RACE REPORT - APRIL 27

    Irwindale, CA, Apr. 27 - The biggest and most diverse racing night at 
Irwindale Speedway took place Saturday and a season-high 133 racing cars and 
trucks participated.  The six-division show, presented by the Southern 
California Pipe Trades, attracted 5,320 fans for 315 laps of main event 
racing on the banked half and third-mile tracks.

    Point leader Tony Green drove his Chevy Monte Carlo to a decisive second 
victory of the season in the fourth Jani-King NASCAR Super Late Model 75-lap 
main.  Thirty cars started the race, which was round two of the Miller Lite 
Big 10 Challenge series.  A Fox Sports Net2 TV crew taped the race for 
telecast on May 23.  

    FSN2 also taped the feature races run by a pair of racing truck classes 
for airing on May 30 and June 6.  Michael May, 18, led all the way in a 
28-truck field and took his Chevy to the second 75-lap American Race truck 
main event victory of his brief career.  He also won the opening night main 
on March 16.  

    Greg Adler captured an exciting 35-truck Ultra Wheel Super Truck 50-lap 
main event in his Chevy.  He led laps eight-33, missed a shift on a restart 
and got bumped back to fifth place.  Adler then stormed back to pass four 
trucks and retake the point on lap 40.  He led the balance of the race and 
won by ten yards over series newcomer Ryan Arciero.

    Point leader Roger Carufel, Jr won another NASCAR Grand American Modified 
35-lap main event.  He started his Chevy-powered car seventh in a 15-car 
field and took command on the seventh lap.  Initial race leader Rod Johnson, 
the 1999 track GAM champion, finished second, 3.295 seconds behind the winner.

    Two USAC open-wheel series completed the six divisions in competition.  
The new Ford Focus Midgets and Jim Russell Triple Crown Pro Series 
rear-engine formula road racing cars, which were making their debut at 
Irwindale, fielded nine and 12 cars respectively.  The Russell Series, 
presented by Yokohama Tires, used the banked half-mile track and a 60-lap 
race to determine the distribution of a $4,150 purse, which is part of the 
$33,450 series.

    Fastest qualifier and pole starter Scott Speed, a 19 year old seven-time 
karting champion with his eyes set on Formula Atlantic cars, led the first 12 
laps.  Fellow front row starter and karting ace Chris Carmody, 19, passed him 
on lap 13 and won by 1.918 seconds over 23-year old Brazilian Victor Hugo 
Queiroz.  Lapping and four wide racing were common during the latter part of 
the contest when drivers became more accustomed to the unfamiliar oval.  

    A final lap collision in turn four occurred between second place, 
mid-track running Speed and third positioned, inside-running Queiroz.  
Speed's car spun and backed into the crash-wall.  His heavily damaged car 
looped to mid-track and he climbed out without injury.  Speed rode to the 
finish line ceremonies in a tow truck with his battered car suspended in 
mid-air.  Only the top three runners were on the lead lap when the checkered 
flag was being waved.  As a result, Speed finished third even though he did 
not complete the final lap.  Only one of the 12 starters dropped out before 
Speed's crash.

    Ford Focus Midget point leader Todd Hunzaker used his still eligible TQ 
Midget to defeat the title Ford Focus-powered Midgets for the second 
consecutive week on Irwindale's third-mile.  He earned $500 for his third 
victory this season in the new five race old USAC division that has raced on 
four different tracks.  A Ford Focus sedan from Advantage Ford paced the 
field.  

    The TQ veteran from Chino Hills started fifth and led the final 16 laps 
of a 20-lap race.  His winning margin was half a straight-away (2.674 
seconds) over 17-year old, recently emancipated high school student Garrett 
Hansen.  Quarter Midget graduate Hansen started fourth in a Stealth/Ford 
Focus. 

    Bobby Owens finished third, with Steve Davis and Wayne McCormick fourth 
and fifth respectively.  Seven drivers in the nine car field finished and all 
seven ran 20 laps.  Poleman J. J. Ercse led the first four circuits.  
However, he stopped his second place Ford Focus-powered Midget against the 
fourth-turn wall on lap 13 and did not finish.  Time trials were not 
conducted. 

    Track technical inspectors disqualified two top three finishers "for 
using non-conforming parts".  SLM star Rip Michels earlier said, "We all had 
nothing for Tony (Green) tonight."  Following a routine post-race tech 
inspection, officials disqualified his Chevrolet, elevating Ben Walker's Ford 
Taurus to second place.  Michels lost all points and money for the night.  
Steve Luecht also lost his third position points and money in the GAM main 
"for use of non-conforming parts".

    A nine-car inversion--as a result of the fastest qualifier spinning a 
numbered inversion carnival-type wheel--had second quickest qualifier Green 
start eighth.  He took second on lap 27 and chased pole starter and race-long 
leader Walker until passing him on lap 40.  Twenty-eight of the 30 starters 
were still racing at the finish and 19 drivers completed all 75 laps.  

    Green earlier started fifth and won the six-lap trophy dash for the six 
fastest qualifiers.  Tim Woods III brought his SLM Chino Hills Ford Taurus 
home third officially Saturday night in the feature.  Earlier in the day he 
finished seventh in the NASCAR Winston West race at the two-mile California 
Speedway in Fontana, 35-miles east of Irwindale.

    The wild UW Super Truck 35- truck race had three race leaders.  Pole 
starter Mark Laeger led the initial seven laps before outside front row 
starter Adler passed him and paced the next 26 laps.  Adler then missed a 
shift exiting turn four with the green flag waving, was bumped from behind 
and dropped to fifth position.  Rich Geisler, from eighth on the grid, led 
laps 34 through 39.  

    Determined Adler retook the point on lap 40. Positions two through seven 
changed lap after lap as a result of contact and side-by-side racing.  A 
final caution flag waved at lap 48 and resulted in a green, white checkered 
flag finish.  As the starter displayed the checkered flag three trucks just 
outside the top ten collided in the fourth turn and inflicted significant 
damage to the trucks.  All three drivers escaped injury.  

    The Summary:  (pickup agate)

USAC FORD FOCUS MIDGETS:

Main: Todd Hunsaker, Garrett Hansen, Bobby Owens, Steve Davis, Wayne 
McCormick, Josh Lakatos, Jon Wilcox, Phil Goodwine, J. J. Ercse.

JIM RUSSELL TRIPLE CROWN PRO SERIES:

Fast Time: Scott Speed, 18.377 (NTR-first race at I.S)

Main: Chris Carmody, Victor Hugo Queiroz, Speed, John Knudsen, Jason Bowles, 
John Mefford, Taylor Fletcher, Bruce Feldman, Robert Hagerty, Chris Nelson, 
Shawn Greene, Don Beach.

GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIEDS:

Fast Time: Steve Luecht, 18.637.

Main: Roger Carufel, Jr, Rod Johnson, Travis Thirkettle, Eddie Ernst, John 
Watkinson III, Charlie Wahl, Dennis Eckert, Robert Rice, Chad Daly, Mike 
Trottochau, Joe Ruggles, Tim Morse, Dennis Schlarbaum, Mike Knapp.  DQ-Luecht.

ULTRA WHEEL SUPER TRUCKS:

Fast Time: Tom Stanton, 19.338.

Main:  Greg Adler, Ryan Arciero, Cory Fancy, Kevin O'Neil, Ron Peterson, Jim 
McGill, Rich Geisler, Stanton, Mark Laeger, Carson Woods, Jesse Poppen, Brian 
Araki, Dan Moore, Pat Minty, Charles Carter, Craig O'Rourke, Scott Davidson, 
Reggie Church, Colin Dickinson, Larry Hinderman, Paul Brennan, Graeme 
Blackburn, Jim Van Gordon, Zeke DeRose, Kyle Evens, Ken Davis, Mark Holeman, 
Jeb Bailey, James Kalawaia, Darren Sigwing, Jeff Womack, Louis Manolitto, P. 
J. Baker, Brian Reed, Hector Sandoval.

AMERICAN RACE TRUCKS:

Fast Time: Mark Schilling, 20.556.

Main: Michael May, Randy Nelson, Schilling, Aaron Staudinger, Val Cummings, 
Neil Conrad, Dale Cromwell, Tony Forfa III, Dave Lyon, Jim Satterfield, Mike 
Pennington, Mike Mocaby, Ray Komar, Joe Perez, Robert Dolacki, Cal 
Vandervort, Kirk Knostman, Alan Rizzone, Richie Altman, Jeff Williams, 
Michael Thomas, Chris Johnson, Dennis Bennett, Robbie Brand, Terry Young, Ron 
Davis, Jr, Josh Hulsebosch, Steve Dyer.

JANI-KING SUPER LATE MODELS:

Fast Time: Rip Michels, 18.029.

Dash: Tony Green, Tim Woods III, Shawn Brink, Nick DeFazio, Tony Bruncati, 
Michels.

Main: Green, Ben Walker, Tim Woods III, James Bruncati, Tony Bruncati, Keith 
Spangler, Kazuto Yanagawa, Brent Reynolds, Nathan Wulff, Rod Johnson, Brandon 
Loverock, Nick DeFazio, John Tyczki, Steve Sadler, Dennis Arena, Roger Brown, 
Dean Cato, Terry Limberopoulos, Dyon Young, Tommy Fry, Brett Landis, Ed 
Hoffman, Gary Jenkins, Dan Moore, Andy Coyle, Shawn Brink, Taka Mizuki, 
Russell White, Kevin Vernon.  DQ-Michels. 

-TIM KENNEDY

    


     





THANKS!