MONROE, Washington – Brian Ickler captured his third win in four races in NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series action, with a victory at Evergreen Speedway in the NAPA 300 presented by Basalite on Saturday.

After encountering a variety of problems that denied him a top-10 finish in the first six races this season, Ickler has dominated the second half of the year – with three wins and two sixth-place finishes in his last five starts.

“The best part of this NAPA team is the consistency,” the second-year driver from San Diego said of his Bill McAnally Racing team. “We had some bad luck early, but we fought back.”

Ickler led 163 of 300 laps en route to his latest win on the historic fairgrounds track in Monroe, Wash. His chief competition came from two-time series champion Mike Duncan – who set a track record in winning his fourth Bud Pole of the year, with a lap of 99.691 mph around the .646-mile oval. In addition to Duncan, Ickler also shuffled the lead back-and-forth through much of the race with Jeff Barkshire.

While they challenged for the top spot, many competitors battled for a solid finish after losing a lap to the leaders. Ickler’s dominant performance put some a lap down on the track, while others fell a lap behind during a round of yellow-flag pit stops on lap 78.

Ickler’s team opted to bring the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to the pits for service during the third yellow of the race – that flew from laps 112 to 116. He made his final stop, along with nearly all other front-running cars, during the fifth caution from laps 203 to 208.

Ickler moved into the lead for the final time on a lap 226 restart, after the sixth and final caution period. He cruised to victory by a margin of 3.979 seconds, netting $7,666 in prize money and posted awards.

Duncan of Bakersfield, Calif., was second in the Lucas Oil/Ron’s Rear Ends Chevrolet. It marked his sixth consecutive podium finish at Evergreen Speedway. He was followed by Mike David of Modesto, Calif., in the Bennett Lane Winery Ford. The trio were the only ones to finish on the lead lap. Travis Bennett of Ellensburg, Wash., was fourth in his West Series debut – driving the Grape King/Bowman’s Chevrolet of Dick Midgley Racing. Finishing fifth was Justin Lofton of Westmorland, Calif., in the Lofton Cattle/Cometic/Klotz/Eibach Ford. Rounding out the top 10 were Moses Smith, Jeff Barkshire, Jim Inglebright, Alex Haase and Johnny Borneman.

The race featured 14 lead changes among seven drivers – Ickler, Duncan, Barkshire, Lofton, David, Jason Bowles and Eric Hardin. The average speed of the race was 72.000 mph and included six cautions for 37 laps.

While Ickler’s win moved him to fourth in the championship standings, David was able to slightly pad his point lead. He is out front by 125 markers, with 1,718 points. Duncan moved up to second, with 1,593. Borneman slipped to third with 1,568, ahead of Ickler’s 1,548 points. Bowles, who leads the challenge for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, is fifth with 1,526. Completing the top 10 are Hardin with 1,481, Lofton with 1,472, Brett Thompson with 1,428, Haase with 1,408 and Eric Richardson with 1,329.

Despite an accident that left him to finish 16th at Monroe, Bowles continues to lead in this year’s challenge for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. He tops the freshman class with 87 points, followed by Haase with 74, Richardson with 69, Ryan Foster with 57, Moses Smith with 51, Stan Silva Jr. with 42, Rick Wall with 36 and Mike Gallegos with 30. Others in the rookie program include David Mayhew, Jamie Dick, Lloyd Mack, Kevin O’Connell, Brandon Riehl, Thomas Martin and Garland Self.

The West Series heads to Southern California this week for the California 125 on the road course at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 11.

See Also .:

• Brian Ickler Driver Card
• Evergreen Speedway Track Page

News Index | E-mail to a Friend