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| Results from July 30th, 2010 |
After coming off of a win from July 23rd, the X Motorsports crew were hungry for another.
Sotomayor started the day off with a great surprise, pulling a very low pill, the best of the American Stock division. This would put Matt on the pole for the heat race. After a mishap with a car on the start, heat #1 lined up yet again and started very clean with Matt on the inside and the #44m of Matt Kile on the outside. Sotomayor would gain the lead out of turn 4 as Kile hit the cushion, and the #63 would never look back, scoring his 8th heat win of the season and 4th heat win in a row.
The black and orange Firebird would start 3rd in the dash, trying to capitalize on points with 2 top competitors being out of it. After the first lap, the #63 would find himself once again chasing down the #44m, this time losing by inches which brought the crowd to its feet on the final lap.
The main event would be a challenge, due to Sotomayor having to start 12th after the previous week's win. A second lap incident, however, would change everything. Nearly half of the American Stock main event would get caught up in a turn 2 incident that poured on the backstretch, putting the top 3 in points in reverse order from 3rd to 5th. As the dust settled, the field would double up for the 2nd time, only to be stopped yet again in 2 more laps by another caution flag as the #6w and #0 would collide, sending the #0 into the backstretch wall.
Sotomayor and Silva would take the reigns of the field, leading them to the 2nd restart. After a few laps of battling, the #11 of Billy Nelson suffered a flat tire, leaving him to stop on the track, causing the 3rd caution. The #63 and #56s would start again, this time without cautions. A few laps in, Sotomayor took the lead on a turn 1 inside pass, completing it out of turn 4 of the same lap. Matt would lead the final 7 laps to get his second straight win, making #5 on the year. This ties his amount of wins at Ocean Speedway from the 2009 4-Banger Championship year and would also cut the point lead nearly in half from 51 to 27.
Next week is Test and Tune, followed by an off-week for the American Stocks. Sotomayor plans on coming back refreshed and ready to try for a 3rd win in a row.
07/31/2010 @ 6:22PM
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| Results from June 11th, 2010 |
After a great points night the previous week, the #63 team came to the track with one thing in mind: "Do it all over again."
Things began sour as usual with another typical high pill draw, pulling a 140. Luck would change though, as cars would drop out of the heat race, leaving Sotomayor with a 4th place starting position rather than 6th. The first lap of the heat race was a messy one, with the 1w and 6w cars slamming and scraping from turn 2 all the way onto the front-straight. Coming out of turn 4, Matt managed to fly through a gap between the lead cars, collecting some scratches as he made it to the lead. Never looking back, Sotomayor would claim his 4th heat win of the season.
 The trophy dash was not as friendly as the heat race. A slick spot had began to show in turns 1 and 2, and would claim many victims throughout the night. The #63 Firebird would be one of them. Headed into turn 1 with a great start, Sotomayor would hit the slick spot, spinning him around. The same happened to the #56s car as well the following lap. All was not lost, as Sotomayor would yet again claim fast lap of the race and pick out his line for the main event.
Matt started the main event from the 4th position. This would give him a solid look at the top spot, hoping to pounce early. Sotomayor would get his shot, passing the #44m car into turn 3 on lap 1, claiming the lead. Sotomayor led the remaining laps and finished first, followed by Nelson and Silva. This shaved another 3 points into the point lead for Sotomayor and increased the win total to 3, turning even more heads towards the young rookie.
The next race for the American Stock division is in two weeks, June 25th, 2010. Be sure to catch all the action as they are joined by the Taco Bravo 360 Sprints, Wingless Sprints, and 4-Bangers.
06/14/2010 @ 2:37PM
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| Results from May 28th, 2010 |
3 weeks of top 2 finishes would only be increased this week for the #63 Pontiac Firebird. Although another mid-pack pilldraw was pulled, Matt was confident in the newly created dry-slick setup him and Art had come up with. Matt lined up 7th for heat race 1.
After a couple laps of battling, Sotomayor managed to slip into 3rd place ahead of Bill Sorg. The #10 car would prove difficult to pass, having some problems with turn 4 and wiggling down the front stretch. Matt and the #10 would touch into turn 1, coming out sideways, but managed to save it preventing a yellow flag. The #44 of Matt Kile had a straightaway lead by now, leaving Sotomayor with a 2nd place finish and an entry into the trophy dash.
Matt was confident with his pole starting position, hoping to finally claim the last trophy that has evaded him this year. But this wasn't to be. On the initial start, the #197 would cut down on Sotomayor, causing him to fall behind and settle for a 2nd place finish by inches over a charging Steve Montgomery.
 Starting 3rd, Sotomayor would have a solid chance at taming the now very rutty and dry 1/4-mile. After a few laps of calm racing, the red flag would fly for a car sitting on the front stretch. The field was bunched up again for a restart. Sotomayor fell back on the start, but recollected and slipped passed 2nd and 3rd in turns 3 and 4, now chasing down the leader. After nearly half the race of following and leaving 3rd place behind, Sotomayor found an opening and passed the #87 down low, taking the lead. Lapped traffic proved to be an issue, nearly taking out both lead cars on more than one occasion.
On the final lap, the #87 and #63 rubbed down the front stretch, and again into turn 1 as the #87 slid up the track. Both cars rear tires would touch, sending Sotomayor airborne as he slid around turn 2, somehow coming out onto the backstretch free of any popped tires. The #87, however, did not fair as well. Matt sailed away from the field again around the final corner, claiming his 2nd win of the season.
Week 11 and race 9 for the American Stocks is next week and more intense racing action will come with it.
05/30/2010 @ 12:12AM
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| Results from May 7th, 2010 |
Coming off of a win from the previous week, Matt Sotomayor came into race 6 with a completely different mentality. With a few changes made to the front end, the #63 crew was hoping that the corner exit push was gone. And it was.
The heat race started off tarnished, with the #9 pushing Sotomayor up to the backstretch wall. After a few laps of collecting himself, Matt still managed to get passed the #9 clean, winning his 3rd heat of the year.
For the dash, Sotomayor started 5th. During the event, the seas began to part, allowing the #63 to maneuver to 2nd place, behind the #9. Sotomayor came into lap 3 on the low side, and with a slight over-correction, slid up the track and was hit by a car following closely behind. A yellow/checkered would fly with the #63 ending up 2nd.
Due to winning race 5, Sotomayor was required to start in the 12th position. The word patience was cemented into Matt's head as the green flag flew, trying to avoid any more incidents. Slowly but surely, Sotomayor picked off cars one by one, eventually landing in the 4th position. After a few laps of battle with the #9 and #44m, the #63 would take the 2nd spot with the #11 in his sights on lap 19. Unfortunately, it was too little too late for a chance at a win as the checkered flag flew. Post-race tech included an intake manifold check, which all cars passed.
This week, the American Stocks get a break from racing as the Taco Bravo sprints come back for another round of racing. The #63 Firebird will be back in action on May 21st, running with the IMCA Modifieds, Dwarf Cars, 4-Bangers, and Ocean Late Models.
05/09/2010 @ 8:44PM
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| Results from April 30th, 2010 |
Race 4 proved to be as bad as the 3 previous, but the problem that had been chasing the #63 was now being chased down. The X Motorsports crew was more confident than ever heading into race 5, feeling as if all of their bad luck had run out.
The heat race draw wasn't a great beginning to the night. Sotomayor pulled a high pill, starting 6th place in the second heat. This didn't stop the #63, however. After a few close calls, Sotomayor ended up finishing 1st in the heat. Some officials didn't like some of the #63's driving, docking him 2 spots to 3rd place and a lost chance for a first trophy dash win.
Matt lined up 5th for the main and waited patiently for a chance to improve the night. A cautionless first 16 laps made it difficult to move up through the field. Sotomayor was able to pick off cars until he was positioned behind the leader. Lapped cars were beginning to come back to the leaders and the #56s and #63 weaved in and out of traffic while battling for the lead. Coming down the backstretch, the #09 of Darrell Daniels running the middle of the track was split by the 2 leaders leaving the #56s up top and Sotomayor down low. After the corner tightened, all three cars collided and sent the #56s into the turn 4 wall, leaving Sotomayor with the lead.
A caution flag would fly on lap 17 as the #16 of Braden Donovan's car sat motionless on the bank of turn 3. Sotomayor chose the outside at the restart, putting a lapped car on the inside followed by the #11 and #56s. The #63 took off and never looked back, gaining a half-straightaway lead over 2nd and 3rd place. A yellow/checkered would fly on lap 19, leaving Matt with his first American Stock main event.
Post-race tech was stalled as 2 more main events finished up, allowing the engines to cool off for a compression test. All 5 cars passed tech inspection, finalizing the win for Sotomayor as well as putting some speculation to rest about the #63 Pontiac Firebird.
Next week, Matt will be racing again along with the 360 Sprint Cars, Dwarf Cars, and Ocean Late Models.
05/02/2010 @ 6:29PM
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| Pictures and videos added |
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| Results from April 9th, 2010 |
Mechanical bugs continued to plague the #63 American Stock after what promised to be a fresh start. Sometime during hotlaps, the #63 began to run badly.
During the heat race, the engine started to lay down. After finishing 4th in the event, the team began to tear apart the engine to find the problem. They ended up finding a spark plug electrode had broken off, falling into the engine and bending an intake valve. This would force the #63 to run on 7 cylinders for the main event.
Sotomayor was determined to not have another DNF, relying on the advice of a few mechanics that the engine would hold for the entire 20 lap main. Some beating and banging in the back of the back left Sotomayor at the tail end of the top 10, still keeping up on the now struggling engine.
After a rollover of the #11 car, Matt found himself looking in on the top 5. With 3 laps to go, 2 more cylinders would follow and the lack of power led to a 7th place finish. The #63 exited the track immediately after the checkered flag, but the damage had been done. With a disqualification, X Motorsports would end up 6th, which they took gladly after another night of problems.
This week the American Stocks will drive for the first time on the same ticket as the sprint cars this year. After a bit of rain, the #63 crew has high hopes for a good track and some good luck.
04/13/2010 @ 1:55PM
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| Santa Cruz Sentinel March 28th, 2010 |
Rookie Matt Sotomayor not only won his first heat race in the American stock division, but he also now owns the eight-lap track record [1:20.717], which he lowered by almost two seconds. The old record [1:22.622] was set by San Jose's Rod Herrick in a Ford Mustang.
Although Castroville's Billy Nelson won the American stock feature, ladies dominated the division. Jennifer Rood and Jill Merlin of Santa Cruz finished second and third, respectively.
Starting on the outside of the front row, Rood led the first seven laps. Sotomayor led for two more rounds before Nelson grabbed the lead on lap 9 and dominated the second half of the race. Matt Kile and 2009 champion Wally Kennedy made it through to finish in the top five.
Plagued by mechanical problems, Sotomayor and last week's winner Nick Silva finished eighth and 12th, respectively.
By Tony Karis
03/29/2010 @ 8:53AM
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| Results from March 26th, 2010 |
After the struggles of week 1, the X Motorsports squad had no intentions of a repeat DNF.
Another solid pill draw earned Matt a top starting spot in his heat, starting outside pole. Matt quickly went to the lead on the first lap, leaving the field behind by nearly a straightaway before hitting lapped traffic. This didn't stop the #63 from breaking a track record by shattering the previous 8 lap fast time of 2:22.622 set by Rod Herrick on May 23rd, 2008 by nearly 2 full seconds with a time of 2:20.717.
Sotomayor started the trophy dash 4th and ended up with a 2nd place finish.
The main event started roughly with a stack up in turn 1, causing a few cars to lose tires and bending quite a bit of sheet metal. The #63 was sent to the back for the incident, but it didn't last for long. Within 7 laps, Sotomayor was back in the top 5, focusing on the top 3 until a caution flew. Matt restarted in 2nd place with 13 laps to go, taking the lead from the #41 of Jennifer Rood. After leading for a few laps, 2nd gear let go on the #63 Pontiac Firebird, leaving it underpowered. Sotomayor limped to an 8th place finish, disappointed, but also relieved.
"We had a feeling about this transmission and the life it would have," Sotomayor stated. "It had some track time before and had sat for awhile, but it was all we had to use. Other than that the car was running fantastic and we can't really complain. Once we get all the moving parts in a healthy state we should be a tough car to beat."
April 2nd is scheduled for the next event, although rain might be a factor and plans to spoil the first round of sprint car action at Ocean Speedway. Only time will tell.
03/29/2010 @ 1:35AM
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| Results from March 19th, 2010 |
Art and Matt Sotomayor worked tirelessly throughout the off season to complete the car and had high hopes for its performance going into race one. Unfortunately, due to lack of testing time, the bugs would need to be brought out on the first race night.
The heat race was a promising start. Matt started from the 3rd spot, hoping to follow veteran Billy Nelson in the #11 for some easy laps and track time. Nelson jumped out to the early lead and Matt followed suit, not leaving much light between himself and the #11. A lapped car would almost spoil the win for Nelson, but he recovered well and won the drag race to the start/finish on the final lap.
During the dash, the bugs with Sotomayor's car began to show. As the track dried out, the car began to bite more on the right rear, causing the tire to fold over under load and rub on the U-bolts, blowing the right rear tire. Not knowing the exact cause of the issue, a new tire was put on and the #63 was sent out to the A-Main seconds before it left for the track. On lap 2, the problem reappeared and Sotomayor was forced to limp off of the track, finishing a disappointing 13th place and recording his first ever DNF.
It was a tough blow, but the #63 team was not dejected. The growing pains of moving to a new class are unavoidable and they plan to get most of the bugs worked out and try again next Friday night.
03/22/2010 @ 10:04AM
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| Welcome to 2010! |
Welcome to X Motorsports! In 2010, Matt Sotomayor will be piloting the #63 American Stock. We hope to see you at the track.
03/22/2010 @ 9:55AM
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| Races: |
18 |
| Top 5s: |
12 |
| Top 10s: |
15 |
| Wins: |
6 |
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| Last Race - 9/3 |
| Heat: |
2nd |
| Dash: |
4th |
| Main: |
1st |
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| P |
Driver |
Behind |
| 1 |
Billy Nelson |
-- |
| 2 |
Matt Sotomayor |
-39 |
| 3 |
Matt Kile |
-77 |
| 4 |
Nick Silva |
-140 |
| 5 |
Tony Oliveira |
-208 |
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Shirts - $10 (S, M, L)
Hats - $10 (L/XL Fitter)
Both available at the #63 pit behind the scoreboard
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