SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. -- The NASCAR Winston West Series spotlight will shine on the glimmer of Las Vegas, Nev., as the series prepares to wrap up its 1996 season with an inaugural race under the lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Nov. 2.
The Las Vegas 300K, which will feature more than $240,692 in prize money and posted awards, will be the first NASCAR event on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. The race will be broadcast live on Speedvision cable network.
The NASCAR Winston West Series championship, the manufacturers' championship, the rookie title and several top 10 positions hinge on the outcome of this final event for 1996.
In addition to the large field of Winston West competitors expected to enter, the Las Vegas race is also attracting several drivers from other series.
Topping the list is NASCAR Winston Cup Series veteran Michael Waltrip, winner of The Winston Select this year at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Ron Hornaday Jr., who leads the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings, will be behind the wheel of the Bill Strauser-owned Winston West car, in which he won two races earlier this season. Another NCTS driver, Nathan Buttke, will make his second appearance in the Spears Motorsports Winston West entry at Las Vegas.
Tim Steele, the 1996 Automobile Racing Club of America champion, has also entered the event, along with Bobby Gerhart and Gary Clark.
The legendary veteran Hershel McGriff, winner of the first Mexican Road Race in 1950 and the 1986 NASCAR Winston West Series champion, is also set to compete.
Regular competitors of the NASCAR Winston West Series expected to enter the Las Vegas 300K include Lance Hooper of Palmdale, Calif., who leads the series championship standings; Larry Gunselman of Sierra Village, Calif.; Rich Woodland Jr. of Templeton, Calif.; Scott Gaylord of Lakewood, Colo.; Joe Bean of San Diego, Calif.; Bill McAnally of Elverta, Calif.; and Butch Gilliland of Anaheim, Calif.
The 1996 NASCAR Winston West Series final driver and car owner points standings will be determined by two events less than the total number of events on the schedule. If a driver or car owner compete in all 1996 scheduled events, the two lowest finishing positions will be deleted in order to determine the final point standings.
The Sears Point Raceway Rookie-of-the-Year Award, meanwhile, is based on a special point system counting the 13 stand-alone NASCAR Winston West Series events. Hooper leads those standings with 109 points, followed by Jeff Krogh with 105, Mark Krogh with 91 and Joe Bean with 86.
The Manufacturers' Championship will also be determined by the outcome of this final event. Chevrolet leads with 78 points, followed by Ford with 75 and Pontiac with 74. All three leading nameplates each have four wins this season.
