IRWINDALE EVENT CENTER NEWS …
APRIL 28, 2015
STROKE AWARENESS NIGHT:
BRI WINKLER ABC7: GRAND MARSHAL
Irwindale, Calif. – – After a rare rain-out last Saturday, NASCAR short track racing resumes on the Irwindale oval this Saturday night with a twin-hitter for the popular Irwindale Race Truck division along with races for the Pick Your Part Super Stocks, the Mini-Stocks, and the ever-popular, always spectacular, almost certifiable Seidner’s Collision Centers Skid Plate Cars.
SPECIAL NIGHT/GRAND MARSHAL: The night of May 2nd has been designated as “Stroke Awareness Night” at Irwindale Speedway and ABC7 Meteorologist Bri Winkler will serve as the event’s Grand Marshal.
Winkler, who’s still in her early 20’s is a recent stroke survivor (2012) who has become a passionate advocate for stroke awareness devoting much of her time away from the KABC weather desk to that important cause.
“There’s a reason why I’m here today and I really think a big part of that is spreading the story,” Walker has been quoted. “… And if that’s all that I can do to make one person learn the symptoms and maybe they save a life or they save their own life, then I’ve done my job.” Ms. Walker will be at the track to meet and greet fans during the family-friendly On-Track Autograph Party that starts at 5:45 p.m. before the races and is held right on the racetrack.
RACING: The highly-competitive Irwindale Race Trucks will run two complete points-paying races on Saturday night with 100 markers up for grabs in the two events. Number 72, Joey Licata, Jr. from Lake Balboa leads the pick’em’up trucks standings after two races with 98 (one win, and one second place). Going into the third of the ten-race 2015 series Lawndale’s Ken Michaelian (#40) is off to a good start with 88 points for second place in the standings, while Lucas McNeil (#78) is only four points behind with 84.
Double races are always double-edged swords for racing teams. Mess up (or get messed-up) in the first race so bad that your mount won’t run in the second go-around, and you are a quick 100 points behind (and this is only race 3 and 4!). Fast, smart and lucky is the idea. But that’s always the idea in racing, isn’t it?
Driving car number 15 Jimmy Sloan took the first round (of eight scheduled) of the Pick Your Part Super Stocks, the Indio, driver is followed by Long Beach’s Zack Green (#21), the 2014 SS champion with Greg Crutcher (#01) from nearby Coivina right there in third place in the points. The numbers for the above read: 50, 48, 46, and so on 2 points less for each finishing position on down the page.
This will be race two for the Mini-Stocks as well, this round out of a total of seven races that they’ll run for the 2015 track championship. Ryan Bragdon, car number 86, from Beaumont has the 50 first place points next to his name (see www.irwindaleeventcenter.com under 2015 NASCAR POINTS) Chatsworth’s own Mike Colato, Jr. (#49) second with (right!) 48 points, and La Verne’s Aubree Potter (#43) has the 46 points for third.
The Mini-Stocks run on Irwindale’s tight and tricky inner third-mile and they’re only “mini” when it comes to size … besides where else (but here) can you see a dozen and half Ford Pintos all trying to be in the same place at the same time?
SILLINESS: Last but hardly least, the sparking, sideways, slip-sliding away (and very aptly-titled and in more ways than one!) Seidner’s Collision Centers Skid Plate Cars will take to the Irwindale infield (and other less obvious places) for some of the most hilarious highjinks that we’re ever eye witness to all season long.
To drive one of these front wheel drive compact cars with two steel skid plates where the rear wheels should be is to understand that just about everything you ever learned about fast driving is very wrong indeed. There’s a distinct strangeness to the whole exercise when you’re attempting to make a skid plate car go around the track faster than the other drivers. Fast is often slow and right is (maybe) every other time left in the Bizarro World of the “Skids”.
There are some very nice examples of the Skid Plate phenomenon (mostly all shot here) on YouTube, but there’s really nothing like watching a whole passel of them beating their way around the course like deranged ducks on ice, live and in person … To smell the tire smoke, hear the tortured metal grinding away, and see all the sparks. Pure art.
All of the above is available this Saturday, May 2 at the Speedway.
DISCOUNT TICKETS FOR THIS WEEK’S RACE ARE AVAILABLE ON LINE UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRIDAY … BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY TO IRWINDALE FOR NASCAR … LIVE AND LOCAL