LATHAM WINS RACE, NEWHOUSE HAS MAGICAL NIGHT

Source: ESI RMCS Media
Date: 09/10/2007

BOISE, Idaho -- Bobby Latham III of Twin Falls, Idaho scored his third consecutive victory at Magic Valley Speedway in ESI Rocky Mountain Challenge Series action Saturday night by dominating the NAPA "150". The victory vaulted Latham to a runner-up finish in the final point standings in his first full season in the series, but the night belonged to John Newhouse also of Twin Falls as he captured the 2007 series title. Newhouse overcame a flat tire and raced to a third place finish in the event to claim the biggest championship in his 25-year racing career.

Going into the NAPA "150", Dave Minegar of Boise held a slim 33-point advantage over Newhouse and quickly asserted his intentions on the 2007 title by breaking his own track record in qualifying with a quick lap of 14.214 seconds around the one-third mile paved oval to earn his 14th career Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award. Latham clocked in second with Newhouse claiming the third fast qualifying time. Brian Warf and Craig Bell rounded out the top five after qualifying. With the customary RMCS 20-car invert, the title contenders would all start at the rear of the field and have to work their way through traffic in order to get to the front.

Joe Miller and CarbonX Rookie-of-the-Year competitor Matt Faulkner would start the race on the front row but the race was restarted after Faulkner was unable to get up to speed on the initial start causing several cars to scatter. On the second attempt the field quickly fell into a racing groove with Miller leading the first four circuits before giving way to Thane Alderman of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alderman then set sail and appeared to have found the setup that would enable him to improve on his previous best MVS finish of 6th. Alderman led the field through lap 15 when local fan favorite Bruce Quale took over the top spot on lap 16 with a strong outside pass as the duo excited turn two.

Quale, who has struggled to find consistency this season, was able to run up front for most of the race; holding his own against the faster qualifiers. Quale would stay up front the entire race but would eventually fade and finish fifth. The finish also moved Quale into the top ten final point standings.

By lap 23, Latham had moved from his 18th starting position all the way up to the fourth with fellow title contenders Newhouse running ninth and Minegar in 12th. The wheels came off of Minegar's championship hopes on lap 25 when Nick Gibson and Jeff Hillock tangled on the front stretch. Minegar eased off the throttle but the cars behind were unable to slow in time sending the 2006 series champion head-on into the front stretch wall. The resulting damage put Minegar in the pits to be a spectator for the rest of the race. Tom Hill's mount was also damaged but he was only able to continue until lap 75 when he had to retire.

Quale was able to lead through lap 39 when Latham powered his Dodge into the lead. Latham would never relinquish the lead but would have to mange lap traffic and three caution periods. Newhouse had luck fall his way on lap 63 when he started to slow with a flat right front tire. Just when he could no longer hold onto the car the caution waved when Brad Ostler lost an oil line and laid down oil over the entire track. That was just the break Newhouse needed, so he headed for the pit and remained on the lead lap.

At the halfway point of the race, Latham held a two second advantage over Quale with James Eaton in third followed by Warf and Jim Wulfenstein rounding out the top five in the running order. Gibson, Newhouse, Quint Whitman, Chris Ratterree, and Alderman rounded out the top ten.

The second half of the race had a little less drama as Latham cruised with ease through the field lapping all but the top five cars as he set a torrid pace. At the lap 100 mark Latham paced the field with Eaton, Quale, Wulfenstein, and Newhouse in tow. By lap 125, Newhouse was able to get around Quale for third where he would run the final 25 laps.

Latham crossed the finish line 2.47 seconds ahead of Eaton followed by Newhouse, Gibson, and Quale. The fourth place effort by Gibson was his best career finish and Quale was able to close out 2007 on a positive note. The rest of the top ten included Wulfenstein, Ratterree, Miller, Warf, and Alderman.

"It is incredible to drive a car so good and to win our third straight race at home is just awesome," Latham said. "Our team has worked extremely hard and we came up just a bit short in the championship but we certainly showed everyone we are the team to beat here at Magic Valley. I am happy for John (Newhouse) on his championship."

Eaton's second place finish moved him up to sixth in the final standings. "Finishing second was not what we came here to do but we ran good, jut not good enough to catch Latham," Eaton said.

John Newhouse had the most to celebrate with his third place finish. Over the final six races of the season Newhouse finished no worse than third en route to the championship. "That is all my car had (the rear end on his car seized on the cool down lap) and this championship is absolutely incredible," Newhouse said. "We never thought we would be here after the way the season started but my team just went back to basics and we focused on just winning races. Our performances this season showed how strong our team is."

Newhouse won the championship with a five year old perimeter coil over car. "It took us a couple of years to figure out how to qualify and set this car up but once we did we knew we would be competitive, Newhouse said. "I did not replace a single body panel or nose on the car for the past two seasons. That shows you how competitive this series is and the quality of the competition. Winning this championship is the biggest thing in my career and this is something my family and team have worked towards for a long time."

"There had been a lot of discussion about how the old "tour" cars are at a disadvantage," stated Mike Minegar, president of the RMCS. "This should put all those discussion to rest. John (Newhouse) had an incredible year and he is a deserving champion. He proved that hard work and dedication wins championships, no matter what kind of car you have."

The race was slowed four times including one red flag period for oil clean up. There were three lead changes among four drivers with Latham leading the most laps (111). ESI pays a $5 bonus for every green flag lap led. The ESI Hotshoe bonus of $1200 available to Minegar after setting fast time will be divided among the first, fifth, and eight drivers earning the most points over the final three races since Minegar did not win the event.

Matt Faulkner sowed up the CarbonX Rookie-of-the-Year title after his 12th place finish Saturday night. "I had a lot of fun this season and we sure learned a lot," Faulkner said. "This is a tough series and we have a lot of momentum heading into next year. I am very thankful for the support CarbonX has given us this year and to win the rookie title is a dream come true."

The final point standings saw several drivers fall and two drivers climb back into the top ten. Newhouse topped the standings by 64-points over Latham. Minegar finished third with Tom Hill and Bryan Warf rounding out the top five. The second five included Eaton, Ratterree, Bell, Gibson, and Quale.

The 2008 ESI Rocky Mountain Challenge Series take flight in April 2008 at Magic Valley Speedway. For all the latest news and information regarding the ESI Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log onto www.rmcsracing.com.

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