| For
Immediate Release:
NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, AUTOZONE WEST SERIES
NEWS & NOTES
IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY -
Irwindale, California
The race … This
event is the fourth race on the series schedule for
2006. It marks the first of two visits by the NASCAR
Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series to
Irwindale this season.
The track …
Irwindale Speedway is a half-mile paved oval with
blended banking of six, nine and 12 degrees in the
corners and banking of six degrees in the straights. The
track has hosted 13 NASCAR Grand National Division,
AutoZone West Series events.
Bonus money … The
championship standings will have added emphasis at
Irwindale. A combined $50,000 in prize money will be
paid out through the first portion of the NASCAR Grand
National Division, AutoZone West Series Leader Bonus
Program to the top 15 drivers in the championship
standings following this race.
No repeat … The
first three series races of the 2006 season have
resulted in three different race winners – Ken
Schrader (No. 99 Chevrolet) at Phoenix in January;
Andrew Myers (No. 44 Toyota of Escondido Chevrolet) at
Phoenix in April; and Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane
Winery Ford) at Stockton. The first three events also
featured three different Budweiser Pole winners –
Spencer Clark (No. 23 Allegiant Air/JF Bellini Ford);
Mike Duncan (No. 9 Lucas Oil/Ron’s Rear Ends
Chevrolet); and Nick Lynch (No. 29 Baja Motorsports/Mr.
Gas Dodge).
Leading the points … With
his victory at Stockton, Mike David moved atop the
championship standings. The Modesto, Calif., competitor
leads by 15 points over Steve Portenga (No. 77 King Taco
Ford). Series rookie Peyton Sellers (No. 16 NAPA Auto
Parts/NAPA Belts & Hose) is 33 markers back from the
lead in third.
BMR dominance …
The Bill McAnally Racing No. 16 NAPA/NAPA Belts &
Hose Chevrolet has dominated recent series competition
at Irwindale Speedway. The team has won seven of the
past eight races. Brendan Gaughan got the victory charge
started for the team there, sweeping three visits at the
state-of-the-art facility in 2001. Austin Cameron kept
the momentum rolling with a win in the only series race
at Irwindale in 2002. After finishing out of the top 10
there the following year, Cameron swept two visits to
Irwindale in 2004. Steve Portenga piloted the BMR entry
to victory lane in the only series race at Irwindale
last year.
Irwindale experience … Nearly
all the members of the freshman class competing for this
year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the AutoZone
West Series list Irwindale Speedway on their racing
resume, with 12 of the 15 rookies having experience in
at least one race there. A significant portion of the
rookies raced at the Southern California facility on a
regular basis at some point in their career.
Consecutive starts for Gaylord …
Starting the race at Irwindale will move series veteran
Scott Gaylord (No. 00 Oliver Gravity Separators/Denver
Seminary Chevrolet) into a tie with Kevin Richards and
Sonny Easley for third on the list of consecutive series
starts in the modern era (1971 to present) with 79. Ray
Elder leads the category with 121 straight starts in the
era, followed by Bill Schmitt with 118. While Gaylord
has 161 career starts overall, dating back to 1988 –
his current string of 78 straight starts began Oct. 17,
1999.
Nine Budweiser Pole winners … The
13 visits by the series to Irwindale resulted in nine
different drivers winning a Budweiser Pole Award. Austin
Cameron, Mike Duncan, Scott Lynch and Sean Woodside are
multiple winners, with two each.
Front runner … Brendan
Gaughan, meanwhile, has the most top-five finishes at
Irwindale, with six. The two-time series champion also
won the most money in series competition at there, with
$71,690, and led the most laps, running out front for
674 laps.
Top 10 finishes … Scott
Gaylord has scored the most top-10s in series
competition at Irwindale – finishing in the top 10 in
nine of the 11 races he entered there.
Consistent marks … Brett
Thompson (No. 61 Thompson Motorsports/Rich Thompson
Trucking Chevrolet) has top-five finishes in three of
the past four races at Irwindale – including
back-to-back third-place finishes in 2004 and 2005.
Widespread competition … There
have been 105 different competitors who took the green
flag in the 13 series races at Irwindale Speedway.
Austin Cameron’s 12 starts top the list.
Quick comparison …
Among drivers who have competed in four or more series
races at Irwindale Speedway, Bobby Dotter has the best
average finish of 4.0 in four races. Gaughan was close
behind, with an average of 4.63 in eight races. Steve
Portenga (No. 77 King Taco Ford) is tops among current
active drivers with an average finish of 7.00 in 10
races. Gaylord is close behind with an average of 7.91
in 11 races.
Close finishes …
The margin of victory was less than a second in eight of
the 13 series races at Irwindale. The closest finish
there was in November of 2000 when Bobby Dotter edged
Matt Crafton by .024 of a second. It was the only lap
Dotter led in that event.
Manufacturers’ battle … Chevrolet
has been in victory lane for 11 of the 12 series races
at Irwindale. Joe Bean scored Ford’s only win there in
2000 and Scott Lynch nabbed the only win for Dodge at
Irwindale in 2003.
Stat of the race … Only
three of the 13 AutoZone West Series races at Irwindale
have been won from the Budweiser Pole position.
This Week’s Series Leaders …
Through three races of the NASCAR Grand National
Division, AutoZone West Series season:
· Points leader –
Mike David, 481
· Money won –
Mike David, $21,550
· Laps led –
Mike David, 108
· Laps completed –
Mike David, 433; Steve Portenga, 433; Peyton Sellers,
433; Jim Inglebright, 433; Spencer Clark, 433; Mike
Duncan, 433; Daryl Harr, 433
· Average finish –
Steve Portenga, 5.00
· Victories –
Mike David, 1; Ken Schrader, 1; Andrew Myers, 1
· Poles – Nick
Lynch, 1; Spencer Clark, 1; Mike Duncan, 1
· Top-five finishes –
Mike David, 2; Steve Portenga, 2; Peyton Sellers, 2;
Eric Holmes, 2
· Top-10 finishes – Steve
Portenga, 3; Jim Inglebright, 3
· Races led –
Mike David, 2; Mike Duncan, 2, Matt Kobyluck, 2
Fast Facts
What: KING TACO
200,
NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series
Race #4
Where: Irwindale
Speedway, Irwindale, Calif.
When: 8:00 p.m.,
Saturday, May 27.
Track layout: .5-mile
paved oval.
Distance: 200
Laps, 100 miles
Posted Awards:
$111,453
TV: HDNet
(Live)
SPEED (enhanced
replay, June 15, 2:30 p.m. PT)
2005 winner: Event
not held.
2005 polesitter:
Event not held.
Records:
Qualifying: Butch Gilliland, June 19, 1999, 100.722 mph,
17.871 sec.; Race: Austin Cameron, July 27, 2002, 76.062
mph, 1 hour 18 minutes 53 seconds
Pre-race schedule:
Saturday, May 27
Noon - 12:45 p.m. - Practice
1:15 - 2:00 p.m. - Practice
4:30 p.m. - Qualifying
Note: All times subject to change.
- 30 -
|