NASCAR

All-Star Showdown: Esau, Beat preview

NASCAR CHAMPIONS RON ESAU AND DAVID BEAT JOIN FORCES FOR SLM SHOWDOWN EVENT January 20, 2009 --Two familiar faces and names return to Toyota Speedway in Irwindale Friday, January 23, with hopes of winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Super Late ...

Published: Jun 19, 2009, 7:38 PM

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NASCAR CHAMPIONS RON ESAU AND DAVID BEAT JOIN FORCES FOR SLM SHOWDOWN EVENT

January 20, 2009 --Two familiar faces and names return to Toyota Speedway in Irwindale Friday, January 23, with hopes of winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Super Late Model (SLM) event during this year's sixth annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

Two-time NASCAR champion Ron Esau (1986 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour & 1978 Cajon Speedway) and David Beat, two-time Cajon Speedway (El Cajon, Calif.) Late Model champion h2003 & 2004) switch duties this weekend with Esau of El Cajon, putting on a car owner's cap (Rapid Ron Racing, Inc.) and Beat of Blossom Valley (Calif.) slipping into Esau's driver's seat piloting the white and orange No.6 LKQ CORPORATION/ PICK YOUR PART Chevrolet.

The Showdown, NASCAR's premier short-track event the past six years referred to as the "Daytona 500 of short-track racing", each year draws the nation's best short-track racers to Southern California's premier 1/2-mile oval in Irwindale, Calif.

Over 40 SLM cars are expected for Friday's 7:35 p.m. televised event to be held before Saturday evening's NASCAR Camping World Series race.

As a driver, Ron Esau finished 17th in point standings in 2007 with a limited schedule (9 races) and a best finish of 9th. Esau also won a trophy dash in 2007, expressed his car is for sale and he may return to racing if sponsorship permits in 2009.

David Beat boasts some impressive Irwindale SLM stats including: r008-Season Standings 11th ,16 starts, best finish 2nd / 2007- Season Standings 4th, 19 starts, 2 wins / 2006-Season Standings 2nd, 16 starts, one win / 2005-limited schedule, 3 starts, best finish 4th / 2003-limited schedule, 3 starts, best finish 5th / 2002-limited schedule, 2 starts / 2001-Season Standing 6th. Beat is also hoping to return to Irwindale racing this year depending on sponsorship.

Calling the shots for Esau's team this week and the 150-lap SLM race will be Kevin Clark, joining his long-time friends, Esau and Beat. Clark of Lakeside (Calif.) received a kidney November 7, 2007 from David Beat and both are doing well after the one year anniversary. David heard Kevin was in need of a healthy kidney after the UCSD Medical Center (San Diego, Calif.) put Kevin on the National Kidney Registry (www.kidneyregistry.org) in 2000 due to Chronic Kidney Disease. In 2006, UCSD completed testing on David and their team of kidney transplant doctors gave the okay as Kevin's kidneys were in major renal failure and the operation was scheduled November 2007, just weeks after Esau and Beat's last Showdown appearances.

-credit: rer

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