AVONDALE, Arizona -- Steve Portenga, driving the King Taco Racing # 77 Ford Taurus, started the 2006 NASCAR AutoZone Grand National West season off in his usual style. He finished 7th, after having started in the 13th spot. "We didn't get a chance to test and shake our car down before this race and all things considered I'm happy to leave with a 7th place finish. I started out worse last year and was able to finish second." said Steve. "We'll definitely have something more for these guys at the next one, after all I still do own the track record here " he added. (Steve's never been one to mince words)
Running as high as 5th during the race Steve muscled his way through the field often running three wide. "There was a lot better field this race and I'm looking forward to all the competition this year. I'm also glad that this series, one of the oldest in the country finally got it's due and signed up with Auto Zone. These competitors will make sure that they get their moneys worth in the coming seasons." said Steve.
Dusty O'Connell, Steve's crew chief has reason to be optimistic. "We had a car that ran well all day and nothing fell off. We have nothing to do but get better." said Dusty
Performance Motorsports thanks longtime supporters King Taco Restaurants, Auto Marine Engineering, Superior Gear, Stoughton Printing, Joor Bros Metal Service and Jan's Towing.
The AutoZone Grand National West Series heads back to Phoenix on April 20, 2006 for a rematch of sorts for the second race of the season.
