IRWINDALE, Calif. — Competitors in the NASCAR Grand National Division West Series beware. Brian Ickler and his NAPA-sponsored Bill McAnally Racing team are on a roll, having won two races in four days.
The second-year driver captured his first victory in Roseburg, Ore., June 30. He followed that up four days later on the Fourth of July, triumphing at Irwindale Speedway.
“It still hasn’t hit me that we won that first one,” Ickler said. “We haven’t been home. I’ve been on the road since three or four weeks before Sonoma, working on these cars,” he said of preparing the BMR Chevrolets for three races in 12 days.
The back-to-back wins mark a significant turnaround for the 21-year-old San Diego driver.
“The whole year we’ve had unbelievable race cars,” he pointed out. “We’ve qualified decent and moved our way to the front every time, but just had horrible luck. We went back to basics that you make your own luck. We’ve been putting in the extra hours at the shop. The whole team’s been contributing, and it’s all clicking now.”
His biggest challenge through most of the Irwindale race came from polesitter Eric Holmes. The pair waged a fierce battle throughout the 200-lap race, trading the lead nine times.
Two-time series champion Mike Duncan, who fell to the back of the pack after spinning just before the midway point of the race, moved through the field to make it a three-wide battle for the lead in the closing laps. Ickler beat Duncan by .956 second, while Holmes finished third.
Jason Patison came home fourth, with point-leader Mike David fifth.
The finish:
Showing driver, car, laps completed and money won: 1. Brian Ickler, Chevrolet, 200, $6,250; 2. Mike Duncan, Chevrolet, 200, $4,250; 3. Eric Holmes, Chevrolet, 200, $3,500; 4. Jason Patison, Ford, 200, $1,700; 5. Mike David, Ford, 200, $3,250; 6. Brett Thompson, Chevrolet, 200, $2,150; 7. Tim McCreadie, Chevrolet, 200, $1,300; 8. Eric Richardson, Chevrolet, 200, $2,300; 9. Johnny Borneman, Ford, 200, $1,975; 10. Jim Inglebright, Chevrolet, 200, $1,950; 11. Jason Bowles, Ford, 200, $1,925; 12. Justin Lofton, Ford, 200, $1,400; 13. Andrew Myers, Chevrolet, 200, $1,850; 14. Eric Hardin, Chevrolet, 200, $1,250; 15. Stan Silva, Jr., Chevrolet, 199, $1,250; 16. Alex Haase, Chevrolet, 199, $1,250; 17. Lloyd Mack, Ford, 198, $1,000; 18. Mike Gallegos, Ford, 195, $1,750; 19. David Mayhew, Chevrolet, 190, $1,000; 20. Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 173, $1,500; 21. Moses Smith, Chevrolet, 134, $1,250; 22. Ryan Foster, Chevrolet, 120, $1,250; 23. Jose Luis Ramirez, Ford, 111, $1,250; 24. Tim Woods III, Ford, 103, $1,250; 25. Daryl Harr, Chevrolet, 84, $1,250; 26. Jack Sellers, Chevrolet, 58, $1,250; 27. Linny White, Chevrolet, 52, $1,000; 28. Thomas Martin, Chevrolet, 28, $1,000; 29. Greg Pursley, Ford, 18, $1,000; 30. Jeff Barkshire, Dodge, 15, $1,000.