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Woody Howard Regains Rookie Lead in Championship SeriesHUNTERSVILLE, NC (Oct. 10, 2005) - A sixth-place finish in the rain delayed Alan Kulwicki Memorial Lucas Oil 250 at Mansfield (OH) Motorsports Park was enough for Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Woody Howard to regain the lead in the 2005 rookie standings for the USAR Hooters ProCup. Woody Howard and the #55 Dean Motorsports team qualified third with a time of 16.859 sec. Saturday's rain delayed the event to a misty Sunday afternoon when Howard drove to a 6th place finish after battling a loss of brakes on lap 169 and a weather related pit strategy which didn't play to the teams advantage in the end. Howard also took home an extra $1,000 for being the Miller Lite Rookie of the Race. When asked about his thoughts on the race, Woody said, "Well, like Jennerstown, the fastest car doesn't always win. We gambled on our pit strategy due to the weather but it cost us in the end." He regained the top spot for the Rookie of the Year 35 points ahead of Michael Faulk with three races remaining in the Championship series. Howard is only 37 points behind the championship leader, Northern Division champ, Benny Gordon. Woody will test at Myrtle Beach Speedway this week in preparation for the third race in the Championship series to be held Saturday, October 22, 7:30 PM. You can meet Howard this Friday, Oct. 14th 2005 at the Joe Gibbs Racing Fall FanFest at 10AM where he will be available for autographs at the team's recently renovated race shop in Huntersville, North Carolina. Be sure to watch the Lucas Oil 250 from Mansfield Motorsports Speedway on the SPEED channel, Sat., Oct. 15th at 10 PM eastern or Friday, Oct. 21st at noon eastern. |