David Wraps Up Strong Season with Second in Points Championship

Sunday afternoon at Altamont Motorsports Park, Mike David and Lynch Racing Team came close to their first NASCAR Autozone West Series title, but a string of bad luck relegated the team to a 12th place finish.

David was looking to finish at least eight spots ahead of friend and rival Eric Holmes of Escalon, CA.

In qualifying, David placed the Bennett Lane Winery Ford Fusion fourth on the grid for the 200 lap "October Classic" grind.

After surviving the final 10 laps of the first 100 lap segment with a flat, the Lynch Racing Team got David back on track and put him in contention for the title once more.

On lap 182, however, Andrew Lewis lost an engine and as a result David made hard contact with the turn four wall. During a yellow flag pit stop David lost a lap making repairs and eventually retired from the event on lap 192 with a broken swaybar.

It was a tough end of the regular season for a team that had excelled, with nine top-fives, six top-tens, and two wins in 12 starts.

"It was a good season but I'm obviously disappointed," David said. "I knew the guys would do all they could to get me back out. Nobody on this team gives up."

Highlighting the season for Lynch Racing included winning both hometown Stockton events, and taking the pole at Texas in September.

"We achieved all of our goals except obviously the championship," David said. "There were a few disappointments but the entire season was great and a lot of fun."

Some of the success of the team can be attributed to David melding well with crew chief Mario Isola.

"I got along well with Mario and we communicated well," David said. "We were on the same page most of the time and he understood what I said about the car."

This budding relationship, along with the growth of the rest of the team, has David eying an 07 run at the championship.

"We had a lot of new people on our team this year," David said. "The more you work together, the better you'll get. We'll be even better next year." Now Lynch Racing Team turns its attention to the Toyota All Star Showdown, Friday and Saturday night in Irwindale, CA. The event pits the top-15 in the points from both the Autozone West and Busch East Series in a pair of 50 lap heats on Friday and a 150 lap feature Saturday.

More than $300,000 in awards are up for grabs in the race being televised live on SPEED both nights.

"I think we are bringing an even better car this time to Irwindale then we did last time," David said. "The car we're taking is better suited to win this race. It would be great to win it and get a new Toyota on top of that."

Fans can learn more about Mike David and Lynch Racing by visiting www.lynchracingteam.com