Mike Ray wins NASCAR Regional Championship

Mike Ray of Las Vegas hit a $39,500 jackpot but he didn't win it at the casinos or in the lottery.

Ray, 43, is the 1998 NASCAR Winston Racing Series Pacific Coast Region Champion and he will collect his winnings at the national champions banquet in Nashville on Nov. 6.

The NASCAR short-track racing veteran is no stranger to winning titles at the 3/8-mile oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, capturing late-model championships in 1996 and limited sportsman division titles in 1991 and 1992.

This year, Ray dominated the competition, winning 14 of 18 races. He attributes his outstanding season in the Pangonis Racing-owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo to experience, hard work and luck.

"Everything has just come together for us," Ray said. "We've run pretty well in the past, but nothing like this year. The team has jelled real well and the car is working as well as ever, but I always attribute a year like this to Lady Luck.

"Things have just gone our way. It was not a different effort than in the past, it just all has come together this year."

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