Bowles Endures Brawling at Irwindale to Win Toyota All-Star Showdown

Photo Credit: Tood Warshaw

Since 2003, the Toyota All-Star Showdown has provided an ideal opportunity for up and coming drivers for NASCAR's lower touring series to show off their skills on a larger stage. With national television, big prize money and the chance to attract notoriety makes the half-mile oval of Toyota Speedway at Irwindale a popular race that any aspiring stock car racer would want to win. Prevailing in the 2011 edition of the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale's major showcase, California native Jason Bowles positioned himself in the right place at the right time to take victory in the Toyota All-Star Showdown in a race that challenged the survival of the fittest cars and drivers. Divided into three-stages (two 100-lap and a final 25-lap stint), 40 NASCAR K&N Series Tour cars would wage war in one of the more physical runnings of the Toyota All-Star Showdown.

With the pole sitting #44 Chevrolet of Derek Thorn taking the field to green, the first caution in the 225-lap event flew only 4 laps into the event when fire erupted from the #11 Chevrolet of Auggie Vidovich leaving an oily slick on the race track surface. Vidovich would be joined by several driver behind the wall early in Toyota All-Star Showdown with runner-up of last year's race Sergio Pena forced to park his Ford. Totaling 6 cautions falling in the first race segment, Thorn led unchallenged for the lead around the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Photo Credit: Tood Warshaw

Of the 40 cars that started the event, 16 were declared out of the race largely for accidents. This list included the reigning 2010 NASCAR K&N Series West champion Eric Holmes who was caught within a multi-car wreck on lap 27 including 8 competitors. Eric Holmes' NAPA Toyota, a former winner of the Super Late Model event during the Toyota All-Star Showdown weekend, settled into a finish of 35th position in the final results. A red flag was needed to clean the wreckage on the Irwindale oval.

After a pit stop under a competition caution, Andrew Myers' #77 Ford flew to the lead for what would be a drastically different second segment. Green flag racing for 92 laps, the stint ended with Travis Milburn backstretch spin on lap 195. Suffering a tire puncture leading, Andrew Myers was forced to pit road under the caution flag which also contained a 10-minute break. Ending of the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown second 100-lap segment, the caution is a stage for race's final run. It was within this 25-lap sprint that some major firework ignited at the front.

The #12 Toyota of Paulie Harraka took the lead as the third segment. However, Harraka would be rudely unseated on lap 206 when polesitter Derek Thorn skated up the race track through the turn 3-4 complex as the #44 Chevrolet spun out the #12 car. The incident involving 6 cars also consisted #32 Chevrolet of Dale Quarterly and the #66 Toyota of Steven Wallace resulted in carnage that netted a second red flag race stoppage. Citing Thorn for making avoidable contact, NASCAR ordered the #44 car of Derek Thorn to the back of the pack. Piloting a Rusty Wallace Racing-built #75 Toyota Camry, Jason Bowles was rewarded with the lead by result of Thorn being penalized by NASCAR.

While Bowles restarted out front, Greg Purlsey shot to the lead on lap 211 surging his #26 Ford to the first place spot. A 11th caution once again slowed the Toyota All-Star Showdown three lap later for a 3-car accident. With caution falling 11 laps to the end, NASCAR elected to save green flag laps by calling a third and final red flag period. With 8 laps remaining, Purlsey's chance of victory was upsetted he reported a flat tire on his #26 Ford. Dropping off the pace on the restart, Purlsey surrendered the lead with Jason Bowles surging to the top spot with the #75 Toyota going on to win the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown.

Fresh off the Toyota All-Star Showdown win, I have to admit that I was sort of put off by the first question asked by Speed TV race reporter Dick Berggren after Jason Bowles exited victorious from his #75 Toyota. "Are you surprised you won this when so many of the good guys didn't?". I know you can't say the right thing all the time but the last thing a race winner would is their emotional high to be buzz-killed by even accidental implication that a victory was some-how hollow.

As Jason Bowles piloted his #75 Toyota to victory for Canadian owner Marty Gaunt, the runner-up to the Toyota All-Star Showdown is Canadian driver DJ Kennington. A mainstay of the CASCAR Super Series and later the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Kennington started off in 15th place where he consistently climbed into the top-10 and skillfully avoided trouble. Having made several starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, this run at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is DJ Kennington's best NASCAR finish south of the Canadian border. Through the closing 9 laps, Kennington tested the bottom of the progressive-banked oval but was unable to gain the momentum to pass Bowles' #75 car. Rounding out the top-5 of the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown was Jonathon Gomez, Luis Martinez, Jr. and Johnny Borneman.

One of the more profiled acts making a first-ever endeavour into NASCAR stock car racing in the Toyota All-Star Showdown was motocross and rally car driver Travis Pastrana. Announcing he was stepping into NASCAR late last year with team owner Michael Waltrip, Pastrana's planned entrance into the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 7 races in 2011 requires the 27-year old to gain stock car seat time to satisfy NASCAR as well as himself and future team that his debut at the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is appropriate. Driving a Boost Mobile-sponsored Toyota for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing, he recorded a 6th place finish at Irwindale surviving what was a treacherous half-mile.

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw

A 2009 champion of the Camping World (now K&N Series) West Series, the 2011 Toyota All-Star race winner Jason Bowles spent a good deal of 2010 gaining seat time in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. As a highlight of his 2010 season Jason Bowles finished second at the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race during the Honda Indy of Toronto weekend and almost won the 100-mile event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve if foiled by Andrew Ranger on the race's final lap. With 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion D.J. Kennington pulling off a magnificent 2nd place run at the checkered flag, the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown has easily provided some credence to the North-most stock car tour.

Kurt Busch's Dodge Dodges Race Incidents to Win Sprint All-Star Event

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR


For the only time within the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, the points standings will be left unaffected by the results of this race. The 2010 Sprint All-Star race enjoyed its 26th running on the 1.5 mile Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Starting off the evening, the Sprint Showdown placed a field of non-qualified drivers for the main event. Martin Truex Jr in the #56 NAPA Toyota win the Sprint Showdown passing Greg Biffle's #16 Ford through the latter laps of the 50-lap competition. While both 1st and 2nd place cars received transfers spots into the All-Star race, Truex Jr obviously wanted at least one win for the night.

At approximately 8:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup driver introductions saw 21 drivers taking the stage (18 qualified All-Star drivers, 2 Showdown transfer drivers and one fan vote driver). Announced using a texting platform, Carl Edwards was declared the the fan choice as him and his #99 Roush-Fenway Racing team took to the stage before the drivers entered their race machines.

Through the early race running, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch led the show. Kurt Busch was a fixture at the front early in the 20-lap third segment but suffered up to two brushes with the outside wall leading some to discount the #2 Dodge. However, the #2 Penske Racing pit crew utilized the 10 minute prior to the final 10 lap segment to undo the battle damage relating to mechanical issues.

Following the 10-minute layover, teams returned to pit road to take tires (NASCAR came up with a clever idea to forbid tire changes under the break so pit stops will still become a crucial factor to the final laps). Benefiting from the psyched-up #11 FedEx team which had earlier in the week won the Pit Crew Competition, Denny Hamlin emerged the leader for the race restart with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch starting alongside. As typical to All-Star events at Charlotte, drivers appeared to address the first three segments conservatively awaiting the final segment. Once the flag dropped for the fourth and final segment, the rather tame field lit up with aggression immediately after the green flag flew. Fifth place car on the restart the #20 Toyota of Joey Logano lept to the inside of Jimmie Johnson's Chevrolet. Johnson's horsepower countered Logano's run causing the #20 to rejoin his place behind the #48 Chevrolet. However, as Logano regained his position, he tapped an already out of shape Mark Martin. Martin #5 Chevrolet was involved with 3 incidents of contact seconds after the restart and lost control down the front stretch rolling into the first corner. Triggering a multi-car accident involving Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann, Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards ending the hopes of their Sprint All-Star win. Dale Earnhardt Jr #88 Chevrolet and Tony Stewart #14 Burger King Chevrolet were also part of the wreck but continued with only minor damage.



Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

With laps not counting, the field essentially reset the 10-lap shoot-out with #11 of Hamlin leading the #18 of Busch. As the race ensues, Kyle Busch sought an opening on a wide FedEx race machine making itself wide to head off any charge. Through turn 1 with 7 laps to go, Kyle Busch saw an opening which he could place the #18 Toyota outside of his teammate not knowing that the teammate relationship was not the priority of Denny Hamlin. Moving up the track running out of the turn 2 section, Busch remained eying the shrinking hole only to impact the wall. While no contact was made between the Toyota Camrys, the incident would garner some bad feelings from Kyle Busch which would become evident by the end of the night.

In the meantime, Kurt Busch's #2 Dodge was making a spirited march from 5th on the segment start to breathe heavily on the necks of the two Toyotas. Easily passing his younger brother's wounded car, Kurt Busch roared for Denny Hamlin. Perhaps partly enraged for the blocking move the #11 pulled on his brother Kyle, the Miller Dodge of Kurt Busch moved like lightning by Denny Hamlin to take the lead with 6 laps left.

With 2 laps remaining in the segment, Kyle Busch's anger toward Denny Hamlin would reach critical mass when the #18 shot into the outside wall on the front stretch. Clipping the Budweiser #9 Ford of Kasey Kahne also in the incident, the #18 M&M Pretzels Toyota was angily driven to pit road. Blaming the earlier incident with Hamlin, Busch waited inside the #11 hauler. After the race the two competitors finally met with team owner Joe Gibbs refereeing his two drivers to a peaceful resolution. However, Hamlin appeared less than apologetic following the race incident through a Twitter response. "And if roles were reversed kyle would check up and pull down?? Lol.. Ok back to reality." Both intense drivers on the track, Denny Hamlin was also not surprised by Busch's reaction saying in another Twitter message "He's a guy that wants to win just as bad if not more than me."

In the end, Kurt Busch stormed to victory for his first Sprint All-Star victory holding off Showdown winner Martin Truex Jr in the final lap. Rounding out the top-5 after the final segment was Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart.

Making an entire 1.5 miles celebration lap in reverse, Kurt Busch would go on to claim over a million dollars along with the trophy for the #2 Miller Lite Dodge. Driving for Roger Penske, this concluded a perfect day after the Penske Racing IndyCar program took pole as well as three of the top four positions for next week's Indy 500.

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race Format Released

Scheduled on May 22nd at Charlotte Motor Speedway, eligible NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and car owners will compete for a 1 million dollar prize in the Sprint All-Star race.

For the 2010 edition of the Sprint All-Star race, all competitors will be required to make a four-tire pit stop before the final 10 lap segment. Other than the mandatory four-tire stop added for this season's upcoming event, NASCAR's 2010 Sprint All-Star race will run fundamentally unchanged from the 2009 race. With four segments totaling 100 laps (40 laps, 20 laps, 20 laps and a final 10 lap segment), this race will also include the typical transfer drivers. Two driver will gain entry through the Sprint Showdown, a qualifying race amongst the All-Star non-eligible drivers. One final driver will gain access to the All-Star race by the vote of NASCAR fans.

The NASCAR Sprint All-Star race first ran in 1985 as an non-points event arranged by than Cup series title sponsor Winston to reward the previous year's race winner. Originally a straight, single segment 70-lap race, the race has since been divided into multiple segments to four (the amount being run this year). In recent years, the had featured certain wrinkles such as field inversions and a so-called 'survivor-style' eliminations. One notable feature to the All-Star event was use of double-file restarts; a procedure expanded starting mid-last season to all-regular series races in major NASCAR series events.