By Vincent Delforge, special to KickinTheTires.net
It was a little over six years after the 100th race that the 200th took place in ARCA Menards West Series history. ARCA West was still called the NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model Division at the time. The 200th race was held in Tracy, CA on the half mile paved oval of Altamont Motorsports Park.
The Altamont 100 presented by Chevron will be dominated by one man, Marvin Porter. The latter had already won the 100th race. But this time there will be no one to challenge his performance. After taking pole position, he led the race from start to finish at the wheel of his Ford No. 1 entered by Carl Dane. This is Porter’s 11th and final career victory.
If Bruce Worrell and his Mercury entered by Bob Bristol finished second ‘only’ five seconds behind Porter, it was only thanks to the various yellow flags. Marvin Panch, also on a Mercury, entered by Bill Clinton, finished third and last driver in the lap of the leader.
This race was complicated for the vast majority of the 20 starters. Note that Jim Marine did not qualify. Indeed only nine of them will finish the race. Ren Reugebrink gets his last career top 10 by being the last to take the checkered flag with his Chevrolet entered by Jack Norton but 32 laps behind Porter! He had however obtained his best career qualification with the third position.
The three yellow flags were caused by accidents involving two cars each time. The first eliminating Ron Hornaday and Vel Rogers, the second with Walt Ross and Scotty Cain and finally the last around the 60th lap with Dave Logan and Bob McDonald.
The future 1966 champion Jack McCoy, having himself had to give up, will still be ranked in ninth position. His only top-10 in the last five races of the championship. He had just obtained nine consecutive top-10s. And fortunately for him that Ray Elder had already given up earlier in the race, ranked 14th, because this small difference in points will be decisive for the awarding of the championship at the end of the season. McCoy winning the tittle with 2552 points, just 18 ahead of Elder.
Complete race results: www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1966_Altamont_100_Presented_by_Chevron/P/
Featured Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of Jim Meyer via Vincent Delforge’s archives.