SCOTTS VALLEY, CA -- Steve Portenga, the defending champion of the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring, is one of just two two-time champions of the Series Now he wants to set himself apart.

If Portenga, Reno, Nev., wins the 1999 championship, he will become the first three-time champion of the Series. The 1998 and '94 Series champion has six career victories and holds several all time Series records He set some of those records last season.

The 1999 season begins Sunday Jan. 10 with the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring, 200 at Tucson Raceway Park The race will be part of the 1998-99 NASCAR Winter Heat Series at TRP.

The event will be broadcast, live, by cable television network ESPN2 at 1 p m (MST).

The new season will rematch Portenga against his top competitors from last season, M K Kanke. Granada Hills, Calif, Bryan Germone, Windsor, Calif., and Doug McCoun, Prunedale, Calif.

The 1998 season was a coming out party for two young Series drivers, '98 Rookie of the Year Kurt Busch, Las Vegas, Nev. and third-year regular Matt Crafton, Tulare, Calif Both captured their first career Series wins in 1998 and figure to be among the top point-getters this season.

The 1999 opener will mark the 11th points-paying race at TRP for the Series The winningest Series driver at the track is Kanke, who has won twice One of those wins was the 1997 opener. Germone and Bob Lyon, Agua Dulce Calif., both have five top-5 finishes at the track the best among all Series racers.

The 1999 season will be the 14th for the Series and will be one marked by milestones Slightly more than six miles into the first race of the season, the field will complete the 13,000th mile in Series history, A few races later, some driver will lead the Series' 25,000th lap.

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Posted: 1/9/99