NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Stockton Results- Vidovich Dominates Again for Second Straight Win
STOCKTON, CALIF. (April 30, 2005) Auggie Vidovich from Lakeside, Calif. dominated the action for the second race in a row to claim his second victory of the season in NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series competition Saturday night at the historic Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway. Vidovich maneuvered lap traffic over the final 40 laps of the event en route to a 3.498 second margin of victory over series veteran M.K. Kanke. Two-time and defending Northwest Series champion Jeff Jefferson finished third with Jim Pettit II and rookie Ryan Foster rounding out the top five finishers in the 100-lap AutoZone Twin Championships presented by Havoline.
Vidovich started on the outside front row for the second consecutive race but getting an advantage with a six-car invert.
Kanke, Jefferson, and Pettit waged a spirited battle for third place over the closing laps, but Kanke able to hold the advantage for the runner-up spot. Defending Northwest Series champion Jeff Jefferson rallied to finish third with a loose race car.
Jefferson led all drivers in qualifying with a quick lap of 13.692seconds/65.732 mph around the quarter-mile paved oval to claim his first career Southwest Series Bud Pole Award.
With the victory Vidovich took over the points lead by one over 2004 series champion Pettit. Kanke moves up to third followed by Lamar and Jefferson.
The race took just 35 minutes and 22 seconds to complete at an average speed of 42.423mph. The action was slowed five times for 29 laps of caution. Mike Ledbetter won the $750 PowerAde Award for improving the most positions in the event (13), while Eddy McKean collected the $300 Featherlite Award for improving the most positions from the previous event. Jeff Jefferson claimed the $400 Bud Pole Award and Ryan Foster was the top finishing Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year competitor. Mike Harvick claimed the Lunati Crew Chief-of-the-Race Award for preparing the winning car.
The next event for the Southwest Series is Saturday, May 14 at Mesa Marin (Calif.) Raceway for the second of three visits the series will make to the high-baked half-mile oval. Auggie Vidovich dominated the action in the series’ last visit to MMR while four time MMR winner M.K. Kanke finished fourth.
NASCAR Race Number 3
Unofficial Race Results For The AutoZone Twin Championships presented by Havoline - 04/30/2005
Stockton 99 Speedway - Stockton, CA - 0.25-mile
Total Race Length 40 K - 100L - 25 M Purse: $46,271
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Total Award Status
1 2 11 Auggie Vidovich Centrifugal Technologies Chevrolet 100 180 5 $2,500 Running
2 8 33 M K Kanke Perricone Juices/Sims Trucking/RPM 100 170 1,600 Running
3 6 42 Jeff Jefferson LeMay Auto Museum/Tri County Parts Dodge 100 165 1,700 Running
4 10 03 Jim Pettit, II Racing for the Missing/Jim Pettit Racing Ford 100 160 1,600 Running
5 11 21 Ryan Foster * TM Kustom Signs/Golden Gate Chevrolet 100 155 1,100 Running
6 12 19 Eddy McKean Magic Valley Pipe & Steel Pontiac 100 150 1,700 Running
7 1 12 Rip Michels Stock Building Supply/LADCO/Victory Circle 100 146 1,375 Running
8 3 9 Greg Voigt Auto Pro Racing Engines Chevrolet 100 142 1,350 Running
9 18 44 Bobby Lyon Alliance Rentals/Ron's Rear Ends Chevrolet 100 138 1,300 Running
10 23 61 Mike Ledbetter Pabco Gypsum/Bill's Drywall Chevrolet 100 134 1,625 Running
11 15 25 David Mayhew * Bennett Construction/Watkins Pontiac 100 130 850 Running
12 21 26 Dustin Jones * Desert Valley Landscaping Chevrolet 100 127 800 Running
13 9 29 Nick Lynch Mr. Gas Chevrolet 99 124 1,175 Running
14 22 55 Don Campbell * GKI/Courtesy Chevrolet Chevrolet 99 121 750 Running
15 16 28 Thomas Martin Strictly Toy-Ondas Chevrolet 98 118 1,100 Running
16 14 5 Joe Herold Racing for the Missing/Quality Chevrolet 98 115 1,075 Running
17 20 04 Stephan Sadler * Padco Carpet Cushion Inc. Chevrolet 98 112 650 Running
18 4 69 Brandon Riehl Aero Turbine/Darrel's Economy Muffler 97 109 625 Running
19 17 16 Doug McCoun CBA Motorsports Chevrolet 94 106 1,025 Running
20 19 47 Richard Johnson Radcap Products/Shell Dust Inc. Chevrolet 94 103 625 Running
21 13 23 Dan Holtz Rialto Concrete Products/Pipeline Carriers Ford 81 100 625 Rear End
22 5 1 Burney Lamar HPS Mechanical/Victory Circle/Groeniger 70 97 1,025 Engine
23 7 70 Greg Pursley Star Nursery.Com/Dr. Q's Chevrolet 53 94 625 Accident
Time of Race: 0 hrs., 35 mins, 22 secs Average Speed: 42.413 mph Margin of Victory: 3.498 Seconds
BUD POLE AWARD: Jeff Jefferson, 42 LeMay Auto Museum/Tri County Parts Dodge
FEATHERLITE AWARD: Eddy McKean, 19 Magic Valley Pipe & Steel Pontiac
POWERADE AWARD: Mike Ledbetter, 61 Pabco Gypsum/Bill's Drywall Chevrolet
LUNATI CREW CHIEF AWARD: Mike Harvick, 11 Centrifugal Technolgies Chevrolet
Caution Flags: Laps 3-7; 26-31; 35-38; 44-48; 54-62. 5 for 29 laps.
Lap Leaders: Auggie Vidovich 1-100.
Total Laps Led: Auggie Vidovich 100. 0 changes involving 1 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Auggie Vidovich 481, Jim Pettit, II 480, M K Kanke 462, Burney Lamar 447, Jeff Jefferson 412, Greg Voigt 410, Eddy McKean
397, Thomas Martin 374, Joe Herold 366, Nick Lynch 361
Top 5 Rookie Points: Dustin Jones 26, Don Campbell 25, Stephan Sadler 21, Ryan Foster 20, David Mayhew 19.
Next Race: Mesa Marin Raceway May 14, 2005
* Denotes Rookie of the Year Contender