IRWINDALE, California/B> -- Five races including a rare “train race” and the Echo / SCAG Outdoor Power Equipment Show highlight this Saturday’s (September 8) King Taco Restaurants Back To School Family Night at Irwindale Speedway. All kids will be admitted for free when accompanied by an adult.
Echo and SCAG Outdoor Power Equipment are the official lawn and garden power equipment sponsors of Irwindale Speedway. Representatives from the companies and Golden Eagle Distributing will be on hand during the event to unveil the latest in lawn and garden power equipment including product displays and demonstrations as well as contests to win great prizes.
Saturday evening’s racing schedule includes races in the ACDelco Super Late Model, King Taco Super Truck, Vista Paint Super Stock and Justice Brothers Mini Stock divisions.
Rookie Travis Thirkettle of Newhall enters Saturday’s ACDelco Super Late Model race riding a wave of confidence after an impressive 75-lap victory last week staving off repeated threats from Derek Becker and division leader Rip Michels of San Fernando during the final 25 laps with the trio finishing nose-to-tail. With three races to go only 42 points separate Michels (684 points) and Thirkettle (642 points) with Andrew Phipps of Simi Valley in third with 632 points.
Division leader Pat Mintey Jr of Quartz Hill will keep an eye on his rear view mirror for second place Matt Hicks of Santee during Saturday’s King Taco Super Trucks race. Only 22 points separate the two drivers with the hard charging Hicks winning four races in his last five campaigns.
Until recently the Vista Paint Super Stock division has been dominated by the impressive performances of points leader Darren Cheek of San Bernardino and second place Bryan Harrell of Riverside with only 14 points separating the two drivers. The two drivers have accounted for 10 wins in the division’s 11 races. Greg Crutcher of Covina has the only other win and his consistent record of finishing in the top five in every race this season places him third in the division standings, 30 points behind Cheek.
With three races remaining, Kevin Bernhardt of Fontana will have the full court press on division leader Tyler Rogers of Riverside in Saturday’s Justice Brothers Mini Stocks race. Rogers is the defending division champion and with 470 points holds a 40 point lead over Bernhardt. Rogers has scored five victories but Bernhardt has stayed within striking distance thanks to top-five finishes in all but one race this season.
The evening’s finale will feature a train race in which teams of three cars connected together will compete on the Speedway’s figure 8 course. The front car includes the driver responsible for steering and controlling the throttle, the middle car is neutral while the driver in the rear car controls the brakes. Any car breaking loose will cause the team to be disqualified.
Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. with qualifying sessions. The King Taco fan appreciation autograph session will take place on the track with drivers, crew members and race cars at 5:45 p.m. and the first green flag waved at 7 p.m.
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The Dubfest Car Show will take place this Sunday (Sept 9) at Irwindale Speedway. The hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and include a car show and Auto X competition and unique displays. Tickets are available for purchase the day of the show.
Tickets for all Irwindale Speedway events are available for purchase at the Speedway ticket office, by calling (626) 358-1100 and online at www.irwindalespeedway.com. Auto Club of Southern California members receive a 10% discount off of the purchase of up to four (4) adult general admission tickets for Saturday oval racing when they show their AAA membership card. Auto Club members can also receive discounts on special offers at the concession and souvenir stands.
Irwindale Speedway is located at 500 Speedway Drive off of Live Oak Ave. and the I-605 freeway, between the I-10 and 210 Foothill freeways in Irwindale, California. Log on to www.irwindalespeedway.com for further information
