June 1, 2003 Madera Speedway NWWS News Recap For Immediate Release DUNCAN NABS FIRST CAREER VICTORY WITH WIN AT MADERA SPEEDWAY MADERA, Calif. (May 31, 2003) – Mike Duncan had been close to victory several times before. While he had three runner-up finishes in 37 starts in NASCAR Grand National Division, Winston West Series competition – that first win had escaped him. Duncan changed that with a victory at Madera (Calif.) Speedway on Saturday, May 31, in the NAPA 150 presented by NAPA Belts & Hose and the Madera Auto Center. The 31-year-old former minor league baseball player from Lamont, Calif., took charge early and held on in a two-lap dash to the finish after a late-race caution extended the race distance to 152 laps. "When I was looking in my mirror, it just looked like if I could get away from Mike David for a couple of laps that we could hold our own," Duncan said. "I knew that was what I had to do there with those late cautions. I didn’t like seeing those come out." Despite leading all but the first lap, he was not sure of the win until reaching the finish line. "On the white flag lap I slipped up a little," said Duncan, who had seen victory slip away in previous events. "Just for a moment I looked up to see where Mike was at. He was still a car behind me. So, I knew if we got it back together we could hold him off." Duncan credited crew chief Bill Sedgwick, meanwhile, with providing him with a great car. "Bill did a remarkable job of setting it up," Duncan said. "The car really was stable all night – as long as I hit my marks … and Bill kept reminding me of that. The thing just seemed to work flawlessly." Duncan also captured his first career Bud Pole Award, with a lap of 79.830 mph in time trials. After racing side-by-side with Mike David in the opening laps, Duncan guided the Lucas Oil/MB Duncan Motorsports Ford into the lead. He set the pace throughout the event, holding off various challenges by David. He crossed the finish line .279 of a second ahead of David of Modesto, Calif., in the Injury Helpline.com Ford. Charging to a third-place finish from ninth on the grid in the Borneman Plastering/Red Line Oil Ford was Ramona, Calif., competitor Johnny Borneman – who captured the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award for gaining the most positions. Series rookie Scott Lynch of Burley, Idaho, also made his way to the front – starting eighth and finishing fourth in the Yerf-Dog/The Orleans Dodge. Eric Holmes of Escalon, Calif., came home fifth in the NAPA Belts & Hose/Madera Auto Center Chevrolet. Rounding out the top 10 were Steve Portenga, Mark Reed, Jim Inglebright, Scott Gaylord and Gene Woods. The average speed of 58.254 mph was slowed by six cautions for 38 laps. Duncan, who collected $6,883 in prize money and posted awards, pointed out that getting his first series victory at Madera was significant because Sedgwick, who won two series championships as a driver, had notched his first career victory at the third-mile oval in 1989. "That makes it real special," Duncan stressed. With his sixth-place finish, Portenga retained the lead in the championship chase in the Winston West Series. He leads with 645 points over Inglebright with 610. Lynch is third with 602. Duncan’s win boosted him to fourth in the standings with 585, while Borneman is one marker back with 584. Gaylord at 549, Kevin Richards at 544, Brett Thompson at 512, Woods at 498 and Jack Sellers at 475 complete the top 10. Lynch leads, meanwhile, in this year’s battle for the Raybestos Brakes Rookie of the Year Award. He tops his competition with 38 points, while Woods is second with 29 points and C.T. Hellmund is third with 27 and David Eshleman is fourth with 26 points. The next stop on the Winston West Series schedule is the NAPA 150 at Tri-City Raceway in West Richland, Wash., on June 21.   For Further Information Contact: Kevin W. Green, NASCAR Winston West Series Jeremy Davidson, NASCAR Public Relations