Indy 500: Herta has a dog in fight

Indy 500: Herta has a dog in fight

Sebastian Saavedra, the driver for Bryan Herta Autosport, is one of six rookies in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 field. He was the last rookie and the last driver to qualify for the race, securing the 33rd spot on Bump Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Luck appears to be on the side of Saavedra and Bryan Herta Autosport. They moved up to the 32nd starting spot when Tony Kanaan's team had to replace the chassis on their car and moved to the last starting spot.
Still, no driver has won the Indy 500 from the 32nd or 33rd spot on the starting grid. Valencia's Bryan Herta, the owner of Bryan Herta Autosport, doesn't expect his driver to be the first. Herta has more realistic goals. He wants to finish the race and have Saavedra in consideration for rookie of the year.
Saavedra has an even simpler goal: Keep the tradition of strong finishes by Colombian-born drivers in the Indy 500 alive.

Gresham wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series race in Iowa

Max Gresham won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. The top-four drivers in the race were rookies from the K&N Pro Series East.
David Mayhew was the highest-finishing driver in the race from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. He was fifth.
For Gresham, it was his second win in three races in the East Series season.
For Mayhew, it was his third win in a row at Iowa Speedway. As the highest-finishing driver from the West Series, he is credited with a win. He was the highest-finishing driver from the West Series in the combination East and West Series race last year at Iowa Speedway. He was third behind race winner Kyle Busch and Brian Ickler from the East Series.
He also won the West Series stand-alone race at Iowa Speedway in September.
Mayhew took over the lead in the West Series standings. He has a 57-point lead over Eric Holmes.
The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race is June 5 at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore.
Go to the K&N website for more on Sunday's race at Iowa Speedway.

Photo: David Mayhew won the pole for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. He finished fifth and was the highest-finishing driver from the West Series in the race.

Bryan Herta Autosport secures final spot in Indianapolis 500

The Indy car for Bryan Herta Autosport was in pieces. The driver was in the hospital. Valencia’s Bryan Herta, the owner of the team, didn’t know if he was in or out of the Indianapolis 500 until he was on his way to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tech center after qualifying was over on Sunday.
Sure enough, Herta’s team was in the Indianapolis 500 field, the last car in. Sebastian Saavedra will start 33rd for Bryan Herta Autosport in the 33-car field, the last car on the last row.
Herta, with a rookie driver, one car, limited resources and boundless hope, will make his first start in the Indy 500 as an owner.
“You know, we were well aware that we were going to have a roller coaster, that our race was to make the race, and we knew that we were going to be part of whatever is happening today, that it was going to be touch and go,” said Herta, a Hart High graduate. “But never in a million years could we have imagined the scenario that actually unfolded. Thank God. I already had a hard enough time sleeping.”
The scenario that unfolded involved one of the more active and eventful Bump Days in recent memory for the Indy 500. Saavedra put his car in the field on Bump Day, the last day of qualifying when drivers and teams can withdraw times to improve their positions in the race and bump other drivers out of the starting field.
Saavedra’s qualifying run was far from a lock to make the field of 33 cars. He was one of the drivers bumped out of the field as other drivers posted better qualifying speeds than his.
Saavedra was on the bubble and took his car out for practice in preparation for another qualifying run, but crashed in turn one. Herta thought his chances of making the field were gone.
His chances were revived when two drivers withdrew their times and put Saavedra back in the field.
Paul Tracy was one of those drivers. But he didn’t improve his qualifying run and Saavedra maintained his hold on the 33rd spot.
Jay Howard went out to try and improve his qualifying effort, but he too did not produce a better run.
When Bump Day was over, Saavedra was in the Indy 500 field, and on his way to the hospital to be evaluated after his crash.
“I had just turned on the television in my hospital room and I saw an interview with Bryan and my crew jumping up and down,” said Saavedra, a 19-year-old from Colombia. “My family started jumping in celebration. This is wonderful for me and my country. I’m still trying to process it. I want to thank Bryan Herta Autosport and William Rast for believing in me and making my dream come true.”
Herta said he never experienced the range of emotions in one week, let alone one day, through his years of racing in the Indianapolis 500.
“Three times. Three times we thought we were out when we crashed,” Herta said. “We were pretty confident that we were going to have to bump our way back into the race. So when we crashed we thought, ‘Oh, that’s it.’ And then we got bumped out the first time. And OK, thought, OK, you’re out, that’s it. And then time withdrew in front of us, we got back in.”
Saavedra had an MRI as a precautionary measure at the hospital. The results were negative. The car, the only one Bryan Herta Autosport has for the race, is in pretty bad shape.
“We broke the gearbox, bell housing, underwing, rear wing attenuator, left front suspension is junk,” said Steve Newey, who owns the team with Herta and is the team's race engineer. “Left rear suspension. Obviously, I could go on and on. There’s a lot. Honda wants to take a look at the engine.
“We’re going to have the engine over to Honda tomorrow to see how much damage there is. The tub appears to be OK. So there is a lot of damage, and our guys are coming in and we’re going to go shopping for used parts tomorrow.”

Photo: Sebastian Saavedra, driver for Bryan Herta Autosport, qualified for the Indianapolis 500 and will start 33rd in the 33-car field. (Bryan Herta Autosport)

Bryan Herta Autosport Qualifies For Indy 500 In Dramatic Fashion

IndyCar rookie Sebastian Saavedra has qualified in the 33rd and final starting position for next weekends Indianapolis 500. Saavedra’s Bryan Herta Autosport entry, owned in part by Valencia’s Bryan Herta, had qualified for the event earlier Sunday afternoon. But with less than an hour before the end of qualifying, Saavedra, who was on the bump at the time, lost control and backed into the wall in turn one, damaging the teams only car.

After several drivers moved into the field, Herta thought his team’s month was over a weekend early. But after both Paul Tracy and Jay Howard withdrew their qualifying times, Saavedra was placed back into the field. Both Tracy and Howard attempted to improve their qualifying position, but Tracy made contact with the wall, and with time expired, Howard’s car unexpectedly slowed to its slowest speed’s of the month, placing Saavedra back in the field.

After Howard’s car had completed its run, an ecstatic Herta called Saavedra, who had been taken to Methodist Hospital to be evaluated, and told the rookie the news. Herta said the car was fixable, and praised his operation, noting the significance of making the field for the world’s most prestigious auto race. Not bad for a team Herta called “two guys in a truck.”

Ryan Partridge Wins First NASCAR Super Late Model Race

Ryan Partridge, a racer from Rancho Cucamonga, captured his first NASCAR Super Late Models win on Saturday, May 22nd at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Partridge took home the victory in the first of two Super Late Model 40-lap main events. Las Vegas driver Justin Johnson finished second, while Bakersfield rookie Ryan Reed finished third.

In the second Super Late Model race, Johnson would out-duel Partridge, claiming his second career win, both coming this season. Fontana’s Randel King finished in third. Reed was running side-by-side with King with just four laps remaining when his car contacted the wall in turn four, slid down the front stretch, and collided with the attenuator at the tracks exit in turn one. Reed was alright, but the crash caused the event to end under caution.

In the touring ASA Truck Series 75-lap race, Joey Licata, the defending series champion, passed Race Liberante with 18 laps left and held on for the win. Taylor Cuzick finished in second, followed by Jimmy Putman. Liberante was in second coming to the white flag, but his truck ran out of fuel and finished in eighth.

Valencia’s Joe Anderson captured his first career win in the NASCAR S2 division. Wilton’s Dylan Lupton took home second, while Independence, Missouri driver Kendell Lopez rebounded from a hard crash with Simi Valley’s Bill Waters to finish in third.

Ted Stonebuner beat Eric Darensburg to the line by less than a car length to win the DriveTech Late Model race. Don Kelley was third.

Chad Schug, a driver from Oak Hills, captured his second Legends Car win this season. Schug held off a charging Darren Amidon from Santee. Oak Hills’ Tony Green finished third. Alta Loma’s Brent Scheidemantle came into the race as the point’s leader and led the race early, but contact with a lapped car sent the teenager flipping onto the half-mile track at Toyota Speedway. Scheidemantle was ok, but his car sustained serious damage.

In the Bandolero main event, Agoura Hills’ Trevor Huddleston captured his second win of the season, beating Pomona’s Ricky Schlick by less than five feet. Danny Nickolai of Granada Hills finished third. This race featured the first of four red flags on the evening when four cars piled up on the front straight. Everyone was ok.

Sunland’s Daryl Scoggins dominated the NASCAR Mini Stocks race. Alta Loma’s Rod Schmitt and Wildomer’s Ritchie Altman rounded out the top three.

In a race held on Friday night in the Bandolero division, La Verne’s Christian McGhee brought home the victory. Rancho Cucamonga’s RJ Stearns finished second, and Nickolai finished third in a race littered with cautions.

Richie Zimmerman is 91 and still racing cars - ESPN Los Angeles

Richie Zimmerman is 91 and still racing cars - ESPN Los Angeles

IRWINDALE, Calif. -- When Richie Zimmerman was 75 years old, he set the track record during a qualifying race at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, Calif.
That was 16 years ago.
Back then, he was known as R.C. Zimmerman. He started going by Richie -- a tribute to modified racing legend Richie Evans -- when he decided to start racing again at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in March.
At 91 years old, Zimmerman is the oldest driver by three decades racing at Toyota Speedway. He's older than NASCAR by three decades.
He drives a Ford Pinto in the NASCAR Mini Stock division. The number on his car matches his age, 91. He recently was awarded "hard charger" for passing the most cars in a recent race and earned a $91 bonus from the track.
Zimmerman is not as spry as he once was. He took a couple of years off from racing after he broke his hip and needed surgery on his knee. He has had cataract surgery on both eyes and wears a hearing aid. He doesn't go to the driver autograph sessions at the track before races because he says it's too hard to get in and out of his car.
"It's amazing that he's out here," said Jacob Rogers, a 21-year-old driver from Riverside in the Mini Stocks division at Irwindale. "It gives me a little bit of inspiration. It's really cool that he's out here. It's fun to be around him."

Photo: Richie Zimmerman is 91 years old and racing in the NASCAR Mini Stock division at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. 

Staying Patient Paying Off For Mayhew | NASCAR Home Tracks

Staying Patient Paying Off For Mayhew | NASCAR Home Tracks



David Mayhew heads to Iowa Speedway for Sunday's NASCAR K&N Pro Series race as close to the lead in the West Series standings as he's ever been.
He is tied with Greg Pursley in points with 320, but Pursley is technically in the lead because of his third-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in April.
Mayhew's best finish in two West Series races is a fourth place at All American Speedway in Roseville on opening night.
But Mayhew might have the edge at Iowa Speedway. He won the West Series race at Iowa in September. He was third overall and the highest finishing driver from the West Series in the combination East and West Series race at Iowa in May last year.
Mayhew said Iowa Speedway is the best track the West Series visits. With his success at the track, it's hard to argue with him.

Photo: David Mayhew is the only driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with two top five finishes in the first two races of the season.

Christian Copley Racing NASCAR Late Model Division at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale

Christian Copley Racing NASCAR Late Model Division at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale

Christian Copley has graduated from the old West Coast Pro Trucks Series to the NASCAR Late Models at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
He admits he has a lot to learn about the Late Model stock cars. His first four races has shown steady improvement. He has two top fives and has yet to finish outside the top 10. He is coming off a ninth-place finish on Saturday night.

Photo: Christian Copley is third in the NASCAR Late Model standings after four races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

RJ Johnson wins second straight NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale

R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country won his second NASCAR Late Model race in a row and extended his lead in the Late Model standings at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Johnson took the lead on lap 15, passing Nick Joanides who started on the pole. Joanides, the reigning Late Model champion at the track, was second, followed by Chris Holloway of Bakersfield in third.
“There is always good racing in this class,” Johnson said. “When you surround yourself with good people, it just takes the whole package to make everything right.”
Johnson maintained his lead after Joey Licata of Van Nuys spun out on lap 21. He crashed into High Point Racing teammate Brandon Davis and brought out a caution flag. Johnson has a 26-point lead over Travis Irving from Norco.
Irving won the opening night race, but was 12th in Saturday night’s race.
Joanides said his clutch was slipping and it prevented him from challenging Johnson on the restarts.
“He was just a little bit better,” Joanides said of Johnson on the restarts. “We were both close. When he was in front, he was probably safe. I was happy lose more spots. I didn’t want to see anymore restarts.”
Holloway had his best finish since finishing second on opening night.
“It’s fun,” Holloway said. “I’m not used to being in this position. It’s just a learning experience basically.”
Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga won his fourth NASCAR Super Trucks race in a row. Todd Cameron of Monrovia was second and Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill, a two-time Super Trucks champ at the track, was third.
Bill Sedgwick of Acton, a former driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, was sixth.
Partridge has a 12-point lead over Cameron, who has two runner-up and two third-place finishes in four races at the track.
Rich De Long III of Santa Clarita won the NASCAR Super Stocks race. It was his fourth of the season.
He won the first three races of the year and was second two weeks ago. De Long leads the Super Stocks standings at the track by 22 points over Bryan Harrell of Riverside.
Harrell finished second in the Super Stocks race, his third runner-up finish. Gary Frankovich of Barstow was third.
Eric Sunness of Chatsworth, who won the Super Stocks race two weeks ago at Irwindale, was fourth.
 Steve Stewart of Long Beach won the figure 8s race. Billy Ziemann of Bloomington was second followed by Andy Schoening of Corona was third.

Photo: R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country won his second NASCAR Late Model race in a row at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Dusty Davis dedicates NASCAR Super Late Model win to mom and grandmother

Dusty Davis said his mom brings a lucky shell to races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and rubs it when her son is racing.
His grandmother has a special angel she brings to the track.
They both try to sit on the same place in the stands to watch Davis race.
He definitely had luck on his side in winning his second Super Late Model race in a row at Toyota Speedway.

Dusty Davis wins second NASCAR Super Late Model race in a row at Irwindale

Dusty Davis of Las Vegas won the NASCAR Super Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. It was his second Super Late Model win in a row and his second of the season.
Davis inherited the lead after Jason Patison slid into the turn one wall on the last lap of the race. Justin Johnson, who was running in second at the time, was penalized for pushing Patison into the wall. He was sent to the back of the field and the race ended under a green-white-checker flag finish.
“All I’m going to say is they ran out of room,” Davis said.
Patison’s car had to be towed off the track. He did not finish the race after leading for 44 laps of the 50 lapper.
“Got taken out,” said Patison, a driver from Corona, who has also been racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. “It’s probably hurt pretty bad. We’ll go back and check it out.”
The 17-year-old Davis, the youngest driver to win a Super Late Model race at Irwindale, held off a late charge by rookie Ryan Reed and Randel King. Davis said his team’s strategy was to race conservatively and it paid off. He was in third place for most of the race and was able to take the lead when the top two drivers tangled on the last lap.
“This one was a lot harder to get,” Davis said. “We had a green-white-checker and it was all up to me.”
Davis had a little bit of luck on his side in winning his second race of the season. His mom and grandmother might have played a part in bringing Davis some of that luck. His mom has a shell she brings to every race for luck. His grandmother has an angel she brings to every race. Both sit in the same seats at the race track when they watch Davis race. Davis dedicated the win to his mom and grandmother for Mothers Day.
Johnson, a driver from Las Vegas, went from 11th to sixth in the final two laps of the race and maintained his lead in the Super Late Model standings.
Reed ended up second, followed by King in third.
Johnson, Davis’ teammate at Vision Aviation Racing, has an eight-point lead over Reed in the Super Late Model standings at the track. Davis is tied for third, 10 points out of first in the standings.
In other races, Brent Scheidelmantle of Alta Loma won his second Legend Cars race of the year and his first since opening night. Chad Schug of Oak Hills was second and Mark Borchetta of Valencia was third.
Scheidelmantle leads the Legends Cars standings by 20 points over Mark Iungerich of Granada Hills.
Neil Conrad of Arcadia won his first South West Tour Trucks Series race in seven years. He snapped the three-race winning streak of Jeff Williams of Newbury Park, who finished second. Brady Helm of Huntington Beach was third.
Conrad has two runner-up finishes and is second in the South West Tour Trucks Series standings. Williams has a six-point lead over Conrad.
Daryl Scoggins of Sunland won the NASCAR Mini Stocks race, his second in a row. Richie Altman of Wildomar was second, followed by Rod Schmitt of Alta Loma in third.
Scoggins has a 14-point lead over Jacob Rogers of Riverside in the Mini Stocks standings. Rogers finished seventh in the race on Saturday night.
Kenny Smith of Oak Hills won the S2 stock car race for the second time in a row. After missing the first two S2 races of the year, Smith has won the last two.
Bobby Kelley of Riverside was second and Dylan Lupton of Wilton was third.

Ted Christopher No. 1 in NASCAR Hunter Index

It was a very interesting vote for the NASCAR Hunter Index this month. Bobby Santos III from the Whelen Modified Tour garnered the most first-place votes, but came in third in the balloting.
Ted Christopher, on the strength of winning the Spring Sizzler on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, has the No. 1 spot in the Hunter Index, despite only one first-place vote. He beat out Keith Rocco, winner of four Modified races in Connecticutt, by one point for the top spot in the Hunter Index.
Eric Holmes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Phoenix International Raceway at the beginning of the month and came in fifth in the Hunter Index.
David Mayhew, my No. 1 driver in the Hunter Index and the co-leader in the West Series standings after two races, was an honorable mention. He is tied with Greg Pursley, a Canyon High of Canyon Country graduate, for the lead in the West Series standings. Mayhew is the only driver in the West Series with two top-five finishes, which is why he is at the top of my list.
Here is a look at how I ranked the top-15 drivers. Go to NASCAR HomeTracks.com for the NASCAR’s Hunter Index top 10.

1. David Mayhew – He has two top fives in two races and tied for the lead in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings.
2. Greg Pursley – He was third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway and is tied with Mayhew for the lead in the West Series standings.
3. Eric Holmes – He won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Phoenix and moved up to third place in the West Series standings.
4. Paulie Harraka – It was a rough race at Phoenix for Harraka. After winning the West Series season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville, he was 29th at Phoenix and went from first to eighth in the West Series standings.
5. Ted Christopher – He won the Spring Sizzler, the second race in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, at Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut for a record sixth time.
6. Nick Joanides – He won a NASCAR Super Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, but blew an engine in his car later in the month.
7. Justin Johnson of Las Vegas – He won his first NASCAR Super Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and took over the lead in the Super Late Mode standings at the track.
8. Dusty Davis – Johnson’s teammate at Vision Airways Racing also won the first NASCAR Super Late Model race of his career at Toyota Speedway.
9. Rafael Martinez – The driver from the NASCAR Mexico Series won the first two races of the season, including the one at Nuevo Autodromo de Queretaro. He has a 25-point lead in the Mexico Series standings.
10. Keith Rocco – His four wins have come at three different tracks in Connecticut. The only time he didn’t win a race last month was when he finished second in a Sunoco Modified race at Thompson International Speedway.
11. Eric Schmidt – He has won three NASCAR Late Model races in a row at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif.
12. Philip Morris – The two-time NASCAR Whelen All-American national champion won two races at Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia.
13. Justin Johnson of Durham, N.C. – The reigning NASCAR Late Model champ at South Boston Speedway in Virginia has also won a race at Motor Mile Speedway.
14. Bobby Santos III – He won the pole and the season-opening Modified race at Thompson International Speedway.
15. Cole Whitt – The leader in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East did not race last month. But he didn’t lose a race either.

Photo: David Mayhew, right, was my vote for No. 1 in the NASCAR Hunter Index. But the co-leader in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings only earned an honorable mention in the consensus Hunter Index voting.

Travis Irving finishes fifth in NASCAR Late Model race at Toyota Speedwa...

Travis Irving, a driver from Norco, came into Saturday night's NASCAR Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale as the leader in the Late Model standings.
He finished fifth in the Late Model race and lost his lead to RJ Johnson.
Irving won the Late Model season opener at the track and is six points behind Johnson in the Late Model standings.

Ryan Partridge wins third straight NASCAR Super Trucks race at Toyota Sp...

Ryan Partridge, a driver from Rancho Cucamonga, won his third NASCAR Super Trucks race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
He is also racing in the NASCAR Super Late Model division at the track. He talked about having to race three times in one night. There are twin Super Late Model races and a Super Trucks race scheduled for July 31 at Irwindale.

Christian Copley has career best finish in NASCAR Late Models at Toyota ...

Christian Copley, a driver from Santa Ynez, finished third in the NASCAR Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
It was his best finish in the Late Model division at the track. He battled Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, the reigning Late Model champion at Irwindale, for third place.

RJ Johnson wins first NASCAR Late Model race of his career at Irwindale

R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country won the first NASCAR Late Model race of his career at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night before 2,015. It was Johnson’s fourth career start in the Late Models at the track.
“I didn’t expect to get it this quick,” said Johnson, who moved up after winning the NASCAR Super Trucks championship at Irwindale last year.
Mike Johnson of Covina was second, followed by Christian Copley of Santa Ynez in third. It was Copley’s best finish in the Late Model division at Irwindale.
R.J. Johnson was the third different winner in three Late Model races at the track. Travis Irving of Norco won the opening night race. Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, the reigning Late Model champion at Irwindale, won the second race of the season.
Joanides, who also won the NASCAR Super Late Model championship at the track in 2009, said before the race that he was not going to continue in the Super Late Model division and focus on the Late Models. The motor on his Super Late Model car broke in last weekend’s races.
Joanides finished fourth in the Late Model race. Irving was fifth.
R.J. Johnson took over the leads in the Late Model standings. He has a six-point lead over Irving after three races.
Ryan Partridge and Rancho Cucamonga made it three wins in a row in the NASCAR Super Trucks. Rookie Ken Maler Jr. of Acton had a career-best runner-up finish and Todd Cameron of Monrovia posted his third straight top-three finish, coming in third.
Partridge is also racing in the NASCAR Super Late Models and is in sixth place in the Super Late Model standings at the track. He is coming off a season-best second-place finish in the Super Late Models last week.
Maler was making his fourth career start in the Super Trucks division. It was his first top-five finish of the season. He was sixth in the opening night Super Trucks race and followed with a seventh-place finish.
Eric Sunness of Chatsworth won the NASCAR Super Stocks race and snapped the three-race winning streak of Rich DeLong III.
DeLong, a driver from Santa Clarita, finished second, followed by Gary Frankovich of Barstow in third.
DeLong won the first three races of the Super Stocks season. He has three wins and one runner-up in four races and leads the Super Stocks standings.
Sunness missed the first race of the Super Stocks season, but has not finished worse than third in the past three races.
Mike Colato Jr. of Chatsworth won the NASCAR Classic Stocks race, his first of the season. Lawndale’s Harry Michaelian finished second and Ken Michaelian was third.
Colato snapped Ken Michaelian’s three-race winning streak to start the season.