Irwindale Speedway race report 2001-09-08

Gilliland Wins Race, Woodside Seals Two Season Championships

Sean Woodside started on the pole in the NASCAR Food 4 Less Super Late Models 75-lap main event Saturday at Irwindale Speedway and finished third, behind winner David Gilliland and Tommy Fry. Woodside clinched a pair of Irwindale championships with one point race remaining. The Walker Motorsports driver took the Super Late Model track title and the Miller Lite Big Ten Challenge ten race series-within-a-series crown before 5,120 spectators.

Woodside has a 58-point advantage over Nathan Wulff in track championship points and a 68-point edge over Fry in Miller Lite points. A maximum of 50 points is available next Saturday in the final SLM point event-a 100-lap event. The twin titles at Irwindale will add luster to Woodside's racing resume, which includes two track titles at Saugus Speedway, a title at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield and the 1999 NASCAR Winston West touring circuit championship.

The six-division, six main event racing card attracted 162 racing vehicles, only nine under the track record. Legend Cars pitted for the first time on the new eighth-mile dragstrip at the southeast edge of the track. Television cameras taped the SLM, Late Models and American Race Trucks features for tape delayed one-hour telecasts on Fox Sports Net2 on October 11, 18 and 25.

Features on the banked half-mile went to Mike Price (NASCAR Automobile Club of Southern California Late Models), Andrew Phipps (NASCAR Super Stocks) and Deyon Young (American Race Trucks). Terry Limberopoulos (Mod 4's) and Jim Smith (Legend Cars) took 30-lap victories on the third-mile track. All six main event winners were repeat visitors to Irwindale's victory ceremonies this season. Gilliland's triumph was his fourth in 17 SLM mains. Late Model rookie Price, a past Super Stock champion at Irwindale, tallied his second victory and first since May 12.

Super Stock rookie Phipps recorded his third consecutive triumph and his seventh in the last eight races dating back to June 9. He missed the first two of 13 races this year while building his Camaro. Phipps now owns seven victories, two seconds, a third and a 20th place in 11 appearances. Limberopoulos drove his Renault to his fourth Mod 4 (mini stock) trophy in eight races this season. Smith bagged his second feature in the ten Legend races contested so far this year.

Young, the American Race Truck Southwest Region point-leader, captured his sixth main event overall, and fourth at Irwindale, with the touring truck series. His victory Saturday was the best race of the night. Young, Val Cummings and Josh Hulsebosch raced three abreast on the straights and two abreast in the turns during the final ten laps.

Young, the third race leader, was in front on laps 58-71 and 73-75. Cummings officially led lap 72 and finished a mere 0.005 seconds behind Young. The two leaders passed a lapped truck high and low from turn four to the finish line as they raced to the waving checkered flag. It was the second closest main event finish in any division in three years of competition at the track. (Greg Pursley won a Southwest Series race by 0.003 seconds two years ago.)

Completing the top ten in the SLM feature behind Gilliland, Fry and Woodside were rookie Nick DeFazio (in his season best result), Tim Woods III, John Tyczki, Tony Bruncati, Keith Spangler, Tony Green and Kazuto Yanagawa. Sixteen of the 23 starters finished, with nine drivers on the lead lap. Brandon Loverock was in second place and closing on Gilliland during lap 65 when a cut right front tire deflated and sent his Chevy glancing off the fourth turn wall and to the pits for a new tire. He lost two laps and came back to finish 13th.

The most serious crash of the evening occurred on lap 72 of the SLM main. Tenth and 11th place David Beat and Bobby James collided and crashed heavily off the first turn crash-wall. James was uninjured, but Beat complained of chest pain. He was examined by Los Angeles County paramedics and allowed to remain at the track when they determined he was not injured seriously. Doug McComb led the first 12 laps of the Late Model race. Fifth-starter Brian Kelley paced laps 13-34, but relinquished the point to eighth starter and L/M Division point leader Deryk Ward from laps 35-65. Ward faded gradually and finished eighth as his tires got hot and lost traction. Price, from seventh grid position, was in front from laps 66-75.

Runner-up Kelley was 0.635 seconds in back of Price at the finish. Fastest qualifier Dave Hessing, five-time winner Todd Burns and John Lathrop completed the top five. Fourteen of the 21 starters finished and nine ran all 75 laps.

Another track record fell in the Super Stocks feature when all 44 cars present started the 40-lap main. Darren Cheek paced the first eight laps and chased winner Phipps for the next 32 circuits before settling for second, 0.769 seconds back. Will Cottrell, Dan Fitzgerald, point leader Jeff Green, and Julianne Seeley followed in order as 36 cars reached the finish line with l8 drivers on the lead serial.

The 28-car King Taco Legend Cars main had three leaders with Bill Everett taking the opening lap after starting third. Third fastest qualifier and pole starter Miss Dana Moore led laps two-eight. Jim Smith was in front during the final 32-laps. Moore, whose father Jerry was a road racer, made her third start of the season and finished third. She tied Seeley for the second best finish by a female in a main event at the track.

Moore followed Art Nevill and led Everett and point leader Tom Landreth to the checkered flag. The two drivers in front of the blonde distaff driver and the two drivers behind her have all won main events at Irwindale this season. Twenty-six drivers finished and 20 of them ran all 30 circuits.

Mod 4's drivers Richard Boker, Toyota driver Lee Ladd, Greg Tucker and Dusty Morgan completed the top five in the 21-car feature. Nineteen drivers in the predominantly Ford Pinto field finished, with eight drivers on the lead lap.

MOD 4's:

Fast Time: Lee Ladd, 17.441.

Main: Terry Limberopoulos, Richard Boker, Ladd, Greg Tucker, Dusty Morgan, Pat Ackley, Steve Rogers, Tim Ross, Rick LeMaster, Josh Morrow, Robert Lovas, Rod Hicks, Scott Corrigan, Greg Didoha, Danny Rowe, Kevin Bernhadt, Guy Tripp, Fred Adams, Ron Pugh, Eric Reed, Howard Brown.

KING TACO LEGEND CARS:

Fast Time: Bill Everett, 17.040.

Main: Jim Smith, Art Nevill, Dana Moore, Everett, Tom Landreth, Jason Brennan, Ricky Wildman, Mark Gaiser, Ted Landreth, Kevin McMahon, Bory Molina, Jim Mann, Cory Miles, Ryan Schug, Bob Landreth, Tom Skahill, Larry Meredith, Jim Kalawaia, Marty S., Gene Brokaw, Brian Vandehen, Pamela Everett, Bill Watson, Dennis O'Connor, Jeff Collins, Harold Grafton, Brent Jones, Greg Pyke.

AMERICAN RACE TRUCKS:

Fast Time: Dave Lyon, 20.616.

Main: Deyon Young, Val Cummings, Josh Hulsebosch, Randy Nelson, Mark Schilling, Jon Garrett, Lyon, Aaron Staudinger, Terry Young, Jim Satterfield, Charles Carder, Tony Forfa, Tom Taylor, Jeff Williams, Steve Reeves, Steve Dyer, Kirk Knostman, Chris Johnson, Michael Rife, Michael May.

SUPER STOCKS:

Fast Time: Andrew Phipps, 21.701.

Main: Phipps, Darren Cheek, Will Cottrell, Dan Fitzgerald, Jeff Green, Julianne Seeley, Dean Cato, Curtis White, Jon Wilkes, Greg Benner, Jay Henson, Dan Rodgers, Sean Vincent, Gerrit Cromsigt, Danny Renko, John Russo, Don Rogers, Henry Miles, Mike Gilmore, Tom Wilson, John Uribe, Rich Paez, Albert Sallie, Joe Martinez, Mike Hall, Ken Brown, Don Helgeson, Bob Reed, Paul Howard, Phil Holt, Don Zoll, Larry Sampson, Myan Spacerrelli, Ray Moore, Chris Houwen, Greg Crutcher, Robin Bourgeois, Alex Obney, Cliff Conklin, John Houwen, Alex Romo, Greg Jacobs, Jim Appleby, Jr, Craig Yeaton.

AUTO CLUB LATE MODELS:

Fast Time: Dave Hessing, 19.339.

Main: Mike Price, Brian Kelley, Hessing, Todd Burns, John Lathrop, Rick Miller, Barry Karr, Deryk Ward, Mike Johnson, Doug McComb, Shaun Estes, George Ruark, Tim Huddleston, Mike Brady, Rob Chaney, Richard Hooper, Steve Floyd, Todd Conrad, Chris Pasdan, Jim Conklin, John Jones.

FOOD 4 LESS SUPER LATE MODELS:

Fast Time: David Gilliland, 18.089.

Main: Gilliland, Tommy Fry, Sean Woodside, Nick DeFazio, Tim Woods III, John Tyczki, Tony Bruncati, Keith Spangler, Tony Green, Kazuto Yanagawa, Nathan Wulff, Don Kerr, Brandon Loverock, Terry Limberopoulos, David Beat, Bobby James, Chris Straka, Dave Eshleman, Dan Moore, Rip Michels, Dan O'Donnell, Brent Reynolds, Curtis Brown.

-IS-