Sean Woodside first took his place behind the wheel of the REF Motorsports #4 Pontiac in the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring in this past February's Copper Classic at Phoenix International Raceway.
In that first time run, with a team he had joined only two weeks before, and with practically no experience in a touring type car, he piloted the #4 to a respectable top-twenty finish out of the more than 70 drivers who entered the event.
There is a little more at stake for Woodside and the REF team this Friday, however, when they will compete in the season-ender at PIR, the Albertson's/Osc o 125. Although the team is not in contention for the championship, it does have the opportunity to finish the season in its highest-ever point position.
REF's top year-end finish to date was sixth place for the 1999 season, with driver Dennis Dyer. Assuming a good finish at PIR this Friday, the team should be able to hold on to its current fifth-place in the championship standings.
"We were just not prepared mentally for a wreck in the first ten laps," Woodside said of the incident on lap nine that took him out of the race in the October 21st Southwest Series event during Mesa Marin Raceway's October Classic. "It was very disappointing, there was a lot of damage to the car, and the team has worked hard to get it back into shape for PIR."
Woodside was struck from behind and pushed into the wall as he tried to avoid a spinning car in front of him. The car suffered extensive damage to the rear end.
Woodside continued, "We do hope to hold on to our points position, so you'll see a major effort by the team to make that happen."
Team owner Bob Farmer said, "We really want to finish this race in a position that will give us a top five finish for the season. We've had to overcome problems that last few races, but the team has pulled together each time to get us back into the game. It would be great for all of us to set a new record for ourselves."
For more information, see REF Motorsports' official Web site at http://www.refm otorsports.com.
Bob Farmer, owner of REF Motorsports, owns and operates the No. 4 Stick
Only Transmissions, Maropulos Racing Engines, Speedway Engineering, Hoosier
Pontiac in the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring with Sean
Woodside as driver. Woodside won the 1999 NASCAR Winston West series
championship after finishing second in the point standings in the series
in 1997 and 1998. REF Motorsports finished 6th in the Southwest Series
points standings in 1999, with six top five and seven top ten finishes
during the season. The team is currently fifth in the point standings
in the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring, with one win, four
top five and eight top ten finishes.
