TRACKS: Weston by a whisker in Irwindale Late Model feature
15 August 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
It was a 50-lap main event that many seasoned observers said was one of
the best
races ever seen at Irwindale Speedway. The Snap-On Tool Late Model 50 was
a
riveting show that held everyone in the grandstands spellbound for all 50
green
flag laps.
Stop us if you've heard this one: James Weston from Goleta, California (that 's just North of Santa Barbara) won the Late Model race. So, what's the big deal he's won 8 of the 14 run so far. This time it was how he won it. On the clock it was by a little bit more than a quarter-second (.275 to be exact). On the track it was through a combination of through track knowledge and driving skill to finish first ahead of Guy Goldstein (Cathedral City) and Tony Green (Oak Hills) who were (at various times) all over Weston, each leading a lap or two of the fifty.
These three drivers, driving with their hearts as well as with their heads, put on a display of competitive driving that was as clean and sportsmanlike as it was exciting to watch. Lap after lap, these three, accompanied for the first 20 laps by a fourth player, David Hessing of Canyon Country, drove the half-mile oval at Irwindale Speedway as it was always meant to be driven: fast, close, and clean. Weston won by a hairsbreadth and later told the fans in the stands and the media that the hardest-fought wins are the sweetest. They are also quite awe-inspiring to watch.
Riverside's Todd Burns, who is still in second place in the annual points standings, did a great job of salvaging precious points after his engine swallowed a valve in practice forcing him to skip qualifying while his crew made hurried repairs to his engine. Starting from the back row, Burns doggedly fought his way up through the pack to garner 40 precious points with a 6th place finish. With two races to go, Weston leads Burns by 68 points.
This same Super Late model cast of characters makes a return trip to Irwindale this Saturday night (August 19) as the opening act for the Winston West. If they run as close and race as hard as they did on August 12, they just could steal the show. Why not join us to find out.
It was your prototypical "hot August night" on Saturday after a boiling hot August day, a "let's go to the beach" day but, by race time, 5751 fans were on had to witness six divisions of racing action.
In the NASCAR Super Stock division last year's champ, Mike Price not only won the race but saw two of his toughest rivals bite the dust early and late in the contest. First out was the night's trophy dash winner Jeff Green who's tranny apparently did a "wild thing" to him by sawing itself in three on the first lap. Green, from Long Beach still leads the season points war with four races to go but it is now San Pedro's Price who follows him in second place not North Hills' T.K. Karvasek who saw his race go up in a cloud of expensive (borrowed) motor smoke as he blowed out of the 50-lap main with a hurt motor. Yagel Berkovitz (Burbank) has been stringing together good finishes all season and moved past T.K. into third points in the big chase.
Kevin Krauss of Temple City won the crowd-pleasing Legend Car 35-lap main event with KZLA afternoon air personality (and popular Irwindale Speedway pre-race performer) Wendy Westbrook making her first main in the 93.7 car and placing 17th in the 22-car field.
Bellflower's Terry Limberopoulos took his second NASCAR Mini Stock main event is as many weeks and, in doing so narrowed points leader Bob Reed's lead to a slim 34 points with only three races to go. The Riverside driver was listed in 13th place in Saturday night.
Joe Herold of Poway won the Ultra Wheel Spec Truck feature with room to spare and Jeff Marguet of Poway played high speed dodge'em the best to win the wild Figure 8 finale.
Even with all the divisions on tap that night racing ended early and hundreds of families happily made their way to the pit area for a photo or an autograph or two.
Text provided by Doug Stokes
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos
and art, visit
The Racing
Photo Museum and the
Visions
of Speed Art Gallery.