ROOKIE DRIVERS CONTINUE TO BATTLE AS NWWS HEADS TO JAPAN

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 11/04/1999

This years record field of freshman drivers competing for the Sears Point Raceway Rookie-of-the-Year Award in the NASCAR Winston west Series, has developed into a battle between two young drivers late in the season.

Throughout the year, Jason Small of Bakersfield, Calif., and Sammy Potashnick of Sikeston, Mo., diced for the lead in the rookie standings, as well as positions in the overall championship standings.

As the NASCAR Winston West Series heads to Japan to wrap up its season with the ‘99 NASCAR Coca-Cola 500 at Twin Ring Motegi on November 20, the rookie crown is still in question. It is yet to be determined which of the two young lions of the circuit will finish higher in the final overall championship standings.

They are separated by only two points, with Small in tenth with 1,702 points and Potashnick shadowing him with 1,700 points. Both are hopeful of finishing the year in the top 10 and being the highest finishing rookie.

It has been a banner year for both drivers, as they came into the NASCAR Winston West Series in a season that featured immense growth and an increased level of competition

Small, who competed as a teenager in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at his hometown track of Mesa Marin Raceway, grabbed the initial headlines in 1999 by winning the Bud Pole Award in the season opening event at Tucson (Ariz.) Raceway Park. The 20-year-old competitor turned in a career best fourth-place finish at Rocky Mountain Raceways near Salt Lake City in September

Potashnick, 25, also collected a Bud Pole Award this season — setting fast time when the series visited Irwindale (Calif.) Spedway in August. It was his second Bud Pole Award in the series, with his first coming in 1997 in one of three NASCAR Winston West Series events he ran that year Potashnick’s career best finish also came at Rocky Mountain Raceways — where he finished third, just ahead of Small.

Small and PotashnicK topped a record contingent of rookies in 1999, with 17 drivers participating in the program, which is sponsored by Sears Point Raceway. They were one-two in the rookie standings throughout the year, with Potashnick leading the way through the first half of the season before giving way to Small.

Small tops the rookie standings with 104 points, with Potashnick close behind with 97. Trailing them are arendan Gaughan of Las Vegas, Nev., with 86; John Metcalf of Aurora, Cob., with 85: Jerry Cain of Canyon Country, Calif., with 70: Rick Ware of Greensboro, NC with 47; Davy Lee Linger of Englewood, Colo. with 29 and Bobby Pangonis of Las Vegas, Nev., with 18. Small and Potashnick have also battled for supremacy this season in terms of the overallchampionship standings. Both drivers were in the top 10 position through nine of the 13 races. Heading into the final event, Sean Woodside leads the standings with 1,920; followed by Austin Cameron with 1,811; Joe Bean with 1,809; Bill Sedgwick with 1,789; Mike Chase with 1,745; Steve Portenga with 1,739; Kevin Richards with 1,730; Brandon Ash with 1,728; Butch Gilliland with 1,721; Small with 1,702 and Potashnickwith 1,700. They are followed by Eric Nonis with 1,651; Gaughan with 1,577; Metcalf with 1,488; Cain with 1,293; Wayne Jacks with 1,291; Gary Smith with 1,181; Doe Faustina with 985; Rick Ware with 930; and Scott Gaylord with 726.

The Coca-Cola 500 is the final event on this years 14-race schedule for the NASCAR Winston West Series. It will mark the first NASCAR points race outside of North America in the organization’s 51-year history.

The race will be held on the 1.549-mile superspeedway at Twin Ring Motegi. It is slated to be televised in Japan by Fuji Television and in the United States by the Speedvision cable network. The race is scheduled to air on Speedvision on a tape delay basis on December 11 at 3 p.m. EST.

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