HUNT WINS IRWINDALE USAC 360 SPRINTS & CANTRELL TAKES SUPER TRUCKS AUG. 2011
By noderel:
Irwindale, Ca. - Aug. 27, 2011 – It was sizzling hot in the 90s during Saturday afternoon practice and qualifying for Toyota Speedway at Irwindale competitors in five series, including USAC open-wheel teams. USAC Western 360 Sprints and Ford Focus Midget teams were making their first of three visits this season to the track. The evening proved to be just as hot competition-wise with racing action on the half and third mile ovals. Six-time USAC champion Tony Hunt, from Lincoln, won his fourth USAC Western 360 Sprint feature in a 40-lap, sensational three-way duel during the midway portion of the race. It followed another outstanding King Taco Super Truck 40-lap race, also on the half-mile, in which Connor Cantrell traded the lead twice with Ryan Partridge and recaptured the point and victory on the final lap exiting the fourth turn.
Two TS@I series--Langers Juice S2 cars and Justice Brothers Mini Stocks--raced main events on the half and third-miles respectively. USAC Ford Focus Midgets and Ford Focus Young Guns also raced on the third mile. An impressive turnout of 5,500 spectators on “Hawaiian shirt 2 for the admission price of 1 Night”, plus $2 beers and $1 hot dogs swelled the grandstand crowd and attracted many new spectators to the San Gabriel Valley track. Other lures were 4 X 4 demo runs by eight pickup trucks over old cars and large tires in the infield, a Pick Your Part Chevy jet-powered pickup truck exhibition on the front straight, and Metal Mullisha motorcycle trick jumpers, also on the front straight in the final event of the evening.
USAC AMSOIL SPRINTS: Eleven cars took the green flag at 9:35 with a six-car inverted lineup that placed fastest qualifier Hunt outside row three. Second starter and leading rookie Cody Gerhardt, 17, shot into the lead over pole starter Tim Barber and led the initial 22 laps. New mother Audra Sasselli, who gave birth to her first child, Gianna, in February, started fourth and took second on lap 5 as Scott Pierovich took third and Shuna Hogg fourth. The top four drivers raced closely at 105-106 mph and Sasselli took the lead briefly with an inside pass in turn two on lap 6. Gerhardt reclaimed the point with an inside pass entering the third turn. Hunt took fifth on lap 6, third on lap 15 with an inside move that dropped Pierovich to fourth. From laps 16-25 the trio of Gerhardt, Sasselli and Hunt thrilled fans with their blazing speed and moves. Sasselli took the lead from Gerhardt on lap 23 with an inside pass exiting turn four and paced the next seven laps through lap 29. On lap 24 Hunt took second from Gerhardt, who was bumped but regained control as the trio lapped slower cars in traffic. Hunt closed in on Sasselli quickly and made his winning pass inside in the third and fourth corners on lap 30. He opened a 20-yard lead by lap 35 when a broken bolt sent fourth place Pierovich into the wall entering the first turn. He was unhurt, but sidelined.
On the lap 35 restart, Hunt pulled away and Gerhardt took second on the inside leaving turn four at the green. Hunt won in his No. 56 Phulps E-Bay Motors Beast/spec Chevy by 30-yards (2.398 seconds). Gerhardt crossed the finish line second, but USAC officials running the race penalized him two positions to fourth for taking P. 2 too early. Sasselli, a school teacher from Visalia, collected second place points and money in her family-owned No. 77 2008 Beast/Brodix, despite a deflating RF tire during the closing laps. Tim Skoglund came from fifth at the start in a second Gerhardt Western Racing Gerhardt chassis and closed on Sasselli at the end. He finished third, only 0.137 in back of Sasselli, whose infant daughter was present in a team vehicle. Sasselli enjoyed her career-best Irwindale sprint car feature finish and tied her career-best finish on the circuit. Hogg finished fifth, 3.095 in back of the winner and the last driver to complete all 40 laps. Dirt track veteran Geoff Ensign, from Sebastapol, made his Irwindale debut and finished sixth in one of two Ted Finkenbinder cars. John Anderson also ran 39 laps with eight cars racing at the finish. The 22-minute race had two cautions (laps 5 and 35). Hunt increased his series point lead from 2 to 6 points (518-512) over Sasselli. Third place Skoglund with 501 points is lurking in the wings, with Gerhardt close at 498. Hunt also leads the USAC Western Classic (paved & dirt tracks) sprint series points 562 to 530 over Ensign. FF Midget graduate Sasselli led every lap after starting fourth in the first of two 8-lap heat races. She ran the fastest lap at 16.853 (106.806 mph). Pierovich led the final five laps of the second heat and beat Skoglund by 0.479.
KTST 40: With 16 super trucks present, quickest qualifier Cantrell started fourth and Partridge, the reigning series champion/10-time 2010 KTST feature winner, had pole position. Todd Cameron occupied the outside front row position. The super competitive trucks ran an all-green light 13+ minute race with close competition and position changes throughout the field. Partridge used the outside groove and led the first 25 laps as Cameron and Cantrell battled 13 laps for second. Then Cantrell took second and closed on Partridge via the inside line from lap 20-30. Their duel was captivating. On lap 26 Cantrell made an inside move leaving turn 4 and led laps 26 and 27, but he could not move in front of persistent Partridge. On lap 28 Partridge regained the lead using the outside line in the third and fourth turns. Cantrell, 20, lurked a length or two behind Partridge, 23, and saved his tires for a final charge. He made his play on lap 39 and trailed by half a length. On lap 40 he pulled to the inside through turns 3 and 4 and edged into the lead leaving the fourth corner as their trucks touched briefly. Cantrell won his second consecutive KTST feature by 0.163 over Partridge, who was upset a the outcome. He has won six of 11 truck races this season and still trails consistent double winner Cantrell by 10 points (515-504) with four races remaining until the season finale on October 22. Cameron finished third, 3.015 seconds back, giving the top three point drivers a sweep of the podium positions. Lucas McNeil, Matt Kimball, Dennis Arena, KTST rookie Ken Michaelian, grandpa Kenny Smith, Kenny Brown and Ryan Fortier completed the top ten. Fourteen of 15 starters finished and nine trucks logged all 40 laps.
USAC FF MIDGETS: Two Ford Focus midget series ran main events. At 5:00 pm the five young guns present staged a 20-lap, five-minute race with drivers, including two females, from ages 12 to 17. Austrialian driver Brodie Kostecki, 13, made his first Irwindale start. He now lives in Roseville, north of Sacramento, and is home schooled. He started third and drove the No. 40 Alloy Steel International Arco-Plate Racing Western Racing Gerhardt chassis and led all 20 laps for another victory on the circuit. FQ Trevor Hunt, a 12-year old from Kansas City, MO, trailed by 0.369. Christine Breckenridge, 13, from Irvine, finished third. P. 4 Ricky Bowers, 17, from Mentor, OH, was a DNF. Las Vegas driver Marina Turner was a DNS.
WESTERN FF PAVEMENT/SOUTH SERIES: Seven drivers ran a 25-lap main on the the third mile. The 18-minute race had seven caution flags and three leaders. Aussie Kostecki was the slowest qualifier and started last. He took command eight laps from the end and won by 0.385 over So Cal high school junior Jessica Clark, 17. FQ Paul Graham, 19, from Malvern PA, finished third in one of four Ron Sutton Winner's Circle Driver Development Program cars. Brandon White, Jarid Blondel, 15, Ricky Bowers, 17, followed. Shawn Buckley rolled his car in the fourth turn during his heat race, but he started the main on the pole. He finished third, -0.761, but his car was disqualified and not classified. Kostecki also won a FF heat race over Clark by 0.417 giving him three victories in three races in his Irwindale debut.
S2: In a ten-car field, Devon Ostheimer, a 17-year old dirt track sprint car driver last year at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, started and finished first in the High Point Racing No. 55 Chevy. FQ Andrew Anderson, 18, started fifth and finished a closing runner-up, 0.872 back. Andrew Porter, 17, was third, -6.185, and Malibu's Austin Dyne, 19, placed fourth. Bill Waters, FF Midget veteran Nik Romano, Gary Waters, FF Western Midget 2011 championship contender Jessica Clark, and Trevor Huddleston, 15, completed the top nine and all ran 30 laps. Mike Colato, Jr was in a three-wide battle for second place with Anderson and Porter when a side-bump sent the right-side of his car into the wall entering the first turn. He was unhurt, but his car was towed to the pits. It was the only caution in a 15-minute event.
MINI STOCKS: FQ Kevin Bernhardt started third and led the first 12 laps. P. 5 starter Daryl Scoggins made an inside pass in turn 2 as the leading Ford Pintos lapped a slower car. Scoggins pulled away to an easy half-straightaway victory (2.888 seconds), It was his 24th TS@I feature triumph. Robby Hornsby (Pinto) took P. 2 from third finisher Bernhardt on lap 25. Ryan Bragdon finished fourth in a Mustang II. Rod Schmitt, Seth Wilson, Dennis Croasmun and Dusty Morgan all completed 35 laps in P. 5-8 respectively in a 12-car field. The all-green light race took 10:02.009.
After the sprint race concluded at 9:57, the red Pick Your Part Chevy jet-engine powered pickup truck “Inferno” made several jet-bursts and launched fireworks. Then two motorcycle jumpers performed aerial tricks after launching from one ramp over their equipment hauler and landing on a receiving ramp. At the conclusion, fans streamed out on the still mid-70s evening after one of the most fan-pleasing hot nights of the season. The USAC Western 360 Sprints and FF Midgets swill return to TS@I on October 15 and at the Thanksgiving Night Grand Prix.