On Saturday, April 9th,
the NASCAR Whelen All American Series
rumbled onto the high-banks for their
opening night of the Season. The agenda for
the evening included the return of the
Western Late Models in Twin 50s, Grand
American Modifieds, Super Stocks, Bombers,
Basically-4- Cylinders, and Mini Cups. The
action got underway very quickly, and for
this time of year, there was some fantastic
hard-core racing that took place in each
Division. The 2500 fans in the stands were
on the collective edge of their seats for
the entire event, going wild with approval.
The First Twin for the
Western Late Models produced that much
needed adrenaline to kick off the Season in
the right direction with no less than 23
cars rumbling on the grid. There was no
surprise winner in this one, but Jeff
Belletto's win added to the excitement in
the air.
This one got up to
speed with Jeff Belletto (12x) sitting P1
and third generation driver, and nephew, Nic
Belletto (15) already nibbling at his
right-side door panel coming off four to the
green. Of course, as most often happens,
experience won out on this night with the
elder Belletto grabbing that certain huge
hunk of forward bite which slung him out to
that much-coveted real estate at P1. Once
there, although he had to deal with the
constant gnawing at his back bumper by
nephew Nic, along with six caution periods,
followed by six restarts, J. Belletto
managed to ward off all evil and take the
checkers, going flag to flag, for the
extremely popular victory. "It was fun
racing out there with Nic(Belletto). I'm
happy to see him run so well," said the
always gracious Belletto, "I was hoping we
would finish one, two. I don't know why the
#52(Ryan Philpott) had to do that to him."
Meanwhile, N. Belletto, after shadowing his
uncle's every move, was bumped back to a
fifth place finish when, going through three
and four on lap 49, Ryan Philpott (52), dove
deep and low making contact with the #15 and
sending him up to the wall. The move turned
out well for Philpott when he vaulted into
second across the stripe. The battle for
third through fifteenth was fierce at times,
thus the six yellows, but when the dust
settled, it would be the #78 of Superstar
driver Dave Byrd on the podium in third.
Another third generation driver, and 2009
Track Champ, Justin Philpott (05), drove a
clean, solid race and finished up fourth.
N. Belletto, through no choice of his own,
managed to hang on to a top five.
Twin #2 was just as
exciting as the first, however, the results
were quite the contrary with 2009 Champ,
Justin Philpott (05) grabbing the winner's
spoils in a very popular victory.
Because of the invert
off Twin #1, Sammy Solari (3x) and second
generation driver Colby Potts (12) laid
claim to the front row and pulled around,
field in tow, to greet the green. Solari
jumped out early where he appeared quite
stout. And so it went, but not without
being riddled with yellows, just as the
first twin. After leading the first sixteen
circuits, Solari surrendered to the opposing
force of Justin Philpott (05). Once
Philpott took charge on lap 17, it was
remnants of 2009 as he cradled that number
one spot like he owned it. And own it he
did, enjoying the fresh air the remainder of
the race. But his pleasure did not come
without challenges. Challenges from the
likes of Guy Guibor (61) and the ferocious
pressure he applied lap after lap until
there was nothing left but the checkered
flag and the sweet taste of Victory. "I
would like to thank all my buddies for
coming out, and all the fans who stayed
around to watch," said the young Philpott,
then added, "And I want to thank you, Wayne,
for coming back to 99." Guibor, always a
threat, just used up too much car trying to
get around the power of Philpott. So in the
end, he simply had to settle for second.
Potts hung around the front most of the
night, but at one point was relegated to the
tail-end of the field after being spun. He
fought extremely hard making his way back
through the pack, and for his stunning
efforts, he was rewarded with a career-best
podium finish in third. Jeff Belletto
(12x), after winning the first Twin, was
penalized early on in this one, but still
managed to make his way back up to a fourth
place finish. The #6 of Mike Beeler,
starting severely deep on the grid, showed
his strength through traffic and pulled out
a fifth.
In the Grand American
Modified Division, 16 cars took to the grid
with some great names included. Wes Miller
(57), one such sensation, powered his way to
a thrilling and glorious Victory.
This star-studded
field came to life when Jason Philpot (15a)
and Rich Lindgren (45) jumped all over the
go pedal coming up off turn four to the
green. Philpot managed to make the most of
it as he soared down into one with the
lead. "Mr. Modified", Scott Winters (24),
as a by-product of such a powerful start,
was pulled along for the ride.
Unfortunately, the race was slowed almost
immediately when Leroy Hunt (63) looped it
getting into turn three where he came to
rest against the wall facing the oncoming
traffic and bringing with him the first
yellow of the night. On the lap 3 restart,
Winters, as he usually does, jumped out
front where he would ride comfortably,
despite a couple yellows, until lap 19 when
Ryan Stepps lost control of the #98 coming
out of two which sent the yellow waving high
in the night sky. On the restart, Winters
and Miller had gained control of row number
one, but going past the flagstand their cars
made certain contact, giving Miller the edge
and the lead while shuffling Winters back
where he finally tucked into the number four
slot. Once out front, Miller would prove to
be just strong enough to take it the rest of
the way to the outstretched arms of
Victory. "I have to thank Mike(Garcia),
it's pretty much his car," said the
well-spoken Miller, "First and foremost,
we're all going to miss Mike Roos, we still
actually have his setup on the car right
now." Winters would rally back to finish
what was most likely a disappointing second
with Philpot hanging around to finish on the
podium in third. The #2x of Chris Smith had
a solid race and a solid finish in fourth
while Lindgren, although he fell off a bit,
still managed to battle his way to fifth.
The Super Stocks
produced a first-time winner in the form of
Garland Tyler (73). To his credit, however,
it certainly didn't come as a big surprise
to anyone that he had what it took to come
home Victorious. This one has been a long
time coming.
Ben Lewis II (22) and
Tyler inherited row number one due to the
invert. Tyler took full advantage of the
opportunity by getting to the gas just a bit
quicker than Lewis with the green flag
flying. Just as quickly, Tyler put his
long-awaited stamp on that rare piece of
property out front where he held on,
begrudgingly so, throughout the thirty laps,
despite the aggressive biting and chewing at
his back bumper and fenders from teammate
and friend, Jason Aguirre (45). Coming off
four to the checkers you could almost hear
him sigh and take his first breath in twenty
minutes, knowing he just won his first race
going wire to wire. "I want to thank my
family and friends for all their support,"
said the quiet-mannered Tyler, "This has
been a special week and I want to dedicate
this win to Jason's(Aguirre) dad." Aguirre,
after a win last week, finished the night up
in second. On the podium in third, Lewis
ran his usual clean, consistent race. There
was some intense warfare from fourth on
back, some absolutely great racing. But
when the checkered flags rose above the
asphalt surface, Rich Harper (5) and Mark
Squadrito (3) rounded out the top five.
The Bombers race came
up with a large surprise: a first-time
winner in his first race. The #050 of Doug
Highfill turned his debut at the track into
a dream come true by crossing the line well
ahead of the field.
This one got underway
with Tony Karsting (312) and Tyler Guzman
(93x) sharing the front row and showing the
field to green. Guzman grabbed the early
lead, however, a quick caution on lap 2
would prove detrimental to the #93x when, on
the ensuing restart, Highfill got a great
jump, and from that point forward, he
absolutely took it to the house, taking no
prisoners, and no challengers. Also, by
leaving no doubt who was in charge on this
night, he may be the one to be reckoned with
this year. "I would like to thank all my
sponsors for making this possible," said the
excited Highfill, "I want to dedicate this
race Wade's(Martin) grandma, my first win."
Bobby Simpson (819x) finished a distant
second with an excellent run of his own.
David Tucker (350), in his first appearance,
put together a marvelous showing in
finishing on the podium in third while
Karsting fell off the pace just a bit, but
still managed a fourth place finish. Jeremy
Tucker (351) brought her home in fifth.
In the
Basicly-4-Cylinders, Joseph Reichmuth (6)
backed up his win from last week by winning
his second in a row. However, this time he
did it coming from deep in the field.
Jennifer Corder (24)
and the #61 of Kelle Bobbitt got this one
underway from the first row with Bobbitt
gaining the holeshot and holding strong,
despite some severe racing going on behind
him, until lap 18 when third generation
driver Matt Anderson (5), after dealing with
several close calls along the way, snatched
the lead away from Bobbitt with a great move
down low through three and four.
Unfortunately, that lead would be
short-lived when, on lap 21, Reichmuth,
after starting from the last row, and after
showing much patience by methodically
working his way through the field, grabbed
the lead and never looked back, notching his
second win in as many weeks. Anderson held
on to finish a career-best second with
Bobbitt slipping back, if only slightly, to
finish on the podium in third. 2010 Champ
Larry Toon (88) brought her home in fourth
while Andrew Rumsey (101), despite
challenging for the lead early on, capped
off the night in fifth.
The Mini Stock
Division went green with Jackson Ezell (15)
and Bryce Napier (03) heading the field into
turn one, but the green changed to an
immediate red when, coming off turn four,
three cars tangled with the #1 of Andrew
Vanderpool taking the worst of it as he came
sliding down the front-stretch, flipped onto
his lid and hit the outside wall just before
the flagstand. Fortunately, for all
involved, they were checked at the Infield
Care Center and released. On the lap 1
restart, Ezell assumed his well-known
position out front where he put on a clinic
in how to get a Mini Cup around the
high-banks of this old Speedway by taking
the checkers over a half-lap ahead of his
nearest competitor, which landed him in an
all-too-familiar Victory Lane. His nearest
competitor came in the form of Bryce Napier
as he finished a solid second with 2010
Champ, Cody Johnston (50) putting his hotrod
on the podium in third. The #22 of Hunter
Franklin wound up fourth while the #10 of
Kyle Wininger rounded out the top five.
Mark your calendars
for next Saturday, April 16th,
when Stockton 99 Speedway presents
City of Stockton Night featuring
NASCAR Whelen All American SeriesSuper
Stocks in Twin 40's, Bombers, Basically-4-
Cylinders, Mini Trucks, Mini Cups, and
Vintage Hard Tops.
ATTENTION: A little something new for this
year: This Saturday, if you are a resident
of Stockton, it will be $10 for General
Admission with proof of residency, for
instance, a driver's license. Likewise, on
all other City Nights, if you are a resident
of that particular city, with proof, General
Admission will be $10.
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 their Website
at
www.stockton99.com.
The New Stockton 99
Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria
Casino Hotel, California Welding Supply,
Budweiser, Alamo Alarm and Stockton Hampton
Inn and Suites and Lodi Holiday Express.
2011 Local Tracks