|
Irwindale, CA., Oct. 10 – Point leader M. K. Kanke, the fourth fastest qualifier in a series high 28-car field, dominated the NTS, Inc. 125-lap Spears Manufacturing SRL-Southwest Tour feature Saturday in front of 3,300 fans on Toyota Speedway at Irwindale family night. He drove the No. 33 Dan Nickolai Sims Trucking, RPN-PSI Chevy Monte Carlo to a convincing triumph on the banked, half-mile track. It was his fourth SRL victory this season after nine of ten scheduled events for the nine year old touring stock car series based in Bakersfield. Kanke, a 47-year old stock car racing veteran of 30 years, said the victory should clinch his first touring division championship. SRL drops the lowest finish for each driver in computing final points and Kanke's worst finish this year was eighth.
The Frazier Park resident book-ended his only other season championship—the 1983 championship at Gardena's Ascot Park half-mile dirt track. He said he drove a 1964 Chevelle fielded by Speedway Engineering that year and defeated favored Camaros. He said he raced Fridays and Sundays at Ascot and Saturdays at Saugus or Bakersfield. Kanke said he has raced for feature victories during his career and has not chased points. As a NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Tour driver from the late 1980s through the final season in 2006, Kanke set the all-time record of 212 starts and 22 feature victories (three at Irwindale), and more top five finishes than any other driver in the competitive touring series. This year SRL has had six winners in the nine events contested at five speedways—Madera, Stockton, Roseville, Irwindale and the Las Vegas Bullring three-eighths mile. Kanke entered the race 39 points in front of Stockton winner Greg Voigt. With 50-points for first place and qualifying points, Kanke has a 46 point lead unofficially as SRL teams head for the October 31 season finale in Las Vegas.
In preliminary features, drivers contested four TS@I track championships. Four drivers became first-time track champions. Three divisions used the third-mile inner oval and the inaugural Langers Juice S2 series used the half-mile. Eighteen-year old Randel King, a 2008 super late model, speed truck and legends veteran, won six of the seven point races (86%) and became the inaugural S2 champion of the innovative TS@I class. The first of four championships went to rookie Ryan Cansdale, 10, in the Jan's Towing Bandoleros. He won 11 of 21 main events (52%) and finished fourth in Bandolero national points. Ken Michaelian, 20, took his first Classic Stocks (ex-pure stocks) championship after a dominating season aboard a 1975 Dodge Dart. He won 10 of 12 features (83%). The fourth new champion was Legends veteran Ryan Reed, 16, from Bakersfield. The son of NASCAR touring stock car winning driver Mark Reed won two of 17 TS@I mains, including the 35-lap finale Saturday. Reed won his first Irwindale title by 94 points over Brandon Toy. They exchanged the point lead several times in recent months.
Feature winners in the four support series that preceded the 52-minute SRL feature were (in order): Ricky Schlick, 12, who set quick time and led all 20-laps in a 14-car Bandolero field Friday night at 8:10 pm during the usual 5:00-9:30 Friday open practice session. It was the first ever main event win for the 2008 TS@I rookie of the year. He repeated his performance exactly Saturday with fast time, and a flag-to-flag victory in a 14-car field. He drove his No. 24 S & J Towing of Pomona car painted exactly like his favorite driver Jeff Gordon's NASCAR ride. Fellow drivers and crews autographed his all-white new hood that was necessary after a crash at the Havasu, AZ track. Schlick retained third place in final track points. His best finish had been third place—five times this season.
Three track champions secured their first track titles in satisfying fashion, with victories. King, the third quickest qualifier in a seven-car S2 field, started fifth and led all 25 laps. He shot to the inside in the first two turns and passed the first two rows before turn three on the initial lap. Michaelian, the fifth fastest qualifier in an eight-car field, started second and led all 30 laps for his predictable victory. Then Reed had to work hard for his Legends 35-lap triumph. With a five-car inversion, Reed started seventh and became the third leader on lap 18. He maintained a ten-yard advantage at the finish. Pole starter Mark Borchetta, seeking his first career victory, settled for second. The opening race was a 12-lap Champions Trophy Dash for six past NASCAR or SRL SWT champions. They drew for starting positions and clicked off 12 rapid laps in 3:46.305. The race had three leaders—Rip Michels (L 1-3), Craig Raudman (L 4-7) and Jim Pettit II (L 8-12). Raudman, Eddy McKean, Michels, Dave Byrd and Auggie Vidovich placed second through sixth respectively.
SRL 125: One of the largest fields in SRL history was expected and 28 cars appeared, including five ex-NASCAR SWT cars making initial SRL starts this year Fastest qualifier Vidovich, the 2003 SWT champion and a past NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, started 12th in a 12-car inversion as 27 of 28 cars present started. The race ran 78 laps before the first caution flag on lap 79 for a solo spin. A subsequent caution and red flag caused the 52-minute race to conclude at 10:18 pm. Pole starter Raudman led the first three laps and laps 10-49. Voigt led laps 4-9 after starting fifth. Brennan Newberry, a 19-year old late model veteran from Bakersfield, started second as 11th fastest qualifier. He raced impressively with more experienced veterans. He ran second or third for 19 laps before passing Voigt for second on lap 20. He then dueled Raudman for the lead along with Kanke as the three divers lapped slower cars. Newberry took the lead on lap 50 with an inside pass through the first and second turns. Kanke followed the impressive teen past Raudman on the same lap on the inside in the fourth turn. Newberry kept Kanke at bay until lap 78 when the wily vet made an inside pass in turn four and took command for good. A lap 88 caution flag flew after Pettit's fifth-running Chevy caught the second turn wall and stopped.
A lap 94 collision between lapped 12th place Troy Ermish, the July 18 SRL Irwindale winner, and sixth place Keith Spangler sent Spangler's Chevy hard on the right side into the backstretch wall . He stopped next the crash-wall in the third turn and lowered his window netting. The red flag flew as emergency crews rushed to his assistance. Spangler escaped injury, but his car was eliminated. Ermish restarted. Newberry ran second to lap 92 when he slipped to fourth. The lap 94 restart had Kanke leading, Voigt, Raudman, Newberry, Michels, Mike Mendenhall, Josh Combs, 18, Kevin Callahan, Jamie Dick, Jacob Gomes and Jason Gilbert in the top 11 positions and the only drivers on the lead lap. The final 31 laps clicked off rapidly, with some drivers dropping and others rising to the top ten on the scoring pylon. Michels, the 2006 NASCAR SWT champion and three-time track champion, started seventh and dropped as low as 13th position by lap 25. He took third on lap 108, second on lap 112 and remained about a straightaway behind leader Kanke to the end. The other charger was Mendenhall, a 21-year veteran with 56 wins at Cajon Speedway and a one-time SRL winner this year. The Santee resident started 17th and took third place from Voigt on lap 119 with an inside pass in turn three. Voigt held off closing Combs by 0.203 for fourth position in the closing laps. Raudman, Newberry, Dick, Gilbert and leading SRL rookie Callahan completed the top ten. Seventeen of 27 starters reached the checkered flag. Nine drivers completed all 125 laps. Kanke eased his pace as he lapped tenth and 11th place drivers during the final two laps and still beat Michels by 2.939 seconds (almost a straightaway). Mendenhall was 7.657 seconds in back of the winner. Gomes, Rex Lockwood, Ermish, John Wood and rookie Scott Sanchez finished 11th-15th. Kanke's victory paid $4,000 to his team.
The top three finishers parked at the finish line for post-race interviews and trophy presentations. Michels said, “This is a night for 40-year old guys.” The winner is 47, Michels is 44 and third finisher Mendenhall is 46. Mendenhall said his first place car at Madera is still unsponsored. He added that third place is his best finish at Irwindale and his prior best was fifth in the July SRL 100. Kanke praised Newberry and said the teen did a great job. Later, personable, 6'6” Kanke told the media, “These long races are suited to my style of driving. The SRL is a great series. The current Hoosier tires are helpful for young drivers and prepare them to race on NASCAR national circuits.” He added that the SRL series is a great series for youngsters to learn and improve their racing talent. He also thanked his Watkins Engines power and crew member Jay Simms.
BANDOLEROS: Schlick's green to checkers run from the pole resulted in a 2.728-second victory over fifth starter/rookie Christian McGhee, 11, who took second on lap 3. Seventh starter Aaron Anderson, 13, took second from McGhee on lap 15, but McGhee recaptured the position from the 2008 track champion on the final lap. Blake Dunkleberger, 13, Graydon Smith, 10, and Cansdale, the champion and rookie of the year followed. Trevor Huddleston, 12, Danny Nikolai (Kanke's nephew), rookie Devan Newberry, 13-year old sister of SRL driver Brennan Newberry, and Brett Scoggin, 8, completed the top ten. Thirteen of 14 starters finished. Pink driving uniform clad Newberry drove a new car that replaced the one she flipped seven times on the TS@I backstretch in a September main. She received a mild concussion in that spectacular flip.
LANGERS S2: King wasted no time in taking control of the eighth and final S2 race since the debut of the innovative series on July 12 with a 12-lap exhibition race. His No. 77 King Taco car won that non-points race and six of the seven point races (86%). King, from fifth, beat fastest qualifier/seventh starter Reed by half a straight (2.815 seconds0. Kyle Longmore, from third, held off Reed from lap 1 to lap 22 when Reed made an inside pass at the starting line. Second fastest qualifier Andrew Anderson, 16, Kendell Lopez, 18, Robert Tallini and Jeff Phillips completed the field and all ran 25 laps in the 8:34.717 (87.427 mph) all-green flag race. That time and speed were new records for the S2 cars and eclipsed the old marks of 8:36.984 (87.043 mph).
CLASSIC STOCKS: Michaelian's Petty-blue No. 43 Dodge Dart dominated the eight-car, ten-minute race that had a debris caution on lap 11. FQ/2008 series champion Tommy Agosta, 19, started fifth, took second on lap 14 and finished second, 1.815 seconds back. Mike Colato, Jr., 27, placed third with Harry Michaelian (father of the winner), Justin Good and Tommy Mason,20, third through sixth and the only other drivers on the lead lap. Good was the hard charger award winner.
LEGENDS: With 30 cars in the starting lineup, 29 actually started the fourth feature of the evening with a five car inversion. Darren Amidon, the 2007 track champion, started second and led laps 6-17 after making an inside turn four pass on lap 6 of pole-sitter Mark Borchetta, leader of the first five laps. Reed took second on lap 6 and FQ/fifth starter Brent Scheidemantle, 16, joined the top three duel on lap 8. With leader Amidon and third place running high and second place low, the top three ran nose-to-tail to lap 18. Then leader Amidon spun out low in the fourth turn “on his own” according to track officials and collected third place Scheidemantle and fifth place Dallas Montes, 16. All three cars were sidelined. Borchetta, whose best finish was a fourth this year, took the lead from Reed on lap 24. Reed recaptured the point on lap 25 and paced the final 11 laps. He won by 0.668 (ten yards). After September 26 Reed entered the final race with an insurmountable 88-point lead. Brandon Toy came from 17th to finish third. He leap-frogged from third to second in final points past first retiree Chad Schug. Toy, 17, trailed Reed by 94-points. Newcomer Jeremy Wood charged from 18th to fourth in his first Legends start at Irwindale and earned the hard charger award. Ken Maler, Jr., 18, Michael Smith, 20, Jordan Hyland, six-time track champion Tom Landreth, Josh Geer, and late model veteran Tony Green completed the top ten. Twenty-five of 29 starters finished and 20 drivers ran all 35 laps. The 23-minute race had had five cautions for spins.
Fastest qualifiers by division were: (SRL) – Auggie Vidovich, 18.150 (99.174 mph); (Langers S2) – Ryan Reed, 20.240 (88.933 mph); (Legends) – Brent Scheidemantle, 16.721 (71.694 mph); (Classic Stocks) – Tommy Agosta, 17.412 (68.849 mph); (Bandoleros) – Sat.- Ricky Schlick, 18.634 (64.334 mph) and Fri. - Schlick, 18.519 (64.734 mph).
P.S - TS@I 2009 NASCAR SLM and late model track champion and 2009 Whelen All-American California State champion Nick Joanides, from Woodland Hills, will be racing in the nationally televised NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday, October 24 at the three-quarter mile Memphis track. His ride will be the No. 31 car raced earlier this season by several drivers including Californian Kenny Hendrick.
|
|
