MORE OF THE KENNEDY MAGIC - NASCAR SLM

RACE REPORT - AUGUST 17, 2003 
By Tim Kennedy 

Rip Michels swept the Jani-King NASCAR Super Late Model twin-50 features Saturday in front of 5,422 at Irwindale Speedway.  The track's 2000 Grand American Modified champion assumed the SLM series point lead by 38 points over Brandon Loverock with four events remaining in the 19-race season. The double-dip victory in his Ladco Chevy Monte Carlo gave Michels six main event triumphs during his second season in the SLM division. 
Heartache befell former SLM point leader Tony Green, who entered the twin-50s with a 14-point advantage over Michels. Green, who drove his family-owned # 89 Chevy Monte Carlo, was the fastest qualifier in separate laps to determine lineups for both mains. The inversion for the first 50 had him on the pole and the inversion for the second 50 had him scheduled to start tenth. 
Green led the first three laps and circuits six through 47 in the first 50.  Entering the first turn on lap 48, with a five to 10-yard lead over Michels, Green's right front tire blew when "the cord separated" and sent his car into the outer wall hard. The car ground to a halt against crash-wall in turn two.  Newlywed Green climbed out uninjured, but his heavily damaged car was unable to start the second 50. 
SLM driver James Bruncati offered popular Green the use of his backup Taurus while Kevin Vernon offered Green his Chevy for the second 50. However, Green declined the generous offers because his team didn't have funds to repair any damage done to a loaner car. Green's father explained later a serious crash in turn one two weeks ago cost the team $11,000 to repair. He added they don't have funds for repairs after the crash Saturday and their season may be finished. 
Green dropped to third place in points, 72 behind Michels with 50 points available per race (200 maximum). Ben Walker, who lost a car in the same crash with Green on August 3, was absent Saturday also for lack of funds.  
Fastest qualifier Tim Huddleston started fourth, swapped the lead four times with second starter/point leader Todd Burns in the Auto Club of Southern California Late Model 50-lap main and won by 0.353 seconds.  Huddleston's sixth victory in his Pontiac Grand Prix in 14 races kept him in second place in points with 586. Four-time L/M winner Burns leads current point standings with 628. Only four races remain before the 18-event campaign will conclude September 28. In Saturday's race, 21 of 25 L/M starters finished and 19 completed all 50 laps. 
Andrew Phipps, the quickest qualifier/third-starter, led all 40-laps in the Vista Paint Super Stock main. It was his fourth consecutive victory. The all green flag race took only 15:04.171. There were 28 of 32 starters still racing at the checker and 11 drivers were on the lead lap. Point leader and four-time feature winner Darren Cheek finished second, 1.089 seconds behind four-time winner Phipps. After 11 of 15 point races Cheek leads Phipps 510-448. 
Two other events Saturday followed the four races on the half-mile and used the third-mile and infield. Chris Williamson started third in his "winged special" and won his third consecutive 25-lap Pick Your Part Figure 8 race and his fourth in six races. He earned $1,000. Only two Figure 8 events remain in the eight-race point season. Ranked second in points, Williamson trails consistent James Altman (sixth place Saturday) 264-256. Two-time winner Tom Smith was second, half a lap back. Eleven of 15 starters finished and five ran all 25 laps. The final races will take place September 21 and October 12. 
The concluding event was a 13-car Pick You Part Demolition Derby on a soapy-watered down confined area in the infield. Derby drivers included Grand American Modified driver Robert Rice, racing historian/track program publisher Harold Osmer (in a luxurious but bellicose - Ed.) 1980 Cadillac Seville and Ross "The Intern" Matthews, the 22-year old humorous performer on Jay Leno's Tonight Show.  (Ross' beautifully outfitted and tastefully painted DD machine was generously supplied by Pick Your Part and prepared for battle by Tony "Memory Lane" Martinez … Mr. Matthews' stunning fireproof fire suit and gleaming white helmet were supplied by Smilin' Joe Oddo the proprietor of Irwindale's on-site Performance Race Training Center driving school.)
A camera crew from NBC taped Ross "The Intern" in his red No. 00 Oldsmobile (their going out of business anyway - Ed.) sedan (which he christened "Gwyneth" in honor of actress Gwyneth Paltrow) hitting and being hit. The hilarious footage will air on Leno's TV show soon ("check your local listings" - Ed.).  Rice won the 14-minute "event" in his No. 50 "Orange Crush-mobile" sedan.  It was his third consecutive $1,000 victory in the same car; he took it home for use in the next DD. 
Remarkably, Ross "The Intern" collected the third place trophy. Earlier, he said he never had been in an auto accident and he would be screaming through the whole event. Nevertheless, he was smiling after the checkered flag.  ( After the event, and his spectacular "hood dance" - "Are you sure that I should do this … Is the hood safe?" Matthews indicated to the Irwindale officials that he would not accept any prize money for his hard night's work, asking that the 3rd place money be given to the fourth place finisher in the DD.  A Sportsman AND a snappy dresser … Thanks Ross! -Ed. again)
The first SLM 50-lap race had 24 cars on the grid, including three backup cars for title hopefuls. Green led the first three circuits and lap six-47 from the pole. Second starter Tommy Fry led laps four and five. Michels inherited the point when Green hit the wall and ended his race and season because of his depleted racing budget. Bruncati, Loverock, Fry and Tim Woods III rounded out the top five as 18 drivers finished, with 14 on the lead serial. 
The second 50 had a ten-car inversion and Brent Reynolds paced the first three laps from his outside front row starting position. Michels led the final 47 laps. Woods finished second and later complained over the PA system about Michels' driving. Fans booed his critique. "I guess he didn't like my restart," (lap 24 after a caution) Michels said. They shook hands and agreed to disagree before departing the finish line interview area. Bruncati, Kazuto Yanagawa and Reynolds completed the top five. Thirteen of 20 starters finished and 11 ran all 50 laps. 
A three-car collision in the second SLM 50 on the front straight during lap 20 sidelined sixth-running Shawn Calderwood, Dan Moore and Taka Mizuki, who was dazed briefly. However, Mizuki, from Nagoya, Japan, climbed from his car just past the starting line and walked to an ambulance for a precautionary checkup. The impact tore off the back of Calderwood's car and the right side of Mizuki's passing car. 
Kevin Wood, the winner last week, finished a close third in the L/M main, with Scott Youngren fourth and Jess Flores fifth. Twenty-one of the 25 starters finished the race and 19 ran all 50 laps. Earlier, rookie Youngren won his first six-car, six-lap trophy dash. After the dash, officials disqualified Mike Price (P4) and Burns (P6) for rough driving on lap five while they raced for second position. 
PICK YOUR PART FIGURE 8's: 
Main: Chris Williamson, Tom Smith, Earl Cox, Richie Altman, Steve Stewart, James Altman, Ron Chaney, Jeff Marguet, Eddie Conna, Rusty Stewart, Tony Curtis, Billy Ziemann, Steve Cook, Dan Burns, Sam Fritz. 
PICK YOUR PART DEMOLITION DERBY: 
Winner: Robert Rice, P.2-Car 23, Ross "The Intern" Matthews, P.4-Car 33, P.5-Car22. 
VISTA PAINT SUPER STOCKS: 
Fast Time: Andrew Phipps, 21.755. 
Main: Phipps, Darren Cheek, Lee Ladd, Steve Gilmore, John Cappi, Chris Houwen, Don Helgeson, Jim Appleby, Jr, Greg Benner, Mike Gilmore, Dan Rodgers, Ed Dazzo, Ken Brown, Jessie Cottrell, Larry Sampson, Greg Crutcher, Randy Jackson, Rich Paez, Robin Bourgeois, Gary Howell, Fred Brown, Cliff Conklin, Miles Stiever, Phil Holt, Scott Corrigan, Brian Tully, Pat Riley, John Arlotti, Paul Helvik, Craig Yeaton, Joe Martinez, Kris Marquis. 

AUTOMOBILE CLUB of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE MODELS: 
Fast Time: Tim Huddleston, 19.231. 
Dash: Scott Youngren, Doug McComb, Jess Flores, Huddleston. 
DISQ- Mike Price, Todd Burns. 
Main: Huddleston, Todd Burns, Kevin Wood, Youngren, Flores, McComb, Mike Price, Craig Rayburn, Mike Johnson, Ron Schartau, Deryk Ward, Todd Conrad, Jim Conklin, Dave Hessing, Shane Thompson, Johnny Lathrop, Eugene Dewberry, Johnny Butler, Pat Ackley, Tim Harris, Nick Conti, George Ruark, John Cran, John Ahrendt, Jeff Green. 
JANI-KING SUPER LATE MODELS: 
Fast Time: (For 1st Main) - Tony Green, 18.287. 
(For 2nd Main) - Tony Green, 18.341. 
First Main: Rip Michels, Tony Bruncati, Brandon Loverock, Tommy Fry, Tim Woods III, Kazuto Yanagawa, Shaun Calderwood, Dan Moore, Brent Reynolds, Stephan Sadler, Russell White, Dean Cato, Taka Mizuki, Gary Jenkins, Chris Skelton, Andy Coyle, Tony Gomez, Deyon Young, Green, Kevin Vernon, Alan Sadler, Todd Burns, Ron Cervin, Mike Johnson.  Second Main: Michels, Woods III, Bruncati, Yanagawa, Reynolds, White, Cato, Fry, S. Sadler, Vernon, Loverock, Young, Cervin, Jenkins, Moore, Mizuki, Calderwood, Coyle, Gomez,