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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Driver Ryan Truex Won New England 125

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Driver Ryan Truex Won New England 125

Ryan Truex won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday.
He said restarts were the key to winning his first East Series race of the season.
He joins his dad, Martin Truex Sr., and older brother, Martin Truex Jr., as winners at New Hampshire.
Ryan Truex, the reigning East Series champ, extended his lead in the East Series standings to 33 points over Darrell Wallace Jr.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from New Hampshire.

Photo: Ryan Truex won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday. It was his first win of the season and the fourth of his East Series career. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

More on Andrew Ranger's NASCAR K&N Pro Series West win in Sonoma

Fuel strategy played a big role in Andrew Ranger's NASCAR K&N Pro Series West win at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
Ranger and runner-up Paulie Harraka had barely enough fuel to finish the race.
Jason Bowles, winner of the previous two West Series races at Sonoma, ran out of fuel 100 feet from the finish line. He was running in second place at the time. When the race was over, Bowles was in 22nd place.
Go to the K&N website for more on Ranger's win and the West Series race in Sonoma.

Photo: Andrew Ranger won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on Saturday. (Getty Images)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Vision Aviation Racing Continues To Fly Toward Championship

Las Vegas natives and Vision Aviation Racing teammates Justin Johnson and Dusty Davis continued their march toward a 1-2 points finish in the NASCAR Super Late Models on Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Johnson started the evening by winning the first 40-lap race. It was his fourth consecutive win in the premier class. Davis finished second in the race, with Corona's Jason Patison finishing in third.

Davis would follow in his teammates footsteps in the second race, dominating from the start and capturing his third win of the year. Randel King of Fontana finished second, with Johnson rounding out the top three. Johnson holds a 24-point advantage over Davis after 11 races.

Brian Deegan, the former X-Games star and founder of the Metal Mulisha freestyle motocross team made his NASCAR debut in the Super Late Model races, finishing in 10th and 11th in the two races.

Santee's Darren Amidon captured his third straight win in the Legends race. Amidon held off points leader Brent Scheidmantle of Alta Loma. Alta Loma's Tom Landreth finished third.

Michael Zimmerman, a driver from Hemet, pulled off the upset of the night while winning his first Southwest Tour Trucks race at Toyota Speedway. Zimmerman passed points leader Jeff Williams late when Williams' truck caught fire. Both the driver and truck were alright. Alta Loma's Gus Nanos finished second, with Gilbert, AZ native Tom Mikla battling back from an early wreck to finish third.

Roman Lagudi, from Las Vegas, picked up his first ever win in the NASCAR S2 race. Lagudi beat teammate Joe Anderson of Valencia. Laguna's David Busby rounded out the top three, giving the High Point Racing team a sweep of the podium.

Barefoot Billy Ziemann led all twenty laps in the Outlaw Figure Eight's race. Steve Stewart finished second, followed by Rod Proctor.

Taylor Cuzick won the 50-lap ASA Truck race. Cuzick beat Joey Licata and Mike Herda for the win in the caution-free event.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Andrew Ranger win first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race of his career



Andrew Ranger, a driver from Roxton Pond, Quebec, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. It was the first West Series win of his career.
Ranger, a two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion and former driver in the Champ Car Series, took the lead in the race on lap 49 from David Gilliland and led the final 15 laps.

Ranger held off Jason Bowles, the reigning West Series champion and winner of the previous two West Series races at Infineon Raceway.

Paulie Harraka climbs back in contention for NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship



Paulie Harraka took advantage of a puttering car driven by Jason Bowles and finished second in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
Harraka passed Bowles who ran out of fuel 100 feet from the finish line. Bowles was running in second place when he ran out of gas.
Harraka recorded his best West Series finish since winning the opening night race at All American Speedway in Roseville. Harraka moved into third place in the West Series standings, behind leader Eric Holmes and David Mayhew.

Brandon Davis finishes third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway



Brandon Davis, a driver from Huntington Beach, finished third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
Davis was making his second career West Series start. His third-place finish was his best in his brief West Series career.
Davis jumped into third place after Jason Bowles ran out of fuel 100 feet from the finish line. Bowles, who was in search of his third straight West Series win at Sonoma, was running in second place when he ran out of gas.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

For Kevin Harvick, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins matter

Kevin Harvick has to win another race. He has to win another four if he wants to maintain his lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
The way the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs is set up, the points are reset and each driver gets 10 bonus points for each win. Harvick has a 140-point lead over Jimmie Johnson in the Sprint Cup Series standings, but he is losing in the victory column big time.
Right now, the win leaders, not the Cup standings, are more indicative of how the Chase will look like when it starts in September.
Denny Hamlin has five wins. Johnson, who won the Sprint Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on Sunday, has four. Next are Kurt and Kyle Busch each with two.
Harvick’s lone win at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama would put him fifth in the Chase standings if they were to start today.
Luckily for Harvick, the Chase doesn’t start until Sept. 19.
“Just got to keep at it,” Harcvick said. “I don’t know who is in second now, but just race hard, whoever it is. How many weeks we got left till the Chase?”
Ten weeks, 10 races. Harvick has to bat .400 over the next 10 races to have at least a share of the lead when the Chase starts. He also has to hope Johnson or Hamlin don’t win any more. It would help his cause if the Busch brothers went O-fer for the rest of the summer too.
Harvick said he is fortunate to be leading the standings. He has 11 top 10s in 16 races, the most of any driver in the Sprint Cup Series. His six top fives are second best among Cup drivers and he has finished every race. But the frustrations are mounting.
“We’re able to race hard every lap and really not have to worry about what’s going on with the points,” Harvick said.
Harvick finished third in the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. It was another good points day for him and his team, but even though he said he was happy with the way he raced hard, he has to start paying attention to the number of wins other drivers are collecting.
“So each race is a different race,” Harvick said. “Today we were racing in the top five all day. You’re just trying to figure out what you got to do to try to win the race.”
He better figure it out quick. If not, he’ll be chasing Johnson when the Chase starts. Harvick will be chasing Hamlin and the Busch brothers too. Being behind Johnson is not the place to be when the Chase starts. It’s certainly not the place to be when it ends either. But for the past four years, every Cup driver has been behind Johnson when the Chase ended.
Even though the wins during the first 26 races of the Sprint Cup Series season translate into bonus points when the Chase starts, Johnson said he tries not to get too caught up in them.
“You know, we want the bonus points,” Johnson said. “But there are times, I look at Charlotte, trying to really hustle the car when the car was loose, thinking I want bonus points, I want bonus points, then I’m wrecked and finished 38th. Those 10 points don’t mean a damn thing now because I just lost a hundred something points.”
The 40 bonus points Johnson gets for winning four races mean a lot to Harvick. They mean Harvick will have to figure out a way to beat Johnson and Hamlin and win some races before the Chase starts.
“At the beginning of the year, we were clicking them off,” Johnson said. “Right now, Denny has been clicking them off. All that said, it’s a long time until September.”
September will be here sooner than Harvick would like, especially if he has to win four races in 10 weeks.
“You know, I think we ran in the top five pretty much all day,” Harvick said. “We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”

Photo: Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings after 15 races. He was third in the Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on Sunday and has won only one Cup race this year. That could hurt him when the Chase starts in September. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Infineon Raceway favorites to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Sonoma

Roger Craig, the Hall of Fame running back and three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers, is the grand marshal for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
He was asked before the race who his favorite NASCAR driver is. He said Jeff Gordon.
“He’s the man. He’s the Michael Jordan,” Craig said.
Gordon is a five-time winner in Cup races at Infineon Raceway, more than any other driver. He owns the track qualifying record, which he set in 2005. He starts fifth in today’s race at Infineon Raceway.
Gordon is Craig’s favorite. Here’s a look at the other drivers who should have a good race today:
1.    Kasey Kahne. He has the pole and won the Cup race at Infineon Raceway last year. Five drivers have won from the pole in 21 Cup races at Infineon Raceway. The last driver to do it was Gordon in 2004.
2.    Jimmie Johnson. He has never won at Infineon Raceway. He has never won a road course Cup race. But he had one of the better cars in practice and starts on the front row next to Kahne.
3.    Kevin Harvick. He’s another driver who doesn’t have a great Cup record at Infineon Raceway. In nine Cup races, he has only two top fives. His average finish is 18th place. But he is the leader in the Sprint Cup Series standings and starts fourth.
4.    Tony Stewart. He’s a two-time winner at Sonoma. He has the best driver rating at Sonoma. In 11 Cup races at Sonoma, he has seven top 10s. He starts seventh.
5.    Juan Pablo Montoya. Sure he hates the course and he has been struggling in the Cup Series. But he won this race in 2007 as a Cup rookie. Only Stewart has a better record among active Cup drivers at Sonoma. He starts 14th.
Dark horses: Marcus Ambrose was the fastest driver in the two practice sessions on Saturday.  But being the fastest in practice and the fastest in the race are two completely different things.
“Unfortunately, it’s racing,” Ambrose said. “There’s no guarantees. We’ve been working hard. We’ll see what happens.”
Jamie McMurray, the 2010 Daytona 500 winner, was second fastest in practice. He could be in store for a good run at Sonoma.
“We got our car a lot better,” McMurray said. “You only run wide open for a small amount here, so you have to have your car set up for the corners.
“I love road racing. My favorite track is Infineon. I love coming here.”
Wild card: Kyle Busch. He won the race in 2008 and has two top 10s in five Cup races at Sonoma.  He finished 22nd in last year’s race in Sonoma and was 40th in his rookie race in 2005.

Photo: Jeff Gordon is a five-time winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Ranger wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in Sonoma

Talk about a fuel shortage.
Andrew Ranger won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on Saturday and ran out of fuel on his warm-down lap around the Northern California road course.
Jason Bowles ran out of gas 100 feet from the finish line and saw his second-place spot slowly slip away to 22nd.
Paulie Harraka, the runner-up in the West Series race, said he was shutting down his engine during caution laps to conserve fuel.
It ended up being a good day for the West Series regulars on a crash-filled race around the 1.99 road course. There were six caution periods for 14 laps, but a number of cars ended their day with dented fenders and crumpled bumpers.
Harraka had his best finish since winning the season opener at All America Speedway in Roseville in March. Brandon Davis, a driver from Huntington Beach making his second career West Series start, finished third, his best career finish in the West Series.
Eric Holmes, a two-time West Series champion, was fourth. He was followed by Michael Self, a rookie driver from Park City, Utah, in fifth. Holmes took over the lead in the West Series standings and leads David Mayhew by 24 points.
Bowles, who won the pole for the race, was looking to win his third straight West Series race at Sonoma. The reigning West Series champion from Ontario won the previous two West Series races at Infineon Raceway.
Carlsbad’s Boris Said, a road-course ringer and one of three drivers in the West Series race who also qualified for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, started on the front row with Bowles. Said ended up 14th.
David Gilliland, a Sprint Cup Series regular and a driver from Riverside, started the race fifth, but ended up in 28th place. He led the most laps in the race, including a stretch of 14 from laps 29-43. Ranger passed Gilliland on lap 44, but Gilliland regained the lead on lap 45. Ranger took the lead for good on lap 46.
Mattias Ekstrom, a driver from Sweden who will be in the No. 83 Toyota for Red Bull Racing in the Cup race, started 11th, but ran into trouble early, spinning off the course, and finished 36th.
It wasn’t a good day for Mayhew, who entered the race as the leader in the West Series standings. He started on the second row and in the third spot, but had mechanical problems and finished 23rd.
Greg Pursley, who started the day in third place in the West Series standings, was spun out by Jim Inglebright on a restart and crashed with Jonathon Gomez on lap 40. Pursley finished 27th and dropped to seventh place in the West Series standings.

Photo: Eric Holmes took over the lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings with a fourth-place finish at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on Saturday.

Montoya: Road America, not Infineon Raceway, a "real circuit"

Juan Pablo Montoya is the only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver to win a race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma as a rookie. He won the Cup race in Sonoma in 2007.
Montoya has run his share of road courses in Formula One and the old Champ Car series.
While the Cup drivers were in Sonoma for one of two road courses races on the schedule, the Nationwide Series was at Road America, a road course in Wisconsin.
Montoya was asked if he would like to run a Cup car at Road America.
“I would rather run in Road America than here, to be honest. That's a real circuit,” Montoya said.
Montoya said it’s “awkward” for him to be on a road course in the Cup cars.
"Because there's just no grip. You know what I mean?” Montoya said. “The track by itself is really slow. It's just different. Put it that way."
Montoya was 12th fastest in the final Sprint Cup Series practice on Saturday. He will start 14th in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race in Sonoma.
As a driver who made the switch from open-wheel cars to stock cars, Montoya was asked about Danica Patrick running in the Izod IndyCar Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series at the same time. Patrick is coming off her best Indy car finish of the season, a second place at Texas Motor Speedway. She returns to the Nationwide Series at New Hampshire International Speedway on June 26.
"I thought she was starting to do really well,” Montoya said. “In the last race she ran, you could tell she was picking up the pace and was getting better. I don't know, it will be interesting to see what happens now. She only ran big tracks so now to go to a small one it's going to be different."


Photo: Juan Pablo Montoya said Road Ameica, not Infineon Raceway, is a real circuit. He would rather race there than at the road course in Sonoma, site of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
(Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR West Series race at Infineon Raceway


Jason Bowles won the pole for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. Boris Said started the West Series race on the front row with Gilliland. Eric Holmes, a two-time West Series champ, started 13th in the West Series race in Sonoma. David Gilliland is one of three drivers in the West Series and Sprint Cup Series races in Sonoma.


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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Infineon Raceway

Kasey Kahne (9) won the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Sonoma. He won last year's Cup race at Infineon Raceway and was 17th fastest in practice on Saturday morning. Juan Pablo Montoya (42) won the Cup race in Sonoma in 2007. He was the first Cup rookie to win a race at Infineon Raceway. Kevin Harvick (29) leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading into the race in Sonoma. He will start Sunday's race in fourth. Tony Stewart (14) won the Cup race in Sonoma in 2005. He will start seventh in Sunday's Cup race.





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Friday, June 18, 2010

Smith On The Right Road | NASCAR Home Tracks

Smith On The Right Road | NASCAR Home Tracks

Moses Smith spent nine years racing open-wheel cars before making the jump to NASCAR. He won a Star Mazda Series championship and has raced Toyota Atlantics, Indy Lights and sports cars at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, site of Saturday's NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race.
While he enjoyed success at Infineon Raceway in open-wheel race cars, his NASCAR record isn't all that stellar. His best finish has a been a 28th place. In last year's West Series race at the track in Sonoma, he was collected in a three-car crash and ended up 29th.
Still, Smith, a driver from Tempe, Ariz., who grew up in Escondido, likes his chances at Infineon Raceway, one of three road courses on the West Series schedule.

Photo: Moses Smith has years of experience at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, from open-wheel cars to sports cars. He will be making his fourth career NASCAR start at Infineon Raceway on Saturday. (Getty Images)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Agoura Hills Patch, CA - Trevor Huddleston Makes His Mark On Track

Agoura Hills Patch, CA - Trevor Huddleston Makes His Mark On Track
 Trevor Huddleston, the 14-year-old son of two-time Toyota Speedway at Irwindale champion Tim Huddleston, leads the Bandoleros standings at the track.
Trevor Huddleston is racing in his first full season in the Bandoleros. His dad owns a four-car Bandoleros team and has won two NASCAR Late Model championships at Irwindale.
Trevor Huddleston has won three Bandoleros races, the most recent coming on Saturday night.
Go to Patch.com for more on Trevor Huddleston's first season racing Bandoleros.

Photo: Trevor Huddleston has won three Bandoleros races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

RJ Johnson wins NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale



R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country won the NASCAR Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, his third of the season. Chris Holloway of Bakersfield was second, followed by Mike Johnson of Covina in third.
Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills maintained his lead in the Late Model standings. He finished in fifth and has a four-point lead over Johnson and Holloway, who are tied for second.
“It feels good to be back on top,” Johnson said.
Johnson won after struggling two weeks ago in a pair of races. His distributor failed in the first race and Johnson had to pull off the race track. He finished last. In the second race, Johnson said his car still had problems, but he was able to finish in eighth place.
Benjamin Mahan, a 14-year-old driver from Oak Hills, won the Open Stocks race. There were 19 cars that started the Open Stocks race, which included late models, Super Stocks, Classic Stocks and Open Comp cars. Mahan had the only late model stock car in the race.
Gerrit Cromsight of Saugus was second. He also won the Super Stocks race earlier in the night. Bryan Harrell of Riverside was third.
Ryan Partridge of Ranch Cucamonga remained undefeated in the NASCAR Super Trucks. He won his sixth race in a row and has not lost since opening night.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia finished second for the fourth time this season. Matt Kimball of Mission Viejo was third.
Partridge extended his lead to 16 points over Cameron in the Super Trucks standings.
Cromsigt made his first appearance at the track since opening night and won the NASCAR Super Stocks race. He won on opening night, but was disqualified after his car did not pass post-race inspection. He was credited with an eighth and last-place finish.
Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita was second, followed by Harrell, who was also third in the Open Stocks race. DeLong extended his lead in the Super Stocks standings to 22 points over Harrell.
Trevor Huddleston of Agoura Hills won the Bandoleros race and extended his lead in the Bandoleros standings. It was Huddleston’s third win of the season.
Jacob Tilton of Las Vegas was second, followed by Amanda Poertner of Fullerton in third.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Bobby Santos on top of Hunter Index for June

The NASCAR Hunter Index for June has Bobby Santos in the top spot. He received five of the six first-place votes. I was the lone dissenter, opting for Max Gresham from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East instead.
Santos is the first driver in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to win three of the first four races of the year. He also has three poles and leads the Whelen Modified Tour standings by 89 points over nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik.
Gresham won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway against the top drivers from the West and East Series. There were 40 cars in the race. He held off Ty Dillon on a green-white-checker flag finish to win his second race in a row. He also won the East Series race at South Boston Speedway in May.
There are four drivers from the West Coast in my top 15 for the Hunter Index. Eric Holmes came in at No. 3 after winning races at Douglas County Speedway in Oregon and Phoenix International Raceway in April.
Justin A. Johnson is No. 7 after winning three NASCAR Super Late Model races in a row at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
David Mayhew came in at No. 11 on my list. He was the highest finishing driver from the West Series at the Iowa Speedway race and was second at Douglas County Speedway.
Finally, Matt Scott is No. 15 after winning two late model races at All American Speedway in Roseville.
Here is a look at my top 15 and how the Hunter Index unfolded for May:

1. Max Gresham
2. Eric Holmes
3. Bobby Santos
4. CE Falk III
5. Keith Rocco
6. Craig Preble
7. Justin A. Johnson
8. Homero Richards
9. Justin T. Johnson
10. Brett Moffitt
11. David Mayhew
12. James Civali
13. Philip Morris
14. Jacob Gomes
15. Matt Scott

Photo: Max Gresham (18) narrowly beats Ty Dillon to the finish line in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway. It was Gresham's second win in a row in the East Series. (Credit: Meg Bestell-Eide)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Justin Johnson Looks Unbeatable at Toyota Speedway

Las Vegas driver Justin Johnson continued to prove that he is the one to beat at Toyota Speedway in 2010, capturing both NASCAR Super Late Model races at the Irwindale based half-mile on Saturday.

Johnson captured the pole for both races by more than a tenth of a second, and more than 60 of the 80 combined laps on the night. Johnson won the second race by more than five seconds. The wins were the third and fourth of his career at the track, and Johnson has won three straight races in the class.

In the first race, fellow Las Vegas driver and Vision Airlines Racing teammate Dusty Davis finished second, followed by Fontana’s Randel King. In race two, Filmore’s Travis Thirkettle pulled off a runner-up, with Davis finishing third.

Johnson leads Davis by 26 points after nine races. King sits just six points behind Davis for second.

Nick Johnston, a driver from Reseda, captured the win in just his second career stock car race, leading all 25 laps of the NASCAR S2 race. Laguna’s David Busby finished a career best second, with Andrew Porter of LaVerne capturing his first podium with a third place.

Arcadia’s Neil Conrad picked up the win in the Soutwest Tour Truck race, holding off Newbury Park’s Jeff Williams. Tom Mikla, from Gilbert, AZ, finished third.

On the smaller third-mile track, Darren Amidon of Santee picked up another win in the Legend Cars. Amidon has won the last two races. Point’s leader Brent Scheidmantle of Alta Loma finished second, two weeks after flipping down the front straight while leading. Cale Kanke of Frasier Park finished third.

Defending series champion Daryl Scoggins grabbed his fourth straight win in the NASCAR Mini Stocks race. The Sunland native beat Wildomer’s Ritchie Scoggins to the finish, with Alta Loma’s Rod Schmitt finishing third on his birthday.

Fullerton’s Amanda Poertner won her second Bandolero race of the season. Poertner beat Rancho Cucamonga’s RJ Stearns. Pomona’s Ricky Schlick finished third.

Eric Holmes Climbs Closer to Lead in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series Points

Eric Holmes Climbs to Second in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series Points

Eric Holmes has been nothing short of a sure thing at Douglas County Speedway in recent years. He won his third NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in a row on Saturday night at the track in Roseburg, Ore.
Holmes took the lead on lap 53 and held it for rest of the race. He survived a 15-lap shootout after the race was stopped because another car blew its engine and dropped oil on the track.
David Mayhew was second, followed by Blake Koch in third.
Mayhew, the pole winner for the race, maintained his lead in the West Series standings. He has a 42-point lead over Holmes in the standings.
Koch recorded the best finish of his West Series career.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Roseburg.

Photo: Eric Holmes wins the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore., on Saturday night. It was his third win in a row at Douglas County Speedway. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Eric Holmes wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway



Eric Holmes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway and continued his dominance at the tiny Oregon track.
It was his third straight win at Douglas County Speedway. He led the final 98 laps of the race, passing pole winner David Mayhew on lap 52.
Holmes has 11 career West Series wins. Bill McAnally Racing has won seven of the past nine West Series races at Douglas County Speedway.
"Definitely tonight was the toughest one," Holmes said. "Mayhew gave me a run for my money and the crew did a great job preparing the car. We had a great car the whole race."

David Mayhew wins pole, finishes second in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race



David Mayhew won the pole and finished second in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway in Oregon.
He led the first 52 laps of the race. He lost his lead to Eric Holmes, who stayed out front for the last 98 laps of the race.
Mayhew posted his second runner-up finish in a row and leads the West Series standings after four races.

Blake Koch finishes third in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas County Speedway



Blake Koch finished third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Douglas Country Speedway in Oregon. It was his best finish in the West Series and his best finish at the .375-mile oval.
Koch passed Paulie Harraka for third place on the last restart with 15 laps to go in the race.
Koch said after the race it was a great finish for his team.
"That last restart was the one that counted for us to come in third at Douglas County Speedway," he said.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Bud Kaeding leads USAC K&N Silver Crown Series

Bud Kaeding leads the USAC K&N Silver Crown Series after three races. He is coming off a runner-up finish at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on May 28.
The three-time Silver Crown champion would like nothing more than to add a fourth title. But he also wants to win races. He has yet to win a Silver Crown race this year.
He is 0-for-3 and has only eight more races left in the Silver Crown Series.
Go to the K&N website for more on Kaeding's season and Silver Crown Series season.

Photo: Bud Kaeding has three podium finishes and leads the USAC K&N Silver Crown Series standings after three races.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Nick Joanides Takes 2 at Toyota Speedway

Nick Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills, who last season became the first driver in NASCAR Whelen All American Series history to capture both the Super Late Model and Late Model championships at a track in one season, got back to his winning ways on Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Joanides won the first of two Late Model features, and then slid to victory in the fun yet challenging Skid Plate race. In the first Late Model race, Joanides held off Saugus’ Sean Woodside for the win. Rookie Brandon Davis, from Henderson, Nevada, finished a career best third.

In race two, Mike Johnson, a series regular from nearby Covina, beat Woodside in another great race. Chris Holloway, a second year driver from Bakersfield, finished third. Joanides recaptured the points lead from rookie Rod Johnson Jr., who was plagued by motor issues in race one and was involved in an incident in race two. Joanides holds a 10-point lead over four drivers; Johnson Jr., Holloway, Travis Irving and rookie Christian Copley.

In the Skid Plate race, Joanides passed series founder Robert Rice with two laps remaining for the win. Skid Plate cars are front-wheel drive cars with the rear tires removed and replaced with metal plates.

Ryan Partridge, a driver from Rancho Cucamonga, stayed perfect in the Super Trucks division. Partridge took his fifth pole and parlayed it into his fifth win of the season. He leads Monrovia’s Todd Cameron by 14 points in the season standings. Cameron finished second, and has not placed lower than third all year. Matt Kimball, from Mission Viejo, took home third place.

Ken Michaelian won his fourth Classic Stocks race of the year. The Lawndale native and defending series champion beat Mike Colato Jr. to the stripe. Tom Whitson, from Lake Hills, came home third.

Eric Sunness won the Super Stocks main event. The driver from Chatsworth picked up his second victory of the year. Bryan Harrell, and former series champion from Riverside, finished second, with current points leader Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita finishing third.

Austin Murphy put his name in the history books, winning the first ever Open Stock Car race at Toyota Speedway. Murphy beat Garret Cromsigt by nearly a half lap. Ken Michaelian finished third.