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Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, 20 miles east of downtown LA
Want to see what NASCAR is all about while staying in LA's backyard? Or get a preview of tomorrow's household names? Or just looking for a novel way to show your West Coast sports pride? Then check out the Toyota All-Star Showdown tomorrow and Saturday at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Consider it the Spring Training for NASCAR's prospects of tomorrow. One of the biggest draws in the race called the "Daytona 500 of Short Track Racing" is bound to be 18-year-old Joey "Sliced Bread" Logano. The racing phenom will take over the Home Depot #20 in the Sprint Cup Series for outspoken driver Tony Stewart for 2009. Logano goes head-to-head against 18-year-old Marc Davis, his teammate in the Joe Gibbs Racing program.
Marc Davis and the Joe Gibbs Driven #18 Toyota Camry he will be racing at Irwindale Friday and Saturday
Marc Davis explained why the Toyota All-Star showdown is called "the Daytona 500 of short track racing." "For short track racing, it's the biggest race. It's a showdown between the East Coast and the West Coast. That's a huge deal." Most racing prospects coming up through the ranks race in either the Camping World West or Camping World East series. Earlier today, both Camping World series announced expanded lineups for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity 2009 programs.
What should fans watch for at Irwindale? "Irwindale's a really fun race track, with the progressive banking," according to Marc. "You can run four wide. There's a little bit of beatin' and bangin'. It's a typical short track. It's a lot of fun and you can learn a lot."
Tickets for Friday and Saturday start at $15 for adults, $5 for children.
SpeedTV will be televising coverage of Irwindale at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday p.s.t.
Photo of Marc Davis and the Joe Gibbs Driven #18 by Stacy Dawn via flickr.
