May 15 at Toyota Speedway: Armed Forces Appreciation Night National Guard Oath of Extension Ceremonies Prior to Races
Release Date: 5/15/2010
Irwindale. Calif. - - Whether it’s acknowledged verbally or not, every time the "Star Spangled Banner" rings out before a night of racing at Toyota Speedway, the men and women of America’s armed forces are remembered, honored, and acknowledged.
And, on Saturday night May 15, the Speedway will once again honor these hometown heros with the track’s annual special night of appreciation. But this week’s event will include a first-ever for the Speedway; something that all fans will want to be on site at 7PM to be a part of…
(Rooftop Tickets available contact Mary Gonzalez at 626-358-1100)
For the first time, ever (but hopefully not the last) Toyota Speedway will play host to a very solemn official Oath of Extension Ceremony with some 20+ California Army National Guard soldiers from all across the southland all extending their service to country right on the Start/Finish line of the Speedway.
Of course all of their family and friends will all be there with them on the track as part of the night’s opening ceremonies. "We want to make this a memorable night for these special men and women and we’re asking all of our loyal fans to be out to the track early so we can fill the grandstands and give these citizen-soldiers the kind of Toyota Speedway cheer and standing ovation that they deserve." Said track GM, Bob DeFazio.
Squadron Commander HHT 1-18th Cavalry Lieutenant Colonel Lars K. Staack will administer the oath assisted top enlisted advisor Command Sergeant Major Walter R. Claude, the Senior Sergeant in the Squadron. Squadron Chaplin Major Saul Castillo will conduct the invocation, and Squadron Career Counselor Sergeant First Class Mel Weaver, will lead the soldiers.
As has long been the tradition at the Speedway, ALL military personnel active duty, reserve, and retired will be admitted to the event on May 15th free of charge. Service personnel are particularly welcome for this event, and encouraged to be there to cheer their fellow soldiers on this special night.
As a special treat for "the kids" the Guard will be bringing along some of its "tools of the trade" (special vehicles and other interactive attractions) to put on display along with providing a razor-sharp Army National Guard color guard to escort the reenlisting Guard members and to present the flag in the opening ceremonies.
As a "Thank You" all military (both active or retired) visiting the Speedway on Saturday night, May 15 will receive a special certificate worth $500 off the price of a new Toyota.
"Get to your nearest Toyota dealer, make your best deal, get it all done, and then produce this certificate to get an additional $500 right off the bottom line. The Toyota Dealers of Southern California sincerely appreciate the sacrifices that our military has made and hope that this small gesture shows our support and appreciation of that they do for all Americans."
After the ceremonies all of the newly-reenlisted National Guard troops and their families will be escorted to the grandstands and seated in a special section for the night’s races.
And, what a night of NASCAR super short track action they’re in for!
Starting with the Auto Club Late Models where Canyon Country’s young Rod Johnson Jr. has had a "perfect countdown" beginning to his season so far with a 3rd ,2nd and then 1st finishing record in the first three races of the year. Travis Irving from Santa Inez is only 6 scant points (144-138) arrears of Johnson but seems to have the equation all backwards with his 1st, 3rd, and 5th finishes. Sharp-eyed readers will note that last year’s Auto Club champion, the ever-dangerous Nick Joanides, is lurking back there in 7th place with 108 points. The seasoned Woodland Hills driver knows that a good finish pays enough to get back on top and a bad one really hurts, even this early in the season.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Each and every one of the Toyota Speedway points battles, all year long, and race-by-race, may be easily referred to at the Speedway’s informative website: www.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com
Ryan Partridge has had things all his own way in the King Taco Super Trucks. So far the Rancho Cucamonga driver has a perfect 150 points total, winning all three of the races run thus far in the season. However, Monrovia’s Todd Cameron and Mission Viejo’s Matt Kimball are close on Partridge’s (fiberglass) back bumper with 140 and 134 points totals.
Coming into race 5 in the 15-race Vista Paint Super Stocks series Rich DeLong (Santa Clarita) has a nice 20-point lead over Bryan Harrell (Riverside) 198 to 178.
We got the story of Barefoot Billy Ziemann slightly wrong last time the Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure-8 cars took to the infinity-shaped course at Irwindale. It was his father, not his uncle, who took off his own shoes (so that Billy would be allowed on an airliner) and drove home shoeless when Billy went to a big Figure-8 showdown back east. That editorial error did not seem to bother the Bloomington-based driver, who, despite our gaffe, has won both of the first two races in the seven-event 2010 season.
This might be a good point to put in a strong plug for the King Taco On-Track Autograph session where "kids" old and young can meet drivers like (all of the above) and more. Our friend Billy Ziemann follows the rules and wears his racing shoes at all times when he’s in the pits and in his awesome (how many!!!?) horsepower Figure-8 machine, but at the autograph he always shows up footwearless. The 5:45PM pre-event gathering is a great way to get to meet these young and old(er) gladiators and to get a close-up look at their mounts for the night. It’s part of the deal at Toyota Speedway and a big part of the night for many.
GUARANTEED: For the entire month of May new fans and folks who just have never gotten around to visiting the Speedway are invited to buy their tickets with a 100% money back guarantee: "If, after the first race of the evening, any of our guests are not completely satisfied with the advertised excitement level, all they have to do is return to the ticket window for a full refund of their ticket price …" The "Money Back May" offer brought a number of new fans aboard last weekend and not one took the track up on the guarantee.
BIO: Toyota Speedway opened its doors in 1999 to great crowds and great racing. In subsequent years the banked half-mile oval has seen hundreds of thousands of miles of close, competitive racing witnessed by well over a million fans. The heart of NASCAR Home Track racing, the Speedway presents racing events every Saturday night from March through October giving hundreds of drivers a place to prove themselves and their machines in front of cheering crowds of real race fans.
www.tototaspeedwayatirwindale.com
# - # - #The Rooftop Lounge Is open this weekend, for $35 you get Food,Free Parking and a unique view of the racing action. The Rooftop Lounge is located atop turns 3 and 4 so when those Auto Club Late Models or King Taco Super Trucks come screaming at you down the straight, you will be able to look straight into the drivers seat to see who has the best shot to get through the corners unscathed.
It’s a lounge with 42in TV’s, comfy couches, full bar service and a great atmosphere to watch the races all night. For more info contact Mary Gonzalez at 626-358-1100/Mgonzalez@toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com
Upcoming Speedway Oval Events:
September 11
Auto Club Night and Back to School Night
STUDENTS & TEACHERS Get In FREE!!
Skid Plate Racing
