NASCAR WWEST: Woodside Brings First Win to REF Motorsports
29 March 2000
March 29, 2000 (Palmdale, CA) - Bob Farmer's decision to invite Sean Woodside, the reigning 1999 NASCAR Winston West champion, to join REF Motorsports' Southwest Series effort was amply rewarded Friday night when Woodside won the team's first-ever series win Friday night at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. The first place finish in Friday's FoodsCo 100 also marked Woodside's first win in the Southwest Series. Woodside ran with the leaders for most of the race, but held back, saving his equipment for a final push. He was running in third place when the then first and second place cars tangled and spun out with just a few laps to go, opening the door for Woodside to take over the lead. Woodside is no stranger to Victory Circle at Mesa Marin. He was one of Mesa Marin's strongest Late Model competitors prior to his Winston West career, and has won the October Classic Winston West event for the past three years in a row. Woodside also won the Bud Pole Award in both 1997 and 1998 in the October Classic events. "This series is a whole other can of worms," commented Woodside from Victory Circle. "The driver caliber is definitely higher than the average Saturday night-type series. I'm happy for the team. They did a great job, and I'm happy I was able to bring in a win this early in the season." Team owner Bob Farmer was elated about the win. "The team did a fantastic job, and I have to thank all of them and Sean for their hard work. I believe it's clear that we've come together as a team. Sean has quickly adapted to Southwest cars, so we'll hope to see more wins very soon." Woodside also ran Saturday night's Late Model event at Irwindale Speedway, finishing 8th, and Sunday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Dodge California 250 at Mesa Marin, where he finished 24th after being collected in a late-race crash involving several Trucks. REF Motorsports will compete next at Irwindale Speedway on April 29th. For more information, go to the team's official Web site at http://www.refmotor sports.com. Bob Farmer, owner of REF Motorsports, owns and operates the No. 4 Stick Only Transmissions, Maropulos Racing Engines, Speedway Engineering, Finish Line Motorsports Pontiac in the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring with Sean Woodside as driver. Woodside won the 1999 NASCAR Winston West series championship after finishing second in the points standings in the series in 1997 and 1998. REF Motorsports finished 6th in the Southwest Series points standings in 1999 with six top five and seven top ten finishes during the season. -- end --