Opening night for Irwindale Event Center set for April 6

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

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

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

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

Oval track racing returning to Irwindale in 2013

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

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

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

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

Larson wins his first NASCAR K&N East Series championship

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

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

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

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

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

Samantha Kenny joins dad, brother in NHRA Super Comps

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

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

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

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

Alan Kenny wins NHRA Super Comp championship

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

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

Automobile of Southern Calfornia NHRA Finals

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

Thorn wins West Series race in New Mexico

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlie Kimball looks to kick it in high gear

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

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

Pursley pads West Series lead in Portland

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

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

Corey LaJoie rises to the top in Iowa

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

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

Pursley moves out front in Colorado

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

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

Conley makes most of race in Columbus

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

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

Eric Holmes wins 50th race for Bill McAnally Racing

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

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

No lights, no problem for Moffitt in Pennsylvania

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

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

Gilliland wins West Series race at Sonoma

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

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

LaJoie Rallies For Second East Series Win

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

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

Rookie wins East Series race at Gresham

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

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

LaJoie adds his name to winner's list at historic Bowman Gray Stadium

Corey LaJoie won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East career on one of the most historic tracks in NASCAR.
LaJoie won the East Series race at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina, one of the tracks where Richard Petty and Tim Flock started their stock-car racing careers.
LaJoie, the son of two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie, was second at Bowman Gray last year and had three runner-up finishes in his East Series career.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from Bowman Gray Stadium.

Photo: The cars in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race make their way around historic Bowman Gray Stadium. (Credit: Jason Smith/NASCAR)

Pursley and Kwasniewski a 1-2 punch for Gene Price Motorsports

Gene Price Motorsports teammates Greg Pursley and Dylan Kwasniewski finished 1-2 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at the Bullring in Las Vegas.
Pursley won the West Series race in Las Vegas for the second year in a row.
Kwasniewski won the pole and led the first 12 laps of the race. He maintained his lead in the West Series standings with his second-place finish.
Pursley won his second race of the season.
"It was a great race," Pursley said. "We had a really good car there and a really good battle there with Dylan. Our car, on a restart, wouldn't start going until about 10 laps in. We had a great battle with him there at the end. Kid's a great driver, but our car was
just a little bit better and had a little bit more at the end."
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Las Vegas.

Photo: Greg Pursley (26) and Dylan Kwasniewski gave Gene Price Motorsports a 1-2 finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Las Vegas. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Dylan Kwasniewski leads Hunter Index for June

Dylan Kwasniewski won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race of the season at Stockton 99 Speedway and claimed the top spot in the West Series standings.
He was voted as the top driver in the NASCAR Hunter Index for June with two wins and two runner-up finishes in his past four races.
He was credited with a win for being the highest finishing driver from the West Series at Iowa Speedway. He was eighth. Chase Elliott won the race and he was followed by seven drivers from the East Series.
He was second at the inaugural West Series race at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota and was leading that race before his transmission gave out on him in the closing laps.
Go to NASCAR Home Tracks for the complete Hunter Index.

Photo: Dylan Kwasniewski leads the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West standings and is the top driver in the Hunter Index for June. (Credit Getty Images for NASCAR)

Self wins first West Series race at Brainerd

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West made its first trip to Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota.
Michael Self won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West career.
Self, who had made 33 career West Series starts without a win, chased down Dylan Kwasniewski in the final laps on the road course to win the race.
Kwasniewski led a race-high 39 laps, but had gear box problems down the stretch. He was able to nurse his car across the finish line in second place.
Greg Pursley, the reigning West Series champion, was third.
Go to the K&N website for more on the race from Brainerd.

Photo: Michael Self celebrates winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Brainerd International Raceway, the first of his career.Credit: Adam Bettcher/NASCAR

Elliott wins at Iowa Speedway

Chase Elliott saved his first win for one of the biggest stages on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series schedule.
He won the race at Iowa Speedway which pits the top driver from the East and West Series.
Elliott started 15th and won his first race in his 16th career start on the K&N Pro Series East.
The East Series took the top seven spots in the race at Iowa Speedway.
Dylan Kwasniewski was the highest-finishing driver from the West Series in eighth. He was credited with a win and padded his lead in the West Series standings.
Travis Pastrana, an X-Games champion and action sports athlete, had the best finish of his K&N Pro Series career. He was fourth.
Go to the K&N website for more on the K&N Pro Series race from Iowa Speedway.

Photo: Chase Elliott and crew chief Lance McGrew celebrate winning the K&N Pro Series race at Iowa Speedway. Credit: Mike Gatzke/Iowa Speedway

Kwasniewski dominates at Stockton 99 Speedway

Dylan Kwasniewski won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Stockton 99 Speedway, his first of the season, on May 5.
Kwasniewski took over the lead in the K&N Pro Series West standings with the win. The 16-year-old driver for Gene Price Motorsports won the third race of his West Series career. He won the pole and led every lap in the Pick-N-Pull 150.
Three-time West Series champion Eric Holmes was second, followed by David Mayhew in third.
Go to the K&N website for more on  the West Series race from Stockton.

Photo: Dylan Kwasniewski won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Stockton 99 Speedway. (Credit: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images for NASCAR).

Moffitt wins East Series race at Richmond

Brett Moffitt won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race of the season and denied Chase Elliott the first East Series win of his career.
Moffitt won the Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway in a green-white-checkered flag finish battling Elliott on the last lap. Moffitt crossed the finish line 0.011 seconds ahead of Elliott.
Moffitt won the pole and led a race-high 92 laps for the eighth win of his East Series career.
Elliott is the leader in the East Series standings after three races. He has a four-point lead over teammate Ben Kennedy.
Moffitt is sixth in the East Series standings, 11 points behind Elliott.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from Richmond.

Photo: Brett Moffitt (11) won the eighth NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race of his career at Richmond International Raceway. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Memorial for John Partridge at Irwindale Speedway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Clauson makes Grand Prix of Long Beach debut

Bryan Clauson, a two-time USAC National champion, turned his first laps on a street course in Long Beach in the Toyota Pro Celebrity race.

He’ll make his first trip to the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Clauson, an open-wheel racer backed in part by K&N, ran into a tire barrier midway through the Toyota Pro Celebrity race during the Grand Prix of Long Beach. He didn’t complete the entire 10 laps of the race, but he said racing at Long Beach was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer to get the opportunity to be with super people and the personalities and everybody that’s in this group is phenomenal,” Clauson said. “To get the opportunity to be a part of it and to spend some time with these people has been amazing. You learn a lot about how to be successful in life when you’re around successful people. It’s been a lot of fun and we definitely had a great time.”

Thorn wins West Series race in Havasu

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West made its first visit to Havasu 95 Speedway in Arizona and plenty of new faces came to the forefront.

Derrek Thorn, a driver from Bakersfield, won his first K&N Pro Series West race, leading the last 42 laps in the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 presented by Gene Price Motorsports.

Thorn won the pole, another K&N Pro Series West first, and led a race-high 141 laps.

“I’ve got to pay a tribute to the Sunrise Ford team, (car owner) Bob Bruncati and (crew chief) Bill Sedgwick and all the guys at the shop,” Thorn said. “It was really hard coming here to this track, because no one had raced here. It’s hard to take something from practice and prepare yourself for a 150-lap race, because at 125 laps the car is doing something completely different than it was at Lap 50. It was a lot of guess-work, but the guys did an awesome job of putting an awesome car underneath me. I’m so thankful to be here and get this victory in (the) K&N (Pro Series).”

Wallace wins East Series race in South Carolina

Darrell Wallace Jr. won his sixth NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina on March 31.
Wallace won the first race of his K&N Pro Series East career at Greenville in 2010. It was his first win of the 2012 season.
Corey LaJoie finished second, his first runner-up finish since 2011 at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Brandon Gdovic was third, the best NASCAR K&N Pro Series East finish of his career.
Go to the K&N website for more on the Pro Series East race from Greenville.

Photo: Darrell Wallace Jr. wins the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, the sixth of his East Series career. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

From Irwindale Speedway to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

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

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

California dreaming in NASCAR

NASCAR has the Alabama Gang and North Carolina is where the blood pumps fastest. But California has produced the most drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Jeff Gordon, who grew up in Vallejo, Calif., is the most successful NASCAR driver in terms of wins. He has 85 in his career, the most of any active driver in the Sprint Cup Series and the most in NASCAR's modern era.
Jimmie Johnson, from El Cajon near San Diego, has the most Cup championships with five of any active drivers in the Sprint Cup Series.
Kevin Harvick from Bakersfield is the reigning race winner in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.
The Sprint Cup Series makes its annual visit to the Fontana track this weekend.
Go to ESPN Los Angeles for more on the NASCAR races at Fontana and the drivers from California who are racing there.

Photo: Jeff Gordon, a three-time winner at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, meets with fans at the Lucky Strike bowling alley at LA Live. (Credit: Auto Club Speedway)

Piquet wins NASCAR East Series race in Bristol

Nelson Piquet Jr. became the first driver from Brazil to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race by taking the Widow Wax 125 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
Piquet won the pole and led a race-high 62 laps.
He is racing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and will be entered in two Nationwide Series races, at Road America and Watkins Glen.
The East Series race at Bristol featured Chase Elliott, son of Bill Elliott, Ryan Blaney, son of Dave Blaney and Travis Pastrana.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from Bristol.

Photo: Nelson Piquet Jr. (14) and Ryan Gifford race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

David Mayhew wins West Series race in Phoenix

David Mayhew, a driver from Atascadero, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series season opener at Phoenix International Raceway.
The race was short, only 50 laps, and Mayhew led every one of them. He also won the pole for the Walking Stick 50.
It was the fourth win of his West Series career. His previous three wins came in combo events with the K&N Pro Series East.
Mayhew was winless in 2011 after finishing as the runner-up in the West Series standings in 2010.
Go to the K&N website for more on Mayhew's win in Phoenix.

Photo: David Mayhew leads Dylan Kwasniewski in action at the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway. (Getty Images for NASCAR)

Three minutes with four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ Jeff Gordon

Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon visited LA Live in downtown Los Angeles on Monday and talked about, among other things, how much the stock car series has changed since his rookie season.
He talked about momentum, how to get it and how much it helped Tony Stewart win the Chase for the Sprint Cup last year.
He said he has great respect for Stewart and his team for what they accomplished last season.
Gordon was very candid about what he needs to do to capture a fifth Cup championship and how his relationship with new crew chief Alan Gustafson has developed.
Gordon and the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on March 25. Gordon is a three-time winner at Auto Club Speedway.

Matt Kenseth visit Pink's in Los Angeles before heading out to Arizona for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Kenseth won his second Daytona 500 on Monday, a race delayed a day by rain and red-flagged for more than two hours after Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer safety vehicle and set the track on fire.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will visit Auto Club Speedway in Fontana from March 23-25.

Three minutes with Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth

Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth visited Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was at Pink's on Melrose and La Brea where he created his own Daytona Dog, complete with guacamole and jalapenos.
It looked more like something Oscar the Grouch would sneeze on to a hot dog bun, but there weren't many complaints from the fans who showed up to see and meet Kenseth and grad a dog.
He won his second Daytona 500 on Monday, a race that was delayed a day by rain and for more than two hours when Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer during a caution period. The crash caused a fire and red-flagged the race, forcing the finish well past midnight in Florida.
During the red flag, Brad Keselowski became a Twitter star. He was Tweeting from the track and gained tens of thousands of followers.
Kenseth has about as many followes, 75,000, as Keselowski gained at the Daytona 500. The two-time Daytona 500 winner compared his two Daytona 500 wins, showed off his newest Daytona 500 ring, and discussed the penalty Jimmie Johnson's team received after the Daytona 500.

Daytona International Speedway has good news for short track racers

Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway will have a place for the short track stock car racers across the nation in 2013.
A two-day event that will include the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours North and South is planned on a short track oval being built on the backstretch of Daytona International Speedway, a NASCAR official said on Wednesday.
The two-day of races will be in 2013 on the Monday and Tuesday before the Daytona 500, once called the dark days of Daytona, on a proposed .4-mile paved oval. The event will also include a late model race. Drivers and teams from the NASCAR international series in Mexico, Canada and Europe will also have an opportunity to enter the races.
The event is being described as the next step up from the NASCAR All-Star Showdown that was run at Irwindale Speedway. The NASCAR All-Star Showdown evolved into a three-race event with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East, Super Late Models and Late Models.
The All-Star Showdown was a stepping stone for a number of NASCAR drivers who moved up to the Sprint Cup Series. Joey Logano and David Gilliland won All-Star Showdown races and Travis Pastrana made his NASCAR debut at the Showdown last year.
More details about the track and the races will be announced on Friday.

Irwindale Speedway LLC files for bankruptcy

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

Irwindale Speedway cancels racing season

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

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

Megan McKernan turns drag racing into rocket science

Megan McKernan has championship equipment and the mind of a physicist. That makes for a dangerous combination in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster division.
The driver from Sierra Madre has two degrees in physics, one from USC and the other from the University of San Diego. Her car is the same one Ashley and Courtney Force drove when they were racing Top Alcohol Dragsters for her dad, 15-time NHRA champion John Force.
McKernan is entering her second full season in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster this weekend in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Winternationals at Pomona Racweay.
Go to Patch.com for more on McKernan's NHRA career and her expectations for the 2012 season.

Photo: Megan McKernan finished third in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster standings last year.

Fire captain burning up the drag strip in Pomona

Johnny Ahten, a fire captain in Santa Clarita, is racing his NHRA Top Alcohol Fuel dragster in the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Winternationals at Pomona Raceway this weekend.
The 40-year-old from Newhall has been racing since 1999. He has been driving top alcohol dragsters for eight years.
Some of his best drag racing moments came at Pomona. He made it the semifinals once and laid down the best run of his career, 5.25 seconds down the 1000-foot strip, in 2010.
Go to Hometownstation.com for more on Ahten and his drag racing career.

Photo: Johnny Ahten is the driver and clutch man on his NHRA Top Alcohol drag racing team.

Three minutes with NHRA rookie Alexis DeJoria

PASADENA – Alexis DeJoria wanted to be fighter pilot when she was a kid. She’s become probably the next best thing for a thrill seeker who also happens to be the daughter of the owner of a hair-care product empire.

DeJoria is a driver on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. She begins her rookie campaign in the NHRA Funny Car division this weekend at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

DeJoria, the daughter of John Paul DeJoria, the owner of Paul Mitchell Hair Care Products, said during a media lunch at Ruth Chris Steak House in Pasadena on Wednesday that she inherited the racing bug from her father. In addition to making a fortune selling hair spray and gels, he liked to drive and occasionally race fast cars.

Alexis went to work for her father’s company as a teenager, but, as she said, “made a left turn out of the family business” and pursued a career as a drag racer.

The 34-year-old driver competed in four NHRA Funny Car races last year, qualifying for three events. She made her debut at Pomona Raceway in the Auto Club Finals in November.

She also likes tattoos. She says she has 16 of them, the most recent, an ode to racing which includes an F-15 Strike Eagle surrounded by piston rods and checkered flags.

She also has a tattoo with her daughter’s name, Isabella, on her left wrist.