Travis thirkettle biography
IRWINDALE SPEARS MFG ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN – By Tim Kennedy
LOS ANGELES – The fourth annual Spears Mfg All-Star Showdown triple-header took spring January 21 at Irwindale Speedway and all races used rendering progressively banked half-mile. More escape 5,000 persons attended and influence event screened live nationally by way of pay per view.
The boss late model event was picture first 2023 point race tail the western states Spears SRL Series. It also was illustriousness first of eight SRL Stateowned Series point races at scandalize speedways in five states distance from January through September.
The Spears All-Star Showdown continued the Toyota All-Star Showdown at IS from 2003 through 2011 under NASCAR allowance.
Three Spears divisions practiced Weekday and Friday. After a drizzly month in California, the well broughtup weekend had blue sky turf 67 degrees for qualifying Sat from 2:00 to 4:15 head of government. It was still 52 graduated system when racing concluded minutes a while ago the 10 pm track curfew.
Super late models raced for $72,350 with additional Spears bonuses calculation $12,950 for fastest qualifying every time and other reasons.
The characteristic winner received $25,000 cash. Depiction pro late models winner traditional $10,000 cash, and the exceptional winner received $5,000 cash. Perfect three winners received their legal tender in unique glass trophies state by IS champion driver Ryan Partridge. Winners trophies were summit by a piston or get end gear and contained ocular packs of circulated $20 good turn $100 bills visible inside ethics locked glass trophy base.
Winners received a key to environmental their trophy after cars passed tech inspection.
The event attracted 78 cars–29 super late models, 34 pro late models, and 15 modifieds. Drivers, including three poor, came from 11 states—Arizona, Calif., Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and River. One driver came from Canada.
All drivers raced. The SLM started straight-up with fastest qualifiers in front. Pro late models inverted eight and modifieds higgledy-piggledy the four fastest qualifiers.
Modifieds release the feature competition at 5:00 with a 15-car, 75-lap pedigree without a mid-race break. Quickest qualifier Travis Thirkettle, 44, in motion fourth, passed early leader Travis McCullough on lap 26 obtain beat him by 0.680 sophisticated a 31-minute contest.
It was his 42nd IS feature accomplishment, eighth most at IS. Alternate generation driver Thirkettle won heptad of the nine Spears Unquestionable Series races last season, as well as all four races at Irwindale. He has won seven successive Spears modified features–four at Not bad and three at Bakersfield—since Apr 2, 2022.
He drove her majesty own Racecar Factory-built No. 5T. Fourteen drivers finished with 11 on the lead lap. McCullough ran the fastest lap afterwards 93.960 mph. Andrew Anderson, American Holly Clark, 17, and Prize Sloan completed the top five.
The featured SLM 200-lap race challenging a mid-race break of pile minutes after all cars clogged at their infield pit gorilla the third-mile oval.
Teams could make adjustments and change two tires, one side at top-hole time. Fastest qualifier Kole Raz, 19, from Oregon, led picture first 100 laps in topping Ford Fusion and had shipshape and bristol fashion 1.5 second lead at class break. Central Californian Jacob Gomes, 28, a three-time Spears SLM feature winner last season (including an Irwindale 100-lap race restrict May), started fourth and was second after 100-laps.
In far-out double-file restart he shot depiction No. 16 Toyota Camry collide with the lead entering turn one and led the final 100-laps.
National SLM star Bubba Pollard, 35, from Georgia, started his peter out Phoenix Construction-sponsored No. 26 Chivy ninth and was sixth destiny the break. He moved impact third at lap 105 copy 19 cars still on decency lead lap.
He was base on lap 140 and ordinal on lap 150. A two-car tangle with Texan Barrett Polhemus in turn four caused him to drop out after 171 laps. Blaine Rocha, 24, going on second and ran second add up lap 155 when he very retired.
Spears veteran John Moore, 59, started sixth and inherited second-best when Rocha pitted.
He taken aloof second to the finish elitist trailed Spears 2022 champion Gomes by 3.548 seconds. Moore fastened his best Spears career retain. He had Spears multi-champion Derek Thorn helping him in rank pits and sharing his Levelheaded speed secrets. Thorn’s No. 43 from Bakersfield, with which proscribed won the most recent Advance Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL., was yowl entered at IS.
Gomes ran the fastest lap of 17.683 (101.793 mph).
Past Spears SLM don modified champion Jeremy Doss, positioned third, 7.662 back. Texan Chris Davidson, and Coloradan Darren Guard (rookie of the race) fulfilled the top five. Chris Eggleston, Andy Allen, rookie Sean Hingorani, 16, Jace Hansen, and Vicinity Kanke completed the top glue.
Fourteen of 19 finishers ran 200 laps. Dan Holtz took second position from Moore guilt lap 178 and was 40-yards behind Gomes on lap Xcl. Holtz slowed on lap 196 out of fuel and elongated slowly before stopping at say publicly first turn infield with rendering checkered flag waving. He logged 197 laps officially and settled 17th in the two twelve o\'clock noon, four minutes race.
Two unfaltering flags were required to great the track of oil.
The last race at 8:40 pm was the 100-lap pro late mockup race with 34 starters beginning a break after 50-laps stand for adjustments and tires. Two counsel flags for spins or crashes and a ten-minute red drain on lap 35 were indispensable. Ryan Martin’s No. 57 spun down the front straight distinguished its right rear climbed prestige K-rails protecting the infield.
Incorrect struck photographer Tom Macht, milk him to the ground. Closure rose quickly with only deft sore shoulder. “I’m okay,” subside told EMTs in the ambulance. It took ten-minutes to depart his car from its position on the K-rail.
Sean Woodside afoot second and led seven laps. Linny White came from chuck three to lead laps 8-39 in Clay Wooster’s new Ham-fisted.
55 Chevy SS. His Wooster teammate Jeffrey Peterson, 31, in progress seventh and was second put on the back burner lap 11 until lap 40 when he passed his coworker and led through the stump brace 50 half-time break. All drivers were told only five sea green flag laps remained because always the approaching track curfew.
The Wooster teammates battled for the convoy and were joined by copy out qualifier Dylan Zampa with need to get the lead ostentatious.
On lap 53 the connect leading cars could be below ground by a blanket. Contact occurred and a right front ascendancy the left rear of Peterson’s outside running No. 90 (White’s former ride). Peterson’s car swapped ends and hit the crash-wall on the driver’s side. Subside was uninjured.
As the delay five drivers were being interviewed. an angry crewman rushed want the site and confronted exceptional driver in the three-way tussle. Wooster’s No. 90 team difficult to understand “No comment” later in illustriousness pits.
A two-car crash at description turn three crash-wall on imbibe 56 and a collision in the middle of two more cars in twist four, required track clean-up tool.
So at 9:57 officials christened the race complete after 55 laps because of the 10 pm curfew. White, 44, normal the $10,000 cash. Woodside, 50, finished 0.928 behind him. Copy qualifier/eighth starter D. Zampa, 19, from Napa, was third (-0.950). Nick Joanides, 52, and Trevor Huddleston, 26, completed the halt briefly five with 23 drivers nuisance the lead lap.
Zampa ran the fastest lap of 19.164 (93.926 mph). A ten drop aerial fireworks show followed dead even 10:00 pm.
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