PHILPOTT UNSTOPPABLE, WINS BOTH STOCK CAR SHOWS AT ALTAMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK

Source: Altamont Raceway Park
Date: 06/02/2007

TRACY, California -- Can anyone stop Ryan Philpott? That had to be the question on the minds of almost 40 late model racers at Altamont Motorsports Park on Saturday, June 2nd as the racer from Tracy took the checkers in both late model events - the 100 lap Westcar Late Model Touring series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Western Late Model show. The victory was Philpott's seventh in the Western Late Model Series and his first in the Westcar Series this season.

Coming from his eighth Westcar starting position, Philpott took the lead from Greg Potts as the leaders raced back to a caution on lap 62 on Saturday night. Westcar rules allow racing back to caution in their events.

Two hard wrecks in almost the same position of the track in Turn 4 brought out red flag cautions in the event with Kyle Gottula hitting the outside wall on lap 31 and Tim Spurgeon wrecking on lap 71.

Philpott started to check out from the field after the restart following the Spurgeon wreck but the field bunched up after a caution on lap 82. The caution came out when Doff Cooksey and Greg Potts made contact in Turn 2 racing for the fourth position.

Philpott nailed the restart on lap 90, bringing Ryan his first Westcar victory of his young career.

Westcar teammates Garry Glenn and Jared Buddow battled it out in the final 10 laps of the race for positions two and three. Buddow wound up taking second while Glenn finished third. Up until Saturday night, Glenn was undefeated in the Westcar Series this year, winning the first two races of the season at Ukiah Speedway and Shasta Raceway Park.

The much anticipated duel between Dave Byrd, the 2006 Altamont Motorsports Park Western Late Model Champion, and Ryan Philpott never materialized as Byrd had to retire his #1 late model with mechanical problems early in the race. Before Byrd left the track Philpott was able to pass him on lap 13.

"That is how I learned so much - by following [Byrd]," said Philpott, who played runner up to Byrd at Altamont Motorsports Park many times in 2006.

"The Byrd-man is the best in the business," said Philpott. "If you follow him and learn from him you are going to be great."

The Westcar series will be back in action at Ukiah Speedway on June 23rd, where the promoters anticipate one or more NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers will compete in the event.

Philpott had his work cut out for him in the 50-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Western Late Model race as a field of 25 talented teams and a 10 car inversion put Philpott's #52 "Red Rocket" to the test on the 1/2-mile oval.

While the first few laps of the event saw Philpott stuck in ninth place, Ryan was able to rocket up into the top five by lap 10.

Contact between the leaders Tim Spurgeon and Doff Cooksey put Philpott in the top three at lap 18 where Ryan was eventually able to set himself up to take the lead.

"I tried to go outside and pass but the sun was down in Turns 3 and 4 so I got a little bit tight." said Philpott. "I eventually got [the car] back down on the bottom and got it done."

The #2 of Greg Potts and the #7 of Rodney Funston may have had something for Philpott but contact between the two put Funston hard into the outside wall in Turn 2. Funston was uninjured but had to retire from the event. The 21x of Kyle Gottula was also involved in the late lap accident.

Ross Strmiska, who gave Philpott a run for his money during the evening, actually getting around the #52 for the fifth spot at one point, finished in the second position. Rookie, Eric Nascimento, rounded out the top three.

"I think Ryan is beatable," said Strmiska after the race. "But I think it will take some time for me or anyone else to beat him but because he has it figured out."

Tim Spurgeon recovered from his earlier wreck to bring home a top five position, finishing the race in the fourth spot.

Altamont Motorsports Park's 2006 American Limited Stock Car champion, Matt Erickson, also had an impressive run, finishing in the fifth position after starting 17th.

A Philpott almost stole the show in the Grand American Modified division as Sacramento's Jason Philpott led in the early laps of the 40 lap event. The #66 of Mike Regelman eventually got by Philpott on lap 19 and the two finished in that order to close out the open competition non-points event that brought 11 strong modifieds to the "Fastest 1/2-Mile in the West."

Jamie Jackson, Todd Lynch and Victor Machado rounded out the top five. Philpott took the checkers in the Trophy Dash earlier in the evening.

Two 75's dueled it out in American Limited Stock Car action with the 75h of Chad "The Iceman" Holeman finding victory lane for the second consecutive race this season. The 75 of Jim Earl applied strong pressure to Holeman throughout the 30 lap event on the 1/4-mile but could not pass Holeman whose car was glued to the inside groove.

Both Holeman and Earl found themselves in some tight racing early on as they hit lap traffic on lap seven and dealt with traffic throughout most of the race.

"The lap cars did a pretty good job today," said Holeman, the 2006 Stockton 99 ALSC champion. "They didn't get in the way too much."

Matt Erickson, also driving in the ALSC race, made quite a season debut at the track, qualifying in the number one position. While equipment problems put Erickson at the rear of the 14 car field, Erickson was able to finish the event in the fifth position, his same finishing position in the Western Late Model race.

Jim Dulla finished third with Richard Harper taking home the fourth American Limited Stock Car position.

Pro-Truck driver, Walt Bruegger, brought the raciest truck to the track on Saturday, qualifying a full half-second quicker than the 99 of second place qualifier Brian Miller. Bruegger battled with Miller for the first spot in the first half of the race until Miller lost a wheel in Turn 2 on lap 16.

Bruegger pulled ahead of the field leaving the 3 of Ron Robeck and the 20 of Nathan McNeil to fight for the second position. After some hard racing the two eventually made contact, retiring Robeck and giving McNeil the second position when the checkers flew.

The 98 of "Rockin" Ron Pestana finished third in the 20 lap event on the 1/4 mile oval. Pestana won the Pro-Truck trophy dash earlier in the afternoon.

The Formula-4s started the night of racing off with Doug Foreman beating Richard Hull and Anthony Roeder to the line in the eight lap Formula-4 race on the road coarse.

Altamont Motorsports Park is off next weekend but returns the following weekend with the popular "Open Wheel Madness" show featuring heart-pounding USAC racing action.

See Also .:

• Altamont Motorsports Park Track Page

News Index | E-mail to a Friend