GILLILAND SETS QUALIFYING MARK IN RACE FOR IRWINDALE 250 POLE.Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer Irwindale Speedway Irwindale Speedway is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California. It features banked, paved 1/2 and 1/3 mile oval tracks. It is mainly used for USAC sprint car and regional NASCAR races. is now the fastest half-mile on the NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Winston West series. Butch Gilliland Butch Gilliland (born February 25, 1958) is a former NASCAR Winston Cup and Craftsman Truck Series driver from California. A Winston West Series driver and based on the west coast, all of his 10 Cup starts came at either Infineon Raceway or Phoenix International Raceway and all 12 qualified for the Irwindale 250 pole with a time of 17.871 (100.9 mph). That's a second faster than the Chino Chino (chē`nō), city (1990 pop. 59,682), San Bernardino co., S Calif.; founded 1887, inc. 1910. It is the business and processing center of a diversified farming (notably dairying) area. Hills resident ran in setting the record May 30 at Mesa Marin Raceway Mesa Marin Raceway was a high banked half mile racetrack in Bakersfield, California that was demolished following the 2005 racing season to make way for housing developments in the foothills of northeast Bakersfield. . Gilliland ran an 18.525 (97.166 mph) at Mesa Marin. Bill Sedgwick holds the track record at Portland Raceway. The Acton resident ran a 20.431 (88.101 mph) in July, 1993. Gilliland's time is not the fastest speed for a NASCAR car at Irwindale, however. Bryan Germone ran his Featherlite Southwest series car in 17.363 (103.5 mph) during a qualifying May 15. Nice surprise: Kenny Smith For American football player see Kenny Smith (football player). Kenneth (Kenny) Smith (born March 8 1965, in Queens, New York City) is a retired American professional basketball player and current TV announcer. got a surprise Saturday evening in preparation for the Irwindale 250. For the first time, Smith's father, Arlis, attended one of Smith's races. ``I looked over after practice and sitting on the trailer was my father,'' said Smith, who has been racing for 28 years. ``I cried.'' Arlis, 82, lives two doors down from Kenny in El Monte. But he says he suffers from agrophobia and is afraid to venture too far from his home. ``I have a little problem with going too far,'' said Arlis, 82, who went square dancing after Saturday's race. Arlis bought his son a go-kart when Kenny was a youth and Kenny began racing at 605 Speedway in Irwindale in 1971. He now races on the MSRA MSRA Microsoft Research Asia MsrA Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase MSRA Microsoft Security Response Alliance MSRA Minnesota Street Rod Association MSRA Manitoba Street Rod Association MSRA Mississippi Restaurant Association MSRA Maryland State Retirement Agency Pro-4 series and selected NASCAR Winston West events. ``Going over to 605 was out of my zone,'' Arlis said. ``His hobby doesn't look safe to me. But I hope to come out here more.'' Pit a hit: Hundreds of auto racing fans lined up in the Chalet Village - the ``mosh pit'' - to meet the drivers for Saturday's race. ``It's exciting, said 13-year-old Edward Favrin of Azusa. ``You get to meet the drivers and really talk to them.'' Tara Monti of Burbank, 10, received a high five from her father, Michael, when Ron Hornaday signed her Craftsman Truck t-shirt. ``This is great,'' said Judy Percy of Redondo Beach, who was just as excited as the kids to get autographs. ``The drivers travel all over and we don't get to see them very often. |
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