NASCAR WW: With a win under his belt, Starr shoots for two in a row in California
26 April 2000
With only five Winston West starts to his credit, David Starr wheeled his No. 35 Team Texas Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo into victory lane for the first time in his short career. This momentous occasion occurred last Saturday evening during The Orleans 150 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Come this weekend, Starr hopes to make it two in a row at the California Speedway. "Going to victory lane was incredible, and in many ways it was a dream come true. It was a surprise and we won because of great pit strategy. There was a late caution and only nine cars were on the lead lap," explained the Ft. Worth based driver. "At the time I was near the back somewhere like eighth. We figured that there was not much to lose so we came in and took on left-side tires. Uncle Mike (Starr's uncle and team owner) made the right call because I just blew by the other cars. I hope that this is just the tip of the iceberg and we are coming out to the next race at California Speedway with one goal - back-to-back wins," Starr said. He led just four laps of the 150.0-mile race, and the margin of victory was a scant 0.396 seconds over second-place Austin Cameron. Starr's $15,460 payday was a career-high. Not only was this his first victory, but it was also the first time in his Winston West career that Starr had broken into the Top-5. His previous best finish was seventh, also at Las Vegas back in 1998. Next up for Starr is the Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200 which will be contested on the 2.0-mile California Speedway on Saturday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. The race will be taped for broadcast on espn2 on May 8 at 12:30 a.m. Eastern. The event is held in conjunction with the Winston Cup and Busch Series. "It is always a big deal when we race in front of the Cup and Busch drivers and owners. You never know who may be watching so everyone wants to look good and hopefully be 'discovered,' myself included," Starr said. "And often some of those guys come and race against us so we can learn from them as well as have the incentive of beating some of the best in the business." Winston Cup regulars Ken Schrader and Johnny Benson are slated to compete in the Pontiac Wide Track Grand Prix 200. One benefit of winning at Las Vegas was that Starr's car picked up a primary sponsor for the California event. Embee Technologies - a full-service systems integrator specializing in thin-client solutions and cabling - will adorn the hood and quarterpanels. Their facility is located in Santa Ana, Calif., less than an hour from the California Speedway. With Starr's team based out of the Dallas area, there was not enough time to go home so they gratefully accepted the use of some shop space at Embee Technologies to prepare their car for the upcoming race. Though still a rookie by Winston West standards, Starr has already proved himself a force in the series, especially during qualifying. Of his five starts, a remarkable 60 percent have been in the Top-10, with fourth his best starting position. At this same race last year, Starr started eighth but retired early with a blown engine. "Last year we had a good qualifying run at California," Starr explained, "and then the engine blew after just 10 laps. This year coming into the event we have more momentum as a team. We just won at Vegas. We have had three Top-10 starts in a row. And the most important thing is that the team is pumped up and ready to race. "This is the first time as a Winston West team that we have done back-to-back races like this and I think that we are up to the challenge. I'm looking forward to another great weekend for the Team Texas Motorsports guys," Starr said with anticipation. The Craftsman Truck Series is where Starr spends most of his time, currently behind the wheel of the No. 7 Conely Engines Chevrolet Silverado. This season he is also doing a limited Busch Series schedule with the No. 16 Pontiac Grand Prix owned by Wayne Day, as well as selected Winston West events in the Team Texas Chevrolet Monte Carlo. For more information on his race activities, visit Starr's official web site at www.davidstarr.com.