2009 Local Tracks

Ranuio Cruises to His Second Victory in a Row,
While Coonfield Wins His Second of the Season

The New Stockton 99 Speedway was back in action on Saturday, April 25, with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series Western Late Models in a 40 Lap feature event. Also on tap on the “Little Bristol of the West” were the always exciting ALSC/Street Stock Division in their 30 Lap feature romp. Capping off the night, 25 Enduros showed up to put on a wet and wild show in front of a very appreciative crowd.

In Western Late Model action, the #27 of Vito Ranuio started on point with the #30 of Frank Farran on the outside. Farran slid up the track between one and two on lap 1 and Joe Allen's #75 capitalized on the situation moving in behind Ranuio. The two battled for the top spot for 2 laps until Ranuio captured the lead on lap 3, never to relinquish it. He did, however, have to overcome a strong challenge mounted by the #05 of Justin Philpott mid-race. Philpott pressured the #27 for 10 laps, but Ranuio managed to hold Philpott off through traffic to cruise to his second win in a row and third overall of this young 2009 Season. The win tonight will keep Ranuio atop the Season's Point Standings with the young Philpott following close in second. Trophy Dash winner Todd Corrall #16 finished a strong third while #50 David Philpott and the #75 of Joe Allen rounded out the top five.

The ALSC/Street Stock Division got off to a rather shaky start. Trophy Dash winner Joey Stearns #8 led the field to the green, but a solo spin by the #32 of Jacob Cardoza drew an early yellow on lap two. On lap four, a second yellow fell as the #55 of Tony Schmitz crashed hard into the backstretch wall after contact with the #75 of Chad Holman, ending his night. On the restart, Pete Anderson Sr.'s #85 jumped quickly to the lead. The #25 of Aaron Coonfield fell in line behind him applying heavy pressure until lap 11 when the #75x of Jim Earl spun and brought out the third caution of the night. Anderson Sr. opted to restart on the outside allowing Coonfield to start in the number one slot. Coonfield jumped out to the point, and, although Anderson Sr. applied heavy pressure for the remainder of the race, Coonfield escaped with his second victory of the season. The race was plagued by two more cautions on lap 13 and lap 20, but didn't have any affect on the outcome. Joey Stearns finished a close third followed by Chad Holman and Jacob Cardoza rounding out the top five.

The evening was capped off by the always crowd-pleasing Enduros, and they certainly did not disappoint. The #21 of Jake Pitt and Robbie Knittle in his #3 led the field to the green on the wet and soapy surface. Pitt and the #2 of David Papst Jr waged war for the first 50 laps until Papst managed to secure the lead and pull away. Pitt continued to fade as it looked as though he was suffering from transmission problems. The #44 of Rick Bentz squeaked by Pitt to gain control of second. An intermission was called at the end of 100 laps so the teams could gas-up and make repairs. Papst Jr. was leading with Bentz in second.  Due to time constraints, the race was cut from 199 laps to 159 laps.  Papst Jr. dominated the second half followed closely by Bentz.  But, on lap 159, it was Papst sliding past the checkers for the win.  The #02 of Joe Addison finished 2 laps down in third, followed by Loren Chitwood in the #13x and the 52x of Darren Piper to round out the top five.

Come join the fun and excitement next Saturday, May 2, as the New Stockton 99 Speedway presents USAC night at the races. An open-wheel extravaganza featuring USAC Western Sprint Cars, USAC Midgets, USAC Ford Focus Midgets, NCMA Sprint Cars, Grand American Modified 99 laps, and the always popular Legends of the Pacific. The Grandstands open at 3:00 PM, with qualifying at 4:30 PM and Green-Flag racing at 6:00 PM.

Friday, Apr. 24, 2009

Local Motorsports: Stockton's Ranuio makes successful return to racing

By Kelly Jones
kjones@modbee.com

Vito Ranuio gave up racing at age 18 to start his career.

After launching a successful trucking company, the Stockton native returned to his speedy roots.

Ranuio, 29, has won two of the first five Western Late Model races at The New Stockton 99 Speedway. He leads the standings with 232 points, just ahead of Tracy's Justin Philpott (214).

Ranuio plans to run 22 races at Stockton and six at Roseville's All-American Speedway as he pursues a track and state championships.

It wouldn't be his first racing title — Ranuio gave up go-karting shortly after winning a IKF 125cc shifter championship. He drives the No. 27 car, the same number he ran on his go-karts.

"I got back into racing last year because I missed it so much," Ranuio said. "Stockton's real close to home and I heard from the old-timers it's one of the most fun tracks to drive.

"They get a good crowd there and it's close for my family and friends to go. There's about 30 of them there every weekend."

He raced at Madera Speedway, All-American Speedway and Altamont Motorsports Park last season, but is a newcomer to Stockton — which re-opened this season after a two-year hiatus.

Ranuio said he didn't do very well anywhere, maybe finishing in the top 5 once or twice, and would have been more discouraged if it weren't for the help of his crew and racers like the Belletto family of Modesto.

Ranuio set a track record last week with a qualifying time of 14.096 seconds around the ¼-mile track. He beat a 17-car field that included former Stockton 99 regulars Harry and Jeff Belletto, Kyle Gottula, Mike Beeler, Ron Robeck and David Philpott.

"It feels good to beat those guys, guys who have a lot of knowledge," Ranuio said. "This year we worked hard to figure out how we could win."