DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 3, 2002) – After coming close many times, Brandon Ash got his first taste of victory in the NASCAR Winston West Series, winning the KANSAS SPEEDWAY.COM 150 at Kansas Speedway on June 1.
The 24-year-old second-generation driver from Umpqua, Ore., entered the event with four runner-up finishes to his credit in 57 races, but had yet to capture that first win. Ash had also seen a chance for victory slip away in other events – including the inaugural event at Kansas Speedway a year ago, when his engine broke while he was leading.
It’s no wonder he was concerned about every noise he heard from his Little Trees/Fuji Film/Auto Marine Ford in closing laps of this race. "I was hearing every little vibration," Ash said. "I said to myself, ‘Oh boy, we’ve been here before.’ I gave it everything I had."
The win, along with $20,111 in prize money and posted awards, will provide a boost to the family team that operates on a tight budget, according to Ash. His father, well-known engine builder Ed Ash, serves as the team‘s engine builder and crew chief. "He’s putting everything we’ve got in it," the younger Ash said of his father. "He mortgaged the house last year to keep going and pay the bills. We can’t really afford to be here, but we know if I stop racing my career is over. I’ve got to keep going any way I can from race to race. Maybe this win will promote my name and some opportunities in other equipment. We’ll just go from here."
Ash charged from seventh on the starting grid at Kansas and steadily moved to the front, avoiding the misfortune that struck some of his competition. He took the top spot on lap 61 and built a comfortable lead, despite working his way past lapped traffic. He held on to win by a margin of 1.209 seconds, at an average speed of 103.766 mph.
Mike Duncan of Lamont, Calif., finished as the runner-up in the MB Duncan Motorsports Chevrolet. Eric Norris of Dana Point, Calif., made a late-race charge to take third in the JaniKing/Ultra Wheels Ford. Fourth went to John Metcalf of Aurora, Colo., in the Team RE/MAX Chevrolet, followed by series rookie Mike David of Modesto, Calif., in the Injury Helpline.com Ford. Rounding out the top 10 were Brett Thompson, Jack Sellers, Scott Lynch, Kevin Richards and Johnny Borneman.
The race featured six lead changes among four drivers – Ash, Duncan, Tim Woods III and Scott Gaylord. The pace of the event was slowed by five cautions for 26 laps, all of which came in the first half of the race.
The Bud Pole Award for the race was won by Austin Cameron, who turned in a qualifying lap of 160.171 mph in the NAPA/Martin Senour Chevrolet. The El Cajon, Calif., driver led the championship standings coming into the event, but a four-car mishap on lap 25 left him with a 17th-place finish. His misfortune, coupled with the third-place finish for Norris, changed the point standings. Norris now leads with 654 over Cameron’s 642. Richards is third at 614, with Duncan fourth at 580 and Greg Pursley fifth at 572. Sixth through 10th has David at 548, Ash at 547, Thompson at 524, Gaylord at 507 and Borneman at 504.
David has taken the lead, meanwhile, in a tight battle for the Stage 8 Locking Fasteners Rookie-of-the-Year Award. He has edged out front with 35 points, over Pursley and Thompson, each with 34. Scott Lynch trails with 25, followed by G.J. Mennen Jr. with 20.
The next event on the NASCAR Winston West Series schedule will be the Coors Light 200 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., on June 29.
