IRWINDALE, California — - Irwindale Speedway has announced that stock car "Friday Night Test'n'Tune" sessions will begin on Friday, June 29 and run through the month of July.
"Stock Cars Back On Irwindale Speedway Track For Practice Sessions "
The idea is to give regular stock car competitors some much-requested track time on Irwindale Speedway's challenging "twin ring" half and third-mile ovals. "We won't have tire or fuel services on site ... as yet," said Mike Atkinson, the veteran racing official who will serve as the track's event director for the upcoming sessions. "A lot of our drivers have told us that they need to get out there and get some laps on this track ... these open sessions will give them that opportunity."
As with the facility's recently re-opened eighth-mile Dragstrip, the stock car sessions will be operated by Team 211 Entertainment. Working directly with the track's ownership at NuWay Industries, this joint effort is aimed at accommodating a number of race teams who need track time and have had to go pretty far afield to get it of late.
"We've heard from a number of stock car teams telling us that they'd like to get back on the track, run some laps and shake some of the cobwebs out," said 211's Jim Cohan. "So far we've been able to get the Dragstrip open and work with some great special events and shows on the Speedway's parking lots. Now we're going to see stock cars circulating at the track again because of the good offices of Jim Mnoian and Jay Garrett, the owners of this facility. We've accepted a lot of thanks and compliments for them at every event so far."
All regular oval track division competition vehicles are welcome and will run in the same sort of track use (third or half-mile) groupings and rotations as they did in past open practices sessions.
All vehicles will be required to pass a full competition safety check and all driver safety equipment will need to meet or exceed minimum stock car standards. Practice will be $200 per car.
Gates and credentials open at 3:00PM with practice getting under way at 4:30PM. Cars will run until pit lights out at 9:00PM. All people entering the pit area for these sessions will be required to sign an event release.
