Vision Airlines Team Flies to Nascar SLM Twin- 40 Lap Wins

By Tim Kennedy

(Irwindale) – First-time victories are exciting for both racers and fans. The Las Vegas-based Vision Airlines Super Late Model Ford-bodied team enjoyed that feeling twice Saturday night with a pair of young Las Vegas drivers–Justin Johnson, 24, and Dusty Davis, 17–during NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

About 2,500 spectators watched the Pepsi One SLM twin 40-lap features on the progressively banked half-mile during YMCA Indian Guides Night. Winners received $1,250 each. Both drivers scored their initial TS@I features triumphs in convincing fashion in 14-car fields. The two all-green flag races were completed in just over 12 minutes.

The Steve Acor-owned Vision AL team has raced two or three cars regularly at Irwindale during 2009-2010. It transports drivers and crew members on one of its Vision AL modern, 66-passenger buses that are used to transport airline passengers. An 18-wheel tractor/trailer hauls both cars 260+ miles to TS@I from the team race shop at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway industrial complex. Crew chiefs are Chuck and Sonny Wahl, a father/son duo from Las Vegas.

Johnson finished second in the main event two weeks ago to tie his TS@I career-best finish last year. He told the media, “My car was tight in the first 40 so we loosened it up a bit between races, but we went too far. We planned to race for the 2010 track championship here, but didn’t think we would win this early and take the points lead so early.”

He now leads the Pepsi SLM track points by 16 over Randel King and Ryan Reed. Prior point leader Joanides had his worst finish since 2008 and dropped from the lead after he won the first two features this season. The reigning SLM champion now ranks fourth, 18 points behind the first-time point leader Johnson. Davis ranks fifth, 20-points in back of his teammate. Johnson added that the Vision team will race in the K & N Grand National West TS@I July event and in both the SLM and K & N GN races a the next Toyota All-Star Showdown.

Johnson and Davis logged a one-two sweep in the first 40 that began the six main event evening at 7:15 pm. Davis won the second 40 and Johnson earned third place. Ryan Partridge finished third in the first 40 and second in the closing 40 to prevent a Vision sweep of both features.

Davis set the fastest lap in the first of two afternoon practice sessions and was second fastest in the second practice session. He started sixth in both feature races. The first of two qualifying laps for all SLM drivers set the lineup for the first 40 and the second timed-lap determined the lineup for the second 40.

Both Vision AL cars cars used standard Chevy engines, not the newly-approved for 2010 spec or “crate” engines from General Motors. So why did the Vision team enjoy such success this week at Irwindale? Team owner Acor hired driver Rip Michels, of San Fernando, CA., to work as team manager and set-up the Vision cars for TS@I racing.

He spent the last two weeks in Las Vegas working to improve the team. Michels is the all-time TS@I main event winner with 61 features. The team practiced during Friday’s 5:00-9:00 pm open-practice and had two SLM practice sessions to get comfortable with Rip’s changes to the No. 94 and 98 cars. The No. 90 Vision car was absent this week and the third Vision driver, Jimmy Parker Jr., 23, remained home in Las Vegas. The two winners credited Michels for improving their cars. Johnson topped his prior best of second place while Davis beat his prior best point finish—fifth. Davis also finished ninth in the SLM 40-car, 66-lap main event during the Toyota All-Star Showdown in January.

SLM 1 ST 40: Fourteen cars started with young drivers Luis Martinez Jr., 20, and SLM rookie Ryan Reed, 16, on the front row. Martinez led the first two laps as fourth starter Johnson jumped to second on lap 2 and took charge a lap later with an inside pass through the third and fourth turns. Fifth starter Partridge took second on lap 4, but he could not catch fleet Johnson (No. 98). He steadily opened a 15-yard lead at lap 10, 35-yards at lap 20, 40-yards at lap 30 and 50-yards (2.235 seconds) at the lap 40 checkers. The exciting battle during mid-race was a seven car pack fighting for third place, 30-yards in back of Partridge. Davis finally took third from Martinez on lap 19. Reed, Randel King, Travis Thirkettle, David Beat and reigning champion Nick Joanides followed in that order at lap 20. When the checkers flew after 12:27.708 of action, the final order behind Johnson had Davis, Partridge, King, Reed, Joanides, Beat, Martinez and Thirkettle in P. 2-9; all completed 40 laps. Scott Dodd was tenth, with 39 laps. With Johnson and Partridge running the outside groove, Davis used the inside route during the final ten laps and closed rapidly on Partridge for second position. On the white flag lap, Davis charged past Partridge on the inside from turn four to the waving white flag. He edged Partridge by 0.197 at the conclusion. Twelve of 14 starters finished. The 15th qualifier, Kyle Neveau, did not start.

SLM 2 ND 40: The penultimate feature of the night ran from 8:56 to 9:06 pm and again started 14 cars with Beat and Reed in the front row. The 12:30.404-timed race had Bakersfield-based Reed leading the first 17 laps. Sixth starter Davis raced to P. 3 by lap 5 and took second from Beat on lap 7 with Reed 20-yards in front of the pair. Davis (low) and Reed (high) battled for the lead during laps 15-17 before Davis passed Reed on the inside at turn four on lap 18.

At the half-way mark, Davis led Reed, Partridge, King, Johnson, Beat, Joanides, Martinez and Thirkettle. Davis held a 50-yard lead at lap 30 when Partridge passed Reed for second place. The P 3-4-5 battle with Reed, King and Johnson in close proximity occupied fans attention during the final ten laps. On the final lap in turn four King’s left rear wheel came off after a stud broke. His car spun nose-first into the outer wall, damaging the front end extensively with the checkered flag waving for Davis and Partridge (3.874 seconds back). . Johnson passed Reed for third place as King crashed. Reed slipped to fourth, 8.030 seconds behind the winner.

Beat, Martinez, hard-charger award winner Thirkettle (all with 40 laps) followed. King’s wrecked Position One Motor-sports No. 30, Tim Huddleston and Dodd rounded out the top ten. Two lapped cars also finished. Seventh place Joanides, nursing an engine problem all night, pulled to the infield on lap 35 with a suspected dropped valve the cause of his DNF.

SW TOUR TRUCKS: Fastest qualifier Jeff Williams, the 2006-07 series champion, started last in a fully-inverted 12-truck Southwest Tour 35-lap race. He again led all but the first lap on the half-mile and kept his Ford F-150 in front by half a straightaway. He won by 2.991 seconds over retired fireman Neil Conrad. Third place Mike Zimmerman was 7.839 seconds in back of the winner in a 17-minute race with one caution at lap 19 to check for oil on the track. First lap leader Ed Cutler finished fourth. Gus Nanos, Brady Helm, Tom Mikla, Figure 8 vet/truck rookie Tony Curtis and Clark Farrar completed the top nine and all ran 35 laps. Ten of 12 starters finished. It was Williams’ third win in three races this season.

LANGERS S2: An eight-car Langers S2 field, including two female teenagers, had six rookies, a second year S2 driver and a many-year veteran 63-year old driver making his debut in the S2 series that began racing last July. None of the competitors had won an S2 feature. So who won his or her first S2 main on the half-mile? Kenny Smith, a 63-year old former resident of nearby El Monte, started third and led all but the opening lap in a 25-lap race. He bought the S2 car for his 16-year old grandson Andrew Porter to race. Andrew, a Bandolero Series graduate, raced it once this season. Then he broke bones in his back during a motorcycle crash off a hill while sand-dragging several weeks ago. He has to wear a back back for about 12-weeks.

Granddad Kenny decided to make his first start in the No. 43 “Go Daddy.com slime green” S2 car. The result was his fourth career feature victory at TS@I. He won twice in the early years of the track in his No. 43 MSRA Pro 4 Modified in a series discontinued a the track years ago. He also won a King Taco Super Truck main at Irwindale three years ago in his Petty-blue No. 43 truck. The personable driver won $22.3 million in the 1994 California Lottery and spread his payout over 20 years. He funded his racing aspirations and named his team Quick Pick Motor-sports. He first raced a No. 43 in the NASCAR Grand National West Series and had 29 starts with five top ten finishes.

Smith ran the outside groove once he pass first lap leader Dylan Lupton and edged 15-year old rookie Roman Lagudi, of Las Vegas, by 0.326 seconds. FQ David Busby, from Laguna Beach, finished third (-1.914) in one of four HPR blue cars. Second year S2 driver Kendell Lopez, from Missouri, started sixth in her first ride aboard the 97 car after her deal in the No. 59 HPR car ended. She raced into third place at a lap 16 green flag following a solo spin by Bill Waters. Busby retook third from Lopez a lap later, but she earned hard charger honors. Lupton placed fifth, 0.188 behind Lopez. Jessica Clark, a 16-year old series newcomer, drove the HPR 59 to seventh quickest qualifying time and sixth in the feature. Gary Waters started first and finished seventh after completing all 25 laps. His brother Bill started and finished eighth after spinning on lap 12 and losing a lap.

JBMS: A 12-car field of Justice Brothers Mini Stocks used an eight-car inverted start on the third-mile. and ran a 10:09.915 all-green flag race. Reigning series champion Daryl Scoggins came from eighth grid position, passed lap 1-18 leader Richie Altman on lap 19 outside in the fourth turn and won by 1.315 seconds over Altman. Both drivers wheeled Ford Pintos. He became the third 2010 winner in the series after three races. Jacob Rogers finished third, 8.868 seconds back. Kevin Bernhardt and Dustin Morgan rounded out the top five as 11 drivers reached the finish line. R. C. Zimmerman, from Pomona, finished 11th, four laps down in his No. 91 Pinto. In start/finish line presentations he received a special award of $91.00 (to signify his age). Racing’s oldest active driver comes to the track alone as a one-man team because he enjoys competing.

TRAILER RACE: The sixth and final race of the night was the sixth-ever trailer race on the watered, slick third-mile oval. This time cars ran counter-clockwise with two female drivers in the 15-car field. All cars towed trailers with various cargo, such as row boats, pop-up campers, jet skis, huge tires, a hot tub, small house trailers, a television and sofa with a life-like doll on it. Total purse was $2,000 and the winner collected $1,000. By track rules, winners had to have at least 10% of the trailer remaining at the finish. Cars that lost trailers could remain in competition and try to knock out other trailers. The event started at 9:19 and concluded at 9:33 pm after one red flag to remove a stalled car that was facing oncoming cars at the starting line. Six cars were still circling the track at the finish with three cars on the lead lap after 12 minutes. Robert Rice, towing a boat, led all but the third lap of the 20 lap race. He won his fifth trailer race in six such events at the track since 2008. Jonathan DeStefano, towing a trailer with the TV and sofa long since deposited on the litter-strewn track, was second. Keith Johns, towing a pop-up camper, placed third. In 2008 he won the only trailer race that Rice did not win. Spectators thoroughly enjoyed the mayhem, crashing-bashing and a three-way standing restart following the lap 9 red flag.

FASTEST QUALIFIERS: (On half-mile) – SLM – Dusty Davis, 17.995; KTST – Jeff Williams, 19.936; Langers S2 – David Busby, 20.450; (On third-mile) – Mini Stocks – Daryl Scoggins, 16.924. For complete results in each division check TS@I website.

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