PLEASE NOTE: UPDATE ON WEEKEND EVENTS AT IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY
PLEASE NOTE SUNDAY (25TH) CAR SHOW CANCELLED ACTION AT IRWINDALE … CAR FUN FOR EVERYONE AUGUST 22, 23, 24: THURSDAY - SATURDAY Just Say" "Supersize My Irwindale Weekend Please …" Irwindale, Calif. - - The wide, wonderful world of California Car Culture will be in full song Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday, Irwindale Speedway and Dragstrip with three different motorsports events. Starting on Thursday Night, August 22, the drag strip will host its regular NHRA Street Legal "Test'N'Tune" night open to all comers. These "run what you brung" nights of street legal drag racing have been averaging over 200 racers per night with some 2,000+ approving fans in attendance. A new 500-seat grandstand was installed just a couple of weeks ago but the places along the spectator fence still get filled up early with many fans arriving as soon as the tech gates open at 4PM to claim their favorite viewing areas. A real "happening", one never knows what machines they'll see until they get to Irwindale on a particular Thursday … Everything from wild to mild and all shades in between, the hottest bikes and the most super of street cars … They're all there and running hard on Thursday nights. Open Pits. More information: (626) 358-11100 On Friday Night, August 23 the Irwindale 1/8-mile Dragstrip will get heated up for a second night in a row when the first edition of the spectacular 32-Car Manufacturer's Cup Challenge Race takes center stage. Gates open at 4PM and the elimination rounds will start at 7PM. It's Team Mopar against Team Ford, against Team General Motors, all against Team Wild Card. Racers have been qualifying for weeks for this one and they're really ready to race for the title. All the best of best will be running in Friday night's "Chicago Style" racing event on Irwindale's super-fast launch pad. There'll be plenty of great give-aways for the fans, as well as exhibition runs featuring some pretty (make that VERY) strong racing cars. A manufacturer's midway will purvey all manner of automotive goodies, and a special racing car show will highlight half a hundred of the coolest cars ever to rotate a set of rubber tires. The special pre-race show starts at 7PM with exhibition machines, raffles for fan prizes and "Round Girls" (no comment, -Ed.) who will manage the scoreboards for each round of the 32-car round robin eliminations. Over $3,000+ (and still counting at this printing) in cash and merchandise prizes has been posted by local businesses for this event. More information: (626) 334-1800. (As time permits non-competition "Test and Tune" timed runs will also be allowed at this meet.) Open Pits. HEY! HOT AUGUST NIGHTS ANYONE? Saturday Night, August 24 will see fans flocking to the 6,500-seat speedway for a great night of NASCAR racing on the fast half-mile oval. The track's top stock car division, the Jani-King Super Late Models, will be racing hard down to the short strokes in their 2002 championship points battle where every finishing position point becomes a precious proposition. So too will the Grand American Modifieds, Modified 4's, and the King Taco-sponsored Legends Cars. The 2002 season is drawing short, points, prestige, and bragging rights are all on the line … No one wants to finish eleventh when they're "this close" to the driver in tenth place. Gates open to the public at 4PM and the now-traditional (and very well received) King Taco On-Track Autograph Session invites fans of all ages right down on the track at 6PM with racing firing off at 7PM sharp. More information (626) 358-1100 A three-ring circus of car lover's delights, Irwindale Dragstrip and Speedway has something that's sure to ring each and every car-person's personal bell on this menu … from NASCAR to NHRA ... And it's all at freeway-close Irwindale Speedway and Dragstrip during this late August extended weekend. In the classic words of the prophet: Beeeee (Yoouknooowwhereeee)!