CLICK HERE FOR 2007 RACE REPORTS

CLICK HERE FOR 2008 POINT STANDINGS

2008 RACE REPORTS

SUPER TRUCKS

Race 1...On a historical night under a full moon it was business as usual for Connor Cantrell in his Hollywood Rental Chevy. Toyota continues to make its mark in NASCAR Racing as it became the official sponsor at the famed oval which will now be called "Toyota Speedway at Irwindale". Fireworks and local bands took everyone up to the green flag where Connor would start 4th and make his way to 2nd with ten laps remaining in the 35 lap race. With a full straightaway between him and 2007 Champ Pat Mintey Jr it looked pretty bleak, but Connor cut it down two car lengths as the white flag flew. One lap later he was close but simply ran out of laps in a race shortened by five laps due to opening night time concerns. Connor and crew chief Jeff Lattimer continue to work flawless together and now have three weeks to figure out why they are 10 hp down to race winner Mintey after a chassis dyno was used in post race tech inspections.

Race 2...CONNOR WINS HIS FIRST NASCAR RACE!

After many 2nd place finishes Connor finally lands the big WON on the 1/2 mile. Connor posted fast time in practice one, was second quick in practice two, he qualified 3rd just 4/100s of a second behind and then a two car invert kept him there for the start of the race. Connor made it to the 2nd spot within five laps and battled the 81 truck for the next fifteen laps with numerous chances for a pass only to be squelched by four different caution flags until a race violation sent the 81 to the rear of the field. Connor then took over the point and would battle Southwest Tour veteran Joe Herold for the remainder of the race in some of the best side by side racing you could ever want to see. With two laps to go Connor finally prevailed as the low line took its toll on Herold earning Connor his first win on the 1/2 mile in the full sized Super Trucks. Connor also takes over the points lead and now looks forward to race three where he hopes to keep the momentum going. Huge thanks out to crew chief Jeff Lattimer, CRC Performance Suspension, Vinny at Liz-zard Engines and our sponsors for making this win possible!

Race 3...Connor and crew picked up where they left off in race two by posting fast time in practice one, were second quick in practice two, qualified 2nd and would start the race from there as well. Connor took the green flag and drove straight to the lead and then proceded to put over eight truck lengths between himself and second place. A caution flag at lap six bunched the field back up and two laps later Connor again gapped second place by over six truck lengths. A wreck shortly there after produced debris onto the track that Connor could not avoid resulting in a punctured oil pan and the end of what might have been a great night. The team has three weeks to get things back in order and are looking forward to race four on May 17th.

Race 4...Connor pulls off a "sweep" in Race 4 as he posted fast time for both practices, won the pole, and after a six car invert placed him on the outside of row three for the start, he took over the lead on lap 31 of the 40 lap race. A few late race cautions kept things close, but Connor opened things up to a six car lead in a three lap dash to the end. Huge thanks to Crew Chief Jeff Latimer, Steve Cheek on tires and CRC Performance Suspension for another great set up! Connor moves to second place in the Season Point Standings just 16 points behind Pat Mintey Jr. The next race is on May 31st.

Race 5...Connor goes wire to wire in race five as he picks up his second win in a row and third of the year. Jeff Latimer gave Connor his best truck of the season as he posted 3rd quick time in practice one, 2nd quick time in practice two, qualified 2nd, was inverted to the pole, and then led all 40 laps. Special thanks to Hollywood Rentals, EarthlinkTRAVEL.net, Cantrell Aire, My Tire Store, Sports Fantasy Leagues, CRC Performance Suspension, Keith Johns on tires, mechanic Larry Vannix, Lizzard engines, and Jakes Roadhouse in Monrovia for dinner tonight. Next race in June 14th.

Race 6...Race six had its challenges as team CCR struggled a bit in practice as they chased some tire issues, but after turning in a 2nd place time in practice one, a 5th place time in practice two, they finally worked things out by getting their third pole of the year in qualifying. From there it was onto the inversion process where Toyota Speedway has the pole sitter spin a wheel to mix up two to eight trucks in order to keep the racing interesting for the fans. Team mechanic Larry Vannix was selected to try his luck and he promptly spun a seven placing Connor on the inside of row three. (The team is not so sure Mr Vannix will continue this duty by the way).

As the green flag dropped Connor quickly made it to 4th and then worked his way to 3rd by lap ten. From there the threesome of Pat Mintey Jr, Tood Cameron and Connor would completely dominate the race gapping the field by over a straightaway. With a restart on lap 25 Connor had his best chance at a pass but some fine defensive driving by Mintey kept Cameron in second trying everything possible to get around last seasons point champion leaving Connor with no where to go and forcing him to ride out the last few laps.

The finish drops Connor four more points back of Mintey Jr, but Connor now has a 40 point lead over 3rd place Dana Higgins.

Race 7...In one of the most exciting races of his young career Connor and team may have really won the race one night earlier. With the team continuing its quest to stay ahead of a very fast field they took to the track on Friday night practice with a few ideas to improve the truck but by the end of the night they discovered a problem with the cooling system plus a small oil leak. With no time left on Friday night for the repairs the team would have to get it done on Saturday morning before practice. Within one hour the crew had the repairs made and on top of the board for practice one. For practice two the truck fell to the 5th spot due to tire problems, but Steve Cheek made a switch to another set of tires for qualifying and paved the way to Connor's third pole of the season. From there it was onto the inversion wheel where Connor spun a six moving him back to the outside of row three for the start of the race. Connor quickly made his way to the third spot and with fifteen laps remaining he found himself once again chasing Pat Minty Jr who had jumped out to a full straightaway lead. With three laps to go Connor finally made his way to the bumper of Mintey and on the last lap coming out of turn four he managed to get a run on the outside. With only a few feet remaining to the stripe, and a victory in sight, Mintey tried to close the door causing contact with both trucks but it was not enough to keep Connor from getting by, and getting his 4th win in just seven races in the most exciting finish possible. The win puts him just 16 points back of Mintey and the team now has three weeks off for repairs due to the last lap collision. Low Budget TV has great footage of the race here. And for the race in a different perspective...click here.

Race 8...Connor and team again showed up with their A-Game for race number eight as they unloaded very fast posting the quickest times in both practices and then just missed the pole (by .040) to rookie Rod Johnson Jr. Johnson then spun a 10 placing Connor in 9th for the start of the race. Needless to say in a 40 lap race in this division Connor would have to work hard to get to the front. He managed to pick his way through some very tough trucks and by lap 35 had made it to 3rd with Mason Britton and Joe Herold just ahead of him. He battled Britton for three laps and made that pass on the white flag lap but simply ran out of time as he made it to the bumper of Herold at the checkers.

Race 9...Team CCR continues its hot streak as they grind out another win but not without even more hard work from Crew Chief Jeff Latimer. At Friday nights practice he and shock specialist Colby Crooks had a few ideas to try and find even more speed in a very tough King Taco Super Truck Series. With the competition getting closer and closer Latimer and Crooks are not about to get complacent. The team took a very good set up and made it even better on Friday and the results proved it on Saturday night as they took home their 5th win in just nine races by over a second.

The day started out somewhat nostalgic as it was race number 9 and as the team rolled the truck out of the trailer Connor found a heads up penny stuck to the front tire dated 1999. Nines have followed Connor all his life as he was born on 9-9-1990, and then turned 9 on 9-9-99. The team quickly had him tape it to the dash and the day was on. Latimer proceeded to tweek the new set up without the aid of the home shop but still managed to do ok in practice one.....2nd. For practice two the 9 truck was 1st, and then proceeded to get its 4th pole of the season. Connor then spun a six on the inversion wheel and would start on the outside of row three.

Connor worked his way through some very fast trucks again and by lap 15 was on the bumper of Southwest Tour Veteran Joe Herold. They battled side by side for ten laps until Connor finally got by on the outside of turn four. From there Connor cruised to his 5th win and trails Pat Mintey Jr by just eight points for the series points race. Huge thank you's to Hollywood Rentals, Stockton Telecom, Cantrell Aire, EarthlinkTRAVEL.net, MyTireStoreOnline.com, and SportsFantasyLeagues for making this season possible, and flawless work by the crew of Jeff Latimer, Steve Cheek, Larry Vannix, Chris Summerel and Colby Crooks.

Race 10...Team CCR continues its roll as they make it two wins in a row, five wins in the last seven races, and now six wins on the season after just ten races. Connor now trails Pat Mintey Jr by just four points as they head into the last four races of
the year. The team had another scare in Friday night practice as a tie rod end snapped causing Connor to be towed back to the pits. Luckily Connor felt something wrong the turn prior and slowed the truck in time to avoid a collision with the wall. With that repaired Connor had the truck back up to speed and ready for Saturday.
For practice one the team posted fast time and the truck felt so good that they opted out of practice two. In qualifying Connor won his fifth pole of the season and then had his friend Olivia spin the inversion wheel in hopes of better luck there. She came through with a two placing Connor on the outside of row two for the start. Connor followed a very fast rookie RJ Johnson for seven laps and finally made a pass on a lap number eight. From there Connor led for the remainder despite a last lap charge by RJ who showed he is now a serious contender.

Race 11....Rough night for Team CCR in race eleven. The team was quick again from the start as they posted quick time in practice one, were fifth in practice two and then won their sixth pole in qualifying. From there things were not so good as the inversion wheel took Connor from first to sixth. As the race started Connor made his way to fourth and while making a pass for third he and Scott Dodd made contact. Two laps later speedway officials ruled that Connor caused the incident and then instructed Connor to make a stop and go penalty. As Connor re-entered the track he found himself in 18th position with 25 laps remaining and promptly picked off eleven trucks by race end to salvage a 7th place finish. Points leader Pat Mintey Jr finished 3rd and now leads Connor by 12 points with three races remaining. Congratulations to Mason Britton on his first win and now team CCR looks forward to race twelve in two weeks where they hope to get things back on track.

Race 12....

Race 13....

Race 14....Connor finished 2nd in the season's final race and winds up coming within 6 points of the season Championship. Pat Mintey finished 8th in a come from behind bid to take home his second championship in a row. On lap 9, Mintey and Joe Herold tangled on the front stretch and both spun to the infield relegating Mintey to the rear of the field and putting Connor in a great position to win the season championship. Connor was riding in 2nd position at this point and just needed to stay where he was and hope Mintey couldn't make up the ground in the remaining 90 laps. This proved to be about 30 laps too many as the #35 truck worked his way back up through the field far enough to make even a win by Connor come up short on points. Every member of the #9 team did a spectacular job not only tonight but the entire year. Jeff Latimer gave Connor a great setup for both qualifying and the race and Connor gave the truck a great run under pressure from behind for much of the race mainly from the #18 truck of Mason Britton. It's hard to believe that after an entire season, the championship came down to two positions but Connor and the team are very proud of their finish as they should be. They did what they did with a ton of class and integrity. It has also been a tremendous pleasure for myself to follow them closely and bring the action to you. Next year should be no less exciting and may get an early start in a special race in January so stay tuned for that! Thanks to ALL the fans and sponsors for a wonderfull season including Hollywood Rentals, Stockton Telecom, CRC Suspension, US Air Conditioning, Sports Fantasy Leagues and My Tire Store. Everyone played an important role in a fantastic season! Also... Check out the Photo Gallery Race 14 for some more pictures of the weekends activities!