NASHVILLE SPEEDWAY USA STILL PRODUCING TALENT

Looking over the qualifying results for the Dover
MBNA Gold 200 today, I see Nashville
Speedway USA is well represented. With drivers who ran there in the
Late Model Stock Car Division to drivers with starts in the NASCAR Slim
Jim All Pro Series, I daresay Nashville Speedway USA is probably the most
well-represented track in the field.

Three drivers combine for a whopping 89 wins and
five Track Championships. Chad Chaffin (2 titles, 39 wins), Jeff Green (1
title, 23 wins), and Bobby Hamilton (2 titles, 27 wins) all cut their
teeth at the .596 mile high banked oval.

Casey Atwood, Mark Green, and Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
all ran the weekly Winston Racing Series program. Atwood grabbed the
Rookie of the Year in 1997, and notched three wins in 1997. Two other
drivers ran selected Late Model events at the track: Adam Petty and Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. In his first ever Late Model start, "Little E"
grabbed an impressive third place finish. Adam Petty only ran in a couple
of 200 lap events, but he showed the local guys that pitting for tires was
optional. He finished 2nd in his first 200-lapper without pitting.

But even more impressive is the list of drivers
who’ve competed in the most prestigious short track event of all, the All
American 400. Sixteen drivers in Saturday’s race have at least one start
in the 400, with Dick Trickle leading the pack with a total of 12 starts.
Jeff Purvis only has 8 starts, and is the only driver to have won the All
American 400 three times.

The drivers in the field (or who attempted to make
the field) with All American starts are:

Going through a list of drivers who have competed in
the All American 400 reads like a list of Who’s Who in Racing. You see
names like Jody Ridley, Bob Senneker, Rick Crawford, Butch Miller, Darrell
Waltrip, Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Sterling Marlin, Tim Steele, Ron
Barfield, Jr., Jay Sauter, Wayne Anderson, Rick Carelli, Ricky Craven, Joe
Ruttman, Bobby Allison, Casey Elliott, Jeremy Mayfield, Clifford Allison,
Bill Elliott, Tim Sauter, Joe Nemechek, Mike Wallace, Morgan Shepherd,
Davey Allison, Tim Richmond, Harry Gant, Donnie Allison, Ernie Irvan, Kyle
Petty, and Matt Hutter are just a few of the drivers who’ve tried their
hand at this event. It’s no wonder they call this the Greatest Short Track
Race in America.

The 19th running of this 400-lap event will be run
for the first time ever under the lights. The October 2 race will be tape
delayed by TNN and shown at 3:00 PM (ET) on Sunday, October 3.

Do yourself a favor: tape the Martinsville Cup race
next weekend and watch the All American 400. If it’s anything like the
last three events, you’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole race.