Joanides wraps up NASCAR Whelen All-American California State Championship

Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills won the NASCAR Whelen All-American California State Championship on Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Now his sights are set on a national championship.
Joanides won a pair of NASCAR Super Late Model races at Irwindale, his 13th and 14th of the season, and wrapped up the state short track stock car racing title. He has a shot, albeit a slim one, to win the NASCAR Whelen All-American National Championship.
Two drivers from Irwindale have won the NASCAR national short track racing championship. Rip Michels of San Fernando, a four-time track champion at Irwindale, was the first to do it in 2003. Greg Pursley, who is now racing in the NASCAR Camping World Series West, followed Michels by winning the national championship in 2004.
Joanides is leading the Super Late Model and Late Model standings at Irwindale. No driver has ever won both the Super Late Model and Late Model championship at the track in the same season.
In other racing action, Randel King of Riverside won the S2 stock car race, his third in four S2 races at the track this season. Andrew Anderson of Lancaster was second, followed by Kyle Longmore of Camarillo in third.
Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita won the NASCAR Super Stocks race. It was his second win in the past three Super Stocks races at the track. He was followed by Larry Cerquettini of Redlands, the leader in the Super Stocks standings, in second and Eric Sunness of Chatsworth in third.
Daryl Scoggins of Sunland won the NASCAR Mini Stocks race. It was his fifth win of the season and his first since June 20. Jacob Rogers of Riverside was second, followed by Kevin Bernhardt of Fontana in third. Scoggins leads the Mini Stocks standings by 34 points over Tyler Rogers of Riverside.

Josh Brander makes S2 debut at Irwindale

Josh Brander, a 23-year-old driver from Rancho Cucamonga, made his debut in the new S2 stock car division at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He was driving the same car R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country raced last weekend. Johnson won the race, his first in the S2 stock car division.
Brander, a karting veteran, said he worked out a one-race deal with Race Car Factory, which owns the car. Brander and his dad, Marty, said they are working on a deal to race the car full-time next season.

Rich DeLong III wins Super Stocks race at Irwindale

Rich DeLong III, a driver from Santa Clarita, won his second NASCAR Super Stocks race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. It was his second win in the past three Super Stock races at the track.
Before the race, DeLong talked about the changes he made to his car.

Hometown Station AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio - Bryan Herta Autosport Wins First Indy Lights Race

Hometown Station AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio - Bryan Herta Autosport Wins First Indy Lights Race

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Force Hood back on track

Five days after her car exploded at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Ashley Force Hood was back on the track, testing and preparing for the National Hot Rod Assn. U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend.
The U.S. Nationals are the last race before the NHRA playoffs begin. The Countdown to One kicks off at zMax Dragway in North Carolina on Sept. 17.
Force Hood is one of three drivers from John Force Racing already qualified for the Countdown.
However, in the races at Reading, her car blew up in the qualifying rounds and led to an early exit in the elimination rounds. She was the No. 1 qualifier at Reading, but her team spent most the final round preparing her back-up car after her primary car exploded.
The entire John Force Racing team was testing Thursday at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis in preparation for the U.S. Nationals, which begin Sept. 2.
“Our entire team feels great that we were able to get some laps on this new Mustang,” said Force Hood, who is in third place in the NHRA funny car standings. “I wasn’t too fond of the car after changing to it for one round in Reading, but I feel 100 percent more comfortable after testing. It’s great to go into an event, especially the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, after such a positive test day. I think the most important thing is the quality of runs we had with the new car, I know myself and my team feel a little more prepared and confident going into the weekend.”

Photo: Ashely Force Hood is in third place in the NHRA funny car standings heading into the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Teammates John Force, Force Hood’s father, and Mike Neff are in the top 10 in the funny car standings. The top-10 drivers will qualify for the Countdown.
Robert Hight is the only John Force Racing driver outside the top 10. He is in 12th place, 38 points behind Cruz Pedregon, the 10th place driver in the funny car standings.
Hight was the second-fastest driver in testing in Indianapolis, but smoked his tires during one of his runs. For the second race in a row, Hight will have Austin Coil and Bernie Fedderly tuning his car. The team made a change in crew after the races at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
“We won’t press so hard next week, and had we not done that (smoked the tires) we might have pressed it that hard during the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and smoked the tire there instead,” Hight said. “So we’re way ahead. Already in the six runs we made, Austin feels that it’s shown more promise and that it responds to what he does better than it has all year.”
Hight will have to leap frog Matt Hagan from Don Schumacher Racing and hope Pedregon has an off day at Indianapolis to qualify for the Countdown.
The races for the last Countdown spots are even tighter in the top fuel, pro stock and pro stock motorcycle divisions.
Joe Hartley is three points behind Clay Millican for 10th place in the top fuel standings.
Antron Brown secured the top spot in the top fuel standings after the races in Reading. Larry Dixon, a Van Nuys High graduate and winner of five top fuel events this year, is second in the top fuel standings.
In the pro stock standings, Johnny Gray is nine points behind Warren Johnson for 10th place. Jeg Coughlin is the leader in the pro stock standings.
In the pro stock motorcycle standings, Karen Stoffer, a graduate of St. Genevieve High School in Sun Valley, has a two-point edge over Steve Johnson for 10th place. Ed Krawiec leads the pro stock motorcycle standings.

Photo: Larry Dixon is second in the NHRA top fuel standings and has won five events this year.

Mike Johnson wins third straight NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale

Mike Johnson of Covina won his third straight NASCAR Late Model race and Tim Huddleston of Agoura Hills lost his lead in the Late Model standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
The top-three drivers in the Late Model standings are separated by 38 points. Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills took over the lead in the Late Model standings. He has an 18-point lead over Huddleston, the reigning Late Model champion at the track. Johnson is 20 points behind Huddleston and 38 points out of first.
Huddleston took a huge hit in the standings. He was collected in a crash with teammate Beau Debard on lap 20 of the 50-lap race. Huddleston dropped to last place and ended up in 18th place in the 21-car field.
Travis Irving of Corona was second, followed by Joanides in third. Joanides fell from second to third on the last lap. He almost crashed with Huddleston, who was a lap down to the race leaders. While Joanides was trying to maneuver his car around Huddlestons car, Irving passed Joanides and took over second place. Joanides avoided Huddleston and his third-place finish was good enough to take over the lead in the Late Model standings.
Irving said it was a dangerous move my Huddleston on the last lap. Joanides said he expected more class and respect from Huddleston, who was nursing a damaged car around the race track.
Joanides is the leader in the NASCAR Super Late Model and Late Model standings at the track. No driver has ever won the Super Late Model and Late Model championships at Irwindale in the same season.
R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country won the NASCAR Super Stocks race under caution. It was his fifth win of the season in the Super Trucks division and his first since June 27. Johnson also won the S2 stock car race last Saturday night at the track.
Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill, the leader in the Super Trucks standings, was spun out on the last lap of the race. He fell to the back of the field, but ended up with a fifth-place finish. Instead of having the race end with a green-white-checker flag finish, track officials decided to end the race under caution. Mintey retained the fifth-place position he had on the last lap before he was spun out.
Rookie Grant Hebner of Fallbrook was second, followed by Jeff Peterson of Riverside in third.
Rookie Dallas Montes of Bakersfield won the Legend Cars race. It was his second win in a row. Ryan Reed of Bakersfield, the leader in the Legend Cars standings at the track, was second. Donny St. Ours of Upland was third.
Brandon Toy of Bakersfield was 12 points behind Reed for the lead in the Legend Cars standings at the track. Toy finished 18th in the 50-lap race and is 44 points out of first with only one race remaining.
Ken Michaelian of Lawndale won the Classic Stocks race. It was his eighth win of the season and his fifth in a row. He has a 50-point lead in the Classic Stocks standings with two races to go.
Tommy Agosta of Chino was second, followed by David Foster of Riverside in third.
Rod Proctor of Riverside won the Outlaw Figure 8s race. Steve Stewart of Long Beach was second, followed by Billy Ziemann of Bloomington in third.

Nick Joanides takes over lead in NASCAR Late Model standings at Irwindale

Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills took over the lead in the NASCAR Late Model standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. He finished in third place in the Late Model race at the track and has an 18-point lead in the Late Model standings. Tim Huddleston of Agoura Hills came in to the race as the leader in the Late Model standings. He was collected in a crash with teammate Beau Debard on lap 20. Huddleston ended up in 18th place in the 21-car field.
Huddleston and Joanides narrowly avoided a collision with each other on the last lap of the race. Joandies almost crashed into the back of Huddleston's car and it cost him a place in the race. Joanides went from second to third place on the last lap.
Joanides is also the leader in the NASCAR Super Late Model standings at the track.

Connor Cantrell

Valencia's Connor Cantrell was making his season debut at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. He entered a NASCAR Late Model car and said he will be able to run the final five races of the season. Cantrell won six NASCAR Super Trucks races and was runner up in the Super Trucks standings at Irwindale in 2008. He finished fourth in the Super Trucks standings at the track in his rookie season in 2007.

Hornaday's NASCAR Truck Series winning streak comes to an end

Ron Hornaday Jr.’s winning streak is over. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver was looking to win his sixth straight race last night at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. He came up a couple spots short of extending his record streak, coming in third.
“Bristol is one of the toughest ones here,” said Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champ. “I found something out with 10 to go and I don’t know. I just left a lot out there and I was pretty conservative and I got a top-five and that’s what I needed for these points and I have to thank Georgia Boots, Longhorn, VFW, Miller Welders, and everybody that has been really supportive of our team.”
Hornaday, the leader in the Truck Series standings, finished behind Kyle Busch, the race winner, and Matt Crafton.
Hornaday’s winning streak started on June 20 when he won the race at The Milwaukee Mile. It included wins at Memphis, Kentucky, O’Reilly Raceway Park and Nashville.
“It’s been pretty cool and I hope these fans enjoyed the race and we were coming through the pack there and I should have followed Kyle down there and got fuel but I didn’t, and that’s what hurt us right there,” said Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc.
Hornaday has a Truck Series record 45 wins in his career. He also has six wins this season, three shy of the single season Truck Series record set by Greg Biffle.

Photo: Ron Hornaday Jr., driver of the No. 33 Georgia Boot Chevrolet pits for fuel during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O'Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday in Bristol, Tenn. Hornaday finished third in his quest to extend his winning streak to six races but held on to a 211-point lead over Matt Crafton, who finished second in the No. 88 Menards/Idealdoor Chevrolet. (Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Ron Hornaday Jr. goes for sixth straight NASCAR Truck Series win

Ron Hornaday Jr. will look to extend his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series record for consecutive wins tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
Hornaday has won five straight Truck Series races, the most recent coming two weeks ago at Nashville Superspeedway.
“I have to keep pinching myself,” said Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champ. “In one sense I really cannot believe the run were having, but at the same time I know how hard this team works and how much effort they put in to each race. We are just fortunate that luck, the racing gods or whatever it is, stays on our side. I’m just really thankful for everything we’ve been blessed with so far this season. We will continue to work hard and try to be consistent and ride it out as long as it will go.”
He also has a Truck Series record 45 career wins and has won two Truck Series races at Bristol. He won back-to-back races in 1997 and 1998. The truck his team is bringing to Bristol is the same truck that won at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis in July. It was Hornaday’s fourth win in his five-race winning streak.
“Before they ground the track it was all about keeping your truck on the bottom of the race track,” said Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc. “Now, it is about passing. If you can get your truck to work in the upper groove then you will probably leave the majority of the competition behind. I still like running the bottom, but you have to make your bumper pretty wide if you are going to do that. You just have to make sure the truck turns really well through each turn and the main thing at Bristol is to keep your eyes open at all times and be very aware of what is happening around you. Having a good spotter at Bristol makes all the difference. Rick Carelli (spotter) and I have worked together for many years and I’m confident he is watching every move that each truck is making, he keeps me pretty well informed.”

Photo: From left, SPEED Channel's Krista Voda, three-time NCWTS champion Ron Hornaday Jr., and Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Ricky Carmichael kick off a visit to the Iowa State Fair by visiting Buddy The Boar, the Fair's largest boar. Buddy weighed in at a whopping 1,117 pounds. The inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is at Iowa Speedway on Sept. 5. (Photo Credit: NASCAR PR)

NHRA funny car driver Tony Pedregon wins at Brainerd

Two days after replacing his crew chief, Tony Pedregon won the National Hot Rod Assn. funny car portion of the races at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota on Sunday.
Pedregon, the leader in the funny car standings, announced on Friday that he and Dickie Venables were parting ways. Venables was Pedregon’s crew chief and led his team to two wins this season. Tony Shortall was named interim crew chief. Rahn Tobler was assisting the team with some of the crew chief duties.
Pedregon beat Ron Capps in the final and moved into first place in the funny car standings. Pedregon has an 11-point lead over Capps.
“I’ve had a long and successful career,” said Pedregon. “I’ve been very fortunate to be able to drive for guys like Larry Minor and John Force. I’ve learned a lot from them, and I really felt that I’d been through everything, and I really didn’t anticipate this happening on such a short notice. Thursday I knew the reality and I didn’t really feel like I was in a panic. I’m very optimistic and I really believed that I had a good foundation to work with. I addressed my team when I showed up, and I told them that I really need them.”
Jack Beckman, a driver from North Hills, advanced to the semifinals and clinched a spot in the Countdown to One, the NHRA playoffs.
“We’re back in fourth place, which is awesome,” he said. “We’re thinking it’s going to be pretty tough to get up into third the way Tony Pedregon (No. 1), Ron Capps (No. 2), and Ashley Force Hood (No. 3) have been running.
“And we’re not safe in fourth by any stretch. Tim Wilkerson is still right on our heels and so are a slew of other good cars. But, we’re solid top five. We went a couple of rounds, we’re starting to get a handle on this tune-up and I think it’s gong to translate to another win pretty quick here.”
In the top fuel division, Larry Dixon, a Van Nuys High graduate, was a perfect 4-0 in final appearances entering the races at Brainerd. He lost for the first time in the finals on Sunday.
Morgan Lucas handed Dixon his first final defeat of the year. Lucas has won two top fuel events in a row and the 12th top fuel event of his career.

Photo: Tony Pedregon won the NHRA funny car portion of the races at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota on Sunday, two days after he and his crew chief parted ways.

Bowles takes a hit in NASCAR West Series standings

Jason Bowles, a driver from Ontario, took a bit of a hit in the NASCAR Camping World Series West standings after Saturday’s race at Colorado National Speedway.
Holmes had to make a pit stop to repair a flat tire. It cost him four laps and he finished in 13th place.
Luckily, Eric Holmes, the reigning West Series champion from Escalon, also had problems during the race. He finished in ninth place after having to replace a broken alternator and going two laps down in the race. Holmes is in second in the West Series standings and trails Bowles by 37 points after the Colorado race.
Rookie Paulie Harraka won the race, his first of the season. He also became the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity program driver to win a West Series race.
Harraka, a 19-year-old from Fairlawn, N.J., will be a sophomore at Duke University in the fall. With the win, Harraka moved into first place in the West Series rookie standings, one point ahead of Blake Koch.
“To move up through the ranks with Bill McAnally and the Drive for Diversity program and to bring NAPA a win in front of a hometown crowd is awesome,” Harraka said of his victory in Colorado in front of a large contingent of representatives from the Western Division Headquarters for NAPA, which sponsors his team and sponsored the race. “The car was good. We weren’t the best car at any one point, but we were the best car for the 150 laps.”
With the win, Harraka earned a spot in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in January.
Greg Pursley, a Canyon High graduate, was fourth in the race. He is third in the West Series standings with two races remaining in the West Series schedule.

Photo: Paulie Harraka (12) battles Jason Bowles (6) for the lead in the NASCAR Camping World Series West race at Colorado National Speedway on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Joanides takes one of two Super Late Model races at Irwindale

Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills won one of the two NASCAR Super Late Model races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. It was his 11th win of the season the Super Late Model division.
Joanides maintained his lead in the Super Late Model standings at the track.
Luis Martinez Jr. of Long Beach won the other Super Late Model race of the night. It was Martinez’s first Super Late Model win of the season and his best finish since coming in second place on opening night in March.
It was a night of twin 40-lap races for the Super Late Models. Martinez won the first race of the night. He was followed by Joanides in second and Danny Gay of Lakeside in third.
Joanides won the second race of the night. He was followed by Rip Michels of San Fernando in second and Mackena Bell of Carson City, Nev., a driver in NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, in third. It was Bell’s best finish at the track this season.
R.J. Johnson, a driver from Canyon Country, added an S2 stock car win to his four NASCAR Super Trucks wins at the track. Johnson won his first S2 race and ended Randel King’s little two-race winning streak. Ryan Reed, the leader in the Legend Cars standings at the track, was making his debut in the S2 division. He finished second, followed by King.
Ken Brown of Cherry Valley won the NASCAR Super Stocks race, his first of the season. Eric Sunness of Chatsworth was second, followed by Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita in third. Larry Cerquettini of Redlands, the leader in the Super Stocks standings and winner of the first seven races of the season at the track, was fifth.
Rod Schmitt of Alta Loma won the NASCAR Mini Stocks race, his first win of the season. Daryl Scoggins of Sunland, the leader in the Mini Stocks standings, was second in the race, followed by Jacob Rogers of Riverside in third.

Rich DeLong III seeking second win in a row

Rich DeLong III, a driver from Santa Clarita, won his first NASCAR Super Stocks race of the season last week at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He snapped the seven-race winning streak of Larry Cerquettini, the leader in the Super Stocks standings at the track. DeLong is third in the Super Stocks standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He has four runner-up finishes in addition to his win entering the races on Saturday night. Cerquettini was one win shy of setting a Super Stocks record for most consecutive wins at the track.

Ryan Reed makes S2 debut

Ryan Reed, a driver from Bakersfield, made his debut in the new S2 stock car division at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Reed is the leader in the Legend Cars standings at the track. The S2 division was introduced to the track during the Fourth of July in an exhibition race. There have been two S2 races since the Fourth of July race. Reed could not compete in the S2 division because of age restrictions. Drivers have to be 16 years old to compete in the S2 division. Reed turned 16 on Wednesday.

On track to succeed : Racing : Ventura County Star

Kyle Longmore, a driver from Camarillo, has been in the first three S2 stock car races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. To date, the new division has attracted as many as seven cars for a race. Tim Huddleston of Agoura Hills, who owns the High Point Racing team and the car driven by Longmore, said he expects eight cars for Saturday night's S2 race. He also anticipates that there will be 14 cars entered in the S2 season finale at Irwindale.

On track to succeed : Racing : Ventura County Star

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Photo: Kyle Longmore, a 19-year-old driver from Camarillo, finished second in the Fourth of July race for the new S2 stock car at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. It was his best finish in three races in the new stock car.

NASCAR West Series heads to Colorado National Speedway

NASCAR Camping World Series West driver Greg Pursley has posted three top-five finishes in a row and is in third place in the West Series standings. He will need another strong run on Saturday at Colorado National Speedway if he wants any chance of catching Jason Bowles, the leader in the West Series standings.
Pursley, a Canyon High graduate, has one thing in his favor heading to Colorado. The track is the same size, a 3/8-mile oval, as Thunderhill Raceway in Texas, the site of his first win in the West Series.
“I have always liked racing at Colorado National,” Pursley said, who is making his first West Series start at Colorado National Speedway, but raced there regularly when he was in the defunct NASCAR Southwest Tour. “The track is really fun to drive is like no other track we race. It is a definite two-groove track which means you can pass in any corner. I have heard the track has gotten a little rough over the last several years and that will certainly make it interesting.”
Pursley trails Bowles by 187 points with only three races remaining in the West Series schedule.
“Realistically, Jason and Eric (Holmes) will have to have some real rotten luck for us to have a chance,” Pursley said. “Those guys have run really well all year and I don’t expect that to change but have been points over the last few races.”
As for Bowles, a driver from Ontario, he is coming off a third-place finish at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah and extended his lead over Holmes to 56 points. Bowles has recorded 10 top-10 finishes in all 10 West Series races.
Holmes, the reigning West Series champion, finished eighth at Miller Motorsports Park. Holmes won the race at Colorado National Speedway last year. Bowles was third.
Jeff Jefferson, a driver from Naches, Wash., and a veteran West Series driver, will be making his season debut at Colorado National Speedway. He will be driving a car owned by Tom Hill, who also owns ESI Construction, and will have West Series champion Craig Raudman as his crew chief.
“I am really excited to get back to the West and looking to have a lot of fun this weekend,” Jefferson said. “When Tom said that he wanted to do a West race I just couldn’t believe it. I have had more fun racing for Tom this season in the RMCS then I can remember. I know we have a good car and I know we can run competitively at Colorado thanks to Tom and ESI Construction.”
Jefferson has been racing in the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series and is second in the series standings.

Photo: Jeff Jefferson will be making his NASCAR Camping World Series West season debut at Colorado National Speedway on Saturday.

Mike Johnson wins NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale

Mike Johnson of Covina won his second NASCAR Late Model race in a row and his third of the season at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Johnson said after his win two weeks ago that he would not lose another race at Irwindale for the remainder of the season. His bold prediction held up for one race.
Starting third, he took the lead on the first lap of the race when pole sitter Travis Irving pushed Tim Huddleston up the race track. The move left Johnson a wide open hole on the bottom of the track. Johnson moved into the lead on the second turn and quickly built up a three-car length lead.
Rookie Dallas Colodny from Reno, Nev., finished second, followed by Irving of Corona in third.
Huddleston, a driver from Agoura Hills and the leader in the Late Model standings at the track, was fifth.
Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, winner of two Late Model races at Irwindale this season, finished 11th. He did not qualify well, posting the 10th fastest time, and had to make adjustments to his car during a caution period during the race. He returned in 17th place before the caution period ended and worked his way to 11th place before the end of the race.
Rookie Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga won the NASCAR Super Trucks race, his first of the season. He was followed by Ron Peterson of Riverside in second and R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country in third.
Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill, the leader in the Super Trucks standings and the reigning Super Trucks champion, was fifth.
Dallas Montes, a rookie from Bakersfield, won the Legend Cars race, his first of the season.
Ryan Reed of Bakersfield, the leader in the Legend Cars standings, was second. He extended his lead to 12 points over Brandon Toy, another driver from Bakersfield.
Chad Schug from Oak Hills was third.
Jeff Williams from Newbury Park won the South West Tour Trucks race. He was followed by Christian Copley of Santa Ynez in second and Ronnie Davis Jr. of Whittier in third.
Shayla Zins of Acton won the demolition derby. Zins, the girlfriend of Tommy Mason, one of the drivers in the Classic Stocks division at the track, was making her first demolition derby start. She won $1,000 in a car, a 2010 Ford station wagon that cost her $100. She also became the first woman driver to win a demolition derby at the track.
Steve Cook was second and Justin Stress was third in the demolition derby.

Shayla Zins wins demolition derby

Shayla Zins, driving a 2010 Ford station wagon, won the demolition derby at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. She is the first woman driver to win a demolition derby at Irwindale in the 11-year history of the track. The driver from Acton survived an eight-car field and won $1,000.

Ryan Reed, leader in Legends Cars standings at Irwindale

Ryan Reed won his first Legends Cars race of the season last weekend at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
He also qualfied for the INEX Legends nationals in October. Depending on where he is in the Legends Cars standings at Irwindale, Reed, a 15-year-old from Bakersfield and student at Libery High School, said he might not got to the national races.
The season finale for the Legends Cars at Irwindale is the same day as the INEX Legends nationals.

Hornaday’s record NASCAR Camping World Truck Series run

Ron Hornaday Jr. has the NASCAR Camping World Series record for most consecutive wins, five, and most career wins, 45. His win last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee was his fifth in a row and the 45th of his career.
Here’s a look at some of the other records Hornaday has reached or are within his grasp during his current five-race winning streak:
Hornaday has a 216-point lead in the Truck Series standings, the largest margin after the first 14 races. The previous record lead was 165 points set by Jack Sprague over Greg Biffle in 1999. Sprague went on to win the Truck Series championship that year, but by only eight points over Biffle.
Hornaday’s lead over second-place Matt Crafton might seem insurmountable at this point, but in 1999, Biffle actually surpassed Sprague in the Truck Series standings. The two drivers swapped places atop the standings over the last three races of the season.
Hornaday’s has six wins this season. His career high for wins in a season is seven. The Truck Series record for wins in a season is nine, set by Biffle in 1999.
Hornaday, Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are the only NASCAR drivers to win five national events in a row. Of course Petty and Allison accomplished their feats at the pinnacle of stock car racing.
Petty holds the record for most consecutive NASCAR wins in a row with 10 during the 1967 season.
If Hornaday can win the next Truck Series race, Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, he will become the only Truck Series driver to win six races in a row.

Photo: Former NFL player Frank Wycheck waves the green flag to start the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday. Ron Hornaday Jr., in the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc., went on to win his fifth straight Truck Series race. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Bryan Herta Autosport expands Indy Lights team for Mid-Ohio

Bryan Herta Autosport is expanding for the next two races in the Firestone Indy Lights series.
Felipe Guimaraes is returning to the auto racing team owned by Valencia’s Bryan Herta for this weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the following race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
Guimaraes, a driver from Brazil, will join Daniel Herrington on Herta’s team. Guimaraes made his debut with the team at Watkins Glen in New York and finished on the podium, in third place.
The drivers from Bryan Herta Autosport are working with James Davison, a driver from Vision Racing, in a three-car effort.
Herta said he likes his chances at Mid-Ohio and Sonoma.
"Should gives us a good 1-2-3 punch for the next two races," Herta said via e-mail.
Herrington is coming off a sixth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway.

Photo: Felipe Guimaraes will drive for Bryan Herta Autosport in the next two Firestone Indy Lights races.

Herrington, Bryan Herta Autosport sixth in Indy Lights race at Kentucky

After a weekend of weepers and rain, Daniel Herrington, driving for Bryan Herta Autosport, posted a sixth-place finish in the Firestone Indy Lights race at Kentcuky Speedway on Saturday.
Qualifying for the race was cancelled because of weepers, water seeping through the creases of the track. The starting grid was set on drivers standings, putting Herrington seventh.
"It wasn't too bad a run but with qualifying cancelled we were a little disappointed because we feel like we could have qualified a little higher up and that could have helped us," said Herrington, driving for the team owned by Valencia's Bryan Herta. "We really needed all of that practice to get the car where we needed it and ended up with a pretty comfortable racecar. We stayed with the lead pack for the most part, but we lacked a little bit of pace to get by some people and move up to the front. We definitely hung with them the whole way."
Wade Cunningham, driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, won the race. He was followed by Sebastian Saavedra in second and Ana Beatriz in third.
The race ended under caution, resulting from a James Hinchcliffe spinout. Hinchcliffe did not make contact with the wall or another car, but track officials could not get the track ready for a final restart.
"It's encouraging after a few back-to-back frustrating weekends," Herrington said. "To get back on an oval and run with the leaders feels pretty good and hopefully we can keep the momentum going."

Hornaday wins record fifth straight NASCAR Truck Series race

Ron Hornaday Jr. is breaking NASCAR Camping World Truck Series records at, well, a record pace these days.
He won his fifth Truck Series race in a row on Saturday and set a record for most consecutive wins. Hornaday won at Nashville Speedway and became the first Truck Series driver to win five straight races. It was also the 45th win of his Truck Series career, more than any other driver.
“Honestly, this is just unbelievable," said Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champ. "I know I have been saying that a lot lately, but it is. Five in a row. Wow! This is pretty cool. I’m so proud that I finally got a Sam Bass guitar. I’ve wanted one for so many years and to finally achieve that it’s pretty cool. I have to thank the fans for sticking around through the rain and all of these guys behind this truck. I could not have achieved any of this without them, they are a hard working bunch of guys and they have earned every one of these wins.”
Hornaday joins Ricahrd Petty and Bobby Allison as the only driver to win five NASCAR national events in a row.

Photo: Record breaking duo Ron Hornaday Jr. and Crew Chief Rick Ren celebrate in Victory Lane after grabbing their fifth consecutive win. Hornaday becomes the third driver in NASCAR's three national series to win five consecutive races joining Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. Ren, with 27 career victories, becomes the all-time winningest crew chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images)

Patrick Long, a driver from Thousands Oaks and a veteran American Le Mans Series driver, won the race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah on Saturday. It was the first NASCAR win of his career.
“This is tremendous,” said Long, who netted $15,000 in prize money and posted awards. “It’s a long time coming. These guys have made me earn it. I came in here and found success right away as far as speed and dominance in races at Watkins Glen and then Sonoma, but today the car was very, very good.”
Long also won a spot in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in January. The winners of races from the NASCAR Camping World West and East series earn automatic bids to the all-star race.

Greg Pursley, a Canyon High graduate, was fourth in the West Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. He also moved up to third place in the West Series standings. Jason, Bowles, a driver from Ontario, leads the West Series standings.
“All in all it was a great run for the Gene Price Motorsports team,” an exhausted Pursley said after the race. “I thought we had something left to catch Bowles but we got crossed up with a couple of lapped cars late and that slowed us down a bit. This race track is so much fun to drive; it really is a driver’s track.”

Photo: Greg Pursley was fourth in the NASCAR Camping World West Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah on Saturday. (Photo credit: Derrick Shannon)

Nick Joanides wins 9th NASCAR Super Late Model race at Irwindale

On a night of twin 40-lap NASCAR Super Late Model races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Nick Joanides won one, was the runner-up in the other, and extended his lead in the Super Late Model standings at the track.
Rip Michels, a driver from San Fernando, won the first Super Late Model race at the track on Saturday night. It was his second win of the season and the 59th of his career at Irwindale. Michels has more wins than any other driver at Irwindale.
Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills and the reigning Super Late Model champions at the track, won his ninth race of the season. It was also his sixth win in the past eight Super Late Model races. He took the lead in the race from David Ross of lap 21. Ross led the first 20 laps of the race and the two drivers touched doors before Joanides completed the pass for the lead. Once Joanides had the lead, he pulled away from the rest of the drivers.
Ross finished in second in the second race, followed by Danny Gay of Lakeside.
Travis Thirkettle, a driver from Fillmore, was testing a prototype motor from General Motors. He finished the second race in second place, but was disqualified for using an unapproved motor by track officials. The motor, however, is a spec engine that the track is considering implementing for the Super Late Model drivers and teams for the 2010 season.

DeLong snaps Cerquettini's winning streak in NASCAR Super Stocks at Irwindale

Rich De Long III of Santa Clarita snapped the seven-race winning streak of Larry Cerquettini of Redlands in the NASCAR Super Stocks division at Toyota Speedway on Saturday night. Cerquettini’s winning streak matched the longest in the history of the division at Irwindale. Cerquettini won the first seven races of the Super Stocks season.
De Long had four runner-up finishes in the first seven races of the Super Stocks season. He was followed by Ken Brown of Cherry Valley in second and Cerquettini, the leader in the Super Stocks standings, in third.
Tyler Rogers of Riverside won the NASCAR Mini Stocks race. It was his fourth of the season and his second in a row. Daryl Scoggins of Sunland, the leader in the Mini Stocks standings, was second. He was followed by Jacob Rogers of Riverside in third.
Ryan Reed of Bakersfield picked a good night to win his first Legends Cars race of the season. With the win, Reed also qualified for the INEX Legends national race.
Reed took over the lead in the Legends Cars standings at the track. He has an eight-point lead over Brandon Toy of Bakersfield. Toy finished sixth in the race.
Brent Scheidemantle of Alta Loma was second, followed by Donny St. Ours of Upland in third.
Randel King of Riverside made a last-lap pass on Andrew Anderson of Lancaster and won his second S2 stock car race in a row. King won the S2 race on July 11, the track debut for the new stock cars.
Anderson, who was also in the Bandeleros race, finished second. He was followed by Kyle Longmore of Camarillo. R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country, winner of four races in the NASCAR Super Trucks division at the track, was fourth.
There were six cars in the S2 race. It was the third time the S2 stock cars have raced at the track.
Christian McGhee of La Verne won the Bandoleros race, his second of the season. McGhee is the son of Lloyd McGhee, the owner of the NASCAR Super Late and Late Model cars driven by Nick Joanides. Joanides leads the Super Late Model standings at the track.
Ryan Carsdale of Menifee, the leader in the Bandoleros standings, was fourth in the race.
Blake Dunkleberger of Simi Valley was second, followed by Anderson in third.

Kendell Lopez

Kendell Lopez, an 18-year-old driver from Independence, Mo., was the fastest qualifier in the first S2 race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on July 11. She was the fifth fastest qualifier at the track on Saturday night. The new S2 cars were making their third appearance at Irwindale. The first was an exhibtion race on July 4. Randel King from Riverside won the first official S2 race at the track on July 11. Lopez, a driver for Tim Huddleston's High Point Racing team, was fifth in a six-car field on July 11.

RJ Johnson S2

R.J. Johnson, a driver from Canyon Country, was making his second start in the new S2 division at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Johnson has won four races in the NASAR Super Trucks division and is fourth in the Super Trucks standings at the track. He was in the July 4 exhibtion race for the S2 cars.

Sean Harvey

Sean Harvey, a 26-year-old from Canoga Park, was making his debut in the NASCAR Super Stocks divison. His dad won an auction to go through the driving school at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and race a Super Stock car. The car is owned by Dennis Furden, a driver from Santa Clarita in the Super Late Model division at the track. Harvey was the eighth fastest qualifier in a nine-car field, but an inverted start put him on the pole.