Irwindale Speedway re-opens April 6, partners with Kern County Raceway Park

The Irwindale Speedway racing schedule for 2013 was released with seven divisions, 15 nights and a partnership with the Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield.
The auto racing season will open on April 6 with four classes of stock cars and a demolition derby. NASCAR Super Late Models will highlight the re-opening night of the race track. Late Models, Super Stocks and Mini Stocks will also race on April 6.
Race trucks, Legends cars and skid plate cars will also race at Irwindale. Figure eight, trailer races and Lucas Oil Modified cars are also on the the Irwindale Speedway schedule.
The season ends Oct. 26 with the night of destruction.

Here is a look at the schedule:

Oval track racing returning to Irwindale in 2013

Oval track racing is returning to Irwindale. The track formerly known as Irwindale Speedway and then Toyota Speedway will have an oval track racing schedule in 2013.

The track management team has yet to put together a schedule, but it has put together a staff for the track.

It has a chief operating officer, a vice president of communications and a race director. Mike Atkinson is the race director and he has been working with the staff at the new Kern County Raceway Park. It was indicated in the release sent out Monday night that a technical set of rules is being developed for cars to race at both tracks.

Here is the release sent out by Team 211 Entertainment President/CEO Jim Cohan:

Memorial for John Partridge at Irwindale Speedway

All are invited to the memorial service for John Partridge, the father of Ryan Partridge, the 2010 NASCAR Super Trucks champion at Irwindale Speedway, and the father of the late Bernie Partridge, NHRA announcer, official, administrator and trailblazer.

John Partridge died of a heart attack on April 11, 2012. He was an instrumental member of his son’s NASCAR teams and a driving force behind Ryan Partridge’s debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West on April 14 at Havasu 95 Speedway.

Ryan Partridge recorded a top-10 performance in his first K&N Pro Series West race. He finished ninth at Havasu after qualifying 11^th in the inaugural West Series race at the quarter-mile oval.

“I’ve been racing since I was 5 years old with my dad,” Ryan Partridge said. “Together we could put any car on the pole in a matter of a couple of practices, regardless of what it was.” 

Ryan Partridge and his dad were working on putting a together a car for the West Series race at Havasu at the time of John Partridge’s death. Drivers and teams from Irwindale Speedway pulled together to complete the West Series package and enter a car for Ryan Partridge in the race at Havasu.

Ryan Partridge’s car at the West Series race at Havasu carried an inscription on the hood that read, “RIP John Partridge.”

“He wouldn’t care about the memorial or anything,” Ryan Partridge said. “He wants me to get in the West Series. He wants me to do well. He wants me to be humble about it. My dad was always my biggest fan. He would brag to everybody who was around how good his kid was. I plan on doing exactly what he’s been prepping me for since I was 5.”

John Partridge was 57. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and four children, Nicole, John David Jr., Ryan and Andrew.

“It’s just about getting the racers together at the race track. That’s what it’s all about,” Ryan Partridge said. “Just getting out at the race track, getting all the racers together is what needs to happen.”

From Irwindale Speedway to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Gilliland won his first stock car race on pavement at Irwindale Speedway. He won a NASCAR Southwest Tour race, a West Series race and a All-Star Showdown race at Irwindale before moving to the Cup Series with Front Row Motorsports.
The track management at Irwindale Speedway cancelled the 2012 racing season and filed for bankruptcy last month.
A number of Cup and Nationwide series drivers raced at Irwindale Speedway early in their NASCAR careers.
Joey Logano won two All-Star Showdown races at Irwindale. Kasey Kahne and Casey Mears raced in the USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale.
Jason Bowles and Travis Pastrana raced at Irwindale before moving up to the Nationwide Series.
Go to ESPN Los Angeles for more on the NASCAR drivers who raced at Irwindale Speedway.

Photo: David Gilliland won late model, Southwest Tour and All-Star Showdown races at Irwindale Speedway.(Credit: Tyler Barrick/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Irwindale Speedway LLC files for bankruptcy

Irwindale Speedway LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Monday, the same day track management cancelled the racing season for 2012.
In the bankruptcy papers, Irwindale Speedway owes its creditors $331,773.11 plus unknown amounts on two personal injury claims.
Irwindale Speedway owes Nu-Way Industries Inc., the company that owns the property where the track and office buildings are built, $55,000 in rent.
Go to ESPNLA.com for more on the bankruptcy filing and who Irwindale Speedway owes.

Irwindale Speedway cancels racing season

Irwindale Speedway cancelled its 2012 racing season, track management announced Monday.
In a brief statement, track management left no explanation for why the racing season was cancelled or if another owner and management team would take over the track.
The announcement was not unexpected, but still a shock to drivers, teams and stock car racing fans who called Irwindale Speedway their racing home.

“Irwindale Speedway is a great facility that brought some tremendous racing to fans in Southern California," George Silberman, the NASCAR vice president of regional and touring series said. "Today’s news is an obvious disappointment. There are a lot factors out of our control in a track having to make a decision like this. We wish the track the best of luck and hope racing returns in the near future.”
Go to ESPLA.com for more on the news from Irwindale.