IRWINDALE, California — Twin 25-lap features for NASCAR AC Delco Super Late Models topped three hours of Toyota Speedway at Irwindale features Saturday in a five division, six main event evening. Scott Dodd, 21, and Nick Joanides, 38, won twin-25s for the track's premier division in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Weekly Racing Series. It was Dodd's second feature triumph and the 20th victory for 2008 SLM champion Joanides, who has victories in SLM and late model series during the past two seasons. It was his third main event victory in his four races at TS@I this year including his late model triumph last week. About 1,500 spectators attended the third week of racing in the track's 11th season. Other victories on the banked half-mile went to Mason Britton in a thrilling 40-lap King Taco Super Truck main, and Dalton Kuhn in the 35-lap race for South West Tour Trucks. The SWTT was known as West Coast Pro Trucks last year and originally was called the American Racing Trucks. Winners on the third-mile oval were Chad Schug in a 35-lap Legend Cars thriller, and first-time TS@I competitor Ryan Canssale, 10, in a 20-lap race for Bandoleros. The Briggs & Stratton-powered cars were driven by youngsters from ages 8 to 15. Eight of the 14 Bandolero drivers were racing at Irwindale for the first time and most of them came from kart racing.
SLM 1st 25: With a five-car inversion for the first 25, fifth quickest qualifier Dodd had the pole and led all but the first lap. Fourth starter Rip Michels inherited the outside front row position after outside front row starter David Ross was involved in an accident in turn four that also involved two cars in the back third of the 23-car field. Michels led the first lap but his Stock Building Supply Ford was loose and he yielded the point on lap 2 to Dodd's Lucas Oil Chevy Monte Carlo with a Windsor Ford 351 cu. in. engine. Joanides and Travis Thirkettle passed Michels for second on lap 3 and that was the way they ran to the finish. Joanides pressed Dodd for the lead closely during the final ten laps, but he trailed by 0.120 at the checkers. Fastest qualifier Bear Rzesnowiecky, from Las Vegas, drove his Jackson Race Cars No. 95 to fifth, 2.566 seconds behind the winner. Danny Gay, 19-year old Luis Martinez, Jr., Dan Moore, David Beat and Matthew Hicks completed the top ten. Eighteen drivers finished with 15 on the lead lap. The 17-minute race had one caution on lap 7 for a solo spin after the complete restart.
SLM 2nd 25: The sixth and final feature of the night lined up 21 cars straight-up in the order they finished the first 25. Dodd shot from pole position and led the first circuit that had eluded him in the first main. Joanides passed him on the second lap. Michels dropped Dodd to third a lap later. With Joanides running the outside and Michels using the inside line, fans anticipated an exciting duel between the 2008 and 2007 SLM track champions. It didn't happen. Joanides' Loyd McGhee Chevy Monte Carlo opened a 30-yard advantage by lap 15, and he held that edge to the lap 25 checkers. Joanides 18.390 on lap 5 was the fastest lap of the race. Michels 18.464 on lap 3 was the second fastest and he trailed his rival by 1.383 seconds at the conclusion. Rzesnowiecky, a 16-year old karting, Legends and SLM veteran, finished his Irwindale-best third, 2.254 in back of Joanides. Thirkettle, Martinez, Moore, Gay, Beat, Dodd and Hicks completed the top ten. Dodd ran third to lap 18 when a bump in traffic made his car loose, causing his drop to ninth place. The all-green flag race took only 7:46.958 and all 19 cars running at the finish were on the lead lap.
Afterwards, the top three finishers in the second 25 and first 25 winner Dodd came to the press box together for media interviews. Friendly rivals Joanides and Michels had engaged in trash talking during the week. Michels' April 12 press release on the Internet said he was coming after Joanides with a new set-up of three new springs, four re-valved shocks, one sway bar and adjusted front end geometry. He said he isn't much for subtle changes and is going big in his changes on his four race old new car. He said he laughed after hearing Joanides' victory lane interview at the last race. He called Joanides “a one championship wonder”. Joanides smiled and needled Michels in return, saying while Rip was busy working on his car he was home playing his Play Station. Michels said, “I have my work cut out for me. Joanides put it to us. He pretty much schooled us. I thought I was going to kick his butt like I always do, but it's not going to happen. He's definitely the guy to beat right now. My hat's off to him.”
SUPER TRUCKS: In the best race of the night (and of the season so far), the 16-truck KTST field waged a fan-pleasing, 40-lap contest before 20-year old Britton won. Three drivers swapped the lead five times in an 18-minute race with one caution flag. The first three trucks routinely ran three-wide during the early laps. Following a lap 26 yellow flag, the first six trucks ran in close formation and changed positions routinely around the track. With an inversion of seven for the start, past series champion Ron Peterson led the first five laps from the pole. Second starter and March 21 feature winner Pat Mintey, Jr. made an inside pass at the starting line on lap 6 and led through lap 9. On lap 10 Peterson retook the lead with an outside move from turn four to the start/finish line. Mintey went to the inside in turn four and paced lap 11. Peterson (high) led lap 12 with Mintey (low) with third place Britton (high) and fourth place Rod Johnson, Jr. (low). The four trucks looked like they were in two-wide, pace lap close formation, nose-to-tail lap after lap. Britton took second from Mintey on lap 15 and Johnson dropped Mintey to fourth on lap 23. Fastest qualifier Todd Cameron spun down the backstretch after a tap from behind on lap 26 and stopped near the grass. An engine fire erupted as he re-fired. The fire crew extinguished the fire quickly, but a wrecker towed his No. 99 truck to the pits. On the restart, Peterson, Britton, Johnson, Mintey, Grant Hebner, Joe Herold and Dennis Arena were virtually nose-to-tail for several laps.
On lap 29 Peterson, a 31-time super truck winner at Irwindale, went wide in turn four. Both Britton (high) and Johnson (low) dropped him to third. Mintey ran several laps side-by-side for third and even bumped door to door once on the front straight before Mintey took third spot. Britton, Johnson, Mintey and Peterson ran 1-2-3-4 to the finish, but the outcome was in doubt to the end. Peterson's teenage son Jeff followed him across the line in fifth. Arena, Hebner, Herold, Ryan Partridge and Ryan Fortier rounded out the top ten. Fifteen of 16 starters finished and 14 ran every lap. Winner Britton stores in truck in Southern California and drives south on I-5 with his family from Sacramento to race. He ran the fastest lap of the race on lap 3 at 20.022 (89.901 mph). He won his only other KTST main event on August 23, 2008 at Irwindale. Partridge won the six-lap trophy dash for the six slowest qualifiers in the first race of the night. He started last and led the final three laps in a race with three leaders and four lead changes.
SWT TRUCKS: The reorganized former WCPT series produced a 16-truck field under new new series manager Jerry Kappmeyer, who was hired by the racers to lead their series. Fastest qualifier and past champion Jeff Williams started fourth and took the lead on lap 2 from pole starter Jim Satterfield, the first lap leader. Williams opened a 35-yard lead over sixth starter Dalton Kuhn, 17-year old son of Dean Kuhn, a 23-time Irwindale feature winner in trucks/modifieds. Suddenly on lap 16, Williams slowed entering turn one and pulled off the backstretch to the infield. His problem was a broken pin at the bottom of the distributor and above the camshaft that caused misfiring. Then the seventh place No. 5 truck spun and the right side of Gus Nanos' 55 truck clipped the front of the spun truck, knocking off the front bumper and blowing Nanos' right rear tire. Nanos spun into the front straight infield for the only caution of the 19-minute race. Kuhn ran away to a half-straightaway victory (-3.392 seconds) over Neil Conrad. Satterfield was third, with Christian Copley fourth and Ronnie Davis, Jr. fifth. Eleven of 16 starters finished. Only the top five were on the lead lap. Last year on August 2 Kuhn won his first truck main event in only his sixth start in the series.
LEGENDS: The 35-lap Legends race was run in memory of Legends driver Bob Landreth, who died three weeks ago from a heart attack. The 23-car field ran several memorial parade laps in tribute to the 66-year old father and fellow Legends driver of six-time Irwindale Legends champion Tom Landreth. Tom, 41, drove his dad's No. 3 coupe Saturday instead of his own No. 30 coupe and drove out front of the four-abreast field in the missing man formation. As fastest qualifier, Tom started fourth in the race that had three leaders. Brandon Toy started first and led the first 13 laps. Third starter Donny St. Ours led lap 14-34; 11th starter Chad Schug led only the final two turns of the final lap. Schug had taken second from Toy on lap 32. The 22-minute race had five yellow flag incidents. Landreth ran third to lap 29 when Schug passed him on the inside exiting turn two. On lap 33 fifth place Ryan Reed, 15, got into the back of Landreth's car which spun in turn two. Officials sent Reed to the back along with Landreth. On the lap 33 restart, leader St. Ours car was noticeably loose. Veteran Schug closed in quickly for nose-to-tail intimidation of the teenager. On the final lap, Schug entered the third turn and bumped the tail of St. Ours coupe just enough to move his car up the track. Schug sped past and beat St. Ours by 0.096 in a finish that had fans on their feet. It was Schug's fourth Legends victory at Irwindale, with his first three triumphs coming during 2007. Toy placed third, with Josh Geer fourth and Kenny Marler, Jr. fifth; 21 of 23 starters finished, and 18 were on the lead lap. The top three finishers stopped at the finish line for trophies and interviews as usual along with the hard charger award winner selected by race officials. Landreth finished 16th and stopped his dad's car as well; he spoke to grandstand spectators over the PA microphone. “There is no greater honor than to drive my father's car tonight. He helped everyone here and loved racing with his heart and soul and all the drivers. Thanks to all the drivers for the four abreast salute to my dad and to Lester (racing director Boyer) and to all the officials.” Tom, now coaching kids in Little League, said he will only race about ten times this year and is not racing for the point championship.
BANDOLEROS: Ryan Canssale, from Laguna Beach, started second and had a front row seat as “Little” Al Simpson, 11, ands Aaron Anderson, 12, traded the lead three times in a 14-car, 20-lap race. Anderson, the 2008 track champion, dropped out of the lead on lap 17. Simpson crossed the finish line first, 0.343 ahead of newcomer Canssale. However, officials disqualified Simpson's car for using an illegal carburetor, handing the victory to Canssale in his first TS@I race. Fellow newcomers Blake Dunkleberger and Chancellor Tisareno moved up to second and third respectively. The 12-minute race had three cautions and 11 finishers, including the officially excluded Simpson.
Hard charger award winners were: 1st SLM—Dennis Schlarbaum, who raced Figure 8s at Ascot during the 1960s, and 2nd SLM—Thirkettle; Legends—Jordan Hyland; KTST—Arena, and SWTT—Cecil Phelps. Fastest Qualifiers: SLM—Rzesnowiecky, 17.985 (100.083 mph); SWTT—Williams, 19.910 (90.407 mph); KTST—Cameron, 19.913 (90-.393 mph); Legends—Landreth, 16.821 (71.268 mph); Bandoleros—Anderson, 18.742 (63.963 mph).
