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Souza, who started 11th, had to overcome problems of his own. He had a flat tire early in the race and had to pit under green-flag conditions. He steadily worked his way to the front, making up many spaces late in the race. The 43-year-old driver from Aromas, Calif., was making only his 10th start in the NASCAR Camping World Series West. He has run only select events since first competing in the series in 2004, focusing primarily on road course races.
Eric Holmes, who leads the championship standings, tried to battle back throughout the race after encountering early trouble. After pitting with a flat tire, he ended up losing a lap while serving a pit road penalty. Holmes worked his way back onto the lead lap, but then limped to the finish with another flat on the final lap. Nevertheless, he was able to hold onto his lead in the point standings with 1,621 markers. Bowles remains second with 1,564, while David moved to third with 1,511.
Cheers: Bennett Lane Winery Sponsors West Race At Infineon
April 8, 2008 - 8:30pm
Sonoma, Calif. — Infineon Raceway and Bennett Lane Winery have entered into a multi-year partnership that will make the Napa winery the title sponsor of the Saturday race at the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend, officials from both companies announced.
Bennett Lane Winery will become title sponsor of the NASCAR Camping World Series West event, which will take place on Saturday, June 21. The event will be called the Bennett Lane Winery 200, and will serve as the main event on Saturday of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 event weekend, June 20-22.
“It's a thrill to be able to combine my two favorite things — wine and NASCAR racing — and I'm excited to share Bennett Lane's award-winning wines with NASCAR fans right here in our own backyard,” said Randy Lynch, owner of Bennett Lane Winery.
This marks a continuation in the motor-sports industry for Bennett Lane Winery, which won the 2007 NASCAR West Series championship behind driver Mike David.
Bennett Lane will field a second car in 2008, named for its signature red wine blend Maximus — it will be driven by P.J. Jones at the Bennett Lane Winery 200 on June 21. “Team Maximus” is led by Randy’s wife, Lisa Lynch, who created a light-hearted family rivalry with the debut of the No. 24 Maximus car at Infineon Raceway in 2007.
“Our family thrives on competition,” says Lisa. “And once fans get a taste of Maximus, there’s no doubt whom they’ll be rooting for.”
The two-year partnership also includes a display in Infineon Raceway’s new fan entertainment zone, “The Pulse,” during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend, where Bennett Lane’s “Maximus” will be available for purchase by the glass.
“We are delighted to associate the raceway’s premiere event weekend with a premium vintner like Bennett Lane Winery and with a gentleman like Randy Lynch, who has been so involved with our sport,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. “I’m also glad our fans will have a chance to sample some of Bennett Lane’s outstanding wines.”
Mike David & the Lynch Racing team worked hard and long with great results at the US Cellular 200 over the weekend of May 18th. This race had both the East & West racing series together at one event. Mike qualified in the 30th position out of 44 cars to start the US Cellular 200 race and had very strong finish in the 16th position overall. His position was fourth among NASCAR Camping World Series West, allowing him to maintain his series points lead by 50 points over Eric Holmes. In Sunday’s combination event, drivers received points in relation to other drivers in their own series.
The Lynch Racing Team has a 50 point lead in the NASCAR Camping World Series with the upcoming road course of Sonoma Hills at the Bennett Lane Winery 200 on June 21.
April 11, 2008
AVONDALE, Ariz. – A new car and a big gamble paid off for Mike David.
A week after taking delivery of a new chassis, David drove the No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Toyota to victory in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. It was the seventh career victory for the defending NASCAR Camping World Series West champion.
“It’s great,” said David of his first win at the one-mile flat track. “It’s kind of a relief, too. This track has a lot of history. To bring home the trophy is important.”
David outran runner-up Nick Lynch (No. 29 Mr. Gas Dodge) on a green-white-checkered finish that concluded the event at the scheduled 150 miles. Jeff Jefferson (No. 42 MJ2 Racing/Gran Prix Imports Chevrolet) edged Brett Thompson (No. 61 PetsBest.com/Windmill Inn Chevrolet) for third place. Rookie Jeff Barkshire was fifth in the No. 46 Centennial Batteries/SPE Dodge.
David caught a break on lap 87 when race leader Eric Holmes ran out of gas. This allowed David, who hadn’t pitted yet either, to come in and fill up.
“They were hollering at me on the radio, ‘Save gas!’” David said. “I was rolling off the gas – letting off way early and just trying to save as much as I could.”
As Holmes coasted to a halt on the back stretch and brought out the caution, David and Co. knew they got lucky. Crew chief Mario Isola estimated they were a lap and a half away from having to come in for a green-flag pit stop.
“Basically it’s one of those deals that you do what the leader does,” Isola said. “Fortunately for us, the leader ran out of fuel. We just stayed out and hoped for the caution and it all worked out for us.”
David led 24 laps, including the final 12, to take over the points lead. He has 350, followed by Moses Smith with 301, Jefferson with 295 and Holmes with 294.
David finished third in that first race March 29 in a Ford. But car owner Randy Lynch elected to run a spec engine on the bigger tracks on the schedule and switched manufacturers for the race. The chassis arrived following the first race and the team spent the week working all hours to get the car done for the race and install the spec motor.
“We put it in there and built this thing in seven days – from the ground up basically,” Isola said. “It’s kind of unbelievable. We thought there was no way we’d get this done. But once we got going, we didn’t have a choice.”
With the victory, David joins Holmes as having earned a secure spot in the postseason NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in January of 2009.
BENNETT LANE WINERY RACE TEAM WINS CHAMPIONSHIP
Driver Mike David Maintained a Strong Lead Throughout the 2007 Season; Placed in Third in Last Race of Season to Win the Championship for the Bennett Lane Team
It was an exciting end to an exciting NASCAR season for Bennett Lane Winery owners Randy and Lisa Lynch, whose NASCAR West team won their first Western series championship last Saturday, September 15th at the Altamont Motorsports Speedway in Tracy, California. The Bennett Lane car finished in third place in the last race of the season, thanks to the skill of driver Mike David, giving the team a 114-point lead in the NASCAR West series with 2,013 points overall, and securing their championship win. The Bennett Lane team has been invited to compete in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown invitational at Irwindale Speedway on October 20th, where the best of the NASCAR West series compete against the best of the Busch East Series in this exhibition race.
The yellow and purple Bennett Lane Winery Ford started off well in the Altamont race, holding onto a strong position in the first half. Midway through the race, driver Mike David ran into some difficulty when the car’s transmission went out, leaving David with only high gears for the remainder of the race. Despite the broken transmission and losing time during restarts David was able to make a quick recovery, finish the Altamont race in third place and hold onto his first place title in the Western series.
Randy and Lisa Lynch, the first and only vintners to own a NASCAR team, couldn’t be more thrilled with the Bennett Lane team’s success this season. “We’re very proud of our driver Mike David and the entire Bennett Lane team. We couldn’t have done it without all of their hard work and dedication this season,” commented Randy Lynch.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Lynch Racing
No. 2 Bennett Lane Team
Modesto, CA (Aug 5, 2007) – Mike David and the no. 2 Bennett Lane Winery/Injury Helpline.com team are looking to secure their NASCAR Grand National Division West Series championship effort as they next head to the road course of California Speedway on August 11, 2007. Driver Mike David and the team increased their lead over the second place driver and are now 125 points ahead of the two time series champion Mike Duncan.
David comes away from the historic oval of Evergreen Speedway with a third place finish on August 4th. David qualified the no. 2 Bennett Lane Winery Ford in fourth and finished in third place.
“Evergreen Speedway has an old surface and is hard to get a hold of which was one of the challenges of racing there,” said David. “It was a challenge for both the driver and the crew. That makes it fun to race at. I can’t wait to go back.”
The event was a 300-lap race which required multiple pit stops. Rules required that tires and fuel be taken on different stops and that only four crew members could go over the wall at any stop.
“Crew chief Mario Isola and the Bennett Lane crew made the car better during all the pit stops,” continued David, “but we were still bit off. During the last 100 laps we were just trying to save as much of the tires we could and get a good finish.”
The road course at California will be yet another new track for the team and the West Series this season.
“I don’t have a lot of experience on road courses but I like them,” said David. “It’s something different and fun for the driver. Pit stops will be the key to a good finish. I feel we have the best team on pit road which is a big advantage at every track, not just the road course.”
The team will take the green at California Speedway Saturday August 11th. For tickets and race event information, please logon to www.californiaspeedway.com.
For more information about the Bennett Lane Racing Team and to see the racing schedule updates, please visit www.bennettlane.com or www.lynchracing.com.
About Bennett Lane Winery
Off the race track, Bennett Lane Winery is located in an understated Mediterranean-style building at the secluded and beautiful northern end of the Napa Valley, and boasts terrific wines for a great value. Bennett Lane produces four wines: a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45), a 350-case lot of “Primus” Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($100), a 175-case lot of Primus Los Carneros Reserve Chardonnay ($45), and Maximus ($28), a nontraditional blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, and Petit Verdot affectionately referred to on the label as a “red feasting wine.” Bennett Lane Winery recently released the first vintage of White Maximus ($28), a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and a touch of Muscat, and it’s already being hailed by visitors to the Bennett Lane tasting room as the perfect aromatic summer wine.
Located at 3340 Highway 128, approximately two miles north of Calistoga, Bennett Lane Winery is open to the public daily from 10:00 am to 5:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to taste four of Bennett Lane’s wines ($7) and to use the winery’s picnic area. The friendly tasting room staff is happy to give tours of the winery. Every Saturday, the winery offers special dark chocolate and Maximus pairings. For more information about Bennett Lane Winery go to www.bennettlane.com or call 707.942.6684, or toll free at 1.877.MAX.NAPA.
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
May 20, 2007
3340 Highway
128
Race
Marks the First “Battle Of The Lynches” as Bennett Lane Winery
Owner Randy Lynch’s Bennett Lane Car Goes Up
Against Wife Lisa Lynch’s New Maximus Car
(
The Lynches are also excited
to announce the addition of a new car to the Bennett Lane Winery team: the Maximus car, whose team will be managed by Lisa Lynch.
“We’ve got one major problem in our family: competition,”
comments Randy Lynch. “There’s two sides to every story,” “My
husband always talks about how he thrives on competition so I thought I’d
show him some serious competition,” says Lisa Lynch.
The new car is a black Ford Fusion
and will make its debut at Infineon, sporting the
gold label of the winery’s flagship wine, Maximus—a
unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Owner Lisa Lynch’s new black and gold Maximus
car will be driven by P.J. Jones, son of
The second largest sport in
the United States, NASCAR followers have traditionally been beer-swilling
drinkers, rather than wine aficionados, but Bennett Lane Winery’s plan is
to change that—one race at a time. “I think there is a huge
untapped market out there in the racing world—with team owners, drivers,
teams and fans—that are all looking to learn about and try good wine,”
Randy Lynch says.
The schedule for the remainder of the NASCAR West season is below:
June 30
July 4 Irwindale Speedway—
July 14
Aug. 4 Evergreen
Aug. 11
Sept. 15
For more information about
the Bennett Lane Racing Team and to see racing schedule updates, please visit www.bennettlane.com or www.lynchracing.com
About
Off the race track, Bennett
Lane Winery is located in an understated Mediterranean-style building at the
secluded and beautiful northern end of the
Located at 3340 Highway 128,
approximately two miles north of Calistoga, Bennett Lane Winery is open to the
public daily from 10:00 am to 5:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to taste four of
Bennett Lane’s wines ($7) and to use the winery’s picnic area. The
friendly tasting room staff is happy to give tours of the winery. Every
Saturday, the winery offers special dark chocolate and Maximus
pairings. For more information about Bennett Lane Winery go to www.bennettlane.com
or call 707.942.6684, or toll free at 1.877.MAX.NAPA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SET UP AN
INTERVIEW, CONTACT Wayne Lynch- Lynch Racing Team AT 925-207-7789