CAMERON EDGES DUNCAN AT STOCKTON IN WEST SERIES

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 05/31/2004

STOCKTON, California -- Austin Cameron took advantage of lapped traffic to make a late-race pass for the lead and win the Havoline/NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway on Saturday, May 29.

Cameron slipped to the inside of Mike Duncan with just seven laps remaining as the pair battled through heavy traffic around the tight quarter-mile oval. Duncan attempted to wrestle the lead back, but Cameron was able to fend him off to win by .229 of a second.

"I've got to say congratulations to Mike Duncan, because I have never driven that hard in my entire life," said Cameron, who also expressed his gratitude to his team. "This team deserves this. This is for them. We had a couple of bad ones in a row, but we're back," Cameron said in reference to his last two races.

Duncan dominated at Stockton, which he started off by winning the Bud Pole Award with a lap of 63.861 mph in qualifying. Although he led the race from the drop of the green flag, a series of six cautions prevented him from opening up a wide margin in the first half of the race. After a midway break, which allowed all the teams to adjust their cars during a 10-minute stop, Duncan began to distance himself. With only one yellow flag after the midway point, the laps quickly began to wind down. In the closing stages, Cameron was able to slip by series rookie David Gilliland - who had held the runner-up spot the majority of the race.

Cameron closed in on Duncan and began to aggressively search for an opening to get by. As the pair began to weave their way through a pack of cars, Cameron shot to the inside - leaving Duncan to cope with a lapped car on the outside. Cameron moved the NAPA/NAPA Belts & Hose Chevrolet out front on lap 143 and went on to score his ninth career series victory and take home $5,794.

Duncan's runner-up finish marked his fourth consecutive top-10 finish this season for the Lamont, Calif., driver in the Lucas Oil Chevrolet. Gilliland of Riverside, Calif., finished a solid third in the RaceCarFans.com Chevrolet - with Tavo (C.T.) Hellmund of Mexico City taking fourth in the Suzuki Motorcycles & ATVs Pontiac. Finishing fifth was Tim Smith of Roseville, Calif., in the Integrity Financial/CTX Chevrolet. Completing the top 10 were Jose Luis Ramirez, John Moore, Mike David, Daryl Harr and Scott Lynch.

Duncan remains atop the championship standings, with 646 points. Gilliland is second with 625, followed by Cameron with 606. David of Modesto, Calif., is fourth with 600, with Scott Gaylord of Lakewood, Colo., in fifth with 569 points. Rounding out the top 10 of the point standings is Scott Lynch at 561, Ramirez at 514, Daryl Harr at 507, Tim Woods III at 486 and Carl Harr at 476.

Gilliland was the top finishing rookie in all four races so far this season and continues a solid lead in the chase for the Auto Meter Rookie of the Year Award. He tops the freshman class with 40 points. Ramirez is second with 29, followed by Carl Harr with 28, Daryl Harr with 27, Nick DeFazio with 26, Hellmund with 18, Brian Richardson with 15, Alfredo Tame with 3 and Takuma Koga with 2.

The next event on the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series schedule will be at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., on July 17.

See Also .:

• Austin Cameron Driver Card
• Stockton 99 Speedway Track Page

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