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David wins at Altamont after leaders crash late
By Record Staff Writer April 29, 2007 6:00 AM
improbable victory of his career. So he just decided to rely on an old and reliable clich้. "They say it's better to be lucky than good," a smiling David said. David moved into third place with two laps remaining in the 200-lap Grand National West race at Altamont Motorsports Park and ended up getting his first win of the season in stunning fashion when Johnny Borneman and Justin Lofton crashed while battling for the lead on the final lap. David drove by the accident and took the checkered flag in front of an estimated crowd of 3,500. The official attendance was not released. David had struggled much of the night, but held his own and was able to avoid any trouble in a messy race which had 10 yellow flags and three reds. But the Modesto driver did not expect to win. "No, I was going for a top five," David said. He moved past Andrew Myers of Newport Beach in lap 198 and was several car lengths behind Borneman and Lofton. Going into the final turn of the race, Lofton tried to pass Borneman for the lead and both spun out, with Borneman hitting the wall hard. "I don't know (what happened). I wanted it; it would have been the my first win of the series," Lofton said. "I just got too aggressive." David saw the battle for the lead, but didn't expect the crash. "I saw then beating and banging, but I didn't know they'd be that aggressive with each other," David said. David qualified ninth and had not been higher in the field than fourth place before the final two laps. He collected $7,500 for the victory. His only two wins last season were at Stockton 99 Speedway. Ryan Philpott of Tracy continued his early season dominance at Altamont by cruising to a victory in the 100-lap Western Late Model main event. Philpott has won all three WLM main events this season at the track. "The car has been great, and things have been going well," Philpott said. "The car handled as well on the first lap as it did on lap 100. It didn't change at all; it was real steady throughout the run." Philpott was the fast qualifier at 18.238 seconds and grabbed the lead from Doff Cooksey of Brentwood on lap 23. Tim Spurgeon of Danville was second. Brock Monroe of Escalon blew a transmission and was forced to start 18th, but worked his way to third. Pete Anderson Jr. of Stockton made his first appearance of the season at Altamont and was running fourth but suffered engine problems on lap 38 and finished 13th. Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh, at (209) 546-8281 or slinesbu@recordnet.com.
By KELLY
JONES Last Updated: April 27, 2007, 03:26:27 AM PDT
It's losing that lead that has become rather bothersome. Once again, David is off to a hot start in the Grand National West season. He leads the points standings heading into Saturday's 200-lap event at Altamont Raceway Park after finishing second and third in this year's first races. David finished third last week in Phoenix, working his way back through the pack after taking time out to change a flat tire. The only drivers who crossed the finish line before David were Joe Gibbs Racing phenoms Joey Logano and Marc Davis both 16 in cars previously driven by Nextel Cup drivers J.J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin. Winning every race, or at least being one of the first to finish, is David's goal at every track. He's won at Altamont in a Western Late Model car, but his last Grand National West race there was not a happy memory. At last season's finale, David finished 13th the victim of flat tires and an oil spill. It allowed Escalon's Eric Holmes, who entered the race leading David by 47 points, to take the title. David led the standings through six races last season. He hopes he started a new streak last week. David leads Davis 335-297. Oakdale's Wes Banks is also expected at Altamont. He was 19th at the Phoenix AlphaTrader.com 150 at Phoenix International Raceway last week. Saturday's schedule at Altamont also includes the Whelen All-American Series Western Late Model and American Limited Stock Car series, and a stunt bike exhibition. Gates open at noon with Grand National West qualifying starting at 2:30 p.m. The main event will begin at 7 and be televised on HDNet. The race will be telecast on the Speed Channel on May 9 at 9 a.m. The Phoenix AlphaTrader.com 150 will be shown on the Speed Channel on Wednesday at 9 a.m. HOLMES BACK EAST Eric Holmes begins his Busch East Series campaign Saturday at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C. The 2006 Grand National West champion and Southwest Series runner-up will go up against some heady company in the Greased Lightning 150 at the half-mile track. Sean Caisse, the series' 2005 Rookie of the Year, won last year's race and went on to finish second in points. Busch East champion Mike Olsen was third in last season's opener, followed by 2006 NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown winner Matt Kobyluck. Holmes should fit right in. He won the Toyota Showdown in 2004. Holmes is driving for Bob Torriere, who also owned the car Holmes drove in last year's Lizard Suncream 200 at Infineon Raceway. The partnership allows Holmes to race on a wider variety of tracks and gain exposure in another series. A web link to an interview with Holmes, Kobyluck and Olsen can be found at www.nascarlocalracing.com. Saturday's race will be shown on the Speed Channel on May 16 at 9 a.m. VUKOVICH AT MADERA The Vukovich Classic is Saturday at Madera Speedway. The event honors Fresno's Billy Vukovich III, the 1988 Indianapolis Rookie of the Year. He died in a crash two years later in Bakersfield. The headline event is the 410 Super Modifieds. The Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets, 360 Super Modifieds, Western Late Models, and American Limited Stock Cars are also in action. Bee staff writer Kelly Jones can be reached at 578-2300 or kjones@modbee.com. |
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