Kelley Perseveres and Earns His First Victory Since 2001

Brian Kelley benefited from three other drivers’ misfortune to win the Villa Roma 125 NASCAR Auto Club Late Models race at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night, his first victory since 2001.

The 125-lap race on the half-mile track was divided into two segments. Andrew Myers was the leader when the race was stopped after 100 laps and earned $1,000. The race was then restarted under the inversion system, with Myers starting third and Brian Jones, who had been third, on the pole.

But Myers’ Chevrolet Monte Carlo had engine trouble and he dropped out on the 104th lap, finishing 20th.

Jones kept the lead until he and Travis Thirkettle, who was second, both spun on the 121st lap, prompting a yellow flag. Both drivers were placed at the back of the pack of the drivers who were on the lead lap.

Kelley, who had been third, took the lead and kept it for the remainder of the race, finishing 0.51 of a second ahead of runner-up Todd Burns. Jones finished seventh and Thirkettle eighth. Kelley earned $2,500 for the win.