Irwindale race results 2005-04-23

IRWINDALE RACE REPORT APRIL 23, 2005
By Tim Kennedy

Irwindale, CA, Apr. 23 - Week six of Irwindale Speedway's seventh season had six racing divisions in action for 265 feature laps on the half and third-mile tracks during Sheriff's Appreciation Night. The 141 racing teams and chilled fans present saw a complete show without any interruptions for the forecasted rain showers.

Todd Southwell, 39, had not led a lap of NASCAR Lucas Oil Super Late Model racing during his career before this season. The San Marcos resident now has won his second 75-lap SLM feature in three races at IS this year in his Pennzoil/M & R Engines 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo. Southwell started fourth and led all the way, extending his point lead to ten points. The former mechanic for Rod Johnson, IS 1999 SLM champion, said he is using the engine that powered Irwindale's two-time SLM champion Rip Michels two years ago.

A pair of truck series ran 50-lap main events, also on the half-mile. Fourth starter Aaron Staudinger made his first start of the year at Irwindale and led all but the first lap in his Chevy Silverado. He won by half a straight-away in an all-green flag 21-truck race that took 17:15.810. Ryan Black, 18, enjoyed a career-best second place, four seconds behind Staudinger. Point leader/fourth fastest qualifier Chris Johnson had to start at the back because he missed the mandatory 1:00 p.m drivers meeting to attend a meeting with a new sponsor. He raced forward to finish third and retained his point advantage.

Joe Herold came from third grid position in his Quality Chevrolet Chevy S-10 and led the final 37 laps for his first triumph this season in the 23-truck Dodge Super Truck main. The NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Series driver edged last Irwindale winner Cory Fancy by ten yards. Ron Peterson, who led the first 13 laps, was a length behind point leader Fancy. Peterson was involved in a lap 14 crash, had to restart at the back and he then charged forward to third.

Point leader Robin Bourgeois followed his three second place finishes this season in Vista Paint Super Stock features with victory in the fourth race on the half-mile. He started fifth in a 24-car field and bagged his second career main event triumph in his 1976 Camaro to go along with a victory last year. Fastest qualifier Larry Sampson started sixth, took second on lap 21 and took the lead 11 laps later with an inside pass in turn four. Half a lap later he pushed up and bounced off the second turn wall. He lost three positions promptly and then faded gradually to 13th place at the finish. Ed Dazzo finished his IS career-best second-1.147 seconds back in a Camaro.

Two divisions utilized the third-mile track. A 31-car King Taco Legend Cars race went to 16-year old Ryan Partridge, the laps three-35 leader. He is the son of the IS Dragstrip track announcer John Partridge, and the grandson of NHRA Hall-of-Famer Bernie. The lanky lad is also the winner of 200+ quarter-midget races. His second Legend Cars main event triumph reinforced his first victory last September in the same 1937 Chevrolet sedan replica. The Partridges bought the winning car from Pat Day three years ago when Ryan reached the Legend Car driver minimum age of 14. Runner-up Jim Smith followed Partridge by 0.720 seconds.

A Bandoleros 15-lap main event for youngsters eight and older went to fastest qualifier Albert Flores, Jr, 13, making his first start at IS. He started fourth in the 11-car field and led the final four laps in his 40-HP Briggs & Stratton-powered car. Jimmy Rouse, Jr, 12-year old son of Irwindale's 2004 pure stock champion, was second. Third place Andre Prescott, 9, led the first ten laps before yielding the point to last IS winner Brock Murphy, 11, who slowed immediately and finished ninth. Joe Oddo, owner of the track's race driving school, paced the Bandolero race for the first time in track mascot Lugnut Junior's Legends car roadster.

Two significant crashes resulted in red flags. In the SLM race, the 28-car field accelerated from the fourth turn with the lap one green flag waving. The pole car took off and the fourth place starter did simultaneously and got into the back of the outside front row starter-Jim McGill. The impact lifted McGill's car and got it out of shape. Cars scattered high and low, but collisions occurred in the pack. Several cars departed with problems and track workers walked the track to pick up debris.

McGill restarted at the back and was up to 11th when he dropped out on lap 63. SLM fastest qualifier Mike Price also returned to compete, minus hood and right front fender. He restarted at the back and charged to an eighth place finish. SLM rookie Andrew Phipps, Irwindale's Grand American Modified 2003-04 champion, finished second, 0.470 second back. Nathan Wulff, a three-time SLM winner during his rookie season (2001), finished third for his best result in one and a half years. Fifteen of the 19 finishers completed all 75 circuits.

A three-man Super Truck battle had the top three drivers-Peterson, Eric Hardin and Herold-in close formation entering the third turn on lap 14. Second place Hardin's Chevy S-10 and Peterson's Dodge Dakota made contact, sending Hardin's truck into the wall and flipping it onto its roof. The truck slid about 20-yards and stopped by the third turn crash-wall, still on its roof. Uninjured Hardin had his truck towed to the pits for repairs as track clean-up continued. He drove it to the track entrance position for the restart. However, a broken drive-line prevented title-contender Hardin from rejoining the race.

BANDOLEROS: (12 cars)
Fast Time: Albert Flores, Jr, 17.963.

Main: Flores, Jimmy Rouse, Jr, Andre Prescott, Carter Calhoun, Tyler Fabozzi, Kurt Landgren, Donald Greenberg, Chris Akers, Brock Murphy, Ryan Bragdon, Nicole DeLong. DNS-Mike Greenberg.

KING TACO LEGEND CARS: (31 cars)
Fast Time: Tom Landreth, 16.811.

Main: Ryan Partridge, Jim Smith, Matt Hicks, J. D. Hendley, T. Landreth, Steve Twilligear, Chad Schug, Larry Meredith, Ryan Schug, ToM Skahill, Jason Alsop, Van Iungerich, Bill Bonney, John London, Brian Wong, Lindsay King, Mark Gaiser, Connor Cantrell, Larry Stone, Lynn Sours, Bree Brewer, John Barnett, Brian Vandehey, Ed Rashid, Larry Alsop, Kenny Chastain, Bill Calhoun, Cory Miles, Kenton Gray, Bob Landreth, David Kalawaia.

VISTA PAINT SUPER STOCKS: (24 cars)
Fast Time: Larry Sampson, 21.822.

Main: Robin Bourgeois, Ed Dazzo, Jimmy Sloan, Greg Crutcher, Victor Wu, Lee Ladd, Steve Gilmore, Jeff Grill, Kenny Brown, Steve Smith, Bryan Harrell, Randy Jackson, Sampson, Dan Rodgers, Keith Wood, Tim Gardner, Garry Howell, Mike Gilmore, Bill Shoemaker, Rich DeLong III, Patrick Riley, Dale Martinez, Rich Paez, Richard Hansen.

JASPER ENGINES WEST COAST PRO TRUCKS: (21 trucks)
Fast Time: Ryan Black, 20.063.

Main: Aaron Staudinger, R. Black, Chris Johnson, Don Helgeson, Neil Conrad, Richard Black, Tim McMillin, Buddy Antunez, Michael May, Barry Kalperis, Jeff Williams, Jim Satterfield, Roger Harder, Kurt Knostman, Ron Mongenel, Cecil Phelps, Ron Davis, Ivan Arias, Steve Dyer, Todd Cameron, Rick Wall.

DODGE SUPER TRUCKS: (24 trucks)
Fast Time: Cory Fancy, 19.434.

Main: Joe Herold, Fancy, Ron Peterson, Randy Colling, Paul Brennan, P. J. Baker, Josh Barker, Scott Fortier, Ken Maler, Joe Anderson, Danny Mathus, Matt Saied, Bob Barker, Dave Scarcella, Derek DiSarro, Rick Miller, Dana Higgins, Louis Mammolito, Logan Henson, Pat Mintey, Jr., Eric Hardin, John Sereika, Darren Sigwing. DNS-Kenny Bryan.

LUCAS OIL SUPER LATE MODELS: (29 cars)
Fast Time: Mike Price, 17.865.

Main: Todd Southwell, Andrew Phipps, Nathan Wulff, Ed Hoffman, Rod Johnson, Russell White, Scott Conaway, Price, Stephen Peace, Scott Moses, Andy Coyle, Danny Gay, Greg Voigt, David Ross, Jobe Spyres, Robby Sawyer, Dan Moore, Tony Jackson, Brandon Loverock, Chris Clyne, Jim McGill, Chris Oddo, Dave Lyon, Kevin Thompson, Van Knill, Doug McComb, Brian Ickler, Dennis Arena. DNS-Dean Cato.

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