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Irwindale, CA. - Oct. 16, 2010 - Irwindale, CA., Oct. 16 – You could call it track championship night or “Octoberfast” at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Five TS@I drivers did just that Saturday night when seven series competed on the half or third mile ovals. About 1,500 people attended on a night when short track racing competed with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Charlotte 500 on ABC-TV simultaneously. Only one of the six track divisions (Vista Paint Super Stocks) in action Saturday had its championship determined, so contending drivers in five TS@I series raced and secured track championships. All five point leaders entering Saturday events went home with their respective championships. Three of the five 2010 champions became first-time champions in their current series. Overall, eight of 11 TS@I series championships have been determined with only the Figure 8, classic stock and SWT truck titles to be settled on October 30. Six of the eight crowned 2010 track champs are new champions in their 2010 divisions, and two became back-to-back series champions.
The five 2010 track championships settled in order went to:
> Ryan Cansdale, 11, in Jan's Towing Bandoleros, repeating his 2009 title.
> Daryl Scoggins, 38, in Justice Brothers Mini Stocks, repeating his 2009 championship.
> Ryan Partridge, 22, in King Taco Super Trucks.
> Chad Schug in Echo Equipment Legend Cars.
> Rod Johnson, Jr., 21, in Auto Club Late Models.
Rich DeLong III, 22, won the Vista Paint Super Stock championship October 2. Drive Teach Racing School (California Speedway in Fontana) students also raced late models strictly for on-track experience for the fourth time this year in Irwindale.
Winners of the seven main events (four on the half-mile and three on the third-mile) in the order the races were run follow:
> Fastest Qualifier Eric Sunness - VPSS 30 - from pole position.
> FQ Ricky Schlick, 13, in Bandoleros 20 – from pole.
> FQ Ryan Bragdon, 18, JBMS 35 – from pole.
> Rob Vining in the Drive Tech Late Model 25 - from third.
> FQ Matt Kimball, 20, KTST 40 – from third.
> FQ Matthew Hicks in EELC 35 – from sixth.
> FQ Brandon Davis, 24, in ACLM 40 – from fifth.
You could say it was the night of the fastest qualifier, but it was far from easy for any of them. Details follow in paragraphs about each division.
NEW ONE LAP TRACK RECORDS: What was remarkable was the fact that three of the divisions had new one lap track records set during late afternoon qualifying sessions. The gray, overcast, cool (mid-60s) day had a low cloud cover that blocked the sun and there was moisture in the air. In fact, light drizzle started about 45 minutes following the final checkered flag at 10:10 pm. One of the records broken was the fourth oldest track record that dated to May 1999, two months after the track opened. Drivers set new track records in mini stock, legends and late models.
> Mini Stock: Ryan Bragdon (No. 86 1979 Ford Mustang II on a Ford Pinto chassis) ran a 16.901 (70.931 mph) to beat Scoggins' 16.922 (70.843 mph) in his No. 10 Pinto on 4/10/10.
> Legend Cars: Matt Hicks, a super late model veteran and winner, turned a 16.457 (72.844 mph) in his No. 23 coupe to eclipse the 16.514 (72.666 mph) record set by fellow San Diego County resident Seth Hicks (No. 6) on 5/21/99.
> Late Models: ACLM rookie Brandon Davis, from Henderson, NV, ran a 18.552 (97.025 mph) that beat the 18.575 (96.904 mph) mark set by his HPR team owner Tim Huddleston on 9/23/06. Remarkably, Davis' No. 55 is a brand new Racecar Factory car (chassis # 70) that was making its racing debut. RCF owner/builder Jeff Schrader repositioned weight in the car, which reportedly will serve as the prototype for future cars built by RCF.
ACLM: The featured ACLM main started all 23 cars, second only to 26 cars on opening night (March 27). Point leader and ACLM rookie Rod Johnson, Jr. (6 wins) began the 16th and final point race with a 34-point lead over 2009 ACLM champion Nick Joanides (3 wins) and needed to finish 17 positions better than the reigning series champion. Chris Holloway (P.3 in points) was 42 points back and as fifth FQ started the 40 lap race from pole position. He responded by leading the first 21 laps over outside front row starter Joanides. The entire field ran rapid, mid-90s-mph laps in close proximity without incident to lap 20 when a solo spin caused the first of five yellow flags. Holloway chose the outside of row one for the restart and remained the leader through lap 21 when another solo spin caused a caution. Joanides took the lead on lap 22 with FQ/fifth starter Davis now third. A three-car crash on the backstretch during lap 26 sidelined Rodney Peacher and Dylan Lupton's HPR No. 56 (the RCF chassis # 6 and original “Blue Lazer” No. 50 in which Huddleston raced to his first victory and initial championship). Lupton, the 16-year old S2 champion, slowed to avoid a slowing car and Peacher's car rode up and over the hood of Lupton's car, sending both cars to the infield.
Joanides took the outside of row one for the lap 26 restart. With the first three cars nose-to-tail, Davis went to the inside and took second from Holloway. The two leaders made it a two-car breakaway until lap 34 when another solo spin caused a caution. The restart had Joanides on the outside and Davis on the inside in the first row. Davis shot into the lead entering turn one and came out of the second turn with a lead he would not relinquish. In fact, the road racer in formula and sports car and on the K & N Filters West stock car series steadily opened a lead of 30 yards (1.621 seconds) over runner-up Joanides by the checkered flag. Davis climbed from tenth to eighth in final points despite missing two ACLM races because of schedule conflicts. The final yellow flag flew on lap 36 after Mark Whitson's car was hit from behind and turned nose first into the backstretch wall. Heavy front end damage resulted. He exited his car and angrily approached the track as the field circled under caution to show his displeasure to the driver who punted him.
Holloway, in his second full ACLM season, finished the race third, 1.966 behind the winner. Mike Johnson started and finished fourth (-2.585 seconds). Third starter R. Johnson, Jr. settled for fifth (-2.831 seconds) after trying to find open space on the track to stay out of possible trouble and avoid a DNF that could cost him the championship. Afterwards, “RJ” performed several tire-smoking donuts in the infield to celebrate. Travis Irving, Chris Johnson, Richie Altman, Arizonan Taylor Cuzick, 19, and 16-year old Las Vegan Dylan Kwasniewski, the race hard charger award winner, completed the top ten. All 18 finishers in the 23 car field completed 40 laps, so the new champion had no rest until he crossed the finish line after a 31-minute contest. The son of Irwindale's 1999 SLM champion now has won both rookie of the year and series champion in two top TS@I divisions—KTST (2009) and ACLM (2010). He plans to race as a 2011 K & N Filters West Series rookie and at Irwindale when there are no schedule conflicts. Final point standings showed the top three as: R. Johnson with a 28-point victory margin. He tallied 710 points to 682 for Joanides. Holloway was third with 672.
KTST: Another equally anticipated championship battle on the half-mile was the KTST contest. After 14 point races, Partridge, who started the season with a single-season track record ten consecutive main event victories and then had two transmission failure retirements, led by only 14 points. Consistent Todd Cameron (no wins, five seconds and four thirds) ranked second and had to finish eight positions better than Partridge to be the champion. Partridge was second fastest in time trials and started second, while Cameron was fifth FQ in a 20-truck field. On the initial lap a spin in turn two by a row seven starter caused a five truck pileup that sidelined all five trucks involved. Pat Mintey, Jr, the 2007-08 series champion, had the pole and led the first 11 laps after a complete restart. FQ/third starter Kimball, a two-year KTST veteran, ran second to lap 12 when he made an inside pass exiting turn four. He opened a 0.499 winning edge over Partridge. It was his second ever feature victory and second in the last three races. Kimball moved from fourth to third in final points by two points (560-558) over leading rookie Ken Maler, Jr.. Fourth starter Andrew Anderson, a former Bandolero winner, finished third (-0.827). Second generation racer Maler, 19, started seventh and finished fourth, 5.983 seconds back. Mintey placed fifth in what could be his final season before turning his truck over to his son. Dennis Arena, Cameron, Ryan Fortier, Albert Flores and rookie Lucas McNeil, the race hard charger, rounded out the top ten. Partridge beat Cameron by 24 points (620-596) after both drivers enjoyed their most successful campaigns.
All 14 finishers ran 40 laps in a 16-minute, all-green light race after the initial lap red flag. New track champion Partridge performed a long, sweeping 30-yard donut through the infield and then about six more compact donuts reminiscent of former Indy Car driver Alex Zanardi. Next, he place the nose of his Steve Latina-owned Dodge Dakota against the wall near the starters' stand and gunned the engine as tire smoke filled the air and cockpit. He backed to the interview area and from the window edge performed the first-ever back flip by a TS@I winner in tribute to NASCAR winner Carl Edwards. He did so while wearing his helmet and landed on his feet with an assist from a happy crewman. Partridge admitted he was nervous all day and didn't rest until the checkers and the championship was his. It was the first Irwindale series championship for the 2005 California State Legend Car champion. Partridge told the media his 2011 plans include racing in KTST and for the Pepsi SLM track championship with the same Dave Eshleman team he drove for this year.
VPSS: The first race at 7:05 pm was the 15th VPSS event this season. New series champion Rich DeLong III, with eight 2010 feature wins, held a 62-point lead over 2006 and 2008 series champion Bryan Harrell. FQ Sunness started and finished first in his Camaro after leading all 30 laps on the half-mile. It was his third win in 13 attempts this year. He missed two events. DeLong started third and placed second (-0.191) in a 12-minute race with one caution flag. Harrell drove Larry Sampson's No. 94 Camaro to third, four seconds back. Curtis White and Gary Read finished in P. 4-5 respectively. Nine of 12 starters completed all 30 circuits. Champ DeLong did donuts in the infield and told the media he will return to VPSS with a new frame next year for his No. 84 Chevy Impala SS. He also will race four Pepsi SLM races in an ex-Orange Show Speedway car before racing for 2012 SLM rookie of the year in the car.
DTLM: The Drive Tech late models started seven of eight cars present in a 25-lap main on the half-mile. An eight-lap heat race at 5:00 pm had a lap 3 incident that sidelined Jeff Smith's Monte Carlo with a bent Rf frame from contact with the front stretch wall. Tom Capizzi, from Cape Cod, MA, won the heat race over Rob Vining. They started their main event alongside in the second row. Vining led all but lap 4 when school owner Mark Ebert shot into the lead as the on-track teacher/observer. He then slipped back to fifth to observe and evaluate other pupils. Vining beat Capizzi by 0.325. Jim Walborn (-6.830) and Richard Smith (-7.529) followed the two leaders. Ebert, Eric Darensburg and Richard Davis followed in the 11:20.212 all-green race. Ted Stoneburner won the three prior DTLM mains in three different school cars but he did not compete in race four. .
EELC: Chad Schug (1 win) entered the 16th Echo Equipment Legend Cars race of 2010 on the third-mile with a slim 12-point (six positions @ 2-points per position). Brent Scheidemantle (3 wins) ranked second in a two-driver title contest with both seeking their first TS@I championship. Scheidemantle, 17, had been the series point leader most of the season, but slipped to second after a race 14 mechanical failure resulted in a 10-point night. A season-high legends car count of 23 started. Scheidemantle started third and led the first 20 laps as fifth-starter Schug settled into P. 5 all the way. FQ Matthew Hicks, a Pepsi SLM past feature winner, started sixth and was second by lap 7. He passed Scheidemantle on lap 21 on the inside leaving the fourth turn and stayed in front to the end. Darren Amidon, the 25-year old 2007 series champion and nine-time feature winner this season, took second on lap 28. Scheidemantle reclaimed the spot two laps later and as runner-up was 0.863 back at the end.
He cut Schug's margin from 12 to six points in final points. Schug had 684 points to 678 for the teenager. Hard charger honoree Donny St Ours, 16, had to start 22nd after missing qualifying because of a broken rear end. Repairs worked and he charged into P.3 by passing Amidon on lap 33 to place an impressive third, only 1.118 behind the winner. Amidon, Schug, Tony Green, Jordan Hyland, Josh Geer, rookie Blake Dunkleberger, 15, and Gary Scheuerell completed the top ten. Nineteen of 23 starters finished and 18 ran all 35 laps. NASCAR Truck and Nationwide driver Tayler Malsam, from Mooresville, N.C, started next to his past crew chief T. Green in row five and placed 11th in a rare Legends start while visiting in So Cal. Champion Schug performed donuts in the infield before addressing spectators. He has been a Legends driver at Irwindale since the 1930s-replica coupes and sedans powered by motorcycle engines began racing at the track in its early years.
JBMS: LAPD officer D. Scoggins had seven main event triumphs this season in 12 mini stock races, yet he entered round 13 with a slim eight-point lead over two-time race winner Jacob Rogers, 21. They started the 12-car race on the third-mile in positions two and five respectively. Former Bandolero driver Ryan Bragdon led all 35 laps from the pole. It was his first JBMS feature triumph and followed his five second place finishes in a row. He did not compete in six of 13 races, yet finished eighth in final points. Scoggins and Rogers were running second and third on lap 2 when their Pintos came together in the fourth turn and Rogers spun to a stop. Officials sent both drivers to the back of the field. A red flag flew when Richie Altman's Pinto blew its engine in a huge fireball entering the third turn. He stopped near the wall as flames diminished and fire crews arrived. Rogers took P. 3 on lap 23, but he trailed Scoggins by 35 yards (2+ seconds) at the finish and missed his first title by ten points. Eric Reed and Rod Schmitt followed with Tom Dye's Toyota Celica sixth. Dad Steve Rogers, in Scoggins' back-up Pinto, and Seth Wilson also logged 35 laps in a 20-minute race with two yellows and one red flag for Altman's fiery exit. After doing several tire-smoking donuts in the infield, Scoggins' announced he is selling his mini stock team and will assist his son Brett race Bandoleros and will have fun skid plate racing. Scoggins has a fleet of S & J Towing backed FWD, four-cylinder cars that are available for a $300 rental fee at upcoming events.
Jan's Towing BANDOLEROS: The smallest cars that compete at the track had another Friday-Saturday doubleheader on the third-mile for event 18-19 of the season. The top three point drivers and championship contenders—Ryan Cansdale, 11, Ricky Schlick, 13, and Trevor Huddleston, 13—entered the two races within 20 points with 100 points available for both victories. Schlick obliged and set both fastest qualifying times and won the two 20-lap features. He tallied six victories this year and four consecutive triumphs to conclude the season. Schlick said he looks forward to racing Legends after he turns 14 next May. His 790 points ranked second for the season. Cansdale (4 wins) finished fourth and fifth and totaled 796 for his second consecutive Bando title in his two years of racing the Briggs & Stratton-powered cars. Huddleston, the son of the track three-time ACLM champion, entered the two final races ranked second in points. He finished sixth and third and tallied 784 points for P. 3 in the friendly competition of pit area buddies.
Friday – Top six finishers in an 10-car field were: Schlick, Michael Womack, Christian McGhee, son of the SLM and ACLM car owner champion, Cansdale, Lexi Moore and Huddleston, who was second on lap 15 when he spun out to the infield. Fifth place Amanda Poertner, 13, glanced off the back of McGhee's car and spun into the second turn wall, ending her night. Huddleston restarted at the back and passed three cars before the conclusion. Saturday – Top six in an 11-car field were: Schlick, McGhee, Huddleston, Womack, Cansdale and Moore. Other Bando competitors were: R. J. Stearns, Evan Garvy, Blaine Perkins,Mikael Lovas, and Alexis Mann.
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