Winston West winner takes
lead early and never lets go
By Bill Poindexter
Record Assistant Sports Editor
Published Sunday, August 18, 2002
Johnny Borneman
credited his crew for his first NASCAR
Winston West Series victory of the season.
Borneman led all
200 laps of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 on Saturday night at
Stockton 99 Speedway. He led through eight yellow flags and an
intermission at 100 laps for pit stops. No one in the field of
18 ever had anything for the Borneman Plastering/Red Line Oil
Ford Taurus.
"We practiced on
old tires all day long (Friday)," Borneman said after
collecting $12,585 for his second career Winston West win.
"Hats off to the crew."
As for local
favorite Mike David of Modesto, he was thinking of how he'll
prepare for the race should it return to Stockton 99 next
season.
"Maybe next time,
we should come out and test long-run stuff," David said,
disappointed even though he again was the top-finishing rookie
with a Winston West-best third in his Injury Helpline.com Ford
Taurus. "Probably lack of experience more than anything. I'm
disappointed for the fans. You know, the hometown thing."
David was one of
eight drivers to break Jim Bown's track record of 14.643
seconds, set May 13, 1983, the last time the Winston West
Series came to town.
Brandon Ash of
Umpqua, Ore., won the pole with a lap of 14.475 seconds around
the quarter-mile paved oval. Borneman, of Ramona, was second
at 14.49 and David third at 14.528.
That disappointed
him, too.
"I thought we had
a chance at the pole," David said. "We got a little greedy and
adjusted on the car. Didn't happen."
David ended up in
second place on lap eight when Borneman and Ash tangled in the
backstretch. David then followed Borneman until the break at
100 laps, and it looked like David had something for the
leader when the green flag waved again.
But David began
to fade and eventually was passed by Ash on lap 141. Mike
Duncan of Lamont and Kevin Richards of Spokane, Wash., passed
David on lap 172.
David rebounded
to pass both, and he nipped points leader Eric Norris of Dana
Point for third at the checkered flag.
"It was pushing
in, loose off. It was a handful," David said.
Buzz DeVore of
Stockton qualified 16th and drove his Reynoso Concrete Ford
Taurus to a 14th-place finish.
Western Late
Model
Anyone who
thought Tracy Bolin would win his first career Late Model main
event after what happened to him in his heat race, raise your
hand.
No one, huh?
That's understandable.
The Valley
Springs driver headed to the pits after getting the worst of a
multi-car pileup early in the third heat, won by Mike Regelman
of Ripon in his first start in the car owned by Paul Dorrity
Jr. of Modesto.
But Bolin, his
car missing its hood and both front fenders, passed Pete
Anderson Jr. of Stockton on a restart on lap 24 and had enough
to hold off Harry Belletto of Modesto over the final six laps.
"The car still
drove good. It just didn't look as pretty," an elated Bolin
said. "We've been there. We were so close so many times."
Belletto had a
three-race win streak snapped but maintained his stranglehold
on the points lead. Anderson finished third, Chris Monez of
Lodi fourth and Eric Seely of Modesto fifth.
Bolin took over
second place in points from Dave Byrd.
Grand Am.
Modified
It may not have
been the most honorable way to win a main event, but Danny
Contessotto of Stockton wasn't about to give it back, either.
Contessotto was
awarded the win after Kyle Gottula of Modesto had his
checkered flag taken away for spinning out Sam Solari of
Salida in the frontstretch on lap 28. Gottula took the lead
from Solari after the incident and raced around to take the
checkered/yellow on lap 29.
"It works," said
Contessotto, who went into the program with a 23-point lead
over Solari.
Contessotto and
Solari battled early in the main before Solari took control.
Solari obviously had the fastest car in the feature, even
though Greg Williams (13.842 seconds) of Ceres and Gottula
(13.845) surpassed Steve Stacy's former record of 13.871 in
qualifying.
"The fastest car
doesn't always win," Contessotto said following his second
victory this season and the fourth of his career. "We just
wanted to finish in the top five and keep the chase alive."
Contessotto
actually is the one being chased. Solari was denied what would
have been his fourth win this season and finished ninth. Track
officials placed Gottula behind Solari in 10th. Jason Philpot
of Sacramento finished second, Steve Stacy of Stockton third,
Jason Kerby of Galt fourth and Mike Regelman of Ripon fifth.
John Unger of
Stockton dominated the B main and led four transfers into the
main.
* To reach
assistant sports editor Bill Poindexter, phone 546-8289
or e-mail bpoindex@recordnet.com |