New Division To Share Track With Classic Stocks ...

Toyota Speedway Competition Note:
New Third-Mile Open Comp Class
To Race With Ken Porter Classic Stocks

Irwindale, Calif. (June 9, 2010)  It was announced today that the new Third Mile Open Comp division machines at Toyota Speedway will run the rest of the 2010 season with the Ken Porter Auctions Classic Stocks.  

The two divisions will run at the same time but be scored separately.  “We wanted to get these drivers some more  fan exposure and putting them on the third mile at the same time as the Classic Stocks really made some good sense,” said track GM Bob De Fazio.

Each division will race for their own points and, in effect, there will be two winners at the end of each event.  “The Third-Mile Open Comp division was so popular that we knew that we needed to find a logical slot to run more races for them and the Ken Porter Classic Stock cars are a good choice for that. The best part is that I think the fans are really going to enjoy this augmented show,”  De Fazio explained.

As the schedule reads right now the new combined events will run on June 12, July 10, July 31, August 28, September 18, and October 2.  

Toyota Speedway’s inner third mile track is almost as wide as the half-mile but banked far less than the outer big oval.  This lack of banking and turns that are almost as long as the straightaways give drivers a feeling of almost never getting the car straightened out. 

The third mile at Irwindale really teaches smart chassis adjustment and good set-up.  There all the horsepower in the world won’t do a driver any good if they can’t apply it to the race track.  Here the term “short track” is a boldface fact and handling is key.   

Both of these divisions are thought of as hobby classes, (relatively) inexpensive racing machines in which drivers can work on getting that all-important commodity: “seat time”.  New drivers and old pros will mix it up out there in this one, and each is expected to learn something from the other.  

Fans are invited to update their Toyota Speedway at Irwindale pocket schedules, or print out a new one from the track’s handy website:  www.toyotaspeedwayatinrwindale.com.  And remember fans can meet these drivers, up close and in person prior to the event.  The King Taco On-Track Autograph Session is a great mixer that takes place at 5:45PM and is unique to short tracks like Toyota Speedway.  Be your own interviewer, find out what its really like out there (even if you’re not Chris Economaki, or Jack Arute).

Just for the record: Here’s how the new division was introduced just a few weeks ago:

“ … This new racing class really is open, this is an ‘all comers’ third-mile division, open to just about any kind of full-bodied, stock racing machine from Mini-Stocks to Trucks, to Super Late Models!

Or, perhaps we should put it this way: 

Any stock car (or truck) that has ever run at Toyota Speedway is invited and VERY welcome to race in this new division.  In fact, as long as the machine and the driver’s gear pass the track’s safety check, it doesn’t even matter if the vehicle actually ever raced at Toyota Speedway or not!  There are no engine rules, an 8-inch tire(s) maximum, and three little words: Go for it!

The idea is a ‘place to race’ for machines that don’t quite fit into some of the new rules, and for drivers that just want to run for fun and compete in front of Saturday night crowds on the wide low-banked, third-mile at Toyota Speedway.”


AND IT ALL STARTS THIS COMING SATURDAY NIGHT … BE THERE!