NASCAR Toyota Showdown in Irwindale
Jake Engle Finishes 14th at the NASCAR Toyota 2010 Showdown in Irwindale, CA
Jake Engle, a highly touted young racing talent from San Diego, CA, and his team Jake Racing returned for a second time to the Toyota Speedway of Irwindale in early 2010. The 17-year-old was set to take on a full roster of NASCAR veterans and up-and-comers in high-speed showdown of Whelan Super Late Models. Engle managed to place 19th out of the 50-car field during the qualifying race, with the top 42 advancing.
Knowing the track’s history, Jake Racing Crew Chief Fred Fernandez instructed Engle to simply “ride around” for the first 55 laps in order to stay out of trouble. Not to mention, save the tires. The conservative strategy worked. Marred by multiple crashes, the race was often under caution. Yet, Engle was able to avoid all of them. In the latter half of the 100-lap event, amid a restart, he was set to make a run for the front. Unfortunately, NASCAR mistakenly scored him six places back from his actual position.
Before the mistake could be corrected, the green flag dropped. To make matters worse, officials announced that the race wouldn’t go the distance for the second straight year. With only eight laps remaining, Engle did all he could to advance. Miraculously, in a matter of minutes, he passed 8 cars to finish 14th.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing that the race was cut short again,” said Engle following the race. “During practice, we had a fast trim and reached the top of the leader board. I felt like we had a great shot to win it all. But that’s racing. It’s not always going to go as planned. Great drivers and crews adapt and still find their way to victory lane. We learned something today and we’ll be that much better the next time we start up.”
To date, Engle has raced 12 times, from the Toyota Speedway to the famed Myrtle Beach Speedway. Living up to the hype, he has never finished out of the top 15, including a number of top 10s and top 5s. Jake Racing returns to action at the Orange Show Speedway in late April.
June 3rd, 2010 | Posted in Media / Publicity, Newsworthy