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Tag: Irwindale Speedway

  • Three Gillilands for the Price of One Ticket

    Three Gillilands for the Price of One Ticket

    Family has always been an integral part of the NASCAR tradition. Its history can be traced through generations of fathers and sons.

    Richard Petty competed against his father, Lee, in NASCAR’s premier series between 1958 and 1964 and out-raced him five times. He holds the distinction of being the first son to win at the Cup level in a race in which his father also ran. The race was Richard’s first win on February 28, 1960 at Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina. Richard’s son, Kyle, captured his first win at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway on February 23, 1986; his father finished 20th in the race.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway in April 2000 while his father finished seventh. Bobby and Davey Allison also raced against each other as did Buck and Buddy Baker.

    It is rare, however, to see three generations competing against each other at any level of stock car racing. For NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Gilliland, an intriguing idea blossomed into a unique opportunity to race against both his father and son.

    The idea began taking shape when Gilliland learned that Irwindale Speedway, a half-mile oval in California, re-opened last year after being closed in 2012.

    “When Irwindale shut down, I was bummed that Todd would never be able to race there,” Gilliland said in a Front Row Motorsports press release. “I think Irwindale Speedway was a key part of my learning to race and, to me, it’s one of the nicest, if not the nicest, racetracks I’ve ever raced on.”

    When the track reopened, he was determined to find a way for his son to race there. The plan began to evolve when Gilliland decided he would take advantage of an off weekend in July on the Cup schedule and make it a father and son event.

    “So, I went to work and tried to drum up some cars for Todd and I to race against each other. “Then,” he continued, “I thought it’d be really cool to have three generations of Gillilands out there racing. So, we got a car for my dad to drive, too, and talked him into coming out and racing.”

    Racing has always been a family business. David grew up watching his father, Butch, race on dirt tracks in the Southern California area and was never far from his side. He worked on his father’s cars and was his crew chief when Butch won the 1997 K&N West Series championship.

    It was only natural that David would follow in his father’s footsteps and it’s not surprising that David’s son, 14-year-old Todd, has continued the family tradition. This year is Todd’s first full-time season of stock car racing and he has already captured his first late-model pole and win at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, North Carolina in May.

    The three generations will come together to race at Irwindale Speedway on July 19 in a 75-lap Super Late Model Series feature event that has been named Family Night at the Races, in honor of the Gillilands. For tickets and more information, please visit www.IrwindaleSpeedway.com.

    David can’t wait to get on the track and participate in what will certainly be a treasured family moment that will be passed down to future generations.

    “It’s going to be the first time that I’m racing against Todd and obviously the first time that he’ll be racing against his grandpa,” David explained. “We’re really excited about it. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for us to have three generations racing against each other. It’s something that not a lot of people get to do and I’m pretty proud to be able to do it.”

    But don’t forget, this is a family of racers and the ultimate goal is to win.

    “When we get there, we’re all going to be on the same team,” David stated. “But, my son wants to beat us both pretty bad. Hopefully we can all finish the race and just have a lot of fun doing it. And hopefully one of us will end up in Victory Lane.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • “Drivers Start Your Engines” Irwindale Event Center Announces Opening Night and Welcomes NASCAR as the Sanctioning Body

    “Drivers Start Your Engines” Irwindale Event Center Announces Opening Night and Welcomes NASCAR as the Sanctioning Body

    speedFour of the most recognized words in motorsports will once again be heard throughout one of the Nation’s most recognized racing facilities, after being closed for the entire 2012 season.

    A breath of fresh air along with a management team that is dedicated to serving the drivers, as well as the fans are on the top of the priority list when Irwindale Event Center opens its gates for the 2013 racing season on April 6th.

    The opening night schedule will include, NASCAR Super Late Models, Late Models, Super Stocks, Mini-Stocks and an evening-ending fun-for-all Demolition Derby. Team 211 Entertainment’s President/CEO Jim Cohan is beginning his tenure at the track with a very strong statement, which will serve as the catalyst and the backbone to a very promising season of racing in 2013 and beyond.

    Months and weeks of planning have gone into making sure the right people and the right formula would be utilized to make this a successful venture for everyone involved, including the right attitude to work with both drivers and the fans.

    “I absolutely want to hear from the racers and fans. You’ve got a guy at the helm in me, and I am a PEOPLE person first and foremost. To work with me, folks have to leave their egos someplace else,” said Cohan when talking about the planning that has been taken place.

    Cohan also added that, “We care and that we appreciate every single one of them, and that the old regime is dead and over. I want excitement in the air not only because racing is back at Irwindale, but also because folks know the group running it CARES about them and considers them family.”

    Along with the schedule announcement for the 2013 racing season, Cohan also signed a deal with NASCAR this past week to fully sanction all the divisions that will be racing on the asphalt paved ovals.

    “NASCAR is pleased to bring our Home Tracks program back to Irwindale Speedway,” said Duvall, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Business Development.

    Duvall also added that, “This facility hasn’t changed physically in any way; it’s the same great race track. What has changed is the management group and spirit of teamwork that Jim Cohan’s people bring to the effort, they’re all top pros, and I’m really looking forward to working with them.”

    “We met with Bob Duvall from NASCAR yesterday at our offices in Irwindale,” said Cohan.

    Cohan finished with, “He really understands our mission to bring great short track stock car racing back to southern California and he’s very supportive of that goal. Bob made his presentation, answered all of our questions, we signed the sanction agreement, and he got back on a plane and took the papers back to Daytona Beach.”

    With NASCAR once again as the sanctioning body, the crowning the state or national champion is a very good possibility. For the drivers along with the fans, racing is back in the Southern California area and it’s great to see the facility finally has a person in charge that cares.

    “We plan to give it all we’ve got. Challenges may come and obstacles may get in the way but you and the entire community have my word that my team is totally committed to doing everything in our power to make this the very best it can be,” said a very confident Jim Cohan.

    An announcement is forthcoming for meetings with car owners and drivers for each division by Irwindale Competition Director, Mike Atkinson.

    Full racing schedule will be announced later on today, and the speedway office is now accepting applications for 2013 NASCAR licenses for drivers and crewmembers.

  • Irwindale Event Center Trying to Bring Short Track Racing Back to Southern California

    Irwindale Event Center Trying to Bring Short Track Racing Back to Southern California

    issWith the closing of Toyota Speedway at Irwindale this past season, it raised a lot of speculation on how a state of the art facility could go from one of the Nation’s most popular short tracks, to one of the biggest mismanaged fiascos since Ontario Motor Speedway closed its gates in 1980.

    It wasn’t long after the track opened, that it became one the most talked about racing facilities from coast to coast, and the excitement the track generated during the early part of its inception was nothing like the disappointment it became in its latter years.

    On any given Saturday night, car counts were at all-time high, and the level of competition was some of the best with the fans showing their appreciation by filling the stands week after week.

    Irwindale would gain even more National exposure when NASCAR decided in 2003 to hold its annual non-points All-Star Showdown, which brought together both the Camping World East and West series teams to battle for bragging rights on the progressively banked ½ mile speedway.

    The race itself was dubbed “The Daytona 500” of short track racing because of the prestige that came with winning this two day racing extravaganza, and the race itself attracted drivers from all over the country including NASCAR’s touring and regional series.

    The following year in 2004, the track continued to flex its majesty when Greg Pursley won one of NASCAR’s most prestigious awards. Pursley, who had a full-time job at the track as an instructor at the Performance Race Training School, won the weekly series national championship, an award that had not been accomplished by a California driver in 19 years.

    Attendance, as well as car counts began to decline when the drivers and teams begin to voice their opinions on rule changes that were taking place in the middle of the season, along with certain drivers and teams who were being given special treatment.

    It became more and more obvious that the vice president and general manager of the track Bob DeFazio, along with competition director Lester Boyer were quickly losing control of the facility when the drivers and fans slowly began to look for other venues to get their racing fix.

    During this time, one of the biggest questions surrounding the track was how the track’s CEO Jim Williams could allow the facility to take a turn for the worse, without stepping in and putting a stop to what became obvious throughout the pit area.

    More and more things got worse around the track, and during the 2011 season NASCAR sent their officials to find out how the late model division, which happened to be the same division that would crown the national as well as the state champion could allow cars to race without first qualifying.

    Defazio knew that in order for either the state or national champion to come from his track, they needed a minimum of 20 cars to start each race, so he allowed both super stocks and the S2 cars to start and park in order to reach the needed car count.

    NASCAR approached Defazio and Boyer telling them that all cars had to qualify, in addition to passing tech inspection which included having the same rear spoiler.

    All of this embarrassment along with the closing of the track could have been avoided if Defazio would have taken the time to listen and work with all the drivers in all the divisions, instead of playing favorites and trying to monopolize racing to a single track.

    Jim Cohan’s Team 211 Entertainment group are on the right path to mending what was broken by a greedy, and unappreciative general manager who only looked out for his own interests while forgetting about the well being of the track.

    Cohan knew it would be an uphill battle from day one, and overcoming the challenges ahead could only be achieved by getting the entire racing community involved. “We know that we’re starting out a couple of laps behind,” Cohan said.

    “But we also know that we have the support of a great number of former racers, sponsors, and most importantly, our fans who have stood by waiting for this track to come back on line again. We’ll really need everyone’s good will and support, and we’ll be trying very hard to return the favor by running a facility that always puts the customer first.”

    Cohan and his management team have been busy working on a schedule as well as formulating a universal rules package with other tracks, in order to accommodate all drivers with the goal of bringing short track racing back to the Southern California area.

    With the opening night announcement and full racing schedule only a day away, Cohan secured Los Angeles-based LoanMart as one of the tracks sponsors.

    “We met with Colby Estes (LoanMart’s Director of Marketing) two days ago and had an instant rapport,” said Jim Cohan, President of 211 Entertainment Company.

    Cohan also added that, “LoanMart told us that they were pleased to be able to associate with Irwindale and that they had been waiting to hear that we were back in the oval track racing business.”

    With the pieces slowly but meticulously falling into place, it won’t be long before opening night rolls around and the action and excitement of oval track racing picks up where you left off at the event center, but with a whole different outlook.

    Cohan and his 211 Entertainment Company were able to resurrect the 1/8 mile drag strip bringing the Summit Racing Series racing back, along with the street legal program to give teenagers and adults  a safe environment to race their cars on.

    From all the hype the track has received since announcing it would bring back oval racing with the upcoming schedule only a day away, and the popularity the drag strip has generated since reopening in 2012. Cohan and company look to be on their way to a very successful and highly energetic racing season in 2013.

  • Irwindale Speedway Bringing Oval Racing Back For The 2013 Season

    Photo Credit: Sal Sigala Jr.
    Photo Credit: Sal Sigala Jr.

    For Southern California racers, it’s been a long 11 month hiatus from one of the premier short tracks in the Nation. After the company that managed the track, Irwindale Speedway LLC, filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on February 13, 2012, Jim Cohans Team 211 Entertainment group has been working feverishly to bring racing back to Southern California.

    For those who were watching the live stream or attended the race this past weekend at Orange Show Stadium, it was more than evident with the big car count that racing in Southern California is not a thing of the past.

    Instead the drivers, who made the trek to this historic track, proved that short track racing is far from dead and is something that was very much missed. Not only did the drivers fill the pit area this past weekend, but the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway also had their fair share of exceptionally high car counts throughout the 2012 season with some great racing action on the track.

    With its new name, “Irwindale Event Center” CEO Jim Cohan said that, “We’re very pleased to announce that oval track racing will return to Irwindale for the 2013 season.” Cohan along with Bob Klein, who has been named the event center’s Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, will be working on putting together a schedule and rules package that will be published in the coming months.

    There were a few obstacles in the way that kept the group which also includes bringing back Doug Stokes as the Vice President of Communications, from making an announcement concerning the future of the oval track even though the 1/8 mile drag strip has been running since the beginning of the year.

    “Our master lease with the property owners, Nu-Way Industries, has been broadened and now includes all forms of racing activities on the 6,500-seat twin oval track. We are now working very hard to put all of the pieces together to be able to run a 2013 racing season,” said Cohan.

    In an earlier press release it was said that Cohan had already visited and talked with the owners of Kern County Raceway, about the possibility of working together on a rules and schedule package that could accommodate the drivers at both tracks.

    Kern County Raceway which is still in the construction phase and has a grand opening date in March of 2013, is working with Irwindale’s newest race director Mike Atkinson to allow racers in a number of divisions to compete fairly at both tracks.

    Cohan also added that, “Our company name has the word ‘TEAM’ in it. We need everyone to understand that name is not an affectation. It’s a statement of our commitment to the process of re-building the legacy of Irwindale Speedway.”

    “We know that we’re starting out a couple of laps behind,” Cohan candidly admitted. “But we also know that we have the support of a great number of former racers, sponsors, and most importantly, our fans who have stood by waiting for this track to come back on line again. We’ll really need everyone’s good will and support, and we’ll be trying very hard to return the favor by running a facility that always puts the customer first.”