AT STOCKTON IN NASCAR WINSTON WEST SERIES

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2002) – Johnny Borneman knew track position would be vital to winning a NASCAR Winston West Series race on a quarter-mile paved oval. So, when the series made its first visit in nearly two decades to Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway, he made a point of getting out front early and staying out front.

The move paid off with a wire-to-wire win before a packed house on Saturday, Aug. 17, in the Stockton Speedway Dodge Country NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by JaniKing and ProLong.

"When I came here, I didn’t know what to expect," said Borneman, who started on the outside of the front row. "We practiced on used tires all day long. I wanted some new tires, but my crew said ‘no.’ They wanted me prepared for the end of the race. So, it paid off."

Despite being out front, his Borneman Plastering/Red Line Oil Ford was not without its share of damage. "I’m a sophomore, but I made a lot of rookie mistakes," said the 25-year-old second-generation driver from Ramona, Calif. "I brushed the wall four times. I was real lucky we didn’t cut down a tire."

After leading the 200-lap scheduled distance, Borneman still had to hold off his competition in a final two-lap dash due to a late-race caution and the subsequent green-white-checker finish. He crossed the finish line with a margin of victory of .998 seconds at an average speed of 48.976 mph, eclipsing the old mark set by Ivan Baldwin in 1980.

The victory by Borneman, his first of the season and the second of his young career, netted him $12,585 in prize money and posted awards – including the Gatorade Front Runner Award for leading the most laps. He became the first series driver since 1997 to win wire-to-wire.

Crossing the line in second was Mike Duncan of Lamont, Calif., in the MB Duncan Motorsports Chevrolet. He was followed by series rookie Mike David of Modesto, Calif., in the Injury Helpline.com Ford and Eric Norris of Dana Point, Calif., in the JaniKing/Ultra Wheels Ford. Fifth went to Kevin Richards of Spokane, Wash., in the Monaco Enterprises Chevrolet. Rounding out the top 10 were Gene Woods, Greg Pursley, Brett Thompson and Brandon Ash – all on the lead lap. Kevin Culver finished 10th, one lap off the pace.

Ash nabbed the Bud Pole Award in qualifying with a lap of 62.176 mph in his Little Trees/Fuji Film/Auto Marine Ford. It was his first Bud Pole of the season and the second of his career.

With 1,169 points, Norris has stretched his lead in the NASCAR Winston West Series championship standings to 75 points over Austin Cameron of El Cajon, Calif., with 1,094. Richards is close behind with 1,091, followed by Duncan with 1,045 and David with 1,024. Borneman’s victory propelled him to sixth in the standings at 1,019. He is followed by Pursley at 996, Ash at 973, Scott Gaylord at 942 and Thompson at 938.

David continues to lead the tight challenge for the Stage 8 Locking Fasteners Rookie-of-the-Year Award. He has 64 points, followed closely by Pursley with 61 and Thompson with 58.

Meanwhile, Ford has edged back out front in the race for this year’s Manufacturers’ Championship in the series. Ford leads with four wins and 52 points over Chevrolet with three wins and 51 points. Pontiac trails with 26 points, followed by Dodge with 10 points.

The next event on the NASCAR Winston West Series schedule is the Young Automotive Group 250 at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah, on Aug. 31.

View The Winston West Series On NASCAR.com With Results - Standings & Driver Profiles