LEWIS ROCKETS TO WIN ON RAYBESTOS BRAKES NORTHWEST SERIES, NASCAR TOURING

Source: Scott Hara
Date: 08/13/2000

TENINO, Wash. (August 12, 2000) - Gary Lewis, the 1998 series champion

from Bothell, Wash., roared from his sixth starting position in the Pepsi 125

to claim his third win of the season on the Raybestos Brakes Northwest

Series. The win came on the 1/3-mile oval at South Sound Speedway. Lewis

held off three-time series champion Ron Eaton and Chris Hart for the victory.

Totem Travel Rookie of the Year candidate John Zaretzke finished fourth

while series points leader Ken Kaltschmidt finished fifth.

Kenny Rich, on the pole as a result of a six-car invert, jumped out to

the lead on the first lap. Rich continued into the lead until lap 23 when

flames came out from under the hood of his Chevrolet. The burning rubber was

quickly extinguished on pit road. Rich lost two laps due to the pit stop,

costing him a chance at his first series win. Kevin Hamlin took the point

after Rich's misfortune. Hamlin held the point until lap 69 when Lewis drove

by. Hamlin's tires began to fade, sending him to an eighth place finish.

Rich finished in 14th.

Eaton and Hart started deep in the pack and worked their way through the

field to catch Lewis. But they needed the help of lapped traffic to do it.

Lewis was slowed numerous times by slower traffic battling side-by-side for

position. About the time Eaton and Hart would reach Lewis, the former

champion would find a hole through the traffic and be off and running again.

In the end, Lewis would claim the victory with a 1.56-second margin of

victory.

"I owe it to Goodyear, Raybestos, and the Sign Factory," said Lewis in

victory lane. "Goodyear had just an awesome tire here tonight. I was just

following Hamlin there for a while, letting him set the pace. We started to

get into lapped traffic and I decided it was time to go before someone else

caught us."

"The Goodyear tires started to back up," said Eaton. "It took these

Hoosier tires a long time to come in. They started to come in and I made a

move for it. I wasn't paying attention and I hit the wall coming right out

of turn four. I bent a shock. It was all I could do to keep Chris Hart

behind me. I was just hanging on for dear life."

I gave him (Eaton) everything I could without flat hitting him," said

Hart after the race. "We try to run clean. We're happy with third. We just

didn't have the track position tonight."

Gary Lewis claimed his sixth Bud Pole award of the season and the

Gatorade Frontrunner Award. John Zaretzke was the Totem Travel Rookie of the

Race. The race was slowed by just three caution flags for 14 laps. The

average speed was 64.286 mph.

The Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series travels next to Magic Valley

Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho, for the NAPA 150 on August 19.

News Index | E-mail to a Friend