Weather Limits Season-Opening Events

Rain dealt a setback to Irwindale Speedway’s opening-night plans for a second consecutive Saturday.

A week after the ninth rainout in the track’s eight-year history, racing was scrapped for the rest of the night after the pure stock and grand American modified races on the one-third-mile track and heat races in the super-late model and late-model classes on the half-mile track.

The cars for the late-model race had run several warmup laps when the rain began falling harder. Track officials decided at 8:35 p.m. to cancel that race, along with the super-late model and figure 8 races.

Saturday’s races were to be the first run under Irwindale Speedway’s new format of heat races in the super late-model and late-model classes and shortening the feature races in those divisions. Jim McGill, Andy Coyle and Stephen Peace won the super late-model heat races. Robert Rice, Chris Johnson and Travis Thirkettle won the late-model heat races.

John Watkinson won the grand American modifieds race and Mark Whitson the pure stocks race. Both were 15 laps.

Recently retired Times motor racing writer Shav Glick was honored in a ceremony before the start of racing.

Saturday’s tickets will be honored next Saturday, speedway General Manager and Chief Executive Bob DeFazio said.