Tracy Press

 
Cooksey stays ahead of crowded field for Altamont win

Doff Cooksey Jr. (left) keeps the lead throughout Sunday’s Whelen All-American Western Late Models race at Altamont Motorsports Park. David Philpott, in the Taxbrain Chevy Monte Carlo, moved into second place, but a hit from behind caused the Tracy driver to spin out. Photo by Bob Brownne/Tracy Press

A crowded track drew out the yellow flags Sunday at Altamont Motorsports Park during the NASCAR Whelen All-American Western Late Models 75-lap race on the half-mile paved oval.

Brentwood driver Doff Cooksey Jr. stayed ahead of the damage for a wire-to-wire win. Tracy’s David Philpott had worked his way up from a fifth-position start to second place when, with three laps to go, Gary Glenn of Orangevale charged up from behind and clipped Philpott’s rear end while trying to pass on the turn.

Cooksey had won his earlier heat race to take the lead spot in the 35-car field. Justin Philpott, David’s son, also won his heat race and started in the second position, but he fell back in Lap 15 and had to withdraw later because of mechanical trouble.

Cooksey’s spot in the lead meant he could avoid all of the spinouts and crashes that plagued other drivers and whittled the field down to 13 cars at the end of the race. It’s his first win in the seven NASCAR Whelen WLM races this year at Altamont and his third top-five finish.

“Usually, I’ll end up mid-pack,” he said. “It made for a long, long night, but I kept out front wire-to-wire and had a great time. This was my biggest win by far.”

David Philpott said his spinout, which put him in seventh place at the finish, is the type of result he has to expect sometimes, but getting hit by another driver in the final laps is still aggravating.

“He overdrew and hit the bumper. He drills you, and it spins you. There’s nothing you can do,” Philpott said afterward.

“That’s not racing. That’s demolition derby. Fifty-seven and 44, that’s racing.”

He was referring to Cooksey’s No. 57 car, and Jason Gilbert of Pleasanton’s No. 44, which stayed right behind Cooksey for most of the race. Philpott was behind them, with Kyle Gottula of Modesto in fourth place, through the first half of the race, and Gottula moved into third on Lap 36.

Gilbert and Gottula tangled on Lap 68, which caused Gilbert to spin out and sent both to the back of the line.

That moved Philpott into second and Glenn into third. After their mixup, Philpott was knocked to the back of the line and officials gave Glenn a black flag penalty, which removed him from the race.

Carlos Viera of Merced, who started 31st and worked his way through the field, and Bobby Hodges of Carson City, who started sixth, moved into second and third. Hodges made his move on the final lap to take second place. Gilbert worked his way back to fourth place, and James Weston of Goleta finished fifth.

Justin Philpott stayed in second place for the first 12 laps, but Gilbert, this year’s WLM points leader at Altamont, started in the third position and moved into second right before Philpott pulled into the pits with suspension trouble during the third yellow flag of the race. The problem wasn’t so bad that it disabled his car — Philpott managed to avoid a spinout right in front of him on Lap 49 — but it hampered his steering, and on Lap 66, the mechanical trouble forced him out of the race.

Also running Sunday was the American Limited Stock Cars 30-lap race on the quarter-mile track. Joe Racer of Stockton won the main event, and Zack Huffman of French Camp took second, followed by Stockton racers Donnie Darter, Richard Harper and Pete Anderson Sr.
Scott Winters of Tracy won his ninth race this season in the Grand American Modifieds, with Jason Philpott of Citrus Heights in second. Tony Noceti of French Camp was third, Todd Lewis of Riverbank was fourth and Todd Lynch of Tracy was fifth.

The last race of the day was the 60-lap Enduro, with Richard Bentz winning ahead of second-place Joe Racer.

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