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NASCAR-WW: Raudman Looks Toward Vegas

4 November 1998

(Irvine, CA) - Craig Raudman, driver of the #2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Winston West and NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, will wind down his rookie Winston West season this weekend when he competes in the Sam's Town 125 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be televised tape delayed by ESPN2 on November 14 at 4:00 p.m. EST and November 15 at 3:30 a.m. EST.

Raudman's rookie season would have been a test of any driver's patience. During the first half of the season, the team performed consistently, and Raudman's chances of finishing in the top five looked good. He was the top running rookie, and third in the points overall during the first half of the season. However, a string of mechanical failures and a couple of accidents left Raudman struggling for position race after race during the second half of the season.

Raudman said "It has, quite honestly, been a frustrating year. We ran a short schedule of races in Winston West, and each race is critically important to our year-end points position. Our year-end results have definitely been impacted by the engine and other mechanical problems we experienced. Dave and I plan to do some serious re-grouping over the next few weeks, make some decisions, then move on to 1999."

Team owner Dave Reed commented "We continue to believe that our move into Winston West was the right move for us. With nine rookies finishing the year in the top twenty points positions, it's apparent that Winston West is experiencing an exciting growth phase. We're looking forward to participating in that growth. Our goal for the team remains the same?to build a premier, west-coast based, possibly multi-car, operation."

Dave Reed Racing operates successful NASCAR Winston West and Featherlite Southwest Series teams with Craig Raudman as driver. Craig is currently in fifth place out of fifteen drivers competing for the Sears Point Raceway Winston West Rookie-of-the-Year Award and eleventh in the points standings. He has finished in the top five in final points standings in four of the past five NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series seasons. His successful 1997 season included one win, six top five finishes, thirteen top ten finishes and three Bud Pole Awards.