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Robinson's delayed quest for the Cup returns

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2000

If all goes as planned, Shawna Robinson will make history next season.

The 35-year-old, in her first full season competing in the Automobile Racing Club of America series, is searching for a sponsor willing to help fund a car to run in five to seven Winston Cup races next season and full time in 2002.

Robinson would become the second female driver in the past 20 years to compete in a NASCAR race and the first since 1989, when Patty Moise drove in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

"The Winston Cup series is where I've always wanted to go and where my career has always been headed," Robinson said. "Frankly, we need the financial backing to make it possible."

Robinson, who took four years off before this season to help raise her two children, was seventh in the ARCA standings before Wednesday's event at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where she finished 13th.

"On the track, she and this team have the potential to be very successful," said Michael Kranefuss, who owns Robinson's ARCA team. "Everyone I have spoken with, whether they are affiliated directly with the team or not, feels Shawna Robinson and the team have the stuff it takes to make it in Winston Cup. Obviously, how much we can do is provided we find the funds it takes to get there."

SOFT WALLS: The UAW-GM Quality 500 on Sunday will be the first Winston Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway with encapsulated foam barriers lining the inside walls in Turns 2 and 4.

Track officials installed the barriers last month in the wake of the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin this year at New Hampshire International Speedway.

"With the speeds that Winston Cup race cars are running, to lose control and slam into a concrete wall is ridiculous," said Kenny Wallace, who drives the No. 55 Chevrolet. "Ten years from now, we're going to look back, laugh and say, "Do you remember when we used to crash into concrete walls?' "

NO MO: All eyes will be on Tony Stewart at the UAW-GM Quality 500. Stewart, who has won five races this season, comes in having won the series' past two events. He is 162 points behind fourth place Dale Jarrett in the standings but said he doesn't carry a lot of momentum from week to week.

"I think the guys probably do on the team, but for me, once I leave the race track, the race is over, the day is over," Stewart said. "We're definitely on a high note right now, but we know we have to go to Charlotte this week and start over. We start at square one with everybody on Wednesday."

This is Stewart's second year in Winston Cup. Two rookies have won races at Lowe's Motor Speesway this year, Matt Kenseth (Coca-Cola 600) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (The Winston).

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED: The Busch Grand National series schedule will grow by one race next season, to 33 events.

Added to the schedule are events at Nashville Superspeedway (April14), Kentucky Speedway (June16), Chicagoland Speedway (July14) and Kansas Speedway (Sept.29). All races will be shown live on either Fox Sports, FX, NBC or TBS.

PIT NOTES: Formula One points leader Michael Schumacher and second-place driver Mika Hakkinen have won the Japanese Grand Prix twice. ... Ryan Newman, a 22-year-old engineering student at Purdue and former United States Auto Club Silver Crown champion, broke the Lowe's Motor Speedway track record Monday during ARCA qualifying. Newman, driving a car owned by Roger Penske, recorded a 186.780 mph lap that was better than Earnhardt Jr.'s record pole-winning lap for the Coca-Cola 600 in May. ... NHRA Top Fuel driver David Grubnic has accumulated the most penalties (11) of any NHRA driver this season. Drivers who have not received oil penalties this season and are in the top 10 of their respective classes include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jerry Toliver (Funny Car) and Whit Bazemore (Funny Car).

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

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