|
Irwindale, CA., Oct. 8 - Open-wheelers,
truckers, super stocks and "wee cars" filled the Irwindale
Speedway pits with 148 racing vehicles Saturday for a seven division
racing card in front of about 5,000. The event closed the track's
regular point season. Only two nationally-known events-the NASCAR
All-Star Showdown (November 10-12) and USAC Turkey Night Midget
Grand Prix on Thanksgiving (November 24) remain on the IS 2005
schedule.
The entertaining event Saturday started one-hour
earlier than usual and crowned the final three (of ten) IS track
champions. In racing on the half-mile, Cory Fancy, a three-time main
event winner in 14 races, won his first Dodge Super Truck Series
championship by 24-points over 2004 series champion Ron Peterson,
who led all the way in a 50-lap main. It was Peterson's seventh
victory in 14 features this season. Only a disqualification in the
tenth race prevented him from repeating his championship.
In the Vista Paint Super Stock division, Jimmy
Sloan, 24, entered the 40-lap race in first place by 18-points. He
finished third in the double-points race and won his first track
title by 38-points. Sloan won five of 14 races during his second
year driving the Ruark Racing 1980 Camaro. He topped off his
memorable evening by getting down on one knee during finish line
award ceremonies and proposing marriage to his girl friend. She said
yes. Fastest qualifier Bryan Harrell, with his parents present,
started and finished first for his second 2005 victory. The
all-green flag race took 14:43.424 to complete.
Chris Johnson, 22, repeated his 2004 Jasper West
Coast Pro Trucks championship officially by 76-points. He will move
up to the late model series next season. His seventh victory of a
13-race season was by far the most exciting WCPT race of the year.
Four drivers raced in close formation during the final 43 laps of
the 50-lap race. Rookie Rick Wall, the second fastest qualifier,
started second and led the first 43 laps. Then Aaron Staudinger led
lap 44. Wall paced laps 45-46 with the first four trucks
nose-to-tail as they weaved through lapped trucks. Johnson and Ryan
Black dropped Wall to third on lap 47.
Staudinger passed Black for second on lap 48. The finish had Johnson
ahead of
Staudinger by 0.447 seconds, with Black third and Wall fourth.
However, Staudinger
refused to put his truck through post-race technical inspection,
resulting in an automatic disqualification and loss of purse and
points for the race. His DQ elevated all other trucks in the
25-truck field.
Other main event winners in small cars that
compete regularly on the third-mile were Austin Grabowski in a
non-points 35-lap King Taco Legend Car feature, and Jimmy Rouse, Jr,
12, in a six-car, 15-lap Bandolero race. Grabowski led only the
final two laps. Drivers running one-two collided at the starting
line as they began lap 34 and their cars were unable to continue.
Fastest qualifier/third starter Chad Schug led at the lap 34 restart
with Grabowski, a former Legend racer and two-time NASCAR Late Model
winner at IS this year, second. Schug, trying for his first IS
feature victory, went wide leaving the fourth
turn and Grabowski shot to the inside for the victory. Connor
Cantrell, the 14-year old Legends rookie of the year, passed Schug
for second place on the final lap and trailed Grabowski by 0.157
seconds. Schug was third, 0.326 back in a 27-car field. "This
is my first Legends main event win," Grabowski revealed and he
thanked the owners of his car. Robert Meneley, rolled his Legend
without injury during a lap 24 two-car collision on the backstretch.
He emerged unhurt from his upright car.
Two USAC touring series ran third and fifth in
the order of features. USAC Western 360 cu. in. Sprint Cars raced at
Irwindale for the first-time since last Thanksgiving. The Ford Focus
Midget Series used the third-mile for the fifth time this
season. Michael Lewis, a 26-year old Noblesville, IN native,
dominated a 19-car sprint car field. He set fastest qualifying time
in a group-qualifying format and won his fully-inverted eight-lap
heat race. Lewis started ninth and led laps four-eight. He then
started the feature sixth as fastest
qualifier and shot into the lead on the opening lap. He led all
40-laps in the Western Speed Equipment Eagle/Wesmar. "They gave
me the outside and all cars in front of me went to the inside. I
like the outside here and passed them all there. It's fun racing on
the outside," Lewis said.
Lewis also revealed he will fly to Charlotte, N.C
Monday to try to get a NASCAR Busch ride. He scored his second
victory in the 11th 2005 Western 360 Sprint race for the series that
will conclude at IS Thanksgiving evening. Lewis won by a
straight-away (6.140 seconds) over second quickest qualifier/point
leader Kody Swanson, 17. Tim Barber, the third fastest qualifier,
started fourth and finished third. Bud Kaeding, Jeff Gardner, Cody
Veenstra, Jim Waters, Michael Trimble, Mike Murgoitio and Rick
Hendrix completed the top ten and all of them ran 40 laps. Only one
of 18 starters did not finish the all-green flag
11:27.105-timed race.
An IS season-high 22 USAC Ford Focus Midgets
raced and the 35-lap feature had two leaders. Outside front row
starter Chris Veach led the first 26 laps. Rookie Jace Meier, a
16-year high school junior in Las Vegas and karting ands Legend Cars
graduate, led the final nine laps. He made an inside move in the
third turn on lap 27 and extended his advantage to 20-yards (1.705
seconds) over Veach at the finish. Meier drove one of four Ron
Sutton Racing Stealths. He won his first USAC FF main September 24
at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. Audra Sasselli took third
position from 17-year old FF Midget rookie Lindsay Kernohan on lap
31. Point leader Alex Harris, who won the first three FF mains at IS
this season, trailed Kernohan at the checker.
J. J. Ercse, Benny Moon, 2005 FF California dirt
track series champion Chase Barber, 17, Robbie Whitchurch and Bobby
Owens completed the top ten. Fifteen of the 22 starters were racing
at the finish and 13 drivers ran all 35 laps. Sasselli cut Harris'
12-point lead to six points in the USAC California FF paved track
series. One race remains in the 14-race schedule and it will be the
sixth race this season at IS on Thanksgiving evening, November 24.
That evening FF Midgets and 360 Sprinters will precede the annual
100-lap Midget Grand Prix.
For complete results see www.irwindalespeedway.com
and www.USACracing.com
|
