Can Anyone in Busch Hold Back Jeff Green?

Auto Racing Digest, Sept, 2000 by J.J. O'Malley

JEFF GREEN KNOWS VERY WELL that a strong start to the 2000 season doesn't necessarily mean he will win the NASCAR Busch Series championship. But the 37-year-old driver from Owensboro, Ky., has to be smiling, especially considering the dismal way he started the 1999 season.

After opening '99 with a second-place finish in the NAPA 300 at Daytona, the youngest of the Green brothers failed to qualify for Round 2 at Rockingham. Green spent the remainder of the season trying to dig himself out of that hole. Although he wound up having a career year--with three victories, four pole positions, and 15 top-five finishes--he was second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the points standings because of his misfortune early on.

Consider the lesson learned. In the opening 11 events of 2000, Green finished in the top five seven times, including a victory at Richmond. He also snagged three pole positions during that stretch. The strong started enabled him to build a 73-point lead on Todd Bodine and a 195-point edge on Randy LaJoie, a two-time Busch champion who entered this season as the favorite to capture the championship.

If Green can duplicate last season's success in the latter part of the schedule, he should be able to win the championship.

NASCAR Featherlite Modified

As Jeff Green battles for his first NASCAR title, he can empathize with veteran NASCAR Featherlite Modified campaigner Reggie Ruggiero, who has been a runner-up in the points standings an astounding six times.

Like Green, Ruggiero came charging out of the gates in 2000, winning a race at Richmond that put him solidly in the points lead. While a lot of racing remains, fans of this Northeast division know that Ruggiero is going to be tough to beat.

Pennzoil World of Outlaws

King Steve the 16th? After a brief decline, 15-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser is back in the mix, a favorite to capture this season's title.

In the opening 14 events of the campaign, he had three victories and 13 top-10 finishes. But despite those glittering statistics, Kinser hasn't been able to run away with the title; Danny Lasoski and two-time champion Mark Kinser remain threats to win it all.

In other Outlaws news, the series' new training ground--the Gumont Racing Series, which opened for business this year--has had strong fields and exciting racing. Paul McMahon is among the early favorites to win the title.

American Speed Association

In a year that has seen veterans dominate most of the racing series, the ASA has been the exception. Scott Wimmer, a rookie from Wisconsin, became the first ASA rookie since Kevin Cywinski in 1996 to win back-to-back races.

Defending champ Tim Sauter, Gary St. Amant, Mike Miller, Brandon Sperling, and Cywinski still are the front-runners to win the title, but Wimmer is trying to give them a run for their money. If not for his failure to qualify for the season opener in Lakeland, Fla., Wimmer would be right in the thick of things.

NHRA Pro Stock

Warren Johnson has been the king of the NHRA Pro Stock division, and his son Kurt is being groomed to succeed him. This year, though, Jeg Coughlin has been throwing a monkey wrench into the Johnson family plans. Coughlin's Firebird scored victories in six of the opening seven races, posting a 25-1 record in elimination competition. What's more, Coughlin isn't outnumbered in his battle with the Johnson clan; his brother Troy also is a regular Pro Stock contender.

AMA Supercross

The new decade already has crowned a champion: Jeremy McGrath in AMA Supercross. McGrath locked up the title at Joliet, Ill., and then scored his 70th Supercross victory at Las Vegas, denying David Vuillemin the chance to cash in $500,000. Vuillemin won the first two rounds of the Vans Triple Crown of Supercross, but then McGrath came on strong.