Lamar Finds Success on Series Again

Maybe Burney Lamar ought to race in the NASCAR Grand National West series a little more often.

Making his third start of the season for owner Kevin Harvick, Lamar took the lead on Lap 86 and won the Relocate Here 200 presented by San Bernardino County on Friday at California Speedway.

But the race was largely a snoozer. Lamar won by 0.704 of a second over Ramona driver Johnny Borneman, but third-place Mike Duncan of Bakersfield finished more than seven seconds behind in the 100-lap race.

Lamar is racing this season in the Southwest Series, one Busch race, three Craftsman Truck races, one ARCA race, and four West races.

“He obviously showed he had the best car here tonight,” said Duncan, who is second in the standings and started fifth.

“He’s a good driver. That’s why Kevin hired him.”

It was the second win in three West races for Lamar, who also won at Phoenix and finished sixth at Mesa Marin.

Lamar, of West Sacramento, started seventh in his HPS/Groeniger Chevrolet, and easily held off Borneman’s Ford.

It was the first time in 10 races that the series ran a true night race on the two-mile D-shaped oval. Twelve of the first 23 laps, 18 of the first 42, and 27 of the first 62 laps were run under caution.

The race lasted 1 hour 56 minutes 35 seconds, with an average speed of 102.931 mph. When the race went green for good, the average speed was under 100 mph.

Pole-sitter David Gilliland led 46 of the first 55 laps but pitted much later than the other early front-runners, but lost a transmission after pitting and completed only 78 laps.

Duncan had the lead with 38 laps to go, but Scott Gaylord of Lakewood, Colo., passed him on the restart. Lamar picked off Gaylord on Lap 77, and Borneman on Lap 86.

Sarah Fisher, a former Indycar driver who is transitioning into NASCAR, started sixth but her Napa Chevrolet blew an engine on Lap 29 while running 11th. She finished 22nd in the 25-car field.