IRVINE, CA -- Craig Raudman, driver of the #2 Advantage Memory/Truck Toys/Speedway Café Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Winston West and NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, didn't leave much for the other teams to brag about in Saturday night's Coors Light 125 Southwest Series race at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon, California.

He not only won the race; he also captured the Bud Pole Award and the Gatorade Front Runner award.

The familiar black #2 was fast right out of the hauler on Saturday morning. Practice times were good. The team's confidence about their prospects grew as they realized the results of the many hours they put into preparing the car, and were confirmed when Craig set fast time at 15.467 seconds. He missed setting a new track record by just two-tenths of a second.

Starting the race from the outside fourth row position due to the inversion of the eight top qualifiers didn't hold Raudman back at all. He charged quickly to the front within the first few laps, and was running in second behind then race leader Bruce Bechtel. At lap seventeen, Raudman took the lead and never looked back.

At times leading by a full straightaway, Raudman's car couldn't be touched by anything else on the track. He didn't feel any real pressure from the field until a late race caution allowed second place runner Bob Lyon to move in close behind him for the restart. The car developed a minor push during the final laps, but Raudman held off the hard-charging Lyon, took the checkered flag and headed for victory circle.

Raudman commented, "I just can't imagine what could have possibly happened to make this day any more exciting for us. The car was just awesome all day. Tracy did an incredible job with both the race car and the crew."

Tracy Norman, who was recently promoted to crew chief, also works for Raudman at Victory Circle. Norman and the team are based at headquarters in Bakersfield which house both Victory Circle and Dave Reed Racing.

Dave Reed Racing operates NASCAR Winston West and Featherlite Southwest Series teams with Craig Raudman as driver. With plans to run a limited schedule of events during the 1999 season, Raudman's current season results include one start, with one win and one Bud Pole award. He finished the 1998 season in seventh place out of fifteen drivers competing for the Sears Point Raceway Winston West Rookie-of-the-Year Award and thirteenth in the points standings. Raudman finished in the top five in final points standings in four of his past five full NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series seasons.

Source: RacingWest
Posted: 3/27/99