NASCAR

WS: Altamont II: Post-race notes

NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, WEST SERIES POST-RACE NOTES -- ALTAMONT DAN GAMEL RV CENTERS 200, SEPT. 15 * David wraps up championship -- Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Ford) wrapped up his first NASCAR Grand National Division, ...

Edited: Sep 18, 2007, 4:47 PM

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NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, WEST SERIES POST-RACE NOTES -- ALTAMONT DAN GAMEL RV CENTERS 200, SEPT. 15

* David wraps up championship -- Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Ford) wrapped up his first NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series championship with a third-place finish in the final race of the season, the Dan Gamel RV Centers 200 at Altamont Motorsports Park on Saturday, Sept. 15. It marked his eighth podium finish in 13 races this season. The Modesto, Calif., driver -- who won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title in 2002 -- has moved up in the championship standings in each of the five full seasons he has competed in the West Series (seventh in 2002, sixth in 2004, fifth in 2005, second in 2006).

* Holmes returns to take win -- Winning the Dan Gamel RV Centers 200 in a dominant fashion provided Eric Holmes (No. 62 Paul Oil Company Chevrolet) with some consolation. After winning last year's West Series championship, Holmes headed east to compete full-time for a team in the Busch East Series. That effort came to an early end, however, after some frustrating finishes in the first half of the season. Now with a victory under his belt, Holmes has locked in a spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway on Oct. 19-20. Holmes won the Elite Division portion of the prestigious post-season event in 2004. He made a run for the win in the Grand National portion of last year's event, but tangled with second-place finisher Sean Caisse on the last lap.

* Nine different race winners -- With the victory by Holmes, he became the ninth different driver to visit victory lane in West Series competition this season.

* Another Bud Pole for Ickler -- Brian Ickler (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet) turned in a lap of 100.346 mph on the half-mile oval at Altamont to claim his third Bud Pole Award of the season. Ickler led the first seven laps of the race and challenged Holmes, but a series of flat tires left him to finish 16th.

* Seven different drivers win Bud Poles in 2007 -- Seven different drivers won Bud Pole Awards in the 13 West Series races this season. Mike Duncan (No. 9 Lucas Oil/Ron's Rear Ends Chevrolet) had the most with four. Ickler was second on the list with three, followed by David with two. Four other drivers set the fast mark in a West Series race in 2007.

* Career finishes by two first-year drivers -- Two first-year drivers each had a career-best finish at Altamont. David Mayhew (No. 21 Golden Gate Petroleum/RCR Chevrolet), making his seventh series start and only his third start for car owner Jim Offenbach, took the runner-up spot. Kyle Cattanach (No. 59 Dan Gamel/Eldorado Hotel Toyota) finished fourth in just his third start in the West Series.

* Strong performances by local area drivers -- The final finish did not reflect just how well a couple of drivers from the local area ran at Altamont. Jason Fensler (No. 25 Living Grace Fellowship/Red Line Oil Chevrolet) appeared headed for a podium finish before fading to a 13th-place finish in the final laps. Ryan Philpott (No. 52 Pacific Motorsports Ford) was moving his way up in the top 10 before an oil line sidelined him at the midway point of the race.

* Record field at Altamont -- The 32 cars entered in this event marked the largest field to turn out for a Grand National West Series race at Altamont Motorsports Park. The Northern California track has hosted 15 West Series events, dating back to 1966.

* Aero Exhaust Lap Leader -- The dominant win by Holmes, leading 193 of 200 laps, earned him the Aero Exhaust Lap Leader Award at Altamont. The award goes to the eligible driver who leads the most laps in an Grand National Division event.

* POWERade Power Move -- With his runner-up finish, Mayhew won the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award at Altamont. After starting 21st, the series rookie charged forward 19 spots. At each Grand National Division race, the award is presented to the eligible driver who advances the most positions.

* Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award -- Mayhew also won the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award. The award goes to the top finishing rookie registered for the Sunoco rookie program.

* Featherlite Most Improved -- Alex Haase (No. 88 Motorway Auto Group of El Paso/Kyle Busch Motorsports Chevrolet) took the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award in this event. His eighth-place finish at Altamont followed a 20th-place finish at Fontana. Featherlite presents the award at each event to the driver who improves the most finishing positions from the previous event.

-credit: nascar

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