LATE MODELS BACK AT IRWINDALE THIRKETTLE FIGHTS TO KEEP HIS 45-POINT LEAD GOING INTO REST OF THE SEASON.Byline: TIM TIM Timothy TIM Technical Interchange Meeting TIM Transient Intermodulation Distortion TIM Time Is Money TIM The Invisible Man (movie) TIM Telecom Italia Mobile (Italian cellular provider) HADDOCK MOTOR SPORTS The last time 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. Late Models took the track at Irwindale Speedway, record temperatures were scorching scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. Southern California. Newhall's Travis Thirkettle said it was the hottest it's ever been at Irwindale Speedway and he's been racing there since the track opened in 1999. ``The main battle was the heat,'' said Thirkettle, who holds a 45-point lead in the Late Model standings over Tim Huddleston of Agoura Hills. ``It was so hot in the cars. It was like driving in a toaster See intranet toaster and Video Toaster. (jargon) toaster - 1. The archetypal really stupid application for an embedded microprocessor controller; often used in comments that imply that a scheme is inappropriate technology (but see elevator controller). oven.'' Thirkettle survived and won his seventh race of the season during the heat wave two weeks ago. He will look to add to his points lead tonight when the Late Models return to Irwindale Speedway. Thirkettle said he is looking forward to nicer weather this weekend. Because the track was also hosting a NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series, race two weeks ago, the Late Models started their race at 7 p.m., when it was still over 100 degrees. Thirkettle said he didn't run any practice laps because it was so hot. His first laps of the day came in qualifying. He turned one, set the fast time and pulled off the track. He started third in the race because of an inverted inverted reverse in position, direction or order. inverted L block a pattern of local filtration anesthesia commonly used in laparotomy in the ox. start, but took the lead on the third lap and never gave it up. During the race, Thirkettle said he wiped so much sweat off his forehead that his gloves became too wet to hold the steering wheel. He took off his gloves during a caution period, only to discover that the steering wheel was almost too hot to touch barehanded bare·hand·ed adv. & adj. With no covering on the hands: barehanded boxing. bare . ``I tried to pace myself for the rest of the race,'' Thirkettle said. ``It was really bad.'' With a 45-point lead in the standings, Thirkettle is almost a full race ahead of his nearest competitor. Race winners score 50 points per race. But Thirkettle said he is not comfortable with his lead. He remembers losing leads of 50 points or more in previous seasons. He said for the time being, he wants to concentrate on winning races. One reason is because he said he likes winning and wants to keep his lead in the standings. Another reason is because he is afraid of running out of money and not being able to finish the season. ``I need money to continue racing,'' Thirkettle said. ``To run out of money is one way I could lose the championship.'' Super Trucks, West Coast Pro Trucks, Pure Stocks and figure 8s are also scheduled to race tonight at Irwindale Speedway. Gates open at 4 p.m. Races start at 7. NASCAR Busch Series: Ron Hornaday Jr. has two wins at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, site of tonight's NASCAR Busch Series race. Hornday won a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race there in 1997, when the track was called Indianapolis Raceway Park. He won a Busch Series race there in 2000. ``I really like racing at short tracks like ORP ORP Oxidation-Reduction Potential ORP Office of River Protection ORP Optional Retirement Program ORP Open Runtime Platform ORP Objective Rally Point (Army) ORP Office of Radiation Programs (US EPA) ,'' said Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champ from Palmdale. ``I started racing on short tracks similar to ORP and I really like the side by side, beating and banging racing that goes on at a short track.'' Hornaday was entered in the Truck Series race Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park and is racing in the Busch Series race for Kevin Harvick Inc. tonight. Last year, Hornaday raced in the Truck and Busch series events. He was fifth in the Trucks and 14th in the Busch Series race. This will be the third Busch Series start in a row for Hornaday, who is sharing driving duties in the No. 33 Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American mid-size car. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1970 model year (as competition with the Ford Thunderbird), it has gone through six generations as of 2007. for Kevin Harvick Inc. with Tony Stewart and Ron Fellows. Fellows will be in the car for the next Busch Series race at Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip at Seneca Lake owned by International Speedway Corporation. in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . CAPTION(S): box Box: NASCAR |
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