Racing Planned at Four Tracks

The auto-racing season may be winding down in Southern California, but there will be plenty of racing at local tracks this weekend.

Irwindale Speedway will close its stock car season, drivers qualifying tonight for Saturday night’s fourth annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

The showdown is actually two invitational races for NASCAR’s best regional series drivers, nationwide, competing for nearly $500,000. Saturday night’s features will be a 125-lap event for Elite Division cars over the half-mile paved track, followed by a 150-lap race for Grand National cars.

Sprint cars will be featured at Perris Auto Speedway and Ventura Raceway.

Damion Gardner and Cory Kruseman will resume their season-long battle in the USAC/CRA sprint car feature on the half-mile dirt track at Perris, with Gardner holding a nine-point lead. On “Legends of Ascot Night,” former Indianapolis 500 winners Parnelli Jones and Al Unser will take vintage cars for exhibition drives.

At Ventura, VRA sprinters will share the program with dwarf cars and midgets.

There will be no racing this weekend at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino as track officials prepare for the season closer Oct. 28.

In a prelude to the NHRA drag racing finals next month at Auto Club Raceway, the Nitto NHRA sport compact finals will be run at the Pomona strip Saturday and Sunday.

Championships will be determined in five classes with qualifying Saturday and eliminations Sunday afternoon, starting at 12:30.

-- Mike Kupper