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RACING NEWS - JUNE 8, 2001
Heitzhaus Battles Charlotte's 1.5 Mile Oval Raceway
As Dave Heitzhaus prepared to undertake Charlotte's raceway on May 24, a rainstorm greeted the track, and the race was postponed. The race resumed early the next morning and Heitzhaus again was primed to become one with the track. In the qualification competition, Proven Brands-sponsored Heitzhaus was off to a great start as he finished in sixth position out of 40 cars, gleaning a third row position to begin the race. As officials waved the green flag early in the morning on the 25th, Heitzhaus started off the race with a small obstacle, an overheated motor. He had to back track into 18th position. After a speedy recovery and refueling, he zoomed back up the track. When the final caution flag flew, Heitzhaus was in ninth place and darting his way up to seventh. After coming off of a corner, two cars spun off and collided into each other, leaving a cloud of smoke. Heitzhaus was drawn into this cloud of smoke. Seeing no other way out, he was forced to go into the wall, finishing the race in 12th place. Heitzhaus stated, "It was a great race until 500 feet from the checkered flag." Fortunately, Heitzhaus did not sustain any serious injuries. The car was not as fortunate, suffering damage to the front frame and fender. Although Heitzhaus did not finish the race as he had hoped, he said he looks forward to the next race where he can once again battle the track.
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