California Speedway will be hosting the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series this weekend in Fontana.

There's a lot of local flavor in NASCAR because a number of drivers have raced over the years at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway.

Tony Stewart was a midget driver, while J.J. Yeley was in the Sprint Car Racing Association before taking off with NASCAR. Jeff Gordon was another midget racer.

Kurt Busch drove a legend car at the Ventura County Fairgrounds dirt oval. Casey Mears and Jimmie Johnson were behind the wheel of off-road racers.

The top 12 drivers will compete in the final 10 races for the season championship. The Sept. 8 Richmond International Speedway race is the final top 12 driver points qualifying race for the season's final 10 races. The championship comes down to the Nov. 16 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Jason Leffler races in the Busch Series and he was one of the best USAC midget drivers during the 1990s when it had some thundering races by the ocean and ESPN televised the action.

Ken Clapp, 68, stopped by Camarillo on Wednesday and recalls the days in the 1960s when he worked and lived in Oxnard. Of course, Clapp is helping promote this weekend's racing. Clapp is a professional motorsports consultant and a longtime racing promoter. Naylor said Clapp started NASCAR West. Clapp resides in Lafayette and makes the trip to Southern California for NASCAR races at Fontana and Irwindale Speedway.

Racing events are scheduled today through Sunday.

Clapp couldn't get over the growth of Ventura County and how its has developed over the years. In the old days, he worked for an automotive engineering firm and worked for a car dealership, selling Chryslers and Dodges.

Clapp was the co-owner and promoter at 99 Speedway in Stockton where he was a promoter from 1976 untiol the track closed at the end of the 2006 season.

Information: www.californiaspeedway.com or for tickets, call 800-944-7223.

September to remember: Ventura Raceway will host five nights of racing in September, including Saturday's Ventura Racing Association sprint cars, dwarf cars, IMCA modifieds and kids' racing divisions.

Cory Kruseman and the USAC/CRA sprint car series will roll into the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Sept. 8. Tony Jones and the racing gang will all be battling Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway.

Ventura Raceway will host the 17th annual Wagsdash on Oct. 6.

Greg Taylor and Kevin Kierce will be back Saturday as the sprint car series continues to heat up. Kierce won last week's 30-lap feature, his third of the season, and Taylor is seeking his 40th VRA sprint car career win.

Jim Scribellito (pro dwarf cars) and Ed Niedzweicki (senior dwarf cars) will be in action with IMCA modified points leader Jack Parker. Brent Stevens won the last pro division race during the Ventura County Fair as did Niedzweicki. Austin Rodarte will be seeking his second career IMCA win.

Riley Helland leads the mini dwarf car supercharger division and Rickie Lewis leads the piston division. In junior midgets, Amanda Green leads Jessica Clark heading into this weekend.

Front gates open at 3 p.m. and junior heats start at 3:30 p.m. Adult classes take the track at 4 p.m. and heat races start at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $14 for adult, $11 for seniors, military and juniors, and children 7-12 are $5. Children 6 and under are free.

Information: www.venturaraceway.com.

Michels keeps rolling: Rip Michels of San Fernando took the led on the 30th lap and went on to capture the 50-lap AC Delco Super Late Models feature at Irwindale Speedway. Michels earned his 10th win of the season and his 54th career win at Irwindale.

Newhall's Travis Thirkettle finished second and Simi Valley's Andrew Phipps was third.

Mark Whitson of Riverside won his second straight BG Products Pure Stocks feature. Lake Elsinore's Tom Whitson was second and Jeff Elder of Redlands was third. Chad Kelly of Calabasas finished sixth.

In the Vista Paint Super Stocks feature, Riverside's Bryan Harrell took the lead on the ninth lap and finished ahead of Greg Crutcher. Harrell won his sixth race and is the points leader. Darren Cheek of San Bernardino was third in the feature. Camarillo's Julianne Seeley finished eighth and Oxnard's Tim Conley was 15th.

Poway's Joe Herold was the King Taco Super Trucks winner. Connor Cantrell of Valencia was second. Pat Mintey of Quartz Hill was third. John Israel of Simi Valley finished sixth.

In the Justice Brothers Mini Stocks feature, the top three drivers all hail from Riverside. They are Tyler Rogers, Eric Read and Steve Rogers.

More Irwindale Raceway action is scheduled Saturday night with the Auto Club late Models, AC Delco Super Late Models, Legend Cars, Pick Your Part Outlaw Figure 8s and ASA Speed Challenge. It will be Labor Unions Appreciation Night. Seven-time AMA Motocross champion Jeremy McGrath will be behind the wheel of an Auto Club Late Model. Agoura Hills' Tim Huddleston is the Late Models points leader along with Las Vegas rookie Jace Meier. They each have 444 points. Brian Jones of Thousand Oaks is 10th with 340 points and Thousand Oaks' Doug McComb is 16th with 268 points.

Information: www.irwindalespeedway.com.