(Elk Mound, WI) Jimmy Mars Racing became the first major dirt late model team of the 2000 season to put a new Dodge Mopar Performance engine to the test as the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Series (HAT) competed this past weekend at Thunder Valley Speedway in Glenmora, LA. Sporting a 2000 model Dodge Intrepid body style, the Elk Mound, WI racer qualified his ParkerStore Fluid Connectors sponsored Dodge sixth quickest in time-trial qualifications among the stellar field gathered for the "Jambalaya 100". Mars then went on to score a tenth-place finish in the competitive race which served as the eighth championship points event of the 46-race national touring schedule.

"We are really happy with the outcome of the Mopar Performance engine and are looking forward to putting it to the test again this coming weekend in Knoxville, TN," commented the talented Mars following his run in Louisiana. "We’ve got a lot of confidence in our new engine program with Gary Stanton providing the horsepower that we need to run up front."

Mars noted that a close call in a heat race incident might have slowed the weekend’s efforts and feels that the team can rapidly improve on this past weekend’s performance. The team heads to Atomic Speedway in Knoxville, TN this Friday and Saturday (Mar 31-Apr 1) for a pair of HAT events.

"We want to be patient in our game plan and take this new program one step at a time," continued Mars, who spent last season racing on asphalt ovals in the NASCAR ReMax Challenge Series, claiming that tour’s rookie of the year award. "Everything is really coming together and we have invested a lot of time and efforts in the new engine deal and glad to be working with Gary and the people at Mopar Performance. They have really done their homework."

Mars’ biggest career victory came in 1997 when he claimed a $100,000 payday in the dirt late model "DREAM" race at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway. The personable driver also won the 1996 "USA Outlaw Nationals" near Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN where he pocketed nearly $30,000 for taking the checkered flag at the major event at Cedar Lake Speedway. Jimmy Mars Racing has continued to show the team’s strength with numerous wins and pole awards in national events during the past several seasons. The ParkerStore backed team opened up the new season with a win at Volusia Speedway in Daytona, FL during Speedweeks 2000 and also registered a pole award on the Hav-A-Tampa Series during the WinterNationals at East Bay Raceway in Tampa, FL. The fast time honors qualified Mars for the annual ISKY Racing Cams Fast Gun Dash which is dirt late model racing’s equivalent to NASCAR’s Bud Shootout for pole winners. Mars won the special event, held annually at Atlanta, GA’s Dixie Speedway, in 1998.

"We feel like we are on the right track and want to use this opportunity to benefit our overall team efforts and the people at Dodge," added Mars. "We realize the significant impact and success that the Mopar Performance group has achieved in the sprint car world with Gary’s engines in recent years. With the renewed Mopar Performance efforts in NASCAR Winston Cup racing and their alignment with Ray Evernham, we hope to play a role in the big picture with our efforts to win races and gain added exposure for the manufacturer and our race team."

(Press release from Victory Lane Communications)