IRWINDALE, California — Five NASCAR Whelen All-American races highlight this Saturday’s (June 27) Family Night at TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale. Youngsters 15 years of age and under will be admitted for free and students 16-18 will be admitted for $7.50.
Saturday evening’s schedule is highlighted by a 50-lap Auto Club Late Model race, 40-lap King Taco Super Trucks race, 35-lap Legends Cars race, 30-lap Classic Stocks race and a 20-lap Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 race.
Entering Saturday’s Auto Club Late Model division race, points leader Nick Joanides (360 points) of Woodland Hills holds a six point lead over reigning champion Tim Huddleston (354 points) of Agoura Hills. Huddleston has closed the points gap after stringing together three successive victories until Covina’s Mike Johnson (third in the division standings with 322 points) snapped the streak with a victory in the last race on June 13. In the race, Johnson beat Huddleston to the finish line by 0.492 of a second while Joanides finished third.
Pat Mintey Jr of Quartz Hill leads the King Taco Super Truck standings with 328 points but Jeff Peterson of Riverside (second place with 306 points), Mason Britton of Sacramento (third place with 298 points), Ron Peterson who is Jeff’s father (4th with 298 points) and Rod Johnson Jr. of Canyon Country (5th place with 298 points) are drivers immediately behind Mintey in the standings who will pose a serious challenge to the reigning division champion during the remainder of the season. Johnson is the driver who has been on fire in recent weeks with consecutive wins in the last two races and three in his last four. In the last race on June 20, Johnson took the lead from the elder Peterson on lap nine and never looked back easily winning the race.
Brandon Toy’s consistency of finishing in the top five in the first seven Legends Cars races has placed the Bakersfield resident on top of the division standings with 308 points. However, 16 year old Donny St. Ours of Upland took control of the last race on June 13 winning his second Legends Cars race of the season. St. Ours has started in only four races this season and has notched second and fourth place finishes along with the victories.
Points leader Ken Michaelian continues his third-mile oval dominance in Classic Stocks competition leading the division standings with 348 points. The 20-year old Lawndale resident has been near perfect scoring six wins in seven races. Mike Colato Jr. of Chatsworth is in second place with 304 points.
The Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8s will close out the evening’s activities with three-time and current division champion Steve Stewart of Long Beach leading the standings with 244 points including consecutive wins in the last two races and runner-up finishes in three other races. Barefoot Billy Ziemann of Bloomington has been equally impressive so far this season with a win and three top-three finishes. Ziemann is in second place (224 points) in the standings trailing Stewart by 20 points.
Spectator gates open at 4 p.m. The King Taco fan appreciation autograph session is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. with drivers, crews and race cars on the oval track. Late Model qualifying and the first race get under way at 7 p.m.
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Tickets for all TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale events including the July 4th King Taco 200 NASCAR Camping World Series race, Auto Club Late Model Firecracker 75 race, Langers Juice S2 exhibition race and Fireworks extravaganza are available for purchase at the Speedway ticket office by calling (626) 358-1100 and online at www.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.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 track races when they show their AAA membership card.
TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale 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.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com for additional information including schedule and promotion details.
