Among an expected large
contingent of drivers entered for the May 19 O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 presented
by STP at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids are Seven-time former ASA
National Champion Mike Eddy of Michigan and 1997 Pat Schauer Memorial Rookie of
the Year Steve Carlson of Wisconsin.
Eddy will drive a car owned by
Dan Weiland and will carry the Weiland Construction and Howe Racing Enterprises
logos. The familiar number 88, made
famous by Eddy during his highly successful ASA Racing career, will return to
one of the traditional color schemes, the brown and yellow look that he carried
through the mid-1980s.
Eddy is ASA’s all-time leader in
championships won, is second in career earnings list, second on the career
victories list and fifth on the career pole positions list with 34. Additionally, Eddy is the all-time leader in
laps led, with more than 18,000 in his ASA career. He is expected to compete in at least three events and as many as
eight races this season.
Carlson will run a limited
schedule in 2002 in a Don Fanetti-owned car, a team car to full-time competitor
Rick Beebe. “We have the car at my shop and we’re working on it,” Carlson said.
“There are seven shows within a three-hour drive of my race shop (in West
Salem, Wis.) and we thought it would be kind of fun to go race.
“We’re starting with Hawkeye
Downs because it is close to home and we run good at Iowa. I have a lot of wins
there in other series.”
Carlson has made limited starts
in ASA over the past couple of seasons. “With the engines and tires, things
have changed a lot. It was a pretty difficult series (ASA) with the bias-ply
tires and the V6s and it’s still a pretty difficult deal. I had my hands full
driving a John Brolick car last year. The competition is pretty tough and I
realize that going into it. We’re going to give it a shot though.”
The number 36 car will carry
Steve Carlson’s familiar colors and the Phillips 66 Trop-Arctic decals. Longtime sponsor Wilson Oil Co. of Red Wing
(MN) is backing this effort.
“Phillips has enjoyed our
sponsorship program success with Steve,” said Wilson Oil Co. President Mike
Wilson. “He has had success on the track and has done a very good job for
Phillips Trop-Arctic and Phillips Racing fuels.
Tentative plans call for Carlson
to compete with the team at both Iowa races and events in Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Missouri and Indiana totaling around nine.