KEVIN RICHARDS SUSTAINS MOMENTUM; WINS NWWS SEASON OPENER

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 03/20/2000

Kevin Richards started the 2000 season in the NASCAR Winston West Series the way he finished 1999 - with a victory.

Richards won the NAPA Auto Parts 100 season opener at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18 - giving him victories in three of four NWWS races, dating back to last year.

He said his latest win demonstrates that the Monaco Enterprises team has sustained the momentum it had at the end of last season, when it won two of the final three races. Richards credits the continued success to the off?season efforts of the team.

"We did a lot of testing through the winter," he said. "(Car owner) Gene Monaco allows me to have the best equipment and allows me to drive a lot of laps. I think that's the key. And we kept our whole team structure the same."

It was the fourth career win in the series for the 37?old competitor from Spokane, Wash., and followed four months after his victory in the history-making NWWS in Japan this past November.

Richards' margin of victory in his latest win was .489 of a second, at an average speed of 61.11 mph. He won $18,477, including prize money and special awards. Crossing the line for second was Bobby Dotter of Charlotte, N.C., in the Gene Christensen-owned Chevrolet. Sammy Potashnick of Sikeston, Mo., was a close third in the PTI Transportation Chevrolet from the Walker Evans shop. He was followed by Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas, Nev., in the NAPA Auto Parts/Martin Senour Chevrolet and Jason Small of Bakersfield, Calif., in the Small Construction Chevrolet. Rounding out the top 10 were Bill Sedgwick, Rick Bogart, John Bomeman, Scott Gaylord and Mike Grady.

The Bud Pole Award for the event went to Steve Portenga of Sparks, Nev., who set a track record in time trials with a speed of 129.394 mph in the Roto-Rooter Chevrolet. The race featured three lead changes among three drivers - Richards, Portenga and John Metcalf. The event was slowed by nine cautions for 39 laps-

Bogart of El Cajon, Calif., leads a class of eight freshman drivers who have registered for the NWWS rookie-of-the-year program. Bogart has 10 points, followed by Borneman of Ramona, Calif., with nine; Mike Grady of Farmington, N.M., with eight; Travis Powell of Snohomish, Wash., with seven; Don Holcomb of Mesa, Ariz., with six; Mike Duncan of Lamont, Calif., with five; .Jeff Jefferson of Naches, Wash., with four; and Troy Cline of Hawthorne, Calif., with three.

The next event on the NASCAR Winston West Series schedule is the Outback Steakhouse presents the Coors 200 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 25.

Nine NASCAR Touring Series blanket the United States, bringing special events to many NASCAR Weekly Racing Series tracks and some NASCAR superspeedways and road courses. NASCAR Touring Series are extremely popular with fans and competitors. NASCAR Touring Series can provide a competitor with an entire career, or they can provide valuable experience to competitors moving through the NASCAR ranks. Corporate sponsors make significant contributions to NASCAR Touring Series point funds. These sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, Featherlite, Goody's Headache Powders, Raybestos Brakes, RE/MAX International, Slim Jim, and RJ Reynolds brand, Winston.

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