SPEEDWAY WILL SALUTE MILITARY PERSONNEL SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10
SPEEDWAY WILL SALUTE MILITARY PERSONNEL SATURDAY LUCAS SUPER LATE MODELS CHAMPIONSHIP DOWN TO FIVE DRIVERS THANK YOU! Show Your Military ID And Get In Free On Saturday Night Irwindale, Calif. - - “We've already got our very popular 'Show your card and save' program through the Automobile Club of Southern California. On Saturday all military personnel showing their ID will be invited to take in a night of great NASCAR racing on the house as our small way of saying 'Thanks!' for all that these dedicated people do for us,” that was Irwindale track manager Bob DeFazio making the invitation. “We'll celebrate our military and the great job that they do in peace and war.” Members of the military will also get a break on tickets for family and friends with the track offering a $5.00 discount on each. And, when the fans, civilian and military, get to Irwindale they are going to see a six-ring circus that will feature a wide range of racing divisions, all of which are coming down to the line in the hot 2005 championship points chase. Starting at the top, the Lucas Oil Products Super Late Models are down to two races with five drivers still in (mathematical) contention. They are, in reverse order: Mike Price, Harbor City (570); Rod Johnson, Canyon County (594); Russell White, Corona (600); Todd Southwell, San Marcos (604); and Andrew Phipps, Simi Valley (634). There are still 100 points available (50 of them on Saturday night) and, doing all the if/then exercises, any of the above could win the 2005 title. It would take Mike Price (for example) two wins and a couple of very bad nights for all the guys ahead of him on the above list. The chase is tight, the prize is in sight and the “Super Lates” are super-serious about it. The Grand American Modifieds will run race eight (of nine) this weekend. Palmdale's old pro, Joe Ruggles has a narrow lead (14 points) over Canyon Country's John Watkinson (330 - 316). In this division one has to go all the way down to sixth place (Doug Carpenter from La Mesa with 248 points) before talking “no chance” for a shot at the title. Again, it takes a heap of trouble for the top guys and a perfect night for the challengers, but stranger things have happened. FAN NOTE: CHECK OUT ALL THE NAMES AND NUMBERS ON THE IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY WEBSITE (www.irwindalespeedway.com) NOW! At least five drivers are still in the hunt in the Vista Paint Super Stocks. This is race one of the last three races for the championship in this low-cost/high-competition division. Robin Bourgeois has led the division all season long, the Costa Mesan has 502 points, two wins and a bunch of very good finishes. Jimmy Sloan, of Palm Desert, is just four points behind (502-498) with two wins and (the same above). Behind them Greg Crutcher, Lee Ladd, Steve Smith, and Jeff Grill are still in the hunt. LOCAL EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: the above quartet are from (respectively) the great local areas of: Covina, Westlake Village, San Bernardino, and El Cajon. The Justice Brothers Pure Stocks are close in the points column but they've got four races left on the clock, so this one will be a free-for-all and we may even see some new championship contender hit the headlines on Saturday night. As it is John Mattie (Highland) has the handle right now, but the husband/wife tag team of Jimmy and Michelle Rouse (Crestline) are right behind. The numbers: 288. 264, 258. Yeah, close. There's also a Ladies Pure Stocks on the docket for the evening (we lost the last one due to curfew last time) so look out! And, last but far from least, especially on this particular Saturday night, are the wild, whacky, warring Pick Your Parts Figure 8's. The criss-cross cars are baaaaaaaack, with Storming Steve Stewart with six wins and a second place in the first seven races on the hot track toward a seasonal championship. The Long Beach points leader has 348 (of a possible 350 available so far) but the five guys behind him can still get the crown. Again, it will take a lot of strange stuff for Steve to NOT win the 2005 marbles, but. Fans are also reminded that making a cash donation to the American Red Cross for the Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief efforts will receive two free tickets for an upcoming race at the Speedway. Donations can be made at the track's administration offices during regular business hours and/or at the one of track's souvenir stands during racing events. This offer will stay in effect through the end of the 2005 season. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Doug Stokes (626) 358-1100 x 206 THANKS! -STOKES