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Ralph Foster, former Midwest sprint car champion before World War II, invited me to go with him to the Rest Your Case Party. It’s a pleasure to go anywhere with Foster and listen to the old stories of this oval track star from the past. Ralph was a literal race track orphan who grew up around racers and had a storied career that was sidetracked by the war. The party was held on September 15, 2007 and afterwards our host took us to Irwindale Speedway to enjoy an evening of circle track racing. Our host was Dave Galassi and his family and they own Rest Your Case, a company that specializes in storing objects that are used as evidence in court cases. Dave’s brother, Frank, owns the I Find It company. Evidence is sometimes lost in accidents and trial lawyers will ask Frank and his staff to track down exact duplicates so that they can be examined and experts can testify in court. The Galassi brothers put on a super party each year for their clients and friends and it is a treat to be invited. Quite a crowd had gathered as we drove up and they introduced themselves as “the Volkswagen Crazed” group. Greg Booras introduced me to Steve D’Auria, Allen Weiss, Bill Schwimmer, Chris Strople, Pierre Dupuy and Russ Welch. Weiss has a VW dragster and races it in the Pro Racing Association (PRA). Greg also introduced Steve Walker, Larry Rick, Troy Palmer, Efron Diaz, April Gamboa, Lodi Galassi and Martha Welch. John Palmer is a former AHRA AA record holder and drove a ’63 Falcon at Beeline Dragway in Arizona. He set his record in the C/D Hot Rod class. “I raced at Lion’s Dragstrip too,” he told me. “Beeline Dragway is Mel Larson’s old Speedworld Dragway. I enjoyed racing in the early days. Before we had a dragstrip we used to race on a runway at an old abandoned airfield outside of Glendale, Arizona,” Palmer added.
VW enthusiasts are zealous about the stubby little cars. Dave Lumetta has specialized in doing upholstery work for VW cars since the ‘70’s in his shop in Sun Valley, California. Frank Galassi added, “there are VW people and then there are people who don’t know about cars.” George and John Weaver were showing photographs of their miniature car license plate collection. John, 11 years old and a veteran in collecting, explained how he put together his miniatures. “The D.A.V. (Disabled American Veterans) first began making miniature license plates in 1942 and sent them out to people with a request for assistance. They stopped making the plates in 1976 and I have about 300 in my collection,” he told me. John finds these small replicas at swap meets and in trading with other collectors. Marilyn and Warren Williams mentioned that Stan Betz was celebrating his 80th birthday. Stan is the nephew of legendary drag racer Dick Kraft and is just as famous for his paint mixing. Betz uses only his eyes and the sun to recreate the perfect paint for your hot rod, just as you remembered it. Williams owns a beautiful New Jersey Speed Skiff, which he shows off at boat shows and reunions. He worked for Bill Thomas, a racecar builder and former expert witness at Rest Your Case and I Find It. Others in attendance included Shelley Janclaes, Bill Heinen, Greg Imlay, Sue Weiss, Scott Hughes, Ray Hughes and Jason Anker. Many of the guests met the Galassi brothers through their VW racing club. Dave’s wife, Debbie, was helping to serve the food and was helped by their children, Marina, Nico and Peter. Hannah Palmer Delaney, granddaughter of John Palmer, wants to drive a Jr Dragster. Galassi broke up the party and announced, “it’s time to go to the track and get our seats.” Party guests loaded into Volkswagens and off they raced.
Irwindale Speedway is a wonderful paved track with modern stands, restrooms, snack bars and other amenities. Danny Oaks, one of the greatest midget drivers and mechanics to ever race, called it his favorite racetrack even though he never raced on it. The track is situated between the 10 and 210 freeways on the 605 freeway, in the City of Irwindale, and has a Saturday night race from March through November. Ralph and I parked in the spacious lot and met Mary Gonzalez, Administrative Assistant at the main office. She got us a ride over to the main gate. The staff at the track is super friendly and they work hard to make sure that racing fans enjoy themselves. Ralph and I certainly did. The price of admission ranges from $15 to $25 per person, but they have a lot of specials and group discounts, which they offer to the public. The stands face due south, directly into the sun, but by the time the races start the sun has set behind the hills and the weather is nearly always perfect. Mary went ahead to find a block of seats for Galassi’s party. All the seats are unreserved, but the staff tries to help the race fans find comfortable seating. As we waited I spoke to Tommy Kerchofer who was showing off the new Toyota Trucks. He is a test driver for Toyota and told me that Toyota is a major sponsor for Irwindale Speedway. I had time to talk to Mimi Hayes who was painting the faces of eager 8 year olds, a favorite as the line was long with young children and their parents. Irwindale Speedway draws a crowd of around four to six thousand oval track race fans weekly for their Saturday racing schedule. I saw a lot of families and they brought their children.
Irwindale Speedway also has an 1/8th mile dragstrip and is open to drag racers on Thursday and Sunday nights. We found seats in the stands and watched the Banderlero cars race. Then came a late model race. The warm summer night evoked a time in the past when circle track and stock car racing was the thing to do in days gone by. There was an oval track race almost every night in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas. Those days are gone and the only track close to Los Angeles is Irwindale Speedway. The stars shined clearly in the sky and the fans brought loads of food back from the concessionaires. The modern facility boasts new aluminum stands with comfortable backrests. The restrooms are clean, large and easily situated. There are four food concession stands and they had short lines and plenty of staff to keep the lines moving. The food was delicious and there was a lot of variety to choose from. A concession stand sold t-shirts, hats and other track branded souvenirs, including the ever popular IS seat cushion. Seven mini stock cars called Banderleros took to the track and dazzled the crowd. The winner was 8-year old Lexie Moore and she was a very popular driver. This class is designed for 8 to 15 year old drivers and the cars are super small, but very quick and look just like the regular cars. Twenty-four Legend cars were the next to race and we watched as one car was clipped from behind and spun out into the infield, but immediately drove back onto the track. The driver apparently didn’t see the other cars and the resulting confusion caused a yellow flag. The crowd roared, seldom booing as their favorites vied for the lead amidst the smell of gasoline and burning rubber.
The yellow flags and stoppages for small accidents and fender benders gave the fans a chance to talk. Loren Delucrezia told me that she loves auto racing. “I’ve loved cars since I was a kid. I love auto racing and the summer outdoor weather and the chance to be outdoors. The Super Late Models are my favorites and the driver I root for is Ted Huddleston.” Tony Delucrezia said that he liked the Demolition Derbies and loves the summer racing schedule. Gay Silversparre told me that she has been to the racetrack every year since it opened in 1998. Just then 17 Pure Stockers took to the track for their program. As many as 34 racing associations race at Irwindale Speedway. Each week has a different program of cars and styles and attracts fans that enjoy the wonderful outdoor weather and the excitement of auto racing. John Partridge brought his daughter Nikki and granddaughter Kylee Tello to the track. John left Irwindale Speedway’s dragstrip to work for the Auto Club Dragway at Fontana. They were there to root on Ryan Partridge, John’s son, who races in the Legend’s category. Jennifer Altmann, personal assistant to Bob DeFazio, track manager, stopped to ask us if we were enjoying the racing. In the Press Box we met Keith Lair, reporter from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Kevin O’Brien, Leroy Yeargin, Tim Kennedy and Howard Palmer. O’Brien took over the Press Box from Doug Stokes, who left to go to Gale Banks Power in Irwindale. Kennedy writes a weekly report on the races at Irwindale that combines the incisive style of Shav Glick with the descriptive poetical zeal of Jim Murray. The Press Box is modern and roomy and can accommodate more reporters.
There are about ten suites at the track, above the stands with an excellent view of the racing below. Every seat in the place is perfect for viewing the action and there are no obstructions to mar the view. Dalcorp, Gale Banks Power, Hallett Boats, J&M Racing, Southern California Pipe Trades Union, Auto Club of Southern California, Toyota, AC Delco, and GM are just a few of the sponsors. The Pipe Trades suite is special. The union gives out tickets to its members and their families and they show such a great interest and warm hospitality. Michael Miller is their District Manager. The Pipe Trades also sponsor the Super Late Model class. The track mascot is called Lugnut and his real name is Justin Figueroa. He has been Lugnut for 1-� years and is a fan favorite as he shoots T-shirts up into the stands and entertains the crowds. “I really like being Lugnut,” he told me. “I like dancing and that helps in this job. I’m going to Mount San Antonio College right now and hope to be a firefighter someday,” he added. The racetrack has a special area for children with two free Jumping Castles blow-up tent for the kids to play in, supervised by Victor Dominguez. Max Lopez is the special lady in charge of sponsor and suite access. She is very professional and solves many of the problems before they become problems. Jim Williams is the majority owner of the facility and he has put together a staff that is very fan friendly. The track announcer is Bruce Flanders and his low rumbling voice is heard at county fairs, Speedway bike, motocross races and many other racing events throughout California. As we left, a very considerate gate attendant, Luis Cruz, brought a chair for Ralph to sit in while I went and got my car. Irwindale Speedway is one of those favorite old racetracks, with modern conveniences and a crowd friendly staff.
Gone Racin’ is at [email protected].
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