SELF AND THE BOYS OF THE BAY CHARGE TO TOP FIVE AT MONTANA RACEWAY

Bill Sullivan / Golden Gate Racing

KALLISPELL, MT  (8-13-11) – When it comes to resilience, the Richard Childress Driver Development supported Golden Gate Racing team is an organization that just keeps continuing to practice their positive traits and never give up attitude that routinely nets successful results. Last weekend, the San Francisco based NASCAR West team displayed that characteristic once again in the form of a top five finish in round eleven of the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Montana Raceway Park.

"We came back pretty strong in this race," said Michael Self, driver of the Golden Gate Racing Team #21 Chevrolet that carries the sponsorship of Bay Bio Diesel and the Golden Gate Meat Company. "I got the advantage on some pretty awesome restarts and made my way up to fourth place. It just seemed like I couldn't drive the car hard enough to get up and run with the rest of those guys."

For Self, the weekend of the Toyota/TTC 150 was strong from the point the black and red #21 Impala rolled out of the hauler. In the final practice of the day, the 2011 Richard Childress Development Driver muscled his way to the fourth place position with a top speed of 64.590 miles per hour on the tight .25 mile oval.

In Coors Light qualifying, Self rolled into the line up in the 8th position when he turned a top speed of 64.208 miles per hour to place himself on the outside of the fourth row for the 150 lap money race. With some patience and guidance by crew chief Steve Portenga, Self maneuvered his way through the field and worked himself into the top five early in the race when he took the fourth position on lap 29 before settling back a couple of position in an effort to save his moxie for the later laps of the race.

With 37 laps complete, Self went to battle with two time Daytona 500 Champion Michael Waltrip who was a special entry in the field for the Montana event. The kid and the nationally recognized NASCAR veteran dueled for position for numerous laps, catching the attention of the crowd as they watched to see which rising star of the sport could give Waltrip a run for his money. On this given night that driver was Michael Self and the Golden Gate Racing Team.

After a long term game of cat and mouse, Self overtook Waltrip for good in the latter laps of the race. On the 129th circuit he moved into the top five where he would remain all the way to the checkered flag to earn his third top five finish and sixth top ten of the season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

"Richard and I are really proud with the way Michael and the team worked together in this race to get us a top five," said Jim Offenbach, owner of the Golden Gate Racing Team. "Michael used a lot of patience and drove a really smart race. I know he is eager for that win, we all are but driving smart like this will get us all their together eventually. We had a good night in Montana, I'm really happy with the whole team."

Following the run in Montana, Self was named the NASCAR Featherlite Most Improved Driver of the Race. Now, he and the GGRT/RCR #21 team sit sixth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series point standings. The series will resume on September 3 at Spokane County Raceway in Spokane Washington.

The #21 Golden Gate Racing Team/RCR Chevrolet carries the sponsorship of RCR, Bay Bio Diesel and the Golden Gate Meat Company. Additional associate sponsors that support them are the Richard Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, Hill Meat Company, Corte Madera Tow, 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. Saturday’s race will be broadcast on SPEED TV at a later date, check your local listings and watch the Golden Gate Racing Team in action.

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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