As Devon Ostheimer pulled his red and blue No. 57 car into the pit area Sept. 3 at Irwindale’s Toyota Speedway, fresh off completing his first Late Models victory on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the Morgan Hill native’s headset crackled to life with the voice of High Point Racing owner Tim Huddleston. Just the person Ostheimer wanted to hear
As Devon Ostheimer pulled his red and blue No. 57 car into the pit area Sept. 3 at Irwindale’s Toyota Speedway, fresh off completing his first Late Models victory on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, the Morgan Hill native’s headset crackled to life with the voice of High Point Racing owner Tim Huddleston.
Just the person Ostheimer wanted to hear.
“Congratulations,” Huddleston yelled. “You’re the (expletive) man!”
It was the start to a celebration Ostheimer had long waited to share with his team, a supporting cast — in every sense — that has stood by the 17-year-old during a windy rookie season filled with hard-luck races and close calls at victory lane.
This one was for “them.”
“It was a huge win for us,” Ostheimer said. “It has been a tough year, but my team has had my back through all the ups and downs. I’m starting to do what I’ve got to do to get it done.”
Ostheimer capitalized on a rare
top-six qualifying effort for the first of two feature races. He led all 30 laps, hitting his spots consistently to fend off teammate Brandon Davis, the reigning track and state champion from Huntington Beach.
“I started first and never looked back,” Ostheimer said. “I just stayed focus on making the car run as smooth as possible and didn’t worry about what the other drivers did.”
Ostheimer was coming off another wire-to-wire victory Aug. 27 in S2 Limited Late Models, also a career first. The Late Models triumph, however, was much more gratifying.
“It was long overdue,” Ostheimer said. “It was one of those races where we just wanted to win after I qualified so well. I’ve been struggling with that.
“I feel like we righted the ship a little bit”
The second feature on ended early for Ostheimer. He started seventh and had climbed into fourth when his car was entangled in a large pileup, a painful reminder of the highs and lows of racing.
It did not quell the Sobrato High senior’s optimism. Ostheimer is sixth in points out of 52 drivers in Auto Club Late Models and is in prime position to take Rookie of the Year honors and challenge for state and national titles in 2012.
“Now we’re out in front, and we want to stay there,” Ostheimer said. “We’ve got some momentum going into these last few races. I want to get some more wins.”
