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NASCAR: Short track competitors are charging to the finish in Exide Series

18 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - With just four weeks remaining in the Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR season, competitors across the nation are putting their best foot forward as they look for local, regional and national recognition. Action is widespread in the Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR as competitors look to ascend to the top of the Competition Performance Index (CPI) in their region.

Pacific Coast Region: James Weston of Goleta, Calif., has padded his lead in the Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR Pacific Coast Region. Weston, who competes in the Late Model division at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, raced to his eighth victory of the season this past Saturday. Daniel Gay of Lakeside, Calif., remains second in the regional standings. Gay, who competes in the Street Stock division at Cajon (Calif.) Speedway, has 11 wins in 15 starts. Dennis Pelphrey, Watsonville (Calif.) Speedway; Mike White, Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., and Frank Borges, Madera (Calif.) Speedway round out the top five in the Pacific Coast Region of the Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR.

The Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR was developed in 1998, NASCAR's 50th Anniversary year, to provide regional and national recognition for another NASCAR Weekly Racing Series division.

Each of the nearly 100 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series tracks across the country have designated a feature division that competes for local, regional and national recognition and a $1.7 million point fund. These same tracks have designated another division to compete in the Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR. The Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR includes divisions such as Limited Sportsman, Sportsman, Street Stock, Modified and Truck classes.

With the support of Exide, who announced their series sponsorship last season, those competitors will be racing for their share of nearly $130,000 in posted local, regional and national awards. Local track champions will receive $500, while regional champions will receive $2,500 with the national champion to earn another $5,000.

To be eligible for regional and, therefore national championship recognition, Exide ShorTrack Series by NASCAR drivers must compete in at least 16 events. The same rules and geographic regions are administered as in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. Regional standings, using the same formula to calculate the Competition Performance Index (CPI) as the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, are posted on Thursdays.

Each of the ten regional champions and the national champion will be recognized and receive their awards at the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series banquet on November 17th at the Peabody Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Fla.

Text provided by Doug Stokes

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