MICHELS WINS IRWINDALE SLM STOCK CAR FEATURE

Source: Tim Kennedy
Date: 06/18/2007

IRWINDALE, California -- Rip Michels added two more track records to his personal accomplishments column Saturday at Irwindale Speedway in a scheduled 75-lap feature during NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. The NASCAR Elite Division 2006 Southwest Series champion did it on a warm night in front of about 5,000 spectators on a Father's Day special promotion for dads accompanied by a child 12 or under. Michels recorded his sixth consecutive SLM victory to break his series tie with 2004 SLM champion Greg Pursley. It also was his 50th main event victory at IS in three series. Second ranked winner Todd Burns has 36 victories.

Fastest qualifier Michels started his Bob Bruncati Sunrise Ford/Turbo Torq 2007 Ford Fusion fifth in the 20-car field. He shot past third starter and lap one leader Derek Becker on the second lap with an inside move through the third and fourth turns. He ran away and easily maintained his lead over the second place driver--Becker to lap 39 and Travis Thirkettle to the checkered flag. The race was taped for later airing on The Lucas Oil Motor-sports Hour on the Versus Channel on Sunday, July 15 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The 47-minute race had five caution flags for spins. On a lap 66 restart near the starting line fourth place Andrew Phipps ran into the back of third place Mike Price, who spun towards the first turn attenuator . He avoided it and continued. Phipps drove to the pits with front-end damage. He returned minus his right front fender to the back of the field. With the 10 p.m hour fast approaching and a Figure 8 race yet to be run, track officials shortened the race to 67 laps. A green, white checkered flag finish followed. Michels won by 15-yards (0.853) over Thirkettle. David Beat was ten yards in back of point leader Thirkettle. It was the second consecutive one-two finish for Michels and Thirkettle, who earlier won the six-lap trophy dash for the six-fastest qualifiers.

After nine races, Thirkettle (the 2005 Auto Club Late Model champion and 2007 SLM rookie) lost only two points from his lead over Michels, who now trails Thirkettle by 16 points-398 to 382. Thirkettle said he wants to win a race and doesn't want to win the championship over multi-winner Michels unless he wins a feature himself. Becker, 19, was in third place on lap 66 when he dropped out. He ran the fastest lap of the race at 18.509 compared to the next fastest 18.526 for Michels. Thirkettle ran a best lap of 18.674. Kevin Thompson was sixth on the final lap when he blew his engine in the final turn and coasted across the finish line, losing five positions. Twelve drivers finished on the lead lap.

Four other main events entertained spectators on USG Night. On the third-mile track, Tyler Fabozzi, 10, became the youngest winner of a main event in nine years of racing at IS. He started third in a nine-car Bandolero Cars race and led all but the first two laps of a 15-lap, all-green flag race. Early leader and two-time winner Andrew Anderson, 14, trailed by 40-yards in a race that took 4:42.721. Ashlee Ambriz, 14, of Las Vegas finished third, with Andrew Porter fourth. Fabozzi became the fourth different winner in six races this year. All nine drivers finished and only two were lapped.

Chad Schug won his third Legend Cars 30-lap main event of the season in race six. The race actually ran 31 laps because of a later yellow flag. Schug skipped two races this year and still jumped from 16th to ninth in points. Schug, the third fastest qualifier, started third and took the lead three times by passing leader Gary Scheurell on the inside at turn one on lap four and six, only to see yellow flags for spinning cars send the field back a lap for scoring. On lap eight Schug put his replica 1937 Ford sedan into the lead on the inside at the starting line and the pass stuck finally. He won by 0.165 of a second over five-time series champion and 30-time winner Tom Landreth, 39. Scheuerell finished third, 0.479 back, in a 28-car field. Point leader Darren Amidon, 21, started and finished fourth and increased his point lead to 32.

In the first main event on the banked half-mile, fastest qualifier Rick Wall, a NASCAR Grand National West driver, started eighth in a 17-truck West Coast Pro Truck field and became the third race leader on lap eight. He led the balance of the 40-lap feature and won by 25-yards (1.253) over point leader Jeff Williams, the winner of the only other WCPT race at IS this season. David Timewell finished third. The 17-minute race had one brief caution for a solo spinout. Sixteen of 17 starters were running at the finish and ten drivers finished every lap.

A 25-lap Pick-Your-Part Outlaw Figure 8 race with 11starters concluded competition at 10.22 p.m. Jay Henson started third and led all the way for his first victory at Irwindale. He became the third different winner in four F-8 races this season. Henson said he assists his daughter race her mini stock car at Orange Show Speedway and only raced three or four times at Irwindale last year. A six-minute red flag on lap nine followed a collision at the X -crossover. Fifth place Robbie Stutzel hit the right side of second place Rusty Stewart, who continued, trailing sparks until body parts fell off. Stutzel was unhurt; track crews towed his car to the pits. Stewart, with the side of his home-built "strong" car pushed in, pressured Henson to the checkered flag and at the finish was ten-yards back (0.975). Jesse James started fourth and finished third with four cars on the lead lap and seven cars running at the end. After the race Long Beach-based brothers Steve and Rusty Stewart were tied for the Figure 8- point lead at 182 points. Two-time 2007 winner Billy Ziemann was four points back.

James Weston, the 2000 Late Model track champion at IS and a racing engine builder of note, made his first start in the WCPT series at IS. He set fifth fastest qualifying time and then started and finished fourth. The Legend Cars field contained three veterans of Bandolero Cars racing. Brent Scheidemantle, 13, finished 11th. Andrew Anderson, 14, finished 17th. Donny St. Ours, in his first Legends attempt, dropped out and finished 27th.

Hard Charger awards went to three drivers. (LC)-Teenager Jeremiah Wagner, from Las Vegas, raced from 20th to ninth with 22 cars running at the finish and 16 cars on the lead lap. (WCPT)-Mike Brosius came from sixth to fifth in Aaron Staudinger's ex-truck with Staudinger on the roof of the press box/race control tower serving as his spotter. (SLM)-Jason Patison came from 15th grid position to finish fourth. Fastest qualifiers: (Bandoleros)-Andrew Anderson at 18.762. (LC)-Tom Landreth at 16.970. (WCPT)-Wall at 20.148. (SLM)-Michels at 18.155 for his sixth consecutive fast time and seventh in nine 2007 SLM races at IS. (F-8)-R. Stewart at 19.061 (71.203 mph).

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