NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour Report: Port City Racing 200

28 October 1997

SCOTTS VALLEY, CA - Bryan Germone has just one thing between himself and the
1997 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour championship.

That one thing is the REMAX 300K, a daunting, 186 lap race at Phoenix 
International Raceway Friday, Oct. 31.

"It's my biggest dream in racing," Germone said.

Germone, the NFSWT points leader, can clinch the championship by finishing 
26th or better at Phoenix. He reached that position by finishing second in 
the Port City Racing 200 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield Calif.

M.K. Kanke, Granada Hills, Calif., won the race at Mesa Marin with a 
dominating performance in which he led 157 laps of the 200 lap event. It was 
Kanke's fourth win of the season and he won $6,470.

"We wanted to win this race," Germone said. "Mike Kanke had a fast car."

As Kanke's competition fell short of catching the leader at Mesa Marin, 
Germone's competition was also struggling.

Chris Raudman, the defending NFSWT champion, slammed the turn one wall at a 
time in the second half of the race when he seemed ready to make at run at 
the leaders.

Raudman finished 10th behind Kanke. Though his finish at Mesa Marin kept him 
second behind Germone in the points, the lead is now 92 points. That is a lot 
of points to make up in one race.

Kurt Busch, the 19 year old driver from Las Vegas, Nev., finished third at 
Mesa Marin, Bob Lyon, Agua Dulce, Calif., was fourth and Mark Reed, 
Bakersfield, Calif., took fifth.

Kanke has been the dominant NFSWT driver at Mesa Marin for the last two 
seasons. In that time he has won twice and set the NFSWT's single lap 
qualification record at the track.

"Bill Maroupulos made this win possible," Kanke said. "Last week I blew the 
bottom out of this engine, but Bill had the engine back to us by Tuesday. We 
had a great car tonight."

Kanke won his fourth race of the season, tops in the NFSWT in 1997. He joined 
Bonicelli Racing after the season started, becoming the third driver the team 
has had this season.

Jerry Robertson started the season driving for Bonicelli, then left when he 
got an offer to drive a NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division car. 
Chris Raudman drove one race for Bonicelli, winning on the superspeedway at 
Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Raudman then elected to reform his own team and Bonicelli hired Kanke.

Germone is second on the all time NFSWT money list and is a former Rookie of 
the Year. He has finished second in points twice before.

"This going to be the longest week of my life," he said.


By NASCAR Public Relations