47-TIME FEATURE WINNER AT IRWINDALE
Trevor Huddleston is a 47-time feature winner at Irwindale Speedway. On July 20th, he will attempt to take home his 48th career feature victory, when the Spears Srl Southwest Tour Series visits Irwindale for the RJ Allen Inc. 100 presented by “Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse San Dimas”. It would be a victory worth $5,000, thanks to the “Winner’s Bonus” sponsored by Performance Friction Brakes.
Huddleston has four feature victories at Irwindale Speedway this season, including one of the Twin Late Model Features on July 7th. In addition, he scored his biggest career win, thus far, when he brought home a triumph in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Division on April 30. The win has helped Trevor settle into fourth in the championship standings. He sits only two points out of third, and 11 out of second in the current season rundown. Huddleston trails championship leader Derek Kraus by 19 markers.
Huddleston’s only SRL start, this season, resulted in a 27th place effort in the segmented 100 lapper. It wasn’t an indication of his speed, however, as he set a New Track Record for Irwindale, before Dylan Lupton eventually knocked him off the top of the heap.
Huddleston began, “High Point Racing and RACECAR Factory gave me a great car, no question we were fast off the trailer and had high hopes heading into the race, but unfortunately a melted wire eventually prevented us from finishing the race.”
The event will be the 13th career SRL start for the Agoura Hill, CA driver. His best career finish came at Irwindale Speedway in 2017, when he crossed the finish line second, behind four-time SRL Champion Derek Thorn. Huddleston also has three additional top-fives and six total top-tens. Huddleston hasn’t had the opportunity to run a full season with the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series, but he does enjoy the opportunity to race with the series when he has the chance.
“I love every opportunity I get, to race in the SRL Southwest Tour”, Huddleston declared. “The competition level is amongst the highest, and on average you have about 20 plus cars that have a chance to win. You have to qualify for 100 laps to win. Lol”
To win, the now 23-year-old driver will rely on his years of experience at the ½ mile progressively banked asphalt oval. Huddleston feels two of the biggest challenges to getting to Victory Lane on Saturday night is conserving tires and the competition itself.
“I would say tire management is one of the most difficult things about Irwindale, the 2017 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship Runner-up replied. “If you get your tires too hot to early, it’s very difficult to cool them back off. As well as the completion level ramps up. I feel Irwindale Speedway brings out a lot of the bigger hitters, many of which have tons of experience at the track.”
Huddleston’s recent victory, in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, is sure to give the four-time NASCAR State of California Champion additional confidence, that he can pull out a victory in a special event at the speedway. Huddleston had a magnificent touring series average finish of 4.0, before his 27th place finish in the SRL opener. He had also completed every lap in those 10 events, prior to the SRL DNF. With those results, Huddleston will surely be one of the favorites this weekend.
To make an effort to participate in events like this, Huddleston is thankful for the support he receives from those around him.
“First off, I have to thank my entire family as well as crew”, Huddleston stated. “I’d also like to thank High Point Racing, Racecar Factory, The Loe Pit Stop, Sunrise Ford, Lucas Oil, and TerraClean. I would especially like to thank all the fans that come out to support.”
Saturday night will also be a special night for additional reasons. Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon and his wife, Jaye, in conjunction with their Respect 90 Foundation, have partnered with Irwindale Speedway to host “Try Not To Suck Race Night”. The event will include both live and silent auctions filled with unique experiences and items from the sports world. There will also be giveaways of premium items such as original Respect 90 ”Try Not To Suck” T-shirts and Cubs promotional items.
Proceeds from the event will benefit “Play It Forward for Kids”, a Southern California based non-profit which is dedicated to providing sporting equipment to underserved elementary schools.
The weekend action will get underway with practice for the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour, Spears Modified Series presented by Lucas Oiland the SouthWest Tour Truck Series on Friday evening. Saturday sees practice for all three divisions beginning at 1:00 p.m. with one hour for the SPEARS Southwest Tour and SPEARS Modified Series, followed by a half-hour session for the Southwest Tour Truck Series. Admission Gates open at 4:00 p.m., while Qualifying begins at 4:15 p.m. for the SWT Trucks, followed by the SRL and then Modified Series.
The ever-popular Autograph Session, on the front straight, is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., followed by Opening Ceremonies at 6:45 p.m. The SPEARS Modified Series will kick the action off with Segment #1 of their split 80-lap Main Event. The Southwest Tour Series Trucks will then run their Main Event, followed by the 40 lap Segment #2 for the Modifieds. The SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series will then close out the evening, with the “RJ Allen 100 presented by Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse”.
