KANSAS CITY (June 2, 2001) Hershel McGriff rode out mechanical problems to finish 14th in the NASCAR Winston West Kansas "100" presented by Midwestern Ford Dealers his No. 04 MBNA/Park Corp. Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Orleans Racing teammate Brendan Gaughan, in his No. 16 NAPA/Martin Senour Chevrolet Monte Carlo, strongly contended for the lead and finished fourth in Saturday's inaugural race at Kansas Speedway.
McGriff had a strong run and was in the seventh position with 30 laps to go. Experiencing a slight mechanical problem with just 20 laps to go, McGriff hung on and was able to come home with a 14th. "I was biding my time," said McGriff. "Once I got going, I could pick them off. I think I could've finished fifth." Gaughan led for nine laps in the one hour, 20 minute race in the beautiful sunshine at the state-of-the-art facility. Gaughan remains second in points, just 33 points behind leader Mark Reed, who finished sixth.
More than 1,000 NAPA storeowners, employees and their customers participated in the festivities at Kansas Speedway. Over 150 took advantage of garage tours, getting close to the action with the No. 16 NAPA crew. NAPA is the 1999/2000 NASCAR Winston West Champion sponsor. NAPA has been "Keeping America Running" for over 75 years, with over 6,000 NAPA Auto Parts stores nationwide and over 10,000 NAPA Auto Care centers.
McGriff enjoys support from MBNA America Bank, N.A., the official credit card issuer of NASCAR. MBNA is the world's largest independent credit card issuer with managed loans of $88.8 billion. MBNA has offered NASCAR fans credit cards featuring their favorite driver's photo since 1993.
For more information about Orleans Racing, visit our websites at www.orleansracing.com and www.hershel-mcgriff.com.
