DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Mention Douglas County Speedway to members of the NAPA team at Bill McAnally Racing and you will probably notice them start to smile. The team has dominated competition in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West action at the short-track in Roseburg, Ore., since the circuit began making annual visits there in 2002.
BMR driver, Eric Holmes (No. 20 NAPA Toyota), will be shooting for his third consecutive Roseburg win when the series heads there for the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 on Saturday, June 5.
Even more impressive is the NAPA team’s record at Roseburg – winning six of eight events, with four different drivers, as well as with different crew chiefs during those eight years.
As one of the events put on each year by Bill McAnally Racing Promotions, there is extra incentive to run well there for car owner and race promoter Bill McAnally, according to Holmes.
“It’s one of the first events that Bill McAnally promoted,” Holmes explained. “So, I think there’s a little added pressure to do well. He tells us we ‘have to win.’
“For me personally, it’s a track I’ve run really well at,” Holmes said. “I’ve always enjoyed going up there. The fans are great and it’s a beautiful facility. The key is qualifying well and starting up front and leading all the laps.”
Holmes admits it’s difficult to explain the consistency that the BMR has been able to maintain at Roseburg.
“Austin Cameron won there and he and I have totally different driving styles,” Holmes said. “I sometimes wonder how that plays into it. But for me, it fits my driving style. It’s a track you have to really pay attention, not over drive the car and save it for the end. For me, it’s been a place I adapted to really well.”
With six of the past nine races at Roseburg being won from the pole position, it’s also easy to see the advantage of starting up front.
“Qualifying is key there, because it’s really hard to pass,” said Holmes, who in 2008 demonstrated that a driver can come from the back of the pack. “Two years ago I had a flat tire and came back through the field and proved that you can pass there. You’ve just got to have a good car and be patient.”
Nonetheless, Holmes knows it won’t be easy to score his third straight win there.
“I know the odds are against me on that,” he said. “But it’s a place I love going to. Hopefully, we can get the set-up right. I think we can go up there and win the race like we have the past two years and put the NAPA Toyota in Victory Lane.”
Although Roseburg is in one of the smaller markets the series visits, teams love the small-town atmosphere they experience there.
“When we come into the town, we’re kind of the big show,” Holmes said. “It’s almost like the (NASCAR Sprint) Cup Series, because they don’t often get the opportunity to see this type of racing and these types of cars. The whole town gets together on it and with Bill’s promoting, we get a great crowd. The fans there love their NASCAR racing.”
