IRWINDALE, California - Double-barrel action was expected at Irwindale Speedway Saturday when the two top-tier Whelen All-American Series-AC Delco Super Late Models and Auto Club Late Models-were co-featured. More than 3,500 spectators on "Labor Unions Appreciation Night" attended the five division short-track racing program despite blazing 100-degree temperature earlier in the day. When racing began at 7:00 the temperature was 96 degrees, and when the final checkered flag flew at 10:12 p.m it was still 85. Irwindale competed from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m against live national television coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series 300-mile race at California Speedway in Fontana, about 40-miles east of Irwindale.
Fans of local short-track racing witnessed the most competitive SLM main event of the year at Irwindale. Three drivers swapped positions in nose-to-tail, side-by-side racing during the final 25-laps of a 75-lap feature on the banked, half-mile. When the race concluded most fans stood and cheered the three drivers for their spirited efforts as they slowed for finish line post-race interviews. Travis Thirkettle, the 2006 ACLM champion at IS and a SLM rookie ranked second in 2007 series points, started second. He led the first 68 laps and lap 70-75. The second-generation driver won his first SLM feature in the No. 5 Justice Brothers/National Paper 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo. He had three-second and three third-place SLM finishes this year. The winner gained four points on the point leader with two races remaining in the 18-race season.
SLM: Point leader Rip Michels, the fastest qualifier, started eighth and raced into second place on the seventh lap. He was the only driver in the field running the inside groove. Derek Becker, a 19-year old SLM rookie who raced Pro 4 Modifieds at Orange Show Speedway in 2006, started third and fell to fifth after three laps. Becker climbed back to third place on lap 15. Following a lap 19 caution to remove debris, he joined Thirkettle and Michels in the exciting three-car duel for the lead. Becker passed Michels for second on the outside in turn four during lap 39 and closed quickly on leader Thirkettle. Michels, the winner of ten mains this year and the last three races, edged past Becker for second on the inside at the starting line on lap 68. Michels used the same inside move a lap later from the fourth turn to the starting line to lead lap 69. Thirkettle kept his momentum on the outside, powered past Michels leaving turn four on lap 70 and retained the lead to the lap 75 checkers.
With Thirkettle and Becker high and Michels low, Becker raced past Michels in the second turn on lap 74 and finished half a length behind Thirkettle (-0.190). Michels was a car length back in third (-0.353) as the leading trio crossed the finish line in a tight pack. Andrew Phipps finished fourth, 5.475 seconds behind the winner. Dan Moore was fifth as 18 of 23 starters finished the 30-minute race that had three cautions and 13 drivers on the lead lap. Thirkettle, whose stock car champion father, Jim, is his race spotter, drove a Jackson-built chassis with Liz-zard Racing Engines power. Becker, the youngest of three brothers in the race, also used a Jackson/Liz-zard combination. Michels said, "They deserved their finishes. I had nothing for them."
LATE MODELS: Third starter Nick Joanides, a 36-year old versatile driver who has helmet and will race anything at any time, won his second consecutive ACLM 40-lap main event as substitute driver in the No. 77 J & M Construction/Mr. Crane Monte Carlo. Double winner Aaron Staudinger had the ride until his recent 30-day suspension by the IS racing director for actions on the track August 4. Point leader Tim Huddleston started second with a six-car inversion and led the first 31 laps in a 27-car field. He held a 40-yard advantage over Joanides on lap 30 when the only yellow flag flew after Tommy Rizzo hit the wall in turn three and rode it to a stop in mid-track at the starting line. He was not hurt and a wrecker towed his car to the pits. Joanides, who passed Chris Carmody for second on lap 19, pressured Huddleston for two laps. On lap 32 exiting turn two the Joanides and Huddleston cars made contact, lifting the back of Huddleston's Chevy. Joanides backed off and allowed the leader to regain control. He then took the lead from Huddleston in the fourth turn and stayed in front for the final nine laps.
Kevin Callahan, a 19-year old Gary Collins-built Chevy driver from Bakersfield, charged from ninth grid position to second, which he took from Huddleston on lap 34. Callahan tied his ACLM career-best finish on June 23 and trailed Joanides by 15-yards (-0.822). Carmody finished third, 2.215-seconds back. Jimmy Sloan, s super stock veteran and second-year ACLM driver, started seventh and finished his ACLM career-best fourth after he passed Huddleston on lap 38. Huddleston faded to fifth place, 2.659-seconds behind the winner. He said, " When the back of my car lifted off the ground (after contact by Joanides) the engine revved and was down on power bit to the finish." He also said his No. 57 Chevy was in the pits in a trailer for seven-time AMA moto-cross champion Jeremy McGrath to drive in the final two ACLM races on September 15 and 29. Fastest qualifier/sixth starter Scott Jenkins, a rookie from Portland, OR, finished sixth in a fourth High-Point Distributing Chevy. Michael Wright, pole-starter Lindsey King, a 19-year old ACLM rookie and Legends graduate, Mike Johnson and Brian Jones completed the top ten as 23 of the 27 starters finished, with 21 drivers on the lead lap.
The race started with three-time ACLM winner Huddleston and his 18-year old late model protégé Jace Meier tied at 444 points. Huddleston's 42 points in the main gave him 486. Seventh place Wright's 38 points moved him into second place in series points with 472. After setting the quickest lap in the first ACLM practice session at 12:30, Meier slipped to tenth fastest in session two at 1:20 p.m. During 4:00 time trials, leading rookie Meier slipped to 15th best time among 27 qualifiers. The Las Vegas native who just started classes at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, flew into Los Angeles Friday to practice and race at IS. He got as high as 11th in the main event on lap 20 before he slipped to 13th in the final run-down. He flew back to college in N.C Sunday. Meier dropped to third in points, (470 to 472 for Wright) after 13 of 15 scheduled races. Callahan solidified his fourth place in points and trails leader Huddleston by 40-points and third place Meier by 24 points.
ASA SPEED TRUCKS: Andrew Allen, a 36-year old Orange Country resident and competitor in both SLM and ASA trucks, started second and led all 50-laps of the ASA Go-Fast Speed Truck Challenge 15-truck race for the touring series. The fifth-ranked ASA driver in 2007 points also won one of the ASA truck races at IS last year in his No. 22 R. J. Allen Chevy S-10. Fastest qualifier/pole starter Darren Young, the ASA past champion and current point leader from Gilbert, AZ, trailed Allen by 15-yards (-0.687) Young won the first ASA truck race at IS this year July 21. Victor Pfluger, 16, started fifth and finished third, giving him nine top fives and ten top tens. Jason Black and Steve "Bear" Rzesnowiecky, 15, completed the top five. Eleven of 15 starters ran all 50-laps and only one driver DNF. Fourth place Randel King dropped out with a misfiring engine caused by ignition failure. Two cautions waved during the 20-minute event.
LEGEND CARS: Tom Landreth, 39-year old five-time Legend Car champion in six seasons at Irwindale, set fastest qualifying time, started second and led the 25-car race all 30-laps on the third-mile track. It was his series record fifth consecutive main event victory and sixth in the last seven races with 11 races in the books. Landreth logged his 35th main event victory at IS (all in Legends) and ranks third among all drivers in eight years of racing at IS. He is only one victory behind now inactive ACLM two-time champion Todd Burns 36 triumphs. Chad Schug started on the pole and finished second, half a straight (4.878-seconds) behind Landreth. Rookie Michael Springer came from eighth to a season-best third place. Gary Scheurell, Mark Iungerich and Josh Geer followed. Point leader Darren Amidon, 22, began the race 36-points in front of Landreth. He started tenth and was sixth on lap 8 when he spun in the second turn. He restarted at the back in 23rd position and raced forward to eighth, six seconds behind the winner. With three races remaining, Amidon's lead is now 22 (502-480) over perennial series champion Landreth.
FIGURE 8: A ten-car field saw action in the 25-lap Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 race. It concluded 220 laps of main event racing Saturday night. Tom Smith, the 2006 series champion at Irwindale, made his first start at IS this year in event six of nine scheduled races. He has won several Figure 8 mains this year at the Orange Show track in San Bernardino. Smith started in the first row next to fastest qualifier Jesse James and led 24 of 25 laps. James led lap 3 but he spun out on lap 13 and stalled, facing oncoming cars. Officials displayed the red flag for safety. He lost a lap and finished seventh. Point leader/two-time feature winner Steve Stewart passed Smith on the inside in the first two turns during the final lap as they lapped a slower car. Smith charged back and retook the lead with an inside move entering turn three and won by three-yards (-0.440) over Stewart. "Barefoot" Billy Ziemann, who shuns shoes in the pits, finished third, 7.086-seconds back. Jay Henson and Don Rogers followed and were the only other drivers on the lead lap. Nine of ten drivers finished. A Pick Your Part jet engine-powered pickup truck made several brief speed bursts demo runs on the half-mile track and concluded the evening at 10:20 p.m.
Three series ran six-lap trophy dashes for the six fastest qualifiers. FQ
Young started first and led the final five laps in the ASA truck 2:02.283-timed
dash Huddleston, from second, led all the way in the ACLM 1:55.990-timed run.
"This is my first ever trophy dash win at Irwindale," he told the crowd. Sixth
FQ Derek Becker led all the way from pole position over Las Vegas teenager
Alex Haase in the SLM 1:52.360-timed dash. FQ Michels came from sixth in the
fully inverted lineup to take fourth on the last lap. Hard charger $100 gift
certificates from various sponsors went to: (Legends)-Springer (8th to 3rd);
(ACLM)-Austin Grabowski (23rd to 16th); (ASA Trucks)-Shawn Steele (13th to 7th),
and (SLM)-Rob Becker, 26-year old brother of the main event runner-up, (20th to
14th). Fastest qualifiers by series were (Legends)-Landreth, 16.881 (71.015
mph); (ACLM)-Jenkins, 19.147 (94.010 mph); (ASA Trucks)-Young, 20.115
(89.485 mph); (SLM)-Michels, 18.277 (98.484 mph), and (F-8)-James, 18.693
(72.605 mph).
