Brandon Ash drove the Veron Coatings #3 Ford Taurus to a top five finish in the NASCAR Grand National West United Rentals 100 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday afternoon. "With the competition that started the NGNW 2005 season I'm very happy with our team's finish," stated Brandon. "Looking at the NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers and the number of cars that were part of the 2004 NASCAR Busch and NASCAR Nextel Cup series being used by other team, as well as teams from the NASCAR Busch North series as part of this race it made our finish much more satisfying."

The race weekend was marked by a shorten practice sessions, as rain, hail, strong winds and thunder storms soaked the track on Saturday. In practice the Veron Coatings #3 Ford Taurus was slowed by a lack of grip coming off the corners. Crew Chief and engine builder Ed Ash worked with his son and driver Brandon to help the team overcome the grip problem and on Sunday Brandon qualified in 15th place.

During the race, using an early race caution, the Adair Motorsports team used two quick pit stops to add fuel and adjust the car to the PIR track. While the stop dropped the Veron Coatings #3 Ford Taurus to the last car on the lead lap it was the beginning of a steady march to the front. As the race laps counted down Brandon drove his #3 Ford Taurus past some of the big names in NASCAR racing. "As the race finished it was nice to find the top five drivers were in NASCAR Grand National West cars," said team owner Tina Adair. "This was our first race that brings the two teams together for this season. I look forward to the upcoming races as the team members become a family working towards the whole season."

"It was a great start to the 2005 NASCAR Grand National West series and I'm sure pleased with the results, for the team, for our sponsors, Veron Coating Systems, Inc. and our PIR Promotion with Race for the Missing," concluded driver Brandon Ash.