IRWINDALE, California — The date was 9/10/11 and a Toyota Speedway at Irwindale ceremony before racing commenced remembered the tragic loss of life suffered because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Color guard, 11 active/vintage fire trucks, plus police and emergency vehicles with red lights flashing lined the front straightaway infield during a fire department chaplain invocation. A lone fire department bag-piper also played during the opening ceremonies prior to the National Anthem. Two track divisions with super in the series name lived up to the definition of super. King Taco Super Truck and Lucas Oil Slick Mist Super Late Model drivers thrilled almost 2,000 spectators present with sizzling main events and dramatic finishes on the half-mile. Prior to their main, SLM drivers paraded around the half-mile with American flags extended from their drivers side window space. Later, six 4 X 4 vehicles rode up and over stacked tires in the infield in the second such show for spectators this year during the three plus hours of action.
"Point leader Connor Cantrell, who celebrated his 21st birthday a day earlier, won his third consecutive KTST 40-lap feature."
Point leader Connor Cantrell, who celebrated his 21st birthday a day earlier, won his third consecutive KTST 40-lap feature in a position-swapping duel with reigning series champion Ryan Partridge. Six-time 2011 KTST feature winner Partridge, 23, came back in the 75-lap Lucas Oil Slick Mist SLM race to outrun point leader Rod Johnson, Jr., 22 , for his first SLM victory this season in a sensational race. Johnson had won six of seven SLM features this season. Jack Madrid, 16, made it a three-way contest before he passed Johnson on lap 55 and finished a SLM personal best second. Johnson retained third. Three other main events took place. Jeff Williams continued his domination of the Southwest Tour Truck Series on the half-mile. For the eighth time in eight events this year he set fastest qualifying time and won a 30-lap feature with his Ford F-150 in a 13-truck field. Ronnie Davis and Neil Conrad followed. Williams increased his point lead to 44 over Brady Helm (400-356). Two races remain (9/17 and 10/22) for Williams to accomplish an unprecedented fete—setting both the FQ time and winning every feature in a series with ten or more races.
Third-mile action had Robby Hornsby, of Yucaipa, win his first Irwindale feature officially in a thrilling Justice Brothers Mini Stock battle with two-time series champion Daryl Scoggins. Hornsby's Ford Pinto took the point initially on lap 7 by passing early leader Ryan Bragdon. He led three laps before Scoggins' Pinto led laps10-27. Hornsby made an inside pass entering the first turn on lap 28 and then ran the outside with Scoggins challenging from the inside all the way, but he fell 0.259 short of his fourth JBMS victory this season. The final event of the night had 27 Seidner's Collision Centers skid plate cars on the grid. They ran the third-mile counter-clockwise. Police officer D. Scoggins made use of his LAPD driving training by starting sixth and leading all but the first lap in a 20-lap race, All cars used metal skid plates on both rear wheels instead of tires. Last winner Robert Rice, the godfather of TS@I skid plate racing, led the first lap after drawing pole position, but his 1989 Honda Accord finished third.
SLM 75: The scheduled 75-lap feature number eight actually ran 79 laps for the second time this season. The 32-minute race had two caution flags. During Friday night open practice shortly after 5:00 pm Ryan Partridge lost his primary No. 11 “Batman” car from the Eshleman Racing stable. As he entered turn three at maximum speed, his RF brake caliper blew and sent his car careening into the wall hard. Partridge escaped injury, but his car was a write-off. The team brought out a backup--the No. 88 that SLM rookie/Legend Cars 2011 champion Chad Schug has raced this year. The team branded the replacement car “Superman” and put a red S decal on it. Partridge worked Saturday during two afternoon practice sessions to familiarize himself with a car he had never driven. He set second fastest qualifying time of 17.627 during the 7:15 pm time trials. Rod Johnson, Jr was quickest at 17.581. Johnson also had to overcome recent adversity. On August 20 he was leading the 40-lap Auto Club Late Model main in the Position One Motor-sports King Taco No 03 when the RR tire blew on lap 19 and sent him into the third turn wall. He received a hairline fracture of a foot that hit the clutch pedal violently during the crash. R.J was at the track later in the month using two crutches to keep weight off his injured foot.
Despite their earlier crashes, Partridge and Johnson raced each other brilliantly Saturday. Second starter Partridge shot into the lead over pole starter Johnson and led the first 12 laps, including four caution laps as track crews retrieved debris. Upon the lap 13 green flag, R.J passed Ryan on the inside exiting turn four and led three laps. On lap 16 Partridge made an outside pass in the second turn and led R.J narrowly to a lap 49 caution caused by P. 5 Kevin Thompson hitting the outside wall leaving turn two and hugging the backstretch wall as he trailed sparks from RF end damage. His car stopped at the fourth turn exit near the third-mile and was towed to the pits. Radio scanners revealed confident Johnson telling his spotter, “We're faster. We'll get him.” It did not happen. On the double file restart Partridge chose the outside and again led over Johnson. Madrid stayed with the lead duo. As the three leaders left turn four in close formation, a car two laps down and running much slower in mid-track almost caused a major crash. The three leaders scattered high and low and all passed the moving roadblock. However, Johnson's car veered to the inside and lost second spot to Madrid as the race stayed green to the conclusion. Madrid closed to within three lengths of Partridge's No. 88, but he finished 0.616 behind the first-time 2011 SLM winner. Partridge is the chief driving instructor at the track's LA Racing Experience driving school. Johnson finished third, 1.776 seconds in back of the winner.
Partridge entered the race 26 points behind Johnson and now trails his rival by 22 points (378-356) with one race remaining on October 1. Their personal duel for most TS@I victories (counting all divisions) stands at 25 for Partridge and 24 for Johnson. Jason Patison started third and finished fourth (-6.291 seconds) in his brand new car that replaced the one written off after a July crash into the first turn attenuator. He missed two races while replacing his No. 17 ride. Former ASA Speed Truck racer Race Liberante, 16, started and finished fifth and moved from fourth to third in SLM points. Sixth place Corey Neveau, 17, was the last driver on the lead lap. Rounding out the top ten in a 15-car field were: Kyle Neveau, 19, Jason Bradshaw, Dennis Furden and first-time Irwindale racer Griffin Steinfeld, 17, of Thousand Oaks. The Westlake High senior and classmat4e of S2 and USAC Ford Focus Midget driver Jessica Clark qualified at 18.591 and started 11th aboard his No. 31, the ex-No. 22 Andy Allen car. He was not lapped until lap 35 and finished two laps back. His sister is movie actress Hailee Steinfeld, 14, who received a Screen Actors Guild Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her first movie role in the 2010 remake of “True Grit” starring Jeff Bridges as Marshall Roster Cogburn. Hailee gave the “start your engines” command from the starter's stand and waved the green flag to start her brothers' first oval track race. He has been an off-road racer and took the LA Racing School at TS@I advanced course taught by Partridge. Afterward, a film crew taped the rookie's post-race comments. He said he “enjoyed it” and will return for the next SLM race. Movie and TV show actors were in attendance for his TS@I debut.
KTST 40: A 15-truck field ran 40 laps in 30+ minutes with three caution flags. Pole starter Matt Kimball led the first lap. FQ/second starter Cantrell led laps 2-29 with Partridge on him from laps 3-29. Cameron made an inside turn two pass for second on lap 11; Partridge reclaimed P. 2 a lap later. Cameron ran second from lap 13-30 when a caution flag created another two by two restart. At turn three Cameron and Cantrell trucks made contact and Cantrell made an amazing save. Partridge seized the opportunity and shot from third to the lead on the inside and led laps 30-38. Kimball took third as the two leaders regained control. Cameron dropped from second to fourth and finished off the podium in P. 4. As laps wound down, Partridge ran outside and Cantrell at his left rear and occasionally alongside. On lap 39 of 40 Cantrell shot low in the third turn and emerged from turn four with the lead. He kept it despite a furious Partridge run to the checkered flag that left him 0.255 back a the finish. Last race Cantrell used the outside to edge past Partridge on the final lap and he utilized the inside this week. Cantrell increased his point lead from 10 to 12 (564-552) after event 12 of 15. Cantrell's No. 9 and Partridge's No. 48 have finished 1-2 in the last three main events. P 5-10 finishers were: Dennis Arena, rookie Ken Michaelian, Lucas McNeil (who was penalized to the back after his contact sent P. 7 Kenny Brown's truck bouncing off the front straight wall and to the pits), Philip Lauck, Mike Fortier and Gerrit Cromsigt. Twelve trucks finished and all completed 40 laps.
JBMS: A ten-car field of 4-cylinder mini stocks had a four-car inverted lineup. Second FQ Ryan Bragdon led the first six laps. D. Scoggins came from P. 5 at the start to second place by lap 8. His Pinto led laps 10-27 by a length over outside-running Hornsby. Second place Hornsby, who lost an apparent July 16 initial Irwindale victory because his wheels were an inch over track specs, fought back. His No. 61 Pinto passed Scoggins No. 10 on the inside through the first two corners on lap 28 and switched to the outside to hold off pressing Scoggins and win by 0.259. Scoggins increased his series lead from 14 to 16 over Bragdon (378-362) with a race remaining. Bragdon, FQ Kevin Bernhardt, Rod Schmitt, Seth Wilson and Dusty Morgan followed and completed 35 laps in a 13-minute event with one caution flag. A unique incident occurred on the white flag lap when a car returned from the pits and entered the third-mile at turn three in front of the leaders. They avoided contact and retained their 1-2 position to the finish.
SKID PLATE CARS: A season-high 27 cars sat on the grid and 25 took off at 9:59 pm from a standing start for the seventh SPC race of 2011. Rice led lap 1, but sixth starter Scoggins, fresh from his mini stock P. 2 earlier, took command on lap 2 and nearly lapped the field. The 12+ minute race had a brief red flag on lap 13 to remove a stalled car at turn one. Scoggins beat fellow mini stock driver and first-time skid-plater Ron Schmitt by 32.189 seconds, with last winner Rice third, 33.856 seconds back. It was Scoggins' 25th TS@I main event winning plaque, including three skid plate victories last season. Jonathon DeStefano and Angela DeFazio were fourth and fifth with 19 laps. Legends veteran Gary Scheuerell, Adam Ditto, Randy Kruse and Rick Dial ran 18 laps. Matt Proctor and John Zimmerman were three laps back at the 10:14 pm checkers. Sixteen of 25 actual starters finished. Drivers from other divisions included Garrett Crow, Kevin Thompson, and Donny St. Ours. Track announcer Jason Galvin also raced but did not finish. Four female participants included Michelle McGhee (daughter of SLM/LM car owner Loyd McGhee, sister of Bandolero point leader Christian McGhee, and girl friend of SLM point leader Rod Johnson, Jr) and Erica Shields, wife of KTST driver Darrell Shields.
Next Saturday is Auto Club Night and racing will feature ACLM twin features in the final 2011 point races for the series. The ACLM series is the track's Whelen All-ASmerican Racing Series national championship premier series. The track championship is too close to call. With 100 points available, Brandon Davis leads with 754. He is followed by three ACLM rookies with a mathematical chance for the title. Taylor Miinch has 712, Dylan Lupton 696 and Nik Romano 688. The card also includes Legend cars, SWT Trucks and Bandoleros.
