Nascar Winston West: McAnally Racing Irwindale Preview
17 June 1999
WOODSIDE AND BILL MCANALLY RACING WILL BATTLE FOR FIRST AT IRWINDALE June 15, 1999 (Roseville, CA) - The opportunity to make their mark in the first NASCAR Winston West race to be run at the beautiful, new Irwindale Speedway would, by itself, be enough to make this Saturday's event one of the most intense in the 1999 schedule, but Sean Woodside and Bill McAnally Racing will also have another race on their minds. Embroiled in a points contest in which the top three teams are currently within just six points of each other, the #16 NAPA/Martin Senour team is intent on taking over the first place position. Bill McAnally Racing finished the recent Mesa Marin event tied for second place in the points standings, even though an electrical fire brought the team's evening to an early end. A strong car and McAnally Racing's teamwork during pit stops helped keep the car at the front of the pack, and Woodside led 31 of the 150 laps he completed. Although disappointed by the results of that race, the team reduced the spread between first and second place in the points standings. The Irwindale race is clearly important to the teams at the top as they work to solidify their points positions. Located within a short drive of his Saugus residence, Irwindale is now Woodside's new home track. Fans who followed Woodside's formative years in NASCAR racing at the former Saugus Speedway are in for a treat this Saturday. Woodside's driving skills have matured since his Winston Racing Series days, and he has taken the time to get to know the Irwindale facility. Following the team's recent test session at Irwindale, Woodside said, "On a scale of one to ten, Irwindale's a ten. The track is wide and fast, and I can't wait to get out there with some real competition." As Woodside and Bill McAnally Racing battle their way toward the checkered flag, the employees of NAPA's Los Angeles distribution center and their guests, including store owners and customers, will be enjoying Irwindale's storied hospitality accommodations. Woodside and McAnally are looking forward to hosting the over two hundred NAPA guests who are expected to attend the race this weekend. In addition to on-track activities this weekend, Bill McAnally Racing will make appearances at local NAPA stores in Fontana and Covina on Friday, June 18. McAnally Racing makes show car and personal appearances regularly at NAPA stores throughout the Western and Mountain states. Bill McAnally Racing (BMR) owns and operates the #16 NAPA Auto Parts/Martin Senour Automotive Finishes/NAPA Filters/California Integrated Waste Management Recycled Oil Program Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR Winston West team with Sean Woodside as driver. They are currently tied for second place in the points standings, just six points out of first place. Current season results include one win, two top five and four top ten finishes. Woodside finished both the 1997 and 1998 seasons in second place in the Winston West points standings. MEET DRIVER SEAN WOODSIDE Sean Woodside may be one of the youngest stars in NASCAR racing who can claim to have cut his teeth at the former Saugus Speedway, but don't let that fool you. Woodside has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments at Saugus and numerous other race tracks in the western states in his relatively short NASCAR racing career. Woodside earned two championships, numerous wins (ten during the 1995 season alone) and many other awards, including Most Popular Driver and Rookie of the Year awards, during a five season run in Saturday night racing at Saugus and, later, Mesa Marin Raceway. Then, in 1997, Woodside set his sights on the NASCAR Winston West Series. There, he finished his first season with record-breaking total prize money, three wins, a second place finish in the championship hunt and awards for leading the most laps and winning the most Busch Pole Awards. Woodside's second NASCAR Winston West season resulted in another second place finish in the points standings, two wins and the Gatorade Front Runner Award. Amazingly, Woodside completed 99.6% of the season's total laps. Winter Heat aptly describes the beginning of Woodside's 1999 season. Just weeks after joining Bill McAnally's NAPA-sponsored NASCAR Winston West team, Woodside blistered the competition in the January 17 season opener at Tucson Raceway Park and took home the first place trophy. Where does the talent come from? Racing was truly a family affair in the Woodside home. Along with supporting Woodside's early years in go-cart racing, his parents both competed at Saugus Speedway and Mesa Marin Raceway in NASCAR's Winston Racing Series. Woodside grew up at racetracks, spent some time honing his mechanical abilities at prominent Southern California race shops and, eventually, became crew chief for both of his parents. Somehow, between all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, homework and keeping a household running, Woodside's mom and dad accomplished raising one of the West's best drivers. The 1999 season represents a promising step in Woodside's driving career. With his driving ability, team owner Bill McAnally's support and solid sponsorship from NAPA, the team has assembled the essential ingredients for a championship run and another record year for Sean Woodside. MEET TEAM OWNER BILL MCANALLY When Bill McAnally decided to hang up his helmet mid-way through the 1998 season, one of his top goals was to find his way back into Victory Circle, this time as team owner. McAnally realized that goal twice within his first six months as a full-time team owner. The first win came in July of 1998 with driver Gary Smith at Portland Speedway. Sean Woodside gave McAnally his second win when he drove the #16 NAPA Auto Parts/Martin Senour Automotive Finishes Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a first place finish in the 1999 Winston West season opener at Tucson Raceway Park. McAnally's successful ten-year career in racing in both the NASCAR Winston West and the NASCAR Winston Racing Series prepared him well for his role as team owner. McAnally knows that solid performance is dependent on good driving, good equipment and a good relationship with the team's sponsors. When Woodside became available after the end of a very successful 1998 season, McAnally jumped at the opportunity to bring him in as driver. According to McAnally, "Sean is a great driver…one of the best in the western states. He's already proven himself to be a great asset to the team, and we believe that we now have what it takes to be the team to beat in the 1999 championship hunt." With Woodside behind the wheel of his team's racecars, McAnally now concentrates on directing race shop activities and working with NAPA to ensure that his sponsorship program is as successful as his race program. It certainly keeps him busy. McAnally's Roseville, California shop operates full-time building, maintaining and preparing the racecars for upcoming races. Last year, McAnally's team made almost ninety show car and personal appearances on behalf of NAPA, including trade shows, track-side hospitality, marketing conferences, grand openings, customer appreciation days and sales events. An even busier schedule of appearances is planned for 1999. McAnally is well on his way toward building one of the top racing operations in the western United States. A great driver, a team capable of building great cars and a strong sponsorship program, combined with McAnally's leadership, should result in a great 1999 season for the #16 NAPA Auto Parts/Martin Senour Automotive Finishes team. McAnally lives in northern California with his wife Deanna and their children, Hailee and Alexander.