#99 and Frank Borges, Jr.

Frank Borges, Jr. graduated from St. Helena High School in 1979, married his high-school sweetheart, and has three lovely daughters. Frank and Sheri Borges continue to live in St. Helena, California, operating a successful construction firm. However, racing has recently become a serious hobby, which requires Frank's full attention on weekends...



Preparing for the Race...

"We have about a 50-60 item long checklist that we go through between races as far as car maintenance is concerned," Borges said. "We try to get a test session before the race season. We are always modifying the car, doing anything we can (within the rules) to make it more competitive. And you can't go for a competitive advantage with just one item. You have to look for the sum of 10 things. We will try a combination of different approaches."

On April 17, 2004, the preparation and modifications paid off. Borges started in the fourth position in the second row on the outside. Borges estimated that he took control of the race somewhere between the eighth and tenth lap and never relinquished the lead.

Borges, however, added that he does not race a set number of laps before looking to establish control.

"That can work.... but because of circumstances that are beyond your control, you need to try to move forward,"  Borges said. "If you can get the lead, you want to take it as soon as you can. You don't want to wait because you can be running in fourth and have a strong car. You'll pass a car or even two and the caution will come out. The next thing they do is they invert the starting grid back to the previous lap. You don't want to get burned by that. That can cost you the opportunity to pick up on the leader."

Wine Country Motor Sports...

Frank's brother-in-law, Mark Isaac, helped spur Frank's interest in racing in 1998.

"Basically, what happened was that Mark raced in the NASCAR weekly series, the same that I am in, for about ten years," Borges said. "He ended up retiring out of it. Then, a few years went by, and he started catching my ear and saying, "Frank, we ought to get a race team put together. We talked about the potential of it and he was really enthused about getting me racing."

Frank had also experienced the thrill of racing through his friend, Rich Borba, a race-car driver who invited Frank to the track many times, so he didn't need much convincing.

Frank and Sheri put together the race crew in 1999, with Frank looking forward to his rookie season at the Madera Speedway. With Mark Isaac serving as crew chief. Michael George filled in as assistant crew chief, and Mick George rounded out the core crew as driving coach. Mark Carrion, Ruben Hernandez, Bill Wilker, and Derek Freligh now serve as pit crew members.

And, when Wine Country Motor Sports began looking for sponsors, Frank tapped his contractor friends, and they obliged with their generous support.

Honing his racing skills with each race, Frank claimed his fist victory in the final race of his rookie season, and followed that with eight wins in the 2000 season to become a Track Champion at the Madera Speedway. Moving up a class, Frank entered NASCAR's Sportsman Late Model division in 2001 at the Altamont Raceway in Tracy, California, where a series of car modifications kept the driver and crew busy, and where Frank finished the season in the middle of the standings.

Racing is a Family Event...

After 2001, Frank & Sheri took a break from racing, and built a fabulous new home among vineyards of the Napa Valley.

Back to the tracks, now a Madera Speedway, Frank won his first race of the 2004 season year on April 17, with four other top-five finishes. Borges has recorded one first, one second, two thirds, and one fourth-place finishes.

"Family and racing is a challenge," commented Frank. "We took two years off from racing in large part because it coincided with building our new home. Balancing work, family and racing is always a challenge, so we make it a fun as possible," Borges added. "We've had lots of friends, family and sponsors come to the races, sometimes helping as  part of the pit crew."

Does Frank intend to make this his new career, hoping for the millions that come to top drivers with big wins and endorsements?

"I'm leaving that to the Jeff Gordons and Dale Earnhart Jrs. While this is a very serious "hobby," it's not something I consider making a living at," Borges said of racing.
"It's not something I need to or could possibly even be part-time at. I'm committing my weekend time and a some evenings for race car preparation for the season," which runs from March through September.

"And,..." Frank noted, "Sheri and the kids and our folks and all really make racing a family event for us. I can't imagine just going to the races without everyone being involved."