MESA MARIN POINTS RACES COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE

Source: Mesa Marin PR
Date: 09/12/2002

BAKERSFIELD, California -- Being a track champion is always good for bragging rights, but there's an added bonus this year at Mesa Marin Raceway as the battles for supremacy in the Super Late Model and Late Model stock car divisions conclude Saturday night in the final points race.

In addition to all the usual accolades that go with a championship, there's an even larger carrot dangling in front of the title contestants -- an all expense paid trip for two to Daytona Beach, Fla., for next year's Daytona 500 and all of the preliminary races, thanks to Uniglobe Travel.

Josh Horn has had a remarkable season in the Street Stock division, raking up 10 wins in 13 events, and has already won the championship and Daytona trip.

It's a totally different scenario in Super Late Model and Late Model competition where four drivers remain in contention for the championships.

Tehachpi's Gene Fife holds a two-point edge over Gary Elmore of Bakersfield in the Late Model division. Both are four-time track champions and both are a bit nervous.

"They're wound up," Mesa Marin's Larry Collins said. "Both are planning to test this week. They don't want to leave anything to chance. They want to give it their best shot."

Fife has yet to win a feature this season but has finished 15 of 17 races in the top 10. Elmore has two feature wins and 14 top-10 placings.

"It's been a fun year but to tell you the truth I'm not having fun right now," Elmore said. "I had a lot more fun when I was way behind in points. It's more fun when you don't have pressure.

"Going into the season I didn't have any pressure, I was just going to have fun. With the bad start I had I didn't expect to be where we are now."

The only points available are in the 76-lap feature race as there will be no preliminary races ,which makes the math easier: If Elmore finishes ahead of Fife, the title goes to Elmore (the tie-breaker being most wins). If Fife finishes ahead of Elmore, Fife is the champ.

"We didn't want it to be boring," Fife said of the close points race. "It's going to be fun. I think it will be real exciting for the fans. This is may last shot, short of October, to win a race."

Which means Fife doesn't plan to change a thing for this race.

"I'm going to treat it like any other race," he said. "I'm going out there to try and win."

Brandon Miller has raced to five Super Late Model victories this season and has a four-point advantage over defending track champion Mike Duncan, who has three wins.

Miller has had the hot hand lately but knows nothing will be decided until the checkered flag falls on Saturday's night race.

"Anything can happen, especially in car racing," Miller said. "We've had an awesome car this year but there's one race to go."

Miller's recent success hasn't come about by accident.

"We've been doing a lot of testing," he said. "Gary Collins, my crew chief, has given me awesome cars all year but we've just really started to get it together and started to click here."

Duncan said he's going to do the only thing he can: try to be faster than Miller.

"We've got to go out and try to run as fast as we can," he said. "We're not going to hold back at all. We have to go for it, that's all we can do."

While Miller and Duncan are battling for the title, many other Super Late Model drivers are also trying to figure out a way to win. That's because any winner of a regular-season race can earn a $10,000 bonus by winning the October Classic. So far, only two other drivers -- Barry Bradshaw and Craig Raudman -- have found their way to Victory Lane.

"All these guys showing up at the end of the year year trying to win the bonus makes it even more interesting," Collins said.

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