NASCAR West series heads to Douglas County Speedway

From NASCAR Camping World Series West media:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 1, 2009) – When it comes to NASCAR Camping World Series West competition at Douglas County Speedway, no team has been as dominant as the NAPA Auto Parts-sponsored entry of Bill McAnally Racing.

The brightly-colored blue and yellow car, adorned with a giant NAPA logo on the hood, has been in Victory Lane in five of seven annual visits to the Roseburg, Ore., track since 2002.

Eric Holmes, who last year became the third different driver in three years to wheel the BMR entry to victory at Douglas County Speedway, will be aiming to continue the team’s success at Roseburg when the NASCAR Camping World Series West returns there for the Toyota/Bi-Mart 150 presented by NAPA Auto Parts on Saturday, June 6.

Holmes attributes the team’s success to an extra effort they put in at races such as this in which car owner Bill McAnally also serves as the promoter of the event.

“Any time you’re driving for Bill and you’re going to a track that he’s promoting or one of his sponsors is sponsoring, I think the team and the driver don’t want to lose,” he said. “They don’t want to come up short. So, everybody puts a little extra effort in and digs down deep. I think that’s usually the difference.”

Holmes delights in the extra pressure of competing under such circumstances.

“I like having that kind of pressure,” he said. “It makes it interesting. It gives everybody that extra kick in the butt to get up there and do a good job. I know my team puts extra effort into it. We don’t want to let down all the NAPA customers and employees and the Toyota people that come and support us. I definitely go there to win and enjoy that little added pressure.”

Although the BMR team has been so successful at Roseburg, Holmes says the .375-mile track presents plenty of challenge.

“It’s flat and slick and you just can’t over-drive the track,” he said. “You’ve got to have a car that will stay on the bottom and turn good. And you’ve got to qualify well. It’s very hard to pass on.”

Despite having a fast car a year ago, Holmes encountered trouble that made it tough to get to Victory Lane.

“In last year’s race, I started on the pole and we had a dominant car,” he recalled. “That was one of the best cars I’ve driven in my entire life. We got a flat tire, with a huge lead, and had to come back through the pack. That was not an easy feat, but I was determined to get back up there and win that race. I didn’t want to break the streak for the NAPA car winning that race.”

Drivers who have won in the NAPA car at Roseburg include Austin Cameron, with back-to-back victories (2002 &2003); along with Peyton Sellers (2006) and Brian Ickler (2007), who each scored their first career series win there; and Holmes, with his victory last year.

As if he needed any extra motivation, Holmes has added incentive heading into this year’s event. After winning two of the first four races this season, he got caught up in an incident at Iowa Speedway and finished 16th of the 16 NASCAR Camping World Series West drivers competing in the combination race. Although he was able to retain the top spot in the championship standings, Holmes saw his lead shrink to just 16 points. Now he hopes to bounce back and extend that margin.

“My outlook hasn’t changed,” Holmes said. “I’ve been doing this long enough to know I could go to Roseburg … and I think I’ve got a good shot to win that race. And I could go to Sonoma and I’ve got a shot to win there; and go to Irwindale, I’ve got a shot to win there. We just go and keep winning races. The season’s short. You can’t really points race. You’ve just got to go all out. That’s what I enjoy doing.”

News &Notes

The race … The Toyota/Bi-Mart 150 presented by NAPA Auto Parts is the sixth event of a 13-race schedule this season for the NASCAR Camping World Series West.

The procedure … The starting field is 18 cars, including provisionals. The first 14 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (56.25 miles).

The track … Douglas County Speedway is a .375-mile paved oval with 11 degrees banking in the corners. The track – located just off Interstate 5 on the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg, Ore. – hosted four races between 1966 and 1971, when it was a quarter-mile oval. The NASCAR Camping World Series has made seven visits to the track since it was renovated and expanded in 2001.

The records … Qualifying: Eric Holmes, July 11, 2008, 90.168 mph, 14.972 seconds; Race: Brian Ickler, June 30, 2007, 65.768 mph, 51 minutes 19 seconds.

Annual festivities … The traditional driver autograph session at Roseburg, Ore., which is open to the public, will be from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, June 5, at the Bi-Mart at 1381 NW Garden Valley Road.

Race winners … The 11 races at Douglas County Speedway featured nine different race winners. Austin Cameron and Jack McCoy are the only drivers with multiple wins there, with two each. McCoy’s wins were in 1966 and 1969 – while Cameron’s were back-to-back in 2002 and 2003.

Pole winners … The 11 races at Roseburg also featured nine different pole winners. McCoy and Mike Duncan lead that list, with two each.

Leading the way … Duncan leads several other categories at Roseburg in the modern era (since 1971). He has led the most laps of competition, running out front 318 laps. He has the most top-five finishes, with four, and the most top-10 finishes, with five. With an average finish of 5.0, Duncan also leads among drivers with at least four starts at Roseburg.

Returning drivers … Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Toyota) is the only driver to compete in all seven NASCAR Camping World Series races at Douglas County Speedway since 2002.

Stat of the race … Five of the eight races in the modern era were won by the pole winner.

Last year’s event … There were fireworks in the air and fireworks on the track at Douglas County Speedway last year as Eric Holmes rebounded from a flat tire to battle past Jason Bowles with seven laps left to take the victory.

Although Holmes had the dominant car, he had to make a late charge through the field to secure the win.

Holmes was strong throughout the event – setting a track record of 90.168 mph in qualifying, while netting his fourth Coors Light Pole Award of the season. He led the first 98 laps, but his run at the point came to a halt when he suddenly slowed with a flat right front on his Toyota.

Holmes managed to stay on the lead lap, however, dashing to the pits as the caution flew. He quickly returned to the track and began a blistering charge through the field on the restart. He was up to second in the late stages of the event and began nipping at the back bumper of Bowles, who was attempting to score his third consecutive win. Sparks flew as Holmes charged to the inside going into Turn 1 on Lap 143. As Bowles slid through Turn 2, Holmes pulled away.

Holmes charged ahead to win by a margin of .427 seconds.

Johnny Borneman moved to second in the closing stages, while Bowles slipped to third. Fourth went to David Mayhew, while rookie Jeff Barkshire was fifth.