Kevin Conway, Travis Pastrana among drivers entered in NASCAR Showdown in Irwindale

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Kevin Conway, last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie of the year, is among the drivers entered in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown short-track event Friday and Saturday in Irwindale.

Travis Pastrana, the X Games star and rally racer who’s migrating to stock-car racing, also will make his NASCAR debut at the half-mile Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Pastrana, 27, also plans to enter several races in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series later this year.

The Showdown consists of several races that bring together leading drivers in NASCAR’s developmental series and occasionally attract drivers, such as Conway, from NASCAR’s top-level series as well.

The Showdown’s main event is the 225-lap K&N Pro Series race that starts at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, who joined with Pastrana to create the Pastrana-Waltrip Racing team, is the event’s grand marshal.

--Jim Peltz