FIVE WINNERS, FOUR CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY

Source: Tim Kennedy
Date: 10/01/2007

IRWINDALE, California - Five series raced at Irwindale Speedway Saturday and the result was 195 laps and five feature winners (three on the half-mile and two on the third-mile) and the crowning of four 2007 track champions. Kevin Callahan, a 19-year old second year driver in the Auto Club Late Model series started and finished first in the 40-lap ACLM feature. It was the first main event victory at IS for the Bakersfield resident and topped his pair of second place finishes earlier this season. Tim Huddleston became a two-time ACLM champion by starting and finishing second to hold off three other drivers with a mathematical chance of winning the ACLM title. Callahan started the race fourth in points after 14 of 15 races and finished the season tied for third place with Michael Wright at 542 points. Huddleston compiled 578 points to win the title by 18-points over his protégé, rookie Jace Meier who scopred 560-points. Huddleston won the 2005 ACLM championship easily by 108-points. He set fastest qualifying time, pulled the two pill for the inversion, started second and ran second all 40-laps in his Justice Brothers High-Point Distributing Chevy Monte Carlo in a 28-car field. Rick Lalor, from series sponsor Southern California Auto Club, presented the ACLM champion with the traditional vacation-an all expenses paid cruise for the victor and his wife.

Another champion crowned was first-time Legend Car champion 22-year old Darren Amidon, from Santee near San Diego. The new champ led series points most of the season and dethroned five-time Legends champion Tom Landreth, the 2001 and 2003-06 IS champion. Landreth, 39, won the double-points main event on the third-mile for his seventh victory this year and his 36th at IS. He tied two-time ACLM champion Todd Burns for second place on the list of all-time feature winners at IS. A third champion crowned was Jeff Elder, the BG Products Pure Stock point leader entering the final, double-point 30-lap race on the third-mile. He started tenth and finished third in his 1975 Chevy Nova in a race won by 15th starter Mark Whitson for his third consecutive victory and fourth overall in the ten race series. He drove a 1973 Chevy Malibu.

Two other main event winners on the half-mile were fastest qualifier James Weston, in West Coast Pro Trucks, and pole starter/eighth quickest qualifier David Beat, who led all 50-laps in the featured AC Delco Super Late Model 24-car main event. Weston became the third race leader on lap 35 of the 40-lapper on the half-mile. He battled point leader Jeff Williams from lap 2-35, with Williams outside and Weston inside. Weston, the IS 2000 Late Model champion, made his winning pass on the inside from the second turn to mid-backstretch. Williams finished second, 15-yards back, and won the four race WCPT series for his second consecutive championship in the series. When the top three finishers came to the finish line for interviews and plaques Williams had a surprise in store for his girl friend Jackie. He took the PA microphone, produced an engagement ring, got down on one knee and proposed marriage. She said yes and he put the ring on her finger.

SLM: Beat led the first 33 green flag laps by 15-yards, with only one car lapped in the speedy AC Delco SLM field. On lap 34-second place Dan Moore and third place Derek Becker made contact and angry Moore spun across the starting line to the infield before he continued on the lead lap. The 30-minute race had two yellow flags, including a three-car tangle on lap 46 that sidelined Jason Patison, Scott Conaway and Ron Esau. SLM champion Rip Michels was ninth at the lap 34 caution. He used the two following caution flags to climb to third place after challenging runner-up Becker for several laps near the finish. Beat won by ten yards over Becker, with Michels two lengths back. Nick Joanides, leading SLM rookie Travis Thirkettle, Andrew Phipps, 2004 series champion Greg Pursley, Stephen Peace, Gary Jenkins and Elite Division veteran Greg Voigt completed the top ten. Eighteen of 24 starters ran all 50 laps.

Saturday was "Law Enforcement Appreciation Night" at IS during the Whelen All-American Series action. About 20 police vehicles from police departments in the area and the California Highway Patrol entered the track with lights flashing before the National Anthem. A Los Angeles County Sheriff Department helicopter landed in the infield and lifted off following opening ceremonies. About 2,800 fans attended the next to last point race night for IS track series. The five series present produced a field of 114 racing vehicles in the pits for the mid-afternoon practice, qualifying and racing on a mid-60s evening. Beat drove his 2006 Monte Carlo to his second feature triumph of the season. "I won the first point race of the year and the last one for bookend victories," he told the crowd. Veteran Greg Voigt and Todd Southwell made their first racing starts of 2007 at IS in preparation for the SLM portion of the annual two-night $500,000 Toyota All-Star Showdown on Friday, October 19. This year will be the first involvement for SLM teams in the prestigious event as the replacement series for the now extinct NASCAR Elite Division. SLM teams will vie for $50,000, with $10,000 going to the winner of a 150-lap feature. Grand National West and East teams will compete Saturday, October 20. Speed Channel will televise racing both nights live.

LATE MODELS: Four drivers entered the feature with a chance to win the 2007 championship. Fourth place Callahan trailed series leader Huddleston by 38 points. Callahan drove the ex-Todd Burns 2003 ACLM second championship season chassis with a new Monte Carlo body by Bakersfield's Gary Collins, for whom Callalhan works. His career best result in the Bedrosians Tile-sponsored No. 28 car came with his all his family present. He moved from fourth to a third place tie in final ACLM points. Callahan started on the pole and drove under Huddleston entering the first turn on the initial lap. He emerged from turn two with the lead that he maintained following all five yellow flags in a 29-minute race. The most critical incident of the race occurred on lap 37 when Joanides tried to take fourth place from rookie Lindsey King, 19, near turn three. Their cars made contact. King then slowed a bit and got rammed from behind by sixth place Scotty Jenkins who continued with a smashed hood. King's car was sidelined. Huddleston trailed winner Callahan by 0.803. Dan DiGiacomo, Joanides and Jenkins followed at the finish.

On the 40th and final lap two front-runners tangled. Sixth place Jace Meier, the 18-year old rookie who entered the race only ten points behind Huddleston, made contact with fifth place Jimmy Sloan who spun to the infield with the checkered flag waving. He dropped to 19th place, 12 seconds behind the winner, with all 22 finishers on the lead lap. Rounding out the top ten were Meier, title-contender Michael Wright, Chris Carmody, Mike Johnson and Austin Grabowski. Callahan ran the fastest lap of the race at 19.146. As pre-arranged by Huddleston's "blue crew" team, all of the team cars would stop at start/finish following the race for championship ceremonies no matter which car won. His four blue High-Point cars (50, 51, 55, and 56) were joined by a fifth blue car (No. 57) driven for the first time by Speed Truck veteran Ray Robinson. The teen drove from 16th to 11th place in his debut with Huddleston's team.

At the finish line, Huddleston praised protégé Meier for his second place in points and rookie of the year title. "You're going to see him in the big time. He's an awesome talent," Huddleston told the crowd. Meier, who won the September 15 feature, flew from Charlotte, North Carolina Friday to race since he began his freshman year earlier in September at Belmont Abbey College near Charlotte. He and his family drove from their Las Vegas home on Saturday morning and returned home after the race. He flew back to Charlotte Sunday night for his 11 a.m class Monday. Huddleston also praised the hard work all year by his "blue crew", Racecar Factory car builder Jeff Schrader, Liz-zard Racing Engines, and series sponsor the Auto Club. "They said we couldn't run four cars." Huddleston added. He said all four of his cars finished in the top eight in season points. "We were only as good as the people around us. We are surrounded by a lot of good people and that's what makes this happen." Huddleston told fans. Later in the pits, his celebrating crew dumped a tub of ice water over the unsuspecting Huddleston's head.

PRO TRUCKS: The largest WCPT field of the year-19 trucks-competed Saturday and 18 took the green flag. David Timewell entered the race 24-points behind series leader and 2006 champion Jeff Williams. Timewell led the first lap from second starting slot. Williams passed him on lap two. Fourth place Timewell saw his championship hopes dashed on lap 15 when he oiled the track entering turn three and veered into the grass. Fifth place Jim Satterfield skated on the oil into the third-turn wall and stopped without injury. His truck was towed to the pits. Weston's second consecutive victory moved him from eighth to a three-way tie for third in final points. He skipped the first of four races in the truck series. Timewell dropped from second to a tie for third in final points with Weston and fifth place Takuma Koga, from Nagoya, Japan. Neil Conrad, a recently retired Arcadia Fire Department Captain, finished third and jumped from third to a career-best second in points. Four drivers made their WCPT debuts and Kyle Longmore finished an impressive seventh.

LEGENDS: Landreth, who entered the race 40-points in back of Amidon, started fifth and led lap 8-35. Runner-up Chad Schug started first in his dad's coupe and paced the first three laps. Amidon started third in his sedan and passed Schug on the inside entering the third turn during lap 4 and led through lap 7. Landreth and Schug dropped Amidon to third on lap 8. Bob Landreth, father of the race winner, started eighth and finished fourth. Rookie Michael Springer came from 11th and finished fifth as 21of 24 starters finished, with 17 drivers on the lead lap in a 21-minute race with four cautions. Springer ended the season 11th in final points, 26-points behind leading rookie Cody Swanson, 16, the ninth place driver in final points. Both race winner Landreth and champion Amidon did smoking donuts in the infield after the finish in celebration.

PURE STOCKS: Mark Whitson and his brother Tom started in the back row of the BD Products Pure Stock 16-car field. Tom DNQ and Mark's new one lap track record was disqualified for an infraction. Pole starter Harry Michaelian out-dragged Ken Michaelian at the start and led the first 13 laps. Series veteran Ginger Bryk, the official fastest legal qualifier who started fourth, led lap 14-28 as the Whitson brothers raced through the field in the all green-flag, nine-minute race. Mark Whitson passed Mike Colato, Jr. on the inside entering turn one on lap 23 for second. He began cutting into Ginger's 20-yard lead as she lapped slower cars and tried to win her first IS feature. Starting lap 29 of 30, Whitson shot under Bryk's 1973 Chevy Malibu entering the third turn. Colato tried to pass Bryk on the inside at turn four and hit her car, which spun out to the fourth turn infield. Whitson took the checkered flag 4.758-seconds in front of his brother, who passed Colato on lap 29. Colato finished third but he was penalized by the race director for spinning Bryk and finished 12th, one position behind Bryk. Ten drivers ran all 30 laps and the 16th place car completed 28 laps.

During pre-race ceremonies before 7:00 p.m, members of the Pomona Valley Corvette took parade laps on the half-mile. A Corvette driver gunned his car from turn four, lost control and rammed the concrete wall of the third-mile track, flattening the left front tire of his late model Corvette. He was not injured and was able to drive his car off the track after picking up his damaged body-work. Fastest qualifiers on the third-mile were Mark Borchetta (Legends) and Bryk (PS). Weston (WCPT), Huddleston (ACLM) and Michels (SLM) were the fastest qualifiers on the half-mile. All five series ran four-lap trophy dashes back to back prior to the five main events. Winners were A. Grabowski (Legends), Colato (PS), Mike Brosius (WCPT), Mark Perry (SLM) and Jobe Spyres (ACLM). Hard chargers by series were Grabowski (Legends), Elder (PS), newcomer Kyle Longmore (WCPT), Voigt (SLM) and Robert Rice (ACLM).

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