TOMMY FRY JR. IN FIRST WIN AT IRWINDALE

Source: Doug Stokes
Date: 07/08/2000

If you talked to Tommy Fry Jr. and his jubilant crew after his stirring first victory in the featured Food 4 Less Super Late Model event at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night you would have heard them quoting their season-long mantra, "We're building a team to win races." Well, they did that, and did it convincingly on a night when 5,459 excited racing fans stood up and shouted their approval for a great 75-lap main event that saw a five and six car lead draft simply swarm round the track with Camarillo's Charles Utts at the head and pole-sitter Tim Woods III (Chino) at the "tail".

Utts, Canyon Country's Fry, and North Hill's Ben Walker were the show upfront, with Brandon Loverock (Santa Fe Springs) and Woods jostling for fourth place high low and down the middle. Two and many times, three-wide, the lead pack was joined at a little past half-way by points leader Greg Voigt from Goleta.

On lap 59 Walker made his best (of many) moves and roared past Utts for the lead, a yellow for a couple of spinners on lap 63 only served to increase the tension and heighten the potential for action in the closing laps. Voigt eventually got past Woods and Loverock to capture fourth place points and keep his points lead over Walker, but Fry was not about to let the field bunching up behind him make a bit of difference to him. The former Southwest Tour crew chief, racing shock, and set-up specialist simply turned on his heel and took off for the checker.

The win was not only the first win at Irwindale for the driver, but the first outright win ever for the 5-year old #74 Chevrolet race car which Rod Johnson had driven to the F4LSLM championship last year at the Speedway. On the way back from his pressbox interview, the first person who stopped Fry to congratulate him on his win was Johnson, who smiled broadly and extended his hand, acknowledging a job well done.

Ben Walker finished a bit more than half a second behind Fry, with Utts getting a creditable third, Voigt was up for fourth place, and Loverock got a solid fifth.

Again, the Food 4 Less Super Late Models had put on a stupendous racing show. As one pressroom veteran put it (after he caught his breath), "All that show needed was a pit stop and it would have looked like a Winston West race." We couldn't agree more.

Rip Michels won again. That's about all anyone needs to know about the Grand American Modifieds race. Borrrr-ing? Ho-hum? Yawn time? … Not so! Even this wild bunch's trophy dash featured a three-wide final lap and a half that left pro announcer Bruce Flanders almost gasping for air. Nope, every time these drivers get on the Irwindale track there's max action and max entertainment.

As usual, the race was an episode of the ongoing and seemingly perennial "Mission Hills Michels -vs- Oceanside's Dean Kuhn" battle. Michels prevailed, Kuhn grabbed second and everyone else went home trying to figure out how to stop Michels from making it 7 for 8 at the next race on the 22nd. Travis Thirkettle from Sylmar finished third, while North Hills' (Something in the water out there? We got an awful lot of very hot racers from that Zip Code …) Mike Bush made it 2-for-2 fourth places in his only GAM appearances at IS this season. Jimmy White, who had earlier won the "photo finish" trophy dash came home fifth after a spirited run from all involved.

J.J. Ercse took home another win the USAC TQ Midgets. The Lakewood-domicled open wheel specialist had what one might tend to refer to as a "good night" at Irwindale Speedway (His most quotable quote: "I LOVE this track!").

Qualifying fastest, winning his heat race, and then clicking off 20 perfect laps in the main. About the only thing that Ercse didn't do at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night was make the popcorn and sweep up after the crowd. Sure hope that he bought a lottery ticket on the way home! Veteran Rick Hendrix from Simi Valley was second, Reseda's Gene Godepski was third, Todd Hunsaker from Chino Hills took fourth, and track record holder for the division, Randi Pankratz from Atascadero, got fifth.

On Saturday night fans might have thought that the "Spec" in the name Ultra Wheel Spec Trucks stood for "spectacular". A fine race, punctuated (none to often) by a few spinners and close encounters with the retaining wall, was put on by all 27 trucks that took the green flag. Points leader Vince Little from Clovis won the hard-fought race, with Burbank's Dan Moore second, Poway's Joe Herold third, Temecula's Jim McGill fourth, and Glendale's Steve Stanton entertainingly clambering his way through the for fifth place in the 50-lap affair.

Eddie Secord hung on and held off super-sub Bob Fuller for a win in the quick MSRA Pro4 category. It was a well-driven victory for the Lakeside driver and an example of just how good a shoe the quiet and understated Glendora resident is behind the wheel of even a strange race car. Palm Springs' Sam Harris got third, Kenny Smith from neighboring El Monte was fourth, and Loren Pratt finished fifth in the 35-lap, 18 and a half-minute affair.

KENNY IRWIN Jr.: During the pre-race driver's meeting Saturday afternoon, one of the track's Motor Racing Outreach chaplains asked for a moment of silence in memory of Kenny Irwin Jr. who had died on Friday as a result of a racing accident at Louden, New Hampshire. Later, track VP Pat Patterson eulogized Irwin as "…A great competitor and special young man," as part of the night's pre-race ceremonies for the fans.

Irwin had driven only once at Irwindale, the 1999 USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix, but was well known to the track's staff and management as well as to many in the pits … He will be sorely missed by all.

Next week at "The 'Dale": Twin 40's for the Late Models, Super Stocks, Mini-Stocks, Mini-Stockars, and Legends … Another full show! Come early!

LATE RESULTS
IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY - JULY 8, 2000

FEATURE EVENT NASCAR SUPER LATE MODELS - 75 LAPS

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