Night of Destruction nearly took out our photographer with this camper shell. Photo Anne Cypress.
(Irwindale, Ca) – An estimated 4,700 fans watched a Halloween crashtacular at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Usually for a Saturday night the object isn’t to wreck a race car, but last night style points counted as drivers and their strange vehicles took center stage for the last regular season weekend at the track.
Driver as far away as Indiana and Washington participated in the $10,000 purse in the Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8’s.
Classic Stock champion Ken Michaelian went from taking care of race car to strapping on his hans device and getting into a skid plate race car. Fellow Classic Stock driver Tommy Mason also partook in the tomfoolery.
SKID PLATE RACING – 16 LAPS
Sixty-six year old Brian Tully won the Skid Plate Race on Halloween when he out lasted 15 other participants.
The race which features front-wheel drive cars with no back tires with skid plates bolted on to them.
Keith Johns (8) and Dave Jjohnson (not a typ0) begin skid plate race. Photo by Anne Cypress.
Because there was really no way to score the mess that transpired on the track, the track officials sorted out Tully as the winner.
Johnathon DeStefano was second and Tommy Mason was third.
Results:
1. Brian Tully
2. Jonathon DeStefano
3. Tommy Mason
TRAIN RACE – 3 LAPS
Robert Rice and Keith Johns went wire-to-wire to take the 10 lap race that involved a driver in one car tied together with a car with no driver and a driver in the third car.
It is pretty difficult to explain, so look at the picture to the right.
Train Race car. Photo by Anne Cypress.
The race was stopped after one car jack-knifed heading into the first turn that took out Bill Wade and Seth Funder’s vehicle.
After the re-start Rice and Johns were able to withstand a serious late charge from Louise Johnson and Dan Pachella.
Results:
1. Robert Rice – Keith Johns
2. Louise Johnson – Dan Pachella
3. Rick Walken – Steve Koch
Corey Taylor wins $10k purse in F-8's. Photo by Anne Cypress.
PICK YOUR PART FIGURE 8’S – 100 LAPS
Corey Turner from Indianapolis, In won the 100 laps Pick Your Part Outlaw F-8’s. Turner takes home $5,000 out of the $10,000 purse.
The most impressive part of the win was that Turner was sitting in the snow at home hoping he could be out in California.
“He (Rod Proctor) told me to come out here this morning,” said Turner of car owner Rod Proctor. “I was out here last week at Orange Show and blew an engine. I really thought it was too good to be true be asked to come out here to win.”
The race was run in two parts as the first-50 was for the track championship but run as a full race with a break in between.
Heading into the break, “Barefoot” Billy Zieman was the leader with Steve Stewart in second.
Stewart’s second place finish in the first half was good enough to win the Pick Your Part Outlaw F-8.
“We did a pretty good job this year,” said Stewart of his track championship. “I won three races and was able to be consistent with Billy Ziemann winning three races as well.”
The second half of the race saw Turner take the lead he would never relinquish. Turner endured three red flag stoppages during the last 48 laps.
Turner appeared to be on his way to a full straight away lead until he was afraid to pass a lap car with three laps to go. He would eventually win by 1.119 seconds.
Steve Stewart was crowned PYP Oultlaw Figure 8's. Photo by Anne Cypress.
Results:
1. Corey Turner
2. Steve Stewart
3. Billy Zimmeman
4. Greg Scott
5. Nick Gunderson
AUTO SOCCER – PICK YOUR PART: 1 JAN’S TOWING 0
After ten minutes of wrecking cars, Pick Your Part was up three cars to one against Jan’s Towing and was able to get free and get the deciding goal.
Team Pick Your Part’s strategy was to take out as many Jan’s Towing cars “demolition” style before go to net.
With the two car advantage, Pick Your Part was able to go wide with the ball (400 lb propane tank colored as a ball) and slice diagonally to get the ball into the goal.
TRAILER RACE – 14 LAPS
Robert Rice cruised to a Trailer Race win. Photo by Anne Cypress.
A field of thirteen drivers took to the 1/3 mile track and competed in the strangest event of the evening as cars pulled a trailer behind them.
The intended end result was accomplished as the track was littered with whatever was hitched to the back of the cars on the trailers.
The “King of Demolition” Robert Rice won the final race as he pulled his speed boat across the finish on the rims of the trailer. Rice would celebrate by jack knifing his race car in a attempt to do a victory doughnut.
Rice took the lead on the first lap and withstood a charge from Johnathon DeStefano and his upside down fishing boat which by the end was bent in half.
Early on the race, Louise Johnson on lap two lost a fold up camper that went careening into the turn two wall and shattered into pieces. Later in the race Johnson would end her night when she attempted to take out Rebeca Velasco and her trailer, only to go airbourne and land on top of the trailer.
Ruben Barrios with finish third as he pulled a coffin with a fake dead body around with not much damage.
Results:
1. Robert Rice
2. Jonathon DeStefano
3. Ruben Barrios
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