NASCAR WEEKLY SERIES NEWS & NOTES - SUNBELT REGION

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Mike Ray of Las Vegas is no stranger when it comes to chasing a regional championship in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. Ray won the title in the Pacific Coast Region in 1998. In returning to competition this year in the Super Late Model Division at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he finds himself in the hunt for the championship in the Sunbelt Region.

In the six years since he won the regional title, Ray has stayed away from racing for the most part. An opportunity to join the race team of veteran Las Vegas competitor and car owner Jerry Spilsbury was enough to entice Ray to return to the cockpit, however.

“I’ve missed it a great deal,” Ray admitted. “But it’s a big-time commitment.” With the Spilsbury team, Ray says he is able to focus on driving and does not have all the other responsibilities in running a top-notch race team. “That’s one of the main reasons why I did this,” he said. “It fits my program better.”

With his return to racing, Ray says he had a different approach. “I’m enjoying it this year,” he said. “I went out there with kind of a different attitude. I was going to have fun and do the best I could. I’ve been enjoying it. I’ve been having a good time.”

Ray’s return has required some adjustment on his part, however. A major reconfiguration to the 3/8-mile oval during his absence has required him to change his driving style. “The groove use to be up higher,” he explained. “If you passed, you would get underneath them and slide up. Now the fast groove is right down on the bottom. It kind of changed the way you have to race the track. I would say the old way fit my driving style better.”

In addition to his track championship and regional title in 1998, Ray won the late model championship at the Las Vegas track in 1996 and garnered championships in the Limited Sportsman division there in 1991 and 1992.