Last year Jason Bowles of Ontario, Calif. was just a rookie on the NASCAR West Camping Series scene when he took the checkered flag at Miller Motorsports Park. The victory was the start of big things for Bowles.

After eight races this year, Bowles is second in points standings in the NASCAR West Camping Series after finishing first twice and third twice in the last four races. Bowles trails West Camping Series leader Eric Holmes by 61 points with four races to go.

The West Series is at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash. this weekend and comes to Miller Motorsports Park Aug. 1-2 for the Big O Tires 200. It will be the next to last major racing event at the motor-sports park with the Grand-Am Rolex Series Sunchaser 1000 scheduled for September 19-21.

The thundering stock cars of the NASCAR Camping World Series (formerly Grand National West Series) will again battle the 3.08-mile perimeter course. Last year several of these heavy cars faced difficulties navigating the circuitous road course at the Tooele County venue. Of the 21 cars that started the race last year only 14 were able to finish. Drivers said oil stuck to the windshields of their cars and then dust stuck to the oil. These heavy cars are difficult to manhandle around a road course, and last year's event was thrilling from start to finish. The heat also took its toll on drivers last year during the 1-hour, 30 minute race.

Bowles will battle Holmes who has finished in first place in four races this year finished second on two occasions.

Holmes has been on the circuit for several years and is older than Bowles. He has finished first in six of his 30 career races and has finished in the top­-10 22 times. His last victory was at the Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore.

Support races will include the Pacific F2000 Championship.

Formula 2000 has been a popular series throughout the world for decades, serving as the launching pad for the careers of many top racers. In America, notable Formula 2000 alumni include Champ Car World Series champions Jimmy Vasser and Paul Tracy and Indianapolis 500 winners Buddy Rice, Dan Wheldon and Sam Hornish, Jr.

The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series is the fastest growing and most competitive professional sports car series in the world. This year, Dallara, Lola and Coyote have joined the premier Daytona Prototype class. Defending champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty face a stiff challenge for 2008 supremacy from a lineup that includes Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Max Angelelli, Michael Valiante, David Donohue, Darren Law, Ricardo Zonta, Bill Auberlen, Oswaldo Negri and other stars, set to mix it up at 195 mph in the sleek prototypes on the challenging 4.486-mile, 24-turn road course.

On Monday and Tuesday NASCAR Sprint Cup star Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford Fusion, will visit Miller Motorsports Park.

Biffle, a 39-year-old native of Vancouver, Wash., is the only driver in NASCAR history to win both the NASCAR Nationwide Series (2002) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2000) championships, and the only driver to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year awards in both series. He has amassed 12 Sprint Cup wins since making his series debut in 2002.

He is currently seventh in the 2008 championship standings with two poles, six top-5 finishes and eight top-10 finishes. He recently signed a three-year contract extension with Roush-Fenway Racing that will keep him with the team through 2011.

Biffle will give hot laps in one of the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School’s Mustang Challenge cars for Miller Motorsports Park club members on Tuesday.

The public is invited to come out and spectate during Biffle’s appearance. There is no formal autograph session scheduled at this time, but we will try to accommodate fans who show up. There will be no admission fee for fans for this event.

For information regarding Miller Motorsports Park, call 277-RACE (7223) or visit the track’s website at www.MillerMotorsportsPark.com

mwatson@tooeletranscript.com