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.