MADERA SPEEDWAY – HOTWOOD 333 SERIES RACE RESULTS

Strmiska Captures "HotWood 333" Series Victory at Madera Speedway

Madera Speedway was back in action on Saturday, August 1st, with the "HotWood 333" Series for the NASCAR Whelen All American Western Late Models as part of the 3rd Annual "Boots & Bikini Night" bash. Also taking on the "Fastest 1/3 Mile in the West" were the American Limited Stock Cars, Modified Super Toyotas, Toyota Sedans and the wild and wacky Hornets.

The 111-lap "HotWood 333" feature was the second of three on the 2009 schedule. The opening round took place on April 11th and the series finale will be held on September 26 at Madera.

In addition to regular season prize money, the special "HotWood 333" Series will have an end of Season Series Points Fund payout to the top 12 drivers of $19,500 plus a separate Qualifying Points Fund payout to the top five drivers of $1,500 for a guaranteed series payout of $21,000 and an overall payout grand total of $50.000! The "HotWood 333" Series prize fund will be distributed at the Madera Speedway championship awards banquet on November 7.

As has been the case numerous times this year, the Western Late Model features turned into a battle between 22-year-old "Young Guns" Ross Strmiska, of Stockton and 2008 HotWood champion Kyle Gottula, of Modesto.

Rick Thompson, of Clovis, held the pole for the 111-lap HotWood feature until Gottula took the spot from him with a pass down the back straight on lap 28. Thompson regained the lead when Gottula suddenly slowed on lap 35 with ignition issues, only to lose it again 10 laps later to the hard charging Strmiska.

Gottula would eventually work through his issues and by lap 48 he was mounting a challenge to his friend and rival Strmiska for the lead. They would battle for the remainder of the race, but Gottula could never gain position to make a serious play for the lead as Strmiska took a five-car length win. Thompson held on for third while Fremont’s Glen Cook and Merced’s Carlos Vieira rounded out the top five.

"That was a hard race. After Kyle had his problem we were able to get in front of him and that was all it took. We are so close that it seems to come down to whoever can get the lead will win the race," said Strmiska. "This is new car and the first night out we win a big race like this. I can’t thank my dad an my sponsors enough."

Although Gottula came up just short in the race, his second place finish was good enough to maintain his lead for the track championship by a 288 to 251 margin on Strmiska and hold the lead in the HotWood points also over Strmiska, but by a much narrower 219 to 215 count.

"We had some problems with the ignition in practice, but we didn’t think anything of it until it did it again in the race. I came off of turn two and it was dead so I shut it off, wiggled the switch and it came back," explained Gottula. "I burned up the tires and boiled the brakes trying to get back to the front after that."

The championship battle in the always competitive American Limited Stock Car division

continued to be a barn burner as a determined Dennis Saunders Jr. of Modesto looked to regain the season points lead he lost to rival Jason Aguirre last Saturday.

Saunders grabbed the lead in the 30-lap main from Fresno’s Larry Pasquale following a lap three restart necessitated when defending division champion Howard Holden’s car caught fire in the rear end.

Starting from the 10th position after taking fast qualifying honors, Aguirre finally made his way to the front on lap 18, setting up a multi lap shootout with Saunders. Aguirre would finally get the best of Saunders after he used a backmarker as a pick on lap 22. As Aguirre marched to his third win of the season, Saunders held off a hard charging Matt Erickson, of Lake Don Pedro, to salvage second.

"Earlier in the week I told my dad that if you are going to win a championship you have to win races," said Aguirre. "Tonight we qualified first, went right through the pack and whipped some butt."

After finishing first, only to be disqualified in post race tech on two different occasions this season, two-time defending division champion Stan Hankins, of Fresno, was a man on a mission Saturday. Starting from the sixth position in the Toyota Sedan feature, Hankins rolled into first place by the completion of the third lap.

As Hankins cruised out front, a pack of cars consisting of Clovis pilot Cody Stout, Madera’s Del McIntosh, season points leader Chris Lewis of Sanger and Fresno’s Jason Kerns quickly formed behind him. Those four would scrap and claw for the rest of the 30-lap event with McIntosh and Lewis eventually prevailing for second and third as Hankins snagged his first (official) win of the season.

"That was a fulfilling win. Everybody was battling behind us and they got bunched which allowed us to check out a bit ," said Hankins, who then added, "And we are going to make it through tech tonight. I guarantee there will not be a problem this time."

Fresno’s Donnie Large remained hotter than Phoenix in July as he rolled to his fifth consecutive victory in the Modified Super Toyota main a day after celebrating his 42nd birthday.

Starting tenth on the grid, Large sliced through the field like a sharp knife through soft butter, taking the lead by diving under three cars in one lethal swoop on lap five. Once in the lead Large was virtually untouchable as the rest of the field struggled to stay in touch with him.

The father and son team of Jason and John Bowersox, of Chowchilla, fought it out for second place throughout the entire second half of the 25-lap race. Despite John’s best efforts, Jason was able to keep his dad at bay to claim the runner up spot.

John Bowersox now holds a 235 to 214 lead in the points on Stockton’s John McCollum Jr., who finished eighth after spinning at mid race, but both are looking over their shoulders at Large. Despite missing the first three races of the season Large is now just 22 points behind Bowersox at 213.

"This car is incredible. I am having fun right now," exclaimed Large, who has more than 75 wins in his 27 years of racing at Madera. "We are right there in the points now. Those guys are looking back and I am coming forward. I am in this for fun and I have nothing to lose."

Modesto’s Cecily Saunders held the pole for the Hornet feature, but before the end of the opening lap both Miles Humphreys, the two-time defending division champion out of Clovis and Dean Davison, of Kingsburg, had swept past her. It took only one more lap for Davison, a 65 year old racing rookie, to blow past Humphreys and cruise to his fourth win of the season.

Humphreys, meanwhile, became locked in a struggle for second with Rodney Lopez, of Pleasanton, which went right down to the checkered flag. The two went wheel to wheel with Humphreys prevailing by the width of his front bumper at the checkered flag.

Afterward Davison talked about racing against Humphreys, his good friend and mentor.

"It has been quit an adventure. He comes here with a lot of experience and he has given me some of that, which hopefully I have demonstrated on the track," said Davison.

When the action concluded on the track it moved to the entertainment stage right behind the main grandstand with a Bikini Contest and live music provided by the band Controlled Chaos.

It will be Kids Night, presented by Action Equipment Rentals/Allied Stowage

Containers, Inc., next Saturday August 8th. The NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series program will include the Western Late Models Modified Super Toyotas, Toyota Sedans and Hornets plus the WSRA Mini Cup & Baby Grands and a Destruction Derby.

The following weekend, on Saturday August 15th, it will be SUPER SATURDAY #5, Presented By Inside Lines Apparel & Graphics, with the 410/360 Super Modifieds, USAC Sprint Cars, USAC Focus Midgets, Legends of the Pacific and WRA Vintage

Sprints & Midgets.

The Madera Speedway is conveniently located at the Madera County Fairgrounds just off to the west side of Highway 99 at the Cleveland Avenue exit. For more Madera Speedway information visit the track’s website at www.racemadera.com or call the Info/Race Line phone number at (559) 673-RACE.