Green Wins Pepsi 300

 Lebanon, TN (April 12, 2003) ... It was just a matter of time. When Brewco Motorsports signed David Green to drive the #37 Timber Wolf Pontiac for the 2003 season, many observers felt as though this combination would win races and challenge for the Busch Series title. It only took eight races for their prediction to come true.

David Green made a dramatic last lap pass on Johnny Sauter Saturday afternoon to win the Pepsi 300 at the Nashville Superspeedway. It was the veteran’s first victory driving for Clarence Brewer Jr. and the Timber Wolf Racing Team. The win also highlighted Green’s return to racing in the Nashville area.

A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, David Green won many races at the old Nashville Speedway USA at the fairgrounds near downtown. He won in Late Model Stocks, ARCA, and the NASCAR Busch Series at the high-banked track, but was making only his second Busch Series start at the 1.33-mile Superspeedway near Lebanon, Tennessee. It will no doubt be a race he’ll never forget.

After posting the fastest speed during the two-hour practice session on Friday afternoon, Green would be the 15^th driver to make his qualifying run. Green toured the 1.33-mile track in 29.488 seconds or 162.727 mph to earn the seventh starting position for the 225-lap, 300-mile race. Green would also post a top-ten speed during “Happy Hour” on Friday evening.

A beautiful, sunny day greeted the competitors for the first Busch Series “stand-alone” race of the season. The previous seven events have all been in conjunction with the Winston Cup Series. Therefore, it was certain for a Busch Series regular to win their first race of the season at Nashville.

Early in the race, Green reported that his Timber Wolf Pontiac was “very good”. When the first caution waved on lap 24, Green took this opportunity to come to the pits for two right-side tires, fuel, and a minor chassis adjustment. Quick work by the crew enabled Green to restart second on lap 29. Green would run in the top four until lap 58 when he passed  Randy Lajoie to take the lead. It would mark the first of four times Green would lead during the afternoon.  Green swapped the lead with Lajoie for a lap, then took back the top spot from laps 60 through 65.

Just one lap after Bobby Hamilton Jr. passed Green for the lead, caution waved on lap 67. Green would pit for four tires, fuel, and additional chassis adjustments during this caution. Restarting fourth, Green would maintain that position until he pitted for gas only during a caution at lap 100. Green would restart fifth, but the four cars in front of him did not pit during this caution.

The Timber Wolf Pontiac was running second when Green came to pit road on lap 133. The crew would service Green with four new tires and a full load of fuel. With some drivers electing not to pit, Green would restart 14^th on lap 138. With heavy traffic to negotiate after the restart, Green methodically worked his way past one car after another as he raced toward the front. When he made his final pit stop of the day for fuel only on lap 202, Green was running second.

The final eighteen laps was a classic battle between four very determined competitors. Johnny Sauter, Ashton Lewis Jr., Mike Bliss, and Green slugged it out lap after lap. Green moved to third after a battle with Bliss that lasted several laps. Then, Green worked over Lewis for the second spot as the laps began to wind down.

With the white flag waving, Green made his move on leader Sauter as they entered turn one. Green slipped underneath Sauter exiting turn two and the two raced down the backstretch side-by-side. Green had the inside position and cleared Sauter through turns three and four to post his first victory since 1996 by only .282 seconds.

“It was pretty exciting out there,” Green commented about the final laps. “I don’t remember much about the last two or three laps. There was a lot of fire burning there at the end. My foot’s still hurting because I was mashing that gas pedal so hurt on the last lap. This is a big win for this team. I knew that this team was capable of winning races and challenging for the points crown. Now, people will take us seriously.”

His victory moved Green to third in the overall Busch Series points after eight races. Green trails leader Todd Bodine by 85 points, and is only seven points behind second-place Ron Hornaday Jr.. The win was Green’s third top-five and fourth top-ten finish of the young season.

The NASCAR Busch Series will not race next weekend, but will return to action at the California Speedway in Fontana, California on May 3^rd. Qualifying for the Busch Series will be held on Friday, May 2^nd at 4:30 p.m. ET. The 150-lap, 300-mile race is set for a 4 p.m. ET start on the 3^rd. FOX will televise the race live with MRN providing the radio coverage.