Ron Silk tops NASCAR Hunter Index for October

Ron Silk, who won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series championship last week in Connecticut, was voted as the top driver in the NASCAR Hunter Index for October.
He won two Whelen Modified races in September, including one at New Hampshire International Speedway, and took over the lead in the Whelen Modified standings.
No drivers from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West were ranked in the top 10. Three drivers from the K&N Pro Series East were in the top 10, including Sergio Pena, who won at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. He came in at No. 9.
Go to NASCAR Home Tracks for more on the Hunter Index.

Photo: NASCAR Whelen Modified driver Ron Silk was voted as the top driver in the Hunter Index for October. (Getty Images)

Greg Pursley wraps up NASCAR West Series championship

With a runner-up finish at All American Speedway in Roseville, Greg Pursley won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship.
Pursley won six of the first eight West Series races en route to capturing the first West Series championship of his career.
Eric Holmes won the West Series race at Roseville, his second in a row.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Roseville.

Photo: Greg Pursley finished second at All American Speedway in Roseville and won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship.(Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Dan Wheldon, Bryan Herta made a good team

During the Long Beach Grand Prix in April, Bryan Herta announced that Dan Wheldon was going to drive one of his cars in the Indianapolis 500.

Bryan Herta Autosport was making its second trip to the Brickyard, but this time with an IndyCar Series champion and Indy 500 winner.

It was an amazing partnership. Herta was running a fledgling Firestone Indy Lights team and entered only one IndyCar Series race prior to the 2011 Indianapolis 500.

Wheldon, who won the Indy 500 and the IndyCar Series championship with Andretti Green Racing in 2005, did not have a full-time ride and was available.

Wheldon and Herta teamed up – they were teammates with Andretti Green for nearly four years – and pulled off one of the most dramatic wins in Indy 500 history.

Wheldon took the lead from J.R. Hildebrand on the last turn of the last lap of the race. Hildebrand, a rookie driver who had a comfortable lead as the Indy 500 winded down, slid into the turn 4 wall. His mangled car crossed the finish line in second place.

Wheldon had enough time to pass Hildebrand and win his second Indy 500.

Wheldon and Herta, a Hart High graduate who lives in Valencia, teamed up once again for the IndyCar Series season finale this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wheldon was driving one of two entries from Bryan Herta Autosport in the race.

But the Las Vegas race did not have quite the fairy-tale ending that Indianapolis had. Wheldon died tragically in a fiery crash on lap 12 of the Las Vegas race. He was caught up in a 15-car crash that sent two cars into the track’s catch fence.

Three drivers were hospitalized in the wreck. Wheldon was taken by helicopter to University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Reports were that he was unconscious, but in stable condition, when he left the race track.

IndyCar Series officials announced that Wheldon had died almost two hours after the crash.

“Everyone at Bryan Herta Autosport is reeling from the loss of our friend and teammate Dan Wheldon," Herta said in a release. "Dan was the glue that bound our little team together. It was his spark and belief in us that carried us all to Victory Lane at Indianapolis this year, and his legacy within the sport as a tremendous champion and competitor is unquestioned. But more than that, Dan became my little brother from our time together as teammates at AGR. I watched with pride as he developed from the brash young hotshot on the circuit to a man who was a great husband and father, ambassador, friend, champion and hero."

The remaining 19 drivers in the race, those whose cars were not wrecked in the crash, paid tribute to Wheldon with a five-lap parade around the track.

The drivers, teams and IndyCar Series officials decided not to continue the race.

Wheldon had to start from the back of the 34-car field. He was the only driver taking the IndyCar Series challenge. Any driver who was not full time in the IndyCar Series could enter the race with a chance to win $5 million. The only stipulation was that those drivers had to start from the back.

Wheldon competed in only two IndyCar Series races prior to the Las Vegas race. He won the Indy 500 and was 14^th at Kentucky Speedway two weeks ago.

Much of the blame for the deadly crash is being put on the number of cars in the field, 34, one more than the starting grid for the Indy 500. The large entry field combined with the 1.5-mile track, compared to the 2.5 mile track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, made for a deadly combination, some are saying.

Wheldon moved up 10 places in the first 10 laps of the race. He was in the middle of a pack of drivers with little experience and little to lose. In the end though, it was Wheldon who paid the ultimate price for other drivers’ mistakes.

A driver hasn’t died in an IndyCar Series race since Paul Dana at Homestead-Miami Speedway crashed in practice in 2006. Even Hildebrand’s crash at this year Indy 500, as scary as it was, was not fatal. Safety at the tracks and in the race cars have improved so much is such a short time.

It will be some time before the cause of Wheldon’s death is determined. Hopefully, the impact of his life will be remembered for a long time to come.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Susie and the boys, and all of Dan’s family and fans who are trying to make sense of this terrible loss," Herta said in a release. "We are all lucky and blessed to have had Dan Wheldon influence our lives, and his spirit lives on in each one of us. Godspeed my friend.”

Photo: The No. 77 of Dan Wheldon was the only one displayed on the scoring pylon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after the driver was killed in a crash at the track on Sunday. (Chris Jones)

Five track championships decided at Irwindale

Connor Cantrell of Santa Clarita wrapped up the Super Trucks championship by finishing second in the season finale race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga won the final race of the season.
Cantrell came into the season finale with a four-race winning streak and a 40-point lead over Partridge, who won the Super Trucks championship at Irwindale last year.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia was third, followed by Matt Kimball and Ken Brown.
Andrew Anderson of Lancaster won the S2 stock car championship by winning the season finale at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Anderson had an 18-point lead over Andrew Porter of La Verne in the S2 stock car standings. Anderson won his fourth S2 stock car races this season. Porter won three races and finished second in the season finale.
Jessica Clark, a senior at Westlake High School, scored her first podium finish in the S2 stock cars. She finished third, her second top-five finish of the season.
Chad Schug of Oak Hills won the Legends Cars championship. He won eight races at Irwindale and came into the season finale with a 52-point lead over Brent Scheidmantle of Alta Loma.
Christian McGhee capped his championship season in the Bandoleros by winning the season finale. He finished ahead of Daniel Nikolai of Granada Hills, who was second, and Mikael Lovas of Menifee in third.
McGhee had a four-point lead over Nikolai in the Bandoleros standings at the start of the night.
Curtis White of Norwalk won the NASCAR Super Stocks race and track championship, leap-frogging Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita on the last race of the season.
White won the championship by two points over De Long. It was his second win of the season.
De Long came into the season finale with a slim two-point lead over White in the Super Stocks standings. Zack Green of Long Beach was 18 points out of first.
De Long finished third in the season finale race. Green was fourth.

Moffitt wins NASCAR East Series race at New Hampshire

By winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Brett Moffitt has jumped into contention for the championship.
He is 21 points behind leader Max Gresham with one race remaining, tonight at Dover International Speedway in Delaware.
Moffitt won his third race of the season leading 53 laps at New Hampshire.
Gresham, a two-time winner in the East Series this year, was seventh at New Hampshire.
Moffitt has won the past two East Series races at Dover.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race at New Hampshire.

Photo: Brett Moffitt won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, his third of the season.(Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR)

Eric Holmes wins NASCAR West Series race at Spokane

Eric Holmes and Bill McAnally Racing did what few teams in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West have been able to do this season: Beat Gene Price Motorsports.
Holmes, the reigning West Series champ, won the West Series race at Spokane County Raceway in Washington, his first of the season.
Greg Pursley and Dylan Kwasniewski, the drivers for Gene Price Motorsports, have combined to win eight of the 12 West Series races this season.
Kwasniewski, winner of the previous two West Series races, won the pole at Spokane and led the first 103 laps of the Spokane 200. Holmes took the lead for good on lap 150 and was out front for the last 50 laps of the race.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Spokane County Raceway.

Photo: Eric Holmes won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Spokane County Raceway in Washington. It was his first win of the season and the 15th of his West Series career.(Credit: Otto Kitsinger/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Rookie Dylan Kwasniewski ranked top driver in NASCAR Hunter Index

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West rookie driver Dylan Kwasniewski was voted the top driver in the Hunter Index for August by one point.
Knowing Kwasniewski, he wouldn't care if he won by one point or 100 as long as he won.
That's his approach to racing. It's no surprise he became the youngest driver in K&N Pro Series history to win a race taking the checkered flag at Colorado National Speedway.
He made it two in a row eight days later winning at Montana Raceway Park.
The 16-year-old from Las Vegas is the only driver from the K&N Pro Series West in the top 10 of the Hunter Index.
Philip Morris, who races in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at South Boston Speedway in Virginia, was second in the Hunter Index after going a perfect 4-for-4 in winning races.
Go to NASCAR Home Tracks for more on the Hunter Index for August.

Photo: Dylan Kwasniewski won two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races in August and was voted the top driver in the Hunter Index. (Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Tony Hunt wins USAC Western Sprint Car Series race at Irwindale

Tony Hunt from Lincoln won the USAC Western Sprint Car Series race at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, taking the lead from Audra Sasselli from Visalia on lap 31 of the 40-lap race.
It was Hunt’s third win in the USAC Western Classic Racing Series. He won at Madera Speedway in April and again in June.
Hunt entered the race as the leader in the Western Sprint Car Series and the Western Classic Sprint Car Series standings.
Sasselli finished second after Cody Gerhardt was penalized for jumping the final restart of the race. Tim Skoglund from Fresno was third. Gerhardt was dropped to fourth.
Brodie Kostecki, a 13-year-old Australian who is living in Madera, won the USAC Midget Ford Focus Midget race. He was a double winner at Irwindale, taking the USAC Young Guns race as well.
Jessica Clark, a senior at Westlake High School, was second in the Ford Focus Midget race. She leads the USAC Ford Focus Midget Western Pavement standings.
Paul Graham was third in the Ford Focus Midget race after Shawn Buckley was disqualified.
Connor Cantrell of Valencia won the NASCAR Super Trucks race, his second in a row. He passed Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga on the last lap of the race and extended his lead in the Super Trucks standings at the track.
Partridge finished second, his third runner-up finish of the season. He trails Cantrell by 10 points in the Super Trucks standings after 11 races.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia was third.
Devon Ostheimer from Morgan Hill won the S2 stock car race, his second of the season. He has raced only the times in the S2 stock car class and has not finished worse than second.
Andrew Anderson of Lancaster, the leader in the S2 standings at the track, was second. It was his fourth runner-up finish in eight S2 races.
Andrew Porter of La Verne was third and is in second place in the S2 standings, 18 points behind Anderson.
Daryl Scoggins of Sunland won the NASCAR Mini Stocks race. It was his third win of the season. He leads the Mini Stocks standings at Irwindale after seven races.
Robby Hornsby of Yucaipa, making only his second start of the season in the Mini Stocks, was second. Kevin Bernhardt from Fontana was third.

Jessica Clark pulls double duty at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale

Jessica Clark, a senior at Westlake High School, leads the USAC Ford Focus Midgets Western Pavement standings by 199 points.
She raced in the USAC Ford Focus Midget and S2 stock cars races at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.

NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown canceled

The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown attracted the best young and developmental drivers in the country. Joey Logano, David Gilliland, Brian Ickler and Travis Pastrana have raced in the Showdown to sell-out crowds on national TV.
But not even the allure of promising NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers, sell outs and television exposure could keep the All-Star Showdown alive.
The All-Star Showdown, which was scheduled to run in January 2012 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, was canceled on Wednesday, ending eight years of exciting races.
Go to ESPNLA.com for more on the cancellation of the All-Star Showdown and the history of the races at Irwindale.

Luis Martinez breaks through with first West Series win, selected as NASCAR Next 9

Luis Martinez Jr. won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West career at Portland International Raceway in Oregon in July. It was a bit of a surprising win considering the start to the season Martinez had.
It was also surprising because few drivers in the West Series have been able to beat Greg Pursley this season.
Martinez, a 21-year-old driver from Long Beach, won the 2010 West Series rookie of the year and was selected as one of the NASCAR Next 9 of up-and-coming drivers.
He has already tested the waters of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and is coming off a top-20 effort at Montreal on Saturday.
Go to the K&N website for more on Martinez and his West Series career.

Photo: Luis Martinez Jr. won the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race of his career at Portland International Raceway in July. (Credit: Jonathon Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Rookie Dylan Lupton wins NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale

Rookie Dylan Lupton of Wilton won the NASCAR Late Models race, his fourth of the season, at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Brandon Davis of Huntington Beach, the leader in the Late Model standings at the track, was second.
The race was stopped when leader RJ Johnson of Canyon Country crashed into the turn 3 wall on lap 18. He blew a tire and the explosion ripped off the left front fender and driverside door panel. Johnson was not hurt in the crash, but he had to withdraw from the race.
Larry Cerquettini of Redlands was third and recorded his first podium finish in the Late Models.
Chad Schug of Oak Hills won the Legends Cars race and took over the lead in the Legends Cars standings at the track. It was his sixth win of the season.
Schug and Brent Scheidemantle of Alta Loma came into the race tied for the lead in the Legends Cars standings. Schug has a slight two-point lead after winning.
Scheidemantle was second in a crash-filled race. Cory Miles crashed into the turn 1 foam barrier in one of the more violent wrecks. He was able to walk away from the crash.
Darren Amidon of Alpine finished third.
Austin Grabowski won the open comp race. He was followed by Joe Anderson of Valencia in second and Jim Schoening of San Diego in third.
Richard Smith of Los Angeles won the Drive Tech Late Models race. Christopher Evans of San Bernardino was second and David Sear of La Jolla was third.
Eric Sunness of Chatsworth won the NASCAR Super Stocks race and Curtis White of Norwalk took over the lead in the Super Stocks standings at the track.
Sunness won his second race of the season, but he has missed two races. White was the runner-up and passed Rich DeLong III of Santa Clarita for the lead in the Super Stock standings. White has a four-point lead over DeLong after eight races.
Zack Green of Long Beach was third.
Brandon Weaver of Baker won the Bandoleros race, his third in a row. Weaver passed for the lead on the final lap a green-white-checkered flag finish.
Ricky Schlick of Claremont was second, followed by Austin Farr of Lomita in third.

Dylan Kwasniewski wins second straight NASCAR West Series race

Dylan Kwasniewski won his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race in a row, leading 99 laps at Montana Raceway Park on Saturday night.
Kwasniewski became the youngest driver, at 16 years, two months, to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race last week at Colorado National Speedway.
The driver from Las Vegas took the lead from pole winner and Gene Price Motorsports teammate Greg Pursley on lap 52 of the Toyota/TTC 150 in Montana. He was out front for the final 48 caution free laps.
Pursley extended his lead in the West Series standings with a fourth-place finish.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race at Montana.

Photo: Dylan Kwasniewski, a 16-year-old driver from Las Vegas, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Montana Raceway Park, his second in a row. (Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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.

Rookie Dylan Kwasniewski wins NASCAR West Series race at Colorado

Rookie Dylan Kwasniewski broke three records in winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Colorado National Speedway.
He became the youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series race in either the West or East series.
At 16 years, two months, he was younger than Joey Logano, who won his first West Series race at 16 years, 10 months.
He is younger than Darrell Wallace Jr., who was the youngest driver to win an East Series race at 16 years, five months.
For good measure, he became the youngest driver to win a pole in a West Series race, besting the mark set by Spencer Clark in 2006.
Go to the K&N website for more on Kwasniewski's record-setting run at Colorado National Speedway.

Photo: Dylan Kwasniewski won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Colorado National Speedway and became the youngest driver to win a West Series race. (Credit: Justin Edmond/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Pursley, Martinez in NASCAR Hunter Index top 10

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Greg Pursley has been the only driver to be in every NASCAR Hunter Index this year. He won the West Series race at Evergreen Speedway in Washington and comes in at No. 7 in the Hunter Index for August.
Pursley has won six West Series races and has a commanding lead in the West Series standings.
Luis Martinez Jr., a driver from Long Beach, won the West Series race at Portland International Raceway, the first of his career, and cracked the Hunter Index top 10 for the first time this year. He was ranked No. 8.
Even Brandon Davis, a driver from Huntington Beach racing NASCAR Late Models at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, earned an honorable mention in the Hunter Index for July.
Go to NASCAR Home Tracks for the entire Hunter Index for August.

Darrell Wallace Jr. wins NASCAR East Series race at Columbus Motor Speedway

Darrell Wallace Jr. won the inaugural NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio in dominating fashion.
Wallace took the lead on lap 35 of the Jegs 150 and never looked back. It was the second win of the season for Wallace.
Max Gresham finished seventh and saw his lead in the East Series standings trimmed a bit. Brett Moffitt was third in the race and is second in the East Series standings, 80 points behind Gresham.
Wallace is third in the East Series standings and 100 points behind Gresham.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from Columbus.

Photo: Darrell Wallace Jr. won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus Motor Speedway. It was his second East Series win of the season. (Credit: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Luis Martinez Jr. wins NASCAR West Series race at Portland

Luis Martinez Jr., a driver from Long Beach, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Portland International Raceway in Oregon, becoming one of the few drivers to beat Greg Pursley this year.
Martinez won the first race of his West Series career. He was the 2010 Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the West Series.
Martinez won the pole foe the Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125, but had to rally through the field late in the race. He led the first three laps, but started dropping back. He passed David Mayhew for the lead on the last lap of the race.
Pursley, who has won six of the nine races in the West Series, led the most laps in the race, but blew his motor and finished in 26th place.
Go to the K&N website for more on the West Series race from Portland.

Photo: Luis Martinez Jr. won the first race of his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West career at Portland International Raceway. (Credit: Jonathon Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Max Gresham wins NASCAR East Series race at New Hampshire

Max Gresham won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and took a commanding lead in the East Series standings.
Gresham won the pole and was out front for the first part of the race. But he missed pit road and put his car back in the pack midway through the race.
Gresham worked his way through the field and passed Brett Moffitt on lap 112 of the New Hampshire 125. Gresham pulled away over the final 12 laps of the race. He won his second race of the season and the fourth of his East Series career.
Gresham has a 94-point lead over Moffitt in the East Series with four races to go.
Go to the K&N website for more on the East Series race from New Hampshire.

Photo: Max Gresham won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and extended his lead in the East Series standings. (Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR)

Brandon Davis wins NASCAR Late Model race at Irwindale

Brandon Davis of Huntington Beach won the NASCAR Late Models race, his seventh of the season and his second in a row at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Saturday night.
Davis extended his lead in the Late Model standings at the track. He is 56 points ahead of Nik Romano of Wilton after 12 races.
"It feels great to get back into victory lane for the second week in a row,” Davis said. “We have just a good a chance to win the next one as anybody else. Hopefully we can come back and win a third one in a row.”
Romano was second in the race, followed by Chris Holloway of Bakersfield in third. Holloway took over third place when Dylan Lupton spun out on the last lap of the race. Lupton was running in third when he spun and crossed the finish line in fifth place.
Luis Martinez Jr. of Long Beach, a regular on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, was eighth.
In other races, Ryan Partridge of Rancho Cucamonga was back to his winning ways in the NASCAR Super Trucks. He won his fifth race of the season. Two weeks ago, he had his worst finish of the season, 17th place, and lost his lead in the Super Trucks standings.
Todd Cameron of Monrovia was second, followed by Jeff Peterson of Riverside in third.
Connor Cantrell of Valencia, the leader in the Super Trucks standings, was fourth.
Brent Scheidemantle of Alta Loma won the Legends Cars race. It was his second win of the season.
Chad Schug of Oak Hills, the leader in the Legends Cars standings, was second, followed by Mark Borchetta of Valencia in third.
Robby Hornsby of Yucaipa won the Mini Stocks race in his season debut in the series. Daryl Scoggins of Sunland, the leader in the Mini Stocks standings, was second, followed by Ryan Bragdon of Beaumont in third.
Rod Proctor of Riverside won the figure 8s race. He was followed by Jay Henson in second and Steve Stewart in third.