NASCAR Winston West Winter Heat 200: Report, Results, Standings
13 January 1998
TUCSON, Ariz. - Anaheim, CA driver and defending NASCAR Winston West Champion Butch Gilliland opened defense of his title by battling his way past NASCAR Winston Cup star Ken Schrader in the closing laps to take the victory in the Winter Heat 200 NASCAR Winston West Series opener at Tucson Raceway Park, Ariz, Sunday Afternoon. Gilliland was able to withstand Schrader's pressure over the final laps to record the win, his first of 1998, by less than a car length. With the win Gilliland took a successful first step in defense of his title. The early leader of the race was series rookie Craig Raudman, who started on the outside of the front row and took the point when the green flag flew. Raudman gained the lead by slipping past top qualifier Jerry Cain, also a rookie, who had set the fastest speed around the 3/8 mile oval in qualifying at 87.125 mph, in his Merchants Bankcard/NEO Oil/Nitrotech Chevrolet. Raudman kept his Advantage Memory Monte Carlo out front until lap seven when Kevin Harvick slid by on the low side to take over the lead position. Harvick kept his Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet out front until fifth starting Gilliland was able to nose his Mission Foods Ford into the lead on lap 30. Harvick immediately tried to regain the position and was successful when the yellow came out for a spin with Harvick just ahead of Gilliland by a nose. On the restart Gilliland stayed right on Harvick's bumper and on lap 49 he retook the lead, where he would remain during the remainder of the first half of the race. By the halfway point of the race, early leader Raudman had slipped back with a dead battery and Schrader had moved steadily towards the front where he was running in second at the midpoint Following the midpoint break Schrader slipped by Gilliland to take a lead that he would hold for most of the second half of the race. Although Schrader's Bill Strauser-owned Chevrolet was strong, he was unable to shake Gilliland who sat right on his rear bumper for lap after lap. Gary Collins was able to wrest the lead away from Schrader for a short period on lap 102, but by lap 111 the Fenton, MO ace was back on the point. Following a restart on lap 169, Gilliland began searching for a way past the cagy Winston Cup star. He looked to the low side in turn four lap after lap, but Schrader was still strong enough to hold off the Ford. Several times he would appear to get a good run, only to have lapped traffic pop up and force him to fall back in line. Finally on lap 197 Gilliland got a good run coming out of turn four and drew alongside Schrader. A lapped car was running to the inside, but this time Gilliland did not back off, instead it was three wide racing as Schrader gave him the room he needed to race for the lead. Gilliland took over the point on lap 198 and then was able to fend of Schrader over the final two laps for the win by less than four tenths of a second. Finishing in third was Collins in the Dewars Find Candies Chevrolet with the 1-800-CLEANUP/76 Lubricants Pontiac of Sean Woodside fourth and Cain in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Kelly Tanner, Gary Smith, Kevin Richards, Raudman and Davey Manthei. The race featured nine lead changes among six drivers. 21 of the 26 car starting field were still running at the end of the race, with 12 cars finishing on the lead lap. There were 35 cars on hand to qualify, and with only 26 starting positions available, nine teams were forced to head home after qualifying. In addition to Cain and Raudman, 13 others drivers have registered for the Sears Point Raceway Rookie-of-the-Year program. Included on that list are two-time NASCAR REB-CO Northwest Tour Champion Kelly Tanner, Kevin Richards, Tony Toste, Craig Rayburn, Bo Lemler, Brandon Ash, Sammy Potashnick, Eric Norris and Don Abreu. The next event for the NASCAR Winston West Series is Feb 25th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR Winston West Winter Heat 200 Results Pos Driver Hometown Make Laps Purse ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Butch Gilliland Anaheim, CA Ford 200 $9827 2. Ken Schrader Fenton, MO Chev 200 6250 3. Gary Collins Bakersfield, CA Chev 200 3760 4. Sean Woodside Saugus, CA Pont 200 3627 5. Jerry Cain Canyon Country, CA Chev 200 3150 6. Kelly Tanner Woodinville, WA Pont 200 1500 7. Gary Smith Malahat, BC Pont 200 1977 8. Kevin Richards Spokane, WA Chev 200 1877 9. Craig Raudman Redding, CA Chev 200 1200 10. Davey Manthei W Richland, WA Chev 200 1475 11. Bill McAnally Elverta, CA Chev 200 2352 12. Wayne Jacks Las Vegas, NV Chev 200 2252 13. Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Chev 199 900 14. Scott Gaylord Lakewood, CO Chev 199 2152 15. Tony Toste Pismo Beach, CA Chev 197 900 16. Craig Rayburn Simi Valley, CA Chev 197 1525 17. Bo Lemler Chula Vista, CA Chev 196 750 18. Pappy Pryor Priest Lake, ID Chev 188 1277 19. Larry Gunsleman Sierra Village, CA Ford 171 650 20. Brandon Ash Umpqua, OR Ford 171 650 21. Kevin Culver Portland, OR Chev 158 1927 Engine 22. Sammy Potashnick Sikeston, MO Chev 155 600 Accident 23. Eric Norris Redondo Beach, CA Ford 155 600 Accident 24. Don Abreu Phoenix, AZ Ford 154 1350 Accident 25. Kenny Smith El Monte, CA Chev 123 1927 26. Jeff Davis Anaheim Hills, CA Ford 89 1177 Engine Time of Race: 1 hour 14 minutes 35 seconds Margin of Victory: .389 seconds Cautions: 7 for 43 laps Lap Leaders: Raudman, Harvick, Gilliland, Schrader, Collins Lead Changes: 9 NASCAR Winston West Points ---------------------------------- 1. Butch Gilliland 180 2. Ken Schrader 180 3. Gary Collins 170 4. Sean Woodside 160 5. Jerry Cain 155 6. Kelly Tanner 150 7. Gary Smith 146 8. Kevin Richards 142 9. Craig Raudman 143 10. Davey Manthei 134 John Kaiser -- The Auto Channel