Top Names In Short-Track Racing Head For All-Star ShowdownSeventh edition at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale
Official Release
January 25, 2010 - 4:47pmDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It’s become the pinnacle of short-track racing in America, and this year’s NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown looks to build on that reputation with an entry list that represents eight NASCAR Developmental Series championships and includes two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars.
The all-star event, termed the “Daytona 500 of short-track racing,” is slated for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29-30, at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, Calif.
The entry list for the weekend’s main attraction, Saturday night’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series race, features a couple of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who are coming home, so to speak.
Joey Logano, who won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award in NASCAR’s premier series last season, will be driving an entry for car owner Mike Olsen. Logano, of Middletown, Conn., won the K&N Pro Series East championship in 2007.
David Gilliland, who won the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2007, will be behind the wheel of an entry for Jennifer Wong. Gilliland, of Riverside, Calif., is a second-generation competitor who won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2004.
The entry list also features several recently crowned 2009 champions - Ryan Truex, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East; Jason Bowles, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West; Andrew Ranger, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, and George Brunnhoelzl III, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
In addition to Logano, other former champions on the entry list include two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion Eric Holmes (2006 and 2008) and the 2008 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, Matt Kobyluck.
Also among this year’s entries are Steve Park, who has victories in all three national series in NASCAR, and Auggie Vidovich, who raced in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2006.
Former NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown winners include Kobyluck, who won the prestigious event last year and in 2006, Logano, who won in 2007, and Gilliland, who won in 2005.
Holmes and Vidovich each had Showdown victories in the former NASCAR Elite Division race in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
Another NASCAR K&N Pro Series competitor, Greg Pursley, earned a Showdown trophy by capturing the Super Late Model race in 2007.
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature races are equally stacked with headliners, led by track champion Nick Joanides. Joanides, who finished third in the nation, became the first driver in track history to claim the AC Delco Super Late Model and the Auto Club Late Model championships in the same season.
Four-time track champion Rip Michels leads the Super Late Model challengers, and he will be joined by defending race winner Travis Thirkettle, 2009 national rookie of the year Jacob Gomes and Gilliland.
Former NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion and Toyota Speedway track champion Sean Woodside is scheduled for double duty.
In the Late Model race, Joanides will be joined by Woodside, Holmes, defending race champion Mike Johnson, three-time track Late Model champ Tim Huddleston and Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway champ Justin Philpott.