Eric Holmes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway on April 8 and put himself in championship contention.
It was his first win at Phoenix in his West Series career. More importantly, it moved him into third place in the West Series standings and all but erased a disastrous start to the season.
He crashed and finished 20th in the West Series season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville last month.
Go to the K&N website for more on Holmes and his season-saving win at Phoenix.
Photo: Eric Holmes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Phoenix International Raceway and moved into third place in the West Series standings. (Getty Images for NASCAR)
The Glidewell brothers have won their share of races at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino.
David Glidewell won the Pro 4 season opener last month.
Bryan Glidewell won the most recent Pro 4 race last weekend.
David Glidewell leads the Pro 4 standings after two races at the Orange Show Speedway. He was the runner-up to his brother in the race last weekend.
Go to the K&N website for more on David Glidewell's plans for the 2010 season.
Photo: David Glidewell leads the Pro 4 standings after two races at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino.
Dusty Davis completed the Super Late Model sweep for Vision Aviation Racing on Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
The 17-year-old driver from Las Vegas won the second of two Super Late Model races at the track. His teammate, Justin Johnson, won the first race of the night at the track.
Davis moved into second place in the Super Late Model standings with the win. It was his first win at the track.
Jeff Williams, a driver from Newbury Park, has won the first three races of the South West Tour Trucks series. He won his third race in a row at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
He leads the South West Tour Trucks series standings after three races.
The odds were a little against Tim Huddleston, a driver from Agoura Hills, in the NASCAR Super Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
He entered his Late Model car in the Super Late Model race for Indian Guides night at the track.
The car was down on horsepower, but not on effort.
Huddleston brought home a ninth-place finish in the second of two Super Late Model races at the track, quite a noble effort for the car he calls the Blue Laser.
Justin Johnson of Las Vegas parlayed a couple of podium finishes and took over the lead in the NASCAR Super Late Model standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Johnson won the first of two Super Late Model races at the track. He was third in the second race and passed Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills for the lead in the Super Late Model standings after four races.
“It was pretty fun tonight,” Johnson said. “We had a fast car the first race. The second race we went and tweaked on it a little bit, messed ourselves up a little bit. All in all a great effort by Vision Airlines.”
Joanides had a rough night. The reigning Super Late Model champion was sixth in the first race. His motor broke at the end of the second race and he finished 13th out of 14 cars.
Dusty Davis of Las Vegas, Johnson’s teammate at Vision Aviation Racing, won the second Super Late Model race. He finished second to Johnson in the first Super Late Model race.
“I knew that I had a fast enough car to win,” Davis said. “I was driving every lap as hard as I could until I got the checker.”
Johnson and Davis are first and second in the Super Late Model standings. Johnson has a four-point lead over Davis.
Daryl Scoggins of Sunland won his first NASCAR Mini Stocks race of the season. Richie Altman of Wildomer was second, followed by Jacob Rivers of Riverside.
Jeff Williams of Newbury Park won his third straight South West Tour Trucks series race. Neil Conrad of Arcadia was second, followed by Michael Zimmerman of Hemet was third.
Kenny Smith of Oak Hills won his first S2 stock car race at Irwindale. He finished ahead of Roman Lagudi of Las Vegas in second and David Busby of Laguna Beach in third.
Michael Andretti, owner of Andretti Autosport, saw Ryan Hunter-Reay end a 28-race winless drought for his team. Hunter-Reay won the Izod IndyCar Series race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Tony Kanaan finished fifth, Marco Andretti was 14th and Danica Patrick was 16th.
Andretti talked about Patrick's struggles on the four road courses to start the IndyCar Series season, the crowds and excitement surrounding the Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend and the chances of Hunter-Reay being able to complete the IndyCar Series season.
Hunter-Reay's team only has enough funding through the Texas Motor Speedway race in June.
Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Izod IndyCar Series race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ending a 28-race winless drought for Andretti Autosport. Hunter-Reay dedicated the win to his mother, who died of cancer in November.
“The car was so much fun to drive,” Hunter-Reay said. “That was some of the most fun I've had in a race car because it was handling so well. My mom was out there with me today. She just passed away recently. This race is for her. I was in a great zone. It was on the last couple of laps where I said (to myself), 'Thanks for being with me today, Mom.' We were the fastest car out there today. We deserved it. This is like a home race for me."
Hunter-Reay, who used to live in nearby Dana Point, was one of four drivers for Andretti Autosport in the Grand Prix of Long Beach. He is the only driver running a partial schedule for the team, making his win at Long Beach all the more incredible.
It was the first win for Andretti Autosprot since Tony Kanaan won at Richmond International Raceway in 2008.
"I am happy for Ryan, and I think he deserves this win,” said Kanaan, who finished fifth. “He was quick all weekend. We did all we could, but we lost a couple of positions on our pit stop. It was a hard race and seemed to be very physically demanding. I am happy for the Andretti Autosport team, and I feel like when one teammate wins, it is a victory for all of us. We are on the right track, and I am looking forward to heading into the ovals."
Justin Wilson recovered from a damaged front wing after getting clipped by Alex Tagliani and rallied for second place.
"I am really disappointed,” Wilson said. “Alex was a lap down and he nearly took Ryan (Hunter-Reay) out a couple of times. Once Ryan got past, it got him off line and slowed him up. I dove down the inside of Turn 8, and I braked pretty late. I just got the door slammed in my face. Even if you aren't going to give way to the leaders, you need to leave room at the apex to back out. Nothing you can do about it. We had to come in and change the front wing and we were just in mad fuel saving mode after that. It's just a shame that it happened.”
Wilson matched his best finish of the season. He was second at St. Petersburg, Fla. His runner-up finishes are also the best for his Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team since Robbie Buhl won at Walt Disney World Speedway in 2000.
“We had a great day,” Wilson said. “The Z-Line Designs car was fantastic. To have a front wing change and to come back in finish second is an amazing day."
Will Power, the pole winner, ran into some more hard luck at Long Beach and finished third. Power won the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2008, the last Champ Car race. He won the pole at Long Beach last year, but Dario Franchitti won the race.
"Once Justin passed me, I tried for a couple of laps, but there was no point in putting the car in the wall,” Power said. “The Verizon Wireless car is still leading in points, and the team has a goal of winning the championship, so we are still in line for that.”
James Hinchcliffe won the first race of his Firestone Indy Lights career and his first in 18 career Indy Lights starts.
The win at Long Beach put Hinchcliffe back in the championship race. He is in third place, 41 points behind J.K. Vernay, the leader in the Indy Lights standings.
Hinchcliffe started on the pole at Long Beach and led all 45 laps of the race.
"It’s been a long time coming,” Hinchcliffe said. “We had a couple close calls last year. Even this year, we were on the pole in the first race at St. Pete and sort of got taken out there in the first corner. We didn’t get a chance to show what we had in the race.”
Hinchcliffe won the pole for the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., but rainy conditions led to some treacherous racing. Vernay won the race in St. Petersburg and followed with a win at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Hinchcliffe finished fifth at Barber.
“Barber didn’t go great,” Hinchcliffe said. “We started P5 because of a problem with qualifying and finished P5. For us to come here and get pole, we were quick right off the truck, good in practice, pole position, to lead to lead light to flag was a really good feeling.”
Justin Wilson had his front wing damaged midway through the Izod IndyCar Series race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. His team had to replace the damaged wing and Wilson rallied for a second-place finish.
It matched his best finish of the IndyCar Series season. He was also the runner-up in the race at St. Petersburg, Fla.
Will Power finished third in the Izod IndyCar Series race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Power has yet to finish worse than fourth in the first four races of the IndyCar Series season. He won the season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and St. Petersburg, Fla. He was fourth in the IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.
Power has a 42-point lead over Helio Castroneves. Both drivers race for Team Penske.
LONG BEACH - Graham Rahal did not have a good weekend. The 21-year-old son of Bobby Rahal qualified in the No. 22 spot for Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IZOD Indy Racing League main event. That's where he finished, too, after he got into a wreck with Mario Romancini on the 60th lap. Romancini was attempting an inside pass on Turn 1 and his right front wheel hit Rahal's rear wheel, sending both into the tire barrier. The rear wing on Rahal's car was dislodged. Rahal immediately got out of his car and went over and had a few words with Romancini, who was still sitting in his. "I just said, `What are you thinking?"' Rahal said. "He said, `I'm sorry, I missed my braking mark a little.' It's a disappointing end to a disappointing weekend. "We had problems with our drink bottle and our radio. It's been a tough day. To end it that way is just really frustrating."
LONG BEACH - James Hinchcliffe led all 45 laps and won the Firestone Indy Lights race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday. He won the first Indy Lights race of his career rather easily, despite three caution periods in the second half of the race. Every restart, Hinchcliffe was able to hold off runner-up Charlie Kimball and maintain his lead in the race. But Hinchcliffe did wonder aloud after the race if Kimball's AFS Racing teammate was getting a bonus for causing cautions and giving Kimball every opportunity to pass for the lead on a restart. "It did get certainly frustrating by the end," Hinchcliffe said. "By the fourth one, I'm starting to think how much are these AFS guys paying these dudes to start causing yellows and give Charlie one more run at it."
LONG BEACH - Not everything is going J.K. Vernay's way in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Vernay, the leader in the Indy Lights standings and winner of the first two races, had his top lap taken away when a caution flag came out during qualifying on Saturday for the Indy Lights race in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. James Hinchcliffe won the pole and will start alongside Vernay, who won the season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the following race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Hinchcliffe said luck was on his side during qualifying for the Long Beach race. His team also factored in untimely cautions and used a risky tire strategy during the one-hour qualifying session. "It's definitely a little bit of luck on our side," said Hinchcliffe, a driver for Team Moore Racing. "Part of the reason why we went so early with that last set of tires was because of so many yellow flags in the session; we wanted to make sure we didn't get held up and caught up in a yellow." Charlie Kimball, a driver from Camarillo, qualified third. He said he felt like his car was good enough to put on the pole, but he ran out of time when the final caution flew.
Jimmy Vasser won the Toyota Pro Celebrity race and Will Power won the Izod IndyCar Series pole on a busy day of racing at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Paul Tracy used the Grand Prix of Long Beach as the stage to announce his entry into the Indianapolis 500. James Hinchcliffe won the pole for Sunday’s Firestone Indy Lights race.
But first, the Pro Celebrity race.
Vasser was the top pro, followed by Tanner Foust, a Formule Drift and X Games rally car driver. Brian Austin Green from “Beverly Hills 90210” fame was the top celebrity finisher coming in third.
Marty Nothstein was fourth followed by Oscar winner Adrien Brody in fifth.
Will Power won the pole for Sunday’s Izod IndyCar Series race, leading a pack of Team Penske drivers in the top five of the field.
Power has won three straight IndyCar Series poles and won the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2008, the last Champ Car Series race. He has won five poles in his IndyCar Series career, including last year at Long Beach.
“We certainly have the car figured out, and I’m very happy that the Verizon car is P1 again,” Power said. “We’ve got to get the strategy right this weekend. I know sometimes it’s really hard to read, but we need to keep executing in races.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay, a driver from Andretti Autosport, will start alongside Power on the front in the IndyCar Series race.
Justin Wilson, a driver for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, will start third next to Helio Castroneves from Team Penske. Ryan Briscoe, who also drives for Team Penske, will start fifth.
“I knew coming into Long Beach that I had to step it up in qualifying, and I think we really did that today,” Briscoe said. “Will got through without using an extra set of reds and had a sticker set at the end, which gave him a big advantage. But we’re right there, and we’ve got ourselves into good position to win the race on Sunday.”
Vasser went from winning the Pro Celebrity race to joining Tracy in announcing his entry in the Indy 500. Tracy will be driving a car for KV Technology Racing, owned in part by Vasser. If Tracy qualifies for the race, it will be his seventh time in the 500. He was the runner-up in 2002 to winner Helio Castroneves and finished ninth in last year’s Indy 500.
“I want to thank (co-owners) Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser of KVRT and GEICO for the opportunity to return to the world’s biggest auto race,” Tracy said. “I have won races and championships at the top level during my racing career, but what I’m missing is a win at Indy. I feel I have some unfinished business at the Brickyard and, with the support of GEICO and an outstanding team like KV Racing Technology, I feel good about our chances at this year’s 500.”
Hinchcliffe won the pole for the Indy Lights race. It was his second pole of the season and the second of his Indy Lights career. He edged out J.K. Vernay, winner of the first two races of the Indy Lights season.
Vernay actually posted the fastest lap in qualifying, but had it taken away when a caution flag came out before he completed his lap.
“He came through and set that time. I saw it, but at the same time I knew there was a yellow flag on the track and he had to drive straight through it,” said Hinchcliffe, a driver for Team Moore Racing. “He did exactly what anybody would have done and kept his foot on it. The rules are the rules and you can’t set your fastest lap when there’s a yellow flag on track.”
And finally, the team of Simon Pagenaud and David Brabham won the American Le Mans Series race in a LMP ARX-01c for Honda Performance Development.
Gunnar Jeanette and Elton Julian won the LMPC portion of the race in an Oreca FLM09.
Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister won the GT portion of the American Le Mans Series race in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Bryan Herta Autosport got off on the right foot in the first day of practice for the Firestone Indy Lights race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Sebastian Saavedra, one of two drivers for Bryan Herta Autosport, was the fastest in practice and is in good position to capture the pole for the race.
The team, owned in part by Hart High graduate Bryan Herta, is in its second year of operation. Saavedra is the 2009 Indy Lights rookie of the year, with two wins under his belt already.
Stefan Wilson, the other driver for Herta's team, is the younger brother of Izod IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson.
For more on the drivers and the team, go to the story in the LA Daily News.
Go to KHTS, AM 1220, for more on Herta's decision to expand to two Indy Lights teams and enter the Indianapolis 500.
Photo: Bryan Herta, left, talks with his driver, Sebastian Saavedra. Herta has a two-car team in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Both cars will be racing in the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday. (Bryan Herta Autosport)
Sebastian Saavedra turned a bumpy ride into fast time.
Saavedra, one of two drivers for Bryan Herta Autosport, was the fastest of the Firestone Indy Lights drivers in practice on Friday.
Saavedra said the track leaves little room for error.
“This kind of race track, you need to be in the limits to be able to be fast,” Saavedra said. “Very close to the walls, very close to everything to set up the car for the race.”
Saavedra will be making his second career start at Long Beach in the Indy Lights series. He added that the track seems a little bit more bumpy than he remembers from last year.
“Once you get used to it,” Saavedra said. “We made some changes and went back out again. The car is feeling great.”
James Hinchcliffe was the second fastest Firestone Indy Lights driver in practice on Friday at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
While his speed got him a date with reporters after the practice session, it was his footwear that got him some unexpected attention.
Hinchcliffe, a driver for Team Moore Racing, had the word “stop” written on his left shoe and the word “go” written on his right shoe. A professional race car driver doesn’t need any reminders which foot goes on which pedal. Hinchcliffe said the verbage was a result of the rubber on the inside of his shoes wearing down while he was working the pedals in his car.
The pedals are so close together inside his car that his feet rub together. The rubber wears down on his shoes, “which is obviously sort of counterproductive,” he said. To prevent the wear, Hinchcliffe puts white tape on the front of his shoes.
After taping up his shoes, he found a Sharpie and started doodling on his shoes.
“I just played a little joke on some people and put stop and go on my feet there,” Hinchcliffe said. “I’ve been subsequently told to switch it so that they’re wrong to really scare people.”
The creative juices are flowing in Hinchcliffe’s head in regard to his shoes. He is considering having them embroidered with the words stop and go so he doesn’t have to write the words every time he tapes his shoes.
He is also considering using a green Sharpie for go and red for stop.
Patrick Long, a driver from Thousand Oaks, won the GT2 portion of the American Le Mans Series race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach last year. Teamed with Joerg Bergmeister, Long went on to win the GT2 championship in 2009. The win at Long Beach was one of five in a row for the driver tandem for Flying Lizard Motorsports in the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Repeating as Long Beach winners will be difficult. It's never easy to repeat as race winners, but it will be especially tough because of the number of cars and the different manufacturers that will be in the Long Beach race on Saturday.
"I want to defend what we had last year which was a victory," Long said. "But it's not going to be easy. I think a lot more cars, new drivers and a lot of yellow flags, it's going to mean you have to hit all your marks and have perfect strategy."
Corvette, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar and Ford, in addition to Porsche, have entries in the newly formed GT class for the American Le Mans Series race at Long Beach.
"It's always great to be in Long Beach," Long said. "This is my back yard. I remember growing up here as a young Southern California kid trying to sneak into the pits to try to see Nigel Mansell or Rick Mears. Coming here is special to me."
Long has been keeping busy outside of the American Le Mans Series as well. He raced in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina and he said he would like to find a ride for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America in Wisconsin.
Justin Wilson has won two IndyCar Series races and four more in the defunct Champ Car series. His younger brother, Stefan, is searching for his first win in the Firestone Indy Lights series. Both drivers will be in action Sunday at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Stefan Wilson will get first crack at the temporary street course in Long Beach driving for Bryan Herta Autosport in the morning.
Justin Wilson will go out in his Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry with the Izod IndyCar Series drivers in the afternoon.
The Wilson brothers have raced together at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.
Justin Wilson said he wants to watch his brother race in Long Beach, but it's going to be challenging given how soon he has to race after the Indy Lights race.
"My younger brothers driving Indy Lights, so that's quite interesting to have him doing that while I'm doing the Indy car," Justin Wilson said. "Obviously our timetables are pretty tight against each other. It makes life hard, but I give him as much information as I can possibly give him and he works away at it."
Justin Wilson would prefer to watch his brother race from Grand Prix Vista Club from the rooftop of the Hyatt Long Beach, but he will most likely watch from the pits on the course.
"I'll probably end up watching it from pit lane, watching the timing and scoring, and try to get some of the TV footage from there," Justin Wilson said. "That's probably as good as its going to get for the time restriction that I have."
Skip Jackson, a native of Australia, has found a home in Knoxville, Iowa. The 41-year-old Jackson races Sprint cars at the legendary track and has won a couple of championships in the 410 class at Knoxville.
But his last championship came in 1998.
In addition to racing at Knoxville, he travels back to his home country in Australia during the winter to race. He was there for a week in December to race against, among others, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Tony Stewart. Neither Stewart nor Jackson had productive races Down Under, even though Jackson had the lead in a couple races before unfortunate crashes took him out of contention.
Jackson is preparing for his 19th season of racing at Knoxville and he has championships aspirations, despite being 12 years removed from his last title.
Photo: Skip Jackson has won two track championships at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. His last one came in 1998.
Andrew Madrid, a drag racer from Chatsworth, has learned to like the Southwestern International Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., as a second home.
He won the Super Comp portion of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in Tucson for the second year in a row.
The 20-year-old driver is planning on entering more NHRA national events and compete for the Pacific Division championship in 2010.
He's off to a great start in that direction, winning the first race of the Pacific Division Super Comp schedule. His next race isn't until June in Fallon. Nev.
Photo: Andrew Madrid won the Super Comp portion of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in Tucson, Ariz., for the second year in a row.
Sergio Pena finished third in the NASCAR Super Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Pena, a rookie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, was the runner-up in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale in January. He finished behind NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano, who won the Showdown for the second year in a row.
Pena is off to a rocky start in the East Series. He has yet to finish in the top 10 in the first two races of the season and is 20th in the East Series standings.
Luis Martinez Jr., a rookie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, won the S2 stock car race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Martinez was in the West Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on Thursday. He plans on racing in the NASCAR Super Late Model race at Irwindale in two weeks.
His next West Series race will be at Iowa Speedway in May.
Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills easily won the NASCAR Super Late Models race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale before 1,571 on Saturday night.
It was the second win in a row for Joanides, the reigning Super Late Model champion at Irwindale. His margin of victory was 1.578 seconds.
“It wasn’t as easy as it looked,” Joanides said. “I was driving for my life, getting as much distance between them. It’s a tough field. These cars that are here, there are a lot of good ones.”
Joanides said his team is running out of money and might not make it out for the next Super Late Model race in two weeks. He said his team will have to make a decision to either run the Super Late Model car or the Late Model car. Joanides is the reigning champion in both the Super Late Models and Late Models at Irwindale. He was 19th in the Late Model season opener last Saturday night.
“I’m just hoping we can come back in two weeks,” Joanides said.
Rookie Ryan Reed of Bakersfield was second, followed by Sergio Pena from Winchester, Va., a rookie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Pena nearly won the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale in January, finishing second to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano.
“This is my favorite track by far,” Pena said.
Reed and Pena battled for second place throughout the race. Randel King from Fullerton challenged for the runner-up spot on the final laps of the race, but finished in fourth.
“I was a little bit stressed, but I held my line,” Reed said. “(Pena) raced me clean. I have nothing but respect for him.”
There were only 13 cars to start the Super Late Model race. Ten cars finished on the lead lap.
In other races, Chad Schug of Oak Hills won the Legend Cars race. Brent Scheidemantle of Alta Loma was second, followed by Mark Iungerich of Granada Hills was third.
Dennis Croasmun of Alta Loma won his first NASCAR Mini Stocks race in nearly four years. He finished ahead of Daryl Scoggins of Sunland and Jacob Rogers of Riverside.
Rogers won the Mini Stocks season opener and leads the Mini Stocks standings after two races.
Luis Martinez Jr. of Long Beach won the S2 stock car race. Martinez is a rookie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and finished 17th in Thursday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Martinez has more than a month off before his next West Series race at Iowa Speedway on May 23.
Travis Thirkettle, a driver from Fillmore, was second in the S2 race. He was followed by Roman Lagudi of Las Vegas.
Jeff Williams of Newbury Park won his second South West Tour Trucks race in row. He has won the first two races of the South West Tour Trucks season.
Michael Zimmerman of Hemet was second, followed by Neil Conrad of Arcadia.
Jason Bowles, the reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion from Ontario, has a busy weekend in Phoenix. He was in the West Series race on Thursday and the Nationwide race tonight at Phoenix International Raceway. Bowles is looking to advance his career in NASCAR. In addition to running select Nationwide and West Series races, he was in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. He was the runner-up in the West Series race and 25th in the Nationwide race in Phoenix.
Canyon High graduate Greg Pursley leads the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings after a third-place finish in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 100 at Phoenix International Raceway on Thursday.
Pursley is tied with David Mayhew with 320 points atop the West Series standings after two races.
Eric Holmes, a driver from Escalon, won the West Series race in Phoenix. He was followed by Jason Bowles, the reigning West Series champions from Ontario, in second and Pursley.
Paulie Harraka, who won the West Series season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville, was collected in a crash and finished 29th.
Pursley led for 27 laps of the race. Holmes took over the lead from Pursley on lap 93 and held for the remainder of the race, which included an attempt at a green-white-checker finish, a result of a three-car crash on lap 99.
Photo: Greg Pursley charges out front of the pack at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway on Thursday. (Getty Images for NASCAR)
The Firestone Indy Lights series is headed for the inaugural Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. The drivers for Bryan Herta Autosport had productive tests at the 2.38-mile road course during the off-season and are looking forward to the first race at the Alabama track.
Bryan Herta Autosport, owned in part by Bryan Herta, a Valencia resident and Hart High graduate, has two drivers, Stefan Wilson and Sebastian Saavedra.
Wilson gave Bryan Herta Autosport its first podium finish of the season with a third place at the Indy Lights opener at St. Petersburg, Fla.
“I drove the track for the first time at the open test a month ago and really enjoyed it,” the 19-year-old Wilson said. “It’s a great facility, a great track. Overtaking is going to be pretty difficult but we had a good car and I think we’ve improved it since the test so I’m feeling confident. I’m interested to see how we shape up against the opposition, but coming off a strong result at St. Pete gives me a lot of confidence to look for another good result and maintain our momentum in the championship.”
Saavedra led the first lap of the St. Petersburg race, but collided with another car and finished 12th.
“It’s going to be a very interesting weekend,” the 20-year-old Saavedra said. “We had a very productive test at Barber. It was our first test with the team and we left with very high expectations for the championship, so we are very positive about what we can do. We know we have a great car, we have a great setup and, after St. Pete, we come with a much more mature mentality. We’re going to go for the points -- that’s for sure the most important thing right now -- and I’m very positive about how everything is going to come out.”
Paulie Harraka is the No. 1 driver in the latest NASCAR Hunter Index released today. Harraka won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville and capturing the pole and leading 125 laps. Cole Whitt, who used to race late models at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, is second in the Hunter Index, which ranks the top drivers in the NASCAR developmental series across the nation. Whitt leads the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings after a pair of runner-up finishes to start the season. Nick Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills and the reigning NASCAR Super Late Model champion at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, came in at No. 9.
The drivers in my top 15 for the Hunter Index moved around quite a bit since the first time they were ranked. For one, Paulie Harraka jumped from fifth to first in my poll. His win in the season opener for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at All American Speedway in Roseville was not only impressive, it was his third in the past four West Series races.
Cole Whitt jumped into my top 15 at No. 4 after a pair of runner-up finishes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Whitt has the lead in the East Series standings with those two second-place finishes.
Sergio Pena, who surprised everyone with his performance in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in January, was knocked down to fifth in my poll after a disastrous season opener in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Here’s a look at my top 15:
NASCAR Hunter Index top 15 for April
1. Paulie Harraka: He’s off to a great start, winning the season opener in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Maybe some of the Duke basketball magic will rub off on the Harraka, a Blue Devil undergraduate. Previous rank: 5
2. Nick Joanides: He won the NASCAR Super Late Model season opener at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and is still the only driver to win the Super Late Model and Late Model championship at the track in the same year. Previous rank: 4
3. Philip Morris: He won the season opener at the Motor Mile on April 3, but ran into some bad luck at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. He is third in points in the Late Model division at the track after a third-place finish on opening night, followed by an eighth-place finish in the second race of the season. Previous rank: 2
4. Cole Whitt: He has a pair of runner-up finishes in the first two races of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the lead in the East Series standings. Previous rank: Unranked
5. Sergio Pena: He has not lived up to the hype in the first two races of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He finished 27th in the East Series season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina and 14th in the race at South Boston Speedway. After nearly winning the NASCAR All-Star Showdown, Pena is 20th in the East Series standings. Previous rank: 1
6. Ryan Truex: He has to be the hard-luck driver of the year so far. He led the most laps in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener at Greenville Pickens Raceway only to end up in 14th place after a crash during the green-white-checker flag finish. Somehow the reigning East Series champion has managed to stay in the top five in the 2010 East Series standings. Previous rank: 3
7. Keith Rocco: He has won the first two races of the SK Modifieds season at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut and leads the standings at the track. Previous rank: 14
8. Rafael Martinez: He won the NASCAR Mexico Series season opening Pennzoil 240 at Nuevo Autodrome de Aguacalientes. Previous rank: Unranked
9. Darrell Wallace Jr.: He became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race. He won the East Series season opener at Greenville Pickens Raceway in South Carolina and followed that up with a 20th place finish at South Boston Speedway. Previous rank: Unranked
10. Josh Combs: He inherited a second-place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville. He was third on a green-white-checker finish, but Jonathan Gomez’s car did not pass post-race inspection and was knocked from second to last place as a result. Previous rank: Unranked
11. James Civali: He won the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at South Boston and has three top 10s in the first three races of the season. He leads the Whelen Southern Modified Tour standings. Previous rank: Unranked
12. Greg Pursley: He was looking at a third-place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville when he was spun out on the white-flag lap. Josh Combs jumped up to third place in the race and ended up in second with Joanathan Gomez was disqualified. Previous rank: 7
13. Jody Lavender: He was second in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener at Greenville Pickens Raceway and 11th in the East Series race at South Boston Speedway. That puts him third in the East Series standings after two races. Previous rank: Unranked
14. David Mayhew: He survived a wild finish to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville and came away with a fourth-place finish. Previous rank: 8
15. Max Gresham: He won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at South Boston Speedway and is seventh in the East Series standings. Previous rank: Unranked
Photo: Paulie Harraka displays the winning trophy for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series season opener at All American Speedway. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Travis Irving of Norco won the NASCAR Late Model season opener at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night, beating out a pair of relative youngsters.
Chris Holloway of Bakersfield finished second, followed by Canyon Country’s RJ Johnson in third. It was Holloway’s best finish at the track in the Late Model division. He was 12th in the Late Model standings with a best finish of sixth place in 2009.
Irving said racing Holloway for the lead at the end of the race made him “a little nervous.”
“He paid his dues over the years,” Irving said.
Johnson won the NASCAR Super Trucks championship at Irwindale in 2009 and was making only his fourth start in the Late Models.
Irving described Johnson as a slick driver. “I needed to keep my eyes on him,” he said.
It was Irving’s fourth win in the past two years in the Late Models at Irwindale. He won three Late Model races and was third in the Late Model standings at Irwindale last year.
Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, the reigning Late Model champion at Irwindale, worked his way up to fourth place, but with six laps to go, he got a flat tire and pulled off the track. He finished 19th.
Tim Huddleston of Agoura Hills, a three-time Late Model champion at Irwindale, was involved in a crash midway through the race and finished 16th.
In other races, Santa Clarita’s Rich DeLong III made it two wins in a row in the NASCAR Super Stocks. DeLong beat Eric Sunness by 0.207 seconds to win his second Super Stocks race in as many weeks at Irwindale.
DeLong inherited a win on opening night at Irwindale after Garrett Cromsigt was disqualified. With two wins in the first two races of the year, DeLong has a six-point lead in the Super Stock standings.
After the race, DeLong said he was dedicating the win to his grandmother who died earlier in the week.
Bryan Harrell, a driver from Riverside, was third in the Super Stocks race. He was followed by Curtis White of Norwalk and Gary Reed of La Verne.
Jacob Rogers of Riverside won the NASCAR Mini Stocks race. Rogers was ninth in the Mini Stocks standings with three runner-up finishes last year.
Rod Schmitt of Alta Loma was second, followed by Daryl Scoggins of Sunland in third.
Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga won the season-opening NASCAR Super Trucks race. As a rookie in 2009, Partridge won one race, finished second twice and was fifth in the Super Trucks standings.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia was second, followed by Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill in third.
Ken Michaelian of Lawndale, the reigning Classic Stocks champion at Irwindale, won the Classic Stocks season-opening race. He won 11 of the 13 Classic Stocks races in 2009.
Michaelian has won three Classic Stock races in a row, dating back to 2009. He has also won eight of the past nine Classic Stock races and has not finished worse than second since opening night in 2009 at Irwindale.
Mike Colato Jr. of Chatsworth was second, followed by Harry Michaelian Jr. of Lawndale in third.
Canyon Country’s RJ Johnson has a new car for the 2010 season at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He will be in the No. 15 car for High Point Racing in the NASCAR Late Model division.
Johnson, who won the NASCAR Super Trucks championship at Irwindale last year, is one of five drivers for the High Point Racing team.
The NASCAR Late Model championship is very much up for grabs. Nick Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills and the reigning Late Model champion, started seventh and finished 19th, but he might not race the entire season. Depending on how he finishes from race to race will determine if he continues throughout the season.
Tim Huddleston of Agoura Hills, Johnson’s boss and the owner of High Point Racing, won the Late Model championship in 2008 and is a three-time Late Model champions at Irwindale.
Johnson won the S2 race on opening night at Irwindale. But Johnson said his race in the S2 car was probably a one shot deal. His focus will be in the Late Models.
He finished third in the Late Model race.
“That had to be as fun to watch as it was fun to drive,” Johnson said. “Travis was really strong.”
Ken Maler Jr., a driver from Acton, has moved from the Legend Cars to the NASCAR Super Trucks. Maler posted two top-10 finishes and was 17th in the Legend Cars standings last year.
He is driving the Super Truck that Jon Campbell raced at Irwindale and Mesa Marin in Bakersfield. Maler has had the truck for a few years, but opted to race go-karts and Legend Cars while he and his dad prepared the truck to return the track.
Maler qualified 10th and finished sixth for the first Super Trucks race of the season. He was awarded the hard charger for the race, making up the most spots.
Rich DeLong III finally got a dose of good luck on opening night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
DeLong, a driver from Santa Clarita, inherited a win in the NASCAR Super Stocks opener at Irwindale after Garrett Cromsigt was disqualified for having unapproved shocks on his car. DeLong was awarded the win in the March 27 race.
He won his second Super Stocks race in a row on Saturday night at Irwindale.
DeLong said he’s usually cursed at Irwindae on opening night adding it was a little strange to be leading the Super Stocks standings after the first race of the season.
A number of rules have been changed in the Super Stocks. One is a shock rule. A couple others involve tires and the removal of the spoiler from the Super Stock cars.
Driving the cars with no spoiler has been the most challenging rule to adapt to, DeLong said. Without a spoiler, the cars do not generate nearly the same amount of downforce. It makes the cars a little more difficult to handle in the corners and takes away about 0.20 seconds off of lap times.
