Irwindale Speedway RACE REPORT - APRIL 13, 2002
SLM, Lt Mdl, Am Rac Trks, Legends - By TIM KENNEDY
Irwindale, CA, Apr. 13 - Ben Walker dominated the NASCAR Jani-King Super Late
Model 75-lap feature Saturday at Irwindale Speedway before 5,743, the largest
crowd of the five-week old season. The event also was the first Miller Lite
Big 10 Challenge point race in the series-within-a-series. Walker, 20,
started fourth in his Ford Taurus and led laps 13 and 25-75 in recording his
3.591 second (half straight-away) triumph.
Other exciting 75-lap main event victories went to Tim Huddleston in the
NASCAR Auto Club of Southern California Late Models and to first time winner
Randy Nelson in his American Race Truck Chevy. Early in the evening James
Kalawaia took the 30-lap King Taco Legend Cars main event on the third-mile
oval.
The three feature races on the banked half-mile track were taped for airing
by Fox Sports Net2 as one-hour telecasts at 6:00 p.m. PDT on Thursdays
starting May 2. The SLM, Late Model and ART races will air in that order as
the first three telecasts of a 30-night TV series that will conclude November
21 with a race to be taped on September 28.
Walker, the most prolific SLM main event winner at Irwindale, last won in
2000. He concentrated on racing as a rookie in NASCAR's touring Southwest
Series last year. He said his victory Saturday was his tenth SLM main event
victory at Irwindale and he also lost three triumphs via disqualifications
for technical reasons during post-race inspections. "We went home depressed
last week even though we finished third. We're back and we won. We're going
to win all of them," Walker told the crowd during his finish line interview
on the track PA system.
Later Walker told media members that his crew chief, Brett Barnett, was in
Canada and his father, Bob, was not at the track as well to help prepare the
car. "I had to do everything myself. Normally I get to the track and all I
do is drive. I made a big change tonight after the trophy dash when it was
20 degrees cooler for the main and it paid off." He refused to disclose the
nature of that key change to his car.
"I need to win races or at least finish in the top three every week and avoid
wrecks or I won't have the money to continue racing. My dad gave me all the
racing equipment, but I'm on my own now," Walker stated. He added that his
engine is now due for a rebuild (he has it done every three or four races)
and that expense may cost about $3,000.
SLM series point leader Tony Green, Saturday's fastest qualifier, started
second in his Chevy Monte Carlo, led laps 14-24 and settled for second place.
Pole starter Rip Michels, the main event winner last week, led the first 12
laps, but he got loose in turn four on lap 13 and dropped behind Walker and
Green. Michels regained second on lap 25, but he lost the position back to
Green on lap 70.
Keith Spangler took third from Michels on lap 73 and finished 0.874 seconds
ahead of Michels, who said he had a rear end or tire problem during the
closing laps. Brent Reynolds, from 13th starting, finished fifth in his
Pontiac. Twenty-two of the 28 starters reached the checkered flag and 16
drivers were on the lead serial. Two multi-car crashes caused only bent
metal, but yellow flags caused the race to run 36 minutes.
Late Model winner Huddleston, a 31-year old father of two from Agoura Hills,
set the weekend long-distance record. He told the media he will not fly in
airplanes and he was in Vancouver for a trade-show. He departed by car at
5:00 p.m. Friday, drove 1,286 miles to Irwindale with a friend and arrived
Saturday afternoon in time to practice. Huddleston praised his Jeff Schrader
and Todd Burns-built No. 50 Ladco Leasing Pontiac Grand Prix. "With a car
like this it's hard not to win," the jubilant winner added after he
introduced happy family members in the press box.
The Pontiac of runner-up Mike Price trailed Huddleston by 1.387 seconds.
Burns was third, 2.131 seconds behind the car he constructed for the winner.
Jess Flores, in his best effort at the track, and Kevin Wood followed. A
late-race caution flag cost Mike Johnson a seemingly secure second place.
Johnson faded to a sixth place finish in close contact racing that brought
fans to their feet on the warmest night of the five-week old season.
The wildest, most controversial race of the night went to Randy Nelson in a
75-lap American Race Trucks feature. With just seven truck races under his
belt last year, the second year driver from El Cajon started fifth aboard his
dad's No. 30 Doetsch Tech 2001 Chevy pickup. He arrived in second position
by lap 15. Michael May, the March 16 opening night ART main event winner,
paced the first 26 laps before his engine blew in turn four and he parked in
the infield.
Nelson led laps 27-32 in a nose-to-tail duel with Josh Hulsebosch and Aaron
Staudinger. Leader Nelson got out of shape high in the fourth turn and spun
on lap 33, causing him to relinquish the lead to Staudinger as the former
leader dropped to ninth position. A caution flag at lap 41 enabled Nelson to
regain lost ground and he climbed to fourth by lap 50. He advanced to second
on lap 67 as the announcer and fans focused on his charge.
Nelson trailed leader Staudinger by 30 yards on lap 72 when the leader got
high in the second turn, possibly in fluid, and lost ground. Then third
place Terry Young got sideways at the same spot that caused Staudinger to slip
high. Fourth place Dave Lyon clipped the left front of Young's truck,
propelling Lyon's truck nose first hard into the outer wall. No injuries
resulted. The yellow flags stopped counting and another green, white,
checkered flags scenario followed with Nelson's truck immediately behind
Staudinger.
Nelson, in an effort to make up for his lap 33 spin and to win his first main
event in a televised race, bump-drafted Staudinger's truck at the lap 74
green flag and went low entering the first turn to take the point. Nelson
beat Staudinger by 0.548 seconds, with Rick Harbaugh third, 0.559 seconds
behind the winner. Sixteen of 29 trucks finished and eight completed all 75
circuits.
On the cool-off lap unhappy Staudinger pulled up next to Nelson and had words
or gestures to express his displeasure. When the top three trucks stopped at
the finish line for driver interviews Staudinger quickly went to Nelson's
truck and yelled and pointed at him while he was still seated in his truck.
When interviewed over the PA, laps 33-73 leader Staudinger said, "He (Nelson)
drove somebody out of a win as far as I'm concerned. The officials should
take a look at the results," Staudinger added angrily as fans booed. Nelson
said during his interview over the PA, "It's a short track. If he can't
handle it he should go someplace else." Fans cheered his response.
Kalawaia drove his No. 10 Legend Car that Danny Stockman usually drives and
raced past 16-year old Ricky Wildman on lap 26 of the 30-lap feature for his
victory. Runner-up Brent Jones trailed by 0.122 seconds, with Bill Everett
third. Dana Moore was fourth across the line, but officials later
disqualified her and placed her last. Ralph Alexander and Wildman finished
fourth and fifth officially in a 33-car field.
The Summary: (pick up agate)
KING TACO LEGEND CARS:
Fast Time: James Kalawaia, 17.006.
Main: Kalawaia, Brent Jones, Bill Everett, Ralph Alexander, Ricky Wildman,
Cory Miles, Art Nevill, Don Akers, Bob Landreth, Tom Landreth, Mark Gaiser,
Gary Schuerell, Jim Mann, Bob Graham III, Ryan Schug, Jason Brennan, Gene
Brokaw, Larry Meredith, Bill Watson, Steve Twilligear, Warren Merrifield,
Kevin Leffler, Jeff Collins, Mark Lungrich, Dennis O'Connor, Ron Herbert,
Greg Pyke, Shaun Stewart, Dave Green, Brian Vandehey, Jason Alsop, J. D.
Hendley, Dana Moore.
AMERICAN RACE TRUCKS:
Fast Time: Mark Schilling, 20.655.
Main: Randy Nelson, Aaron Staudinger, Rick Harbaugh, Dale Cromwell, Val
Cummings, Chris Johnson, Dan Pehrson, Terry Young, Neil Conrad, Ray Komar,
Cal Vandevort, Dave Lyon, Steve Dyer, Michael Thomas, Robert Dolacki, Kirk
Knostman, Joe Perez, Alan Rizzone, Mike Pennington, Corey Taylor, Shawn
Rizzone, Josh Hulsebosch, Jeff Williams, Mike Mocaby, Michael May, Rich
Doetsch, Schilling, Tony Forfa III, Jim Satterfield.
AUTO CLUB of SO. CALIF. LATE MODELS:
Fast Time: Tim Huddleston, 19.320.
Main: Huddleston, Mike Price, Todd Burns, Jess Flores, Kevin Wood, Mike
Johnson, Dave Hessing, John Jones, George Ruark, Ron Schartau, Johnny Butler,
Rick Atkins, Scott Youngren, Nick Conti, Rob Chaney, John Cran, Pat Ackley,
Barry Karr, Dan DiGammarino, John Lathrop, David Lowenstein, Brian Kelley,
Craig Rayburn, Andy Bargaehr, Conti, Juan Gonzales, Tim Harris, Pete Rasic,
Mike Rhinehart.
JANI-KING SUPER LATE MODELS:
Fast Time: Tony Green, 18.283.
Dash: Brandon Loverock, Ben Walker, Kazuto Yanagawa, Keith Spangler, Green,
Rip Michels.
Main: Walker, Green, Keith Spangler, Rip Michels, Brent Reynolds, Loverock,
Yanagawa, John Tyczki, Nathan Wulff, Tommy Fry, Dennis Arena, Rod Johnson,
Dan Moore, Terry Limberopoulos, Roger Brown, Dean Cato, Brett Landis, Chris
Skelton, Shawn Brink, Deyon Young, Ed Hoffman, Tony Bruncati, James Bruncati,
Nick DeFazio, Russell White, Stephan Sadler, Kevin Vernon, Doug Renno.
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THANKS!
