LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Feb. 12, 2001) Orleans Racing is excited to have begun the 2001 NASCAR Winston West Series. The season opener at the NAPA Auto Parts NASCAR Winter Heat presented by Bosch at Phoenix International Raceway was a successful start for the two-car team.
Orleans Racing, the only two-car team in NASCAR’s Winston West series, recently signed legendary driver Hershel McGriff to pilot the No. 04 MBNA/Park Corp. Chevrolet Monte Carlo out of the same stable as the two-time championship No. 16 NAPA/Martin-Senour Chevrolet Monte Carlo, piloted by the 2000 Winston West Champion Brendan Gaughan. Gaughan qualified sixth and was the fastest car in the final practice on Saturday, Feb. 3. McGriff qualified 23rd, but then was tenth fastest in the final practice.
In the NAPA 150 race on Sunday, Feb. 4, McGriff, in his first start in his new MBNA ride with Orleans Racing, worked his way to ninth, and settled for a 14th place finish, after a pit-stop mishap. Gaughan quickly moved to the front and was pressuring eventual winner and Winston Cup regular Ken Schrader for the lead when a right front flat tire sent the No. 16 NAPA entry into the wall on lap 116, causing major damage. Gaughan is fine, with no major injuries.
NAPA, the primary sponsor of the No. 16 championship car, was the title sponsor of the 150-lap Winter Heat race on Feb. 4. With attendance at the raceway more than expected, the NAPA hospitality tent was a great success. NAPA successfully utilizes their affiliation with Orleans Racing to bring together store owners, their customers, employees and manufacturers. Venues such as a hospitality tent at racing events, tours of the Orleans Racing shop in Las Vegas, and holding conferences and meetings in Las Vegas at the Orleans Hotel and Casino, as well as other Coast Resort properties, works with positive results to build customer goodwill and increase sales for NAPA.
For more information about Orleans Racing, visit their websites at www.orleansracing.com or www.hershel-mcgriff.com.
