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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. The NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series championship will be decided in the season finale Dan Gamel RV Centers 200 at Altamont Motorsports Park near Tracy, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 15.
Mike David (No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Ford) jumped into an early lead in the championship standings this season and has maintained a steady pace throughout the year in hopes of capturing his first series title. He holds a commanding 95-point lead over two-time series champion Mike Duncan (No. 9 Lucas Oil/Rons Rear Ends Chevrolet) heading to Altamont and can wrap up the title by finishing 22nd or better there.
David acknowledges the odds are in his favor, especially considering that Altamont is his home track and that he took the win when the series visited the half-mile oval early this season. But with Duncan second in points, David is not taking anything for granted.
Weve got Duncan behind us and hes come from behind before, David said. We cant let our guard down. Hes got the experience. Hes won championships before coming from behind in the last race. So, its not automatic by any means. Despite his sizeable points lead, David does not plan to change his strategy for the event. Were going to approach it like we have every race this year, to do as well as we can and try to win the race, said the 40-year-old Modesto, Calif., driver. Our main plan this year was just to go to every race track and run well. I think weve done that. Thats why were going to try to not deviate from what weve been doing.
David has had podium finishes in seven of 12 races this season. He has not failed to finish a race all season and considers that possibility as his biggest threat in this final event. What would devastate our program would be a parts failure or an early crash or something, David said.
A year ago, David went to Altamont for the final race with a 47-point deficit. After suffering a flat tire and finishing 13th, he watched as his long-time friend and competitor Eric Holmes overcame problems to win the championship. Now David hopes to take the title home.
The West Series championship has been the focus of David and car owner Randy Lynch since joining the circuit. Its a goal that we set out when we started this thing, said David, who won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in 2002. That was one of our goals to win this championship. It would be gratifying. It would mean a lot.
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NASCAR MODIFIEDS...WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. LET'S REMIND NASCAR OF THEIR ROOTS.
