On Saturday, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Western Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, ALSC/Street Stocks and the Bombers brought good old-fashioned stock car racing back to a crowd of nearly 3,700 at Stockton 99 Speedway.
The impressive displays of talent, in the skies and on the asphalt, left the multitudes on the edges of their seats and wanting more.
The Western Late Models would put together 150 Laps of high-speed/high-adrenaline, paint-trading pleasure. The Tri-Holiday Classic has been steeped in a rich tradition of quality racing throughout its history at Stockton 99 Speedway.
This night would carry that tradition onward to a whole new generation and beyond. Carlos Vieira (51) of Atwater and Greg Potts (12) of Stockton brought this one under the green flag and went back and forth with each other for the lead until lap 9 when 2006 WLM Track Champion Guy Guibor (61) of Manteca made his way to the front from number six on the grid to grab the top spot.
Once there, Guibor would dominate that position until lap 93 when he came under fire by the 16-year-old rookie sensation, Jacob Gomes (16x), also of Manteca. From that point on, the two waged an epic battle for the ages as they took turns swapping the top spot until lap 143 when Gomes took over for the final time and cruised home to his second career victory on this glorious night.
“It was great racing with Guy Guibor,” Gomes said. “I knew this would be a tough one to win.” His words rang out so true, as beating the likes of a Guy Guibor one on one is a fantastic feat in itself which left Gomes standing there breathing in that rarified air.
Guibor would hold on to finish what was likely a disappointing second in what most in attendance considered the greatest race of the “mew” era and quite possibly the greatest in the Tri-Holiday’s exclusive history.
Two-time Track Champion David Philpott (50) of Tracy finished third with Potts dropping back to fourth and Modesto’s Jeff Belletto (12x) finishing the night out in fifth.
The impressive displays of talent, in the skies and on the asphalt, left the multitudes on the edges of their seats and wanting more.
The Western Late Models would put together 150 Laps of high-speed/high-adrenaline, paint-trading pleasure. The Tri-Holiday Classic has been steeped in a rich tradition of quality racing throughout its history at Stockton 99 Speedway.
This night would carry that tradition onward to a whole new generation and beyond. Carlos Vieira (51) of Atwater and Greg Potts (12) of Stockton brought this one under the green flag and went back and forth with each other for the lead until lap 9 when 2006 WLM Track Champion Guy Guibor (61) of Manteca made his way to the front from number six on the grid to grab the top spot.
Once there, Guibor would dominate that position until lap 93 when he came under fire by the 16-year-old rookie sensation, Jacob Gomes (16x), also of Manteca. From that point on, the two waged an epic battle for the ages as they took turns swapping the top spot until lap 143 when Gomes took over for the final time and cruised home to his second career victory on this glorious night.
“It was great racing with Guy Guibor,” Gomes said. “I knew this would be a tough one to win.” His words rang out so true, as beating the likes of a Guy Guibor one on one is a fantastic feat in itself which left Gomes standing there breathing in that rarified air.
Guibor would hold on to finish what was likely a disappointing second in what most in attendance considered the greatest race of the “mew” era and quite possibly the greatest in the Tri-Holiday’s exclusive history.
Two-time Track Champion David Philpott (50) of Tracy finished third with Potts dropping back to fourth and Modesto’s Jeff Belletto (12x) finishing the night out in fifth.
