Las Vegas, Nevada; NAPA 300 (March 1)– If mechanical difficulties wouldn't have been an issue, you just might have been a big winner if you placed your bets on Sammy Potashnick's No. 65 Lucas Oil car last Thursday at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Starting the 300-lap race from an 11th-place qualifying position, Potashnick demonstrated both talent and determination while making what looked like an effortless charge toward the front of the field. After just six laps of racing on the .375-mile paved speedway, Potashnick had gained four positions. As less than 10 additional laps were posted, Potashnick had maneuvered his way through the field continuing the diligent run in 5th place.
The Lucas Oil Monte Carlo was looking like the car to beat, or at the very least a top contender for the podium. The effort was interrupted when smoke suddenly began pouring into the driver compartment and from underneath the hood and the back end of the car. A pit stop was made and the car was brought behind the pit wall due to an oil leak as an oil line fitting had become loose.
The imposition cost the team nearly 30 laps, but Potashnick was able to maintain a steady run with the lead pack of cars for the remainder of the race. At one point having a car that ran in front of the race leaders, Potashnick's persistence assisted in him in regaining several laps that were lost during the mechanical interruption. As many laps that were lost behind the wall, Potashnick was still able to complete the race with a 15th-place finish.
Potashnick feels confident in taking the same car to the next race which will be held March 10 at Tucson Raceway Park in Tucson, Arizona. "We sure did have a good car for the race at Las Vegas," Potashnick commented. "After seeing how we were able to get up and run with the leaders, I'm sure we would have had a great run if it weren't for the oil line fitting coming loose. There was no chance to finish where we should have after losing that many laps behind the wall. But I certainly think this will prevent us from having the same problem again. The team's been working really hard and we're looking forward to strong run at Tucson."
The previous NASCAR Winston West Series race held at Phoenix as well as the
race held at Las Vegas will both air with tape-delayed television coverage
with airing dates to be announced. The 2001 television package will be with
Fox and affiliated programing and is scheduled to be announced this upcoming
race weekend. For further information log onto www.Sammy65.com and
www.LucasOil.com.
