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From the 3-22-2000 Edition of the
Los Angeles Times
Written by DARIN ESPER
Kelley and Michels Want Team to Build on Checkered Past
A team from the region will be trying to improve on its success from
1999 when Irwindale Speedway kicks off its season Saturday night.
Ladco Racing will field entries in three classes, two of which will be on the track
Saturday in a program featuring the super late model division.
Brian Kelley of Arleta, who finished second in the super late
model division points standings as a rookie, will drive the No. 77 Chevy owned by
61-year-old Lee Ladd of Thousand Oaks in the Home Depot 100 For Super
Late Models, and Rip Michels of Mission Hills will be in the No. 12 Grand
American Modified attempting to improve on his second-place finish in the points
standings.
Ladd, who is the defending track champion in the mini-stock division, will be in
the pits Saturday because the first race in his division isn't until April 22.
The seeds of Ladco Racing were planted at Saugus Speedway. All three drivers moved
on to Mesa Marin Speedway in Bakersfield after Saugus was closed in 1995 and the team
formally came together last year at Irwindale.
The three drivers have six track championships between them. Kelley won the hobby
stock championship in 1989, the pro stock championship in 1994 and the late model
championship in 1995, all at Saugus, and was the top modified driver at Mesa Marin in
1998. Michels won the modified championship at Mesa Marin in 1997, then sat out the 1998
season because of lack of financing.
Gerrit Cromsigt of Pine Mountain Club, who finished second in the
late model division in 1999 for Ladd, has left the team in an attempt to secure a ride in
the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour.
Ladd originally planned on retiring after the 1999 season, and got rid of his
championship Ford Pinto, but he had a change of heart following Irwindale's awards banquet
in January.
"The people at Irwindale were so supportive of their champions that I decided
I owed it t o them to come back and defend my title," Ladd said. "This is
completely different than anybody has treated racers."
Ladd started in hobby stocks at Saugus as a 50th birthday present to himself, then
moved up after two years to the sportsman class with a best finish of fifth in the points
standings. Kelley and Michels, who were acquaintances at Poly High in the early 80s, also
both started in the hobby stock class but quickly moved up to street stocks.
Michels and Kelly became friends and formed an informal team once Michels moved up
to modifieds in 1994.
"It's real nice to have somebody to talk to who you are not racing
against," Michels said. "I know when I get out of the car that Brian knows what
I am thinking and I know what he is thinking."
Michels and Kelley said that Ladd is not a typical car owner.
"Lee's been great for us," said Kelley. "He supplied great equipment
for us, but still told us we had to go out and work for it. He hasn't given us
everything on a silver platter."
Said Michels: "Lee is one of these guys who does it for pure fun, it's not
like he wants to be Richard Childress."
©2000 Los Angeles Times |
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