The Career Of Steve Fulton(Nascar Racing 2002 Season) 2nd Attempt

[sgf83]

Pontiac Excitement 400 at RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY™
Caution Flags: 3 (12 laps)
Lead Changes: 4 (2 drivers)
Weather: Clear, 85 °F, South 1 mph

1997 Pontiac Excitement 400 Race Results
POS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	START	LED	PTS	BONUS
1	Bobby Labonte	18	200	1	94	180	5
2	Rusty Wallace	2	200	3	106*	180	10
3	Terry Labonte	5	200	7	0	165	5
4	Bill Elliott	94	200	8	0	160	0
5	Ernie Irvan	28	200	15	0	155	0
6	Ted Musgrave	16	200	21	0	150	0
7	John Andretti	98	200	29	0	146	0
8	Jeff Burton	99	200	2	0	142	0
9	Jimmy Spencer	23	200	23	0	138	0
10	Ward Burton	22	200	19	0	134	0
11	Dale Jarrett	88	200	11	0	130	0
12	Mark Martin	6	200	6	0	127	0
13	Kyle Petty	44	200	10	0	124	0
14	Steve Grissom	41	200	17	0	121	0
15	Geoff Bodine	7	- 1L	18	0	118	0
16	Michael Waltrip	21	- 1L	9	0	115	0
17	Derrike Cope	36	- 1L	25	0	112	0
18	Sterling Marlin	4	- 1L	24	0	109	0
19	Darrell Waltrip	17	- 1L	27	0	106	0
20	Ricky Rudd	10	- 1L	20	0	103	0
21	Bobby Hamilton	43	- 1L	31	0	100	0
22	Dale Earnhardt	3	- 1L	5	0	97	0
23	Mike Skinner (R)	31	- 1L	28	0	94	0
24	Jeremy Mayfield	37	- 1L	14	0	91	0
25	Robert Pressley	29	- 1L	39	0	88	0
26	Rick Mast	75	- 1L	33	0	85	0
27	Jeff Gordon	24	- 1L	4	0	82	0
28	Chad Little	97	- 1L	35	0	79	0
29	Brett Bodine	11	- 1L	22	0	76	0
30	Johnny Benson	30	- 1L	16	0	73	0
31	Dave Marcis	71	- 1L	37	0	70	0
32	Joe Nemechek	42	- 1L	26	0	67	0
33	Robby Gordon (R)	40	- 2L	36	0	64	0
34	Morgan Shepherd	1	- 2L	38	0	61	0
35	Todd Bodine	35	- 2L	32	0	58	0
36	David Green (R)	96	- 2L	30	0	55	0
37	Kenny Wallace	81	- 2L	34	0	52	0
38	Ricky Craven	25	- 4L	13	0	49	0
39	Ken Schrader	33	DNF	12	0	46	0

DID NOT QUALIFY
8 | Hut Stricklin
9 | Lake Speed
15 | Larry Pearson (R)
77 | Bobby Hillin
83 | Steve Fulton (R)
90 | Dick Trickle

BOBBY LABONTE WINS AT RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series visited it's first short track of the season. Bobby Labonte won the pole and the race that was dominated by him and Rusty Wallace. Bobby was able to pull away late to get his first victory on the young season.

Mike Skinner was the top finishing rookie with his 23rd place finish while Ken Schrader was the only car in the garage area at the end. Next week the pace picks up again as we head to the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway where the test speeds were faster than Daytona and Talladega! Should be an interesting weekend of racing, see you there!

[sgf83]

NASCAR LIVE DRIVER Q&A

Eli Gold : Welcome to this episode of NASCAR Live. Tonight's guest is fresh off his win in the Pontiac Excitement 400 and he is the driver of the Joe Gibbs Pontiac, Mr. Bobby Labonte. Nice to get that win for Pontiac I bet?

Bobby Labonte : Yes, it's always good when you can get your brand a win in their sponsored event. The Pontiacs have come out fast this year, with us and Johnny each getting wins. We have been playing catch up to the Ford's and Chevy's for years so it's good to come out strong.

Eli Gold : Your brother won the title last year, is it your turn?

Bobby Labonte : Too early to tell, but we have the equipment to do it that's for sure. If we can stay on the good side of luck then we have as good a shot as anyone in the garage area.

Eli Gold : This weekend we are heading to Atlanta where you won last fall. Might we see back to back wins?

Bobby Labonte : Well, if we were going back to the same track I would be more optimistic but they reconfigured that place and we are all going in as rookies this weekend. We tested a little this winter there and I will say it is FAST. Should be interesting to see who gets the first win at the "new" Atlanta.

Eli Gold : You heard it here folks, you need to tune in this Sunday for the Primestar 500 at Atlanta. New configuration and lots of speed are on the menu. See you there, thanks for tuning in to NASCAR Live.

Driver: Bobby Labonte
Hometown: Corpus Christi, TX
Experience: 5th Season | 1991 Busch Series Champion
Team: 18 | Interstate Batteries | Pontiac | Joe Gibbs Racing

[sgf83]

FULTON MOTORSPORTS WEEKLY RECAP

Richmond, Virginia | Race 3/32

When we started practice we were dead last on speed. We were able to post a time good enough to get us into the race in practice. We just needed to execute in qualifying because there was no room for error and with no points to fall back on it's a pressure cooker.

My plan on qualifying is usually lay down a "safe" lap on the first lap to get heat in the tires and then put down the "money" lap on lap 2. It worked well in Rockingham because I was able to execute. I goofed at Richmond. I overdrove turn 1 and had no chance of getting back to the time needed and did not qualify.

Part of me wanted to restart the session but I'm riding this one out. Just know I should have been in that race. The next 3 races are at tracks I'm not too confident in Atlanta, Darlington and Texas so I was needing this race to get some points for us. We have some tracks this year where we can run good so we have to capitalize on those tracks. I feel Richmond was one of those but I messed up the lap.

[sgf83]

Primestar 500 at ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Caution Flags: 1 (4 laps)
Lead Changes: 7 (5 drivers)
Weather: Clear, 54 °F, North 2 mph

1997 Primestar 500 Race Results
POS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	START	LED	PTS	BONUS
1	Jeff Gordon	24	164	1	86*	185	10
2	Mark Martin	6	164	5	17	175	5
3	Dale Jarrett	88	164	3	57	170	5
4	Terry Labonte	5	164	2	0	160	0
5	Jeff Burton	99	164	7	0	155	0
6	Rusty Wallace	2	164	10	0	150	0
7	Ken Schrader	33	164	4	0	146	0
8	Ted Musgrave	16	164	9	2	147	5
9	Ricky Rudd	10	164	22	0	138	0
10	Michael Waltrip	21	164	21	0	134	0
11	Johnny Benson	30	164	20	0	130	0
12	Ricky Craven	25	164	19	0	127	0
13	Kyle Petty	44	164	8	0	124	0
14	Dale Earnhardt	3	164	11	0	121	0
15	Geoff Bodine	7	164	14	0	118	0
16	John Andretti	98	164	6	0	115	0
17	Derrike Cope	36	164	23	0	112	0
18	Bill Elliott	94	164	18	0	109	0
19	Mike Skinner (R)	31	164	29	0	106	0
20	Bobby Labonte	18	164	15	0	103	0
21	Ward Burton	22	164	24	0	100	0
22	Sterling Marlin	4	164	27	0	97	0
23	Jeremy Mayfield	37	164	12	0	94	0
24	Darrell Waltrip	17	- 1L	17	0	91	0
25	Ernie Irvan	13	- 1L	13	2	93	5
26	Morgan Shepherd	1	- 1L	33	0	85	0
27	Brett Bodine	11	- 1L	25	0	82	0
28	Hut Stricklin	8	- 1L	39	0	79	0
29	Larry Pearson (R)	15	- 1L	31	0	76	0
30	Kenny Wallace	81	- 1L	41	0	73	0
31	Chad Little	97	- 1L	36	0	70	0
32	Rick Mast	75	- 1L	32	0	67	0
33	Dick Trickle	90	- 1L	40	0	64	0
34	Bobby Hillin	77	- 1L	38	0	61	0
35	Todd Bodine	35	- 1L	34	0	58	0
36	Bobby Hamilton	43	- 1L	28	0	55	0
37	Dave Marcis	71	- 2L	37	0	52	0
38	Robby Gordon (R)	40	- 2L	42	0	49	0
39	Joe Nemechek	42	- 2L	30	0	46	0
40	Steve Grissom	41	- 2L	16	0	43	0
41	Robert Pressley	29	- 2L	35	0	40	0
42	Jimmy Spencer	23	- 2L	26	0	37	0

DID NOT QUALIFY
9 | Lake Speed
83 | Steve Fulton (R)
96 | David Green (R)

JEFF GORDON WINS AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Atlanta, GA | Race 4/32

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series rolled into Atlanta Motor Speedway with uncertain expectations with the new configuration. The fans were treated to great racing and blazing speeds. Jeff Gordon broke through after a rough start to the 1997 season edging out Mark Martin to claim the Primestar 500 trophy.

Mike Skinner was your top finishing rookie for the 3rd time in 4 races this season. He is really putting some distance on the rest of the rookie competition as the others are just struggling to make the races.

There were no DNF's this week as everyone's engine was able to handle the load of near 200 mph speeds on this 1.5 mile track. Next week we head down to Darlington, SC for the Transouth Financial 400 at the Track Too Tough To Tame.

[sgf83]

NASCAR LIVE DRIVER Q&A

Eli Gold: Good evening everyone, welcome to the show. Tonight we have Atlanta winner Jeff Gordon here to talk about his win. Jeff, it's been a rough start to the year. How does it feel to get that first win?

Jeff Gordon: Yeah Eli, we have really struggled this year with just some bad luck. Finally Sunday we were able to actually get the finish we deserved for having the best car. I feel like we had Rockingham won but just got caught a lap down and couldn't ever recover.

Eli Gold: You won the title in 1995 and were runner up last year. You were the pick to win the title coming into this year. Has the rough start affected your team?

Jeff Gordon: If you have to have bad luck you want it in February and not October. We have dug ourselves a hole this year but I am confident we can pull out of it. It's never fun playing catchup but we have the best team in that garage and we will keep our nose to the grindstone.

Eli Gold: Most of the fans have been booing you the last year or so. They seem to be enjoying your struggles in 1997.

Jeff Gordon: As long as they are making noise I'm doing something right. I hope they like the sight of the rainbow because they are going to see a lot of it this year!

Eli Gold: Alright folks! Jeff said he hears you and enjoys you no matter if you cheer or boo. Keep an eye out for him in Darlington as he always runs good there. See you next time!

Driver: Jeff Gordon
Hometown: Vallejo, CA
Experience: 5th Season | 1995 Champion
Team: 24 | Dupont | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports

[sgf83]

#83 FULTON MOTORSPORTS WEEKLY RECAP

Atlanta, Georgia | Race 4/32

It was going to be tough making the show in Atlanta. My best setup could only put us 41st in the practice session. Good enough to get in but we were loose getting into the turns so we had little room for error. Kind of a theme for this year not having any room for mistakes.

Well, we ran a decent lap this time the speed just wasn't there and the computer drivers ran quicker than they practiced so we missed the show for the 2nd straight week. It's no fun watching, but I feared Atlanta and Texas would be tough for us. Darlington is a track I think I can qualify for but not confident in the race. After that is Bristol and I have it circled as a "good" track so I'm looking forward to that.

[GravesFan9]

Haven't watched NASCAR since the early 00s, but I was a big fan right during this mid/late 90s period. This is like a fun trip down memory lane! Good stuff. I miss all these guys. Love seeing the pics, too. I'll always associate those sponsors with these particular drivers.

[sgf83]

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Standings - Updated: Mar 10, 1997
RK	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND	WINS	POLES	TOP 5	TOP 10
1	Rusty Wallace	637	--	0	0	2	4
2	Jeff Burton	589	48	0	0	2	3
3	Ricky Rudd	551	86	1	0	1	2
4	Mark Martin	539	98	0	1	1	2
5	Michael Waltrip	536	101	0	0	1	2
6	Ted Musgrave	521	116	0	0	0	2
7	Bobby Labonte	520	117	1	1	1	2
8	Ernie Irvan	512	125	0	0	2	2
9	Terry Labonte	508	129	0	0	2	2
10	Dale Jarrett	506	131	0	0	2	2
11	Bill Elliott	497	140	0	0	1	2
12	Derrike Cope	490	147	0	0	0	1
13	Jeff Gordon	488	149	1	2	1	2
14	Johnny Benson	484	153	1	0	1	1
15	Dale Earnhardt	481	156	0	0	1	1
16	Sterling Marlin	461	176	0	0	0	0
17	Kyle Petty	451	186	0	0	0	0
18	Jimmy Spencer	443	194	0	0	0	2
19	John Andretti	437	200	0	0	0	1
20	Ricky Craven	406	231	0	0	0	1
21	Bobby Hamilton	402	235	0	0	0	1
22	Ward Burton	389	248	0	0	0	1
23	Rick Mast	387	250	0	0	1	1
24	Ken Schrader	383	254	0	0	0	1
25	Geoff Bodine	378	259	0	0	0	1
26	Brett Bodine	376	261	0	0	0	0
27	Robert Pressley	370	267	0	0	0	1
28	Chad Little	367	270	0	0	1	1
29	Steve Grissom	367	270	0	0	0	0
30	Mike Skinner (R)	361	276	0	0	0	0
31	Jeremy Mayfield	339	298	0	0	0	0
32	Darrell Waltrip	330	307	0	0	0	0
33	Joe Nemechek	280	357	0	0	0	0
34	Robby Gordon (R)	264	373	0	0	0	0
35	Morgan Shepherd	246	391	0	0	0	0
36	Dave Marcis	246	391	0	0	0	0
37	Kenny Wallace	214	423	0	0	0	0
38	Larry Pearson (R)	213	424	0	0	0	0
39	Dick Trickle	204	433	0	0	0	0
40	Todd Bodine	171	466	0	0	0	0
41	Bobby Hillin	165	472	0	0	0	0
42	Lake Speed	142	495	0	0	0	0
43	David Green (R)	135	502	0	0	0	0
44	Steve Fulton (R)	91	546	0	0	0	0
45	Hut Stricklin	79	558	0	0	0	0