TALENTED FIELD IN HUNT FOR ROOKIE TITLE
IN NASCAR WINSTON WEST SERIES

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 2, 2001) – The chase for this year’s Stage 8 Locking Fasteners Rookie-of-the-Year Award in the NASCAR Winston West Series has attracted a talented field of freshman drivers to the West’s oldest stock car racing circuit.

Six drivers have registered for the rookie program this season, competing for an award at each event as well as the overall year-end title.

Members of the freshman class, who range in age from 21 to 44, represent various racing backgrounds. The rookie list includes Mike David of Modesto, Calif.; Scott Lynch of Burley, Idaho; G.J. Mennen Jr., of Austin, Texas; Greg Pursley of Newhall, Calif.; Brett Thompson of Jerome, Idaho; and Gene Woods of Ontario, Calif.

Pursley, 34, joined the NASCAR Winston West Series this year after racing the past two seasons in the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring division. The former motorcycle road racer switched to racing on four wheels early in his career and competed in stock cars on the road course at Willow Springs Raceway in Southern California. He later honed his skills in NASCAR late model stock cars at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., and Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. Pursley has reunited with Performance Motorsports for the 2002 season, driving the Food 4 Less Ford owned by Joe Nava.

For 21-year-old Lynch, his move through the NASCAR ranks reflects a similar progression. He started racing in 1996, competing as a teenager in the NASCAR-sanctioned modified division at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho. He tackled the Featherlite Southwest Series in 1999, winning the rookie title. Lynch, a junior at the University of Utah, made his debut in the NASCAR Winston West Series in the final race of 2000. He notched a top-five finish last season, while competing in five series events in preparation for this year’s run for the rookie title in the Yerf-Dog/Mr.Gas/Crown Asphalt Chevrolet owned by his father, Jim Lynch.

Thompson also honed his skills on the .333-mile paved oval of Magic Valley Speedway. He started racing in 1996, competing initially in the street stock division. He won the rookie title in the NASCAR-sanctioned modified division in 1998 and competed in that division for several years. Thompson jumped to the NASCAR Winston West Series late in the 2000 season, racing two events that year and five in 2001 – bringing home a Bud Pole Award and a top-five finish last year. For the 2002 season, the 24-year-old competitor drives the MBNA/Thompson Trucking Chevrolet owned by Bill McAnally.

David, 35, also developed his talent early on by competing at locally sanctioned NASCAR tracks. He initially raced in the modified division in 1993 at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway, before joining the late model ranks at the .25-mile track a year later. In 1997, David turned his attention to the late model division at Madera (Calif.) Speedway – where he won a championship in 1998, while also winning a series title contested that year on three different tracks. He switched to a regional truck series in 1999 and won the Central Series championship a year later. David tackled the NASCAR Winston West Series in 2001, collecting two top-five finishes in preparation for this year’s rookie run in the InjuryHelpline.com Ford owned by Randy Lynch.

Mennen’s competitive career has included a variety of racing divisions since 1995. After competing in the Formula Dodge Series that season, he raced in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 1996 and 1997, the British Formula Vauxhall Series in 1997 and the BF Goodrich Trans-Am Series from 1998-2000. He also competed in the SpeedVision World Challenge in 2000. Mennen turned his attention to stock cars last season, racing in two events in the NASCAR Winston West Series. The 29-year-old – who obtained degrees in business administration and economics from the University of Vermont, Burlington – competes this season in the Greased Lightning Chevrolet owned by Dick Midgley.

Woods, 44, comes into the series with a racing career that began at the age of nine and has spanned more than three decades. He has competed in various forms for motorsports – including mini-bikes, ATVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles and sprint cars. Woods won a variety of titles along the way, including three U.S. Open National championships racing speedway motorcycles. He made his debut in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 2000, notching a 13th-place finish at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. For 2002, Woods is behind the wheel of the CNWB/Cyber Credit Dodge owned by David Dginguerian.

The Stage 8 Locking Fasteners Rookie-of-the-Year Award will be presented, based on a special point system, to the highest finishing eligible rookie driver at the end of the season. Points are awarded to participating rookie candidates in each race based on the finishing position of the candidate relative to other eligible rookies in the event.

Past winners of the prestigious award include Derrike Cope, Chad Little, Rick Carelli, Jim Bown and Bill Sedgwick. Drivers hailing from the Bakersfield, Calif., area have garnered the rookie title for three consecutive years. Mark Reed and Jason Small, both from Bakersfield, won it in 2001 and 1999, respectively. Mike Duncan of Lamont won it in 2000.

Stage 8 Locking Fasteners is a California-based company that manufacturers a full line of application specific locking fasteners for the automotive market – as well as applications throughout the forging, mining and railroad industries.

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