Irwindale Speedway Honors 2011 Uncrowned Champions Apr 6 2013

Irwindale Speedway CA - Speedway and Dragstrip Champions Will Be Honored on April 6, 2013

They all won championships at Irwindale in 2011. They raced on two race tracks and in fourteen different divisions, from Mini-stocks to motorcycles and from Super Trucks to Super Late Models. They all worked hard, raced hard and then ended up with nothing to show for it when the former track operators signed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Feb 10, 2012. No champion's banquet, no honors, no trophies, no acceptance speeches, not even a warm handshake and a friendly pat on the back.

... Hopefully, Saturday night April 6, 2013, will make things right for those driving champions. The Speedway's new operators: Team 211 Entertainment has invited all thirteen (one of them won two divisions!) of the facility's uncrowned champions back for 2013's grand re-opening night and will honor them in a pre-race ceremony on the race track before the national anthem.

"We'll try to have all of these racers right down on the starting line that night. And ... we've set up one of our skybox suites for them for the evening," said Irwindale Event Center President/CEO Jim Cohan. "Each of our winners has also been invited to bring a guest along."

"These drivers all deserve our recognition. On opening night 2013 they'll stand in for all of the drivers who raced here during 2011 without any post-season recognition for their efforts."

As most fans know, there were no NASCAR races at Irwindale Speedway in 2012, but the 2013 racing season promises to be a very good one. "Many of the top ten drivers from our 2011 season will be back along with a number of new drivers many of whom are destined to be fan favorites before the 2013 season is in the books," assured Event Center GM Bob Klein. "We had meetings with each of our division's drivers over the winter and all of them are ready to get back to racing at this place," Klein said.

In addition, there were three Irwindale Dragstrip champions who didn't receive their honors for competing in the track's 2011 NHRA Summit Series. They'll be honored on April 6 as well.

As noted above, the 2013 NASCAR racing season at Irwindale begins officially on Saturday night, April 6, but fans, families, and media are all invited to a free preview of the action on March 16 and 30.

"We'll open the gates at 11am, and fans are all welcome to come out and watch everyone (crews as well as drivers) getting tuned up and ready for the 2013 season," said Klein. Open practice runs until 4pm and snack bar service will be available for the fans.

"Everyone here is thrilled with the idea of honoring our unsung 2011 Champs, there have been all sort of grand marshals at all sort of tracks over the years, but we think these may be the best one(s) yet," Klein remarked.

The 2011 IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY oval track Champion drivers are: Rod Johnson, Rancho Cucamonga, CA (Super Late Models); Brandon Davis, Huntersville, NC (Late Models); Curtis White, Norwalk, CA (Super Stock); Andrew Anderson, Lancaster, CA (S2); Daryl Scoggins, Sunland, CA (Mini-Stock); Chad Schug, Hemet, CA (Legends Cars); Christian McGhee, LaVerne, CA (Bandoleros); Jay Hansen, Oak Hills, CA (Figure 8); Conner Cantrell, Valencia,CA (Super Trucks); Jeff Williams, Newbury Park, CA (West Coast Pro Trucks).

The 2011 IRWINDALE DRAGSTRIP racing Champion drivers are: Branko Sindicich, Lomita, CA (Super Pro); Chad Cline, Orange, CA (Pro Bike); and double-division winner Gary Hairfeild, San Diego, CA (Pro and Sportsman).

ABP: The track is presently attempting to contact all of the above drivers to invite them out for opening night. We can use the public and the media's help to be sure that they all are aware and invited. If you know any of them please let them know, and ask them to call us. www.irwindaleeventcenter.com