Motorsports: Philpott takes points lead in Late Models

By Kelly Jones
kjones@modbee.com

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STOCKTON -- There were a lot of things that could have taken the spotlight off Justin Philpott on Saturday night.

But the Tracy teen won the Western Late Model main to take the points lead at the New Stockton 99 Raceway. It didn't hurt that his main points competitor was missing.

Tracy's Scott Winters won his sixth Grand American Modified race of the year and third in a row ahead of Turlock's Wes Miller, who had the fast time (13.908 seconds). Lodi's Jeff Ahl won his second consecutive Street Stock main to extend his points lead.

Justin Philpott won the 50-lap event in a wire-to-wire race thanks to a nine-car inverted start that put pole-sitter Katie Hager -- who became the first woman driver to set a track record -- in the middle of the pack. Among those he beat were his father -- former champion David Philpott -- who finished third.

Vito Ranuio, who entered the night with the points lead, raced at Roseville's All-American Speedway instead. Reached after he finished 10th in the 19-car field in Roseville, Ranuio said inconsistent officiated would keep him from coming back to Stockton every week.

Justin Philpott said he'd heard Ranuio was unhappy after being ordered off the track in a June 6 race for aggressive driving. But he said he hopes Ranuio comes back.

"I want to beat him here," Philpott said. "He was a competitive racer every week."

Philpott held off Modesto's Mike Beeler in front of 1,500 in a 13-car field. Philpott said he lost his rear-view mirror around Lap 6, after the first of four cautions and a red flag, and credited his spotter for helping put him in good position.

Hager set a Western Late Model track record on the recently repaved quarter-mile oval. The new track made its debut on May 16 after a $120,000 overhaul, its first in at least 12 years.

Hager, a 23-year-old from Damariscotta, Maine, is believed to be the first woman to hold a track record at Stockton. The only woman to win a Western Late Model main at Stockton is Allison Duncan, who won twice in 2005.

Like Duncan, Hager drives in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. She started the season at Madera Speedway and has raced at Stockton the last four weeks. She was second to former two-time champion David Philpott in twin main events on June 6.

Hager was knocked out of the 50-lap main event in Lap 22, getting caught in a pile-up coming out of Turn 2. Michael Wendt and Nic Belletto also left the race at that point. Ryan Philpott was the only one in the wreck that stayed on the track.

Ranuio, who had an 18-point lead on Justin Philpott at Stockton entering the night, raced at Roseville's All-American Speedway on Saturday. He qualified second and finished 10th in the 20-car main event. Ranuio had won four races at Stockton this season.