Salem, IN (September 21, 2004) – The Sunoco Super Series 2004 Championship Point’s battle has really tightened up after this past Saturday’s Sunoco 150 at Anderson Speedway. Point’s leader Chuck Barnes Jr. saw his lead over Junior Hanley shrink from 20 points to 2 points and a 33 point lead over third place Scott Hantz is now down to 21 points. Barnes Jr. finished seventeenth Saturday after electrical problems forced him to pit and lose several laps. Hanley’s fourth place finish gave him the points to close the gap from first to second, while Hantz still managed to gain points on Barnes Jr. even with his horrendous crash with 3 laps remaining that regulated him to a twelfth place finish. Jeff Lane is still in the picture in the championship race with three series point’s races remaining. Lane is in fourth place, 56 points behind Barnes Jr.

Bobby Parsley currently holds fifth place in the points, but Chris Gabehart is only 15 points behind in sixth. Rick Turner has a faces tough battle for seventh in points with Steve Moenck in eighth only 5 points behind and Terry Fisher Jr. in ninth, 15 points behind. Gabehart and Moenck are also in a battle for the series BackStretch Performance/Blake Carburetion/Reed Cams Rookie Of The Year. Moenck is currently 31 points behind Gabehart in adjusted points, they each get to drop their worst two finishes for the season.

The Sunoco Super Series regulars will face some of the stiffest competition they have seen yet at this weekends 39^th Annual NAPA National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway, located in Rockford, Illinois. This will be the series second appearance at the historic ¼ mile facility, and the second consecutive appearance in the NAPA National Short Track Championships.

The best of the Sunoco Super Series will face off against the best drivers from the Mid-west in the NAPA 250 on Sunday afternoon. Defending NAPA 250 Champion Ron Breese Jr. has entered this year’s event, it will be Breese’s first series event of the 2004 season. Breese, from nearby Dekalb, Illinois, was the ASA Late Model Champion at Madison International Speedway this season. Breese led all 250 laps of last year’s event holding off a hard charging Brian Hoppe to get the close victory.

Hoppe will also return for this years NAPA 250 along with fellow Mid-west late model legend Eddie Hoffman, who has been the Corteco Fast Qualifier and winner of two Sunoco Super Series events this season at Illiana Motor Speedway and at Baer Field Speedway. Current NASCAR Midwest Series point’s leader Justin Diercks from Davenport, Iowa has entered. Diercks has racked up 6 wins in the NASCAR Midwest Series this season, and is one event away from claiming its championship.

Nine-time Rockford Speedway Champion Bobby Wilberg has also entered. Wilberg will be competing in four different divisions at Rockford Speedway this weekend. 2004 Slinger Speedway Champion Brad Mueller has entered. Mueller finished 4^th in the Napa 250 last year. Steve Rubeck, 5^th place finisher in the NAPA 250 last year, has also filed an entry. Other Mid-western drivers who have entered include Nathan Haseleu, Ryan Mathews, Brian Johnson, Eric Franson, Dexter Bean, Tom Smith, John Knaus, Steve Campbell and Tommy Pecaro. Mike Gallegos will make the trip from Wheat Ridge, Colorado to compete with the Mark Dixon Racing Team in the NAPA 250.

Pit gates open at Rockford Speedway on Saturday at 8AM. Practice rotations will begin at 10:30AM with qualifying starting at 2:30PM. Saturday’s racing activities will begin at 6PM and will include Sunoco Super Series Qualifying Races for the NAPA 250 for those who did not lock in a position through qualifying.

Pit gates open on Sunday at 7AM. There will be an on track autograph session for all divisions beginning at 10:30AM. Racing will begin at 12:30PM and will include a possible Last Chance race for any Sunoco Super Series teams that did not qualify for the NAPA 250 through the qualifying races. The NAPA 250 will be part of an afternoon filled with feature race action.