Eric Holmes (No. 62 Sunoco Race Fuels/Paul Oil Chevrolet) knows his way around Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. It was where he scored the biggest victory of his racing career. It is also the site of his biggest disappointment.

Holmes grabbed the spotlight by winning the AutoZone Elite Division portion of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2004. Bitter disappointment followed his first NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series race at the half-mile track earlier this season, however, as he came within inches of victory.

“That was the most disappointed I’ve ever been,” the 31-year-old driver from Escalon, Calif., said of the AutoZone West Series race in May. “I was really upset. I thought I had him. I actually thought there was one more lap to go when we came to the white [flag]. I just ran out of time. I was very, very disappointed – knowing I had a good car at the end of that race and to come up six or eight inches short.

”Holmes has been looking forward to an opportunity to avenge his loss at the Southern California track. He will get his chance when the AutoZone West Series returns to the Irwindale Speedway for the King Taco 200 on Saturday, July 22.

The $111,453 event will be televised live in high definition to a national audience on HDNet. In addition, SPEED is scheduled to broadcast an enhanced replay at 11:30 a.m. (PT) on Aug. 3.

“Irwindale’s always been a track I really liked and always ran really well at,” Holmes said of the state-of-the-art facility where he won his first Budweiser Pole Award in the AutoZone West Series, but lost the race by .016 of a second.

A veteran of more than 70 races in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series – Holmes began this season with plans to contend for the Southwest Series title, while competing on a limited basis in the West Series. Strong finishes early in the season in the West Series changed those plans, however.

“Now, we’re in a championship battle; so we’re going to go with it,” Holmes said of shooting for championships in both divisions. “This is the last time you’ll be able to run both,” he said, in reference to the Elite Division being discontinued in 2007.

“I’ve never won a championship, so I’m hoping to come out with at least one – but maybe we can come out with two,” Holmes said.

To be successful, meanwhile, he must overcome an upcoming portion of the two schedules with several consecutive weeks of racing. The Irwindale race is the first of three straight weeks of racing in the AutoZone West Series and is sandwiched between Southwest Series events. Holmes considers this to be the most demanding part of this season. “It’s a lot,” Holmes admitted. “The five weeks in a row is going to be hard, three weeks in a row with the Grand National car and two with the tour car.

”Some of his Southwest Series experience has benefited his transition to the heavier cars in the AutoZone West Series, according to Holmes. “The experience at Irwindale and Phoenix transfers to both cars,” he said. “The experience on the short track cars is not the same at all, however,” he added.

This marks Holmes’ first full season of competition in the AutoZone West Series. He ran selected events previously, registering three top-five finishes in seven races between 1997 and 2003.

NEWS & NOTES

Ø The race … The King Taco 200 is the seventh event in a 12-race schedule and marks a turning point as competitors head into the second half of the season. This event is the second of two stops by the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series to Irwindale this season. Andrew Myers (No. 44 Toyota of Escondido Chevrolet) took the win by inches over Eric Holmes when the series visited in May. The margin of victory of .016 of a second made for the closest finish in 14 series races at Irwindale.

Ø The track … Irwindale Speedway is a half-mile paved oval with blended banking of six, nine and 12 degrees in the corners and banking of six degrees in the straights. The track has hosted 14 NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series events, dating back to June of 1999.

Ø Three-race swing … This event marks the first of three-consecutive weekends of racing for the AutoZone West Series. The circuit heads to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., on July 29 and then returns to California for a race at Stockton 99 Speedway on Aug. 5.

Ø Six races, six different Budweiser Pole winners in ‘06 … The first six AutoZone West Series races this season have feature six different Budweiser Pole winners – Spencer Clark (No. 23 Allegiant Air Ford) at Phoenix in January, Mike Duncan (No. 9 Lucas Oil/Ron’s Rear Ends Chevrolet) at Phoenix in April, Nick Lynch (No. 29 Baja Motorsports/Mr. Gas Dodge) at Stockton, Eric Holmes at Irwindale, Brian Vickers (No. 17 GMAC Chevrolet) at Sonoma and Peyton Sellers (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts/NAPA Belts & Hose Chevrolet) at Roseburg.

Ø This Week’s Series Leaders … Through six races of the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series season:·

Points leader – Peyton Sellers, 902·

Money won – Mike David, $42,028·

Laps led – Peyton Sellers, 201·

Laps completed – Mike Duncan, 847; Jim Inglebright, 847

Average finish – Peyton Sellers, 8.17·

Victories – Andrew Myers, 2·

Poles – Spencer Clark, 1; Mike Duncan, 1; Nick Lynch, 1; Eric Holmes, 1; Brian Vickers, 1; Peyton Sellers, 1·

Top-five finishes – Peyton Sellers, 4; Eric Holmes, 4·

Top-10 finishes – Steve Portenga, 5·

Races led – Mike David, 4

Fast Facts

What: King Taco 200,NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series Race #7

Where: Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, Calif.

When: 8:00 p.m., Saturday, July 22.

Track layout: .5-mile paved oval.

Distance: 200 Laps, 100 miles.

Posted Awards: $111,453

TV: HDNet (Live)

SPEED (enhanced replay,Aug. 3, 11:30 a.m. PT)

Pre-race schedule: Saturday – Practice, Noon-12:45 p.m., 1:15-2 p.m.

Qualifying, 4:30 p.m.

Note: All times subject to change.

NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series Top 10: 1. Peyton Sellers 902, 2. Mike David 887, 3. Eric Holmes 866, 4. Mike Duncan 850, 5. Steve Portenga 823, 6. Brian Ickler 812, 7. Jim Inglebright 806, 8. Brett Thompson 774, 9. Scott Gaylord 767, 10. Justin Lofton 767.