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Source: NASCAR
Date: 07/30/2006
MONROE,
Washington -- Twenty-eight years after his father registered a
NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series win at
Evergreen Speedway, Johnny Borneman made the same journey to
victory lane at the Monroe, Wash., track.
The emotion was evident as Borneman and his father, John
Borneman, celebrated victory in the NAPA 250 presented by AAA on
Saturday, July 29.
“I’ve always wanted to win here,” said the 29-year-old second
generation driver from Ramona, Calif. “I’m glad this could be
the one.” His father, meanwhile, admitted that he found it
difficult to remain calm as the laps wound down. “I’ll be honest
with you, I was sitting down the last lap,” John Borneman said
later. “I was pretty beat.”
After starting 11th and running mid-pack through the first half
of the race, Borneman charged to the high side of turn two to
seize the lead on lap 164 and end what had been a dominant run
by Eric Holmes. Borneman streaked away from the field to quickly
establish a sizeable lead. While that margin was erased by the
fifth and final caution of the event on lap 183, Borneman had no
trouble in pulling away after the restart to win by more than 14
seconds.
Borneman knew before the race that he had a car that could win,
despite not qualifying well. “We tested and knew we really had a
good car,” he said of his Borneman Plastering/Red Line Oil Ford.
“We knew we weren’t going to be very good in qualifying.”
After experiencing frustration and bad luck through the first
half of the season, it appears Borneman has turned his year
around with such a convincing win coming on the heels of a
third-place finish a week earlier at Irwindale, Calif.. With the
win, he netted $9,816 in prize money and posted awards –
including the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award for
advancing the most positions.
Two-time and defending champion Mike Duncan of Bakersfield,
Calif., finished second in the Lucas Oil/Ron’s Rear Ends
Chevrolet – followed by Steve Portenga of Sparks, Nev., in the
King Taco/Signco Ford. Jeff Jefferson of Naches, Wash., was
fourth in the Creekside Retirement/Rich Thompson Trucking
Chevrolet – with series rookie Peyton Sellers of Danville, Va.,
fifth in the NAPA Auto Parts/NAPA Belts & Hose Chevrolet. Scott
Gaylord, Austin Cameron and Mike David were sixth, seventh and
eighth, respectively. Holmes – who won his second Budweiser Pole
Award of the year with a qualifying lap of 98.239 mph – led 145
laps, but faded late in the race to finish one lap down in
ninth. Series rookie Justin Lofton completed the top 10 in the
rundown.
The race featured six lead changes among six drivers – Borneman,
Holmes, Jefferson, David, Duncan and Tim Woods III. The pace of
the event was slowed by five cautions for 36 laps.
Holmes has pulled even with David, meanwhile, in this year’s
championship battle – as they each have 1,189 points. Sellers is
third with 1,177, followed by Portenga with 1,148 and Duncan
with 1,143. Sixth through 10th in the standings feature Jim
Inglebright with 1,086, Gaylord with 1,056, Lofton with 1,047,
Borneman with 1,041 and Brian Ickler with 1,006.
Sellers continues to lead the chase for this year’s Sunoco
Rookie of the Year Award. He tops the list with 68 points,
followed by Lofton at 63, Ickler with 59 and Eric Hardin with
50. Others include Daniel DiGiacomo at 23, James Bruncati at 20,
Eric Humphries at 16, Brian Pannone at 16, Nick Lynch at 15,
Spencer Clark at 14, Justin Fisher at eight, Travis Powell at
six and Ed Watson at two.
The next event on the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone
West Series schedule is the Dodge Country 200 by NAPA Belts &
Hose and Havoline at Stockton 99 Speedway in Stockton, Calif.,
on Saturday, Aug. 5
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