Opening night for Irwindale Event Center set for April 6

Buried in the release of LoanMart's new partnership with the Irwindale Event Center is the tentative opening night for racing to return to the oval tracks.

LoanMart will have new billboards posted around the track and for the drag strip. The company also reserved on of the suites at the track.

"We couldn't be happier to be associated with the great new Irwindale Event Center," said Colby Estes, LoanMart's Director of Marketing. "Our company loves all forms of motorsports competition and the people who love it. We really can't wait for the stock car season to begin."

... And right now that's set for Saturday April 6, 2013.

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:

Larson wins his first NASCAR K&N East Series championship

Kyle Larson won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in the season finale at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina.
Sixteen-year-old rookie Tyler Reddick won his first East Series race in his first start in the series.
Larson finished in sixth place at Rockingham, but it was high enough to secure the East Series championship.
He made it through a last-lap crash that took out Brett Moffitt, one of the East Series championship contenders.
Corey LaJoie was also in championship contention and finished in second place, but fell a little short of the title.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race at Rockingham.

Photo: Kyle Larson won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship after a sixth-place finish at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina. (Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kwasniewski becomes youngest driver to win NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship

Dylan Kwasniewski is the youngest driver to win the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship. He was the runner-up at the season finale at Phoenix International Raceway and finished six points ahead of Greg Pursley, his teammate at Gene Price Motorsports.
Pursley was in search of his second West Series championship in a row.
Michael Self won the race at Phoenix, his third of the season.
Go to the K&N website for more on the race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Photo: Dylan Kwasniewski won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship, the first of his career. (Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR)

Samantha Kenny joins dad, brother in NHRA Super Comps

Samantha Kenny's dad, Alan, won the NHRA Super Comp national championship.
Her brother, Jason, won a Super Comp race at Las Vegas.
On the final event of the year at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, she was the only one of the three Kenny racers to reach the final day of elimination.
Samantha Kenny says she had one of her best seasons even though she didn't win a national event. She was eliminated in the fifth round at Pomona, but she had her family and supporters rooting her on.
The 30-year-old from Ohio is keeping the family tradition of drag racing alive and will be joining her dad and her brother when the NHRA drag racing season begins in 2013.
Go to the K&N website for more on Samantha Kenny and her drag racing career.

Photo: Samantha Kenny reached the final day of eliminations in the NHRA Super Comp division at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona in November. (Credit: Jegs)

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West adds Kern County Raceway Park to schedule

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule for 2013 is out. Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield has a race on Oct. 26. The series will make two stops at Phoenix International Raceway and one at Sonoma Raceway.
Missing from the schedule again is Irwindale Speedway.
The series will make one stop at All American Speedway in Roseville and one stop at Stockton 99 Speedway.
Go to the NASCAR Home Tracks website for the complete schedule.

Alan Kenny wins NHRA Super Comp championship

Alan Kenny has been chasing a national championship in drag racing for nearly 40 years. He won his first, the NHRA Super Comp national championship, with the help of his son.
The 60-year-old Kenny capped his championship season from the pits at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. He didn't advance to the elimination rounds at Pomona, but he secured the championship before the elimination rounds began.
Two weeks prior, Jason Kenny, his son, won the Super Comp event in Las Vegas and put a comfortable gap between his dad and his nearest competitors in the Super Comp standings.
Go to the K&N website for more on Alan Kenny's championship season.

Photo: Alan Kenny won his first NHRA Super Comp championship at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. (Credit: National Dragster)

Automobile of Southern Calfornia NHRA Finals

Tony Schumacher needed to win the NHRA season finale at Auto Club Raceway for a chance at the Top Fuel championship. He reached the finals against Brandon Bernstein, beating Bob Vandergriff by 0.027 seconds in the semifinals.
Antron Brown, looking to become the first African-American to win the NHRA Top Fuel championship, lost in the first round and could only watch as Schmacher marched through the elimination rounds.
Jack Beckman and Ron Capps battled for the Funny Car championship. Both drivers reached the semifinals. Beckman came into the season finale with the lead in the Funny Car standings, but needed to win one more round than Capps to capture the championship.
Beckman won the championship by two points over Capps. They both lost in the semis, Capps to Courtney Force, Beckman to Cruz Pedregon.

Thorn wins West Series race in New Mexico

Derek Thorn won his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at NAPA Speedway in New Mexico on a night when a pair of rookies stole the spotlight.
Dallas Montes was the runner-up in his West Series debut. Hannah Newhouse, a 15-year-old making her West Series debut, was sixth.
Thorn started seventh and worked his way to the lead holding off Montes and Eric Holmes in a green-white-checkered flag finish in the NAPA Auto Parts 150.
Greg Pursley was eighth and leads the West Series standings by 13 points over teammate Dylan Kwasniewski.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Albuquerque, N.M.

Photo: Derek Thorn won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at NAPA Speedway in New Mexico. (Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR)

Tagliani flames out, Hunter-Reay snags IndyCar Series title at Auto Club Speedway

What a bittersweet end to the Izod IndyCar Series for Alex Tagliani and the Barracuda Racing team.

Tagliani led 19 laps and was out front with 23 laps to go in the season finale MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

But what the team described as mechanical problems ended Tagliani’s night prematurely. He withdrew from the race with 21 laps to go and finished 20^th.

Tagliani, driving for the team owned by Valencia’s Bryan Herta, pulled into the pits and relinquished the lead with smoke seeping from the car’s engine. It looked like the engine burned up.

“I think we were the car to beat at the end,” Tagliani said. “I won’t lie, it’s disappointing, but I would race with Honda any given day. I’m very thankful that they allowed us back into their group. I’m a Honda driver and I want to race with them for a long time. These are things that happen. It’s racing, it’s mechanical and it’s out of our control.”

Ed Carpenter won the race taking the lead from Dario Franchitti on the final lap.

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the IndyCar Series championship by the slimmest of margins. He finished fourth in the race and edged out Will Power by three points to win the series title.

Power entered the IndyCar Series season finale with the lead in the standings. But he spun out and crashed early in the race. His team repaired his car and he returned to the race briefly.

Power ended up with a 24^th-place finish and completed only 66 laps.

“It was team effort right there,” said Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. “We were struggling all weekend. I didn't want to let anyone really know about it. We were really in the woods. This hasn't sunk in yet. I just drove 500 miles for my life.”

Photo: Alex Tagliani was leading the Izod IndyCar Series season finale at Auto Club Speedway when his engine blew with 21 laps remaining in the race. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

Charlie Kimball looks to kick it in high gear

Camarillo's Charlie Kimball heads into the Izod IndyCar Series season finale at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana with some lofty goals.
He wants to finish the season on a high note after a pair of disappointing finishes in Sonoma and Baltimore.
But there have been some high points for Kimball in his second season with the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing team. He was the runner-up at the race in Toronto.
He had three top-10 finishes in a row, including an eighth-place at the Indianapolis 500.
Go to the Ventura County Star for more on Kimball and the season finale MAVTV 500.

Photo: Charlie Kimball has four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at Toronto, in the Izod IndyCar Series this year. (Credit: Izod IndyCar Series)

Pursley pads West Series lead in Portland

Greg Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Portland International Raceway and extended his lead in the West Series standings.
Pursley won his fourth race of the season. The reigning West Series champion has a 15-point lead over his Gene Price Motorsports teammate Dylan Kwasniewski.
Michael Self was second, his fifth top 10 in the past six races. Three-time West Series champion Eric Holmes was third.
Go to the K&N website for more on the race from Portland International Raceway.

Photo: Greg Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Portland International Raceway. (Credit: Craig Mitchell Dyer/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Corey LaJoie rises to the top in Iowa

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East dominated the race at Iowa Speedway taking nine of the top 10 spots in the Pork Be Inspired 150.
Corey LaJoie was the top of the class, winning the race, his third of the K&N Pro Series season.
LaJoie led the last 10 laps of the race and finished ahead of rookie Kyle Larson. Sergio Pena was third.
Brett Moffitt, the leader in the East Series standings, was fifth. Cale Conley won the pole and finished seventh. Travis Pastrana was sixth.
Michael Self was the highest-finishing driver from the West Series in ninth place.
Go to the K&N website for more on the race from Iowa Speedway.

Photo: Corey LaJoie won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway, his third of the season. (Credit: Iowa Speedway)

Pursley moves out front in Colorado

Greg Pursley made a move to repeat as the champion of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West after winning the race at Colorado National Speedway.
Pursley won his third race of the season and moved ahead of Gene Price Motorsports teammate Dylan Kwasniewski in the West Series standings.
Pursley won the race in a field that included two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and Ben Kennedy from the K&N Pro Series East.
Derek Thorn was second, his seventh top-10 finish in 10 West Series races. Kwasniewski won the pole and finished third.
Go to the K&N website for more on the race from Colorado National Speedway.

Photo: Greg Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Colorado National Speedway and took over the lead in the West Series standings.(Credit: Marc Piscotty/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Conley makes most of race in Columbus

Cale Conley scored one of the biggest wins of his NASCAR career at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio.
Conley, a part-time driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, won the Jegs 150 leading every lap of the race.
He took the lead passing pole winner Ben Kennedy on the first lap. Conley won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series career.
It was his third top-five finish in four East Series races this year. He was second at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia and third at Iowa Speedway.
Brett Moffitt was second, followed by Darrell Wallace Jr. in third.
Go to the K&N website for more on the race from Columbus Motor Speedway.

Photo: Cale Conley won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career at Columbus Motor Speedway.(Credit: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Eric Holmes wins 50th race for Bill McAnally Racing

Eric Holmes posted a milestone win for his owner, Bill McAnally, at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash.
Holmes won the 50th NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race for his boss' team, Bill McAnally Racing, taking the lead on lap 131 of the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150.
McAnally is second to Jack McCoy, who won 54 West Series races as an owner over his career.
Holmes won his first West Series race of the season and the 17th of his career. He is tied with two-time West Series champion Bill Sedgwick for eighth in career West Series wins.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Evergreen Speedway.

Photo: Eric Holmes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Evergreen Speedway, the 50th for team owner Bill McAnally and Bill McAnally Racing. (Credit: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images for NASCAR)

No lights, no problem for Moffitt in Pennsylvania

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East made its first visit to CNB Bank Raceway Park in Pennsylvania since 1988 and provided some unexpected drama.
The lights went out on the backstretch and delayed the race with three laps to go. Brett Moffitt won the Samuel 150, holding off rookie Kyle Larson over the the final three laps and a green-white-checkered flag finish.
It was the second K&N Pro Series East win of the season and the ninth of his career for Moffitt.
Larson posted his seventh top-10 finish in eight races.
Moffitt took over the lead in the East Series standings with the win. Larson moved into second place in the East Series standings.
Chase Elliott, who entered the race in Pennsylvania as the leader in the East Series standings, was 15th.
Go to the K&N website for more on the Samuel 150.

Photo: Brett Moffitt won the Samuel 150 at CNB Bank Raceway Park in Pennsylvania. (Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Gilliland wins West Series race at Sonoma

David Gilliland, a driver from Riverside, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma on the same weekend his father, Butch Gilliland, was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.
Gilliland, a regular on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, won his second West Series race at Sonoma, matching his dad's two wins at the road course in Northern California.
David Gilliland was the crew chief for his dad in one of those wins at Sonoma.
Greg Pursley won the pole for the race in Sonoma and finished third. The reigning West Series champion cut into the lead of his Gene Price Motorsports teammate, Dylan Kwasniewski, who leads the West Series standings.
Derek Thorn finished second, his fifth top-five finish in eight West Series races this year.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Sonoma.

Photo: David Gilliland leads the field at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

LaJoie Rallies For Second East Series Win

Corey LaJoie won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Langley Speedway in Virginia, his second in the past three races.
LaJoie passed for the lead on lap 165 in the Visit Hampton VA 175 and held on for the last 10 laps of the race. With the win, he is one point out of first place in the East Series standings after seven races.
Chase Elliott won the pole and set the track record in qualifying at Langley Speedway. His time of 16.400 seconds around the .4-mile oval broke the qualifying mark set by Coleman Pressley last year.
Brett Moffitt led race-high 115 laps and finished in second place. Elliott led the first 20 laps of the race at finished in third place.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from Langley Speedway.

Photo: Corey LaJoie won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Langley Speedway in Virginia. (Jason Smith/Pixelcrisp for NASCAR)

Rookie wins East Series race at Gresham

Rookie Kyle Larson won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia, taking advantage of a restart mistake by Cale Conley.
Larson, a driver from Elk Grove, Calif., won the first race of his East Series career. He took the lead from Conley on the final restart and held on over the last five laps of the race.
Conley, who won the pole and led the first 145 laps of the Slack Auto Parts 150, spun his tires on the final restart allowing Larson to pass for the lead.
Larson has three top-five finishes in six East Series starts this season.
Conley has made only three East Series starts and finished in the top five in two of those races.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from Gresham.

Photo: Rookie Kyle Larson won the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series race of this career at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia. (Credit: Kevin Lyles/NASCAR)