LOCAL DRIVER LIKES HIS CHANCES.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

The way Todd Southwell and Mike Price were banging and bumping at the end of the NASCAR Super Late Models race a couple weeks ago, Canyon Country's Rod Johnson said he was happy to finish third.

Not that he wouldn't bang on another car if it was banging on him at the end of a race, but at this early stage of the season, bringing home a car in one piece takes priority.

The Super Late Models return to Irwindale Speedway tonight for the third race of the season with Southwell, a Canyon High and College of the Canyons graduate, leading the standings and Johnson a dangerously close second.

Ask Johnson, and there are seven drivers in the Super Late Model division who can win races on any given night.

It's a much different division than it was a year ago when Canyon Country's Greg Pursley dominated the Super Late Models on his way to a NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series national championship.

``There was a feeling through the pits that everyone was running for second,'' Johnson said. ``Unless he broke, nobody could beat him. That's just the way it was.

``Pursley was in his own spectrum. With him not there, there are five, six, seven guys who can win at any point.''

Johnson said he thinks he is one of those guys.

``We're close,'' Johnson said. ``I think right now, Todd's car is probably the best car right now.''

Price, Russell White, Andrew Phipps and Nathan Wulff have all finished in the top six at least once this season and are in that group of regular contenders.

When Johnson finished third to Southwell and Price, he was battling White and Phipps.

``I got lucky at the end,'' Johnson said. ``My car just happened to be better than Russell White's and Phipps'.''

Lucky or not, Johnson said he is ready to get back on the track tonight.

``We're taking it one race at a time,'' Johnson said. ``I'm happy and ready for this week. The car's ready to go.''

NASCAR Super Stocks, Bandoleros, West Coast Pro Trucks, Dodge Super Trucks and Legend Cars also are scheduled to race tonight at Irwindale Speedway.

Canyon Country's Cory Fancy, fresh off winning the April 9 race, is tied for the Super Trucks division lead in points with John Sereika of Riverside.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Races start at 7.

--Indy Racing Leauge: Two of four members of the Andretti Green Racing team who were injured in a car accident were released from a San Francisco hospital this week.

Tino Belli and Scott Graves were treated for injuries and released Tuesday from San Francisco General Hospital. Belli is Andretti Green Racing's technical director and Graves is the team's director of engineering.

Belli and Graves will not travel with the team to Twin Ring Motegi Japan for the April 30 Indy Racing League event.

Belli, Graves, Martin Pare and Brian Page were involved in a car crash April 13 while driving from Infineon Raceway in Sonoma to San Francisco. The Andretti Green Racing team, including driver Bryan Herta of Valencia, was testing at Infineon Raceway last week.

Pare, race engineer on Herta's No. 7 Honda-powered entry, and Page, an assistant race engineer on Herta's team, was treated and released the same day.

Three of the Andretti Green Racing drivers turned in top-five lap times during the two-day open test at the Infineon Raceway road course, site of the Aug. 28 Argent Mortgage Grand Prix.

Dario Franchitti clocked the fastest lap, at 108.797 mph around the 12- turn, 2.3-mile course.

``We basically equaled our best lap in the afternoon with our last lap of the day,'' said Franchitti, driver of the No. 27 entry for Andretti Green.

``It's always good to be at the top of the timesheet, but it's more important to get to work on your individual programs and get good results for the team.''