Ron Strmiska, Jr. took the win in the SRL Late Models tonight at Altamont Raceway Park. This is his second win this season. In an earlier quote he stated he would need a lot of luck to beat the 2002 Wild West Shootout Champion, Jeff Anthony, this evening. That luck held as Anthony lost his second motor of the season during practice and was unable to field a car. The 100 lap main had an eight-car inversion, which put Troy Ermish of Fremont on the pole, Ryan Foster from Anderson on the outside, Joey Zampa of Napa and Chris Wadsworth from Oakley, second row, and Aaron Days of Patterson taking the five spot. Unfortunately Ermish, who was leading the pack for the first 19 laps, spun out on the back straight, managed to gather himself up and continued racing without a caution flag. Foster stepped up to the plate and lead for the next 50 laps. The first yellow was thrown a third into the race as Zampa lost power and was helped to the pits. The caution came out again as Tracy Bolin of Valley Springs came to a stop about the halfway point and managed to limp from the track. Fluid was sprayed on the lower groove and Foster caught the brunt of it. Strmiska, Jr. just fell into place. Dave Byrd of Monterey right behind him finished second, with Tracy’s own Rick Ruzbarsky came in third. Ruzbarsky was also Fast Qualifier on this warm spring evening. Northern California Late Model icon, David Philpott, also of Tracy, was back in top form with a fourth place finish. Jim Courage Jr. visiting from his home track Shasta Speedway brought in a top five, driving a car owned by Tracy area favorite Bob Strandwold from Modesto. The ABC television affiliate from Redding was documenting Courage Jr. and his attempt to tame the “Fastest ½ Mile in the West” for a second year in a row. Jim won the Mark Hutto Memorial 100 lap open show held at Altamont in early October last year.
Buholz Bests Beaty & Bammer
The ACDelco Late Model 30 lap feature found Novato’s John Callas on the pole, Steve Yatsko of Pleasanton in shotgun, Todd Bammer also of Pleasanton, Daly City’s Greg Leonard and Rusty Buholz of Palo Alto completing the top five. Before they could make the first circuit, Bammer managed to grab second and give Callas a shove putting them both spinning on the back straight. Buholz with an opportunity took the lead, Leonard and series points’ leader Verg Beaty of Ceres freight trained right along. From that point forward Leonard never let up on Buholz for the final 15 laps. Beaty was closely behind the top two. They took the checkered in that order. This was a great ending for Buholz and Beaty, both were involved in an earlier heat race incident, leaving the track with crumpled and dangling parts. Steve Yatsko from Pleasanton finished a very respectable fourth after saying that his handling kept coming and going on the car. This was Yatsko’s first top five on Altamont’s big oval. Modesto’s Doyle Moen finished fifth. Moen has finished well the last two races and is knocking on the door of top ten in points.
The CASA sprinters had C.J. Humphries start on the pole, Bryan Bullard of Granite Bay on the outside, Allen Harney and Ivan Wordan, Cotati, second row and Tony Iacobitti from Santa Clara starting fifth. By the time they had circled the Altamont half mile twice, Worden and Bullard came together on the front straight and were out. Sad for Wordan who posted fast time and won the dash earlier in the evening. Brad Bumgarner from Chico made it from sixth to the front and Glen Hopper of San Jose fell in behind him. Iacobitti was riding third and shot around Hopper to take second. This looked like a two car grudge match as Iacobitti hounded Bumgarner. It didn’t work and Bumgarner made the checkered. Iacobitti took second and Mike McCreary from Placerville finished third. Iacobitti jumped to a twenty-point lead over last weeks point leader Bullard. The California Asphalt Sprintcar Association’s inaugural 10-race season on Altamont’s exciting oval has seen car counts increasing every event.
The “URaceIt.Com Spec Motor Modifieds” made their first appearance of the season this evening. This new division includes the G.M. Performance 350hp spec crate engines that actually come with a one-year warranty. Mark Schrader from Martinez and Glen Cook of Fremont, Lodi’s Travis McCullough, Whitey Janssen from Newark, and Discovery Bay’s Doug Davis filled the first five positions respectively. The only caution came out when McCullough gave Schrader a little racing nudge and he spun out. Both were sent to the back of the pack and Janssen claimed clean air for the to win in the 20 lap feature sprint. Cook garnered second. Coming from the rear, McCullough came in third. Davis finished fourth and Schrader rounded out the top Five. Good racing for the first time they have ever hit the black top. The SRL STARS sanctioned Spec Motor Modified concept is the brainchild of Davis who has a history of developing new racing series. Doug Davis founded the U Race It.Com Racecar Driving School, which is home based on Altamont Raceway Park’s paved ½ & ¼ mile oval track motorplex.
Super Stocks had Jim Thompson of Tracy run wire to wire from the pole, with Scott Winkler of Livermore beside him. Todd Carnahan, from Discovery Bay, and Rick Avila, Pleasanton, second row, and Jared Popejoy, Manteca, fifth. First lap, first caution as, fast time qualifier Noah Salazar lost a wheel and slid into the infield. The red was thrown as Don McLaren, Terry DeCarlo and Gary Hazelhoff brought it right to the fans on the front straight. The Super Stocks earned their name tonight, with parts flying and falling off, made for an exciting race. Thompson took the win, Popejoy in second, Avila third, fourth place for Carnahan and Dennis Williams of Tracy, earning fifth. This is competitive grassroots racing at its very best! 19 cars finished the 25-lap feature event.
Mini Cup Jr. Stars had Hollister’s Sarah Davis on the pole, Matthew Harmon of Tracy on the outside. KC Keller from Livermore, on the inside second row. Division points leader going into the race, Dominic Portera of Morgan Hill started fourth, and Chris Oliveria of Danville, fifth. By the fifth lap, Harmon was out in front and never looked back. These kids really know how to rock and roll as they ran their entire event without a yellow. KC Keller finished second, Martin McKeefery in third. Portera ended up in fourth, and Doff Cooksey, fifth. Milpitas’s Martin McKeefery took the season point’s lead over Portera by just three points. Just 27 points separate the top five of this hotly contested class.
Altamont Raceway Park’s SRL STARS continue to bring racing excitement to the area, as the AC Delco Late Models, Pro Trucks, and Baby Grands try to tame the “Fastest ½ Mile in the West” next weekend. ¼ Mile action thrills, as the Mini Super Trucks, Super Stocks and the Corporate American Modified race rentals will be rubbing paint next Saturday night. Get ready for the “Fathers Day 50” race, coming the following Saturday.
