Austin Barnes of Escondido wins Lucas Oil Modified Series race at Irwindale

Austin Barnes of Escondido, a junior at Escondido High School, won the Lucas Oil Modified Series race, his second of the season and his second in a row at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
The 16-year-old Barnes won the Modified Series race at Irwindale on June 4 and has posted four top-five finishes in six races.
Chris Gerchman of Moreno Valley was second, followed by Jim Mardis of Moreno Valley in third.
Mardis leads the Modified Series after six races. He won the race in Las Vegas on May 14 and has not finished outside the top five all season.
Rod Johnson of Canyon Country, the 1999 Super Late Model track champion at Irwindale, finished sixth.
RJ Johnson of Canyon Country won the NASCAR Super Late Models race, his fourth in a row. Johnson has won six of the seven Super Late Model races at Irwindale.
Kevin Thompson of Conroe, Texas, was second, followed by Race Liberante of Quartz Hill was third.
Connor Cantrell of Valencia won his first NASCAR Super Trucks race of the season and extended his lead in the Super Trucks standings.
Cantrell led from the pole until a crash on lap 38 set up a green-white-checker flag finish. Cantrell lost his lead to Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga on lap 39, but crossed the finish line a fraction of a second ahead of Partridge on the final lap of the race.
Cantrell has an eight-point lead over Partridge, the reigning Super Trucks champion, after 10 races.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia finished third in the race.
Andrew Anderson of Lancaster won the S2 stock car race, passing Devon Ostheimer of Morgan Hill during a green-white-checker flag finish.
Andreson extended his lead in the S2 stock car standings over Andrew Porter of La Verne.
Ostheimer finished second, followed by Joe Anderson of Valencia in third.

Brandon Davis wins NASCAR Late Model season opener at Irwindale

IRWINDALE – Brandon Davis swept the NASCAR Late Model Twin 40s to open the season at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night and has surprisingly put together a string of impressive races.

He won the late model season finale in 2010 giving him three in a row. He set fast time and a track record in qualifying for the late model race of the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale in January.

"The car was awesome," Davis said. "It was a great night and a great way to start the year."

Davis, a driver from Henderson, Nev., won a crash-filled race in the first of two scheduled 40-lappers to start the late model season at Irwindale. It was the second win of his career at Irwindale. Toni McCray from San Bernardino was second, followed by Tim Smith of Bakersfield in third.


Davis came back and won the second race of the Twin 40s ahead of Chris Holloway in second and Travis Irving in third.

Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga started the NASCAR Super Trucks season the same way he did in 2010. He won the season opener for the second year in a row. He won the first 10 races of the 2010 season en route to his first Super Trucks championship.

Dennis Arena of Duarte was second followed by Connor Cantrell of Valencia in third.

Jason Bowles wins NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown at Irwindale

Jason Bowles drove his team's back-up car to the biggest win of his NASCAR career in front of a nationally televised audience at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Bowles won the NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown joining Joey Logano and David Gilliland on the impressive list of winners in the race that pits the top drivers from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, Mexico Series and Canadian Series.
This year's edition of the Showdown included action sports star and X Games champion Travis Pastrana.
He finished a respectable sixth place, surviving three red flag caution periods and nearly three hours in the car in his NASCAR debut.
Bowles, driving a car for Rusty Wallace Racing, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2009, but spent last year piecing together a NASCAR schedule that included races in the Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series and the K&N Pro Series East.
He crashed his team's primary car in practice and the team had to switch to the back-up car for the Showdown.
Bowles raced with the leaders for the first 200 laps of the race. In the final 25 laps, he battled with Greg Pursley and Paulie Harraka for the lead. Bowles finally took the lead on lap 217, after the third red caution flag period of the race.
Read my story in the Sporting News for more on the race.

Photo: Travis Pastrana finished sixth in his NASCAR debut in the Toyota All Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Travis Pastrana unveils NASCAR plans

As Travis Pastrana plans to make his NASCAR debut, he knows he’s going to make some mistakes. On the night he unveiled his plans for the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he referred to Staples Center, site of many of his X Games triumphs, as the Home Depot Center.
A slight slip of the tongue Pastrana easily corrected once he turned around to see the glowing red letters atop the building across from L.A. Live, where he presented his new stock car backed by Michael Waltrip, Boost Mobile and Red Bull. Pastrana will be driving the No. 99 Toyota for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing and making his debut in Indianapolis in July.
Pastrana will be making his NASCAR debut January 28-29 in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
The freestyle motocross, X Games, rally car champion turned stock car racer showed off some of his two-wheel skills in front of Staples Center.
After laying down a few donuts in front of Staples Center, he jumped his bike down Chick Hearn Court in front of a few hundred fans who gathered at LA Live in downtown on Friday night.
Pastrana said his goal for the Showdown is to qualify for the race and keep his car out of the wall.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It should be a lot of fun,” Pastrana said.

Turkey Night Grand Prix highlights and interviews

Clauson wins USAC Midget race at Turkey Night Grand Prix in Irwindale

Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind., capped a championship season by winning the USAC National Midget portion of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Clauson took the lead on lap 9 and held it for the last 89 laps of the race. He finished well ahead of Caleb Armstrong in second and Dalton Armstrong in third.
Clauson came into the Turkey Night Grand Prix with the USAC National Midget championship wrapped up. He had a 100-point lead over Jerry Coons Jr., who could only earn 66 points in the final race of the year.
Clauson had the fourth fastest qualifying time. Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif., was the fastest qualifier and led the first lap of the race.
Dakoda Armstrong took the lead on lap 2 and held it for one lap. Cole Whitt passed Dakoda Armstrong on lap 4 and was out front until lap 8. Clauson took the lead on lap 9 and was out front for the rest of the race.
Swanson was pulling double duty and won the USAC Western Sprint Car race of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. He was the second-fastest qualifier and took the lead on lap 6. Swanson was out front for the remaining 34 laps of the race.
Tony Hunt from Lincoln, Calif., was second, followed by Bobby East from Brownsburg, Ind., in third.
Hunt won the USAC Western Sprint Car championship by 58 points over Luis Ramos III of Clovis.
Jake Blackhurst of Mapleton, Ill., won the USAC Ford Focus Midgets race, taking the lead from Nick Drake on lap 19.
The Ford Focus Midget race was red-flagged twice because of crashes. Michael Steele, Winn Frazin and Guy Sainsbury were involved in a three-car crash on lap 6. Two laps later, Taylor Ferns, Garrett Peterson and Cody Gerhardt collided. Peterson was running in seventh and Gerhardt was in eighth when they crashed.
Both red flags delayed the race for 20 minutes.
Michael Lewis from Laguna Beach was second in the Ford Focus Midgets race. Drake, who was the fastest qualifier, was third.

Photo: Bryan Clauson won the USAC Midget race of the Turkey Night Grand Prix and the National Midget championship at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Tanner Foust wins Formula Drift season finale at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

Tanner Foust, a driver from Laguna Beach, beat Vaughn Gittin to win the Formula Drift season finale at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Foust entered the Formula Drift competition dubbed Title Fight as the fifth-seeded driver in the 32-car field.
He beat Jodin LeJeune in the first round, Conrad Grunewald in the second round, Justin Pawlak from Long Beach in the quarterfinals, Darren McNamara in the semifinals before taking out Gittin in the final.
McNamara was the top qualifier. He raced against Michihiro Takatori in the third-place race. McNamara crashed and ended up in fourth place. Takatori completed his run through the course and was awarded third place.
Foust and Gittin raced four times to determine the champion of the seventh and final race of the 2010 Formula Drift season.
Gittin wrapped up the Formula Drift championship earlier in the day when he won his first-round race against Nikolay Konstantinov. Gittin beat Taka Aono, Matt Powers and Takatori to reach the final against Foust.

Formula Drift season finale at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

Vaughn Gittin won his first Formula Drift championship at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Gittin beat Nikolay Konstantinov in the first round of the Title Fight Formula Drift competition, the final round of the Formula Drift season.
It was the first Formula Drift championship for Gittin, who started his professional career in 2004. He was fifth last year and eighth in 2008 in the Formula Drift standings.
Daijiro Yoshihara entered the final round of the Formula Drift season in second place in the series standings. He earned the third seed in the round of 32 field, but lost to Matt Field, the No. 30 seed, in the first round.
Tanner Foust was the fifth seed and beat Jodin LeJeune in the first round.
More from Irwindale later....

MK Kanke wins SRL Southwest Tour Series race at Irwindale

MK Kanke won the Stockcar Racing League Southwest Tour Series race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. It was Kanke’s fifth career win at Irwindale.
Jonathon Gomez finished fourth and took over the lead in the SRL Southwest Tour Series standings. He entered the race seven points behind Derek Thorn.
Thorn, who had the fifth fastest qualifying time, was involved in a three-car crash on lap 19 and drove to the pits for repairs. He returned later in the race, but finished in 27th place.
Jason Gilbert was second, followed by Ryan Foster in third.
“There were quite a few wrecks,” said Gilbert, a 28-year-old driver from Dublin, Calif. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Gomez, a driver from Twin Falls, Idaho, set the fastest time in qualifying and led a race-high 53 laps. He took the lead on lap 19 and held it until lap 72.
Kanke, a driver from Frazier Park and the reigning SRL Southwest Tour Series champion, took the lead from Gomez on lap 73 and held it for the last 27 laps of the race. Kanke was able to maintain his lead through two caution periods, the last coming on lap 98 when Ross Strmiska ran into the turn one wall.
The race was stopped twice. The first red flag came out on lap 45 when Troy Ermish and Carlos Vieira crashed. The second red flag came out on lap 59 when Jacob Gomes crashed into the turn one wall.
Kanke missed the SRL Southwest Tour Series race at Irwindale in July. He entered Saturday night's race in 15th place in the SRL Southwest Tour standings.
Gomez won the race at Irwindale in July.
Donny St. Ours of Upland won the Legend Cars race, his first of the season. St. Ours was making only his third Legend Cars start of the season. He was coming off a seventh-place finish two weeks ago.
Chad Schug of Oak Hills was second, followed by Darren Amidon of Santee in third.
Brent Sheidmantle of Alta Loma, the leader in the Legend Cars standings at the track, was fifth.
Dylan Lupton from Wilton won the S2 stock car race, his third of the year. Michael Lewis of Laguna Beach was second and Andrew Porter of La Verne was third.
Lewis is a two-time winner in the USAC Western Ford Focus Midgets this season. He was making his S2 stock car debut at Irwindale.
Lupton took the lead in the S2 stock car standings at Irwindale. He has a six-point lead over Roman Lagudi from Las Vegas. Lagudi was fourth in the S2 stock car race. He and Lupton entered the race tied for  the lead in the S2 stock car standings.
Ryan Cansdale from Laguna Beach won the Bandoleros race. It was his fourth win of the season and his second in a row.
Blaine Perkins of Bakersfield was second, followed by Christian McGhee of La Verne in third.
Trevor Huddleston, the leader in the Bandoleros standings, was sixth.

Deegan prepares for X Games, NASCAR

Brian Deegan is heading to this weekend's X Games entered in three events and considering adding a fourth. He has also started pursuing a career in NASCAR.
Deegan will be competing in Rally Car Racing, the new SuperRally and Speed and Style at X Games. He has been invited to compete in Step Up. When interviewed on Wednesday, Deegan said he was undecided on Step Up.
When it comes to NASCAR, however, Deegan has no reservations. He started racing late model stock cars at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and wants to move up to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West by November.
He isn't the the first X Games veteran to delve into NASCAR territory. Ricky Carmichael started racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series a couple years ago.
Deegan said he has talked to Carmichael about the challenges NASCAR present.
"My timetable for NASCAR would be coming through the ranks, like Ricky Carmichael did," Deegan said last week from his Metal Mulisha compound  in Temecula. "I talked to him years ago. He’s like, you gotta do local races, these guys are fast and this is all they do. It’s a harsh reality starting over at something. For me, fortunately I’ve had the opportunity given to me and I want to take it."
Deegan has been in two NASCAR Super Late Model races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He plans on returning to the track for a few more races in August before making the jump to the West Series at Phoenix International Raceway.
"I’ll go as I feel right. If it takes two years, oh well. If it takes three, it takes three," Deegan said. "I’m going to go as I feel safe and progress. Obviously I’d like to be there right now, but that’s not how it is."

Photo: Brian Deegan will be competing in Rally Cars and Speed and Style at Summer X Games 16. He is also pursuing a career in NASCAR.

Jonathon Gomez wins SRL Southwest Tour race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

Jonathon Gomez survived a five-lap shootout and won the SRL Southwest Tour Spears Manufacturing 100 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Gomez, a driver from Twin Falls, Idaho, took the lead on lap 17 and held it for the next 81 laps. Derek Thorn took the lead on lap 99, but Gomez beat Thorn to the finish line on the last lap and won by 0.012 seconds. It was the second SRL Southwest Tour win of the season for Gomez.
“Very nerve wracking,” Gomez said after the race. “Every time we saw a yellow we were pretty nervous. Before I knew it (Thorn) was in third. I was pretty surprised.”
Thorn came in second and Greg Voigt was third. Rookie Jacob Gomes was fourth, followed by Kyle Cattanach in fifth.
Gomez was in the lead when a five-car crash in turn 2 brought out a yellow caution flag and slowed the field on lap 95. It was the second caution period in the final 15 laps of the race.
Carlos Vieira, Joe Farre and Rex Lockwood crashed on lap 85, bunching up the field with 15 laps to go in the race. Gomez was in the lead, followed by Ryan Foster in second and Vidovich in third. Rookie Jacob Gomes was in fourth and Justin Westmoreland was in fifth when the race resumed on lap 88.
Thorn, a driver from Bakersfield, had worked his way to the front of the pack after falling back midway through the race. He set fast time in qualifying. Vieira, a driver from Livingston, the ninth fastest qualifier, started the race on the pole on the invert.
Auggie Vidovich of Lakeside took the lead on the first lap of the race. He stayed out front for the first 10 laps of the race. Foster, from Redding, took over the lead on lap 11 and held it for six laps before Gomez passed him.
Gomez, a regular on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, is traveling between Portland, Ore., and Irwindale for races over the weekend. The West Series is racing at Portland International Raceway on Sunday.
Gomez is third in the West Series standings with two top-five finishes in six races. He has also won the SRL Southwest Tour race at Stockton 99 Speedway on June 12 and entered the race at Irwindale in third place in the Southwest Tour standings.
Jim Pettit II, the leader in the SRL Southwest Tour standings, finished 13th. Vidovich, who won the West Series race at Irwindale on July 3, finished 16th.
Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga won his eighth straight NASCAR Super Trucks race of the season. He is undefeated in the Super Trucks at Irwindale in 2010. Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill was second and Jeff Peterson of Riverside was third.
Partridge increased his lead in the Super Trucks standings at the track to 56 points over Todd Cameron of Monrovia. Cameron, who has been the runner-up to Partridge four times, took a big hit in the standings. He finished 17th. Matt Kimball of Mission Viejo, the third-place driver in the Super Truck standings, had a bad night too. He finished 18th in the 21-truck field.
Mintey, a two-time champion in the Super Trucks at Irwindale, had his best finish of the season.
Brent Scheidelmantle of Alta Loma won the Legend Cars race. It was his third win of the season and snapped Darren Amidon’s four-race winning streak.
Amidon, a driver from Santee, finished second, followed by Chad Schug of Oak Hills in third.
Scheidelmantle increased his lead in the Legend Cars standings at the track to 16 points over Schug.
Dylan Lupton of Wilton won the S2 stock car race, his first of the season. Roman Lugadi of Las Vegas was second, followed by Joe Anderson of Valencia in third.
Lupton is two points behind Lugadi for the lead in the S2 stock car standings at Irwindale.

Photo: Derek Thorn finished second in the SRL Southwest Tour race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. He was 0.012 seconds behind race winner Jonathon Gomez.

Johnson returns to Victory Lane in NASCAR Super Late Models at Irwindale

Justin Johnson of Las Vegas won the NASCAR Super Late Model race and extended his lead in the Super Late Model standings at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
It was Johnson’s sixth win of the season and his fifth in the past six Super Late Model races at the track. He has a 34-point lead over his Vision Aviation Racing teammate Dusty Davis after 12 races.
“They remind me every week. We’re just out for points right now,” Johnson said.
Johnson started from the pole and led all 50 laps of the Super Late Model race. Travis Thirkettle of Fillmore was second. Randel King of Fullerton was third.
Davis finished sixth. It was the first time he finished outside the top five since the second race of the season.
Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga was fourth and Luis Martinez Jr. of Long Beach, a rookie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, was fifth. Partridge has won all seven of the NASCAR Super Trucks races at Irwindale this season.
Johnson raced in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Toyota Speedway last weekend. The Super Late Models have a break for the next few weeks. The next time they are scheduled to race is July 31.
“Long couple weeks,” Johnson said. “Glad we have a break now.”
Joey Licata Jr. of Van Nuys won the ASA Trucks race. Mike Herda of Las Vegas was second, followed by Jimmy Putman of Corona in third.
Joe Anderson of Valencia won the S2 stock car race, his second win of the season.
Nick Johnston of Mission Viejo, making his second start in the S2 stock cars, was second. Roman Lagudi of Las Vegas was third.
Lagudi, the leader in the S2 stock car standings, posted his fourth podium finish in eight races. He has a four-point lead over Dylan Lupton of Wilton.
Gerrit Cromsigt of Saugus won the NASCAR Super Stocks race, his third in a row. Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita was second, followed by Eric Sunness of Chatsworth in third.
DeLong leads the Super Stocks standings. He has a 48-point lead over Bryan Harrell of Riverside after nine races.
Billy Ziemann of Bloomington won the Figure 8s race. Steve Stewart of Long Beach was second and Andy Schoening of Corona was third.

Auggie Vidovich Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale

Auggie Vidovich Wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale

Going up against the top drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, Auggie Vidovich won the King Taco 200 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
He held off challenges from West Series regulars Blake Koch and Greg Pursley to win the first West Series race of his career.
Pursley won the pole and led the first 42 laps of the race. But he got a flat tire and hit the backstretch wall on lap 43.
Koch led 11 laps, but was passed by Vidovich on lap 59 and led the rest of the way.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Toyota Speedway.

Photo: Auggie Vidovich won the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race of his career at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Auggie Vidovich wins first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race of his career

Auggie Vidovich won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Toyota Speedway on Saturday night as one of his contenders fell off the pace and stalled with two laps to go.
Vidovich won the first West Series race of his career. It was his first win in three West Series starts this year.
Brennan Newberry of Bakersfield was running in second place when his car slowed in the waning laps of the King Taco 200. He stalled in turn 2 with two laps to go. Blake Koch passed him for second place and Brett Thompson benefited with a third-place showing, matching his best finish at Irwindale in 14 West Series starts.
“The car was all right,” Vidovich said. “Blake, I thought he was the one who was going to get me. I was driving my heart out. Then Newberry got in position and I didn’t see much out of him, so then I just rode. When he stalled, I had a big enough lead. It really didn’t matter I don’t think.”
For Blake, it was his third top-five finish and his fourth top-10 finish in six West Series races this year.
“In the first half of the race, I was cool right there in fifth just holding my own,” Koch said. “We had a pretty good car on the bottom. Toward the end, we got a couple restarts with Auggie. I saw earlier that I could catch him and he had to go to the bottom. I knew if I could clear him once and stick him on the bottom, it would be tough for him to get back by me. I did it once, he got back behind me. We were racing good and clean. Auggie had a real good car.”
Thompson posted his second top-10 finish in three West Series races this year.
“We’re happy with a third place,” Thompson said. “We’ve had such a rough season to begin with. To bring it home in the top three, we’re pretty proud of that.”
Greg Pursley won the pole and led the first 42 laps of the race. He hit the backstretch wall on lap 43 and had to pull into the pits. He finished 29th.
Eric Holmes, who entered the Irwindale race at the leader in the West Series standings, finished 10th.
The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race is at Portland International Raceway in Oregon on July 18.
In the NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale, R.J. Johnson, a driver from  Canyon Country, won his fifth race of the season and closed in on the lead in the Late Model standings at the track.
Johnson is two points behind Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills, the reigning Late Model champion at Irwindale. Joanides finished second. Derek Thorn was third.

Photo: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Auggie Vidovich won the King Taco 200 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.

Pursley in search of first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West win at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

After flat tires, oil leaks and a couple of crashes that destroyed two of his team’s cars, Greg Pursley is going to throw caution to the wind.
His Gene Price Motorsports team has a brand-new car for tonight's NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The decision to break out a new car is due in part because of what happened in the race at Iowa Speedway in May.
“The car that we hit the wall with in Iowa was the car that we usually race at Phoenix and at Irwindale and stuff,” the 42-year-old Pursley said. “It pretty much destroyed that car, one of them we’ve been running at all the short tracks. We decided after everything that’s gone on, we’d go ahead and pull it out for the Irwindale race and see what we can do with it.”
Pursley has put together some nice finishes in the West Series. He has three top 10s in five races. But Pursley is not one to sugar-coat things.
“We’ve been absolutely terrible,” Pursley said. “No luck whatsoever.”
He said he should have won the West Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. He led for 27 laps and was in the lead on lap 92 of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 100, but an oil leak dropped him to third.
He got a flat tire in the race at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore., and went from fourth to sixth in the final laps.
Those were the races he finished. He’s been in two races that ended in crashes. The crash in Iowa, in addition to destroying his race car, gave Pursley a concussion.
“He didn’t remember anything for four days,” said Gene Price, the owner of the team. “He was pretty shaken up.”
Pursley was hit by Jim Inglebright in the West Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma two weeks ago. That crash put his team’s road course car out of commission.
“I don’t know where (Inglebright) thought he was going to go,” Price said. “Unfortunately that’s what the fans want to see. They want to see wrecks. It’s unfortunate. I guess it makes for good TV and all that, but it sure hits you in the pocketbook, especially at our level.”
Down two race cars, Gene Price Motorsports has been busy putting together some new cars for Pursley. After the Sonoma race, Pursley dropped from third to seventh place in the West Series standings. He’s not out of contention for the West Series championship, but he took a big hit in the standings. He is 139 points behind leader Eric Holmes.
Being that far back in the standings, Pursley and his team have a different focus heading to Irwindale.
“We’re going loaded to win,” Pursley said. “We have nothing else to lose at this point. We’re kind of back in points a little bit, so we’re going out to win races and not worry about points.”
Pursley has won his share of races at Irwindale. He won a NASCAR Super Late Model race during the Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2007. He won two races in the NASCAR Elite Division, Southwest Tour at Irwindale. But he has yet to win a West Series race at Irwindale.
“It’s very strange that way,” Pursley said. “These cars are a whole lot different than any other cars. They’re a lot heavier and there’s just a totally different driving style for these cars compared to anything else.”
When Pursley won the NASCAR Whelen All American Series national championship while racing primarily at Irwindale in 2004, he drove a Super Late Model car with the No. 13 on it.
The new car his team built for the West Series race at Irwindale is chassis No. 13.
“Hopefully 13 will work for us,” Price said.
Price has his share of success stories at Irwindale too. His son, Mike Price, won the NASCAR Super Stocks championship at Irwindale in 1999, in a car built by his dad. Gene Price and his son worked their way through the ranks at Irwindale, eventually racing in the Super Late Model division at the track. Without a doubt, Irwindale has been kind to Pursley and Price.
“The national championship, that’s the best thing for me that I’ve done in my career,” Pursley said. “In 2007, when we won the Toyota All-Star Showdown, we’ve won a lot of races at that track and we’ve won a lot of big races at the track. Ever since that place has opened, I fell in love with it. It fitted my driving style. Hopefully we can get a win in a West car. We’ve pretty much won in everything else there.”
After the West Series race at Irwindale, Pursley and Gene Price Motorsports are headed back to Iowa Speedway for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on July 11.
The team bought two cars from Kevin Harvick Inc., both driven by four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., and plan to make their debut at the Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway.
“I’m really excited,” Pursley said. “We tested the trucks at Pike’s Peak a few weeks ago. Tested well.”
It is the first of four Truck Series races Pursley plans to enter. The team is also planning on going to the Truck Series races at Chicagoland, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
“We tested at Pike’s Peak last month,” Price said. “We were fast. It’s the next level. We’re going to see what it’s like.”

Photo: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Greg Pursley has won a national championship, a Toyota All-Star Showdown race and two NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Tour races at Irwindale. He has yet to win a West Series race at Irwindale though.

Agoura Hills Patch, CA - Trevor Huddleston Makes His Mark On Track

Agoura Hills Patch, CA - Trevor Huddleston Makes His Mark On Track

 Trevor Huddleston, the 14-year-old son of two-time Toyota Speedway at Irwindale champion Tim Huddleston, leads the Bandoleros standings at the track.
Trevor Huddleston is racing in his first full season in the Bandoleros. His dad owns a four-car Bandoleros team and has won two NASCAR Late Model championships at Irwindale.
Trevor Huddleston has won three Bandoleros races, the most recent coming on Saturday night.
Go to Patch.com for more on Trevor Huddleston's first season racing Bandoleros.

Photo: Trevor Huddleston has won three Bandoleros races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

RJ Johnson wins NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale

R.J. Johnson of Canyon Country won the NASCAR Late Model race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, his third of the season. Chris Holloway of Bakersfield was second, followed by Mike Johnson of Covina in third.
Nick Joanides of Woodland Hills maintained his lead in the Late Model standings. He finished in fifth and has a four-point lead over Johnson and Holloway, who are tied for second.
“It feels good to be back on top,” Johnson said.
Johnson won after struggling two weeks ago in a pair of races. His distributor failed in the first race and Johnson had to pull off the race track. He finished last. In the second race, Johnson said his car still had problems, but he was able to finish in eighth place.
Benjamin Mahan, a 14-year-old driver from Oak Hills, won the Open Stocks race. There were 19 cars that started the Open Stocks race, which included late models, Super Stocks, Classic Stocks and Open Comp cars. Mahan had the only late model stock car in the race.
Gerrit Cromsight of Saugus was second. He also won the Super Stocks race earlier in the night. Bryan Harrell of Riverside was third.
Ryan Partridge of Ranch Cucamonga remained undefeated in the NASCAR Super Trucks. He won his sixth race in a row and has not lost since opening night.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia finished second for the fourth time this season. Matt Kimball of Mission Viejo was third.
Partridge extended his lead to 16 points over Cameron in the Super Trucks standings.
Cromsigt made his first appearance at the track since opening night and won the NASCAR Super Stocks race. He won on opening night, but was disqualified after his car did not pass post-race inspection. He was credited with an eighth and last-place finish.
Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita was second, followed by Harrell, who was also third in the Open Stocks race. DeLong extended his lead in the Super Stocks standings to 22 points over Harrell.
Trevor Huddleston of Agoura Hills won the Bandoleros race and extended his lead in the Bandoleros standings. It was Huddleston’s third win of the season.
Jacob Tilton of Las Vegas was second, followed by Amanda Poertner of Fullerton in third.

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. 

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.