GAUGHAN CLINCHES NWWS CHAMPIONSHIP; DOTTER CAPTURES VICTORY AT IRWINDALE

Source: NASCAR Media Relations
Date: 11/13/2000

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2000) - Bobby Dotter took advantage of a late-race restart to charge past the leaders and steal the victory in a thrilling finish to the Home Depot 300 NASCAR Winston West Series race at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway on Nov. 11.

While Dotter was capturing his fourth victory of the year in the People Against Drugs Chevrolet, Brendan Gaughan was clinching the series championship with a third-place finish in the NAPA/Martin Senour Chevrolet.

Dotter nabbed the victory by inches over 23-year-old Matt Crafton, who had dominated the event. Crafton was making his debut in the NASCAR Winston West Series after winning the championship a week earlier in the Featherlite Southwest Series, a NASCAR Touring division.

The early leader of the race was Austin Cameron, who had won his second Bud Pole Award of the 2000 season with a lap at 99.448 mph in time trials. Although Cameron initially pulled away in his Mar-Con/Creative Touch Chevrolet, Crafton quickly chased him down and took the lead on lap 20. He set a blistering pace in the Miller Motorsports Ford, putting many fast competitors a lap behind in the first 80 laps of the event.

Veteran driver John Metcalf, who started 12th on the grid, was able to keep pace, however. Metcalf edged ahead of Crafton on lap 80, but found the series newcomer was not so quick to settle for someone else leading and they began to swap the lead back and forth. Their exchange of the top spot continued throughout the race, with Gaughan the only other driver able to muscle his way to the point until the end.

Crafton led laps 88 through 120, 140 through 171, 188 through 193 and 196 through 198. Metcalf, meanwhile, was briefly out front a couple of times in the early stages of the race. Then late in the event, he appeared to have the car to beat - leading from laps 199 to 232 and 234 to 242. But Crafton moved back to the front on lap 243 and opened up a substantial lead as the race wound down.

A spin by a lapped car in the closing laps brought out a caution, however, erasing Crafton's margin. A wild scramble ensued on restart, as the field headed for a green-white-checkered finish. Crafton and Metcalf came in contact along the front stretch soon after the green flag fell. The top stop was quickly shuffled as several drivers made a last-minute charge for the win. It was Dotter who was able to make the successful move as he roared to the inside groove coming through turn four. He beat Crafton to the finish by inches, leading his only lap of the race. Gaughan rode in their wake to third, with Metcalf fourth in the Team RE/MAX Chevrolet. Fifth went to Joe Bean in the Food 4 Less/Coca-Cola/City of Hope Ford. Rounding out the top 10 were Cameron, Mike Duncan, Scott Gaylord, Scott Lynch and Rick Bogart.

The race featured 17 lead changes among five drivers. It ran at a record pace of 74.219 mph - slowed by just five cautions for 54 laps.

With Gaughan's third-place finish, he wrapped up the title with 1,956 points. Dotter moved to second in the final championship standings with 1,792, followed by Steve Portenga with 1,748. Metcalf finished the season fourth at 1,705, while Kevin Richards was fifth at 1,683. Completing the top 10 are Bill Sedgwick 1,659, Eric Norris 1,621, Duncan 1,604, Bean 1,579 and Gaylord 1,568.

It marked Gaughan's first NASCAR title and the second consecutive championship for his car owner Bill McAnally. Duncan, meanwhile, wrapped up the NASCAR Winston West Series Rookie-of-the-Year title.

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