Toyota All-Star Showdown: Travis Pastrana Makes NASCAR Debut

The Toyota All-Star Showdown began with Friday night, which included the debut of Travis Pastrana and also showcased a possible coming-out party for two Whelan All-American drivers in the 75-lap feature event.

Pastrana's qualifying run was a decent first effort under the pressure of qualifying for the event.  He made it into the event on time and did not have to race in the Open at the end of the night.  

The stars of the night were Kyle Busch development driver Alex Haase and local track star Ryan Partridge. They put on a great show late in the race with Partridge on track experience at Irwindale Speedway winning out in the end.  

The night gave signs of what to look for in tonight's event.  The track was slick and tough to manage coming off turn four early in the night, but as the night progressed, the low groove went away. During the Open, most of the drivers raced the middle to high grooves of the multi-groove track.

NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Winner Will Deal With Changing Conditions

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IRWINDALE, CA - JULY 4: Johnny Borneman driver of the #8 Twisted X Boots/Red Line Oil Ford has sparks flying from his car during the NASCAR Camping World Series West King Taco 200 race at the Toyota Speedway on July 4, 2009 in Irwindale, California. (Phot

Last night the track cooled from qualifying until the start time of the Open.  The Open got underway at just about the time the midway point of the race will be tonight.  As the race progresses to the last half of the Toyota All-Star Showdown, drivers will see the low groove disappear as a viable groove.

In the early going of the 225-lap race, the drivers who can take advantage of the low side early and then adjust to run the high groove will do well.  The drivers who qualified through the Open last night should be best prepared for the late conditions tonight.

Another development later in the evening was during double file restarts.  The leader chose the high groove on all restarts later in the night.  Something to look for in tonight's race.

Tire Wear Will Be Minimal Tonight

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LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 18: A general view of NASCAR Sprint Cup Goodyear tires in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 18, 2010 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jaso

The first test of the Goodyear tire that is being used for the Toyota All-Star Showdown was the 50-lap Open.  Based on how well the tires held up during the Open, there should be no issues with tire wear in the stop race.

Winner of the Whelen All-American 75-lap feature Ryan Partridge felt his tires were still in great shape as he crossed the line for the win last night. 

ErikHolmes No. 20 Team Forced To Work On Engine Issues Into Night Friday

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DACONO, CO - AUGUST 14: Eric Holmes driver of the #20 NAPA Toyota looks on in the garage area during practice for the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 Race of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at the Colorado National Speedway on August 14, 2010 i

The pit crew of Eric Holmes and the Napa No. 20 worked most of the night working on their engine after qualifying.  The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West veteran's team put in some overtime to fix an issue that arose druing qualifying Friday afternoon.

Holmes has yet to win at Irwindale and he has a solid opporunity to take home the hardware on Saturday.

Travis Pastrana Debut for Qualifying: Starts 20th

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IRWINDALE, CA - JANUARY 28: Travis Pastrana, driver of the #99 Boost Mobile Toyota, prepares to drive during practice for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on January 28, 2011 in Irwindale, California. (Photo by Todd Wa

A week to the day after announcing a partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing, Travis Pastrana strapped into the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota to take on the Irwindale Speedway half mile.  

Pastrana's run was in the heat of the day, and turn four was at its slickest for his run. Pastrana struggled with the slick turn four and lost momentum coming off the corner on each of his runs.  It was a common problem for most of the drivers throughout qualifying.

Travis Pastrana will start 20th for the Toyota All-Star Showdown. This will be a good spot for Pastrana to learn the ins and outs of driving in traffic and adjusting to changing conditions behind other drivers.

Steven Wallace Also Struggled in Qualifying 16th

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JANUARY 21: Steven Wallace addresses the media at Daytona International Speedway on January 21, 2011 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Steven Wallace has possibly the best piece in the pit area for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown and his 16th place qualifying run will not be indicative of his performance tonight.  The Rusty Wallace Incorporated team is loaded for bear in this event and they will show well tonight.

Steven Wallace struggled in his qualifying with the hot and slick conditions of turns four and entering turn one as well.  His car turned well in the heavily shaded area off of turn two, which will be much like the cooler conditions tonight for the race.

Whelen All-American Heat Race Experiment May Translate To Next Year's Showdown

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RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 10: Kevin Conway, driver of the #7 Extenze Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 10, 2010 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jeff

The NASCAR Whelen All-American series experimented with qualifying heat races to determine the starting positions for the 75-lap feature.  The heat races were a success except for the fact that some drivers could not repair their cars in time for the 75-lap feature.

Expect to see next year's K&N Pro Series adapt this qualifying race strategy to the 225-lap feature. Possibly two 25-lap qualifying races to determine the starting positions.  This will add flavor and excitement to an already exciting event.

One interesting fact that came out of the Heat races and the subsequent 75-lap feature was Kevin Conway's inability to compete against the lower rung of NASCAR talent.  Conway entered the Whelen All-American race to get in some laps before the NASCAR season began, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year struggled to compete.

Two Stars Rise Out of NASCAR Whelen All-American Feature

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DOVER, DE - SEPTEMBER 24: Sergio Pena, driver of the #4 Changing Lanes on BET Chevrolet, sits in his car during qualifying for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway on September 24, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by

NASCAR wants this opening to the NASCAR season to showcase its future, and Friday night it did just that.  The NASCAR Whelen All-American 75-lap feature was a spectacular battle between two drivers that know each other very well.

Irwindale regular Ryan Partridge and Kyle Busch protege Alex Haase battled tooth and nail in the last half of the 75-lap feature.  The greatest show of driving skill for both drivers came after a late restart.  Haase grabbed the lead and as the two battled, he attempted to slam the door on Partridge as the two exited turn four.

Both drivers were inches away from disaster but a quick move by Partridge to break slightly without losing momentum sealed the victory for him when Haase had to let out of the throttle.

Partridge said of the incident, "I know Alex is a hard racer. I saw the run he got. When he came over for the crossover move I braked slightly and I think we may have just touched.  It was fun.  A lot of fun." A smile crossed Partridge's face as he reveled in his first big win.

Alex Haase was also complimentary of Partridge, who he races with on a regular basis.  Haase said of Partridge, "He straight up beat us. All and all we had a great car.  I love this track and I have the track record in trucks but haven't won in legends, trucks or super late models here."

Both drivers will be heard from this year after putting on a thrilling show to kick off the NASCAR Toyota Showdown and Speed's 2011 NASCAR schedule.  Now the NASCAR K&N Pro Series will have their work cut out for them to top last night's event.