NAPA 200 (Tucson)
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Tucson Raceway Park |
| Corporate sponsor | National Automotive Parts Association |
| First race | 1995 |
| Last race | 1997 |
| Distance | 75 miles (120.7 km) |
| Laps | 200 |
| Previous names | Racing Champions 200 (1995) NAPA 200 (1996–1997) |
The NAPA 200 is a former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series stock car race held from 1995 to 1997 at Tucson Raceway Park in Tucson, Arizona. Ron Hornaday, Jr. won the race twice, winning in 1995 and 1997, while Mike Skinner was victorious in 1996.
History
The inaugural 200-lap race, named Racing Champions 200, was held on April 8, 1995. The race was won by the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Ron Hornaday, Jr., who led the race three times to lead a total of 103 laps.[1] In 1996, NAPA claimed naming rights for the race, which was moved from April 8 to May 25. Mike Skinner won the race after leading the race from lap 127 to the finish. Rich Bickle led the first 126 laps, but finished second.[2][3] For 1997, NAPA continued their naming rights for the race,[4] which was moved to March 1. Hornaday, Jr. won the race for the second time in three years after passing Bickle with ten laps left in the race.[5][6] Before the race, he had been recovering from a spectator accident in January 1997 at Walt Disney World Speedway.[6] Following the race, Hornaday, Jr. commented, "That's what we needed to do. We had to retaliate from that 30th-place finish at the last race. We really needed this one today."[6] Following the 1997 season, the race was removed from the series' schedule.
Past winners
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||
| 1995[1] | April 8 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 203* | 76.125 (122.511) | 1:12:02 | 62.471 |
| 1996[2] | May 25 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 75 (120.7) | 1:19:40 | 56.485 |
| 1997[4] | March 1 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 75 (120.7) | 1:03:54 | 70.423 |
- 1995: Race extended to 203 laps because of a green–white–checker finish finish.
References
- ^ a b "1995 Racing Champions 200". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ a b "1996 NAPA 200". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "1996 Official Race Results : NAPA 200". NASCAR. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ a b "1997 NAPA 200". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "1997 Official Race Results : NAPA 200". NASCAR. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Methodical Hornaday overcomes Bickle for TRP win". Tucson Citizen. March 3, 1997. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
External links
- Tucson Raceway Park race results at Racing-Reference