SONOMA, California — Andrew Ranger ran out of gas on the final lap, but fortunately, the checkered flag was in sight. Ranger coasted across the finish line to capture the Thunder Valley Casino Report 200 at Infineon Raceway Saturday.
It was Ranger's first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West victory in his first start. The two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion had made two starts previously this year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Paulie Harraka grabbed second place on the final lap and was followed by Brandon Davis, making his second series start. Eric Holmes and Michael Self were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Holmes took over the points lead by 24 over David Mayhew (23rd).
Jason Bowles, who won the Coors Light Pole Award Friday and led 16 laps, was running second to Ranger in the closing stages on the 1.99-mile road course but coasted to a halt 100 feet short of the finish line after he too ran out of gas. Bowles was credited with a 22nd-place finish in the event he won each of the last two years.
Several other of the front runners, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Gilliland, who led a race-high 19 laps, had trouble late in Saturday's event. Gilliland (28th) pulled off the course while running second after 56 laps with transmission issues.
Ranger led twice for 17 laps. He edged Gilliland to lead lap 44 and then wrestled the lead away from him for good following a lap 44 restart. Ranger led the remainder of the event, pulling away to win by 6.059 seconds.
Six of Ranger's nine wins in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series were on road courses and he was third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Montreal last year. He is the first Canadian winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West since Gary Smith won at Portland (Ore.) Speedway on July 10, 1998.
With his win, Ranger secured a spot in the prestigious postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.
The Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 will air on SPEED on Thursday, June 24 at 6 p.m. ET.
The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule is the King Taco 200 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) on July 3.
UNOFFICIAL
NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST-THUNDER VALLEY CASINO RESORT 200 Results
Saturday
At Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, CA
Lap length: 1.99 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (8) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Chevrolet, 64 laps, 69.155 mph, $10,000.
2. (10) Paulie Harraka, Wayne, N.J., Toyota, 64, $7,000.
3. (7) Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $5,000.
4. (13) Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif., Toyota, 64, $4,500.
5. (22) Michael Self, Park City, Utah, Chevrolet, 64, $4,925.
6. (16) Todd Souza, Aromas, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $3,500.
7. (9) Luis Martinez, Jr., Long Beach, Calif., Ford, 64, $3,250.
8. (17) Jim Inglebright, Fairfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $2,700.
9. (20) Moses Smith, Tempe, Ariz., Toyota, 64, $3,100.
10. (28) Wes Banks, Oakdale, Calif., Dodge, 64, $4,500.
11. (12) Jonathon Gomez, Twin Falls, Idaho, Chevrolet, 64, $2,800.
12. (26) Scott Ivie, San Ramon, Calif., Ford, 64, $2,250.
13. (19) Dave Smith, Novato, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $2,225.
14. (2) Boris Said, Carlsbad, Calif., Ford, 64, $2,150.
15. (31) Garland Self, San Jose, Calif., Ford, 64, $2,100.
16. (30) Travis Milburn, Eagle, Idaho, Chevrolet, 64, $2,575.
17. (27) Rick Boysal, San Ramon, Calif., Toyota, 64, $2,050.
18. (33) Jack Sellers, Sacramento, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $2,000.
19. (29) John Davis, San Jose, Calif., Ford, 64, $1,950.
20. (36) Paul Pedroncelli, Jr., Sonoma, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $1,925.
21. (34) Johnathan Hale, Rio Linda, Calif., Chevrolet, 64, $2,400.
22. (1) Jason Bowles, Ontario, Calif., Chevrolet, 63, fuel , $4,075.
23. (3) David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif., Chevrolet, 63, $2,350.
24. (24) Dennis Dyer, Palmdale, Calif., Ford, 60, $1,825.
25. (18) Stan Silva, Jr., Castroville, Calif., Chevrolet, 60, $1,800.
26. (32) Greg Rayl, Roseville, Calif., Ford, 59, clutch, $2,275.
27. (4) Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif., Ford, 59, $2,250.
28. (5) David Gilliland, Riverside, Calif., Dodge, 56, transmission, $2,225.
29. (14) Blake Koch, West Palm Beach, Fla., Chevrolet, 56, transmission, $2,200.
30. (21) Brian Wong, Newport Beach, Calif., Toyota, 56, engine, $1,675.
31. (23) Josh Combs, Sacramento, Calif., Ford, 52, accident, $2,150.
32. (37) Brian Jackson, Colton, Calif., Chevrolet, 42, clutch, $1,625.
33. (15) Troy Ermish, Fremont, Calif., Chevrolet, 33, transmission, $1,600.
34. (6) Tom Dyer, Corte Madera, Calif., Ford, 32, engine, $1,575.
35. (35) Daryl Harr, St Albert, Alberta, Chevrolet, 18, transmission, $1,550.
36. (11) Mattias Ekstrom, Falun, Sweden, Toyota, 11, accident, $1,525.
37. (25) Brad Lloyd, Napa, Calif., Ford, 9, transmission, $1,500.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 50 minutes 30 seconds
Margin of Victory: 6.059 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J.Bowles (91.697 mph, 78.127 seconds)
Caution Flags: 6 for 14 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Bowles 1-16; B. Said 17-18; B. Davis 19-21; M. Self 22; B. Koch 23-28; D.
Gilliland 29-43; A. Ranger 44; D. Gilliland 45-48; A. Ranger 49-64.
Standings: 1. E. Holmes, 803; 2. D. Mayhew, 779; 3. P. Harraka, 700; 4. J. Gomez, 693; 5.
M. Smith, 676; 6. T. Souza, 669; 7. G. Pursley, 664; 8. L. Martinez,Jr., 657; 9. M. Self,
656; 10. B. Koch, 618.
