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MYERS
CAPTURES FIRST CAREER WIN WITH VICTORY AT PHOENIX
AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 20,
2006) –
Andrew Myers held on during a two-lap dash to the
finish at Phoenix International Raceway on Thursday,
April 20, to capture his first career win in the
NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series.
Myers battled series rookie Peyton Sellers door-to-door as a late-race
caution extended the Casino Arizona 150 to 153 laps,
with a thrilling green-white-checkered finish under
the lights at PIR.
“I was getting a little nervous out there, but I knew that the car was
great and it would run well right on the starts,”
Myers said of his Toyota of Escondido-sponsored
Chevrolet. “Being in the lead, I was pretty
confident my two crew chiefs, Jamie Aube and Phil
Bonifield, had put a really great car underneath me.
It all adds up to a great finish and I think we just
proved ourselves this time.”
Myers of Huntington Beach, Calif., was just one of nine drivers to lead
the hotly contested event that featured 15 lead
changes. Two-time and defending series champion Mike
Duncan set the early pace – after capturing his 16th
career Budweiser Pole in qualifying with a lap of
125.821 mph in qualifying in the Lucas Oil/Ron’s
Rear Ends Chevrolet.
NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series regular Matt Kobyluck
was out front by lap six and appeared to have the car
to beat – maintaining command for 59 laps. Kobyluck,
who had registered two third-place finishes in four
trips to Phoenix, began to fade after losing the lead
on lap 63 and eventually retired with engine trouble.
Mike David initially took over the top spot, but relinquished the lead
when he and most of the other leaders headed to the
pits during a lap 75 caution. Peyton Sellers, who had
charged to the front after having to start at the back
of the field for an unapproved adjustment, slipped out
front at the restart. Although he lost that lead to
Ted Christopher during another restart on the
subsequent caution, Sellers quickly responded and
moved back to the point.
The final 63 laps featured a fierce battle between Sellers and Myers, as
numerous cautions provided the pair several
opportunities to charge out front on restarts. Myers
jumped into the lead on a lap 97 restart, but Sellers
did the same on lap 127. Myers rebounded to take
charge again during a restart on lap 136.
Two additional late-race cautions set the stage for Sellers to battle
back. Although he put the nose of his NAPA Auto
Parts/NAPA Belts & Hose Chevrolet out front on a
lap 151 restart, Myers was able to use the inside line
to pull by and edge out front. Myers won by a margin
of 1.122 seconds, at an average speed of 74.082 mph.
The win netted him $14,725 in prize money and posted
awards.
Sellers finished in the runner-up spot in only his second AutoZone West
Series race. The Danville, Va., native won last
year’s national championship in the NASCAR Dodge
Weekly Series and is driving for Bill McAnally Racing
this year as part of a driver development program with
Richard Childress Racing.
Mike David of Modesto, Calif., took third in the Bennett Lane Winery
Ford – followed by Eric Holmes of Escalon, Calif.,
in the Sunoco Race Fuels/Paul Oil Chevrolet and Steve
Portenga of Sparks, Nev., in the King Taco Ford.
Rounding out the top 10 were Austin Cameron, Duncan,
Jim Inglebright, Spencer Clark and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series regular Ken Schrader.
Sellers and Homes sit atop the AutoZone West
Series championship standings, with 330 points each.
Schrader is third with 319, followed by Clark with 308
and Portenga with 301. Sixth through 10th
in the standings are David at 291, Myers at 285,
Inglebright at 284, Duncan at 280 and Brian Ickler at
265.
Sellers, meanwhile, leads a large freshman
class battling for this year’s Sunoco Rookie of the
Year Award. He has 20 points – followed by Ickler
with 15, Justin Lofton with 12, James Bruncati with
nine, Brian Pannone with nine, Spencer Clark with
nine, Justin Fisher with eight, Eric Humphries with
seven, Daniel DiGiacomo with six, Nick Lynch with six,
Eric Hardin with four, Bruce Betts with four and Ed
Watson with two.
For
Further Information Contact:
Kevin W. Green, NASCAR Public Relations,
661/392-8543, kgreen@nascar.com
Jeremy Davidson, NASCAR Public Relations,
386/253-0611, jdavidson@nascar.com
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