SANTA ROSA, CA -- 1998 NASCAR Featherlite Series Champion Steve Portenga heads on down to Phoenix, Arizona this weekend to stake his claim in the Copper World Classic and as teams from across the country converge on Phoenix International Raceway's fast 1 mile oval for this event, Portenga comes in with high hopes of finding a Top 5 finish.

"I always look forward to racing at PIR; it's great racing experience against the best competition," comments Portenga. Portenga had his best finish, a seventh, at last year's event and hopes to move into the top 5 this weekend. "It's going to take a total team effort here. This track is fast and challenging; we intend to use our practices wisely and concentrate on a solid qualifying effort. With only 50 laps, this race can be too short to come from too far behind."

As short a race as it is, this event runs for longer than most Southwest Series competitions, beginning on Thursday and ending on Sunday. Portenga will be promoting the series and this event on Sports Radio 1360 KGME which will broadcast live from Backtracks Restaurant & Pub, 4920 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix.

While Portenga continues to build his own racing program for the 1999 NASCAR Southwest Series season, he also devotes his knowledge and energy into the programs of many of the other competitors racing in this division. Through his shock program, Portenga is helping many teams with a vital part of their racing set-up, including new teammate Bruce Bechtel. This year, Steve Portenga Racing will field the racing operations of Bechtel's 1999 NASCAR Southwest Series campaign.

Steve Portenga got his start in NASCAR Racing in 1988 earning Rookie of the Year Honors and a NASCAR Winston Racing Series Track Championship at Silver State Raceway in Carson City, Nevada. A 2 year veteran of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Portenga earned honors as the youngest rookie to finish in the Top 5 in a race as well as the highest placing youth in the series (13th of 103 competitors in 1995). He is the 1992 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series Rookie of the Year and two time Series Champion (1994 & 1998) with 6 main event wins in his NASCAR Southwest Series career.

Fans can find out more about Steve's sensational career by visiting his website at www.jps.net/race14.

Source: Steve Portenga Racing
Posted: 2/3/99