PHOENIX, Ariz.-– NASCAR Winston West Series Driver Sammy Potashnick drove his No. 65 Lucas Oil car to a 2nd- place podium finish on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway in the Winter Heat 150 Presented by Bosch.
Starting the race from the 10th qualifying position, Potashnick navigated his way through the field steadily picking off each car in front of him. Within a matter of laps, Potashnick eased his way up to run with the top five cars.
Potashnick maintained a top-5 run for the majority of the race. It was within the last 20 laps of the race that Potashnick initiated his charge for a podium finish. Within the final 10 laps of the race, Potashnick was able to pass Pole Sitter Eric Norris to earn the 2nd-place spot.
All of this took place under the leadership of new SP Racing Crew Chief Jerry Pitts. The full time Crew Chief for Steve Portenga's 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, has also filled the part time spot for Potashnick's Crew Chief. Pitts was the Crew Chief for Mark Reed's 2nd-place Points finishing NASCAR Winston West Series team last year. Pitts also has roughly five years experience in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series working for such teams as Bill Elliot Racing and Melling Racing.
Potashnick and team feel fortunate to have Pitts on board. "He's been a great Crew Chief to work with. He's very knowledgeable and has what it takes to lead this team to success." Potashnick said and added, "We all feel very fortunate to have him for such an important position that needed to be filled on our team."
Potashnick's next scheduled NASCAR Winston West Series race will be in April at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. However, his 2002 agenda also includes stepping up to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series for Jay Robinson's No. 49 team. Potashnick's Busch Series Debut will be at the Rockingham 200 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina on February 23. The race will receive live television coverage from FOX. Log onto www.Sammy65.com for further information and for the latest news.
