NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown
NASCAR Grand National Division
Irwindale Speedway October 21, 2006

Scott Gaylord, Lakewood, Colo. (No. 00 Oliver Gravity Separators/Denver Seminary Chevrolet), Scott Gaylord Racing finished 9th in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown

Gaylord finished fifth in the Friday night qualifying race, but handling problems dogged the team during the main event Saturday night. Still, Scott was able to nab a ninth place finish in this hotly contested, best of the best invitational for the AutoZone West Grand National and Busch series’ top drivers. With the completion of this race, Scott bids bids farewell to long-time sponsor Oliver Gravity Separators, which has been part of his racing program for 20 years.

“It was nice to be able to finish out this season with a top-ten finish,” Scott said. “It was good to be able to cap off a remarkable 20-year partnership with a strong finish in such a competitive race.” Scott is one of only three drivers to compete in all four NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdowns, an honor reserved for the top 15 drivers in each series.

The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown is considered the “super bowl of short track racing” and was televised live nationally on the SPEED Channel. The depth of the AutoZone West Series enabled the home-standing AutoZone West Series team to win the “team” competition – a race-within-a-race that provides an additional award to the best-performing series overall – for the first time in the event’s four-year history.

After the Scott Gaylord Oliver Gravity Separators/Denver Seminary Chevrolet qualified 14th, Scott finished the race winning both the POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE award and the FEATHERLIGHT MOST IMPROVED DRIVER award as the team finished second in the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series Altamont 200 race at Altamont Motorsports Park on Sunday, October 15th, where the series wrapped up its 2006 season.

Gaylord matched his all-time best mark in the season finale, finishing in the runner-up spot for a fourth time in his career as he prepares to bid farewell to long-time sponsor Oliver Gravity Separators, which has been part of his racing program for 20 years.

Back to the Altamont Race

We were looking forward to returning to Altamont, the half-mile race track located near Tracy, California. “Last time we ran at Altamont in 1998, we finished second,” Scott said, “so it was great to capture another second this time around. There have been a lot of improvements to the facility, and it was good to be racing at another of the country’s fine short tracks. We had a fun race.”

The #00 crew was faced with many mechanical problems, including brakes and handling, that cut into much-needed practice time on this relatively new track. We finally got things pretty close, enough to qualify, even though the car went into an amazing spin that Scott was able to recover from with a fantastic save. Still, those challenges made us start in 14th position.

During the race, Scott just kept on plugging, moving up slowly in the first half of the race, then a bit more aggressively after some chassis adjustments that made the car handle better. Finally in this race the flat tires did not come and the strange little gremlins that crept up and bit us earlier in the year stayed away. By the final 30 laps or so we found ourselves in sixth place with a realistic chance for a top-three finish. “We are very happy with a second-place finish,” Scott said. “It is a great way to finish off the season, a hard-fought second place plus earning both special awards. This race is a sweet season’s farewell gift to Oliver as well.

“We have had a fantastic partnership with Oliver that has lasted a phenomenal 20 years,” Scott said. “Oliver was with me in the beginning of my career, even before I entered my first NASCAR race in 1988. I’m proud to have had the opportunity to represent such a wonderful company, and for our partnership to last so many years has been icing on the cake. In this business, relationships lasting this long are virtually unheard of. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have worked with such a fantastic sponsor.”

Scott is sad to see the end of an era when it comes to this longtime relationship, but wishes Oliver complete success as they embark on a major expansion in their Rocky Ford, Colorado, company.

Scott Gaylord of Lakewood, Colo. (No. 00 Oliver Gravity Separators/Denver Seminary Chevrolet) finished seventh in the championship points this year, making this the 12th time he has finished in the top ten in the Scott Gaylord Racing-prepared Chevrolet.

Next Up: NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown

Now the championship has been settled, the top drivers and teams in the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series are busy preparing for the fourth annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown this week in Southern California. The top 15 AutoZone West Series drivers will face off with the top 15 drivers from the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series in this year’s prestigious post-season event at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21. The event awards nearly $500,000 to competitors and will be televised live nationally on the SPEED Channel. Gaylord is one of only four series drivers to compete in all three previous NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdowns.

As for the future, Scott looks forward to the Toyota All-Star Showdown and pulling off that first NASCAR win in tribute to the years of partnership with Oliver. Geoff Burney, who owns the #00 car that Scott races, will continue to partner with Scott and his team as they work to gain new sponsors for the coming year.

The place: Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway The dates: Friday, Oct. 20 and Saturday, Oct. 21 TV: SPEED live Radio: NASCAR Radio on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 144) Posted awards: $500,000 Track layout: Half-mile oval