Rookie Bowles wins at Miller
Oil, dust, heat take toll on drivers in 41-lap event
David held the pole position and led the early part of the 41-lap main event. Four accidents, resulting in caution flags, in the first half of the race took away whatever lead David was able to build. He led the first 15 laps. He said he also let up a little because of bad visibility.
This is, he said, "points racing. I couldn't see anything and I didn't want to throw away a finish by over-driving corners and crashing the cars. I drove conservatively and started to (pass drivers) one by one, but I wasn't fast enough to pick off two leaders. "
Bowles said on the long straight, going west, "I couldn't see where I was going. I picked out landmarks. I watched for an asphalt corner and knew I had to be on the brakes or I'd be in big trouble."
Drivers said oil hit the windshields early in the race. Dust then stuck to the oil. The setting sun reflecting off the dust and oil compounded the problem.
Bowles, from Ontario, Calif., crossed the finish 3.5 seconds ahead of Alex Haase of Las Vegas. David, from Modesto, Calif., was more than 10 seconds behind the leader. This was Haase's best finish. He is also in his rookie season.
Of the 21 cars that started the race, 14 were still running at the end.
Bowles said when he unloaded the car on Friday, "It was really good out of trailer, and I had a feeling this might be our weekend."
Pit stops play more of a role in the West Series than in the higher Nextel Series. In the big 400-mile events, cars can easily go through 30 tires. In the West Series, drivers can only change four tires and only change two per pit stop. Also, crews can not pour fuel and change tires on the same pit stop, so, as one official noted, "there's a lot of strategy that comes into play."
Besides visibility, this race proved difficult for drivers in other ways. The heat, with temperatures at race time close to 100 degrees, took their toll. This race, too, is a road race. NASCAR drivers are used to oval tracks and left-hand-only turns. On this three-mile track, along with the nine left turns, there were five right turns and a longer than normal straight.
Bowles said the heat wasn't as bad as he expected. "I though it would be a bit worse. The yellow (caution flags) at the beginning helped a bit, but it was getting warm towards the end. But I was also able to save a little energy there at the end."
Brett Thompson of Jerome, Idaho, had problems with the suspension and left-front tire and spent the better part of the early race in the pits. He finished 13th.
In support races held before the main, Thomas Merrell won the first, the Formula 2000, by four seconds over Patrick Barrett. Six seconds back was Philip Metzger.
In the Porsche GT Invitational, Bill Dawson won class GT1 by more than a minute over runner-up Byron Smith; John Potter, the first to cross the finish, won the GT2 class by 15 seconds over Bob Read, who was the second car over the finish; and Carl Buckland won the GT3 class by five seconds over Gary Wimmer.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com
You can be the first to comment on this story.