BOWLES SCORES WIN

SONOMA, California – Jason Bowles won a spirited three-way battle around the twisting 1.99-mile road course of Infineon Raceway to take the victory in the Bennett Lane Winery 200 presented by Supercuts on Saturday.

Bowles held off fierce challenges from Eric Holmes and Jim Inglebright in the closing laps to score his first win of the year in NASCAR Camping World Series West competition.

Bowles opted to pit early for fuel and not change tires. That strategy helped him get out front by lap 31 and avoid much of the rough and tumble action that eliminated some of his competition, who were trying to work their way to the front of the record 41-car field after making pits stops. Holmes and Inglebright used a similar plan of taking on fuel, but not stopping for tires.

Their early pit stops became a concern later, when the race distance was extended for a green-white-checkered finish due to a late-race caution. Bowles, who had shut off his engine and coasted around portions of the track during cautions to conserve fuel, was able to make it to the finish despite his fuel pressure gauge dropping to zero in the final lap.

Tom Hubert followed the trio across the finish line in third, followed by Ken Schrader.

The win gave Bowles a victory on the only road course where he did not win in 2007, having encountered mechanical problems in last year’s race at Infineon Raceway. The win also secured him a spot in the prestigious post-season NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.)

Holmes’ second-place finish, meanwhile, gave him a slight lead in the championship standings over Mike David, who battled back to ninth after being spun by another car. Holmes, who won the 2006 championship, leads defending champion David – 971 to 969. Bowles moved to third in the standings, with 905.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD SERIES WEST-BENNETT LANE WINERY 200 by Supercuts Results

Saturday

At Infineon Raceway

Sonoma, CA

Lap length: 1.99 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (3) Jason Bowles, Ontario, Calif., Ford, 68 laps, 57.829 mph, $11,550

2. (1) Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif., Toyota, 68, $8,500

3. (8) Jim Inglebright, Fairfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, $5,500

4. (9) Tom Hubert, Cottonwood, Calif., Ford, 68, $4,000

5. (13) Ken Schrader, Fenton, Mo., Dodge, 68, $3,500

6. (21) Jamie Dick, Albuquerque, N.M., Chevrolet, 68, $4,315

7. (6) Austin Cameron, El Cajon, Calif., Toyota, 68, $3,250

8. (39) Kyle Kelley, Huntington Beach, Calif., Dodge, 68, $4,200

9. (10) Mike David, Modesto, Calif., Ford, 68, $3,700

10. (26) Jeff Barkshire, Auburn, Wash., Dodge, 68, $3,000

11. (34) Alex Kennedy, Aztec, N.M., Ford, 68, $2,300

12. (23) Jim Warn, Aurora, Ore, Chevrolet, 68, $2,700

13. (29) Scott Ivie, San Ramon, Calif., Ford, 68, $2,150

14. (40) Troy Ermish, Fremont, Calif., Ford, 68, $2,116

15. (17) Stan Silva, Jr., Castroville, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, $2,050

16. (24) Brian Wong, Newport Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, $2,000

17. (19) Andrew Myers, Newport Beach Calif., Toyota, 68, $1,975

18. (36) Travis McCullough, Galt, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, $1,950

19. (16) Ryan Foster, Anderson, Calif., Ford, 68, $1,925

20. (22) Kevin O'Connell, Newport Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, $1,900

21. (27) Wes Banks, Oakdale, Calif., Dodge, 68, $1,875

22. (31) Mike Gallegos, Wheat Ridge, Colo., Chevrolet, 68, $2,350

23. (35) Ryan Philpott, Tracy, Calif., Ford, 68, $1,825

24. (37) Jack Sellers, Sacramento, Calif., Chevrolet, 68, $1,800

25. (18) Eric Hardin, Anaheim, Calif., Chevrolet, 67, $2,275

26. (14) Johnny Borneman, Ramona, Calif., Ford, 66, $2,250

27. (28) Paul Morris, Carrara, QLD Australia, Chevrolet, 64, $1,725

28. (7) Moses Smith, Tempe, Ariz., Toyota, 63, $2,200

29. (15) Jeff Jefferson, Naches, Wash., Chevrolet, 62, $2,175

30. (41) Garland Self, San Jose, Calif., Ford, 59, $1,650

31. (32) Robert Davis, Atascadero, Calif., Chevrolet, 57, accident, $1,625

32. (4) David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif., Chevrolet, 54, $2,100

33. (2) P.J. Jones, Torrance, Calif., Ford, 50, accident, $1,575

34. (20) Daryl Harr, St Albert, Alberta, Chevrolet, 45, accident, $1,550

35. (5) Todd Souza, Aromas, Calif., Chevrolet, 42, accident, $1,525

36. (12) Max Dumarey, Gent, Belgium, Dodge, 41, accident, $1,500.

37. (11) Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif., Chevrolet, 41, accident, $1,475

38. (25) Tony Toste, Pismo Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 33, transmission, $1,450

39. (30) Jason Patison, Corona, Calif., Chevrolet, 32, engine, $1,925

40. (38) Jonathan Hale, Rio Linda, Calif., Chevrolet, 18, engine, $1,400

41. (33) Eric Richardson, Bakersfield, Calif., Ford, 7, overheating, $1,400

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 2 hours 20 minutes 24 seconds

Margin of Victory: .350 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: E.Holmes (91.805 mph, 78.035 seconds)

Caution Flags: 12 for 40 laps.

Lead Changes: 7 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: E.Holmes 1; P.Jones 2; E.Holmes 3-11; P.Jones 12-21; T.Hubert 22-25; K.Kelley 26-29; A.Cameron 30; J.Bowles 31-68.

Standings: 1. E.Holmes, 971; 2. M.David, 969; 3. J.Bowles, 905; 4. A.Cameron, 874; 5. J.Barkshire, 867; 6. J.Inglebright, 864; 7. M.Smith, 795; 8. M.Gallegos, 777; 9. J.Jefferson, 738; 10. J.Dick, 736.

Unofficial

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