Full Throttle

Camping World West Series standout Jason Bowles made his first-trip to victory lane this season on Thursday night (April 16), when he captured a dramatic win in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 150 presented by Shamrock Farms at Phoenix International Raceway.

After starting from the pole position and finishing a close second in the previous Camping World West Series race in Roseville, Calif, Bowles traveled to Phoenix International Raceway for Round Three of the 13-race schedule poised to further establish himself as a title contender and race winner. The talented Californian promptly got off to a good start, turning some laps in the afternoon practice sessions, prior to earning a fourth place qualifying position in the evenings single-car qualifying.

Come race time, Bowles wasted no time charging to the front, advancing up to first position by lap four. While Bowles was the driver to watch for the majority of the 151-lap affair in his No. 6 Sunrise Ford/Oakley/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/GS 610/RPM 12/Justice Brothers/Bell/Ford, leading 84 laps, the race came down to a green-white-checker finish due to a late race spin by another competitor. Holding off both championship leader Eric Holmes and former race leader Steve Park, Bowles captured his seventh career NASCAR Camping World West Series win.

“I am still in a bit of shock after this win. I have to hand it to my team, we had some problems in the last practice after posting the fastest time early and they worked hard to get it all sorted out and gave me a good car.

The car was good from the start and on the long runs we were real good. I was a little worried at the end with the green-white-checkered finish, but I have to thank Steve Park he raced me real clean and is a class act. I also have to thank my guys in the shop this is the car I wrecked at the showdown and it has been a huge effort to get it back to this point and roll off the trailer as good as it did.”

Bowles led four times for 86 laps at the one-mile oval. He briefly lost the lead to Park following a lap-139 restart. Bowles managed to get by Park with five laps to go, but a late-race spin gave Park another shot at Bowles. This time, the 25-year-old Ontario, Calif., driver got the jump he needed.

Point leader Eric Holmes of Escalon, Calif., took advantage of the wild scramble in the final two laps to take second place in the No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota. Park – a regular in the NASCAR Camping World Series East from East Northport, N.Y. – came home third. Mike David of Modesto, Calif., was fourth in the Bennett Lane Winery Toyota - while Greg Pursley of Newhall, Calif., was fifth in the Gene Price Motorsports/Star Nursery Chevrolet. Pursley had won his first career Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day with a record lap of 129.571 mph.

Rounding out the top 10 were Andrew Myers, series rookies Blake Koch and Paulie Harraka, Brett Thompson and Terry Henry.

The race featured nine lead changes among four drivers. David Gilliland shot into the lead at the drop of the green flag and led the first three laps before cutting a right front tire and hitting the Turn 1 wall. In addition to the 86 laps Bowles led, Park was out front 39 laps and Holmes led 23 laps.

With his runner-up finish, Holmes retained his lead in the championship standings with 535 points. The victory propelled Bowles, meanwhile, to second with 503 points. The battle for this season’s championship has quickly turned into a continuation of last year’s campaign, with Holmes and Bowles leading the way. Pursley is currently third in the standings with 490 points, followed by David with 457 points and David Mayhew with 441. Although Mayhew ran with the leaders throughout much of the event at Phoenix, in the final laps he faded to a 14th-place finish with a burned alternator wire. Rounding out the top 10 of the standings are Koch at 431, Moses Smith at 427, Harraka at 419, Thompson at 411 and Jim Warn at 376.

Koch has edged out front in the chase for this year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. Koch has 28 points, followed by Harraka and Jonathon Gomez with 26 points each. Bow Carpenter trails with eight points.

Bowles with the victory earns a place in the post-season NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown event, where he finished third this past year, and advances to second in the championship fight.

The Californian race winner returns to the cockpit on April 25th, with the NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 presented by Exclusive Energy Drink at Madera Speedway. The event will mark the first NASCAR Camping World West Series start by Bowles at the California oval.