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IRWINDALE, Calif., Nov. 24 - Dave Steele, the 2005 USAC
Silver Crown Series champion from Tampa, came from ninth starting
position to win the Valvoline/USAC Western 360 cu. in. sprint car
40-lap feature on the banked, half-mile Irwindale Speedway Thursday
night. He drove a Gary Murgoitio Eagle/Chevy in the second main
event of the evening during the annual Thanksgiving Grand Prix. He
shared the post-race victory lane spotlight with Kody Swanson, who
won the series championship.
Steele earned $2,500 from the $16,305 purse. It was the first sprint
car feature triumph at Irwindale for Steele, who has been so
successful in USAC Midgets at the seven-year old track in Los
Angeles County. He won the 2001 and 2003 midget 100-lap features and
also won the first USAC Midget main event at Irwindale during the
track's opening night on March 27, 1999.
Point leader Swanson, a 17-year old series rookie, set fastest
qualifying time of 16.691 (107.843 mph) in a 40-car field. He
started his Dr. Keith Williams, DDS Eagle/Chevy sixth in a 27-car
feature. Tim Barber, the sixth-fastest qualifier/pole starter, led
the first five laps in Ken Pierson's Eagle/Chevy. Swanson, from
Kingsburg, Calif, shot from third to first past Jim Waters and
Barber on the sixth lap with an inside move from turn four to the
starting line. Swanson, winner of one of the 12 USAC Western Sprint
features this season,
extended his lead to 40-yards by lap 20.
Steele had worked his way to third place by lap 18 and he took
second position from Barber on lap 23. A caution flag flew on lap 29
when Matt DeMartini spun low in turn two. Swanson still held a
30-yard advantage at lap 30, but Steele began reeling in the
teenager quickly by lap 34. Inside-running Swanson held a car length
edge at lap 36 over outside-running Steele. Then on lap 37 Steele
switched his line and made an inside pass in the second turn. He
pulled away to a 20-yard victory (1.459 seconds).
FINAL LAP PASS
Mike Murgoitio, 21, passed Swanson on the final lap by using an
inside move through the third and fourth corners. He edged Swanson
by 0.132 seconds and won $1,500. Swanson earned $1,200 and won his
first USAC championship by 46 points (664-618). Murgoitio, who
finished second in series points, drove a second Murgoitio
Eagle/Chevy to a one-two main event finish for the team from Idaho.
His last lap pass of Swanson dropped fourth finisher Barber from
second to third in final series points. Barber, from San Francisco,
entered the race four points ahead of Murgoitio and finished
one-point back (617). Barber earned $1,000 for his team in the main
event.
Bud Kaeding, who won six of seven USAC Western Sprint Series races
at Irwindale in 1999, took his BK-Leffler Racing Beast/Shaver from
12th to fifth place. He trailed winner Steele by 3.489 seconds.
Nineteenth starter Tony Hunt, Brian McClish, frequent IS winner
Michael Lewis, Jim Waters and Bryan Clauson, a 16-year old Ganassi
Racing developmental driver, completed the top ten. Twenty of 25
finishers completed all 40-laps in a 25-minute race event slowed by
two cautions for solo spinouts.
FORMAT
The fastest 18 drivers during single-car, two-laps qualifying from
4:32 to 5:05 p.m went directly to the main event. A 20-car, 12-lap
"Last Chance" race sent the first eight finishers to the
back four rows of the feature in the order they had finished the
qualifying race. Ninth place finisher Shauna Hogg, the eighth place
driver in points, used a 2005 car owner's provisional berth to
become the 27th starter.
Tony Hunt started second and on lap six passed pole starter/early
leader Nick Green, son of retired winged sprint car champion Tim
Green, of San Jose. Hunt beat runner-up Bobby Santos III, from
Massachusetts, by 0.318 seconds. Green dropped to third on lap eight
and finished third in his debut at Irwindale. Jeff Gardner, Tracy
Hines, Canadian Jeff Montgomery, DeMartini and Darren Hagen also
transferred to the main. Destiney Hays came from 15th to seventh
place in her Bob Hays Beast/Chevy, but she slipped to ninth on lap
10 and a lap later Hogg dropped her to her tenth place finish.
The Summary: (use box score and points from USAC HQ).
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