2009 Local Tracks

Mother Nature Cranked Up The Heat As The
NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series
Returned To Action And Brought Some Heat Of Their Own

With the year well into its second half, on Saturday, July 18^th, every Division stepped up the pace and intensity as though it was their last race.  All the drivers at Stockton 99 Speedway know that it’s time to put the pedal-foot to the firewall as the season goes full-bore into the chases for the Championships.  The NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series returned to action with the Western Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, ALSC/Street Stocks, Mini-Stocks/Mini-Trucks, and the very enthusiastic, Enduros.  And, although the temperatures were scorching, the racing was really cool.

The Western Late Models ventured back to the racing surface after a week off.  There are several rivalries close at hand this year between the Young and the Old and the Old and the New, and they continued to sizzle in this Premier Division on Saturday night.  However, this time, it was Father/Son.  But, from a fans point of view, that’s exactly what makes the racing so habit-forming at Stockton 99 Speedway.  Pine Grove’s Frank Farran (30) and Tracy’s David Philpott (50) brought this one under the green with Philpott jumping out to the early lead and bringing with him, son and Points Leader, Justin Philpott (05), also of Tracy.  The two generations battled it out until lap 12 when the young Philpott slipped below his dad coming past the flag stand to capture that all-important number one spot.  From that point on, Philpott was never challenged again as he crossed below the checkers for his third win on the year.  “I wish we had some more cars, a little more competition, I don’t want to say it was easy.  It was fun racing with my dad,” said the well-spoken Philpott, then added, “I want to thank everybody for coming out, sorry about the low car-count.  Come back next week and we’ll see what happens.”  The elder Philpott would hold on to finish second after doing double-duty earlier in a Modified.  Carlos Vieira (51) of Atwater brought it home third.  Farran fell off a little to finish fourth with Brock Monroe (42) of Lodi, driving the same car Adam Coonfield had driven in an earlier race, finishing a pretty respectful fifth.

Once again, the Grand American Modifieds hit the asphalt to battle it out for that ever elusive podium finish.  This is one tough old track to tame, but with each passing week, these drivers continue to grasp a better handle on what it takes to get around the old girl at break-neck speeds.  Points Leader Larry Tankersley (96) of Stockton brought the field to green in this 50 lap Main Event with the #44 of Jeremy Jackson flanking him to the right.  The race would be slowed immediately as the #40 of John Cummings spun down the backstretch bringing out the first yellow of the night on lap 1.  The second yellow fell just as quick when “The Duke” Tony Noceti (6) and Jackson made contact in front of the pack between turns one and two.  Michael Ostrowski (17) of Salida was caught up in the melee and had to restart from the back.  On the lap 2 restart, Modified Super Star Scott Winters (24) of Tracy inherited the outside pole position and from there it was “case closed” as he rocketed to the lead and held strong for his seventh win in a row.  “It was just a great race.  This crew does a great job on the car.  Every week we come out here and this car just handles great,” said Winters in his usual polite manner, “We set fast time and they inverted six and there was a bit of bumping and banging going on there and it gave us good track position.  Once we got out front we kind of set our own pace.”   The race was halted by a third yellow on lap 21 and from that point, Ostrowski tried to chip away at the lead, but Winters proved to be too strong.  Noceti rebounded from his earlier altercation to finish third with Tankersley slipping back a bit to fourth and David Crouch (2) of Livermore bringing home another impressive top five.

What can one expect when watching an ALSC/Street Stock race as the sun beats on us like a tight-skinned drum and thick air infiltrates our lungs? The truth is, you can expect some flat-out, down-home, hard-core racing.  The same racing that is showcased in front of the fans in the stands every time the green flag drops, and tonight was no exception.  Lance Butler (76) of Stockton and Aaron Coonfield (25) of Riverbank got this one underway from the front row.  Coonfield came around to lead lap 1 with “The Iceman” Chad Holman (75) of Manteca in tow.  The two battled nose to tail for the top spot for several laps, but Coonfield never relinquished the lead and pulled away to what would be a full straightaway and his sixth victory on the year.  “This feels awesome.  I can’t believe I’ve won one race here, much less six,” Coonfield said with a smile, “After we unplugged pretty much every piece of electronics on the car, it ran pretty good.  I hope we can continue to run consistently.  It would be awesome to win a Championship in my first full season.”  Meanwhile, the real battle was going on for second with Holman, Jeff Ahl (31) of Lodi, and the “Ol’ Man” Pete Anderson Sr.  Anderson would fall back a bit to finish fourth, but Ahl was all over Holman’s bumper as they crossed the finish line which relegated the Points Leader to a third place finish.  Adam Coonfield (42), also of Riverbank, rounded out the top five.  Earlier in the day, Adam won for the first time in his career in an exciting contest with Holman during their heat race.  One important note to make here is, Coonfield did this in a borrowed car he had never driven before.

The Mini-Stocks/Mini-Trucks rolled back into action for their second week in a row.  There is never any doubt that these drivers are here to race, but, more importantly, they are here to put on a great show for all in attendance to savor.  Rodney Oliver (27) started on pole and led the first lap.  But on lap 2, Tracy’s Jim Morgan (40) grabbed the lead away and cruised to his second victory in a row in only his second career start.  “It feels good to win two in a row.  I’m going to have to make some space at home, I don’t have very much room for these trophies” said a very happy Morgan, “I got a good truck, Gary Frank provided it, and I know what it can do.  It’s just been benefitting me.  It’s been good.”  Oliver held on to finish second with Manteca’s Chris Parker (21) finishing third.

The wet and wild antics of the Enduros returned once again for racing enthusiasts of all ages to gather in a little happiness as these drivers performed their car-handling acrobatics on the soap-textured surface of the quarter-mile paved oval.  They managed to inject a large dose of excitement for everyone to enjoy.  The #18 of Ron Wills was the lucky pole-sitter with the #7 of Chris Lancaster by his side.  Wills grabbed the lead, but it was to be short-lived as he spun between turns three and four allowing the #02 of Joe Addison to take over the top spot on lap 2.  Enduros get really whacky, really quick, and this race would shout that fact.  There was some pretty good racing all over the track, but, when the soap dried and the water evaporated, Addison stood, in all his glory, at the top of the podium after completely dominating this one.  Enduro Sensation, David Pabst Jr. came home second, thanks to passenger, Doug Lane of FastLane Motorsports, a distant one lap down.  Stockton’s own Jake Pitt (21) finished an impressive third with the #11 of Alan Deabenderfer finishing fourth and Lodi’s second generation driver, Robbie Knittel (3) capping off a great night in that fifth position.

Next Saturday, July 25^th, USG Night At The Races presents the NASCAR Whelen All-American Western Late Models, ALSC/Street Stocks, Mini-Stocks/Mini-Trucks, and the Bombers.

The New Stockton 99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson Way, ¼-mile west of Highway 99. For more information on tickets and times, please contact the Speedway Office at (209)466-9999 or visit the website at www.stockton99speedway.com.   And remember, The New Stockton 99 Speedway is always Family Friendly.

The New Stockton 99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel, California Welding Supply, Budweiser, and Alamo Alarm.