Jim Pettit II, driver and owner of the 03 HotWood Ford, thrilled a partisan crowd by overcoming a spin to finish third at Saturday night’s Stockton 99. Starting seventh and running in the top five for the majority of the race, Pettit kept the fans at Stockton 99 on their feet all night long. The crew of the 03 unloaded the fast hot rod about 11:00AM Saturday morning. With the help of some new crewmembers in the shop, Duane Sharpe had all the preparations done before the car arrived at the racetrack. After being four crewmembers short at Madera things seemed slow around the 03 pit all day. At 2:00PM the practice session started for the AutoZone Southwest Series. Jim was so pleased with the car that the crew parked it after five laps and decided to wait until later in the session to try any changes. Sharpe made one set of changes he had in mind, then the team decided on what they thought would be the best plan for the race. Jim went out fifteenth for qualifying and was second fast behind Bud Pole winner Burney Lamar. Lamar drew an eight-car invert for the main event. The stage was set for the 9:00PM start.
When the race started, Pettit quickly found himself shuffled back into the eighth position. It did not take the veteran long to realize that the top line was full of fast cars and that was where he needed to be. Once Pettit got to the top, he was quickly on his way to the front. By Lap 11 Pettit had moved back into the seventh position and had his sights on Siefert in the #95. One lap later Pettit made the pass and the #12 of Rip Michaels brought out the first caution of the night. Action began again on Lap 17. The 03 ran sixth until Lap 25 when he got around Mendenhall in the #10 car to move to fifth. The caution flew again on Lap 30 when the leader got into the back of McKean’s #19 and spun him into the grass on the front stretch. Jim ran in fifth position until Lap 51 when he got around Nick Lynch in the #29 car coming out of two. Pettit worked hard for the next 20 laps to overtake Lamar in third position until the two get together in Turn 2. Pettit got sideways and lost two positions to sixth. A determined Pettit quickly overtook the fifth position and was again chasing the #29 of Lynch. He was able to put Lynch away for good on Lap 81. The caution flag flew on Lap 82 and green flag racing was delayed until Lap 89. On Lap 91 Pettit finally got around the #1 of Burney Lamar and had the # 62 of Holmes in his sights. Although faster and constantly able to get underneath the # 62, Pettit was never able to pull off the pass. He finished the night in third.
Pettit was happy with the finish but thought he had the car to get to the front. Talking with Pettit, he said, “I know we were faster than Eric, but I am not going to wreck him to pass him.” This attitude is why Pettit is a fan favorite on the Southwest tour. With Raudman winning, the 03 now trails by 28 in season points. The team will now head to Colorado National Speedway in Erie, Colorado for the 9th stop on the AutoZone Southwest Series. Five races remain and the Jim Pettit Racing team knows the championship is still up for grabs. Jim and the entire team recognize California HotWood, DPI, LRP, and Top of the Hill Performance for their continued support. The team also invites all of the faithful fans that pack the Colorado National Speedway to stop by the 03 after the race to meet Jim and the entire crew.
