MYERS WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE NASCAR
LATE MODEL MAIN

By Tim Kennedy

Irwindale, CA., Mar. 29 - Andrew Myers enjoyed winning a NASCAR Auto Club Late Model main event at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale so much last week that he returned and won again Saturday on the progressively banked half-mile. He used the same approach this week-set fastest qualifying time, start second in a two-car inverted lineup, and lead all 40-laps. Myers drove the No. 15 Eugene Dewberry-owned Chevy Monte Carlo that has been idle three years since it last raced during the 2004 season. Myers raced his family-owned Chevy for the last two years on the NASCAR Grand National West circuit after starting his career in the ACLM series at Irwindale. The Myers-Dewberry team will compete part-time this season on the GN West circuit as well according to team members

LATE MODELS: Nick Joanides started fourth and ran a close second all 40-laps in Loyd McGhee's No. 77 Monte Carlo. A six-car collision on lap 38 in turn one eliminated Myers' five-yard advantage and set up a green, white, checkered flag finish. Outside-running Myers held off inside-runner Joanides despite their cars banging together side-to-side in turn four during the final two laps. Myers won by a mere length, 0.049 officially. Lindsey King, a 19-year old NASCAR developmental driver on Tim Huddleston's Justice Brothers High-Point Distributing team, started sixth and ran third all 40 laps. It was the first podium finish of her two-year late model career. She was a Legend Cars front-runner prior to driving the No. 09 Team RA Monte Carlo in 2007 ACLM races. Past ACLM winners Mike Johnson and Tim Huddleston finished fourth and fifth respectively. Sean Bennett, USAC midget/sprint car veteran/stock car rookie Ryan Kaplan, Travis Irving, Chris Johnson and Travis Motley completed the top ten with 15 of 28 starters racing at the finish.

The lap 38 first turn crash occurred in mid-pack when tenth place Motley came up the track and contacted 11th place Dan DiGiacomo, causing him to get out of shape. Cars from 12th back piled into each other nose-to-tail by the crash-wall. Drivers sidelined with car damage were DiGiacomo, Kevin Callahan, Gerald Lair, Dennis Schlarbaum, Robert Rice and rookie Albert Flores, Jr. Rookie Jennifer Greenberg stopped at the scene and was able to restart and finish 15th. A first lap tangle in the third turn involved five cars and ripped the right side off Dan Rodgers' car. On lap two the High-Point cars of rookie Alison Quick, 21, and Colin Fleming, 23, came together leaving turn four and Fleming bounced off the wall. He drove to the pits and placed 25th after finishing second in the feature last week during his stock car debut. Officials sent Quick to the back of the field for getting into Fleming's car. She drove forward to 13th finishing position.

Four other series ran five main events in the speedily run 7:00 to 9:53 p.m second night of the season. The windy, cold (50+ degrees) evening dropped grandstand attendance to an estimated 1,500 after a sold-out 7,500 last Saturday. Feature winners were Greg Crutcher (Vista Paint Super Stocks), paraplegic Ricky James (West Coast Pro Trucks), Canadian Brendon Langlois (USAC K & N Ford Focus Midgets), Michelle Rouse (Pure Stocks oval track) and Chad Kelly (Pure Stocks Figure 8s). Victories by teenagers James, 19, and Langlois, 15, were their first main event triumphs. Both youngsters started third and passed early leaders with impressive moves. It was the sixth WCPT race for James and the second race for Ron Sutton Winner's Circle driver development FF Midget driver Langlois. He finished fourth in his first FF Midget feature a week earlier at Lake Havasu, AZ.

SUPER STOCKS: Crutcher, in his 1975 Chevy Camaro, became the fourth race leader in a 17-car VPSS field on the half-mile. Kenny Brown, from the pole, led the first five laps in his Camaro. Then fourth starter Bryan Harrell led laps 6-31. On lap 32 second starter Gerrit Cromsigt, a late model veteran during Irwindale's early seasons ten years ago, executed a clean slide-job pass of Harrell in turns one and two. At turn four his No. 14 Camaro spun out after contact from Harrell. "I didn't mean to hit him. He braked," Harrell radioed to his spotter-his wife. Nevertheless, racing officials sent Harrell to the back of the field along with Cromsigt. Third place Crutcher inherited the point and led the final four laps of the 35-lap contest. He edged Brown by five yards (0.376). The 38-minute race had eight caution flags. Larry Cerquettini, Christopher Harness and Rich DeLong III completed the top five as Camaros monopolized the top five.

PRO TRUCKS: WCPT winner Ricky James, from Murrieta, was the subject of a piece by reporter Jamie Little being taped Saturday for ESPN. With 15 trucks present, James set the fastest qualifying time and won his first career main event in the ex-No. 45 Ryan Black Chevy Silverado. He started third, took second on lap 3, and passed early leader/2006-07 series champion Jeff Williams on the inside exiting turn four on lap 5. He led the final 26 laps of a 13-minute race that had one caution for on lap 20. James extended his winning margin to three-quarters of a straight (4.318 seconds) during the final 11 laps. Ronnie Davis, Jr., Kyle Longmore, Williams and former NASCAR GN West driver Takuma Koga, from Nagoya, Japan, finished second through fifth. Thirteen of 14 starters finished the race with the first seven finishers on the lead lap

James began racing trucks after his friend and fellow moto-cross racer/paraplegic Michael Young raced a pro truck successfully. James raced five times as a 2007 WCPT rookie. He numbered his truck "eight over 24" because he was born on 8/24 and used No. 824 on his moto-cross motorcycle. Three years ago James crashed in a moto-cross race in Texas and became a paraplegic. "I was paralyzed from the sternum (chest) down," he said as he sat in his wheelchair in the pits and talked to supporters. James uses hand controls to operate his family-owned truck. His parents and sister were present for support. Remarkably, James prepared for the 2008 season by training for the annual Los Angeles Marathon several weeks ago. He finished the 26.2-miles in sixth place overall in the wheelchair division. His time was one hour and 40-minutes and the wheelchair division winner posted a one hour 10-minute time. The ESPN taped piece should be an inspiration to all viewers, handicapped and non-handicapped alike.

MIDGETS: The first of five K& N Filters USAC Ford Focus Midget races this year on the Irwindale third-mile track attracted a 15-car field. Pole starter Alex Bowman, 14, led the first six laps before he drifted high on the backstretch. Langlois, the 15-year old British Columbia driver, started third and ran second for the first five laps. He took advantage of Bowman's slip to put his Steve Kent-built chassis into the lead. He pulled away to a 15-yard (1.031-seconds) victory margin over Bowman. Ian Miille came from eighth starting to third place on lap 10. The 18-year old from Pleasanton, CA, finished third after winning the USAC paved track opener last Saturday at Lake Havasu, AZ. He drove the ex-No. 17 Beast midget that six-time 2007 feature winner/dirt series FF champion Nic Faas drove to two paved track victories. Justin Hommel, rookies Jeff Orleen and Jessica Brunelli, the fastest qualifier, followed. Robby Josett, Tommy Astone III, Nick Carlson and rookie Garrett Peterson completed the top ten. Thirteen of 15 starters reached the checkered flag. All cars were on the lead lap in a 15:02.033-timed event that had four brief yellow flags for minor spins.

PURE STOCKS: The 15-car pure stock field ran an entertaining 30-laps on the third-mile and 15-laps on the Figure 8 infield course in the final race of the night. In the second race of the night, Michelle Rouse and Tommy Agosta exchanged the lead five times before Rouse, the wife and step-mother of a pure stock racing family, took the lead on lap 26. She won by five yards (0.743) over Agosta, who drifted wide leaving turn four allowing Rouse to make her winning pass. The all-green flag race took only 8:57.875. Ron Davis, Mike Colato, Jr. and Mark Whitson finished third through fifth. Twelve drivers finished and ten of them completed all 30-laps.

F-8 EVENT: Nine of the pure stock competitors made the call and raced in their second track point race of the night. Rick Crow drove the 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo No. 50 that former VPSS track champion Lee Ladd, 69, drove in the P/S oval race because the regular driver was attending a wedding. Crow led the first four laps from the pole despite pushing wide each lap leaving turn four. Chad Kelly, driving the No. 42 orange/black 1979 Olds Cutlass built and formerly driven by Crow as a pink No. 38, took the lead on lap 5; he led the final 11 laps. The 2007 pure stock rookie of the year and two-time P/S Figure 8 feature winner, won by a straight-away, 6.249-seconds, over Crow. Agosta and Jeff Elder also ran 15-laps and placed third and fourth. Seven of nine starters finished the 5:46.283-timed all green-flag race.

Hard charger award winners interviewed at the finish line were Jeff "Hibachi" Grill (VPSS), Jeff Elder (P/S oval), Bob Wright (WCPT) and Johnny DeLuca (ACLM). Fastest qualifiers were: On third-mile--(USAC FF Midgets)-rookie Jessica Brunelli at 14.552; (P/S oval)-Mark Whitson at 17.553 after the NTR 17.364 by Colato was disqualified after technical inspection; On the half-mile-(WCPT)-James at 19.934; (VPSS)-Harrell at 20.739 (86.793 mph) in a NTR that beat his own 20.850 (86.747 mph) set last year; (ACLM)-Myers at 18.920.

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