2003 Opening Day

Strmiska inherits wild Wild West win

By Bill Poindexter
Record Assistant Sports Editor
Published Monday, March 31, 2003

Tracy Bolin wasn't about to give up the lead, Eric Holmes wasn't about to give up, but after taking the checkered flag, Ron Strmiska Jr. wasn't about to give back the victory.

Strmiska, #90, of Manteca, took the lead with four laps remaining and won the SRL Wild West Shootout 100-lapper Sunday in front of a crowd of 2,143 at Stockton 99 Speedway.

Bolin, of Valley Springs, stole the show on an opening-day program that included the first USAC/BCRA Midget National series race at 99 in 34 years.

Opening day turned into opening night by the time the Wild West Shootout began. And it was all Bolin -- well, mostly all Bolin. Just two years removed from Pure Stock, 99's beginner division, Bolin led 95 laps over an impressive field that included Jeff Anthony of Livermore, the defending series champion and last weekend's winner in the SRL opener at Altamont Raceway Park, 2001 series champ,#41, Nathan Tucker of Sonora, 2001 NASCAR Pacific Coast Regional champ Aaron Days, and Holmes, the Escalon racer who finished third in the Southwest Series race last weekend in Bakersfield.

Bolin, who drove in the Western Late Model class last year, wasn't touched by that field and was closing in on a victory when he and Holmes got to know each other a little too well.

Holmes, driving a car owned by Rick Knudson of Newark, slipped inside of the yellow #2 Bolin, in turn three. Not surprisingly, there were two versions about what happened next. Bolin ended up spinning. Officials ordered Holmes behind Bolin. They finished ninth and 10th.

Strmiska, the No. 1 qualifier for the second week in a row, inherited the lead and beat John Gaalswyk of Ripon to the checkered flag four laps later.

"The car wasn't good enough to win," Strmiska said. "But (Bolin and Holmes) were getting dicey, and I told the guys, 'Maybe we'll be OK.' It was kind of a racing deal."

It was a racing deal all right. Holmes tipped his cap to Bolin with one hand and wagged a finger at him with the other.

"These aren't Pure Stocks. You can't cut down like that," Holmes said. "He ran me down so far I was out of room. The car slid up, and I hit him. He was awesome. He ran a great race. He just messed up. He was plenty fast to race side by side with me."

"I didn't run him down," Bolin said. "I guess that's racing. It's just tough."

Bolin purchased his yellow No. 2 from 99 legend Ken Boyd of Ceres. Boyd built the motor, too.

Bolin qualified fifth and finished fifth last weekend at Altamont. He was hot again at 99.

He dived into turn one throughout the race, gassed it coming out of turn four and gradually played a higher groove heading into turn three late in the race.

Bolin wasn't a bit worried about the veteran hot shoes chasing him. He even spent a few laps midway through the race chasing the about-to-be-lapped car of Tim Bost and still didn't lose the lead.

"I just sat back and followed him," Bolin said. "They couldn't catch me from the back."

Brandon Whitt of El Cajon, preparing for the Southwest Series race at 99 in three weeks, was sent back in the pack for spinning out Joey Zampa but came back to finish third.

Teammates, #9, J.J. Yeley of Phoenix and, #19, Bobby East of Indianapolis finished 1-2 in the 40-lap Midget National race. Yeley took the lead on the fourth lap and was challenged only by several yellow flags.

"Man, that was a long race," said Yeley, who was second at the Copper World last weekend in Phoenix. "The race track really got wide, and there were two or three groups you could go around pretty quick."

The midgets are running a new back right tire this season, and testing on the shocks helped Yeley and East get their cars dialed in.

"They got the cars nice and comfortable," Yeley said.

Western Late Model, the track's premier division, opened the season with Eric Schmidt of Roseville winning the 30-lap feature. Schmidt took the lead from Wes Miller of Turlock on the seventh lap.

Kannai Scantlen led the final 17 laps of the Pure Stock main for the win. Tom Dahl was second and Chad Holman third in a 1-2-3 Stockton finish. Holman was fast qualifier and won the trophy dash.

Etc.

There were 116 cars in the pits. ... Carla Miller won the second Pure Stock heat race, then was docked five points for spinning a doughnut in the frontstretch. ... Jay Drake of Val Verde won the first heat race and finished third in the Midget main in a car partially owned by NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Tony Stewart.

* To reach assistant sports editor Bill Poindexter, phone 546-8289 or e-mail bpoindex@recordnet.com