NASCAR influence at jennerstown hooters procup race

JENNERSTOWN, PA (May 19, 2005) …. Jimmy Spencer, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are coming to Jennerstown Speedway May 28 for the United Speed Alliance Racing (USAR) Hooters ProCup North event.

Not as drivers, though. The four NASCAR Nextel Cup stars are registered car owners in the USAR series, and their teams have filed entries for this Saturday’s Naturally Fresh 250 at the Somerset County half-mile paved oval. Spencer and Wallace provide cars for their sons, Jimmy and Steve, while Stewart and Earnhardt have hired Shelby Howard and Mark McFarland to handle their driving chores.

The younger Wallace has made a name for himself on the Southern short-tracks over the past few seasons, and captured the prestigious Snow Ball Derby late model classic at Pensacola, Florida this past December.

Both Howard and McFarland are attempting to resurrect their careers after competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and BUSCH Series’ last season. Howard, a former winner on the ARCA Re/Max tour, was a member of the Bill Davis Toyota truck program in 2004. McFarland, a Winchester, VA native, was the 2003 National NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series champion, and has made several starts in both of NASCAR’s junior circuits.

The reason for competing in the USAR series is obvious for the Spencer and Wallace teams, as both youngsters are attempting to gain the needed experience to make the transition to the NASCAR ranks.

For Stewart and Earnhardt Jr the goal for running Hooters ProCup is a little different. “The Hooters deal is a way for us to have some fun,” said Earnhardt. “A bunch of us actually built a street stock to race at a local North Carolina track a couple of years ago. One thing led to another and the deal evolved into a Hooters Cup team with Mark (McFarland) driving.”

Stewart is known for helping friends and young drivers achieve their racing goals. In addition to his Hooters team, Stewart also fields cars in the United States Auto Club and World of Outlaw sprint car ranks.

Are Hooters ProCup teams fearful of the NASCAR influence and the influx of big names and big money into the series?

“It’s not really a big deal,” said Benny Gordon, the defending Hooters ProCup North champion. “Many of the USAR teams are based in the Carolina’s, and most of the top drivers have access to Nextel Cup technology. The teams with NASCAR affiliation have been fast, but they haven’t won a race yet.

“Having the NASCAR teams racing in USAR is a positive. It brings more recognition to our series,” he added. “I think you will begin to see even more NASCAR teams use the Hooters ProCup tour for driver development programs. The cars are very similar to Cup and Busch machines, and the USAR series permits 15 and 16-year-olds to race.”

Spectator gates for the Naturally Fresh 250 will open at 2:00 PM, with qualifying set to begin at 4:30. Following an on-track autograph session at 5:45, the feature event will commence at 7:00 PM. The Jennerstown Hooters ProCup event will be nationally televised on the SPEED Channel cable network. The contest will be shown tape delayed on Saturday June 4 at 10:00 PM. 

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