucks there and we'll take it home and hope to make it a
little bit better, and hit it hard".
And so the adventure continues . . .
Burry
Oct.13, 2005
LAMAR DOING DOUBLE DUTY AT
MESA MARIN
Bakersfield, CA. If Burney Lamar is looking for seat time in
a stock car, this weekend should give him plenty. He is
entered in both the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest
Series "Star Nursery.com 300" and the NASCAR Grand National
West Division "Ford Motorcraft Parts 150 presented by 3M" in
the "October Classic" at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield,
CA. Saturday night. The event marks the final night of
racing on the historic 28 year old half mile oval.
The 25 year old W. Sacramento, CA. native, who is currently
third in the Southwest Series point standings, has done well
in the two previous Series races at Mesa this year, having
won the pole position and finishing second last April, and
starting eighth and finishing third last May. In the twelve
Series races run so far this year, Lamar has put the Les
DenHerder owned #1 HPS/Groeniger/Victory Circle Chassis
Chevrolet in the top ten nine times, including a win in the
season opener on the one mile oval at Phoenix International
Raceway last January.
"I am really, really, excited about this weekend", says
Lamar, "because I can just go there and have fun. The last
few races I've been in have really been stressful, for
example the truck and Busch races, but this time I'm looking
forward to going and race with people I've raced with a lot,
driving a car I've raced a lot, and just plain having fun.
Of course, being the last races there, it would be nice to
win".
This will mark the second time this season that Lamar has
done double duty at Mesa Marin, having accomplished that
feat last April when he made his first Grand National West
appearance. He started third and finished sixth. Since that
time, he has raced in two other West events, winning at both
Phoenix and on the two mile oval at the California Speedway.
As a developmental driver for Kevin Harvick, Inc., Lamar has
run a limited West schedule this summer, driving the DeLana
Harvick owned #33 HPS/ Groeniger Chevrolet. He also
competed in an ARCA/REMAX event at the Talladega
Superspeedway earlier this month, where he started
forty-first and finished sixth.
Not only will Lamar be getting some 225 miles, 450 laps, of
seat time Saturday night, but practices are scheduled for
each Division in half-hour segments most of Friday
afternoon. Following more practices Saturday morning,
qualifying is scheduled for the Southwest Series at 3:30 pm
(PT), and the West Division at 4:30 pm. The $71,600
Southwest event is set for 6:00 pm, with the $103,700 West
race following.
For more on Burney Lamar, visit his website at
www.burneylamar.com
October 3,
2005
What can I
say again . . .
Started
dead ass last in a 41 car field, got as high as third, and
finished sixth. First time in ARCA, first time . . . etc.
etc.. Took him 16 laps to get to 24th (passed 17 cars in 16
laps), and got to 6th in 28 more laps (that's 35 cars in 52
laps).
O.K.. So
half the field were rookies and it was their first time at
the track. Same for Burney. I assume
their car
owners thought they were pretty good, or they wouldn't have
been there. Even the top four were more or less rookies, at
least to Talladega. (Fifth was 7 time ARCA champion, Frank
Kimmel) And where did those rookies start? 1st, 3rd, 2nd and
4th. O.K. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, . . if . . .
Burney was
a little down, but as he said, they accomplished pretty much
what they set out to do. Except win. Apparently they bought
that car from "jaws" only a month or so ago, so they didn't
have much time to work on it, considering what all is going
on at KHI. Burney said if he gets to run another ARCA race,
things will be a little different.
Burney had
Kevin Harvick, and Harvick's spotter, (I think he said Bob
Jeffries) as his spotters on the roof, (or wherever they
spot from) and his Southwest Series car owner, Les DenHerder
as a spotter down the backchute. As Burney would say,
"that's pretty cool."
About the
TV coverage as far as Burney was concerned. How that it's
over, I have to chuckle. First of alI, I was totally
confused as to why he was 24th after 16 laps when I thought
he started 10th. Seems they didn't show Burney and several
other cars going to the back of the pack on the lap or so
before the green, on account of they worked on their cars
after qualifying. When he told me he started last, I near
dropped the phone. Now it makes sense.
Quite
obviously, the TV folks had either Kinser, Crocker, and
Kimmel as the whole show. Then long about lap 31- 32,
running in the top ten, is this Burney "Where the hell did
he come from" Lamar. I could
see them
reaching for the public relations stuff. "Oh yeah, he drives
for Harvick" "His grandpa was a sprint car star in
California" "He's running third in the Southwest point
standings" "He's got two wins in the West Series"
(Schrader never did say Burney beat him at Phoenix, but, oh
yeah, he's got talent) They even sent it down to the pits to
the pretty lady so she could get on the bandwagon. "I talked
to Burney before the race, and . . .". Oh well. He got
some really good TV coverage. Maybe next time he'll get an
in-car camera.
Speaking of
next time. This Friday SPEED Channel 5:00 pm Eastern
Time NASCAR BUSCH Series
"United Way
300" qualifying live from Kansas Speedway. This Saturday
NBC 2:00 pm Eastern Time
NASCAR
BUSCH Series "United Way 300" live from Kansas Speedway Car
# 33 Yardman Chevrolet
Chauffeur:
Burney Lamar
See ya on
the flip flop
Burry
September 3, 2005
LAMAR STARTS
LAST, FINISHES SIXTH AT TALLADEGA
Talladega, AL. Burney Lamar came from the rear of the
forty-one car field Saturday afternoon, to finish sixth in
the ARCA/REMAX "Food World 300" at the Talladega
Superspeedway. It was the 25 year old W.Sacramento, CA.
native's first ARCA race and his first on the 2.66 mile
high-banked oval.
Although he qualified the DeLana Harvick owned, HPS/Groeniger
Chevrolet tenth out of a field of 52 entries, Lamar was
forced to start from the rear of the field because of an
alternator change that was made after the cars were
impounded following qualifying.
By lap sixteen of the 113 lap race, the youngster had moved
up to twenty-fourth, and on lap forty-nine was in sixth
place. On lap seventy-six he was was third, but following a
pit stop around lap eighty-one, he got hung out on the
outside and dropped back to eleventh. During the last twenty
laps he improved back up to sixth where he took the
checkers.
"Kevin (Kevin Harvick, his spotter) told me to watch out for
it, but I made a rookie mistake and got hung out on that
last restart. I don't intend to do that again", said Lamar.
"All in all, we accomplished what we set out to do, except
of course, win it. We didn't have too much time to work on
the car before the race, but our intent was to finish, which
we did, and to keep the fenders on it, which we did. My crew
really did a great job all weekend long and my pits stops
were awesome. They even gained me positions".
Lamar's next race will be this Saturday in his NASCAR BUSCH
Series debut at the Kansas Speedway.
Burry
September 29, 2005
LAMAR STARTS TENTH IN 'DEGA ARCA RACE
Talladega, AL. Burney Lamar will start the ARCA "Food
World 300" from the tenth position Saturday afternoon at the
Talladega Superspeedway. The 25 year old W. Sacramento, CA.
native posted a time of 52.894 seconds at 181.041 miles an
hour over the 2.66 mile high-banked oval in a field of
fifty-two entries. Forty-one cars will take the green flag
Saturday afternoon in a race that will be shown on a
tape-delayed basis at 9:30 p.m. eastern time on SPEED
Channel.
"I can't say enough about my crew chief, Lance Dieters, and
my Grand National West crew. They busted their butts all day
today, and it paid off. We were seventeenth in practice
earlier today so we were really happy with the results."
said Lamar.
Driving the #12 HPS/Groeniger Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by
DeLana Harvick, Lamar said it was, "pretty cool having Kevin
there up on the hauler giving support. Especially since this
is a restrictor plate race and he's run pretty good here in
these kind of races."
Although this is the first time on a high-banked
superspeedway, Lamar does have experience on one and two
mile ovals having won Grand National West races at both the
one mile oval at Phoenix International Raceway and on the
two-mile track at the California Speedway earlier this
summer in only three starts in that division. He is also
third in the point standings in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite
Division Southwest Series after twelve off fourteen races
driving a car owned by Les DenHerder, of Bakersfield, CA..
DenHerder is also the owner of HPS Mechanical, Inc.,
plumbing specialists headquartered in Bakersfield. "Les and
his son, Scotty, are also here with us. He's one reason I'm
here today, and I can't say enough about what he has done
for me. It's great having that kind of support from a
sponsor and car owner."
Driving in a developmental program for Kevin Harvick, Inc.,
Lamar will be making his debut in the NASCAR BUSCH Series at
the Kansas Speedway a week from Saturday.
Burry
September 26, 2005
The Truck race . . . .
As you probably know by now, Burney qualified 23rd and
finished 21st in his Craftsman Truck debut at
LVMS last Saturday night, driving DeLana Harvick's #92 HPS/Groeniger/Snap-On
Tools Chevrolet.
When I told him I thought it wasn't that bad a showing, his
answer was, "Not good. I'm disappointed."
However, by the time we got through talking, things were a
little more upbeat.
"When we got through talking with DeLana and Kevin back at
Kernersville a few days ago, we had some priorities on what
we wanted to accomplish. Actually, we did most of what we
set out to do, except for a better finish. Get some seat
time, finish the race, learn something, and keep the truck
in one piece."
He got seat time. 149 laps, 223.5 miles, 359.6 kilometers
worth.
Finish the race. He did. Keep the truck in one piece. He
did.
Learn something. "I learned a lot and got some good
experience. I learned how far I could drive a truck into the
corners and how they handle. I learned what it's like to
pass a truck, and get passed by one. I learned about pitting
during a race. Actually, I'm looking forward to the next
race." (Atlanta, Oct. 24th)
About the race. There were 36 entries. He qualified 23rd,
started 23rd. By lap 10 he was 19th. His highest was 17th on
laps 38 through 42 with his lowest being 25th around lap 104
from which he climbed up to his 21st place finish.
From the "can you believe it" department. Burney got
black-flagged on lap 95. His window net came down.
In my opinion, the young man did a fine job. First time in a
truck. Passed some good trucks. Did what they set out to do.
Sure, it would have been nice to finish better, but he hung
in there all the way. Look at a couple of truck veterans who
finished behind him. And he's still got that good attitude.
This Tuesday and Wednesday Burney will be testing his BUSCH
car at Kansas Speedway. ARCA race at Talladega next
Saturday. West car testing at Carraway Speedway next Monday,
BUSCH race a week from Saturday, and then sort of home for
West/ Southwest event at Mesa Marin. Seat time.
Later
Burry
September 21, 2005
And now, the rest of the story . . .
Burney got some experiences yesterday at Talladega. First of
all, looking up at the banking four stories up in the air.
Secondly, his first time around the track. Thirdly, not
taking his foot off the gas.
"Looking up at that banking, (33 degrees) is an awesome
experience. Wow."
"And then your first time around the track is in a
rent-a-car. I went around it with my crew chief, Lance, and
Gene DeHart. It was quite an experience. Here I was cruising
around Talladega, the three of us, in a rent-a-car, doing
130 miles an hour. Right off the bat, I'm like, whoa." (He
never said who was driving, but I'll give you three guesses,
and two don't count)
Lance Dieters is Burney's crew chief in his BUSCH, Truck,
ARCA, and West adventures. Gene DeHart is the head man in
the "body hanging" department at KHI having done that in the
past for Dale Earnhardt, as well as being a tire changer,
when he won all his championships. "He's been in racing
forever." (He was with Burney to help with the aerodynamics
of the race car).
"When we left Kernersville for Talladega, Kevin told me,
"after you leave the pits and go through the gears, never
lift off the gas." "When you've never been on a track like
that, it's hard to do, but we did it. It was a thrilling
experience." (Attitude, baby, attitude. Please refer to
previous story on attitudes)
O.K. I'm bringing it up again. 9 races in 8 weeks. But lets
add a little more. Following his debut in the Craftsman
Trucks this weekend, Burney is "going to Kansas City" for a
test in the BUSCH Series. "Yeah, right after the truck race
in Vegas, we're flying to Kansas City for a test at the
Kansas Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday." That's in
preparation for his debut in BUSCH on October 8th. Which is
the week after Talladega. Which is the week before Mesa
Marin in which he will be driving in both the Southwest and
West Series on the same night. (Change in schedule) Then, my
goodness, he has a week off. (Unless there is some more
testing) Then it's off to Atlanta for a Truck race. Then
Phoenix for a Southwest Series event on November 10th.
followed by a West Series race on November 11th, followed by
the Toyota Showdown on November 11th and 12th. (Which brings
up a rather interesting scheduling in which I will not get
involved. Talk to Irwindale and NASCAR)
Another O.K. Lets get down to the nitty-gritty. I'm a Burney
Lamar fan. I've been one since late 2000 or early 2001 when
he hooked up with Mike Bonicelli for the 2001 Southwest
Series ("the tour") season in which he won the rookie of the
year trophy. Since that time he has fourteen poles, four
wins, and has been in the top ten in over half his starts
and in the top ten in points all four seasons in what I
consider a very competitive Series. Now, as in the preceding
paragraph, thanks to HPS, Groeniger, and Kevin Harvick, he's
going to be racing with the "big boys". Will he make it? I
think he's off to a good start. Two wins in three starts in
the Grand National Division, and 2nd in testing at
Talladega. (granted they are also rookies) I'll also grant
you that he is in some pretty good equipment (not to say
Victory Circle Chassis is not good equipment) and that he
has some pretty good mentors. But I'll say this to my dying
day. It takes a good driver to make that equipment work. I
think he's a good driver. Time will tell.
It's late. Bye
Burry
September 21, 2005
LAMAR SECOND IN TALLADEGA ARCA TEST
Talladega, AL. Burney Lamar was the second fastest of 28
development drivers in testing Tuesday for the ARCA "Food
World 300" on October 1st. Following the afternoon runs,
Lamar was unoffically recorded with a time of 52.230 seconds
at 183.343 mph.
Although the 25 year old W. Sacramento, CA. native has some
experience on Superspeedways, Tuesday marked the first time
he had seen the high-banked tri-oval and he was impressed.
:"Just going there was a great experience. You go through
the tunnel into the infield and look up at that banking,
and, wow."
Driving the #12 HPS/Groeniger/KHI Chevrolet Monte Carlo,
Lamar had this to say, "The testing went real good. We went
out and got used to the track and made some changes to the
car. Around lunchtime we had some good baselines and then
during the afternoon made some strong runs and wound up near
the top in times. Kevin told me when we left Kernersville,
when you leave the pits and go through the gears, never lift
off the gas. When you've never been on a track like this,
it's kind of hard to do, but we did it. It was a thrilling
experience."
Driving in a development program for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
driver, Kevin Harvick, Lamar has two wins this year in the
NASCAR Grand National Series in three starts. In his first
start on the half-mile oval at Mesa Marin Raceway in
Bakersfield, CA., he finished sixth. He followed that up
with a win on the mile oval at Phoenix International Raceway
and a win on the two-mile track at the California Speedway.
He is also currently third in the point standings in the
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series after twelve
of fourteen events.
For more on Burney Lamar, visit his website at
www.burneylamar.com
September 17,
2005
O.K. . .
Here's next time
Talked to
Burney a couple of days ago, and if anyone has an attitude, it's
Burney Lamar.
Maybe that's
why a man with an attitude hired him.
As I hope you
know, Burney is scheduled to drive in an ARCA race at the
Talladega
Superspeedway
on October 8th. When I mentioned to him that Talladega is a
pretty big
track, like 2
1/2 miles around and reasonably fast, his answer was, "Yeah. I
need the
experience. I'm
looking forward to it." Me? I'd be scared silly. But Burney's a
racer.
Speaking of
racers and attitudes. Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Tony
Stewart, Ron
Hornaday. All
of whom have or are driving for RCR and or KHI. Racers all. I'd
say Burney
is in some darn
good company.
Bad night at
Shasta Raceway Park last weekend. Thought they had tranny
problems during
practice, but
couldn't find anything wrong with it. Went out to qualify and
turned the second
fastest lap of
the night on the first lap, when the tranny acted up again.
Since he had taken a
qualifying lap,
the car was impounded. The crew, along with help from Jim Pettit
II's crew,
changed the
thing. He officially was credited with starting seventh on
account of the . . . . .
8-car invert,
but he actually started last because they pulled the car out of
impound.
According to
Burney, he passed half a dozen cars in the first ten laps but a
couple of drivers
got into a
tangle and he hit one of them causing radidiator problems.
Therefore his DNF,
"overheating".
As far as the
Southwest Series, only two races left. Mesa Marin and Phoenix.
At the moment,
he's third in
points, 174 out of first, which, obviously, is a big challenge.
Howsomever, this
year at Mesa
he's got a 2nd and a 3rd, and at Phoenix, two wins. (One in SW,
the other
in West). It
ain't over 'till it's over.
I know I've
brought this up before, but I'm impressed, and I just might do
it again. Starting
next weekend,
the young man is scheduled for nine (9) races in eight (8) weeks
in four
different
divisions on five different tracks ranging from half-mile to 2
1/2 mile. ARCA, BUSCH,
Trucks, and
Southwest. You think maybe Mr. Harvick is putting him to the
test?
"Yeah, but I
need the experience."
Attitude, baby,
attitude.
Later
September 8, 2005
LAMAR RETURNS TO SOUTHWEST
SERIES ACTION AT SHASTA
Bakersfield,
CA After a little more than a month off, the NASCAR Elite
Division Southwest
Series returns to action Saturday night at Shasta Raceway Park
in Anderson, CA.. As is the case
with many
drivers, the event marks the first time Burney Lamar will turn a
wheel on the 3/8ths mile
oval. The 25
year old was nine the last time the Series held a race there.
Lamar is entering the event, the twelfth on the Series schedule,
in second place in the point standings with two races to go
after Saturday night. With only 134 points separating the top
three
drivers,
the race could have a big effect toward determining the Series
championship.
"We've had an up and down season in the tour car," says the W.
Sacramento driver, "but
we're
looking forward to going to Shasta and see if we can't get on
the uphill side. We're still second
in
points but we've sort of struggled these last few races and we'd
like to turn things around and get another win for my car owner,
Les DenHerder, and of course, my crew and sponsors, HPS and
Groeniger."
Although it has been a month since the last Series race, Lamar
has gotten some seat
time in a
race car. On September 2nd, he won his second NASCAR Grand
National West race
on the
two-mile California Speedway oval in only his third start for
car owner DeLana Harvick.
Participating in a driver development program for Kevin Harvick,
Inc., he not only will be entering
the final
races in the Southwest Series, but is also scheduled to make his
debut in the NASCAR
Craftsman
Truck Series on September 24th at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway,
followed by an
ARCA
(Automobile Racing Club of America) race at Talladega
Superspeedway on October 1st,
and a race in
the NASCAR BUSCH Series at the Kansas Speedway on October 8th
Burry
September 5,
2005
Notes and
quotes from Burney Lamar, and you read it here first. . . .
Like the
young feller is scheduled to drive an ARCA car at Talladega Oct.
1st.
Just hung up
the phone with Burney, and he's tired but pumped up. After all,
he's
bouncing
around the country like Kenny Schrader. How about Friday night.
Third time
in a West
car, first time on a two-mile track, and he wins the sucker.
(And may I add,
among some
darn good competition) So his record at the moment in NASCAR
Grand
National
West is two wins and a sixth in three starts.
About the
CA. West event. . . . "First time I've been on the track, and I
thought, man, this
thing is
big. . . you sort of go down the backstretch for quite a while
. . . it's extremely
wide . . .
it was real cool . . . we tested in a truck at Las Vegas with
Ron Hornaday and
he was
telling me you have to do the same thing at Fontana as there,
wide arc's going in
the corner.
. . it was a real cool experience, 'cause during practice and
qualifying we
weren't all
that good, but then we got in the race and the car was hooked up
and we
headed
for the front".
Testing with
Hornaday at Vegas . . . "Oh yeah, man, it was awesome . . . just
hanging out
with the
guy. . . . I mean, lets face it, he's done everything in NASCAR.
. . Cup, BUSCH,
two truck
championships. . . the testing went good we think. . . . we
didn't have anybody
out there
with us, but the truck was really comfortable and we didn't fall
off very much,
so we were
pretty excited". (He tested at Vegas last Tuesday and is
scheduled for a truck
race there
September 24th)
The
difference between Series . . . "There's a huge difference
actually. . . . the BUSCH car
is the
hardest to drive because it's a short wheelbase with a lot of
horsepower and you can
drive it so
far into the corner. . . . the truck is a lot more stable than
either the BUSCH
car or the
tour car. . . the tour car is the easiest because I've driven
them so much and
have the
experience". (For you newcomers, a "tour" car is Southwest
Series where he is
second in
the points with three races to go)
Talladega .
. . "Yeah, we're running Talladega. . . an ARCA car, October
1st. . . it'll be fun. .
it's a
restrictor plate race, but I can't wait for the experience". (ARCA
- Automobile Racing
Club of
America - car spec's are close to Cup. Talladega is a 2.66 mile
tri-oval with 33
degree
banking in the turns and is damn fast)
Shasta
coming up . . . "We're looking forward to going to Shasta. . .
we haven't had that
good a run
in a tour car lately so we're hoping to turn around our luck and
hopefully win
a couple
more this year. . . . it certainly would be nice for my car
owner, Les DenHerder,
the
sponsors, and my team, to get another win and have fun being in
victory circle
again. . .
. I've never been to Shasta but I hope we can do the same thing
we did at
California".
(Shasta, 1/3 mile, September 10th, Southwest Series)
And there
you have it dudes and dudettes. The latest from the youngster.
He's happier
than a gator
in a swamp and doing fine. His girlfriend, Kelly, is going to
school and doing
well.
He's busier than a one-armed paper-hanger working on race cars
and trucks and
doing an
occasional race (six in the next eight weeks).
"Till next
time,
Burry
BURNEY LAMAR WINS CALIFORNIA
NASCAR WEST RACE
Fontana, CA. Burney Lamar, in only his third start in a NASCAR
Grand National West race,
won his
second race in that division Friday night in the "Relocate Here
200" at the California Speedway.
Qualifying
seventh in a field of twenty-five cars, Lamar took the lead for
the first time on lap twenty-nine,
but fell
back to eleventh after a series of pits stops, only to work his
way back up to first on lap eighty-five,
a lead he never
relinquished to the checkered flag.
Driving the HPS/Groeniger Chevrolet owned by LaDana Harvick,
Lamar is racing a limited
schedule in
a driver development program for Kevin Harvick Inc. In his first
race for KHI in the Grand
National
Division, he finished sixth in a race on the half-mile oval at
Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield,
CA. He followed that up with
a win on the one-mile oval at Phoenix International Raceway.
Fridays event
marked the
first time the 25 year old W. Sacramento, CA. driver had ever
raced on a two-mile oval.
Not only is Lamar running a limited schedule in the NASCAR Grand
National Division, he is also
running the
full fourteen-race schedule in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite
Division-Southwest Series, where
he currently
second in that Series point standings after eleven races.
August 10, 2005
Loose as a goose . . .
Things started out half-way decent last Saturday night
at Irwindale, but it didn't take too long for it to go
South. Burney qualified seventh, and for the second week
in a row, the quick qualifier drew a 10. Moved
'ol
Burn up to fourth on the green. He got 'er up to second
on the seventh or so lap, and then it went
downhill. Car got progressively looser, and about every
10-15 laps, somebody went by. Wound up tenth.
Stayed second in the points, but he lost a little ground
to Mr. Pettit II. He's now 125 out of first. Auggie
gained on him. He's only 9 behind Burney. Points-wise,
it'll be an interesting next three races.
I
sure was disappointed that he won't be coming to PPIR in
a couple of weeks for the West race, but far
be
it for me to tell KHI what to do. Looks like Burney
won't be racing again until September 2nd in a West
race
at California. The next Southwest race isn't until
September 10th at Shasta. What to do 'till then?
In
case you missed it, Burney is scheduled to drive a BUSCH
race October 8th at Kansas Speedway.
Scratch his October 22nd Truck race at Martinsviile, and
add a Truck race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on
October 29th.
Have a good month off folks. Till then . . . .
Burry
July
31, 2005
Shades of Phoenix . . .
Maybe you saw it on TV, or were lucky enough to be there
at Phoenix last April when 'ol Burn went under
the
first and second place cars on the final turn of the
last lap to win that Grand National West race. Well,
this
time there were six laps to go when he made a power move
under the third and fourth place cars,
Eddie McKean and Auggie Vidovich, in turns one and two,
to take third at CNS Saturday night.
Burney said the car was a little tight in the early
going, but started to come around towards the end
and
he figured he had a good shot at them on that final
restart. He had it in third gear, the green dropped,
he
nailed it and launched it off the starting line, and
under them he went. Came out third going down the
back
chute, and third was his.
Except for the heat, it was a good day at CNS. Some will
say only 21 cars showed up, but four races in a
row
in four weeks, probably didn't help. Then again, 21 cars
on a 3/8ths mile isn't a bad show. Good
crowd. Probably somewhere around 12 - 13,000.
How
about the difference between first and second in
qualifying! .001 of a second. Burney and Auggie
tied
for second, but since Burney got it first, he got it.
And then Rip's lady drew a 10. Can you believe it?
First time the guy wins a pole, and has to start
half-way back in the field. And Burney alongside him.
Good
news, bad news for Coloradans. Burney will not be racing
the West race at PPIR next month. I
forgot what he told me, but I think it has to do with
the fact he's going to run a BUSCH race at Kansas
Speedway on October 8th. I'm guessing that KHI has their
priorities, and a BUSCH race comes before a
West
race. Good news. He's got a BUSCH race. Bad news. We
(Coloradans) might not get to see him
again unless/until he gets a full-time ride in BUSCH.
Next
up is Irwindale. While he hasn't necessarily set the
world on fire there, he does have two wins.
Maybe his third there, and fifth overall, comes Saturday
night.
Have
a good one
Burry
July 30, 2005
BURNEY LAMAR TAKES
THIRD AT COLORADO NATIONAL
Erie, Colorado
- With only six laps to go, following the fifth caution
flag of the night,
Burney Lamar got a great
restart, went under the third and fourth place cars
through the first
and second turns, and held
on for a third place finish in the United Power/
Touchstone Energy
150 at Colorado National
Speedway Saturday night. The event was the tenth in the
fourteen race
NASCAR AutoZone Elite
Division Southwest Series. The finish keeps Lamar second
in the
Series point standings.
"We had some
bad restarts earlier, and had some tranny problems, and
I finally had to
start it in third, and it
helped out a lot. We set up for a long run car, and we
had it a tick tight, but
it actually came to us at
the end, and I knew we had something for 'em once we got
that caution.
It was fun racing with
Eddie and Auggie, and I can't say enough about them
racing us clean like
they did."
During
qualifying, Lamar posted the second quick time by .001
of a second, but a ten-car
invert put him ninth on
the starting grid. By lap fifteen he was fourth, but
bounced back and
forth between fifth and
sixth until he was fifth on the 144th lap restart when
he made his move
into third.
The next event
for Lamar and his HPS Mechanical/Victory Circle Chassis/
Groeniger
Chevrolet is next Saturday
night at Irwindale (CA) Speedway to wind up a four-race
series in a
four week stretch.
For more on
Burney Lamar, visit his website at burneylamar.com
July 26,
2005
What can I
say . . . .
To quote
Burney, "Man, it was just a long weekend". They unloaded the
car, did their usual stuff before
practice on
Friday, whatever that is, but the sucker just wouldn't go fast.
Two or three laps, and back to
the pits.
Work on the car. Two or three laps, work on the car.
Those of you
who follow Burney know he can qualify pretty decent. 17th out of
41 cars didn't go over
very well,
so they pulled the car out of impound, and worked on it. That of
course, meant a 38th starting
position. By
the time the second caution flag came out on lap 24, he was
21st. But they spent a little
time on
trying to make it better, and when things got going again, he
was 34th.
Might I take
this opportunity to say that the track announcer noticed that
the #1 car was running 5th,
that's 5th,
on lap 117. For those of you who might have a little trouble
with mathematics, that's an
improvement
of 29 positions. Ah, but guess what. Lamar luck. Something went
wrong toward the end of the race, and he had to pit under green,
and when all was said and done, he wound up 13th. Now you have
to understand, that was his overall finish among 38 starters.
This was a combined event with the
Midwest
Series. Among the Southwest entrants, he finished 7th, which
keeps him second in the points.
Now the next
race is at Colorado National Speedway this Saturday. That's
approximately 112 miles north of Pikes Peak International
Raceway, last Saturdays race, and some 1300 miles northeast of
Los Angeles. Guess where the next race is the next weekend. Some
1300 miles southwest of CNS. Never mind, I think I expressed my
feelings on that earlier. However, races are races. (May the
Good Lord look over the race
car hauler
drivers).
Back to CNS.
Ol' Burn says he's looking forward to this one. Got a third
there last time out a few weeks
ago. Got
some "good notes" (that's crew chief lingo) from that race, and
hopes to improve. But he really sounded a little excited that my
hero, Rick Carelli, the "High Plains Drifter" is coming to the
race to "hang
out with us
in the pits". Now I'm not going into any lengthy discussion
about Rick except to say that anyone who cares to look up his
record in the Southwest Series will see that he is at the top of
the list
in wins
(21). Burney's hero, MK Kanke, is second in all-time wins in the
Southwest Series (19). That should be a great reunion! Three of
the nicest people you'll ever want to meet.
Take care.
See ya'll at CNS.
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
Burney Lamar Motorsports
July 26, 2005
LAMAR STILL SECOND IN POINTS AFTER PPIR
Fountain, CO
Burney Lamar remains in second place in the AutoZone Elite
Division Southwest
Series
following a seventh place finish in the "King Soopers 150" at
Pikes Peak International Raceway
Saturday
afternoon. Plagued with suspension problems during practice on
Friday, the Sacramento, CA.
driver could
only muster a seventeenth place spot in qualifying, and pulled
the car out of impound to
make some
adjustments. As a result he had to start in the thirty-eighth
position.
By lap twenty-four, he had worked his way past fifteen cars and
was twenty-first. A caution came
out on lap
twenty-five and Burney went into the pits for adjustments on the
car. As a result of the lengthy
pit stop, he
returned in thirty-fourth place. By lap 117, he had worked his
way up to fifth, but had to make
another pit
stop under green for more adjustments, and wound up thirteenth
in the overall standings.
However,
since the event was a combined Elite Division Midwest/Southwest
Series, he finished seventh
in the
Southwest Series standings and maintained his second place in
the Southwest Series points.
"Man, it was just a long weekend. The guys thrashed on the car
from the time it came off the
trailer, but
we just couldn't find the problem. We thought we had it fixed
after the first pit stop, but
something
started going wrong again towards the end, and we had to make
another pit stop under green
and that
really killed us. But we're still in the hunt for the
championship, so that's good".
The next race for Lamar and his HPS/Groeniger/Victory Circle
Chassis Chevrolet is this coming
Saturday at
Colorado National Speedway. "I'm looking forward to that for a
couple of reasons. First of all,
we got a
third there a few weeks ago, and we have some good notes, so we
hope to improve on that.
Secondly, my
friend, Rick Carelli, who won so many races at that track a few
years ago, is coming to
hang out
with us in the pits. I'll be nice to have him there".
For more on Burney Lamar, visit his website at
www.burneylamar.com
Burry Dolbeare
cohobo@aol.com
Burney Lamar Motorsports
July 20, 2005
BURNEY LAMAR
RETURNING TO PIKES PEAK
Burney Lamar, of West Sacramento, CA. now in his fifth year of
driving in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series,
returns to Pikes Peak International Raceway this weekend. His,
and the Series, last appearance at PPIR was in 2002 for a
support race with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
This year will see a big difference. The race not only will be
in support of the NASCAR BUSCH Series, but will also be a
combined event with the Elite Divisions Midwest Series.
"I am really looking forward to PPIR", says the 24 year old
Lamar. "Not only do I like the track, but it's wide, smooth, and
fast. We've been having some good results on the one-milers the
past couple of years, and I hope we can keep it up this
weekend. There's always great competition in the Southwest
Series, but having the Midwest drivers there too, just adds to
the program".
On the other one mile track that the Series runs on, Phoenix
International Raceway, Lamar has a pole, a win, a second, and
three sixth place finishes to his credit. The win came earlier
this year in January during the annual Copper World Classic,
when he qualified third, took the lead on lap eighteen of the
100 lap event and held off a strong challenge by NASCAR
veteran, Ken Schrader, for the victory.
In his last PPIR appearance, Lamar sat on the pole, set the
Series track record for the fastest race lap, but finished a
disappointing fifteenth. "We started out good, but had some bad
luck there toward the end of that race. But this is this year.
My boss, Kevin Harvick, won a Winston West race there back in
'98, so we'll trying to join him in a PPIR victory circle
celebration".
Lamar is currently in the driver development program for Kevin
Harvick Inc., and is running a limited Grand National West
Series schedule, one of which is scheduled for PPIR on August
21, his 25th birthday. That event will be a support race in
conjunction with the Indy Racing League.
Presently second in the Series point standings, Lamar is coming
off of a ninth place finish last week-end at the Stockton
99 Speedway. He qualified his Groeniger/HPS Mechanical/Victory
Circle Chassis Chevrolet first in a twenty-two car field, but a
cut tire on the ninth lap caused him to go down three laps.
However, he made up two of those during the next 113 over the
quarter-mile oval, but ran out of time and had to settle for the
ninth place finish.
The schedule for this weekends event calls for practice and
qualifying for both the BUSCH and Elite Divisions on Friday,
with the Elite Divisions "King Soopers Freedom 150" race
starting at 10:30 Saturday morning.
Lamar
luck . . . . what can you
say
July 17, 2005
Qualifies first. Draws #8 for the inversion. Blows a tire on
the ninth lap. Loses three laps.
Our PR
man, Derrick Shannon, says, "Lamar had perhaps the fastest
car on the race track all race long".
I would
hope to shout. Goes down three laps on a quarter-mile
bullring and makes up two. I assume that
means he
passed the winner twice. IF it had been a 150 lapper, he
MIGHT have passed him three times.
I know.
Coulda, woulda, mighta. IF they didn't have that . . .
inversion rule, he MIGHTA lapped the whole
field a
coupla or three times. OK. Enough whining.
But it
do sound like Brad Peters had an awesome motor in that
piece, and his crew chief, Mark Lundgren,
and his
boys, had it set up pretty good. Course, Burney's ability
might have had a little to do with it too.
He's
still second in the point standings. Got his fourteenth
career pole, third this season. His fourteenth
pole
puts him sixth on the all-time Southwest Series pole winners
list.
Have a
goody coming up this weekend at PPIR. Another combined
Southwest/Midwest thingy. Seems like
the one
milers attract a lot of entries. In the 8 races the Midwest
has had here they have averaged 39
starters. In the Southwest's 3 races here, they've started
38 in all three. With a $108,000 purse up for grabs, it
should be an interesting weekend. By the way, Burney sat on
the pole and set the Southwest Series fastest race lap
record in 2002.
Another
by the way. Burney's good friend, Auggie Vidovich, has two
starts in the Midwest races here: 2002 and 2004. Finished
2nd both times. Burney's short-track hero, MK Kanke, started
all the Southwest
races
here, and has a 2nd and two 3rds. Maybe Burney's turn for a
podium? Just thought I'd throw that out. Probably won't go
very far.
Till we
meet again, . . . . .
Burry
July 10, 2005
In case anyone was wondering:
Burney didn't race in the late model program at Concord
Motorsport Park Saturday night.
Seems the car owner, DeLana Harvick's dad, was in the
hospital having a tumor removed
from his back. Since Burney didn't say different, I assume
he is doing o.k..
Burney was however, in Chicago, watching his boss win the
Busch race.
He says there's no new news on his running any Busch races.
As you remember, he was
scheduled to run one at Nashville a few weeks ago, but
qualifying was rained out, so they
started the thing by the NASCAR rule book and he didn't get
to run it.
So I guess the next adventure is this Saturday night at
Stockton 99. Except for his last
race there on April 30th when he finished 22nd, he's got a
2nd, two 3rds, and a 4th in five
races, so maybe he'll get his first win there this weekend.
If any of you out there are avid Burney Lamar fans and
follow him to the Southwest Series
races, looks like you'll have to dip into your savings
accounts the coming five weeks for gas.
Stockton, CA., this week, Pikes Peak, CO., the next,
Colorado National, CO., the next
and Irwindale, CA. the next. If you live in L.A. and go to
church on Sunday after each race, you'll have gone 4,734
miles.(That's in a fast car) However, some of the hauler
drivers will
probably do that, although I understand some are staying
over in Colorado after the PPIR race. While I assume most of
them will take I-40 to I-25 coming to Colorado, those
that take I-70 are going to burn a ton of fuel over those
mountain passes. Let us say a prayer for the hauler drivers.
Till next time,
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
July 1, 2005
Finally . . .
Sorry
to be so late on the trials and tribulations of Burney, but we
played phone-tag for a few days. Finally caught up with him
today working on race cars at KHI.
Good luck,
bad luck at Infineon. Good luck. He and a bunch of others came
to the pits on the 21st lap and he had a problem that put the
left front on the ground. As he drove down pit lane, it ground
down a sway bar. Now I don't pretend to know that much about the
mechanical aspects of a race car, but I've been told that a sway
bar has a bunch to do with the handling of said race car. As a
matter of fact, I didn't think you could drive a race car
without one. Shows what I know. He drove it some 35-40 laps. Has
to be talent!. Good luck. It happened as he was entering the
pits.
Bad
luck. It happened.
As he
said, they had a really fast car. He led the first 20 laps. No
reason to think he wouldn't have stayed in front. Nice to see
him go by some "Cup" ringers on his way to the front from 24th.
Stockton 99 is up next. Except for the last race there (finished
22nd) he does well. A 2nd, two 3rds, and a 4th going back to
2002. Hopefully he'll get that win this time.
Keep smilin',
makes everyone wonder what you've been up to!
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
July 1. 2005
LAMAR NOW SECOND
IN POINTS AFTER INFINEON
Sonoma, CA. Burney Lamar overcame suspension problems
Saturday afternoon at Infineon Raceway to record a very
creditable sixth place finish in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite
Division - Southwest Series seventh event of the season.
The result moved him into second place in the Series point
standings, only 42 markers out of first.
Having qualified the Clow/HPS/Groeniger/Victory Circle Chassis
Chevrolet in the number two spot over the 1.9 mile road course
on Friday, Lamar led the 41-car field for the first 20 laps of
the 64-lap event, but a malfunction on the left front on the
21st lap saw the youngster head for the pits as a caution flag
came out. Following several pits stops during the caution, he
rejoined the race on the lead lap in 24th spot, but missing a
sway bar. Despite the problem, by lap 39 he had worked his way
back up to 12th. On lap 43 he was 10th and continuing to move to
the front, reaching 5th place on lap 57, but the ill-handling
car dropped him back to 6th at the checkered.
"We had a really fast car too. We came into the pits with the
left front dragging the ground, and it ground off the sway bar.
But my crew did a super job in getting things back to where I
could drive it. So we were pretty happy with a sixth place
finish."
The next event on the Series schedule is on the quarter-mile
oval at Stockton 99 Speedway on July 16th, followed by a trip to
the one-mile oval at Pikes Peak International Raceway on July
23rd.
For more on Lamar, visit his website at www.burneylamar.com
- 30 -
June 20, 2005
Not a good night at Irwindale . . . .
They, Burney
and the crew, were pumped up for Irwindale Saturday night, but "ol
racin' lady luck" did her thing again. Darn tire went down. The
kid got his 13th SWS pole, and guess what number he pulled out
of the hat? 8 What's new. Put the race winner on the pole at
the green. You know our feelings on that, so I'll let it go.
Started the thing on the outside of the fourth row, 8th place,
and moved up to 6th by lap 19. Dropped to 8th on lap 36, back
to 9th on lap 50, 14th on lap 65, and then it went to, well bad.
Went into the pits on lap 89, was running at the end, but wound
up 15th.
Good
news. He only dropped one spot in the points, to 3rd, 74 out of
first, and 38 out of 2nd. With 8 races to go, certainly can be
made up, or as Burney said earlier tonight, there's a bunch of
races to go. (Good attitude)
Road race
coming up Saturday. Got a 2nd there last year. He said the crew
can set the car up for left and rights, so he's looking
forward to it. At least they don't have an invert for this one,
so if he does his thing, and qualifies good, who knows?
Let you know
Sunday or Money. 'till then,
Burry
Burry Dolbeare
June 15, 2005
LAMAR TO DEFEND TITLE AT IRWINDALE
Bakersfield, CA.
Burney Lamar is hoping to continue his winning ways at Irwindale
Speedway Saturday night, when the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division
- Southwest Series returns to the half mile oval for the
"Advantage Ford 100", the sixth event on the 2005 schedule.
In the
Series last regular season appearance at Irwinale in May of
2004, Lamar started tenth in the 30-car car field, moved his way
toward the front and took over the top position with seven laps
to go. The win was his second Series win at Irwindale, the first
coming in 2002. He also has a third win there, that coming in
last years Toyota All Star Showdown when he won a 20-car, 50-lap
qualifying race.
Although
presently living in Kernersville, N.C., where he is employed in
the driver development program for Kevin Harvick, Inc., the W.
Sacramento, CA. native is definitely competing for the Southwest
Series championship. So far this season, he has a win in his
four top-three finishes in five starts, that win coming in the
prestigious "Copper World Classic" at Phoenix International
Raceway last January.
He is
currently second in the Series point standing, only twelve
markers out of first.
Driving
a recently built 2005 Groeniger/HPSMechanical/Victory Circle
Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Lamar says he looking forward to
returning to Irwindale. "In general, we've run good there, and I
just like the track. There's plenty of room to race, and if we
qualify decent, but have to catch an invert, there's plenty of
room to pass and make our way towards the front. Another thing
about Irwindale is, we've got some wins there, so I'm looking
forward to it".
For more on Burney, visit his website at www.burneylamar.com
June 11, 2005
Talked with Burney today:
He's says he's pretty disappointed
about qualifying being rained out, not to mention not
making the program. However, he
says, "There's plenty of races left and we'll make it up
somewhere. We'll sit down with Kevin, Rick (Carelli), and the
crew chiefs and figure some-
thing out".
Next up is the Southwest race at
Irwindale next Saturday. He's had his up's and down's there,
but on the up-side, two of his
four SW wins have come at Irwindale. He has a third win on the
half-mile, counting his qualifying
win in last years Toyota Showdown when he started 16th in a 20
car field, took the lead on lap ten and never looked back. Led
the first 75 laps of the feature,
but the 'ol invert bit him again,
had to restart sixth, and wound up third.
"I'm looking forward to running
Irwindale. We've done good and I just like the track, cause
there's plenty of room to race. If we qualify decent, and have
to catch an invert, there's enough
room to make some passes and
charge forward, so I'm looking forward to the weekend".
I am too.
Burry
June 6th, 2005
And the story
continues . . .
A real shame it rained on the scheduled race-day at Colorado
National. I guess unless it's a Cup event, folks just don't go
racing on a Sunday afternoon. I'm not going to guess how many
were there, but it was bad. Those that didn't go, missed a
goody.
Ol
Burn had the pole for a while, but wound up fifth. You have to
realize his fifth was .087 sec. and .43 mph slower than the pole
sitter. That's the way it is in the Southwest Series.
During practice in the morning, he was having a problem in that
the right rear was wanting to go down the straightaways before
the front end did. As Burney said, the crew worked their butts
off getting things fixed.
And
for the first time in recent memory, actually Burney said it did
happen in 2002, he got to be on the front row as a result of the
"invert". Those of you who follow Mr. Lamar know, that when he
sets fast time, which he has done 12 times, he invariably pulls
a #8 out of the hat and winds up half way back in the field.
Burney and I could go into a lengthy discussion on that "invert"
thing, but . . . . that's the way it is.
Got to see a bunch of folks Sunday. Susan and David (this is
their website if you happen to have just gotten up), talked with
Clyde (Burney's grandpa) about how it used to be in the "good 'ol
days" (have you ever been inside one of these modern day race
car haulers? My lovely day!), talked with Burney's hero M K
Kanke who pulled an overall seventh after starting tenth (there
was some fierce racing behind the top
four or five
all race long), had a nice chat with Kelly (thats the mans very
nice girlfriend) and when thanking Les DenHerder (he is an owner
of HPS Mechanical and Victory Circle Chassis) on behalf of the
entire world for supporting Burney, he allowed as how, "I'm glad
to do it, it's a lot fun".
Asked
Burney what he meant by working on the race cars down there in
Kernersville, (that's in N. Carolina, where he's hooked up with
KHI, like in Kevin Harvick Inc.) and he said he does about
whatever they ask him to do, like working on suspensions,
shocks, putting cars together, and like that. He said it keeps
him pretty busy as they have, (if I remember right) ten (10)
Craftsman trucks, eleven (11) Busch
Series cars,
three (3) Grand National West cars, and one (1) late model in
the KHI shop. Now you have to realize "shop" is some 40-50,000
square feet of floor space. Clyde and I remember when . . never
mind.
Before I forget it. I'm turning on the tape recorder -
ME -
"Now give me a comment or two about this coming Saturday. I
think it's called BUSCH".
BURNEY: "Ha. We're totally excited about that. Kevin and DeLana
have given us an awesome piece, anawesome team, great people to
drive for, and I'm just looking forward to going out there and
putting on a good show for KHI".
ME:
"What's your car. Color-wise, number wise".
BURNEY: "It's going to look just like the Grand National West
car. It's going to be yellow and blue and have the number 83".
ME:
"Sponsored by?".
BURNEY: "It'll be HPS and Groeniger".
That's BUSCH folks. Like in NASCAR BUSCH Series. Live from the
Nashville Superspeedway. Saturday June 11th. SPEED Channel and
FX. Check your local listings.
If you've
gotten this far, I 'preciate it.
Till next
time,
Burry
June
5, 2005
LAMAR GETS PODIUM FINISH AT 'COLORADO
SHOWDOWN'
Dacono, CO Burney Lamar drove to a third place finish in the
"Auto Trader 150" on the 3/8ths mile oval at Colorado National
Speedway Sunday afternoon in the first ever NASCAR AutoZone
Elite Division combined Midwest/Southwest Series event. His
finish as the second place finisher in the Southwest Series,
gave the youngster enough points to move him from third to
second place in the Series standings, only twelve markers out of
first.
Lamar qualified his Groeniger/HPS Mechanical/Victory Circle
Chassis Chevrolet fifth out of a 38 car field, and by virtue of
a six-car invert, started on the outside of the front row in the
150 lap event.
At the end of the first go-round, Lamar had the lead which he
maintained through the first fifty-one laps.
On lap fifty-two, Midwest Series points leader, Justin Diercks,
who had been pressuring Lamar for several laps, finally got by,
and on lap 100, pole-sitter and eventual race winner, Brandon
Riehl, after some side-by-side racing, took over the second
spot.
Following the race, Lamar said, "I'm happy. You know, when the
season starts, you want to win every race, but now and then you
run into problems, and today we had a couple. But coming in
third today was like a win for us. I'm happy for the whole team.
They busted their butts this morning when we had some handling
problems during practice. During the early part of the race we
lost the radio, and I'm not used to that, not having a
spotter. But all in all, with such a strong field of drivers, it
was good".
For more on Burney Lamar, visit his website at
www.burneylamar.com
May
31, 2005
BURNEY LAMAR ENTERED IN THE "COLORADO
SHOWDOWN"
Bakersfield, CA. Some of the best "short
trackers" in America will be converging on the Colorado
National Speedway in Dacono, CO. this Saturday night, and W.
Sacramento, CA. driver Burney Lamar will be among them. The
event is the "Auto Trader 150", a 150 lap race on the
speedways 3/8th mile oval that is bringing together drivers
from the Mississippi river to the shores of California. The
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division is sanctioning a combined
Midwest/Southwest Series event that will start 32 cars out
of an expected field of 45 to 50 cars.
Driving in the Southwest Series, where he is
currently third in the point standings, Lamar has two top
tens in four appearances at CNS, and also holds the track
qualifying record, which he set in 2002.
So far this season, the 24 year old college
graduate has been in the top three in four starts, one of
those three being a win in the prestigious "Copper World
Classic" on the one-mile oval at PhoenixInternational
Raceway last January.
Driving a new Groeniger/HPS Mechanical/Victory
Circle Chassis Chevrolet, Lamar says he has alot of
confidence in his crew chief, Mark Lundgren, and his Victory
Circle crew. Following a rain-caused accident during
practice at Mesa Marin Raceway last April that destroyed his
primary car, "My crewworked all night preparing a back-up
car for the next days show and we got a second place finish.
With the new car they built, we got a third at the second
Mesa event, so things are looking good. This thing Saturday
night should be great, and we'll definitely be giving it
our best shot".
May 28, 2005
Moving right along with our man, Burney, from W. Sacramento
. . .
As Burney predicted, he didn't run the two late model
programs that were scheduled for last, and this weekend. As
we stated last time, there's a pretty good reason. For the
past week-and-a-half, they havebeen working steadily,
including today (Saturday), on a new KHI (Kevin Harvick
Inc.) BUSCH Series car for him to run at Nashville on June
11th. It's a 2005 Chebby, to be painted blue and yellow with
the number 83.
About the late model situation. He's still working on that
also, and is expecting to run a late model event at Concord
Motorsport Park on July 4th.
A reminder to all you Burney Lamar fans in Colorado, or in
Wyoming, Kansas, Florida, or wherever, that he'll be at
Colorado National Speedway a week from tonight for the
"Colorado Showdown". That's the AutoZone Elite Divisions
combined / Southwest, Midwest Series show. This should
be a barnburner.
With some 45-50 cars expected, only 32 will make the
starting field. As only the fastest 20 qualifiers are
guaranteed a starting position, guess what qualifying means.
'Till
next time, . . . .
Burry
May 20th, 2005
This is the first installment of what may be weekly,
bi-weekly, or when deemed appropriate, of the continuing
story of one Burney Lamar, whom I'm sure 95% of you are
familiar. For those of you who are not, may I suggest you
visit his website, appropriately named www.burneylamar.com
To bring everyone up-to-date, the youngster (and
I can call him that on account of I'm 47 years his elder)
now resides in Kernersville, N.C., which is just on the
northern outskirts of Winston-Salem which is approximately
83 miles north of Charlotte. However, his hometown is still
W. Sacramento, CA. He lives there because, as I hope you
also know, he's in the driver development program of one
Kevin Harvick, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver who, in turn, drives
for Richard Childress Racing. (Kinda sorta like being with
the big boys.)
As those of you who visit his website have seen,
he was scheduled to drive a late model stock car at Southern
National Speedway (wherever that is) this weekend, and at
Concord Motorsport Park next weekend. Southern National
won't happen, and Concord is a maybe. Seems that Mr. Harvick
Is going to put Burney in a BUSCH Series car on June 11th at
the Nashville (TN) Superspeedway. Quite obviously that is
taking precedence over the late model. So, according to
Burney, he's now working full time on the BUSCH car, but if
he gets the late model ready in time, he will do the Concord
thing.
However, for you Burney Lamar fans, not to
worry. He fully intends to continue his run for the
Southwest Series championship. When I asked him was he
planning on being at Colorado National on June 4th, his
answer was, "Oh yeah, definitely".
And so the story continues. Till next time, . .
. .
Burry
May 15, 2005
BURNEY LAMAR TAKES THIRD AT MESA MARIN
Bakersfield, CA. Burney Lamar came on strong during the final
laps to take a third place finish at the "Rialto Concrete
Products 100" at Mesa Marin Raceway Saturday night in the fourth
race of the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division - Southwest Series
season. The finish moved him up to third in the Series standings,
only 48 points behind race winner and points leader, Jim Pettit
II.
Lamar started on the outside of the fourth row and slowly worked
his way toward the front, moving into third with about 20 laps
to go in the 100 lap event on the half-mile oval, where he
finished at the checkered.
So far this season, the W. Sacramento, CA. driver is off to a
good start in his quest for the Series championship. In three of
the four races run, he has a first, second, and third. In one of
the few DNF's in his four year career, he finished 22nd two
weeks ago at Stockton 99 Speedway due to a malfunction in the
drive train, which caused him to drop from first to fourth in
the standings. "Stockton was a disappointment", says Burney,
"but Saturday night shows we can overcome it. Once again, my
crew put a great car under me, and we got one spot back. The
season has a long way to go, and hopefully we'll keep on
climbing".
The next event for Lamar and his blue and white Groeniger / HPS
Mechanical / VictoryCircle Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo #1, will
be on the 3/8ths mile oval at Colorado National Speedwayin
Dacono, CO., a track at which he holds the Southwest Series
qualifying track record. The event is a combined AutoZone Elite
Division Southwest / Midwest Series program, and with some 45 race cars expected to compete for the 32-car starting field, promises
to be one of the more interesting events of the summer.
Burry Dolbeare - Burney Lamar Motorsports,
Inc.
