Morgan Hill driver finishes second in Historic Stock Car race in
No. 15 car
San Jose – The crowds weren’t as large as they were for the Champ Car events, but Morgan Hill’s Garland Self and the rest of the drivers of the Historic Stock Car Racing Series were still determined to put on a good show.
After racing his No. 15 Quality Care car, Self found himself on the podium Saturday at the San Jose Grand Prix after taking home second place honors.
Self had the lead with four laps to go before falling to second. The race was then cut a lap short to meet its time restrictions and Self couldn’t close the gap.
“If we had three laps, we probably would’ve been able to go back by,” Self said.
It was the second straight year with a podium finish for Self (who took third in last year’s race), giving him a chance to partake in the traditional champagne-dousing with the other top drivers.
A day later, there was still evidence of Saturday’s visit to the podium.
“Before I went out there (Sunday) I told some of the drivers that if you see me weaving or driving erratically, it’s probably from the fumes off this suit from the champagne,” Self said.
In an exhibition race on Sunday immediately following the main Champ Car event, Self again placed second.
The local driver, who is also president of the San Jose-based Selco Heating & Air Conditioning, enjoyed being able to perform well in front of familiar faces.
“There were lot of friends, family, co-workers,” Self said. “It was a great weekend. We showcased the cars.”
Self believes that with more successful weekends such as this one, the historic racing series can continue to grow in popularity.
“I think in the future if we continue to put on good shows and good clean racing, we’re starting to get more acknowledgment all the time,” Self said. “We foresee being invited to many, many events as participants, maybe not as the main event but as a strong backup.”
While directing one of his crew members to help a young child into his race car in the paddock shortly after Sunday’s event, Self explained that a key to the growth of historic racing is it’s fan-friendly nature.
“That’s a future fan right there,” he said as the child took his place in the driver’s seat.
He also sees a positive future for the San Jose event.
“You can see all the people that are here,” Self said, referring to the 155,934 fans that showed up over the three days. “San Jose loves it. And these are voters. I think (the city officials) have to remember that citizens love it and need to look at the overall picture of what it brings into town.”
