Hometown Hero Hemphill Hopes to Contend For Win at Jennerstown's Pennsylvania 300 Apollo, PA (Aug. 24, 2001) - Ryan Hemphill is a "Hometown Hero" to the people of western Pennsylvania. At the tender age of nineteen, Hemphill is already a rising star in NASCAR's touring ranks and the ASA ACDelco Series. This weekend, Hemphill will compete at his home track - Jennerstown Speedway - in the ASA ACDelco Series Pennsylvania 300. Coming off of a 6th place finish in his last ASA race at Chicago Motor Speedway and a 4th place result in his very first RE/MAX Challenge, NASCAR Touring event, he has momentum and luck on his side. Hemphill began his full-size stock car racing career in 1999 at the Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway and Motordrome Speedway in Smithton, Pa. Capturing the rookie of the year title at both tracks in the late model division, he also finished sixth in late model points at the Laurel Highlands oval. A former winner of Jennerstown's Blue-Grey Shootout, Hemphill is a good candidate to pick for a strong showing in Sunday's event. Two recent tests at the facility have given the young driver a shot of confidence that has his morale high for the event. "I'm very excited about it. If we ever have a chance to do good somewhere, it's gonna be Jennerstown," Hemphill exclaimed. "We've been testing there as of late getting on top of the car and the track. We are all really looking forward to this race because we have a really good car to work with. To have a good car and have something mechanical go wrong or get caught up in an accident early, that'd be a bad weekend, a very bad weekend." This event is very important to the Hemphill Racing team. Even though the event is at their home track, there are other factors that make this event pivotal for their program. Coming off two top ten finishes in touring series events, and a win in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the Motordrome Speedway the first Friday in August, a large amount of momentum is going in their favor. Additionally, this race will set the tone for the team for the rest of the year. "For us, this race is really important. Unlike most of the teams, we only have a couple of races left, and we want to make each and every race count and give it our best shot no matter what happens," explained the current Penn State (New Kensington) sophomore. "We're not going to give up and keep working and try to come out of each race the best that we possibly can to finish off the year. We're trying to maintain this momentum we have and not be stupid or crazy and just be smart and keep doing what we've been doing. We're really looking for some good finishes near the end of this year." Switching from car to car from weekend to weekend has helped the team gel even closer to one another and work on their chemistry. So far, things seem to be paying off. "It seems like when we switch from car to car, everything goes so smoothly," Hemphill explained. "It seems like we're concentrating on one car all the time. When we can do that, that builds our confidence and my confidence. That's good because we've been moving from car to car and having such good luck lately. "Good communication between everyone (is key). My crew deserves a lot of credit," he continued. "If it weren't for them, we might not be here. They've helped me with the finishes I've been having. There's definitely good communication between my father and I. He's been giving me good cars to work with, and that's easy for a driver. Other than that, luck has been the key for us." Luck was not on the team's side a year ago. After winning two races at the Motordrome Speedway in late models, the organization decided to make their ASA debut at Jennerstown. While testing for the event in a Port City chassis, a shock mount broke and caused Hemphill to hit the wall hard. The car was destroyed. Some might feel the track owes the team a good run, but Hemphill argues otherwise. "That was a good thing that happened," Hemphill, now driving a Lefthander chassis, said. "It gave us a chance to explore different cars because we weren't happy with the Port City. What happened was just a racing deal that can happen anywhere you go. So, no, I don't think the track owes us one." Luck or no luck, Hemphill will be having fun this weekend. As if weekly experience at the track was not enough, Hemphill will also have a "home crowd" advantage, much like other sports teams do when playing in their own stadiums and arenas. In fact, it actually lightens the load on his shoulders. "There's no pressure at all. If anything, it should be less pressure. It's another race that should hopefully be a fun race," responded the driver of the unsponsored No. 02 Vortec-Powered Chevrolet. "A lot of people from Motordrome and around here are coming. That's definitely a confidence builder, to have a lot of people on your side pulling for you." "(If I were to win), that would be the most excitement and relief I would ever feel in my life," he added. "To be able to get out of that car knowing that I just did what I did, that would be the biggest relief." dreams are a good thing for anyone, especially racecar drivers, to have. Hemphill's deream could come true this weekend, but realistically, he knows his goals for the race. "I look to have a consistent race. 300 laps is a long race," Hemphill stated. "My main goal is to drive consistent race for all 300 laps. Hopefully my car can stay pretty good on the long runs and we'll be able to come out of there with a good finish like a top five. That'd be pretty good." Hemphill Racing is searching for primary sponsorship and marketing partners for both the ASA ACDelco Series and the Gatorade All-Pro Series, NASCAR touring events they will be running the rest of this year in Indianapolis, Memphis, and Nashville. More information about Hemphill Racing and Ryan Hemphill can be obtained from the team's official website at http://www.ryanhemphill.net.