WOODSIDE CLINCHES NWWS CHAMPIONSHIP AS RICHARDS CLAIMS WIN

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 11/22/1999

After knocking on the door twice Sean Woodside has emerged as the NASCAR Winston West Series champion.

The 29-year-old Southern California competitor clinched the 1999 title with a fifth-place finish In the ‘99 NASCAR Coca-Cola 500 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Kevin Richards captured the victory in the season finale on the 1.549-mile superspeedway, his third win in 1999 and the most victories of any driver in the series this season. He bounced back after damaging his car during the first practice session two days before the race. The Spokane, Wash., competitor took home a record $83,470 from $635,814 in posted awards, the largest purse in the history of the series.

"I was looking at what (1998 Coca-Cola 500 winner) Mike Skinner did. I went out and crashed on the second lap of practice. So I thought I’d do that, fix it and come back and win", Richards said with a laugh after the race. "The guys got the car fixed. We didn’t have the fastest car, but we had a good enough car at the end to win the race."

Much of the event was dominated by Mike Wallace, who won the Bud PoleAward with a speed of 158.187 mph in the Ultra Wheels/Giagi Bros. Ford. The Missouri native led from the drop of the green. Puffs of smoke began to come from his car on lap 136, however. And 20 laps later he retired from competition with overheating.

Wallace’s departure opened the door for several challengers who had trailed him. Richards led from lap 132 to 139; Eric Norris took the front spot on lap 140 during a caution and Brendan Gaughan charged into the lead two laps later. Norris gained the lead during a subsequent caution on lap 178 and appeared he might be headed to his first series victory. That notion slipped away, however, when a caution bunched the field for a lap 197 restart. As Norris attempted to hold off a hard-charging Austin Cameron on the outside. Richards shot to the inside to take the lead. He remained out front in the closing laps for the win.

Cameron finished second in the Hawthorne Power Systems Pontiac, followed by Norris in the JaniKing/ProLong Ford. Geughan was fourth in The Orteans Hotel & Casino Chevrolet, with Woodeide fifth in the Napa Martin Senour Chevrolet. Rounding Out the top ten were Steve Portenga, Joe Bean, Kim Jane, Jason Small and John Metcalf.

The race featured 16 lead changes among seven drivers. It was slowed for 40 laps by nine cautions.

Woodside of Saugus, Calif., entered the event with a 109-point advantage. We came in here and did exactly what we wanted to do, Woodside said. "A lot of people were laughing at us during the day, he said of his qualifying":.

Woodside struggled to stay on the lead lap and then late in the race challenged for the win. But contact with another car after a restart left him to settle for fifth. Eric Norris and I tangled on that restart, Woodside explained. That kind of flattened the nose of the car. That took us out of contention for winning.

Woodsidets championship follows two consecutive years in which he has finished In the runner-up spot in the final series standings. Prior to joining the circuit in 1997, he won a NASCAR Winston Racing Series championship in the sportsman division at the now-shuttered Saugus Speedway in 1994. He followed that up with a second title at the 1/3-mile paved oval a year later.

Woodside, with 2,075 paints, wrapped up the championship by a 94-paint margin over Cameron of El Cajon Calif. with 1,981 points. Bean of San Diego, Calif. finished third with 1,955; followed by Richerds with 1.910: and Portenga of Sparks, Nov., with 1,889. Completing the top 10 were Small .t 1,845, Mike Chase at 1,838, Brandon Ash at 1,831, Sammy Patashnick at 1,630. Norris and Butch Gilliland ended the season each with 1,821.

The points race has been a close battle between the top 15 drivers throughout the season. It concluded with the six drivers in sixth through 11th within a 24-point spread.

Small wrapped up the Sears Point Raceway Rookie-at-the-Year Award. He won the title with 113 points, followed by Potashniok with 104, Gaughan with 96, Metcalf with 93, Jerry Cain with 70, Rick Ware with 47, Davy Lee Liniger with 29 and Bobby Pangonis with 18.

Chevrolet grabbed the Manufacturers’ Championship in the series with the win in the final event. The season concluded with Chevrolet leading with 104 points and eight wins, while Ford had 102 points and six wins, trailed by Pontiac with 60 points.

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