Carolina Proves Challenging, But Sutton, Team Look Ahead

July 13, 2002

GREENVILLE, S.C. — On an evening where only 12 of 27 drivers completed the Kevin Whitaker 100 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, Kelly Sutton and Team COPAXONE^® (glatiramer acetate injection) found themselves among the unfortunate on Saturday. The highly anticipated Goody's Dash Series event ended with an early exit for Sutton on Lap 61 after a collision with #17, Mike Watts, and #66, Dean Combs, knocking all three competitors out of commission.

After Sutton qualified at a season-best sixth position, her spirits were high as the drivers started their engines. Using the race to try and remedy some recent bad luck, Sutton looked to improve her South Carolina record. Fresh in the driver's mind was a similar crash-plagued affair at the Hardeeville Motor Speedway in April. But the race at Greenville-Pickens proved just as difficult.

"Coming off a great Top Ten finish at Memphis, we knew the car was in tremendous shape for the race. It hadn't felt this good all season," said Sutton. "We were anxious to get out there and improve on our excellent position. Unfortunately, there were a couple of incidents, along with the intense competition, that made it really difficult to achieve that goal. We need to stay in the right frame of mind and keep our focus."

The race resulted in accidents for four drivers, including Sutton, who overcame an early spin while attempting a low pass on Watts. Sutton finished 18th as Watts took 20th.

Sutton and team hope to return to old form when they head to the Southern National Speedway on July 27.

A spectacular, flag-to-flag first-place finish by Jake Hobgood helped to increase his overall series points lead. Rounding out the top five were Robert Huffman, Cam Strader, Zach Brewer, and Justin Hobgood.

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

For More Information Contact:

Jennifer Westphal
Fleishman-Hillard
816.512.2241
[email protected]

Emily Dahlbeck
816.512.2355
Fleishman-Hillard
[email protected]

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