Brandon Riehl is headed to Bakersfield, CA. where he will be competing in the last Fall Classic at the historic Mesa Marin Raceway and it's a weekend he's looking forward to. Riehl of Boring, OR. just wrapped up his season in the Autozone Elite Division Northwest Series where he finished runner up to three time defending Champion Jeff Jefferson marking his best season to date. Riehl picked up two victories in the series and also traveled to Colorado National Speedway for the Autozone Elite Division Southwest and Midwest series combined event, picking up the Bud Pole and the victory. Running several races in the Southwest Series this year, Riehl is no stranger to Mesa Marin, but has not had particularly good runs there.
"I love racing at Mesa. The high banking makes for great racing and it's a lot of fun. It's a fast track but I've not had the best finishes there. Both times we have had mechanical problems. I've got a pretty good car for this weekend though, I just need to be patient with the 300 laps and hopefully we will come out with a good finish," said Riehl.
The three day 28th and final Fall Classic will feature several events such as the Super Late Model Final 125, the Nascar late model 125, the race of Mesa Marin Champions, the Autozone Elite Division Starnursery.com 300 and the Nascar Grand National West Series Ford Motorcraft Parts 150. This is a weekend many drivers hope to be a part of as the track closes it's doors following this weekend.
"It's sad to see a place like Mesa Marin closing down. It's a really great facility run by class act people and it has brought great racing for so many years. I'm lucky to be able to participate in the last events held at this place," said Riehl.
Fellow Northwest Series competitors Jeff Jefferson and Travis Bennett will also be making the trip to Bakersfield for their spots in the final events at Mesa Marin Raceway. With several drivers coming from all around, the final weekend at Mesa Marin is shaping up to be an action packed one, with no doubt, more history to be made.
Qualifying for the Starnursery.com 300 is scheduled to take place at 3:30 pm Saturday October 15th with the Starnursery.com 300 scheduled to start at 6:00pm.
Brandon Riehl would like to thank Aero Turbine Mufflers, Darrel's Economy Mufflers and Dan Riehl Excavating for making his 2005 season possible. Fans are invited down to the pits after the main events to get an up close look at the #69 Chevy driven by Brandon Riehl. For sponsorship opportunities with Brandon Riehl contact: brandonriehlracing@yahoo.com
