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SELF AND GGRT RALLY TO TOP TEN AFTER LATE RACE SPIN
Bill Sullivan
/ Golden Gate Racing
 PORTLAND,
OR (7-26-11)
- The next time that Utah's Michael Self and the Golden Gate
Racing Team are in contention for the win in the waning laps
of the race the tension among the team may be greater than
ever as the last series of events have seen ill fated luck
strike the Richard Childress Development team in the final
moments. Such was the case for the San Francisco based team
supported by Richard Childress Racing Driver Development in
the Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125 at Portland International
Speedway.
With road course racing as one of his strong points, Self and
the boys of the bay took to the twelve turn 1.967 mile road
course seeking a top three finish and a strong points day. In
the previous event at Evergreen the veteran team raced into
the top three positions of the NASCAR K&N Series West point
standings and rolled into the Pacific Northwest carrying the
momentum of that feat.
"This one was definitely just a case of bad luck late in the
race," said Jim Offenbach, owner of the Golden Gate Racing
Team. "Michael and the crew worked hard all weekend and we had
the car to win this one, there was just nothing he could do
when Andrew Ranger lost his motor in front of him and he hit
the oil. I'm really proud of the way we came back and salvaged
a top ten finish though. There weren't many laps left to work
with."
In qualifying, Self turned the sixth fastest lap of the day
aboard the Golden Gate Meat Company – Bay Bio Diesel #21
Chevrolet Impala with a top speed of 93.551. The strong run
capped off solid performances in all of the preliminary action
of the day, including both practice sessions where crew chief
Steve Portenga and company perfected the #21.
At the waving of the green flag for the Bi-Mart Self quickly
set his sights on moving into the top five positions an did so
just six laps into the race. Following pit stops at the 22 lap
mark the former cart racer and late model ace worked his way
into the fourth position and then into the top three in the
company of two of the most recognized drivers on the tour,
point leader Greg Pursley and defending champion Eric Holmes.
Self mixed it up with the leaders and took the lead of the
race for seven laps at the 49th lap mark until he
settled back into the third position and the duo of Andrew
Ranger and Luis Martinez Jr. As these two front running
newcomers mixed it up, Self remained in the third position
awaiting the slightest error by either driver. As Martinez
drove his way into the lead with Ranger pressing hard, Self
remained close behind the battle until the 62nd lap
when Ranger when up in smoke with a motor loss that dumped
fluid on the track surface directly in front of Self in turn
6. With little time to react and virtually no where to go,
Self struck the fluid and spun to draw a caution period.
Once the green flag waved again the team's moral remained high
as they worked together to gain as much track position as
possible in the final laps to capitalize on championship
points. At the waving off the checkered flag Self crossed the
line with an impressive 8th place finish despite
the late race incident.
"We had an awesome strategy in the race that got us up front
and in contention to win but we didn't have the luck," said
Self. "The 35 blew up right in front of us and I did
everything I could to stay clear of it but be got covered in
oil which caused me to spin and I couldn't get the car
restarted so that put us in the back for the
green-white-checkered. Overall I'm happy with the GGRT
performance. We're definitely a threat every race and we're
getting to where we can consistently lead laps and run strong
so if we can just get that last little bit of luck I think
we'll be able to pull off some really strong runs by the end
of this year."
Following his performance in Portland, Self slipped slightly
in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings. He currently
rounds out the top five positions. He has two top five
finishes in the series and five top tens overall. The next
event will be Saturday August 6th at the Colorado
National Speedway for the NAPA/Toyota Auto Parts 150.The
Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125 will air on SPEED on
Thursday, Aug. 18 at 3 p.m. PT
The #21 Golden Gate Racing Team/RCR Chevrolet carries the
sponsorship of Richard Childress Driver Development, Bay Bio
Diesel and the Golden Gate Meat Company. 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. Self and the team are always looking for
additional marketing partners.
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.
Like the Golden Gate Racing Team today on Facebook and show
your support.
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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