network taped the race for airing on
July 11 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on FSN2. Michels, Irwindale's 2000 NASCAR
Grand American Modified champion, tallied most of his victories in that
division. His stock car exploits are becoming equally noteworthy.
Michels, from Mission Hills, started sixth as the second fastest
qualifier in a 28-car field. He became the third and final race leader
on lap 25 when he used a slower car as a pick. Michels cut to the inside
in the second turn to take command from pole starter Keith Spangler, who
led the first three laps.
Nathan Wulff, from outside row one, went to the inside in turn four
and took the point on lap four. He paced the rapid field through lap
16. Spangler was back in front from laps 17-24 until Michels' LADCO
Chevy Monte Carlo became the dominant machine. Ben Walker started third
and finished second, 0.697 seconds back, in his Ford Taurus. Fastest
qualifier Tony Bruncati came from seventh grid position in his Sunrise
Ford to place third, 3.507 seconds behind the winner.
Kazuto Yanagawa had to move from his eighth grid position to the
back of the field (28th) after the ignition failed and his Chevy Monte
Carlo didn't move off the grid. He switched to his onboard backup
ignition box and charged through the field to finish fourth, 4.098
seconds behind Michels. Yanagawa, originally from Nagoya, Japan, earned
the “hard charger award”. “K.Z”, as he is known, said, “I would've won
if I had started from my eight position on the grid.” Wulff was fifth,
5.810 seconds off the pace.
Newlywed Tony Green, the track SLM Division point leader, started
fifth and was sixth when his car and seventh place Brent Reynolds
collided during lap 23 on the backstretch. Both drivers spun to the
infield and lost about 11 positions before resuming the chase without
being lapped. Green hustled back to finish sixth.
Brandon Loverock, the second ranked driver in current track point
standings, came from 13th starting spot to earn seventh position. Tommy
Fry, Spangler and second year driver Nick DeFazio completed the top
ten. Twenty-two of the 28 starters finished and 16 drivers ran all 75
circuits. The race had two caution periods for minor spins and took
only 29:05.928 to complete.
The track's premium “in-house” SLM racing division thrilled
spectators from laps six-23 when the top six drivers raced in a tight
pack two or three abreast. These drivers swapped the top six positions
at least 20 times at the starting line and more often than that at
points around the half-mile banked oval. Things settled down into a
“chase Michels” mode after the laps 31-34 and 38-42 cautions.
Michels told the crowd, “My guys gave me such a good car I told
them they could get their photo taken with the Miller Lite trophy girls
instead of me.” He thanked the packed grandstand and told fans, “We
could hear you cheer.” Runner-up Walker, the Miller Lite Big Ten
Challenge point leader, increased his point advantage in the
series-within-a-series with another of his top three finishes. Walker, a
third generation driver who raced as a Featherlite Southwest Series
rookie last season, said he must have top three finishes each week to
keep his race team financially viable. “Oh my god, he (Michels) was
unreal tonight,” he told the crowd on the track PA system.
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