TRACKS: NASCAR Home Depot 100 Southwest Series race set for April 29 at Irwindale
29 April 2000
Irwindale, Calif. - - The touring pros of the Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring will make their 2000 season debut at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night, April 29 when HOME DEPOT presents a 100 lap championship round in the nineteen race series. The first of three "SWS" appearances at this fast ½-mile, the reinvigorated series has already been burning up tracks from Phoenix to Bakersfield. "Our drivers are all very excited about coming back to Irwindale," said series communications director Lee Elder. "We had some tremendously competitive races here, and now everyone knows what a super venue this place is. Our Southwest Series drivers really know how to put on a show, and Irwindale Speedway is one of their favorite places to showcase those driving abilities." Leading them into Irwindale will be points leader Doug McCoun of Prunedale, California. His 305 points are a tribute to consistency since he has not won a race yet this season but making a 6th place at Phoenix and a 5th at Bakersfield stand up for the early season lead. Jim Inglebright of Fairfield and Matt Crafton from Tulare rank second and third in the points tally with the 1999 Winston West Champion Sean Woodside lurking in fourth after winning the Bakersfield round. So competitive is this series that you have to go all the way down the points chart to 13th to find the other 2000 season race winner "the comeback kid" himself, Rick Carelli from Colorado. Founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer, with over 800 stores in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and Chile. Voted "America's Most-Admired Specialty Retailer" by Fortune Magazine for six straight years, The Home Depot prides itself on offering its customers the lowest prices and the highest levels of service. The Home Depot is also an Official Sponsor of the U.S., Canadian, and Puerto Rican Olympic Teams, the Official Home Improvement Warehouse of NASCAR, a Senior PGA event sponsor (The Home Depot Invitational in Charlotte, NC) and the sponsor of the Joe Gibbs #20 Winston Cup car with 1999 NASCAR Rookie-Of-The-Year Tony Stewart at the wheel. Irwindale's own super-competitive Food 4 Less Super Late Models and the very popular Ultra Wheels Spec Trucks are on the card for Saturday night as well. Tickets for this exciting family event are now on sale. Fans may call the Speedway box office Tuesday through Saturday at (626) 358-1100, go "on line" to order at www.tickets.com, or stop by the track's on site box office located at 13300 E. Live Oak Avenue in Irwindale. (Box office is open 9am- 4pm Tues. - Friday and 12am - 9pm on Sat.) Irwindale Speedway is located at Live Oak Avenue and the 605 Freeway in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley about 18 miles East of downtown Los Angeles. For a personalized map and driving instructions from anywhere in the United States to Irwindale's front gate, simply log on to: www.irwindalespeedway.com.