Stefanik Caps Off Tough Week With Ninth Place Finish

Dover, DE (September 24, 2005): Mike Stefanik said the best part of the MBNA Racepoints 150 at Dover International Speedway was the moment he got to climb out of his No. 55 Burnham Hydronics Chevrolet for good. The eight-time NASCAR Champion battled an ill-handling car all race long, and survived to post a ninth-place finish. The performance keeps the driver in the championship hunt as the series prepares for the final two races of the season.

“I’ve never been so happy to shut the thing off and climb out the window. We basically brought a car that was so horrible to drive that we never could get any sort of balance out of it,” Stefanik said. “If the other competitors knew what I was dealing with, they never would have tried to pass me or get near me. My team never gave up, and I never gave up, but let me tell you, that was an ugly performance. The car was just evil.”

Stefanik was consistent all weekend long – posting the 17th fastest time in both practice sessions and backing it up with a qualifying effort of 144.933 mph (24.839 seconds) in qualifying to earn the 17th starting position.

From the drop of the green, the handling was off in the Burnham Hydronics Chevrolet. The team pitted for chassis adjustments as soon as the first caution waved, but the changes didn’t help. When caution waved again at lap 45, Stefanik was back on pit road. Again, the team made adjustments to no avail.

“The guys did the best they could during the race to keep me comfortable. If I tried to race anybody with any intensity I would have taken them out. It’s a horrible way to try and chase points at the end of the season,” Stefanik said.

Crew chief Jerry Babb made a critical points decision at lap 86 when the leaders all decided to pit for tires and fuel. Babb kept Stefanik out for a lap, which put him out front and earned the team five bonus points in their quest for the series title.

After leading a lap, Stefanik came down pit road for tires and fuel himself, and concentrated on staying out of trouble for the remainder of the race. When everything was done, Stefanik was able to capitalize on his misfortune with a ninth place finish.

“We realized during practice that it was going to be a long, long two days here at Dover. We put our best effort forward, but it’s a very tough racetrack to drive an uncooperative racecar. It didn’t respond to any adjustments and I was just glad when it was over.”