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To all of us that grew up here in Southern California, we have
been blessed with some of the finest short tracks in all of
racing. From Irwindale Speedway, and Perris Auto Speedway, to the
now closed Ascot Raceway Park, Saugus Speedway, Riverside and
Ontario Speedways, all victims of the Southern California’s real
estate progress, the list of closed tracks will add one more this
coming Saturday night. Mesa Marin Raceway will close its facility
at the end of Saturday night’s events after 28 years of racing.
For this writer, this comes as one of the saddest days in my life.
I grew up watching races at Ascot, and Saugus. Then I went to Mesa
Marin, which I considered to be the west coast version of Bristol,
Tennessee. Granted it did not have the banking as Bristol, but
coming from a flat track like Saugus, it sure felt like Bristol.
As the California Real Estate market has boomed, Mesa Marin has
fallen victim to that progress, and all of us in racing will be
deeply sadden with its closure. Although more tracks are being
built in unincorporated areas of the state, you hate to see the
great tracks like Mesa close. So this Saturday will be a time to
say good-bye to another piece of West Coast racing history. As the
teams prepare for what will be one of the biggest nights of
racing, with over 40 cars buying for 30 spots, everyone wants to
win this race. They want to be known as the last person to win at
Mesa Marin.
For Rip Michels and his Stock Building Supply/Ladco Racing/Victory
Circle Chassis Chevrolet Monte Carlo racing team, the 1997 Mesa
Marin Modified Champion wants that trophy.
The Team:
“The team has been working really hard since our
last race at Shasta Raceway Park,” said Car Chief, Roger Theabold.
“We have been practicing pits stops and preparing the car for what
will be one of the biggest events of the year. We, as a team, know
how much this race means to all of us, but especially Rip. He has
had great success at this track and we want to put Rip in Victory
Lane.”
The Drivers Corner:
“Mesa has meant so much to me,” commented Rip
Michels. “I won my first championship in 1997 at this track.
Coming from Saugus to Mesa as a driver was like going from the
poor house to the penthouse. The track is just awesome, you can
race two wide with no problem and it is a really fast half-mile
track. I hope to pull my Stock Building Supply Chevrolet into
victory lane one last time at this great track.”
The Car: Destiny
This car is coming off its best performance of
the season with its strong second place showing at Shasta Raceway
Park. The car, since its debut, has had 8 starts with three top
fives, four top tens, and four top 15’s.
“The car has really been responding to the shock package that
Roger, Rip and myself have come up with,“ said Crew Chief John
Shutez, Jr. “We really feel that we are going in the right
direction with this shock package as the last two races the car
has performed its best.”
The Road That Leads To The Showdown:
The Invitational Only Toyota All-Star Showdown is
a race that brings together the Top Ten in points at season’s end,
from each of the four Elite divisions of NASCAR from across the
country. The top 40 teams will compete against each other in a
nationally televised race from Irwindale Speedway, in the chase
for the exclusive invitational only race that will be held on
November 10, 2005 at Irwindale Speedway. Rip Michels currently
sits 9th in the points, 424 points behind first, and 122 points in
front of 11th.
The Race:
The “Star Nursery.com 300” at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield,
California will be race number 13 of 14 for the NASCAR AutoZone
Elite Southwest Series Division. The fastest half-mile on the west
coast has 17 degrees of banking in the corners, and 7 degrees on
both front and back straights.
The “Star Nursery.com 300” is located in Bakersfield, California. The
race is scheduled to start at 6:00PM. For more information about
tickets or the track, please call (661) 366-5711.
For more information on Rip Michels and his sponsors, please visit
www.ripmichels.com
Source By: LRM Sports Marketing, Inc. |
