Changes at Irwindale

The High Point Racing team will have six drivers, which includes four rookies and three women. Opening night is Saturday at the newly named Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Race fans will notice one big change to Irwindale Speedway. Another change is not so noticeable.
The track has been renamed Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. It will be officially christened on opening night on Saturday with every fan attending receiving a baseball cap with the new name and logo.
The other change is in the cars in the NASCAR Late Model division. The track is allowing cars with coil springs to race in the Late Model division this year. This is a trend other short tracks across the country have adopted. Previoulsy, leaf springs were used in the Late Model cars at Irwindale Speedway.
Tim Huddleston, who has a six-car team called High Point Racing in the Late Model division at the track, has built a new car with coil springs to race on opening night. His other five cars have the old leaf spring set-up.
"We're probably going to have a season of maybe a little sacrifice," said Huddleston, a driver from Agoura Hills who won last year's Late Model championship. "We could stumble on something and come out opening night and maybe be incredible, but we haven't even got the race car on the track yet."
The coil spring cars will be measurably faster than the leaf spring cars. To offset the difference, cars with coil springs have to race with an added 75 pounds in the car. Huddleston estimates there will be as many as five cars in the division racing with coil springs. Forty cars are expected to enter the opening night race.
Huddleston said he is the research and development driver for the team, which includes two teenage women drivers and four rookies, none older than 23.
"We couldn't justify putting one of these young rookie drivers in a completely undeveloped car," Huddleston said. "My priority is these kids. My cars are always prepped last. They're the future, not me."