HARVICK TAKES IT TO THE BANK! SMITH AND WOODSIDE TAKE IT TO THE BODYSHOP.

Source: Jim & Noel Dawson
Date: 06/14/1998

Sean Woodside and Butch Gilliland led the field to the Winston West Series flagman Jackie O'Neal's green flag. It was Woodside who would lead the field into turn 1, followed by Gilliland and Gary Smith. Kevin Culver had an early problem with a cut tire after qualifying 8th, he returned to the track on lap 7, two laps down.

The first yellow did not fly until lap 25, for debris on the racetrack. Woodside was still leading followed by Gilliland, Smith, Kevin Harvick and Austin Cameron.

Kevin Richards and Davy Lee Liniger got together in turn 2; Liniger spun and was hit in the door by Tony Toste, who had nowhere to go. Kevin Richards was black flagged for the incident, he came in for the stop and go and returned on the lead lap as it was under yellow flag conditions.

The race stayed green until lap 49 when a four-car mess involving Ron Burns, Blair Aiken, Richards, and Jeff Streeter all got together in turn 1.

The leaders weaved and bobbed their way through traffic until lap 69 when Richards and Burns got together again with Burns ending up on the short end of the stick. Richards was black flagged and brought in for a five lap penalty. Right after that on lap 70, Craig Raudman cut a tire and slowed. He made it to the pits for repairs. Also on lap 70, Smith got by Gilliland for the second position.

It wasn't the LA Freeway but it sure looked like rush hour as the leaders continued to navigate through the sometimes heavy traffic. On lap 87, Scott Gaylord, who was driving the SMS Ford Thunderbird for the second straight race spun along with Wayne Jacks in turn 1 bringing out the yellow flag. Woodside still led followed by Smith, Gilliland, Harvick and Cameron.

The green was out for one lap until Liniger, Kelly Tanner, Aiken, and Richards all got together on the front strait. Wherever trouble went today, Kevin Richards seemed to find, or vice a versa.

The race continued at speed until the halfway point when a strange occurrence happened. The crossed flags were given which signaled half way. As the leaders went down the back straight, the pace car pulled half way towards the racetrack. Woodside slowed as the rest of the leaders did, then the pace car pulled back off the track and the rest of the leaders raced back to the flag, while Woodside was left wondering what was happening. However, when the yellow flag was waved, Woodside was put back in front as leader.

The race continued after the half way break. On lap 103, Harvick passed Gilliland for the third position. On lap 109, Tanner got by Scott Gaylord for the sixth position. During the green flag run, Gilliland's #1 Mission Foods Ford began to smoke, it did not seem to affect the performance and he was not black-flagged.

On lap 133, it appeared that Gilliland was heading for the pits when he missed pit entrance and hit the water barrels protecting the blunt end of the wall. He continued and made repairs but was now two laps down. During this yellow Harvick pitted to repair a flat left front tire. He returned on the lead lap.

Harvick rebounded from the cut tire to get passed Tanner for fourth on lap 142. Later that lap, Tanner and Gaylord would make contact in turn 3 and spin bringing out the caution flag. Ten laps later Gilliland would make his way to the garage with a bad rear end.

The yellow flag reappeared on lap 167 when Raudman cut a tire and came to a stop on the back straight. It was back to green flag action on lap 171 and this led to several of the most exciting laps of Winston West racing in some time. Around lap 190 everyone was making their moves. The top three competitors Woodside, Smith and Harvick were bumper to bumper. Harvick made light contact with Smith, Smith's NAPA Chevrolet got loose, but he gathered it back up and kept going, this let Woodside break out to a ten car length lead. On lap 198, Smith made contact with Woodside, enough to loosen him up and make the pass for the lead. Smith would lead lap 199 but coming out of turn 4 there was another meeting of the minds as Woodside and Smith got together causing both to make hard contact with the outside wall in turn 4, Harvick dove to the infield grass to avoid the mess and cross the line and take the checkered flag for his second win of the year. Smith continued on to finish second. Sean Woodside showed a never say die attitude as the car had no forward gears left and he backed the #07 Re-Refined Oil Pontiac across the line to finish fifth. Harvick and Smith were followed by Cameron, with a career best third. Tanner and Woodside rounded out the top-five with a fouth and fifth place finishes.

Harvick averaged 63.638 mph and won $12,945 for leading one lap but it was the most important lap, the last one.

The NASCAR Winston West Series will enjoy a well-deserved rest until next month's two-hundred-lapper at Portland Speedway, July 10th.

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