The NASCAR Winston West Series is heading back to bullring racing and for the 1998 NASCAR Winston West Series champion, Austin Cameron, tires are critical to making the adjustment from the super-speedways to the short-tracks. Cameron explained, "The stagger in the tires is what you have to pay attention to mainly because the bias ply tires can grow and shrink in circumference."

In addition to running the Coors Light 200, the Winston West race this weekend Cameron will be running the late model event at Irwindale the night before the race and is hoping to run the late model event, the Mechanix Wear 100, right before the start of the main event. Cameron is currently 3rd in the standings.

RW: RacingWest: After the Craftsman Trucks the Spec Trucks and the rest of the series putting down all the different kind of rubber, do you feel track conditions might be an issue and why or why not?
Austin Cameron: Not really everybody has to deal with the same conditions the only negative aspect of the previous races is that they could spill oil and other fluids on the track making the track not quite as fast.

RW: Being the event at Mesa Marin is a one-day show, will you be prepared to be fast off the truck and get every thing done in short order?
AC: We have been to Bakersfield quite a few times so we as a team are pretty used to the fast paced action. The upside is that the event is not drug out for several days making the teams spend more time and money.

RW: After a couple races on the super-speedways on radial tires, how is it going to feel to make the jump back to the short tracks?
AC: The stagger in the tires is what you have to pay attention to mainly because the bias ply tires can grow and shrink in circumference.

RW: If you are fast, you come up on the lap traffic pretty quick on a short track. How tough is it to work the lap traffic and what are your secrets?
AC: You really have to pay attention a few laps ahead so you can see where they have been running on the track so you can pass them in the right spot. You have to keep as much momentum going so you don't loose too much speed in the pass.

RW: Will you be entering any other races at Mesa Marin during the weekend?
AC: We will be running Saturday night at Irwindale speedway with the Super Late Model and if all goes well Sunday's late model race could be in the schedule.

RW: Which track holds the highest prestige for you Mesa Marin with its history and million-dollar improvements or the new Irwindale Speedway and why?
AC: The Irwindale speedway is one of the nicest racing facilities that I have been to but Mesa Marin is still one of the best short-tracks probably because it has been around so long. RW: Who do you see as this year's toughest competition in the Series and why?
AC: This year's toughest competition is going to be Sean Woodside because of the experience in the Winston West series. Mike Chase is another veteran that is really tough on the bid tracks so basically I have my work cut out.

RW: Which Winston Cup driver do you hold the most respect for and why?
AC: Dale Earnhardt is the man I respect most because of his 7 Winston cup championships and the second reason is because of his nickname (THE INTIMIDATOR)

Source: RacingWest
Posted: 4/10/99