FONTANA, Calif. (April 28, 2001) Brendan Gaughan fought his way to the front to win the NASCAR Winston West Pontiac Widetrack Grand Prix 200 during the NAPA Auto Parts 500 weekend in Fontana, Calif. Gaughan, driving his No. 16 NAPA/Martin-Senour Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Orleans Racing, ran down Jon Wood in the closing laps to capture the win for NAPA, and set a fast time event record.
"Shane (Wilson, crew chief) knows what he's doing," said Brendan Gaughan, after the jubilant victory circle celebration. "The team did everything. They built this car from the ground up in our West Coast shop in Las Vegas."
With NAPA as a primary sponsor of the No. 16 Orleans Racing car and the title sponsor for the NASCAR Winston Cup NAPA 500 race on Sunday, there were many NAPA employees, storeowners, and their customers on hand for the win at California Speedway. It was the first time in the history of this event to be won by a non-Winston Cup regular competitor.
The win catapults Gaughan to third in the Winston West points standing, 79 points out of the lead.
Orleans Racing driver Hershel McGriff suffered mechanical problems and retired his No. 04 MBNA/Park Corp. Chevrolet Monte Carlo after five laps.
The NASCAR Winston West race will be televised on a tape-delay basis on Fox Sports NET. For more information about Orleans Racing, visit our websites at www.orleansracing.com and www.hershel-mcgriff.com.
