Sutton Comes from Behind to Secure an Impressive Finish at Daytona

February 9, 2002

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Kelly Sutton could barely contain her excitement. As she took her final lap, her screams of "I did it! I did it! I finished Daytona!" echoed through the radios.

Her excitement was to be expected. The MAG-KLIP Rookie of the Year contender finished 11th in the Daytona USA 150, the first race of the season in the Goody’s Dash Series, NASCAR Touring Division. Sutton’s finish was especially impressive given her 34th starting position and the loss of nine cars to accidents or car trouble throughout the 62-lap race.

"I’m on top of the world," an eager Sutton said. "I have always considered Daytona the ‘Superbowl of racing’ and to come out here and do so well truly kicks off our 2002 season and Rookie of the Year bid."

Sutton quickly worked her 02 Pontiac Sunfire into the Top 15 within the first few laps of the race. The Team COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) driver was often positioned as much as three-cars-wide on the track, narrowly dodging a spinout by three cars on lap 21. By lap 48, Sutton was leading the pack in the seventh position when she and most of the leaders chose to make their gas-and-go stop. She lost precious time in the pits, causing her to drop back several spots. But Sutton retaliated in the last laps to capture the 11th spot — her best finish ever at the famous racetrack.

Sutton entered 2002 with key new team members — most notably, Barry Owen, the former crew chief of 2001 series champion, Cam Strader. Owen was among those on the headset with Sutton throughout the Daytona race, guiding her through the three yellow caution flags.

"This race reinforced the entire team’s confidence," Owen said. "Kelly really hung in there during some tight spots and proved she could drive with the best. We’re looking forward to the next race and doing even better as a team."

Robert Huffman took home the top honors at the race, snagging back-to-back wins at DIS. (Huffman also won at the Dash Series race in July 2001.) In the "Rookie of the Year" bid, Sutton placed third out of the five contenders. Brandon Ward and Brian Loftin placed 7th and 9th overall, respectively.

Sutton returned to Maryland to prepare for the April 6 race in Hardeeville, S.C.

COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

To follow Sutton throughout the season, logon to www.kellygirlsutton.com.

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