KYLE, Texas--Short track veteran Steve Portenga won The Allstate Texas Thunder 200 at Thunder Hill Raceway for the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series after patiently weaving through the field and avoiding accidents.
Portenga started sixth and led three times in the 200-lap race around the 3/8-mile Texas oval. He led the final 73 laps and eventually won by 1.122 seconds over second place finisher David Gilliland.
Portenga’s victory tightened the championship points race. He remains third in the standings with one race remaining in the season, but trails points leader Scott Lynch by only 54 points. Mike Duncan is second, 41 points behind the leader.
Goodyear is the exclusive tire supplier for the Grand National Division, which includes the Busch North Series. The series share a common rulebook and the same lineup of Goodyear bias-ply tires.
Scott Gaylord finished third in the Texas race, Andrew Myers was fourth and Mike David came home fifth. Sarah Fisher, the former Indy Car driver, was sixth.
Portenga averaged 53.603 seconds at Thunder Hill. There were six lead changes among four drivers.
Gaylord won the Bud Pole Award with a lap averaging 89.274 mph.
The next race for the West Series will be Oct. 15 at Mesa Marin Raceway. It is scheduled to be the final race in the history of the famed high banked, half-mile oval. Mesa Marin has been a long time customer of Goodyear Racing.
