FIVE RACES AND A WEDDING

Todd Lipka (31) and Veronica Pedrosa (28) both of Corona, California, are already for the I do's, invitations have been mailed (50+ of their closest friends, to whom the track has given complimentary tickets for the wedding and the races thereafter), the preacher is set (Mike Marks, Barefoot Billy's crew chief and an ordained Christian minister), the cake is ordered, the bubbly is on ice, the best man and maid of honor have been picked 

The regularly-scheduled NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing series races will start shortly thereafter at 7PM. And when they do five divisions of great racing will uncork and the season's points battles will be put into VERY sharp focus. The main event, the Automobile Club of Southern California Late Models, with two races to go, looks pretty good for the Tim Huddleston team. The bright blue car from Agoura Hills has been in the top 10 in 13 of 14 races, top 5 14 times, and has won half of all the races run so far this year. He's got a nice 96-point lead over Covina's Mike Johnson, and his teammate Travis Thirkettle, from Sylmar is the leading rookie and is also right behind Johnson at 510. There's 50 points on the table tonight and everyone's focus is on that pot. It's a two-horse race from here and last week's demise of the SLM points leader (two races, two blown-up cars and a total of 10 measly points) shows just how quickly fortune can be reversed in this business. Two tough teams with two VERY different approaches to winning races at Irwindale Speedway. Luck and preparation required. Watch yer mirrors fellas!

In the Jasper West Coast Pro Trucks, 2005 championship point leader Chris Johnson from nearby Claremont had a VERY rare off-night last time out, recording a season low eight place while Alta Loma's Ryan Black won his second consecutive race of the 14-race season. We've got five to go in this one, and that means plenty of action ahead for these feisty spec trucks.

With only three to go and Riverside's Ron Peterson sporting a VERY big goose egg in the points column, divisional points leader Cory Fancy still has to be nervous. A forty-eight point lead is big, but is it enough? Finish ahead of Peterson in every race and you win  Fall behind (or fail to finish one race) and the event horizon changes big time. These are the Dodge Super Trucks and these are as good a race truck show as there is anywhere any place.

Perennial divisional winner Tom Landreth has been up to his old tricks again this year the King Taco Legends Cars. In fact, the Alta Loma (note to self: check water supply in Alta Loma, get some) driver has only one problem with three races left to go  Matt Hicks from Santee, California. Exactly one race points total separate the pair  Fifty big ones (384 - 334). Landreth never seems to slip (his worse race finish this year a fifth place in race two) and Hicks has been almost always been the one who won when Landreth did not. The season gets VERY serious for these small shots.

The Pick Your Part Figure 8's have three races to go and (at least) seven drivers still in contention  At least mathematically. Long Beach's best export since Chris Pook, Steve Stewart has won six and finished second (to Monster man Jesse James) in the first seven races. Harry Kuenniger (San Bernardino) is showing 250 points (to Stewart's 298) in second, with Tony Curtis (Hawthorne) right on his donkey at 246. Its been a while since the 8-Balls have ricocheted around the Irwindale ocho. Barefoot Billy will be back (with a new monster motor) and there have been some wedding vows exchanged since the last visit. Fans are suggested to stand by for action. Oops, forgot to put this in: VERY.

THIS WEEK'S ON-TRACK AUTOGRAPH SESSION WILL BE ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOK  FANS SHOULD GET TO THE TRACK BY 530PM TO ASSURE THEIR PLACE IN IRWINDALE NASCAR HISTORY.

WEDDING BACKGROUNDER: Even though they've known each other for some seven years now, they have not dated steadily during that period. In fact, it was one of those typical on and off again (etc.) love affairs that had seemingly burned out until the couple were reunited this past May at a race at California Speedway in Fontana.

It was the third time that the friendship blossomed into coupleship, and so they had both figured, third time's the charm almost at the exact same time that the Irwindale PR-person had put out the word that he was looking for a pair of NASCAR fans to make one of his dreams come true. After all, the track has been the site of a number of World records and at least one Guinness Record*

The wedding attire will be based on a Hawaiian Islands theme and the public as well as the drivers and pit crews are all invited.

We feel it almost mandatory to indicate that the couple is registered at AutoZone, which is not really the case. Responding to the track PR person's release which had bitterly complained that Irwindale Speedway had been in operation for over six years and that, unlike other NASCAR tracks, it had yet to have a wedding on its Start/Finish line; Todd Lipka (31) and Veronica Pedrosa (28) both of Corona, California, called the track and asked about getting married on that very Start/Finish line during the weekly King Taco On-Track Autograph Session on Saturday, August 20!

The track's response was positive. And so, Saturday Todd and Veronica will walk up the Start/Finish line stripe toward the flagstand and take their solemn vows right in the middle of a great night of NASCAR racing!

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