ROCKLIN, California -- Steve Portenga, driver of the #16 NAPA AUTO PARTS/NAPA Belts & Hose Chevrolet made his first appearance with Bill McAnally Racing in the NASCAR Grand National Division West Series at Phoenix International Raceway for the Copper World Classic United Rentals 100.
Portenga and the NAPA team were fourth fastest during the only scheduled practice on Saturday which was abbreviated by a deluge of hail at the track. The series held qualifying on Sunday morning with 34 participants. Portenga and the #16 NAPA AUTO PARTS team qualified the car in 11th on the inside of row six.
With the United Rentals 100 underway on Sunday afternoon, Portenga piloted the #16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet into the top ten by lap 2 and continued the advance forward and was in the top five on the scoreboard by lap 20. There was only one caution during the race at lap 25 for four laps. The #16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet at lap 55 moved into the fourth spot. As the race neared the end, the #16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet began experiencing handling problems and would finish the race in the ninth place.
“I guess I kept my streak of top ten finishes going,” laughed Portenga. “This is my fourteenth consecutive top ten in the West Series. We had a lot higher expectations for the weekend but we’re not going to hang our heads. We have a lot of racing ahead of ourselves. It was a good day. We learned a lot and I guarantee we will bring the same car back here in April and we’ll have a much better day and better set up.”
“The NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet was pretty good for the first 40 laps,” continued Portenga. “The car was loose from the beginning but I made some adjustments as I drove it and tried different lines around the track. Right there towards the end, it was a handful. This is definitely a top team and we’re going to put the #16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet back up where it belongs, in the front.”
The United Rentals 100 was seen live on HDNET. The next scheduled NASCAR Grand National Division West Series race will be at the ½ mile Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California on April 9th for the Lucas Oil 150. For more information on Bill McAnally Racing, please consult our webpage at www.billmcanallyracing.com.
