Full Throttle

Eric Holmes dashed to an early lead and barely looked back en route to becoming a repeat winner in the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 before a sold out crowd at All American Speedway on Saturday night.

The victory, which marked his seventh career win in the NASCAR Camping World Series West, moved the defending champion atop the points standing in his quest for a third series title in four years.

Holmes, who started third on the grid, darted to the inside of pole sitter Jason Bowles on the second lap of the race. He set sail from there, pulling away from the field and showing his prowess in slicing his way through lapped traffic around the tight third-mile oval.

“I got by Jason early,” Holmes said. “I wanted to get out front and lead some laps. “I had an excellent car. Ty Joiner and the whole BMR team gave me a great NAPA Toyota Camry.

“Last lap finishes like Texas are a lot of fun, but these are more fun for my team, to have such a dominant car,” he said. “It was an easy car to drive and I was just patient all night.”

Bowles pursued Holmes, but in the closing laps found himself having to hold off Holmes’ rookie teammate Paulie Harraka. Following Holmes, Bowles and Harraka across the line were David Mayhew and Blake Koch.

A year ago, Holmes used a victory in the event at All American Speedway to launch his drive to the 2008 championship, to go with his 2006 title.

TOYOTA/NAPA AUTO PARTS 150 Results

Lap length: 0.333 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (3) Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif., Toyota, 150 laps, 67.576 mph, $8,100.
2. (1) Jason Bowles, Ontario, Calif., Ford, 150, $6,000.
3. (2) Paulie Harraka, Fairlawn, N.J., Toyota, 150, $3,875.
4. (4) David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif., Chevrolet, 150, $2,250.
5. (9) Blake Koch, West Palm Beach, Fla., Chevrolet, 150, $2,600.
6. (12) Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif., Chevrolet, 150, $3,500.
7. (5) Mike David, Modesto, Calif., Toyota, 149, $2,300.
8. (7) Moses Smith, Tempe, Ariz., Toyota, 149, $2,250.
9. (14) Wes Banks, Oakdale, Calif., Ford, 148, $2,225.
10. (13) Johnathan Hale, Rio Linda, Calif., Chevrolet, 147, $2,177.
11. (15) Jim Inglebright, Fairfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 146, $2,150.
12. (6) Jonathan Gomez, Twin Falls, Idaho, Chevrolet, 145, $2,100.
13. (16) Jack Sellers, Sacramento, Calif., Chevrolet, 145, $2,075.
14. (17) Phil Dugan, Meridian, Idaho, Ford, 145, $1,550.
15. (10) Brett Thompson, Jerome, Idaho, Chevrolet, 143, $2,025.
16. (8) Jamie Dick, Albuquerque, N.M., Chevrolet, 120, suspension, $2,000.
17. (11) Jim Warn, Aurora, Ore, Chevrolet, 53, overheating, $1,975.
18. (18) Jim Marchino, Modesto, Calif., Ford, 8, ignition, $1,450.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 44 minutes 21 seconds
Margin of Victory: 2.58 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J.Bowles (88.218 mph, 13.589 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 22 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Bowles 1; E. Holmes 2-150.
Standings: 1. E. Holmes, 360; 2. G. Pursley, 335; 3. D. Mayhew, 320; 4. J. Bowles, 313; 5. M. Smith, 312; 6. M. David, 297; 7. B. Koch, 285; 8. P. Harraka, 277; 9. J. Dick, 275; 10. B. Thompson, 273.