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Irwindale, CA. July 3 - Two-barrel explosive action for NASCAR stock cars on the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale half-mile, plus aerial fireworks were the attractions Saturday, July 3. The Independence Day weekend celebration “King Taco 200” lap race for 30 K & N Pro Series-West drivers followed an Auto Club Late Model 75-lap race for 18 drivers. The two series double-header attracted an enthusiastic crowd of 6,800 spectators for the weekend racing and pyrotechnic show.
ACLM 75: Second generation racer Rod Johnson, Jr., 20, led only one lap—the last—in a surprising conclusion to the ACLM event that kicked off racing action at 7:08 pm. The late model support race for the annual appearance of the touring K & N West Series was 75 laps or 45 minutes, whichever came first. The 18-car field lined-up with a four-car inversion. Fourth quickest qualifier/ACLM rookie Brandon Davis was on the pole with third fastest Mike Johnson, 53, alongside. The late model veteran missed the last race, including practice sessions, because of engine problems. “We changed a lot of stuff, including belts and switches and it seems to be OK now,” the Covina resident said after clearing the tech bay prior to ACLM qualifying at 4:00 pm. M. Johnson proved his Chevy Monte Carlo was more than OK by leading the first 74 laps in a tight duel with fastest qualifier/fourth starter R. Johnson, Jr.. Actually, pole starter Davis led the initial lap over third starter Nick Joanides, the series point leader, with SRL Series driver Derek Thorn third and M. Johnson fourth. However, a yellow flag canceled that original lap and flew quickly after eighth starter Sean Bennett broke his drive-shaft entering the first turn and coasted to a stop. Under caution, track crews retrieved pieces of the drive-shaft in the first turn.
On the lap 1 restart, M. Johnson shot to the lead and paced Davis, Joanides, R. Johnson and Thorn at the completion of the first lap. R. Johnson passed Joanides for third on the second lap as the top three drivers pulled away for a close, three-way lead battle to a lap 30 caution. Travis Irving spun in turn two after contact from Dylan Kwasniewski. Both drivers restarted at the back with a full-field double-file lineup. Inside-running R. Johnson passed Davis quickly and engaged outside groove runner M. Johnson. At lap 50 of 75 MJ led RJ by one length. RJ made periodic attempts to edge in front from turn four to the starting line. Davis, a sports car racing veteran, was two lengths back waiting for his opportunity. At lap 72 RJ bumped the back of MJ's Chevy as the Johnson & Johnson show brought fans to their feet. As the two leaders completed lap 74 and took the white flag, RJ made his move to the inside and took the lead by the second turn. MJ fought back to regain the lead, got loose and cars made contact. MJ's No. 17 caught the wall on its right side and got into fast-approaching third place Davis, who spun his No. 56 HPR Chevy to the infield.
RJ crossed the finish line 3.786 seconds in front of reigning ACLM 2009 champion Joanides, who passed MJ and Davis in the second turn after the mishap. Thorn was third, 4.020 seconds back and Chris Holloway was fourth, 4.423 behind the winner. MJ crossed the finish line fifth (-4.782). Travis Motley, Kyle McGrady, George Atkinson, Kwasniewski and Irving rounded out the top ten. Sixteen of 18 starters finished and 14 drivers ran all 75 laps of the 33 minute race that had two yellow flags. Davis' spin on the final lap prevented him from tying his career-best third place and dropped him to P. 14 (17.479 seconds behind the winner). He also fell out of the top ten to 12th in current points after nine of 17 scheduled races. RJ, the 2008 King Taco Super Truck rookie of the year and track champion, is trying to duplicate those honors in the 2010 ACLM series. He set the fastest qualifying time for the fourth time this season and won his fourth ACLM feature in nine races. RJ cut two points from Joanides point lead and now lies second, only four digits behind Joanides. Following the checkers, MJ stopped his car on the backstretch near turn three. A tow truck had to tow his damaged car to the pits.
Winner RJ, wearing a Sunrise Ford logo on his driving uniform, received both cheers and some boos as he climbed from his No. 15 Chevy at the finish line. He said he did not spin MJ. “That was a fun race. The last two laps were wild. This track is great. We can race two and three wide all around. It's great to look up and see a full house in the stands. It's the biggest crowd we've raced in front of all year.” He then thanked “car builder Jeff Schrader (Racecar Factory) for working on the car all week and car owners Tim and Lisa Huddleston.” AMB electronic scoring showed MJ ran the fastest lap of the race at 19.137 (94.059 mph), with RJ and Davis tied for second fastest lap at 19.164.
K & N WEST “KING TACO 200”: All 30 cars lined up on the front chute in straight-up order for the 26 fastest qualifiers. The final four “provisional” starters were in season points order. K & N starter Andy Ashbeck waved the green flag at 8:28 pm and drivers began chasing the $107,099 K & N purse for round six of 12. Fastest qualifier/pole starter Pursley led the first 41 laps and had opened a 40-yard (1.3 second) advantage when the right front tire blew on lap 42 and sent his Gene Price No. 26 Ford into the second turn wall. He pitted for a tire and returned, but sparks from a broken RF sway bar soon sent his car to the infield pits and behind the protective K-rail barriers. His 50 laps run gave him 29th position. Pursley's 18.991 (94.782 mph) leading lap early in the race remained the fastest lap of the race. Auggie Vidovich, 29, had taken second place from David Mayhew on lap 14 and he inherited the lead on lap 42 when Pursley pitted. Yellow flag laps counted so he led to lap 48 as track cleanup work continued. On a double-file restart, second place Blake Koch shot into the lead and Mayhew dropped Vidovich to P. 3 for three laps. Koch was in front through lap 58. As Koch approached lapped Jack Sellers, 65, in the outside groove, Vidovich cut to the inside groove and raced past both drivers in the third turn. It was the final official lead change.
Seventh starter Brennan Newberry, 20, and third starter Justin Johnson, 24 (in his first K & N Series race for the Vision Airlines team of Las Vegas) battled for third position at lap 70. USAC midget and sprint car feature winner Chad Boat, 18, of Phoenix, made his second K & N Series start after debuting at Iowa Speedway on May 23 and finishing 12th in a 44-car field. The son of Indianapolis 500 veteran Billy Boat spun his No. 30 Curb Records Chevy on lap 77 in turn four. Johnson's No. 97 Vision AL Chevy (an ex-Brian Ickler car) spun to avoid contact. Both returned at the back. At 9:09 the now 25-car field took the black/red flags for the mandatory full-field ten minute half-time break. Vidovich held a 1.151 second lead over Koch at the lap 101 stop. Newberry, Mayhew, Team Cass No. 50 Chevy driver Chris Johnson, Moses Smith, Paulie Harraka, Dusty Davis, in the second Vision AL No. 94 car (the damaged ex-No. 10 Jim Warn Chevy that Kevin Harvick, Inc. rebuilt), K & N rookie Luis Martinez, Jr. and Idaho's Brett Thompson rounded out the top ten at the mid-race break. Crews made adjustments, added fuel and changed tires at the K-rail protected pits at the inside edge of the third-mile oval.
The green flag for lap 102 found Vidovich choosing the outside of the front row in a double-file lineup. He opened a 15-yard lead over Koch by lap 120. A caution flag then flew for a collision between Johnson's eighth place Vision No. 97 and the 13th place Brandon Davis No. 10 Toyota Camry. Both drivers were uninjured, but significant damage sidelined both cars. Davis was the only driver to start both races Saturday. Green flag racing resumed on lap 128 with Vidovich again launching his TCR Chevy from the outside and running the outside groove. Koch ran the inside and briefly was in front of Vidovich in the second turn on lap 129, but Vidovich was back in front to stay at the start/finish line on lap 129 and every lap to the lap 200 checkers. A four-lap caution for debris at the starting line occurred before the green flag flew again with 50 laps remaining. Newberry, from Bakersfield, took second from Koch on lap 154 with an inside pass in the fourth turn. Vidovich held a 35-yard lead (1.7 seconds) at lap 180 as the leaders lapped cars up to ninth position.
On lap 196 second running Newberry, who was making only his second K & N Series start, slowed suddenly and made only another lap before he lost power and stopped his car next to the second turn grass infield. Koch and Thompson rose to second and third on lap 198. Vidovich, the 2003 NASCAR Elite Division Southwest Tour Series champion, took the checkered flag at 10:09 pm with six lapped cars and 6.029 seconds between his Chevy and runner-up Koch. The winner earned $5,500. It was the first K & N West victory for both Vidovich and Team Cass, which is based at a shop in Irwindale less than a mile from the speedway. The second TCR car driven by C. Johnson placed fifth. Koch enjoyed a K & N Series personal best finish of second, which was worth $4,100. Third finisher Thompson, who calls TS@I one of his favorite tracks, tied his best finish at Irwindale and took home $2,000. Moses Smith, 34, placed fourth. Jonathon Gomez, first-time K & N starter Timmy Hill, 17, from Maryland, Las Vegan Dusty Davis, 17, also in his first K & N race, L. Martinez, Jr and K & N West point leader Eric Holmes, down a lap, completed the top ten. P. 11-14 also completed 199 laps. There were 21 cars still racing a the finish. The 1:23.53-timed race had three leaders and three lead changes, and five yellows for 23 laps. Following interviews with the top three finishers, the Pick-Your- Part jet-powered pickup truck made demonstration runs on the front straight. From 10:24-10:34 pm an aerial fireworks show, launched from the darkened backstretch, entertained track spectators and motorists passing on the nearby 605 Freeway.
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