2014 Local Tracks

  STOCKTON 99 SPEEDWAY
2014 Schedule         Last race: WEEKLY RACE RECAP

• Friends, former rivals commemorate ‘Manteca Missile’

   

  A trophy and a tribute for WLM winner

  By Scott Niendorf
  Record Correspondent 
  Posted Sep. 7, 2014 @ 12:01 am 

  Robert Dueck (21) spins out in turn 1 during a super stocks heat at Stockton Speedway 99 in Stockton. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

  STOCKTON — Race-car drivers don’t usually like to send flowers to people who have lost loved ones, but Saturday’s Western Late Model winner has an even better idea.

  Justin Philpott out-dueled Bryce Napier of Santa Cruz to win the 30-lap main event at Stockton 99 Speedway and had plans for the trophy he claimed.

  “I want to send this (trophy) to the Ron Strmiska family,” said Philpott, who wanted to honor the former racer who passed away Wednesday after a battle with cancer. “I want to change the placard to say, ‘Our deepest condolences to the Strmiska family from the Philpott family.’ That’s what I want to do instead of sending flowers.”

  The speedway honored the emergency responders and people who perished in the 9-11 attack on New York City in 2001 with a memorial featuring California Highway Patrol personnel and local emergency responders taking a tribute lap, followed by a parade with drivers representing the competing divisions.

  Speedway announcer Wayne Pierce also fondly shared Strmiska stories with the crowd during opening ceremonies.

  “For us ‘old-timers’ (Strmiska) meant a lot to us,” Pierce said. “We are really approaching an end of an era to where, as these guys go, they represent a time of racing that is leaving that we’ll never have back.”

  Brock Monroe of Escalon won the Super Stocks 30-lap main after taking advantage of a restart on lap 6 that claimed Matt Wendt of Lodi with engine trouble.

  It was a blow to Wendt, who had the early lead and was trying to move up from his second-place standing in the season points.

  Monroe won after passing Ben Lewis II of Stockton on lap 24. Lewis finished second, followed by Dominic Lopez of San Leandro. Lewis won the trophy dash.

  Jeremy Wood of Tracy had the fastest qualifying car in the Legends of the Pacific division and grabbed the lead from Luis Tyrell of Brisbane on lap 12 after starting 11th.

  Wood kept his lead ahead of Tony Mangini of Benicia after dramatic restarts on laps 32, 36 and 37 to take the win.

  Mark Jacke of Stockton took the checkered flag in the 30-lap B-4 main, followed by Brad Mast of Manteca and Dave Kong of Stockton. Jacke also easily won the B-4 dash.