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1991 NASCAR Winston West Series

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The 1991 NASCAR Winston West Series was the 38th season of the series. The title was won by Bill Sedgwick,[1] his first in the series.

Schedule and results

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The 1991 season included 9 individual races, although Evergreen Speedway and Mesa Marin Raceway hosted two races each.[2] The races at Sears Point International Raceway and Phoenix International Raceway were in combination with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.[3][4]

Date Name Racetrack Location Winner
May 4 Winston 300 Evergreen Speedway Monroe, Washington Mike Chase
May 19 California 400 Mesa Marin Raceway Bakersfield, California Mike Chase[5]
June 9 Banquet Frozen Foods 300 Sears Point International Raceway Sonoma, California Davey Allison[6]
June 15 Winston 200 Saugus Speedway Saugus, California Bill Schmitt
June 30 Winston 200 Portland Speedway Portland, Oregon Mike Chase[7]
July 14 Motorcraft 500 Evergreen Speedway Monroe, Washington Geoffrey Bodine
August 3 Uhlmann Motors 200 South Sound Speedway Olympia, Washington Bill Schmitt
October 13 Winston 400 Mesa Marin Raceway Bakersfield, California Bill Sedgwick
November 3 Pyroil 500 Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona Davey Allison[8]

Winston 300

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The Winston 300 was held on May 4 at Evergreen Speedway. Bill Schmitt won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 23 - Mike Chase
  2. 75 - Bill Sedgwick -1
  3. 24 - Butch Gilliland -2
  4. 99 - John Krebs -3
  5. 09 - Terry Fisher -4
  6. 60 - Larry Gunselman -6
  7. 15 - Rick Scribner -11
  8. 93 - Billy Jac Shaw -11
  9. 44 - Jack Sellers -32
  10. 22 - St. James Davis -45
  • Mike Chase started the season with a win, leading 158 of the 300 laps and lapping the field en route to his second career win.

California 400

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Main article: 1991 California 400

The California 400 was held on May 19 at Mesa Marin Raceway. Butch Gilliland won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 23 - Mike Chase
  2. 88 - Bob Walker -1
  3. 04 - Hershel McGriff -1
  4. 24 - Butch Gilliland -2
  5. 28 - Gary Collins -2
  6. 9 - J. C. Danielsen -4
  7. 99 - John Krebs -5
  8. 73 - Bill Schmitt -9
  9. 00 - Scott Gaylord -10
  10. 15 - Rick Scribner -13
  • For the second race in a row, Mike Chase led the most laps, lapped the field, and won. He extended his points lead over Butch Gilliland to 40 points.

Banquet Frozen Foods 300

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Main article: 1991 Banquet Frozen Foods 300

The Banquet Frozen Foods 300 was held on June 9 at Sears Point International Raceway and was the first of two combination races with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Ricky Rudd won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 28 - Davey Allison
  2. 5 - Ricky Rudd
  3. 2 - Rusty Wallace
  4. 4 - Ernie Irvan
  5. 25 - Ken Schrader
  6. 94 - Terry Labonte
  7. 3 - Dale Earnhardt
  8. 97 - Geoff Bodine
  9. 6 - Mark Martin
  10. 30 - Michael Waltrip

Failed to qualify: 29 - Butch Gilliland, 44 - Jack Sellers, 93 - Troy Beebe, 20 - Kim Campbell, 05 - Ron Esau, 07 - Bobby Woods, 9 - J.C. Danielsen, 15 - Rick Scribner, 22 - St. James Davis, 36 - Billy Jac Shaw, 72 - Mark Reed

  • A wild finish ended in controversy. Accomplished Trans-Am champion and NASCAR road course ringer Tommy Kendall (substituting for the injured Kyle Petty) was leading Mark Martin with 4 laps to go, in Felix Sabates' #42 Pontiac. Going into the turn 7 hairpin, Martin slid by on the outside, but the cars made contact, and Martin spun out. Kendall suffered a flat tire, and limped back to the pits. With 2 laps remaining, Davey Allison who had been running third took the lead. Allison led Ricky Rudd into turn 11 as the cars were anticipating seeing the white flag. Rudd's nose got inside, touched Allison's rear bumper, and Allison spun out with the white flag waving. Allison refired, and got back on to the track to hold on to second position. The next time by, Ricky Rudd was displayed the black flag and penalized 5 seconds for "dirty driving." Allison, the second car in line, was given the checkered flag and declared the winner. Rudd officially dropped back to 2nd place, with the black flag being reduced to a 5-second penalty following Allison's time of victory. After the race, Dave Marcis, a lapped car who was right behind the incident and saw it unfold, claimed that Rudd's tap was not dirty, and in his opinion was simply drivers racing hard on the final lap.
  • Bill Schmitt was the highest finishing West Series driver in the race, coming home an impressive 13th among the Cup field.
  • Mike Chase, who finished 40th overall and 7th of the 8 West drivers who made the field, maintained the points lead over Butch Gilliland, who failed to make the race.

Winston 200 (Saugus)

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The Winston 200 was held on June 15 at Saugus Speedway. Bill Sedgwick won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 73 - Bill Schmitt
  2. 75 - Bill Sedgwick
  3. 24 - Butch Gilliland -1
  4. 04 - Hershel McGriff -1
  5. 93 - Wayne Jacks -2
  6. 88 - Bob Walker -2
  7. 91 - Robert Sprague -2
  8. 05 - Randy Becker -2
  9. 98 - Billy Jac Shaw -5
  10. 15 - Rick Scribner -8
  • Bill Schmitt scored his first win of the season, leading 101 of 200 laps and beating polesitter Bill Sedgwick by 6.5 seconds. Sedgwick, who was the only other car on the lead laps, moved into the points lead, 4 points ahead of Mike Chase and 14 points ahead of Schmitt.

Winston 200 (Portland)

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The Winston 200 was held on June 30 at Portland Speedway. Jim Bown won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 23 - Mike Chase
  2. 73 - Bill Schmitt
  3. 75 - Bill Sedgwick -1
  4. 91 - Robert Sprague -1
  5. 24 - Butch Gilliland -1
  6. 50 - John Dillon -1
  7. 3 - Don Waterman -2
  8. 04 - Hershel McGriff -2
  9. 99 - John Krebs -3
  10. 09 - Terry Fisher -4
  • Mike Chase scored his third and final win of the season, beating Bill Schmitt by 1 second. Polesitter Jim Bown failed to finish the event, falling out with steering problems.
  • Chase regained the points lead, but the battle remained close, as he was only 10 points ahead of Schmitt and 11 ahead of Bill Sedgwick after the race.

Motorcraft 500

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The Motorcraft 500 was held on July 14 at Evergreen Speedway. Winston Cup driver Sterling Marlin won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 11 - Geoffrey Bodine
  2. 98 - Jim Bown
  3. 75 - Bill Sedgwick -1
  4. 09 - Jon Paques -5
  5. 93 - Billy Jac Shaw -8
  6. 5 - Jerry Bowers -9
  7. 15 - Rick Scribner -17
  8. 72 - Brad Tidrick -19
  9. 14 - Mike French -28
  10. 04 - Hershel McGriff -46
  • In his first and only West Series start, Geoff Bodine would lead lead for 378 of the race's 500 laps and score the win. Polesitter Sterling Marlin failed to finish after crashing out, as did points leader Mike Chase.
  • After crashing out on the opening lap and finishing 35th, Chase would drop to third in the standings; Bill Sedgwick moved to the points lead, 49 points ahead of Bill Schmitt.

Uhlmann Motors 200

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The Uhlmann Motors 200 was held on August 3 at South Sound Speedway.Bill Schmitt won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 73 - Bill Schmitt
  2. 75 - Bill Sedgwick
  3. 24 - Butch Gilliland
  4. 04 - Hershel McGriff -2
  5. 91 - Robert Sprague -2
  6. 09 - Dirk Stephens -4
  7. 5 - Jerry Bowers -4
  8. 93 - Billy Jac Shaw -4
  9. 72 - Brad Tidrick -6
  10. 99 - John Krebs -7
  • Bill Schmitt led 183 of 200 laps and scored his second and final win of the season. In doing so, he cut the gap in the standings down to 34 points with just two races remaining.

Winston 400

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The Winston 400 was held on October 13 at Mesa Marin Raceway. Bill Sedgwick won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 75 - Bill Sedgwick
  2. 37 - Rick Carelli
  3. 73 - Bill Schmitt -1
  4. 24 - Butch Gilliland -2
  5. 40 - Joe Ruttman -4
  6. 04 - Hershel McGriff -5
  7. 15 - Rick Scribner -7
  8. 93 - Billy Jac Shaw -9
  9. 58 - Wayne Jacks -12
  10. 99 - John Krebs -12
  • Bill Sedgwick dominated the race, leading 315 of the race's 400 laps en route to his first and only win of the season. He expanded his points lead to 49 points with one race remaining.

Pyroil 500

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Main article: 1991 Pyroil 500

The Pyroil 500 was held on November 3 at Phoenix International Raceway and was the second of two combination races with the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Geoffrey Bodine won the pole.

Top Ten Results

  1. 28 - Davey Allison
  2. 17 - Darrell Waltrip
  3. 22 - Sterling Marlin
  4. 7 - Alan Kulwicki
  5. 2 - Rusty Wallace
  6. 4 - Ernie Irvan
  7. 98 - Jimmy Spencer -1
  8. 11 - Geoff Bodine -1
  9. 3 - Dale Earnhardt -1
  10. 15 - Morgan Shepherd -1

Failed to qualify: 93 -Troy Beebe, 44 - Jack Sellers, 89 - Jim Sauter, 00 - Scott Gaylord, 09 - R. K. Smith, 15 - Rick Scribner, 22 - St. James Davis, 37 - Rick Carelli, 58 - Wayne Jacks, 86 - Ron Hornaday Jr., 91 - Robert Sprague, 97 - Billy Jac Shaw, 99 - John Krebs

  • This race the only time that Davey Allison would score back-to-back wins in his career, as he had also won the previous Cup race, the AC Delco 500.
  • Bill Sedgwick would be the highest running West driver, finishing the race 21st overall and scoring points equivalent to a win. Bill Schmitt would crash out of the race after 136 laps and finished 37th. Sedgwick was able to secure the title, 74 points ahead of Schmitt.

Full Drivers' Championship

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Further information: List of NASCAR points scoring systems

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led. † – Ineligible for West Series points

Pos Driver EVG MMR SON SGS POR EVG SSS MMR PHO Pts
1 Bill Sedgwick 2 13 15 2 3 3 2 1* 21 1509
2 Bill Schmitt 15 8 13 1* 2 16 1* 3 37 1435
3 Butch Gilliland 3 4 DNQ 3 5 11 3 4 29 1413
4 Hershel McGriff 22 3 32 4 8 10 4 6 27 1353
5 John Krebs 4 7 38 11 9 17 10 10 DNQ 1259
6 Rick Scribner 7 10 DNQ 10 11 7 11 7 DNQ 1211
7 Billy Jac Shaw 8 17 DNQ 9 14 5 8 8 DNQ 1187
8 Robert Sprague 24 18 39 7 4 13 5 18 DNQ 1173
9 Mike Chase 1* 1* 40 13 1 35 13 26 1172
10 Jack Sellers 9 11 DNQ 14 17 14 13 12 DNQ 1106
11 St. James Davis 10 15 DNQ 12 16 26 17 15 DNQ 1042
12 Chuck Welch 20 16 16 13 21 19 663
13 Wayne Jacks 14 5 34 9 DNQ 592
14 Scott Gaylord 19 9 33 DNQ 531
15 Brad Tidrick 16 18 8 9 504
16 J.C. Danielsen 21 6 DNQ 18 489
17 Mark Reed 24 DNQ 14 34 479
18 Ron Hornaday Jr. 22 18 20 DNQ 451
19 Ron Esau 20 DNQ 22 16 447
20 Larry Gaylord 12 15 29 15 439
21 Gary Scott 11 19 28 14 436
22 Gary Collins 5 17 42 418
23 Bob Walker 2 6 25 408
24 Rick Carelli 27 2 DNQ 391
25 Tim McCauley 13 21 17 336
26 Ron Eaton 18 23 16 318
27 Larry Gunselman 6 19 36 311
28 Jim Bown 12 2 302
29 Jerry Bowers 6 7 296
30 Terry Fisher 5 10 294
31 R. K. Smith 43 DNQ 248
32 Rick Mackey 12 15 245
33 Mike Nicholson 12 22 224
34 Archie Somers 17 221
35 John Dillon 6 31 220
36 Mark Moore 14 23 215
37 Bob Howard 23 15 212
38 Ted Kennedy 33 11 194
39 Geoffrey Bodine 8† 1* 8† 185
40 Jon Paques 4 160
41 Joe Ruttman 31† 5 22† 155
42 Dirk Stephens 6 150
43 Don Waterman 7 146
44 Randy Becker 8 142
45 Troy Beebe DNQ DNQ 138
46 Mike French 9 138
47 Bobby Woods 134
48 Bill Elliott 20† 12 25† 127
49 Sterling Marlin 26† 19 3† 111
50 Jim Courage 20 103
51 Rick McCray 20 103
52 Bruce Nutt 21 100
53 Chad Little 28† 24 30† 96
54 Glen Steurer 30 73
55 Dave Gengenbach 32 67

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NASCAR In 1991 — The 75 Years Edition". SPEED SPORT. July 4, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  2. ^ "1991 NASCAR Winston West Series Season Stats". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  3. ^ "1991 Banquet Frozen Foods 300 results". The Third Turn. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  4. ^ "1991 Pyroil 500 results". The Third Turn. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  5. ^ "Chase takes Winston race". Redding Record Searchlight. May 20, 1991. p. B2. Retrieved May 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Higgins, Tom (June 10, 1991). "Allison gets victory; Rudd gets angry (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 17. Retrieved April 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Chase Surges to NASCAR West win. Portsmouth Daily Times. July 1, 1991. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  8. ^ Higgins, Tom (November 4, 1991). "Allison overtakes Rudd, field in Phoenix (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11. Retrieved April 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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