TRACKS: Raudman Thrills Irwindale Fans From Pole to Second Place Finish

Rancho Santa Margarita, California (April 24, 2001) -- Craig Raudman,
driver of Dave Reed Racing's #2 Yerf-dog Fun Karts/ITPS Chevrolet in the
Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring and NASCAR Winston West Series,
led a crowd-thrilling charge in tonight's Foods 4 Less "150" Southwest
Series event at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway from his starting position
on the pole to his eventual second-place finish.

Raudman started the evening off right by winning the Bud Pole Award with
a lap time of 17. 692 seconds around the half-mile oval.

Raudman took and held a strong lead throughout the first half of the race,
keeping a steady six-to-eight car lengths between himself and eventual
race-winner, M.K. Kanke. An early-race caution closed the gap, but Raudman
quickly shot ahead again after the restart.

As Raudman approached lapped traffic at the halfway mark, Kanke inched
up to within striking distance, but Raudman was able to stretch his lead
once again when he got back out onto the open track. 

By lap 100, with the two battling lapped traffic once again, Kanke got
up to Raudman's side, setting off a side-by-side dogfight that lasted
the remaining 50 laps of the race.

The two exchanged the lead several times and even made slight contact
on the front straightaway, setting off a roar from the grandstands.

Raudman was a threat to the finish after Kanke slid into the lead. He
made a final charge during the last couple of laps, and crossed the stripe
in second place.

Raudman and Kanke were in a class by themselves tonight. Just after the
halfway point in the race, the two had put eight seconds between themselves
and the then third-place car, and they flew past the fifth place car on
lap 141.

"That was one of the most fun races I can remember in a really long time,"
roared Raudman to the crowd in a post-race interview. "Kanke and I have
raced against each other for years, and we have a lot of respect for each
other. If I had to finish second, that's the way to do it."

Dave Reed Racing operates NASCAR Winston West and Featherlite Southwest
Series, NASCAR Touring teams featuring Craig Raudman as driver. Raudman
has collected nine wins and eleven Bud Pole Awards throughout his Southwest
Series career, and finished in the top five in final points standings
in four of his past five full Southwest Series seasons.