Eric “Bubba” Nascimento Jr. was so far out front in the Pro Late Model main event at Stockton 99 Speedway on Saturday night he even dedicated a few laps in the second half of the feature to helping a newcomer.
Nascimento, of Ripon, started fourth in the seven-car field and drove inside of Chris Monez of Turlock on lap 5 on his way to the checkered flag. Nascimento led the last 71 laps of the race, which totaled 76 laps in honor of the legendary speedway’s 76 years in existence.
“I can’t thank all of my guys at the shop enough,” Nascimento said, as fans grabbed mini-candies off the hood of his No. 21 machine.
With his dad, Eric Nascimento, at Madera on Saturday, Bubba said he “came out here with a couple of guys. I can almost do it myself, with just a little help.”
Nascimento said he knew Friday the car was dialed in, “good enough to not have to spend $1,000 on a set of tires.” In addition to saving a grand on tires, Nascimento earned $5,000 for the win.
Nascimento pulled away to a lead of more than half of Stockton’s quarter-mile paved oval as the race rolled under the green flag over its first 65 laps.
With the race heading into its final 26 laps, Nascimento lapped David Lewellen, who exited to the pits a short time later, and Stockton’s Daniel Devore before approaching Oakdale’s Hayden Stepps, who Nascimento lapped earlier in the race. Only Nascimento stayed several car-lengths behind the 15-year-old Stepps until the race’s only caution flag waved on lap 66. Turns out he was helping Stepps, who was driving in her first Pro Late Model main event and earlier placed second in the Legends of 99 feature.
“I was just following her line, seeing where I could help,” Nascimento said, adding he helped Stepps throughout the weekend. Nascimento relayed information to his spotter, whose “buddy was talking to the 98 (Stepps’ car number).
“She got better,” Nascimento said. “She finished fifth in her first race ever in a Late Model here.”
Nascimento registered the quickest lap in the main event at 14.499 seconds. Monez was second, 2.743 seconds behind the winner, and Hendrick Gaalswyk of Modesto was third, 3.104 seconds behind.
Before the sun set on a cool, breezy evening, Natalie Harper earned her first “adult” victory in the 25-lap NorCal Mini Stock main event. Harper, 16 of Stockton, drove her Honda CRX to a 3.223-second victory over runner-up Leilani Sprenkel of Linden.
“It’s really exciting, to be honest,” Harper said. “I’ve been waiting. It’s long overdue, but we finally got it done tonight.”
Starting in go-karts when she was 5 and moving to cars at the age of 10, the teenager won two Junior B4 championships before moving to the NorCal Mini Stock division, finishing third in points last season. Harper attends Stockton Early College Academy and boasts a 4.8 grade-point average. She’s setting her college sights high, gunning for either Harvard or Rice.
Stockton’s Barrett Sugden started on the pole and led the first half of the race with Ethan Rumsey of Stockton on his back bumper in the straights and taking the low line to battle for the lead in the turns. Rumsey tapped Sugden’s bumper going into turn 1 on lap 13. Sugden held on and corrected, but they came together again in the backstretch and when they entered turn 3, Rumsey lost his back rear tire. Rumsey was noticeably upset after exiting his car as the field circled the track under caution.
Sugden maintained the lead on the restart but was blowing smoke when the race went green. Harper quickly reeled in Sugden and went inside for the lead in turn 1 on lap 17. Harper drove away to the checkered flag, and Sprenkel passed Sugden for second on lap 24.
“I thought I could get into his bumper pretty easily, so once I got the inside, I knew I had to take the opportunity,” Harper said of passing Sugden, then turning her focus to winning. “I was asking my dad (Richard Harper) on the radio, how many laps are left, how many laps are left?”
Entering the front stretch on the final lap, Harper said, “Honestly, I started crying. I was really excited.”
Calvin Hegjer of Sacramento scored a comfortable victory in the 30-lap Grand American Modified main event with Tracy’s Scott Winters second and Sammy Nuno third. Hegjer was .982 of a second ahead of Winters at the checkered flag.
David Goodwill of Napa started on the pole and won the 20-lap NCMA Sprint feature with a 1.488-second margin over runner-up Dan Gonderman of Antioch.
Racing returns next Saturday, May 10, with six divisions in action: Stockton Late Model, NorCal Mini Stock, Legends of Kearney Bowl, Pure Stock, NCMA-style Sprint Cars and Fast Kar Solutions Mini Modified.
Tickets are $20 for adults ages 16-59 and $15 for juniors 11-15, seniors 60 and up and military with ID. A family four-pack (two adults, two juniors) costs $55, and kids 10 and under are admitted free.
Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and admission gates at 5 with racing at 6.
In addition, the Stockton Dirt Track, located at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, will be hosting two Monster Truck Madness shows on Saturday, May 10, at 3 and 7:30 p.m.
