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Female driver targets six Winston Cup races this season

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 15, 2001

Backed by a proven car owner and with support from her family, Shawna Robinson is making her move.

The 36-year-old driver and car owner Michael Kranefuss unveiled plans Wednesday to enter six Winston Cup events this season, which would make Robinson the first female driver in nearly 20 years to compete in more than one Winston Cup race during a season.

"Shawna is legitimate as a driver," said Kranefuss, who sold his 50 percent stake in Penske-Kranefuss Racing in October. "She deserves the chance."

Robinson competed full time in the ARCA series last season and will drive three Busch Grand National races for Michael Waltrip this season. In Winston Cup, she will attempt to qualify for races April 29 at California Speedway, June 10 at Michigan, July 15 at Chicago, Aug. 5 at Indianapolis, Sept. 30 at Kansas City, Kan., and Nov. 11 at Homestead.

"I can guarantee you there is no woman out there who has been as focused as I have been in Winston Cup or NASCAR circle-track racing," said Robinson, a mother of two who is married to Jeff Clark, a crewman for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s race team. "It takes a lot to get these kind of opportunities."

MK Racing will field Fords powered by Robert Yates engines. No sponsor has been signed.

"I don't think it's a publicity stunt, although I have to admit we deliberately picked bigger markets," Kranefuss said.

Robinson would become the first female driver in 12 years to qualify for a Winston Cup event. Patty Moise last did it in 1989 at Talladega. Robin McCall, in 1982, was the last to start two or more races and Janet Guthrie was the last female to finish a Winston Cup race, doing so in 1980 at Pocono.

WHAT'S WRONG: Touted as a championship contender before this Winston Cup season started, Jeff Burton could not have envisioned a worse start.

He is 38th in the standings.

"It hasn't gone according to plan, but it isn't from a lack of effort and it isn't from the fact that we have a poor team," said Burton, who hasn't finished lower than fifth the past four seasons. "I don't know, we hope we're getting it out of the way early."

What has happened?

He finished 19th at Daytona, 37th after a crash at Rockingham, 39th after another crash at Las Vegas and 30th on Sunday at Atlanta. Burton has two wins in the past two seasons at Darlington, site of this weekend's race.

"We just kind of look at it as kind of a test," Burton said. "We're being tested and somebody has decided to make it hard for us and we've made it harder for ourselves. How we come out of this will determine what type of team we are."

INDY OPENER: The Indy Racing League's expanded schedule doesn't compare with the marathon Winston Cup teams must endure this season. But going from nine to 13 races still will be an adjustment.

"Certainly, having 13 races versus nine, just about everybody is going to have a bad weekend or two," said Greg Ray, the 1999 series champion. "Between being so competitive and having so many new tracks and the equipment being stressed to the max, you're going to have some problems."

Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Gateway International Raceway and Nashville Speedway all gained or replaced existing events.

The series' first race is the Pennzoil Copper World 200 Sunday at Phoenix.

ODDS AND ENDS: After a three-year absence, NHRA Pro Stock Bike driver Stephanie Reaves will return this season on a Suzuki GSX-R owned by Brian DeLong. ... Sunday at Darlington Raceway, Ricky Rudd will become the fifth driver in Winston Cup history to start 700 career races. He will join Richard Petty (1,177 races), Dave Marcis (878), Darrell Waltrip (809) and Bobby Allison (717).

- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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