MIKE DAVID CAPTURES 1ST VICTORY WITH STOCKTON WIN

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 08/16/2004

STOCKTON, California -- Mike David knew it was just a matter of time until he won a race in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. The 2002 series rookie of the year was close on several occasions, including third-place finishes at his home track of Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway in 2002 and 2003.

He wrapped up his first victory in front of the home fans this year, with a win at Stockton in the Dodge Country/Havoline/NAPA Auto Parts 200 on Aug. 14. "We feel as a team this was a long time coming," David said. "We've had good cars. Times when we've had good cars, we've had bad luck. It finally came all together and we finished it off. It just feels good to do it here in front of all the fans."

David acknowledged that his experience on the tight quarter-mile oval was a benefit. "I'm sure that knowledge of the track helped," he said. "We knew what I wanted the car to feel like in race conditions. So, I think that helped quite a bit."

The 37-year-old Modesto, Calif., competitor gained the front spot on lap 27 after a tangle left early leader Scott Lynch sidelined. David paced the field for 173 laps, crossing the finish line with a margin of victory of .679 of a second and winning $8,395 in prize money and posted awards.

Mike Duncan remained focused on the bigger picture, meanwhile, as several other championship contenders encountered problems. He shadowed the leader throughout the event and finished second to extend his lead in the point standings. Earlier in the day, Duncan had won his fourth Bud Pole Award of the year - turning in a qualifying lap of 63.573 mph in the Lucas Oil/Ron's Rear Ends Chevrolet.

In addition to David, two other drivers who live near Stockton had reason to celebrate with career-best finishes. Tim Smith of Roseville was third in the Integrity Financial/CTX Chevrolet, while John Moore of Granite Bay was fifth in the JM Environmental/SBC Ford. Both drivers are running a limited series schedule this year.

With a fourth-place finish in the Oliver Gravity Separators/Denver Seminary Chevrolet, was series veteran Scott Gaylord of Lakewood, Colo. - who notched his fifth top-five finish of the season. The top 10 included a father-son team with career-best finishes - as Daryl Harr finished sixth and his father Carl Harr took seventh. Completing the top 10 were Gene Woods, Buzz DeVore and Jack Sellers.

The race featured two lead changes among two drivers, David and Lynch. The pace of the event was slowed by nine cautions for 63 laps.

With his runner-up finish, Duncan stretched his lead in the championship standings to 73 points over Austin Cameron. Duncan of Bakersfield, Calif., now leads with 1,156 points. Cameron of El Cajon, Calif., has 1,083 points. He was sidelined after an incident on lap 92. Meanwhile, Gaylord moved to third in the standings with 1,049 points - while David gained fourth with 1,026 points. Series rookie David Gilliland of Riverside, Calif., is fifth with 1,006 points. Rounding our the top 10 are Lynch at 906, Daryl Harr at 902, Tim Woods III at 883, Carl Harr at 870 and Jose Luis Ramirez at 826.

Despite encountering problems for the second consecutive race, Gilliland was able to maintain his lead in the chase for the Auto Meter Rookie of the Year Award. He leads with 63 points, followed by Carl Harr and Daryl Harr with 53 each; Nick DeFazio with 50; Ramirez with 47; Tavo C.T. Hellmund with 27; 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 the NAPA 200 at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah, on Sept. 6.

See Also .:

• Mike David Driver Card
• Stockton 99 Speedway Track Page

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