Woodside Spins Out of Luck at Irwindale

The bad luck that has plagued Sean Woodside of Saugus at Irwindale Speedway continued on Saturday night in the Home Depot 250-lap NASCAR Winston West series race.

Woodside, the defending series champion who lost his ride to Brandan Gaughan of Las Vegas, was running in fifth place with five laps remaining in his 2000 Winston West debut when his car spun into the wall on the backstretch. By the time he recovered and rejoined the race, Woodside was one lap behind the leaders in 10th place, which is where he finished.

Pole-sitter Bobby Dotter of Charlotte, N.C., who passed Woodside for third place on lap 181 after Sammy Potashnick of Silkston, Mo., spun out directly in front of Woodside while running one lap behind the leaders, stayed on the track when the leaders pitted during a caution flag on lap 216. Dotter ran away from the field to capture his second consecutive Winston West victory by 2.735 seconds over series points leader Gaughan.

Mike Duncan of Lamont, second in the super late model points standings at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, passed Kevin Richards of Spokane, Wash., in the backstretch for third, and Irwindale super late model points leader Greg Voigt of Goleta was fifth in his Winston West debut. Bill Sedgwick of Acton started fourth and finished sixth.

“We got behind, and tried to be a hero, and locked it up,” said Woodside. “I thought I was about the only guy out there who could catch Dotter.”

Woodside missed the qualifying session after competing in a NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour race at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, and started last in the 26-car field. He used a combination of driving and pit strategy to work his way through the pack.

By lap 25, Woodside had already worked his way to 15th place, and he had moved to 10th by lap 75 when Scott Gaylord of Lakewood, Colo., blew a tire in turn four to bring on the first caution flag.

When the leaders pitted on lap 77, Woodside got out fast enough to take seventh place, and moved into third place by staying out while the leaders pitted during a caution flag on lap 110.

Woodside fell to sixth when the leaders pitted on lap 152 during a caution flag.

The most exciting racing of the evening came when John Borneman of Ramona, Potashnick and Dotter circled the track three abreast for two laps, with Woodside maintaining a respectable distance in fourth place.

“I wasn’t too worried about [running three abreast],” said Dotter. “It just depends on who you are running with.”

Said Gaughan, who was following Woodside at the time: “As a spectator, that was impressive, but I must say, I’m glad I wasn’t there.”