SPARTA,
Ky. (August 11, 2002) - Rayovac Blair Racing driver Alex Barron of
San Diego, Calif. finished ninth today.
Entering the twelfth race of the season fifth in the drivers'
championship standings, Blair Racing and its driver, Barron, looked
to continue its consistent stretch of top-ten finishes. The Kentucky
countryside was hot, humid and sunny today with the grandstands
almost filled to capacity. This was the first visit to the 1.5-mile,
tri-oval track for Barron and the Blair team. Barron started 16th
for 200 lap event in the 25 car field. The Rayovac driver charged at
the start, passing six cars moving into tenth. Barron had made a
comment earlier in the weekend that pit stops were key today - and
they were. The Blair pit crew moved up positions on every pit stop
today; they were all smooth and flawless. The 300 mile event
thrilled the crowd with close racing action. Barron and the
Chevrolet/Dallara was powerful, passing cars on every restart.
Today's 9th place finish gives the Indianapolis based team nine
top-ten finishes with Barron remaining fifth in the drivers
standings.
"It was a long race today," said Barron. "We
worked hard all weekend on the set up and we did not have it exact
for qualifying. We made some changes today for the race and moved up
at the start, in the pits and on the restarts. I knew that to move
ahead we had to be good in the pits and the guys did a great job on
all of the stops. We're still 5th in points with three races left;
the remaining races are very critical to the championship. We stayed
in fifth, but what really counted today and will count is where the
drivers' in front of us finish. We have to stay focused on the
remaining races."
The series continues August 25; at Gateway International Raceway.
The 1.25 mile, oval is located only five minutes from downtown St.
Louis. The race airs live on ESPN at 3:00 p.m. (EDT). The thirteenth
race of the season will also air live on the IMS Radio Network. The
IRL's official website can help you locate a radio station near you;
it also has live timing and scoring at www.indyracing.com.
Powerful facts about Rayovac: Rayovac is one of the world's
leading battery and lighting device companies. Rayovac also markets
the number-one selling rechargeable brand of battery in the U.S.
with nearly a 70 percent share. In addition, the company is the
world leader in hearing aid batteries with a 60 percent worldwide
share. Rayovac trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ROV
symbol. Rayovac markets a variety of batteries including alkaline
and heavy duty batteries; lithium coin cells; zinc air hearing aid
batteries; and rechargeable alkaline and nickel metal hydride (NiMH)
batteries and chargers. The company also markets a broad line of
battery-operated flashlights and lanterns. More information about
Rayovac can be found at www.rayovac.com.
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