August 29, 2004

RACKS UP THREE TOP-10 FINISHES IN USAC TRIPLEHEADER;
HINES TAKES USAC SPRINT FEATURE AT NAZARETH

Nazareth, Penn. Tracy Hines made the long trip from Bristol, Tennessee to Nazareth, Pennsylvania on Thursday for a USAC tripleheader, and the long hours heading down the highway paid off for the NASCAR Truck Series rookie of the year contender. Hines drove the Dynamics, Inc. No. 69 Kroger-Pringles-Tide-Bounty Beast/Gaerte to victory in the 30-mile USAC Valvoline National Sprint Car Series feature on the tricky, five-turn one-mile Nazareth oval. Hines finished 10th in the companion USAC National Midget Car Series feature on Saturday, and closed the weekend with a seventh-place finish in the 100-mile USAC Silver Crown Series feature on Sunday.

"We just made plans to get back in the Hoffman sprinter earlier this week for some of the dirt races later in the year," Hines said. "I think the run we had here at Nazareth is some sort of sign telling us that is a good call. We work so well together. The car was just on rails the whole race. I knew Dave (Steele) was going to try to make a move on those last couple of restarts, but we were pretty strong. He made that dive-bomb move going into turn one just like he did in the Midget race earlier, but we just had too much for him. I knew he was going to be aggressive on that restart, and he knew I was going to be, too."

The win was Hines' 29th in USAC Sprint car competition, and the 59th for the Hoffman family, who have been involved in sprint car racing continuously over the course of six decades.

Hines finished 10th in the Wilke Pak No. 11 Mopar/Beast in Saturday's USAC Midget feature, although he was sidelined just short of the finish with mechanical problems.

"The air horns and the air cleaner came off, twice," Hines said. "Since they come up through the engine cover, when they come off, it can be a safety issue. USAC had to black flag us, but it was rough because we were running third at the time. But that's racing."

On Sunday, he took the No. 37 Indiana Underground Construction machine to a strong seventh-place finish. Hines said abnormal growth in tire stagger slowed his efforts in the Silver Crown car, costing him a potential top-5 finish.

"The Indiana Underground Construction car felt really good in morning warm up; it was really strong, but for some reason the stagger grew on us," Hines said. "We rely on the stagger quite a bit, and it grew by fifty percent, a lot more than we anticipated. When that happens, there's really nothing you can do mechanically with the adjustmenets that you have inside the car to fix it."

With the weekend marking the final professional racing weekend at the unique Nazareth oval, Hines commented on the track and the challenge it takes to succeed there.

"I really wish we were coming back here some more," he said. "This is one of those places that really challenge every part of your team. The driver has to be up on the wheel and the team has to give the driver a car that can work well in various conditions. You have three totally unique corners and three different straightaways. When you win here, you have to have the total package. As a driver, you always like to win on the tracks that challenge you the most, and this one was definitely a challenge. I'll miss coming here, that's for sure."

With the Labor Day weekend an off-week for the NASCAR Truck Series, Hines will take advantage of the down time and run two more USAC events. On Saturday, September 4, he will pilot the Hoffman sprinter in the USAC Sprint car event at the Terre Haute Action Track in Indiana. The following day, he will head over to DuQuoin, Illinois for a 100-mile race in the Indiana Underground Silver Crown car.

Hines and the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards team will return to NASCAR Truck Series action on September 9 at Richmond International Raceway. The 200-lap race will be televised live on Speed Channel and broadcast on select radio affiliates of the Motor Racing Network. It can also be heard on NASCAR Radio 144 on XM Satellite Radio.

August 28, 2004

HINES 21ST AT BRISTOL; NAZARETH NEXT

Bristol, Tenn. Tracy Hines finished 21st in Wednesday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway after trouble on a mid-race pit stop brought him back down pit road as the field came to the green for a restart. The unscheduled stop pinned the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet two laps down and forced him to play catch-up the rest of the night.

"We actually had a pretty good truck," Hines said. "But Bristol is all about track position. We were back there racing in that big pack when the leaders were out running by themselves. Unfortunately, we had a lugnut slip off on our stop and we had to come down pit road again to get it back on. That cost us a couple of laps, which is really unfortunate, because the adjustments the guys made on the stop made the truck come around a little more. Once we came out, we ran with the leaders the rest of the night. In one sense you are very discouraged you come out with a bad finish, but on the other, I think we all have to be happy with the performance of the truck."

Hines also addressed the teamwork aspect of auto racing in regards to the pit stop problems.

"This is a team sport," he said. "When the driver makes mistakes, the guys have to live with it. The guys have given me pretty good stops all season long. It doesn't do us any good to sit and point fingers when something like that happens. We succeed as a team, and when we have a bad day like that, we struggle as a team."

Hines departed the speedway as soon as the race was over to make the trek to the Nazareth Speedway where he will run in all three USAC open wheel features this weekend. He has qualified fastest for the USAC Sprint car feature and third for the USAC Midget feature, which will run on Saturday afternoon, with qualifying set for the USAC Silver Crown cars set for Saturday as well.

"We have a real good chance to come away from there with a win or two," Hines said. "We had a problem with the Silver Crown car at Indy last month and had to go to our backup car. But the Sprint and Midget programs are real strong now. We'll be strong in all three divisions, and I have a good feeling about it."

The ThorSport Racing team will return to action on September 9 at Richmond International Raceway. The 200-lap race will televised live on Speed Channel and broadcast on select radio affiliates of the Motor Racing Network. It can also be heard on NASCAR Radio 144 on XM Satellite Radio. Check your local listings for broadcast starting times.

August 7, 2004

MIZE NAMED MANSFIELD GENERAL MANAGER

MANSFIELD, Ohio - Mansfield Motorsports Speedway owner Michael Dzurilla announced Chris Mize has been named the track's General Manager, effective immediately. Mize succeeds Jerry Smith, who resigned Monday, August 2.

"I'm confident that Chris Mize, working with the team of hard-working and talented people that we have in place, will help us continue the growth and development of the Mansfield Motorsports Speedway," Dzurilla said. "Chris has shown himself to be an invaluable asset to the track project since 1999."

Mize, 36, is a native of Clyde, Ohio. Prior to joining the MMS staff, he worked in various capacities at Attica Raceway Park, Fremont Speedway, Sandusky Speedway and Toledo Speedway. He has been instrumental in growing the track's new 305 Sprint car division, and now oversees all facets of the track's weekly racing operations.

Mansfield Motorsports Speedway continues with its weekly racing program for the remainder of the 2004 season. Highlights include the ISMA Supermodified Nationals in August 13 and 14, the speedway's two-day Cavalcade on August 28 and 29, the HOSS 410 Sprint car Championship on September 11, and the USAR Hooter's Pro Cup Series Championship Series event rounds out the season on October 9.

Mize and the MMS staff are already in the planning stages for the return of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scheduled for May 14 and 15, 2005.

For complete 2004 schedule and ticket information, please visit www.mansfield-speedway.com or call the MMS office Monday through Friday between 9 A.M and 5 P.M Eastern at (419) 524-0183.