Hernandez seeks thrill
of victory
SCOTT LINESBURGH
Record Staff Writer
Published Saturday, Jun 10, 2006
Peter Hernandez wants to win a race, but he realizes that one victory doesn't
make for a championship season.
So Hernandez is content to be winless while sitting in second place in two
different divisions when racing resumes at 6 p.m. today at Stockton 99 Speedway.
He trails Pete Anderson of Stockton in the NASCAR Western Late Model regular
season and Hotwood 1,000 series.
"We want that win, but we're looking at the big picture," Hernandez said. "I've
always said that a win feels good for a weekend, but a championship lasts
forever."
Hernandez, 36, came from Chicago as part of the NASCAR Drive For Diversity
program. He replaced Allison Duncan as the driver for McAnally Racing, and has
done well enough in his first season at Stockton to stay close Anderson, the
steady and consistent defending champion.
"I look at all the talented veterans they have at the track, and we feel pretty
good about where we are," Hernandez said. "Pete Anderson is very good and he's
leading, and there are a lot of other good drivers out there. It's so
competitive, so we're happy we've been able to hang in there."
Hernandez knows he doesn't need wins to compete for titles. Hernandez won the
Mid-American Stock Car Series in 2004 without winning a main event. He finished
in the top five 14 times in the 18-race series which ran at tracks in Iowa,
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
"That's what it takes," Hernandez said. "We figure that if we can stay in the
top five or seven in the main events, we'll be there at the end. But this is
going to be a very long and tough season."
Anderson leads Hernandez 306-282 in the Hotwood series, and Eric Humphries of
Chowchilla is third at 280.
Anderson has a 364-347 edge over Hernandez in the WLM standings, and Guy Guibor
of Manteca has 344.
The WLM drivers will be dealing with a few changes in the rulebook today. Track
promoter Ken Clapp announced he was changing the track's tire rule and adjusting
some of the specifications involving carburetors and shock absorbers.
Drivers have been required to buy their tires at the track and the tires were
left in an impound section during the week. Those rules have been abolished.
"We've loosened some of the rules, hoping to make it easier on the drivers,"
Clapp said. "We want to get our car counts higher, and we hope this helps."
Altamont Motorsports Park in Tracy has made the same changes for its WLM
division. Last weekend, Stockton 99 drew 12 WLM cars, and Altamont had 15.
Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh at (209) 546-8281 or slinesbu@recordnet.com
