IRWINDALE 2023 SEASON FINALE
By noderel:
noderel:
profilepic:
Irwindale, CA., Oct. 28 - It was the Irwindale Speedway annual Saturday night Halloween celebration presented by Pick Your Part and about 4,000 fans attended. Many youngsters vied for prizes and candy attired in their Halooween costumes. It was the final IS racing event in the 23rd season of oval track competition at the San Gabriel Valley speedway.
PYP Pro Late Model "Mayor's Cup" 100: Opening event at 7:00 pm was the $5,000 to win and $500 to start non-points NASCAR Pro Late Model 100 lap race on the half-mile. A field of 12 cars had fastest qualifier Linny White, from Colton, starting from the back row in the No. 55 Clay Wooster Chevy. The 2022 IS NASCAR Pro Late Model champion continued his career year by winning the season finale. He won both the 2023 IS NASCAR Pro LM championship and the 2023 Spears Mfg Pro LM championship. He won 12 of 16 mains at Irwindale and six of eight on the traveling Spears Pro LM circuit that visited three speedways. His combined 2023 victory total was 18 of 24 for an amazing 75%.
Christian Bazen started third and led three laps in his No. 43 re-numbered No. 75 in tribute to the late Wayne Spears, who used that number on his race cars. Three-time IS Pro LM champion Trevor Huddleston, 27, started seventh and led laps 4-15 in his HPR No. 50 as rapid White moved forward quickly to P. 2 by lap 9. A caution flag on lap 16 for a stopped car enabled White to pass Huddleston for the lead when racing resumed and he stayed in front to the checkers.
A four-car crash in turn one on lap 21 eliminated several cars and a red flag resulted for clean-up operations. On lap 42 the P. 3 No. 90 Wooster Chevy driven by Jeff Peterson slowed from turn three to the infield with a blown engine. The car oiled the track and another lengthy red flag ensued. Because of the delays officials cut the 100-lap event to 70 laps so all of the planned Night of Destruction events could be completed. White defeated Huddleston byt 0.380.
During post-race interviews White thanked his team "for a stellar year". Huddleston said, "Linny had to be perfect that last 28 laps and he never made a mistake." Bazen earned third place, 6.923 seconds in back of White. Sean Woodside, Dennis Arena, Nash Youngren and Ethan Cheek placed fourth through seventh and all completed 70 laps in the 46-minute event. White clocked the fastest lap of 19.002 (94.727 mph).
Next at 8:25 was a 19-car enduro sedan 30-lap race on the six-turn r-oval course. Bobby Ozman started third and led every lap in his No. 18 Acura Integra. Rodney Argo started first and placed second, 0.575 back. Fellow sport class driver Bory Molina, Jason Woolcott and Mike McIntyre followed. Robert Rice was sixth and won the stock class (his 84th IS victory) over P. 7 Mikey Killen. Molina ran the fastest lap of 83.838 mph.
A Tucker Tire Figure Eight 20-lap race with 15 entrants was next. Robert Walks led lap 1 from the pole. J. Woolcott started seventh and led laps 2-20 and won the all green-flag race by 8.377 seconds over James Bolinas. Robbie Salcido, R. Rice and Rider gardner (P. 3-5) also completed all 20 laps with 12 cars running at the finish.
Crown Vics Demo: A new unscored demonstration-only 20-lap race for Ford Crown Victoria sedans had six entrants in full-size Crown Vics on the third-mile oval. Rider Gardner (yellow No. 6) edged Tanner Huddleston (white No. 00) by five yards. R. Rice (No. 7), Cheryl Hyland (No. 176), Eric Ryan (No. 911) and Francisco Prado (No. 73) followed. The new class may become a new IS racing division in 2024.
Skid Plate Cars - 15 laps: The event started at 9:22 and used the six-turn r-oval. Mike McIntyre led lap 1. Past skid plate multi-race winner Austin Lee led laps 2-6 but the final leader was Robert Rice. The triumph made him the all-time IS main event victories leader with 85 wins in various main events. That total is one more than Trevor Huddleston's 84 victories.Rice edged R. Salcido by 0.523 seconds in the ten minute event.
On track activity concluded shortly before 10 pm with a ten-car trailer destruction race of about 20-laps. It took place on a watered third-mile and used the infields for the backstretch. Four old house trailers parked on the front straight were demolished quickly by competitors driving sedans, pickup trucks and an El Camino. Drivers tried to win the favor of spectators who determined the event winner. After ten minutes, still competing cars stopped near the front straight crashwall to await voting by fans. The No. 20 truck driven by Rider Gardner won. R. Rice and F. Prado finished second and third.
LATE NEWS: The IS 2023 season championship awards ceremony/dinner will be held on the final weekend of January. The site will be under the IS grandstand as it has been during the COVID pandemic years. IS management will host the event as last year with food and beverages served to attendees from the main concession stand. Details regarding reservations will be posted soon on the IS website.
The 2024 IS season opener on the first weekend of February will be the competitive All-Star Showdown. All three Spears Mfg series--super late models, pro late models and modifieds will compete on the half-mile.
It was announced during December that IS co-promoter Tim Huddleston and his wife Lisa have bought the former Kern County Raceway Park. He will promote both IS and the newly renamed Kevin Harvick's Kern County Raceway during 2024. IS again will use the second and fourth Saturdays and Kern will use the first and third Saturdays.