Alfonso, Speed take victories in Stars of Tomorrow competition BUTTONWILLOW, CA - Californian Andrew Alfonso came out on top after a thrilling five-way battle in the ICA race at the Snap-on Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow presented by RACER event Sunday at Buttonwillow Raceway. The JM Racing/Avanti driver made a late race pass on TNR Kartsport's Chris Giumarra for the lead on lap 27 of the 30 lap affair. The race saw no fewer than five lead changes among four drivers. "Like Jean (team owner Jean Marchioni) told me, 'be patient out there, save the tires and everyone else is going to come back to you.' And it paid off with about five to go." Giumarra, winner in the first Stars race Saturday, established the lead early but was then passed by Joel Miller and Genesis Racing's Chris Glover. Glover proceeded to pass Miller a few laps later. It didn't last long, however, as a mid race tussle saw the Canadian relegated to fourth as Giumarra regained the lead with Miller in second and Alfonso in the third position. The battle continued to rage while Chris Glover's brother Kevin quietly worked his way up from his seventh starting position. The now five drivers raced nose-to-tail and side by side in the remaining laps with Alfonso edging Kevin Glover by a mere 0.094 seconds, followed by Miller, Giumarra, and Chris Glover. Two drivers in the ICC shifter class bounced back from adversity as KLS Racing's Alex Speed earned the win and Trackmagic driver Kyle Martin finished third. Both drivers suffered mechanical disqualifications during Saturday action. Alan Sciuto, Saturday's winner, finished second. Like Sciuto on Saturday, Speed took the pole, pre-main, and final in Sunday's action. "The race was awesome," said the Manteca, California driver, who is the younger brother of racer Scott Speed. "I spun the tires a little bit on the start but got some help from (Darren) Elliott going into turn one. I had a pretty good lead. Alan caught up to me, so I paced him for a while then the kart came in and I put in good lap after lap. It ran awesome the whole race." Martin found himself starting thirteenth after the pre-main but launched his 125cc shifter kart at the start to gain several positions by the first turn. Martin battled with Lorenzo Mandarino, who had also rocketed through the field at the beginning. Mandarino later retired with mechanical problems as did Paul Tracy Karting's Darren Elliott, who ran at the front all weekend but did not finish either race on the weekend. Sciuto leaves Buttonwillow with the Stars ICC West Division point lead after scoring a win and second place on the weekend. In other Stars classes, Clark Sanchez-Figueras scored another dominating win in Rotax Max, finishing 22 seconds ahead of Kelsey Nash, who was not able to compete in Saturdayıs action due to engine problems. Cole Nelson won both the 80cc Junior and Junior Superbox races, and Jahana Mongul was again victorious in the Grand Products Cadet class. Please see www.cartstars.com for full results and photos. The Champ Car 'Stars of Tomorrow' presented by RACER karting series is the official first level in CART's driver development system and an officially sanctioned series of WKA/SCCA Pro Racing. Founded by racing star Bryan Herta and now owned in conjunction with a group of racing veterans, including three-time CART champion and Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, the Stars of Tomorrow serves as the first step for the CART driver development ladder. Stars focuses on recognizing the skills of the drivers rather than the technology development within the machines, using FIA/CIK International standards. More information can be found at www.cartstars.com. Snap-on Incorporated is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of tool and equipment solutions for professional tool users. Product lines include hand tools, power tools, automotive diagnostics and shop equipment, tool storage products, automotive diagnostics software and other solutions for the transportation service, industrial, government, education, agricultural, and other commercial applications, including construction and electrical. Products are sold through its franchise dealer van, company direct sales and distributor and internet channels. Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $2+ billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin and employs approximately 14,000 worldwide. More information can be found at www.snap-on.com.