FONTANA, CA -- Butch Gilliland will perform double duty this coming weekend when he gets behind the wheel of his #38 Ralphs/Food 4 Less/ Coca-Cola NASCAR Winston Cup car and his #1 NASCAR Winston West car for this weekends coming California "500" Winston Cup race and California "200" Winston West race at the California Speedway in Fontana.

Gilliland along with his sponsor Ralphs/Food 4 Less, both locals to the area, are looking to put on a great show for their local audience. "Everyone who lives in Southern California knows who Ralphs is", stated Gilliland. "Now we want the people around the nation to find out who they are." The team will try and qualify for the Cup race on Friday, and will run the West race on Saturday afternoon. "Ralphs and Food 4 Less have a lot of different events going on around the area leading up to this weekend", said Butch. "It would be great to win the West race on Saturday and Qualify for Sundays Cup race." The race team was on the track in Fontana last week making final preparations to their car before the event. "Making a Cup race is an accomplishment in itself", said Butch. "We need to make every effort to be as fast as we can this weekend, and give our sponsors and fans a weekend to remember!"

Ralphs, along with other major Winston Cup team sponsors, will host the first annual Ralphs Race Fest on Thursday April 29th, in the parking lot of the California Speedway. Admission will be free to the public when they present their Ralphs Club Card at the gates. The event will include sponsor booths, live radio remotes and music, the worlds largest barbecue, NASCAR show cars and simulators and a 2-hour driver autograph session for the fans.

RacingWest: What do you like about the California Speedway?
Butch Gilliland: I really like the fast wide turns at the Speedway. The whole racetrack is great!

RW: What do you dislike about the California Speedway?
BG: I really don't dislike anything about the speedway. What is there not to like. Roger has done a great job with this first class facility.

RW: What time do you think it will take to make the show at California Speedway?
BG: I think the pole will be around the high 40's

RW: Since the Winston West is running the same weekend as the Busch and Cup series, there may be some drivers from those series cross over and run with the Winston West. What is your position on these drivers from other series racing with the Winston West?
BG: I enjoy the competition from the other series. Sometimes it is nice to race with a different group of guys. It helps with the competition.

RW: Fontana is the fastest track on the WW circuit. Do you feel that your team will have the horsepower to run up front?
BG: Yes, we do feel we will have the horsepower for the 2-mile oval. We have purchased engines from Pro Motor in North Carolina and feel pretty confident.

RW: It will probably be quite warm at Fontana what do you do as a driver to prepare your self for the heat and fatigue of running under those kind of conditions?
BG: I try to keep a good cardio balance in my day to day. It helps with your stamina and endurance. I also drink plenty of Power Aid!

RW: Does your team have a good down force car ready for Fontana?
BG: Yes. We have a brand new car we just built for this race.

RW: Has your team been practicing pitstops? If so how is their progress coming?
BG: Yes, we have pit stop practice every Tuesday night at our race shop in Anaheim.

Source: Ralphs/Food 4 Less Racing Team
Posted: 4/26/99