<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/Stanfield.jpg" alt="Stanfield" align="right"borders="0"/>
TOPEKA, Kan., May 28, 2008 - With eight of 24 races completed on the NHRA POWERade schedule, Pontiac's Greg Stanfield is off to his best start as a Pro Stock competitor. Already this year the Bossier City, La., resident has bagged a pair of runners-up, first at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas in April, and more recently two weeks ago at the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. Heading into this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, Stanfield is positioned in eighth place in the Pro Stock standings, but admittedly, he won't be satisfied until he can eventually lay claim to his first career victory in the factory hot rod category.
"We've qualified in the top half of the field in almost all the races we've attended, the car seems to be running really well and we're getting closer and closer to our first win," Stanfield said. "I think it's safe to say that it's been a pretty decent year so far for the Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP team.
"When you look at the people who race in NHRA Pro Stock, they're the best. You can say what you want to say, but these cars are so close and the drivers are so good that if you don't have Lady Luck on your side, you're not going to be there at the end of the day. I think it's great that the category is this good and this tight. It's great for the fans and also for the drivers - it puts everyone on their 'A' game. The day of one driver having everyone else covered by a large margin is over. If you can get qualified, which is scary in itself, then you have a chance."
The Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP driver has been knocking on the winner's circle door since joining the Pro Stock fray in 2002. With additional resources this year, and extra hands in the shop on race weekends, Stanfield feels good about his team's chances in 2008.
"At the beginning of the season we added a lot of new people to our program," Stanfield said. "We're now to the point where we're beginning to jell together as a unit and basically get on the same page. Our trackside crew has come together nicely. Tommy Lane and Mike Stryker are co-crew chiefs of the car, Larry Griffith, of course you know him as the guy who drives the truck and does the clutch, and my brother Mike does all the motor stuff. We also have some good guys in our shop now, and that's a crucial piece of the puzzle we didn't have last year. Chris Bennett, Clay Guess and Lee Latozke work on the motors, and Lefty Grice, who used to be with the NHRA Safety Safari, does all the fabrication."
The 42-year-old Stanfield is certainly no stranger to winning races. He was a four-time NHRA Super Stock champion (1990, 1992-94) before entering the Pro Stock Truck category for six events in 1999. Stanfield captured two national-event victories during his two-and-a-half year tenure in Pro Stock Truck and finished second in the points standings in 2001.
"I struggled a long time in Super Stock before I finally won one," Stanfield said. "Butch Leal always taught me that once you figure out how to win, the next one comes easier. I've won in every class I've raced in, Stock, Super Stock, Comp, Pro Stock Truck, and when we do win in Pro Stock, it's not going to change anything, but it will be nice for everyone on this team including the owners, Bart Price and Greg Hill - I'd like to win for those guys."
Coming into the 2008 season, Stanfield had advanced to four final-round appearances in Pro Stock; once in 2005 at Brainerd (Minn.), twice in 2006 at Atlanta and Reading (Pa.), and once in 2007 at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. Last year he slipped to 12th place in the final Pro Stock points standings after back-to-back top-10 finishes in 2005 (seventh place) and 2006 (eighth place). But additional raceshop manpower this season has also allowed the Attitude Apparel team to do some things that they weren't able to do in years past, and the results are beginning to show on the racetrack. During the first eight races of 2008, Stanfield's Pontiac GXP has qualified in the top half of the field six times and advanced to the finals twice.
"We test anywhere there's a race," Stanfield said. "We ran two days at Houston before the Bristol event and we tested at Chicago on our way to Topeka. Having guys at the shop allows us to do that. There's as much to be gained on the track as there is to be gained from the engine department. We didn't have that last year. I think we'll be a contender here real soon. We have a good group of guys and that's what I've always wanted."
As the series makes its transition to the long hot days of summer beginning with this weekend's national event at Heartland Park Topeka, only 10 races remain on the docket before the Countdown to One's final 10 spots are set at Indianapolis. Stanfield feels confident that his Attitude Apparel Pontiac team is ready to make that strong push to the Countdown's first cut at Indy.
"We're looking ahead, trying to qualify for every race and turn on the win light," Stanfield said. "The engine program is headed in the right direction but it will take time to get it established. It's exciting, though. We're building something here in Bossier City, and with a little more time we'll be contenders for the championship. The guys we have at the shop are enthusiastic and focused, and with us all pulling together, we're going to be successful. My goal initially was to stay in the top 10, and hopefully our hard work would eventually begin to pay off by Indy - maybe we could peak at the right time. Right now, we're solidly in the top 10, and if we can keep the wheels from falling off this wagon, we may have something for the rest of the pack down the stretch."
VIDEO - Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP team prepares for Sunday eliminator at Las Vegas; YouTube - Pontiac GXP/Greg Stanfield/ProStock/Las Vegas Pre-Race
GM RACING STATS & FACTS NHRA TOPEKA
* Dave Connolly gave Chevrolet its 150th NHRA Pro Stock victory with his win two weeks ago at Bristol Dragway (Tenn.)
* Of those 150 national-event victories for Chevrolet, Kurt Johnson has the most wins behind the wheel of a Chevy with 27, the late Lee Shepherd is second on the Chevy Pro Stock win list with 26, Dave Connolly and Jeg Coughlin Jr. are tied for third with 18 apiece and Bruce Allen is fifth with 12.
* Pontiac's most recent win in Pro Stock competition came at Atlanta on April 27 when Mike Edwards captured his first victory of the season in his new Pontiac GXP. It was Pontiac's 184th victory in NHRA Pro Stock competition. Greg Anderson has the most Pro Stock wins behind the wheel of a Pontiac with 51, Warren Johnson is next on the Pontiac Pro Stock wins list with 42, Jim Yates is third with 25 and Jason Line is fourth with 14.
* Greg Anderson is the defending Pro Stock event winner at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals. Anderson defeated Dave Connolly in an all-GM final round at last year's contest. Anderson was also No. 1 qualifier and set both ends of the HPT track record with a run of 6.682 seconds at 207.24 mph.
* Among all Pro Stock drivers (active or retired) Pontiac's Warren Johnson has the most wins at Heartland Park Topeka with five. Johnson is a two-time winner of the NHRA Summer Nationals (1992, 1998) and is a three-time winner of the discontinued fall event at Heartland Park (1993, 1995-96). Greg Anderson is a four-time winner of the NHRA Summer Nationals (2003, 2004-05, 2007) and Jim Yates is a two-time winner (1996-97). Dave Connolly won the race in 2006, Ron Krisher in 2001, Jeg Coughlin in 2000 and Mike Edwards in 1999.
* There have seven different Pro Stock winners in eight races this year and only Greg Anderson has been a repeat winner (Pomona, Houston). Other Pro Stock winners this year in GM-branded cars include Team Chevy's Jeg Coughlin (Gainesville), Pontiac's Jason Line (Las Vegas), Pontiac's Mike Edwards (Atlanta), Team Chevy's Kurt Johnson (St. Louis) and Team Chevy's Dave Connolly (Bristol).
* After eight of 24 races, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the Pro Stock standings. Greg Anderson (Pontiac) is in first place with 561 points, Jason Line (Pontiac) is second with 559 points, Kurt Johnson (Chevrolet) is third with 545 points and Jeg Coughlin (Chevrolet) is fourth with 530 points. Mike Edwards (Pontiac) is in seventh place with 443 points, Greg Stanfield (Pontiac) is in eighth place with 401 points, Warren Johnson (Pontiac) is in ninth place with 355 points and Ron Krisher (Chevrolet) is in 10th place with 327 points. Jim Yates (Pontiac) is in 12th with 247 points and Dave Connolly (Chevrolet) is 14th with 244 points.
* In Funny Car, there are five drivers in Chevy Impalas who occupy a spot in the top 10 of the POWERade points standings. Tim Wilkerson is in first place with 552 points, Cruz Pedregon is third with 477 points, Tony Pedregon is sixth with 404 points, Gary Densham is ninth with 356 points and Del Worsham is 10th with 338 points. Wilkerson has two wins this season (Las Vegas, St. Louis), Tony Pedregon has one win (Gainesville) and Del Worsham has one win (Houston).
* Tim Wilkerson's victory at St. Louis on May 4 was Chevrolet's 92nd all time in the NHRA Funny Car category.
The 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals on May 30 - June 1 at Heartland Park Topeka is the ninth race on the 24-event NHRA POWERade tour. There will be 150 minutes of qualifying coverage on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 31, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage on Sunday, June 1, starting at 11 a.m. and three hours of final eliminations will be telecast beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Pontiac's Greg Stanfield Looks To Capitalize on Strong Start to 2008 Season
TOPEKA, Kan., May 28, 2008 - With eight of 24 races completed on the NHRA POWERade schedule, Pontiac's Greg Stanfield is off to his best start as a Pro Stock competitor. Already this year the Bossier City, La., resident has bagged a pair of runners-up, first at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas in April, and more recently two weeks ago at the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. Heading into this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, Stanfield is positioned in eighth place in the Pro Stock standings, but admittedly, he won't be satisfied until he can eventually lay claim to his first career victory in the factory hot rod category.
"We've qualified in the top half of the field in almost all the races we've attended, the car seems to be running really well and we're getting closer and closer to our first win," Stanfield said. "I think it's safe to say that it's been a pretty decent year so far for the Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP team.
"When you look at the people who race in NHRA Pro Stock, they're the best. You can say what you want to say, but these cars are so close and the drivers are so good that if you don't have Lady Luck on your side, you're not going to be there at the end of the day. I think it's great that the category is this good and this tight. It's great for the fans and also for the drivers - it puts everyone on their 'A' game. The day of one driver having everyone else covered by a large margin is over. If you can get qualified, which is scary in itself, then you have a chance."
The Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP driver has been knocking on the winner's circle door since joining the Pro Stock fray in 2002. With additional resources this year, and extra hands in the shop on race weekends, Stanfield feels good about his team's chances in 2008.
"At the beginning of the season we added a lot of new people to our program," Stanfield said. "We're now to the point where we're beginning to jell together as a unit and basically get on the same page. Our trackside crew has come together nicely. Tommy Lane and Mike Stryker are co-crew chiefs of the car, Larry Griffith, of course you know him as the guy who drives the truck and does the clutch, and my brother Mike does all the motor stuff. We also have some good guys in our shop now, and that's a crucial piece of the puzzle we didn't have last year. Chris Bennett, Clay Guess and Lee Latozke work on the motors, and Lefty Grice, who used to be with the NHRA Safety Safari, does all the fabrication."
The 42-year-old Stanfield is certainly no stranger to winning races. He was a four-time NHRA Super Stock champion (1990, 1992-94) before entering the Pro Stock Truck category for six events in 1999. Stanfield captured two national-event victories during his two-and-a-half year tenure in Pro Stock Truck and finished second in the points standings in 2001.
"I struggled a long time in Super Stock before I finally won one," Stanfield said. "Butch Leal always taught me that once you figure out how to win, the next one comes easier. I've won in every class I've raced in, Stock, Super Stock, Comp, Pro Stock Truck, and when we do win in Pro Stock, it's not going to change anything, but it will be nice for everyone on this team including the owners, Bart Price and Greg Hill - I'd like to win for those guys."
Coming into the 2008 season, Stanfield had advanced to four final-round appearances in Pro Stock; once in 2005 at Brainerd (Minn.), twice in 2006 at Atlanta and Reading (Pa.), and once in 2007 at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. Last year he slipped to 12th place in the final Pro Stock points standings after back-to-back top-10 finishes in 2005 (seventh place) and 2006 (eighth place). But additional raceshop manpower this season has also allowed the Attitude Apparel team to do some things that they weren't able to do in years past, and the results are beginning to show on the racetrack. During the first eight races of 2008, Stanfield's Pontiac GXP has qualified in the top half of the field six times and advanced to the finals twice.
"We test anywhere there's a race," Stanfield said. "We ran two days at Houston before the Bristol event and we tested at Chicago on our way to Topeka. Having guys at the shop allows us to do that. There's as much to be gained on the track as there is to be gained from the engine department. We didn't have that last year. I think we'll be a contender here real soon. We have a good group of guys and that's what I've always wanted."
As the series makes its transition to the long hot days of summer beginning with this weekend's national event at Heartland Park Topeka, only 10 races remain on the docket before the Countdown to One's final 10 spots are set at Indianapolis. Stanfield feels confident that his Attitude Apparel Pontiac team is ready to make that strong push to the Countdown's first cut at Indy.
"We're looking ahead, trying to qualify for every race and turn on the win light," Stanfield said. "The engine program is headed in the right direction but it will take time to get it established. It's exciting, though. We're building something here in Bossier City, and with a little more time we'll be contenders for the championship. The guys we have at the shop are enthusiastic and focused, and with us all pulling together, we're going to be successful. My goal initially was to stay in the top 10, and hopefully our hard work would eventually begin to pay off by Indy - maybe we could peak at the right time. Right now, we're solidly in the top 10, and if we can keep the wheels from falling off this wagon, we may have something for the rest of the pack down the stretch."
VIDEO - Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP team prepares for Sunday eliminator at Las Vegas; YouTube - Pontiac GXP/Greg Stanfield/ProStock/Las Vegas Pre-Race
GM RACING STATS & FACTS NHRA TOPEKA
* Dave Connolly gave Chevrolet its 150th NHRA Pro Stock victory with his win two weeks ago at Bristol Dragway (Tenn.)
* Of those 150 national-event victories for Chevrolet, Kurt Johnson has the most wins behind the wheel of a Chevy with 27, the late Lee Shepherd is second on the Chevy Pro Stock win list with 26, Dave Connolly and Jeg Coughlin Jr. are tied for third with 18 apiece and Bruce Allen is fifth with 12.
* Pontiac's most recent win in Pro Stock competition came at Atlanta on April 27 when Mike Edwards captured his first victory of the season in his new Pontiac GXP. It was Pontiac's 184th victory in NHRA Pro Stock competition. Greg Anderson has the most Pro Stock wins behind the wheel of a Pontiac with 51, Warren Johnson is next on the Pontiac Pro Stock wins list with 42, Jim Yates is third with 25 and Jason Line is fourth with 14.
* Greg Anderson is the defending Pro Stock event winner at the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals. Anderson defeated Dave Connolly in an all-GM final round at last year's contest. Anderson was also No. 1 qualifier and set both ends of the HPT track record with a run of 6.682 seconds at 207.24 mph.
* Among all Pro Stock drivers (active or retired) Pontiac's Warren Johnson has the most wins at Heartland Park Topeka with five. Johnson is a two-time winner of the NHRA Summer Nationals (1992, 1998) and is a three-time winner of the discontinued fall event at Heartland Park (1993, 1995-96). Greg Anderson is a four-time winner of the NHRA Summer Nationals (2003, 2004-05, 2007) and Jim Yates is a two-time winner (1996-97). Dave Connolly won the race in 2006, Ron Krisher in 2001, Jeg Coughlin in 2000 and Mike Edwards in 1999.
* There have seven different Pro Stock winners in eight races this year and only Greg Anderson has been a repeat winner (Pomona, Houston). Other Pro Stock winners this year in GM-branded cars include Team Chevy's Jeg Coughlin (Gainesville), Pontiac's Jason Line (Las Vegas), Pontiac's Mike Edwards (Atlanta), Team Chevy's Kurt Johnson (St. Louis) and Team Chevy's Dave Connolly (Bristol).
* After eight of 24 races, eight drivers in GM-branded cars occupy a spot in the top 10 of the Pro Stock standings. Greg Anderson (Pontiac) is in first place with 561 points, Jason Line (Pontiac) is second with 559 points, Kurt Johnson (Chevrolet) is third with 545 points and Jeg Coughlin (Chevrolet) is fourth with 530 points. Mike Edwards (Pontiac) is in seventh place with 443 points, Greg Stanfield (Pontiac) is in eighth place with 401 points, Warren Johnson (Pontiac) is in ninth place with 355 points and Ron Krisher (Chevrolet) is in 10th place with 327 points. Jim Yates (Pontiac) is in 12th with 247 points and Dave Connolly (Chevrolet) is 14th with 244 points.
* In Funny Car, there are five drivers in Chevy Impalas who occupy a spot in the top 10 of the POWERade points standings. Tim Wilkerson is in first place with 552 points, Cruz Pedregon is third with 477 points, Tony Pedregon is sixth with 404 points, Gary Densham is ninth with 356 points and Del Worsham is 10th with 338 points. Wilkerson has two wins this season (Las Vegas, St. Louis), Tony Pedregon has one win (Gainesville) and Del Worsham has one win (Houston).
* Tim Wilkerson's victory at St. Louis on May 4 was Chevrolet's 92nd all time in the NHRA Funny Car category.
The 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals on May 30 - June 1 at Heartland Park Topeka is the ninth race on the 24-event NHRA POWERade tour. There will be 150 minutes of qualifying coverage on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 31, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. NHRA Race Day will kick off eliminator coverage on Sunday, June 1, starting at 11 a.m. and three hours of final eliminations will be telecast beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern.
