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
