STAUDINGER WINS WILD IRWINDALE LATE MODEL FEATURE

Source: Tim Kennedy
Date: 06/11/2007

IRWINDALE, California -- Aaron Staudinger, who recently turned 33, turned in his second Auto Club Late Model 40-lap main event victory of the season Saturday on the Irwindale Speedway banked half-mile. His 50-points propelled him into the 2007 series point lead by two points in round seven. The West Coast Pro Truck 2003 champion at Irwindale jumped from third to his first Late Model point lead in his Racecar Factory-built Chevrolet Monte Carlo. With a seven-car inverted lineup, fifth quickest qualifier Staudinger started third in a 28-car field. He became the third race leader on lap 32 and won by 0.301 over rookie Scott Jenkins, from Portland, OR.

The Late Model feature provided exciting action for the estimated 1,500 fans in attendance for the first 31 laps with nose-to-tail and side by side three wide racing the norm in the lead pack. The first five drivers traded positions frequently and pressured Dan DiGiacomo throughout the race. As seventh fastest qualifier, DiGiacomo, a 28-year old two-time truck main event winner at IS, started from pole position and led the first 27 laps. Point leader/rookie/fourth fastest qualifier Jace Meier, 18, started fourth and passed Staudinger for second position on the outside exiting turn four on lap 14. The recent high school graduate from Las Vegas closed quickly on leader DiGiacomo and took the lead on lap 28 with an inside pass from the fourth turn to the starting line. DiGiacomo, in three-wide racing, reclaimed the point on lap 29 and led the next lap as well. On lap 31 Meier, the middle driver in a three-wide formation of DiGiacomo and Chris Carmody, shot back into the lead.

On lap 32 the front-running trio were still dueling three-wide with fourth place Staudinger and Tim Huddleston, owner of the Meier and Carmody cars, fifth and Huddleston's fourth car driven by Jenkins sixth. Leader Meier got loose leaving turn four and teammate Carmody's right front hit the left rear of Meier's car. Both leaders spun across the starting line to the infield. Carmody's car hit the third-mile track turn one protective attenuator on the driver's side and careened into the spinning Meier car, sending it to the half-mile track first turn low groove. Chris Johnson's 11th place car hit the front of Meier's car almost head-on, inflicting major front-end damage to both cars. All three involved drivers escaped serious injury, but the Meier car was a reported write-off according to owner Huddleston. It was Travis Thirkettle's 2006 IS championship car. Winner Staudinger drove the RCF chassis number 25 that Huddleston drove to his 2005 IS track championship.

A red-flag delay of almost 20 minutes followed to remove all three wrecked cars on the back of wreckers as track workers repaired the damaged attenuator. DiGiacomo returned to the lead in front of Staudinger, Huddleston, Jenkins, Mike Johnson, Doug McComb, female/rookie/teenage Lindsey King and rookie Travis Irving. At the lap 32 green flag leader DiGiacomo pulled high in turn one and slowed with a cracked RF wheel rim and a deflating right front tire. He dropped to sixth on lap 32, ninth on lap 33 and eventually finished 21st, still on the lead lap. He said the long red-flag delay probably led to the cracked rim and loss of air that caused his car to plow entering turns. He slowed to avoid crashing and to earn as many points as possible. Twenty-four of 28 starters finished and 22 ran all 40-laps.

Staudinger led lap 32 with Huddleston and his protégé Jenkins on his back bumper to lap 36. Then Huddleston slowed and lost two positions with a deflating RR tire that caused him to drop to sixth position at the checkers. Rookie Jenkins enjoyed his best finish at Irwindale in the 51st Racecar Factory-built car, which was new for 2007. Third place Johnson had his best finish this year and trailed the winner by 0.888. McComb, Brian Jones, Huddleston (in RCF chassis number 50), LM rookie/Legend Car veteran King, Michael Wright (with his right side metal torn off), Kevin Callahan and former truck racer Robbie Brand completed the top ten. Brand's No. 37 Chevy was the ex-No. 44 driven by Andrew Meyers several years ago before he joined the NASCAR Grand National West circuit full-time.

In other races on the half-mile, John Israel started on the pole and led the first 23 laps and lap 25-40 to record his first main event victory at IS in a King Taco Super Truck race. He became the sixth different winner in six events to date. Israel won by 0.647 over fastest qualifier Logan Henson, who started fourth in the 18-truck field and led lap 24 by inches after his inside pass from turn four to the starting line. Point leader Pat Mintey, Jr started second and finished third, with rookie Miles Copenhaver crossing the line a career-best fourth. Matthew Hicks was fifth. Legend Cars graduate Albert Flores, 16, came from 18th starting spot to sixth in his first race on a half-mile. His No. 66 truck is the ex-circle 8 truck driven by T. J. Baker that has been idle for two years. Sixteen of 18 starters finished and 15 completed all 40-laps. Four yellow flags produced a slow 23-minute race.

The Vista Paint Super Stock 35-lap main had three race leaders and a dramatic charge from the back to the front. Camaro driver Darren Cheek led lap 26-35 after passing lap 2-25 leader Dan Fitzgerald. Cheek closed to within six points of the series point lead. Pole starter Kenny Brown led the opening lap. Fastest qualifier/point leader Bryan Harrell started fifth and on lap 8 was involved in a tangle with fourth place Greg Crutcher, who spun in turn one. Officials credited Harrell, a four-time feature winner this year, with contact and sent him to the back of the field. Harrell radioed to his spotter (his wife) and said the other car was loose. Fans enjoyed Harrell's spirited charge to the front. He was tenth on lap 13, seventh on lap 17, fith on lap 19, third on lap 23 and second on lap 27. He tried to overtake leader Cheek but trailed by 0.399, with Fitzgerald third, two seconds back. Chris Harness started ninth and finished a season-best fourth. Five cautions caused a 27-minute race. On the cool-off lap Camaro drivers Rich DeLong III and Larry Cerquettini played bumper-tag and rammed each other two-times in anger. Impacts left both cars damaged seriously. Race director Lester Boyer radioed both teams to meet him in his pit-side office after the final race and to bring their checkbooks.

On the four-degree banked third-mile Kevin Bernhardt started fifth and won his first Justice Brothers Mini Stock 35-lap main event this year in his Ford Pinto. He took the point from pole-man/lap 1-13 pacesetter Dennis Croasmun on lap 14 and beat a five driver pack to the checkers. Eric Reed's Pinto trailed by 0.233 and Brian Johnson was third. Point leader/three time 2007 feature winner Tyler Rogers, the 2006 series champion, finished fourth. He had to charge from the back to the front of the 21-car field after he tangled with Rich Garver on lap six in the second turn and stalled. He took fourth from Croasmun on lap 32 and they finished fourth and fifth. Fifteen drivers ran all 35 laps as seven yellow flags forced the race past the 30-minute mark.

A pair of six-car, six-lap trophy dashes on the half-mile went to third starter Meier (LM) and fifth starter DeLong (SS). Both drivers led all the way. The six fastest qualifiers ran in the LM dash, while the 14th through 19th fastest qualifiers ran in the SS dash. Sponsored hard charger awards went to (MS)-Steve Rogers (12th to 7th); (SS)-Harness (9th to 4th), (LM)-for the second race in a row, Brian Jones (20th to 5th). Fastest qualifiers were: (MS)-Garver at 16.992; (SS)-Harrell at 20.980 (85.796 mph)-a NTR that topped the old mark of 21.031 set 5/26./07 by Cheek, (ST)-Henson at 19.851, and (LM)-Carmody at 18.993.

See Also .:

• Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Track Page

News Index | E-mail to a Friend