BLACK MAGIC DEBUTS AT CHICAGO
July 9, 2001 – Cicero, IL

The ATI Performance Products Monte Carlo looked a bit different this week. The familiar white paint had been replaced with black, and included a silver stripe and several bands of color running along the rear of the car. The paint scheme was reminiscent of the “Black Magic” fuel funny car campaigned by car owner, James Beattie, in the mid-seventies.

The crew worked long hours and pulled several all nighters in preparation for the debut of the “Black Magic” making the final adjustments just hours before the start. “We have been working on the idea for this car for some time now”, commented JC, who had also spent many sleepless nights at the shop, hard at work on the car. “We were determined to build this car for Chicago, no matter what!"

Track temperatures reached 130° F during the Saturday Qualifying session, which made the car very uncomfortable to drive. J.C. battled the blazing heat and put in a lap of 32.053 seconds, which would end up being 16th fastest of the 43 qualifiers. Once again, the #9 of rookie Johnny Sauter set the fastest time of 31.472 seconds and would start the Chicago 200 from pole position.

When the green flag dropped, J.C. noticed that the car was experiencing handling problems. It was later revealed that the power steering hose had come lose and made the car very difficult to control. Still J.C. held onto his position until lap 16, when Butch Miller rubbed the rear bumper of the #09 and sent the car into a spin. J.C. fell to 18th, but luckily the car was undamaged.

After the first round of pit stops, J.C. fell off the pace and was complaining about handling difficulties. As the crew scrambled to solve the problem, they discovered that a the wrong tire was placed on the right front of the car. The tire on the car was a left tire made of a much softer compound, which caused the car to understeer severly in the corners. One more trip to the pits and the problem was solved, however by this time J.C. was down in 25th spot.

By lap 120, J.C. had managed to climb back to 18th position and showed no signs of slowing. When the checkered flag dropped J.C. had clawed his way back into 16th position and finished where he began. "After the last pit stop the car was really good, especially in traffic. I wasn't sure how long I could keep it together with the the steering gone and the tire mix-up, but my crew is awesome and I wanted to thank them for all the hard work they do."

Johnny Sauter made ASA history by winning his fifth race in a row, making it six so far this season, and taking the points lead from Butch Miller for the first time this season. Six drivers swapped the lead of the Chicago 200 on 13 different occasions, with Sauter leading the most. The 36-car field was slowed only six times for the yellow flag.

The next stop in the ASA AC Delco Series is the Berlin Speedway in Marne, Michigan, July 14th, for the tires.com 300 presented by BF Goodrich Tires. The race will be televised live on TNN at 9 PM CST.

Fans in the Baltimore area can listen for J.C. Beattie, Jr. on The Checkered Flag, a radio program covering NASCAR, CART, IRL, and Maryland racing. The Checkered Flag can be heard on WNST 1570 AM, Saturdays between 9 and 11 AM. Be sure to check www.jcbeattie.com or www.asaracing.com often for the latest information on J.C. Beattie, Jr. and the ATI Performance Racing team.

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