Tracy Press

 
Spurgeon, Pettit win main events at Altamont

Jason Fensler, No. 5, briefly led the SRL Southwest Tour Series 100-lap race Saturday at Altamont Motorsports Park. No. 03 Jim Pettit soon took the lead, followed by No. 7 Josh Combs. Photo courtesy StockCar Racing League

Tim Spurgeon of Danville won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race at Altamont Motorspots Park on Saturday, which made him the champion of this year’s three-race Tri-Holiday Classic.

It was his second win in the series, which included races on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day weekends.

Spurgeon led all 100 laps Saturday. Other top contenders among the 29-car field included Bobby Hodges of Carson City and Guy Guibor, the 2006 Stockton 99 Speedway champion.

Track points leader Jason Gilbert of Pleasanton started in 13th position and took advantage of yellow flags to move into sixth place by lap 34, and survived a spinout to come back up through the pack and compete for the lead. A late-race caution with six laps left gave Gilbert a chance to pass Hodges and take third place, while Spurgeon and Guibor held onto first and second.

Tracy’s Justin Philpott started in 10th position, stayed in the middle of the pack for most of the race and moved into fifth on lap 69. That’s where he stayed until lap 92, when Mike Beeler of Modesto passed him to take fifth.

StockCar Racing
In the previous 100-lap race Saturday, StockCar Racing League points leader Jim Pettit of Prunedale extended his points lead with his third win in the seven-race Flashco SRL Southwest Tour Series.

Crashes repeatedly delayed the race, including a red flag on the sixth lap when Rick Ruzbarsky of Tracy crashed on turn three. His car caught fire, but Ruzbarsky escaped uninjured. The crash gained Ruzbarsky the Ron’s Rear Ends “Hard Luck” award for the race.

Pettit took the lead from Jason Small on the restart, and Jason Fensler charged into second place on lap 17 and passed Pettit five laps later, while Josh Combs of Sacramento moved up from his No. 6 starting spot to third. A five-car crash on lap 47 thinned the field. During the yellow flag, Fensler went into the pits where his car caught fire, eliminating him from competition.

Dave Byrd of Seaside, 2007 SRL champ, moved into third on the restart, and Combs spun out on lap 80 as he made a move to pass Pettit. Greg Voigt of Goleta, who started in the 10th position, and Small charged past Byrd to take second. Combs ended up in fifth place.

Other events
Other winners Saturday included Sammy Solari of Salida in the American Limited Stock Cars, Colby Potts in the Future Champions Development Series, and Bob Wilson and Richard Hull split Formula-4 wins.

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