SCOTTS VALLEY, CA -- If there is a key to getting around Mesa Marin Raceway, Butch Gilliland should know it He has won the spring event in the NASCAR Winston West Series on the high-banked 1/2-mile oval the past two years. He will attempt to make it three in a row when the series visits the Bakersfield, Calif., facility for the Coors Light 200 on April 11.

"There really isn't a trick," Gilliland said with a grin. "The biggest thing is keeping the car in one piece. It's a fast half-mile track. I think the biggest key to being around to win the race is keeping the car with four tires and fenders on it. You've got to make sure the car is taken car of and position yourself the last 40 laps where you're in the top five and on the lead lap. Then it's anybody's race. Then you just have to have the car and the skill to be there at the end.

Gilliland -- who won the Bud Pole Award for this event in 1994, 1996 and 1997 says he changed his gameplan for short track events several years ago, focusing on winning the race instead of the pole position "On any short track it's important to save the car," explained the 42-year-old Chino Hills, Calif., competitor "I learned that a couple of years ago. I use to try to lead all of the race and win it. One time at Tucson I led most of the laps, but got beat. After that I decided to just take care of the tires and be right there in the top three or so at the end and try not to use at up early.

"Out of all the pole positions I won that year, I didn't win any races. So, I decided to start concentrating on what made the car feel good in practice during a long run," Gilliland said. "Wherever it falls in qualifying is where it falls. I just try to set the car up for the win."

Gilliland, who leads the list of career money winners in the series with $639,058, also has experience on his side when it comes to Mesa Marin Raceway. The 1997 series champion has taken the green flag there for 25 NWWS events, the most of any active driver in the series. That experience paid off in last year's event when Gilliland's Ford suffered two fiat tires and he found himself a lap down to the leaders. "We fought back and got our lap back," he recalled. "Then we got in a position to win it."

Although Gilliland says he enjoys racing on all the tracks on the NASCAR Winston West Series schedule, he admits Mesa Marin Raceway is one of the ones he likes best. "Bakersfield is probably a favorite, although I think they're all good," he said. "I feel good on the short tracks and the big tracks. This year, with our sponsorship from Ralph's and Food 4 Less, we look forward to running real strong at our home tracks in the Southern California market."

After starting off the season with finishes of 17 and 29th Gilliland garnered an 8 place finish in the most recent race. He hopes for an even better finish in Sunday's $98,946 event and a chance to improve on his 14th place in the championship standings.

Leading the standings after the first three events is Mike Chase, a former Bakersfield resident who now lives in North Carolina. He tops the list with 470 points, followed by Brandon Ash of Umpqua, Ore., with 463; Austin Cameron of El Cajon, Calif, with 446; Sean Woodside of Saugus, Calif., with 444; and Sammy Potashnick of Sikeston, Mo., with 385. Rounding out the top 10 in the standings are Bobby Dotter of Charlotte, N.C., 375; Steve Portenga of Sparks, Nev., 373; Joe Bean of San Diego, Calif, 367; Jason Small of Bakersfield, 354; and John Metcalf of Aurora, Colo., 348.

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Posted: 4/7/99