Toyota Speedway May 29 PIPE TRADES NIGHT New Third-Mile Open Comp Division Debut Skid Plate Cars
Release Date: 5/30/2010
Irwindale, Calif. - - Another night of action-packed high-speed motorsports is on the way at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale this Saturday, May 29 Including the debut of a brand-new division that will invite any (ANY) safety legal stock car (or truck) big, little (and in between) to race on the third mile in a division that’s pre-destined be a source of great curiosity on Saturday night.
"We expect some interesting entries and some real good short-track action," track competition director Lester Boyer indicated. The working title for this one is: Third Mile Open Comp, but that can change if the class takes off and gains a fan following, in fact Speedway GM Bob DeFazio has announced that there’ll be a special fan contest to name the division if that happens. Here’s the one-paragraph (full) class description: Any stock car (or truck) that has ever run at Toyota Speedway is invited and VERY welcome to race in this new division. In fact, as long as the machine and the driver’s gear pass the track’s safety check, it doesn’t even matter if the vehicle actually ever raced at Toyota Speedway or not! There are no engine rules, an 8-inch tire maximum, and three little words: Go for it! Sounds like fun.
In other news, the strange and wacky racers of the Skid Plate Cars are set for one of their strangely-interesting brand of races which are always a source of jaw-dropping amazement (no, make that AMUSEMENT) for Speedway fans. Quite simply front wheel drive automobiles with their rear axles and wheels removed and replaced by a steel skid plate (hence the name), these machines are about as unpredictable as they are un-drivable. On the other hand, they’re great fun to watch, and that’s what they’re all about.
On the more serious side of the night’s racing the Auto Club Late Models will run their first twin race set of the year this Saturday.
Twin races always are (you’ll pardon the pun) "double edged swords". They represent a chance at 100 golden points in one night of racing but they also forebode as the possibility of banging your mount up so badly in the first race that you get the minimum in that race and can’t even make the second. Great night or gruesome night, that’s the concern with any two-race night.
Rod Johnson Jr. from Canyon Country leads the Club Cars into the show on Saturday night. Coming off wins in the last two races, the rookie son of one of the Speedway’s great champs would like to have two more, and his dad is just the right guy to talk him through the process. Long Beach’s Travis Irving won the opening night race and had run well until the last race when he ran 12th. In his case twenty-eight points back sounds like a lot and 100 possible sounds appetizing. Another rookie, Christian Copley is close with 162 points, the young Santa Inez resident has had consistently good finishes in the first four races of the 17-race ACLM season.
The King Taco Super Trucks, Vista Paint Super Stocks, and the King Porter Classic Stocks are all on stage on Saturday night.
In the Super Trucks Ryan Partridge has a perfect record of 4 for 4 so far showing a perfect 200 in the points boxes on the Speedway site (www.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com). Breathing easy? Nope, because Todd Cameron of Monrovia (188 points) and Matt Kimball of Mission Valley (168 points) are not all that far behind the Rancho Cucamonga driver.
Rich Delong has is also on a roll, having won four and finishing second once in the first five races of the Vista Paint Super Stocks. But the Santa Clarita driver has a couple of "close friends" right on his back bumper: Bryan Harrell (Riverside) and Gary Read (La Verne) are not far behind DeLong’s almost perfect 248 (of 250 possible) at 226 and 210 respectively.
And then there’s the hyper-exciting Ken Porter Auctions Classic Stocks with Arcadia’s own Mark Garrett making an early season charge toward the front from fifth place (156) only forty points adrift of division leader Ken Michaelian of Lawndale. Mike Colato Jr’s 192 point have the Chatsworth-based shoe in second, with (another) Michaelian (this time Harry, also from Lawndale) in third (182 points) followed by "Fast Tommy" Mason from (maybe it’s the water) Canyon Country hanging tough in fourth at 160 checkmarks.
GATES: Open at 4PM and the FREE King Taco On-Track Autograph Session fun starts at 5:45PM and the first race comes under the green flag at 7PM. Kids 12 and Under are FREE, so bring the whole neighborhood! Fans can save time by booking tickets on line at www.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com.
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.
ALL OF THE ABOVE: Gates open to the public at 4PM, there’s always a live band playing, a cool car club showing off, a face-paint clown for the little (and not so little) guys and gals, a great food and beverage court with hundreds of choices and a family deal (buy it with your ticket) that will "Feed 4 for 24" 4 hot dogs, 4 orders of fries, and four soft drinks are only $24.00 (you save 25% on feeding four)
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
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Upcoming Speedway Oval Events:
September 11
Auto Club Night and Back to School Night
STUDENTS & TEACHERS Get In FREE!!
Skid Plate Racing
