Long night at Stockton 99

By Kevin Niendorf

Record Correspondent

September 02, 2012 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - Chris Scribner spun out on the final lap and finished ninth, but that was still good enough to secure the 2012 Tri-Holiday Classic Western Late Model title.

Travis Milburn of Eagle, Idaho, won the 100-lap race Saturday night in front of an estimated crowd of 2,000 at Stockton 99 Speedway.

Matt Scott of Pine Grove had a chance to catch Scribner and steal the series title, but he was third. He had to finish at least seven spots in front of Scribner. The official finish is pending a final inspection.

Scribner spun about 50 feet before the checkered flag.

With the conclusion of the Tri-Holiday Classic Series, six championships were awarded following multiple crashes and restarts throughout a late night of racing.

Ben Lewis II avoided a disastrous finale to the Pure Stocks (Bombers) race as he almost clipped Samantha Williams' crippled car as it tried to exit across the track toward the infield.

"I'd seen it and didn't let off the gas," said Lewis, who spent the last week repairing his car following a crash the previous week. "I'm used to close calls. I had a gut feeling so I just stood on the gas."

Taking the Pure Stocks Tri-Holiday championship was Stockton's Guido Bindi, whose fourth-place finish pushed him past former leader Darin Adler of Stockton. Bindi tallied 138 points for the crown, while Adler dropped to fourth overall after finishing 12th.

Lewis II took the lead on lap 15 of the 50-lap event and never gave it up. Following an inverted start, trophy dash winner Brandon Jones claimed the lead on lap 7 and kept it until engine trouble eight laps later forced him off the track.

In the Modifieds division, there were 10 yellow flags during the 60-lap event that saw only 12 of the 19 cars finish the race. Jay Lindstroth was the points leader going into the race but he was ousted on the first collision.

Scott Winters emerged as the winner, his ninth Modifieds victory this season at Stockton 99 Speedway. However, Rio Linda's Rich Lindgren earned enough points with his fourth-place finish to win the Tri-Holiday crown.

By finishing second in the B-4's division, Manteca's Joseph Reichmuth won the Tri-Holiday crown with 154 points. Stockton's Dave Kong won the 40-lap event and picked up 50 points, enough to overtake Manteca's Brad Mast for second place in the standings with 145 points. Mast finished fourth in the race, dropping him to third place with 143 points.

With a three-way tie going into the final Super Stocks race, Hughson's Mike Graham won the Tri-Holiday crown by netting 48 points with his second-place finish. Matt Erickson of Lake Don Pedro won Saturday's race but didn't compete in the other two holiday events.

Trophy dash winner Robbie Knittel of Lodi crashed in lap 54 of the 60-lap race after being bumped by Atwater's Jason Aguirre. On the restart, Aguirre began third and couldn't catch Graham over the final six laps. He finished 2 points behind Graham in the overall standings.

Stockton's Andrew Vanderpool, trophy dash winner in the Mini Cups, was defeated by a car length against Scotts Valley's Bryce Napier.