NASCAR Touring: Raudman Fights Brakes and Pain to Win L.A. Street Race
18 July 2000
Rancho Santa Margarita, California (July 16, 2000) - Craig Raudman fought brake problems and pain to take Dave Reed Racing's #2 Yerf-Dog/ITP Chevrolet to victory circle in today's Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring event in the Ford L.A. Street Race. Despite pain from the still-healing wounds to his left foot sustained in his late-April crash at California Speedway, Raudman took the lead just after the halfway point in the race, and held off second-place challenger, Matt Crafton, for the remainder of the event. "I could see Matt behind me, and he was coming on strong," said Raudman. "I was trying to hold him off at a safe distance, save my car and save my foot, and just hold out for the end. My foot took a beating though, from pumping so much on the brakes." The design of the course, with its tight turns and switchbacks, took its toll on the brake systems of a number of cars in today's event. The brake fluid in Raudman's car overheated and vaporized, forcing him to make two pit stops during cautions to bleed and replace the fluid. "This track is a lot of fun, because you can drive it really hard," Raudman continued. "Since we can't test at this track, everybody's equal when they come here. We just go out there, cold turkey, with whatever knowledge we've gained in previous races or at other road courses, and go for it." Raudman's car is one of three specially designed road course cars from Victory Circle, the popular Bakersfield, Calif.-based chassis shop he owned until this May, when he sold it to Les Denherder, a local businessman. The car is equipped with a brand new Brad "Freight-train" Peters motor. Raudman finished a close second in the 1999 L.A. Street Race, just .326 of a second behind race winner A.J. Alsup. In the 1998 inaugural event, Raudman finished sixth from a fourth place spot on the starting grid. Check out the team's Web site at http://www.davereedracing.com for more information. Dave Reed Racing operates NASCAR Winston West and Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring teams featuring Craig Raudman as driver. Raudman's 1999 season results included one win, three top five finishes and one Bud Pole award. He finished the 1998 season in seventh place out of fifteen drivers competing for the Sears Point Raceway Winston West Rookie-of-the-Year Award and thirteenth in the points standings. Raudman finished in the top five in final points standings in four of his past five full NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series seasons.