MOTOR SPORTS: CRASHES END MICHELS' CHANCES IN SHOWDOWN.

Byline: Tim Haddock  Staff Writer

IRWINDALE - Rip Michels went from race leader to bottom feeder in one lap and had to navigate his way through a crash-filled race just to finish the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night.

Michels was spun on a restart on lap 89 and knocked to back of the field after leading 74 of the first 75 laps of the Elite Division portion of the Showdown. Then Michels had to avoid a series of crashes to rally through the field and finish sixth. There were 13 caution periods in the race, nine during the final 50 laps.

Meanwhile, Auggie Vidovich took over the lead on lap 76 and led for the final 50 laps to win the Elite Division race of the All-Star Showdown.

Burney Lamar, who was racing in third place at the time, tapped Michels from behind on the restart after a caution period on lap 89. Michels spun in Turn 2, as the rest of the field swerved their way around him, and ended up in last place when racing resumed.

``Burney was trying to make a big impression,'' said Michels, a former NASCAR Super Late Models champion at Irwindale Speedway from Mission Hills. ``He's just a young guy trying to make it happen.''

Lamar has been driving in a number of NASCAR series this year, including the Craftsman Truck Series for Kevin Harvick Inc. He and Michels were battling with Vidovich for the lead when they touched.

``(Michels is) a real good racer,'' Lamar said. ``I tried my hardest to stay off him, but it was too late.''

M.K. Kanke, a Frazier Park resident and a Kennedy High of Granada Hills graduate, was third.

Vidovich won for the first time at Irwindale Speedway. The driver from Lakeside, Calif., has won four races this year on the Southwest Series and was the series champion in 2003. This was the second time he has qualified for the All-Star Showdown.

Canyon Country's Greg Pursley was taken out of the race in a multicar crash on lap 37. Eddie Stivers and Terry McMahan, drivers from the Southeast Series, were also collected in the wreck and not able to return. The caution period lasted for 14 laps.

Nick Joanides, a driver from Woodland Hills who qualified for the Showdown racing on the Midwest Series, was 16th. Pursley finished 36th.

The top-10 drivers from the four NASCAR Elite Divisions qualified for the race.

Michels had the lead at the mandatory pit stop on lap 75. Teams had 10 minutes to work on their cars and prepare them to return to the race.

There were four caution periods before the break. Pete Harding spun on the second lap and brought out the first caution flag. McMahan spun into the Turn 4 wall on lap 27 to bring out the second.

Tim Haddock, [phone]

timothy.haddock(at)dailynews.com