STOCKTON, California -- Burney Lamar, who currently leads the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division - Southwest Series point standings, returns to Stockton 99 Speedway Saturday, the track where he started his racing career back in 1997 in the late model stock cars.
Since winning the Southwest Series rookie of the year title in 2001, he has been back to Stockton 99 on four occasions, finishing in the top four each time. "Stockton is pretty much where it all began for me and I really like running there. Even though I've not won, we've had good finishes. Maybe this time, I'll get that first 99 win", says Burney.
In the first two races of the Series season, Lamar won the opener at Phoenix International Raceway in January, and finished second at Mesa Marin Raceway earlier this month. Driving the #1 Groeniger/HPS/Tri-C/Victory Circle Chassis Chevrolet, he leads last years Series champion, Jim Pettit II, by 30 points and the 2003 Series champion, Auggie Vidovich, Jr., by 49 points in the early chase for the Series championship.
During practice the day before the race at Mesa Marin, a totally unexpected rain squall hit the race track, causing Lamar and others to slam into the retaining wall, almost totally destroying his primary car. However, his Victory Circle crew was able to prepare a back-up machine for the next days event. For the race this Saturday, "My crew is working over-time building a new 2005 Victory Circle Monte Carlo for this weekend, and if I know them, we'll be ready."
Not only is Lamar planning on running the entire schedule in the Southwest Series, but having joined with NEXTEL Cup driver Kevin Harvick in his driver development program, he is also scheduled to drive in a limited number of races in the NASCAR Grand National West Series, as well as three Craftsman truck events during the summer. In his first ever race in the West Series, he finished sixth at Mesa Marin and followed that up with a win on the one mile oval at Phoenix International Raceway on April 21st.
Burney and other drivers will be appearing for an autograph session at the AutoZone store on Wilson Way in Stockton Thursday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
