SELF TAKES HOME SECOND PLACE FINISH IN STOCKTON LATE MODELS

Steven Blakesley / Michael Self Racing

PARK CITY, UTAH (March 16, 2010) – 19 year-old Michael Self drove his Rockwell Timekeepers Chevrolet to a second place finish in the “Spring Classic 100” at the new Stockton 99 Speedway in Stockton, Calif. on Sunday afternoon.

Self persevered through a race slowed by seven cautions to tie his career best performance in the Western Late Model event around the quarter-mile asphalt oval.

A late race charge saw Self dive to the inside of Eric Schmidt in turn four, but fall short by a nose at the stripe in the $3,000 to win event.

“I think if we had maybe five more laps, we could have won this race,” Self said. “I gave it all I had there at the end.”

After Friday practice was rained out, Self and the Mike Naake-led Motorway Motorsports team set forth for the four practice sessions on Saturday.

Self led all but one session, and followed that up by qualifying second quick in time trials.

Self led every lap in the 10 lap heat and won by over 1 second.

In contrast to Saturday’s cool and breezy night, Sunday afternoon racing was held under clear skies and warm weather.

Self fought a looseness condition while fighting hard and running in the top-three. The young Park City, Utah racer was involved in an incident on a lap 25 restart, but despite minor damage made a charge for the lead underneath Schmidt.

After that failed attempt, Self was shuffled back to fifth through a series of cautions until lap 50 when he moved into third as the leaders crashed. A mix-up on the ensuing restart saw Self maintain third but he was passed by Trevor Schlundt.

Self spent much of the remaining laps chasing down Schlundt in an entertaining battle, until he finally broke through on lap 97. With three laps remaining, Self ended the race by making the hard charge of the weekend and reeling in the leader.

The top-five finish is Self’s fourth in 20 starts since his transition to NASCAR racing after a successful career internationally in karting.

Self will now shift gears towards the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, with a testing day scheduled for Wednesday evening at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., followed by the TOYOTA/NAPA Bonus Challenge 150 at All American on March 26 and 27. The event is the first of 12 on the 2010 series calendar and Self is chasing rookie of the year honors.

Race fans can log on to the all-new www.michaelselfracing.com to learn more about Michael Self Racing.

Michael Self Racing is brought to you by: Viva Auto Group, Inventory Sales Company, Motorway Motorsports, Naake Suspension Specialists, Johnnie Walker Performance, Rockwell Timekeepers, MSquared, and Blakesley Sports Media. Sponsorship inquiries can be forwarded to Steven Blakesley at (916) 316-4854.