Denver, NC. 03/27/00  You could hardly tell it was a race car anymore, but the Coyne Textile Services Chevrolet made it to the finish of Saturday’s race at Bristol , Tennessee in 20^th place. After being involved in three major wrecks, Mike Stefanik was able to keep the #90 rolling with the help of his dedicated crew.

It looked like disaster for the CTS Team early on with Mike caught up in the first incident of the day on only lap two. The crew’s hearts sank when they didn’t see their car come around right away. The car finally came around with the right quarter panel and rear bumper torn off. The crew sprang into action and got ready to make repairs during the first pit stop. Fuel was put in and the sheet metal was beaten back out and taped up. Mike went back on the track in 39^th position.

The car was handling ok after the wreck and Mike Stefanik got back down to the business of racing. Car Owner Fred Maggio was also on the radio to guide Mike around the track and add encouragement. The CTS Chevrolet was on the move again and passing cars through the tight field. Then another wreck on lap 22 happened directly in front of Mike. The #77 car slammed on its brakes and Mike ran into the back of that car and smashed the front of the CTS Chevrolet. Mike brought the car in for repairs and new tires. He came back out in 34^th position. After a few laps, Mike reported the car seemed to handle ok but was running hot and the engine was starting to lose some power. Crew Chief Corrie Stott advised him to keep on going and do the best he could but keep an eye on the temperature.

As the race went on, the CTS Chevrolet began to pick up some more positions and moved up to 22^nd position. Then the third wreck of the day happened on lap 43 that sent cars spinning through turn two. Trying to avoid the wreck, Mike put the car sideways. The CTS Chevrolet hit its right side into the #77 car and then got hit in the left side by the #27 car. The car spun down the backstretch in front of the CTS Team’s pit and the crew again prepared for damage control. The car came in for a pit stop with the whole left side caved in and damage to the front of the car. The crew pulled the sheet metal back out, changed tires and added fuel. Mike came back out in 26th position. By the end of the day the CTS Team found themselves battling to get in the top 20. There was still a lot of racing to do and Mike Stefanik continued on with the battered #90 car. He managed to avoid the other seven wrecks of the day and keep on racing. The team’s persistence paid off and they got their 20^th place finish.

Coyne Textile Services is the largest independently owned industrial laundry operation in the United States, with 44 locations serving nearly 50,000 customers in 26 states including the District of Columbia. CTS processes more than one million work garments, seven million shop and printer towels and several hundred thousand gloves, mats and mops each week.