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NASCAR-CTS: Renfrow's Return

30 July 1998

(Indianapolis, Ind., July 28, 1998) -- Don't look now, but the future of the PacWest S/T Motorsports team may have just arrived. Some would say that you only have to look back to this past Saturday, when Randy Renfrow, a tall and confident 40-year-old from Kenly, NC, very nearly drove to victory in only his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race with the rookie MCI-sponsored, Dodge-powered team.

Tough luck got the better of him that day at Pike's Peak International Raceway, in Fountain, Colorado, and he lost seven positions and a chance at victory when he was blocked in his pit stall by another driver. Nevertheless, he stormed back undaunted to the runnerup spot behind eventual winner, series points leader and friend, Ron Hornaday, before finally running out of gas under yellow, erasing any doubts that his near domination at the front of the pack had been a fluke. What followed as the #78 MCI/Mopar Dodge Ram sputtered on empty on the backstretch was enough to give anybody goosebumps, including Randy himself. As Renfrow stepped out of the MCI truck, the Colorado crowd stood to its feet and cheered.

"I can remember when I was a kid it was me sitting there cheering on my favorite drivers, recalled Renfrow. "That's the great thing about NASCAR fans -whether it's your favorite driver or not they are going to applaud for good hard racing, and our charge from 14th back to lead was just that. That moment was very special for me?one that I'll never forget."

He's one cool customer, this Randy Renfrow. Or "Racin' Randy" or "The "Frow" as he's known back home.

While the 6'3" Renfrow obviously had the legs on the competition that day as well as the truck to beat, he doesn't allow himself to be rattled emotionally. Instead, he's continuing to learn about his craft -- and about himself -- while racking up the experience.

"As long as I've raced my goal has been Trucks," continued Renfrow. "To race against guys like Ron Hornaday is as tough of competition as in any series. Ron could make a career in any series and be successful, but he chooses Trucks. That's my goal. I'm 100% focused to race in this series and do the best I can with the team that brought me here. "I've learned some great things returning to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, "added Renfrow. "And that is knowing that the people most dear to me -- my family and friends -- always had the confidence in me to be where I am today. That means a lot to me."

Renfrow has been passing people most of his life, having gotten his start racing motorcycles at age 12. He went on to win 20 races in North Carolina and at age 14 he switched to cars at a local dirt track. Three years later, he moved onto short asphalt tracks across North and South Carolina and Virginia. After racking up 97 wins on the East Coast, Renfrow graduated to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in June of 1996, debuting at Bristol Motor Speedway. A year later, he won seven Late Model Sportsman races and would eventually accumulate an impressive 237 wins in his career.

Renfrow was hand-picked for the team to drive by its owner/driver, Dominic Dobson, who currently sits in the 28th spot in the standings. Renfrow came highly recommended by many of the series top drivers, a few of whom are now struggling to keep up with him.

"We've gotten through the tracks I didn't think were our best and now we're coming up on some of Randy's strong tracks -- short tracks less than a mile, which he has had most of his successes on. " said Dobson. "I'm pretty excited about the possibilities."

A few days before the start of the Cummins 200 presented by the Indiana Dodge Dealers , the PacWest S/T Motorsports team announced that they would be unveiling a new paint scheme to reflect the blue and orange of its co-primary sponsor, MCI. According to Dobson, the new truck will look like MCI's award-winning champ car entry in the Fed-Ex Championship series, driven by Max Papis.

"All the right things seem to be in place for a sweet first victory with Randy," conceded Dobson. "We have a new paint scheme for our sponsor and their customers, we're in PacWest's hometown and the whole team is riding on the momentum we've built over the last 30 days and our performance last weekend. I know Randy can't wait to sit in the MCI truck and drive again, and I can't wait to watch him."