McGill Gets His First Feature Win ... Phipps Goes Into Lead In Super Lates
SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT - SATURDAY NIGHT AUGUST 13, 2005 By Tim Kennedy Irwindale, CA., Aug. 13 - NASCAR Lucas Oil Super Late Model Series drivers raced in a pair of 50-lap main events Saturday on the Irwindale Speedway half-mile and the series point lead changed hands. Fastest qualifier Jim McGill won his first feature in the series in the first 50 aboard his Pechanga Resort & Casino Chevy Monte Carlo. The veteran truck racer started third in a 26-car field. Andrew Phipps, Irwindale's 2003-04 Grand American Modified champion and a SLM rookie, led all the way from pole position in the second 50 for his fifth victory in the Bruncati Ford Taurus and became the new point leader. Former point leader Todd Southwell entered the twin-50s with a 56-point advantage over Phipps. He experienced engine problems in both races with his primary and then backup Chevy Monte Carlos. He finished 25th and 22nd in the two races and now trails new leader Phipps, who had third and first place results, by 30 points (634-604). Only two races and a maximum of 100 points remain in the 18-race schedule. McGill passed laps one-19 leader Phipps with an inside move exiting the fourth turn and led the final 31 laps to the checker. He had to withstand a pressing Russell White, who ended the evening third in points with 600. White trailed the winner by five yards (0.286 seconds). McGill then ran second to Phipps all the way in the second 50 and trailed the new point leader by 30-yards (1.257 seconds) for his most successful night at IS. "This is a dream come true," McGill told spectators. He said his wife is his spotter during races. His 98-points for the night moved McGill into tenth place in points. In other features on the half-mile, second generation driver Ryan Black started his Chevy Silverado third and led the final 37 laps of a 16-truck Jasper West Coast Pro Trucks 40-lap event. He won his second consecutive victory at IS by 0.226 seconds. He defeated the Ford F-150 of former moto-cross cycle racer Buddy Antunez, a WCPT rookie. It was the best performance yet for the rapidly improving former two-wheel racer. Don Helgeson led the first three laps and settled for third place. Past champion Lee Ladd captured his first Vista Paint Super Stock 40-lap main event in race 11 of the season after starting fifth in his 1973 Camaro. He became the third race leader in a 23-car field during lap 12. The personable veteran and proprietor of Ladco Leasing won by ten yards (0.680 seconds) over four-time winner Jimmy Sloan. A lap 39 one-car spin wiped out Ladd's 30-yard advantage and caused a green, white, checkered flag finish. He moved to fourth in current points. Action in a 35-lap race on the third-mile resulted in a second career main event victory in mini stock racing for veteran Tom Dye in his 1989 Toyota Celica. He started fourth and passed early leader Tim Ross on lap 12 for his second consecutive triumph. He also won on July 30 and moved into fifth in current points. Dye made impressive controlled outside passes for the top three positions on his drive to the front. He won by half a straight as 18 of 24 starters finished with 11 on the lead lap. The all-green flag race took 10:29.491. The Justice Brothers Pure Stock 35-lap race on the third-mile went to rookie Branden Mulvihill in a 1973 Chevy Monte Carlo. He started second and led the final 33 laps to become the fourth winner in six races. He jumped to fifth in points. Fastest qualifier/third starter Mark Whitson led the first two laps and then parked his 1973 Chevy Laguna with an engine problem. Mulvihill won by 25 yards (1.650 seconds) over point leader/two-time winner John Mattie. Fourteen of 17 starters finished and nine ran all 35 laps. The first SLM main was a three-car close contest featuring outside-running leader Phipps and third place McGill and inside-running Southwell for the initial 24 laps. McGill took second from Southwell on lap 18 and then nipped Phipps for the lead on lap 20. With Southwell's engine smoking, race director Lester Boyer called for a yellow flag to check Southwell's car and the track for oil. Track-side officials confirmed the oil leak and sent Southwell to the pits. It was the first of two cautions. Twenty-four of 26 starters finished and all completed 50 laps in a 17:57.798-timed race. The second SLM 50-lap race was the opposite of the expeditious first 50. The second 50 had three red flags and three yellow flags. Only 14 of 26 starters finished. Two of the red flags (laps 18 and 40) were to clean oil from the track. Mike Price's fourth place car had a problem and contacted the first turn wall hard. It trailed sparks and stopped in the fourth turn, where it deposited oil before being towed to the pits. On lap 44 the lapped car of Dan Moore had a problem in turn two and veered up the track into the passing car of eighth place Scott Calvin. The impact sent both cars hard into the wall at speed and involved five cars that were unable to continue. Moore's car stopped near the infield. Former truck racer Calvin complained of back pain after the accident, Calvin was transported to a nearby Arcadia hospital for evaluation and released to go home early Sunday morning. Due to the 10PM curfew track officials postponed the women's pure stock five-car, 15-lap race that was to close the scheduled six-division, seven-feature program. In time trials for pure stocks, Mark Whitson set a new track record of 17.812 (67.370 mph) on the third-mile. His time broke the 17.932 mark set by Jeff Elder this year on May 7. MINI STOCKS: (24 cars) Fast Time: (rookie) Brian Johnson, 17.264. Main: Tom Dye, Kevin Bernhardt, Tim Ross, Steve Rogers, Tyler Rogers, Bob Reed, Eric Reed, Dustin Morgan, Johnson, Rod Schmitt, Glenn Duffin, Brenda Pugh, Kris Melleby, J. D. Manger, Kory Russell, Ed Lavender, Ron Schmitt, Larry Haw, Mario Ruiz, Virgil Young, Dennis Croasmun, Daryl Svcoggins, Darren Cheek, Richie Altman. Time - 10:29.491. JUSTICE BROS. PURE STOCKS: (17 cars) Fast Time: Mark Whitson, 17.812 (67.370 mph) - NTR (old TR- 17.932 by Jeff Elder on 5-7-05). Main: Branden Mulvihill, John Mattie, Michelle Rouse, Jimmy Rouse, Nick Nuccitelli, Bob Bartleson, Bill Bartleson, Harry Michaelian, Kevin hall, Peter Bryk, Ron Davis, Dave Foster, Sean Medina, Andrew Trotter, Jr, Jeff Elder, Whitson, Paul Vitale. Women's League - Fast Time: M. Rouse, 18.242. (Others-Kelly Bartleson-Young, Ginger Bryk, Melissa Watson, Alex Brenes.) JASPER WEST COAST PRO TRUCKS: (17 trucks) Fast Time: Ryan Black, 20.375. Main: Black, Buddy Antunez, Don Helgeson, Neil Conrad, David Timewell, Tim McMillin, Todd Cameron, Chris Johnson (in Cecil Phelps #66), Robert Leininger, Jeff Williams, Ron Mongelel, Barry Kelperis, Jr., Jim Satterfield, Jeff Broughton, Ron Davis, Ivan Arias. DNS-C.Johnson #20). VISTA PAINT SUPER STOCKS: (23 cars) Fast Time: Robin Bourgeois, 21.643. Main: Lee Ladd, Jimmy Sloan, Bryan Harrell, Bourgeois, Steve Smith, Ed Dazzo, Jeff Grill, Victor Wu, Rick Crow, Steve Gilmore, Tim Gardner, Kenny Brown, Garry Howell, Larry Cerquettini, Rich DeLong III, Bill Shoemaker, Al Sallie, Mike Gilmore, Keith Wood, Roy Moore, Richard Hansen, Eric Virta, Greg Crutcher. LUCAS OIL SUPER LATE MODELS: (28 cars) Fast Time: Jim McGill, 17.946. Main # 1: McGill, Russell White, Andrew Phipps, Mike Price, Rod Johnson, Brian Ickler, Brandon Loverock, Van Knill, Kevin O'Connell, Nathan Wulff, Dan Moore, Mike Mulhall, Ed Hoffman, Gary Jenkins, Scott Conaway (#38), Eric Richardson, Scott Calvin, Dan O'Donnell, Andy Coyle, David Ross, Robby Sawyer, Dennis Arena, Stephan Peace, Steve Hamilton, Todd Southwell, Craig Yeaton. DNS-Ken Shearan, Randy Jackson, Conaway (#67). Main # 2: Phipps, McGill, Ickler, Johnson, White, Wulff, Richardson, Mulhall, Coyle, O'Donnell, Sawyer, Ross, Arena, Knill, Conaway (#38), Calvin, Jenkins, Hamilton, Moore, Loverock, Price, Southwell, O'Connell, Peace, Hoffman, Yeaton. PHOTO: McGill / Phipps -30- THANKS! -STOKES