RADFORD, VA  (July 19, 2004) -  The short tracks of Virginia are known to be some of the most competitive in the country and yield some of the best drivers anywhere. During Saturday night's Lucas Oil 250, Logan Dernoshek competed on one of the finest short tracks in Virginia, Motor Mile Speedway, and came home with a career best thirteenth place finish in only his sixth race in the USAR Hooters ProCup Series. 

The unsponsored No. 10 Pontiac team unloaded at the .416-mile speedway and found immediately they had a problem. The original sway bar link configuration kept digging into the racetrack and causing the car to become unstable during cornering. After remedying the problem, the crew fought a tight condition all day long that they were unable to correct during practice. 

"I had the sway bar arms as high as I could get them and they still hit the track," explained the rookie driver from Canonsburg, Penn. "When they hit the track, it makes for an exciting ride. We were just way too tight all day. We made some big changes to free the car up in the middle of the corner, but we never got it free enough." 

Qualifying was rained out after rains drenched the facility in mid-afternoon but the delay gave the team a chance to discuss what changes to make to the racecar to correct the tight condition. By adjusting some key angles in the chassis, the team hoped to free the car up for Dernoshek to move up from the 22nd starting position.

As the field prepared for the green flag, a team member spotted that the dust caps on the rear end were loose and wobbly. Because Dernoshek had to pit before the green flag, he started from the tail of the field. The tight condition of the car slowly got better after the team made a track bar adjustment to the machine early in the run before their stop for tires and gas just before halfway. Penalized for mistakenly pitting too early, Dernoshek worked his way up from outside the top twenty to the thirteenth position at the checkered flag. 

"The whole rain delay deal really wreaked havoc on us and got us out of our routine," Dernoshek admitted. "We had the dust caps loosened up so they could check the camber when we went through pre race tech. They eliminated that and everyone was rushed to the grid and it was overlooked. The car was still just way too tight in the center. I apparently screwed up by pitting too early on our stop so we got a stop-n-go penalty. I'm still slightly baffled by the penalty, but I'm pleased that we finished the race. Without the penalty, we might have had a shot at a top ten." 

Logan Dernoshek Racing, Inc. is actively seeking sponsors and marketing partners for the best value in motorsports for the 2004 season and beyond. Interested parties can contact the team through USAR or through team marketing rep Tony Stevens at (412) 225-0348 for more information. More information about Logan Dernoshek and the team can be found online at www.logandernoshek.com. 

The Lucas Oil 250 presented by Shelor Outdoor Motor Mile/Range Boats at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., will be broadcast on Speed Channel at 8pm ET on July 22 and at noon on July 23 in conjunction with the "Lunch at Hooters" promotion.