Stockton 99 celebrates with two nights of racing

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Since it's a holiday weekend, Stockton 99 Speedway is offering two shows for families to enjoy.

Today, the NorCal Vintage Hardtops, NCMA Sprint Cars, Legends of the Pacific, WSRA and Basically 4-Cylinders will race at the track. Saturday brings the second Western Late Model Tri-Holiday race of the season and a fireworks show.

The Western Late Models will run 150 laps, preceded by the 75-lap Grand American Modified and Street Stock mains and a 40-lap Bombers race.

David Philpott won the first holiday race on May 23. His son Justin leads the Western Late Model standings by 41 points over Vito Ranuio.

General admission tickets are $20 for Saturday or $30 for both nights. For information, visit www.stockton99.com or call 466-9999.

• MADERA — Madera Speedway has its own Tri-Holiday event and fireworks spectacular planned for Saturday, with Round 2 of the SRL Southwest Tour Holiday Classic in a 120-lap main event.

Auggie Vidovich, the 2003 NASCAR Southwest Series champion, won the first holiday race on May 23. The Western Late Models, American Limited Stock Cars, Modified Super Toyotas, Toyota Sedans and Hornets will also be in action.

Modesto's Kyle Gottula leads Manteca native Ross Strmiska by 18 points in the Western Late Model standings heading into Saturday's 100-lapper.

Tickets are $25 for adults. A special $30 ticket includes admission to tonight's races and fireworks show at Chowchilla Speedway. For more information call (559) 983-1689 or visit www.racemadera.com.

• CAMPING WORLD WEST — Escalon's Eric Holmes and Modesto's Mike David will be at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale on Saturday for the King Taco 200.

Holmes leads Jason Bowles by 16 points in the touring series standings. Bowles won last year's event and is coming off his second consecutive victory at Infineon Raceway. Holmes has won two poles and finished second three times at Irwindale.

David is fourth in the standings, 130 points behind Holmes. Oakdale's Wes Banks is 11th in the standings. Johnny Borneman plans to race in today's NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Daytona, Fla., and Saturday's Camping World Series West race in Irwindale.

• NASCAR HALL OF FAME — Stock car racing giants ranging from Bill France Sr. and Junior Johnson to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt are among the 25 nominees for NASCAR's first Hall of Fame class.

The announcement Thursday night comes 10 months before the Hall of Fame's scheduled opening in downtown Charlotte. An inaugural class of five will be chosen from the group that includes the bootleggers who helped create the sport to the drivers, owners and officials who made it popular.

NASCAR patriarch France and his son, Bill France Jr., were among the candidates selected by a 21-member panel. The drivers include Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough and Glenn "Fireball" Roberts.

Car owners are represented, too, including Bud Moore, Raymond Parks, Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Glen Wood.

A panel of people in the sport and a fan vote will decide the first class, which will be announced in October. Induction will take place in conjunction with the Hall's opening in May.

• WRECK AT DAYTONA — Greg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. wrecked during practice for Saturday night's NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway. Neither driver was injured.

Biffle and Hornish got together during the second of two Sprint Cup practices. Both cars hit the wall and sustained right-side damage. Biffle's crew unloaded a backup car and started getting it ready for today's qualifying session. It was unclear whether Hornish's team would do the same.

• POWER REJOINS PENSKE — Australian driver Will Power will rejoin Penske Racing for the July 12 event in Toronto. Power will drive five races in the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Dallara/Honda this season.

He opened the season with Penske's team as a temporary replacement for Helio Castroneves. When Castroneves was acquitted of tax evasion charges in April, he reclaimed his seat, and Penske kept Power on the team for two more races — Long Beach and the Indy 500.

The team confirmed in June that Power would run five more races for the team.

• NHRA — Tickets are on sale for the FRAM Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway from July 24-26. Reserved seats, including a pit pass, start at $50.

The Sonoma stop is the last of NHRA's "Western Swing" which begins in Denver from July 10-12. For information call (800) 870-7223 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.