CRASH IN QUALIFYING FORCES SELF AND GGRT TO RALLY IN IOWA

Bill Sullivan / Golden Gate Racing

NEWTON, IA  (5-22-11) –  Even the strongest of teams and athletes are occasionally faced with their share of adversity as they reach for their goals. For the Richard Childress Driver Development supported Golden Gate Racing Team, Iowa Speedway was the location for what became a tough day of racing and ultimate challenges for Utah’s Michael Self aboard the Shining Monkey-Bay Bio Diesel #21 Chevrolet.  After a hard earned 21st place finish, Self and this resilient team are looking to put the trials of Iowa behind them and focus on the next segment of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West tour.

“Everyone has a bad day now and then and it was our turn in Iowa it seems,” said Jim Offenbach, owner of the San Francisco based Golden Gate Racing Team. “This is a very tough race to compete in with a lot of pressure to make the show and things just didn’t go our way from the start. I’m proud of Michael and this team though. They kept their chins up in tough times and they kept on digging their hardest.”

Saturday’s race welcomed the largest field of the year as both the NASCAR K&N Series East and West came together in one huge event. It was the Pork Be Inspired 175 East-West Combination race presented by Tomkins Industries at the famed .875 mile Iowa Speedway.

For Self and the Golden Gate Racing Team, the weekend started off much differently than any other this season. After strong performances in qualifying Self took to the track about the Shining Monkey #21 for qualifying. All season long, qualifying has been a strong point for t Golden Gate Racing team but on this day that would simply not be the case.

As Self throttle around the Iowa oval it appeared that a tire went down aboard the #21 Chevrolet Impala. The sudden loss of air pressure threw Self into a wild spin that concluded with excessive damage after backing into the outside wall. No qualifying time was earned in the effort and the team was forced to roll out the back up car and take a provisional starting position in the race.

“It was definitely a tough weekend with an outcome that has been really hard on me,” said Self. “It’s really frustrating showing up with what was definitely a top 5 car and overdoing it by about five percent in qualifying and losing the car. Whether we cut a tire on that run or I just over did it, it’s definitely now what we needed and took away what would’ve been a great points day for us.”

After the qualifying incident, crew chief Steve Portenga and the talented Golden Gate Racing Team crew went into overdrive to prepare the back up car for the feature race. The team took a provisional to line up in the field and Self started deep in the back in the 38th starting position.

Working patiently with a car that was quickly prepared, Self remained out of trouble during the run. In the end he finished the day in the 21st position overall.

“All in all we held our own and didn’t come out bad by any means in the end but it’s just frustrating,” added Self. “This whole Golden Gate Racing Team works so hard very weekend and always gives me one of the best cars at the track so we’ll just keep after it. I know I’ll get the finish we are capable of one soon.”

Following Iowa, the Golden Gate Racing Team still maintains the eight position in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings. They sit 197 points behind series leader Greg Pursley. Self has scored two top ten finishes this season thus far. The team will now put Iowa in the rear view mirror and look for a strong run on June 11 when the series returns to the Bullring at Vegas.

“I’m excited to move on and go to some of my favorite tracks in the next few races,” added Self. “We are all really coming together more and more as a team and by doing so we will figure out everything we can do to make the next few races perfect.”

In addition to the title sponsorship of Shining Monkey and Bay Bio Diesel, The Golden Gate Racing Team has a number of associate sponsors that support them. Among their partners are the Richard Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, Hill Meat Company, Golden Gate Meat Company, Corte Madera Tow, Superior Farms, Harraka Racing Equipment Sales, Foodcomm International, Signco, Praxair and JW Web Design.

For an in-depth look at the Golden Gate Racing Team and additional news, visit their official website at www.goldengateracingteam.com. To learn more about the Richard Childress Racing Driver Development program visit www.rcrracing.com Michael Self's personal website can be found at www.michaelselfracing.com. All four entities can also be found on facebook, become a fan today.

Michael Self Racing is brought to you by: MSquared, and Blakesley Sports Media. Sponsorship and media inquiries can be forwarded to Steven Blakesley at (916) 316-4854.

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