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Irwindale, CA., Sept. 20 – Two first-time main event winners, six-time and first-time champions, misfortune for a truck series point leader, plus a wild night of Outlaw Figure 8 racing and a 13-car all- women demolition derby were the highlights of Pipe Trades Night Saturday. That action lured more than 6,000 spectators to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale for the motorized mayhem. Fans were vocal in their support of close racing on the half and third mile and Figure 8 tracks, as well as for the all-female drivers demo derby staged on a soaped and watered infield arena. At the conclusion of the evening several series had tightened point chases entering the upcoming final point races.
SUPER TRUCKS: Rod Johnson, Jr, the leading King Taco Super Truck Series 2008 rookie, ranked fourth in points among 36 drivers after 12 races. The second-generation Canyon Country driver, who turned 19 on September 3, finished second in the last three races driving the ocho-ocho No. 88 Chevy S-10. He has been "knocking on the door" for his first victory on the banked half-mile and it finally opened. Second fastest qualifier Johnson started third in a 20-truck field and took second on the third lap. He waged a fan-pleasing duel with pole starter Joe Herold, a two-time feature winner this year. Herold led lap 1-21 and 23. Johnson took the lead on lap 22 with an inside pass exiting turn two. Outside-running Herold retook the point for a lap before determined Johnson claimed the lead of the 40-lap event for good on lap 24. He opened a 20-yard advantage over Herold with five laps remaining and won by 1.148 seconds. Herold, Connor Cantrell, Mason Britton and Todd Cameron followed in the 16-minute race that had one yellow flag on lap 20. Winner Johnson told the crowd on the infield PA microphone, "This is my first win. This is exciting." He thanked his crew, sponsor and his crew chief/father Rod, Sr., Irwindale's NASCAR Super Late Model 1999 track champion. Rod, Sr spoke and said, "I'm proud of him." Runner-up Herold, a NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Series race winner, told the crowd, "I had a fast truck, but not fast enough. These kids are fast."
The yellow flag had KTST championship implications. Point leader Pat Mintey, Jr. entered the race with a 50-point lead over now18-year old Cantrell. Mintey set fastest qualifying time, started fourth in the four-truck inversion and was running fourth, right behind his championship rival Cantrell. On lap 9 a deflating right front tire caused him to slow and steadily drop positions. Mintey was 16th on lap 20 when the tire blew, causing his truck to veer toward the wall as it trailed sparks and debris. He avoided the wall and drove to the pits for a new tire under the caution flag. Mintey returned after losing a lap and finished 18th with 19 trucks on the track and 16 on the lead lap. He lost 32 points from his 50-point cushion over third-finisher Cantrell, who experienced a problem and finished 20th in the last race. With the final KTST race, a 100-lap event on tap next Saturday, three-time winner Mintey now leads six-time winner Cantrell by only 18 points (568-550). The winner of the season finale will receive the usual 50 points, with a drop-off of 2-points per finishing position. If Cantrell wins the September 27 feature Mintey will have to finish ninth or better. In the event of a tie in final points, Cantrell holds the tie-breaker advantage--total feature victories. KTST fields of 20 to 24 are common this year.
PRO TRUCKS: The other first-time Irwindale feature winner also came in a truck race on the half-mile. In the sixth and final West Coast Pro Truck race at Irwindale this year, pole starter Ronnie Davis, Jr., of Whittier, led all 30 laps in his No. 78. He has six top five finishes in his eight WCPT races this year. Davis won by half a straightaway, 3.667-seconds officially, over a battling trio of past WCPT main event winners. Two-time series champion Jeff Williams held second place all 30 laps. He was 0.275 of a second ahead of 17-year old, second-generation driver Dalton Kuhn at the end. Paraplegic Ricky James finished fourth, with series rookie and IMCA dirt modified driver Christian Copley fifth. The all-green flag race took 10:16.216.
Rookie James, a 19-year old two-time feature winner this year in the six WCPT races at Irwindale, finished a disappointing fourth after he ran third until lap 19. The former motocross motorcycle racer, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a motocross crash in Texas at age 16, earned his first Irwindale track championship by 6-points over 2006-07 track title holder Williams. A crew from NBC-TV was present to tape a piece about James for airing on December 13 during a telecast about the "Ironman" competition in which James competed. The race Saturday was the ninth for the touring WCPT series and Williams entered the race Saturday with 2,196 WCPT points to second-place James' 2,165 in the all-tracks WCPT series championship battle. Three races at other tracks remain before the overall WCPT 2008 championship is determined.
LEGENDS: Tom Landreth, 40, started and finished first in a 35-lap Legends race with 25 starters on the third-mile. He led all but the opening lap and won for the fifth time in 14 features this year. With a 132 point lead and only one race remaining, the Alta Loma resident who assists fellow competitors each week, won his TS@I track record sixth championship—all in Legends. Darren Amidon, the 2007 track champion, started third and finished a close second, with 14-year old three-time winner/rookie Ryan Reed third, 0.301 in back of the winner. Matt Hart and Josh Geer rounded out the top five as 17 of 19 finishers completed all 35 laps. Fastest qualifier Eric Gunderson, 14, started alongside Landreth in the first row. On the initial lap he was second when he spun out exiting the second turn and collected four other drivers--Brandon Toy, Donny St. Ours, Joseph Daniello and Cory Miles. St. Ours car received a hard hit in the drivers' side door and he received a leg injury. He limped from the car after a few minutes. St. Ours, 14, was carried to the ambulance for a check-up in the pits. He was not transported. All five cars involved were sidelined with damage. The complete restart, nine minutes later, had Amidon lead the first lap. Landreth took command on lap 2 and remained in front to the checkers. His 41st feature triumph, second-best in track history, trails only Rip Michels' 57 victories. The 20-minute race had one caution flag at lap 25 for a single car spin-out.
MINI STOCKS: The 35-lap Justice Brothers Mini Stock race on the third-mile was a two-car duel up front involving front row starters Jacob Rogers, 18, and Daryl Scoggins in their 1970s Ford Pintos. Rogers led the first three laps. Scoggins paced lap 4-14 and Rogers used a slower car as a pick to make an inside pass entering the third turn on lap 15. Rogers defeated four-time winner Scoggins by 0.656 and recorded his third main event win this year. Fastest qualifier/point leader Rich Garver started fourth and finished third in his 1980 Toyota Celica. Steve Rogers and Dennis Croasmun completed the top five in the 13-minute race. The event had one caution flag at lap 15 for a tangle involving the fourth and fifth place Pintos of Kevin Bernhardt and Tyler Rogers. As the starter waved the checkered flag over Rogers, the 11th place Pinto of Thomas Porter blew its engine in a ball of flames that went out as he pulled into the third turn infield. He climbed out uninjured.
FIGURE 8: The Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8 series eighth race this season produced a 12-car field for 20-laps. Point leader Steve Stewart, the 2005 and 2007 track champion and five-time winner this year, was the fastest qualifier. He started first and led the first 16 laps by as much as 50-yards. On lap 17 at the X intersection Stewart went wide to avoid a car that was down three laps. Stewart spun out high entering the third turn and dropped to fifth place before he resumed speed. Billy Ziemann, the fourth starter and 2000 F-8 track champion, led lap 17-20 and won his second feature at Irwindale this year. Rod Proctor trailed the winner by ten yards and earned his third podium finish in just three outings this season. Jared Henson and Tony Curtis finished third and fourth, with Stewart fifth and the last driver on the lead lap. Nine of 12 starters were racing at the conclusion. With one point race remaining Stewart leads second place Ziemann by 8-points (340-332) with 50-points available to the winner of the October 25 final race.
ALL WOMEN'S DEMO DERBY: The second-ever All-Women Demolition Derby had 13 participants in American-made sedans and station wagons. Last year Sara Atkinson won the first such event at Irwindale with nine participants. Track workers watered and soaped the track infield in an arena marked by large truck tires that determined the out of bounds line. The green flag waved at 9:28 and there were three red flags to remove a disqualified car and for two minor engine fires. When the checkered flag fell at 9:43 the winner was April Shaw-Johns in her gaudy No. 88 purple and orange wagon. Cheryl Hyland was second and Jannie Atkinson,sister of the 2007 winner, was third.
A KTST six-lap trophy dash for the 12th through 17th fastest qualifiers went to Matt Kimball, who led every lap in the first race of the night at 7:00. Hard charger award winners were: (Legends)--Gary Scheuerell; (WCPT)--Robert Vandermooren; (JBMS)--Kory Russell, and (KTST)--Todd Cameron. Fastest qualifiers on the third-mile were (Legends)-Gunderson at 71.527 mph and (JBMS)-Garver at 70.2l74 mph. Fastest on the half-mile were (WCPT)-Williams at 90.212 mph and (KTST)--Mintey at 91.112 mph. Stewart set the fastest Figure 8 qualifying time of 72.145 mph. .
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