Some Sad News And Some Happy News

In the most recent issue of John Kelly's MotoRacing Magazine, it was reported that Stewart Reamer passed away. Stewart was the operator of the Racing Promoter's Workshops. These end of the year events in Reno, Nevada serve as a gathering place for all the promoters, leaders of various traveling racing organizations and various companies that do business in racing, where they discuss the state of racing and look to the future.

I attended four of four events, the first in 1993 when Mike Johnson and I were putting the CMA together, and years later with Don O'Keefe Jr. The last year, Stewart acknowledged DCRR Racing News as the magazine I represented. The previous times it was my Racing Wheels credentials that got me in.

Now, this was a big deal to me, because they didn't have to let some publisher of a small magazine in for free. But he did. I was honored to be there. These meetings often served as the place for some of the biggest deals for the sport, and the fans came out the winners more often than not. So, I'll just offer my condolences to the Reamer family. It's people like Stewart who helped make the sport of auto racing a better place.

It's nice when we have history books for racing fans to look back on the past and celebrate it. Yes, I know I should get my butt in gear and put that book together. There is the 50 Years of BCRA History book and Bob Barkhimer's book.

I noticed in MotoRacing that photographer Dennis Mattish has put a book together called The History Of San Jose Auto Racing 1903-2007. It's hard cover, 288 pages. It's $69.95 plus $10 for postage and handling. You can order direct from the author:

Dennis Mattish Photos
2070 Ulster Drive
San Jose, CA 95131

I should point out that Dennis is a very talented photographer and his work has been featured in several publications. It's nice to see something being done to honor the great racing heritage of San Jose.

Finally, congratulations are in order to Kenny Shepherd and the crew for a successful completion of the 2009 Chowchilla Speedway season. While I'm still not thrilled that Tom Sagmiller isn't the man in charge, it's nice to know that they found somebody who could make it through a whole season like Tom did for so many years. Plus, Tom did bring the Freedom Series back to Chowchilla for it's finale this year. Anyway, here's a press release for Chowchilla that I received:

Chowchilla Speedway Media Release – October 7th, 2009

Matt Speed – Media Relations / Short Track Management, LLC

The 2009 Chowchilla Speedway Champions are Announced

The audit of every driver and every point earned by each driver is now complete and the 2009 championship points are certified. The Champions will be honored at the 2009 awards banquet on November 7^th.

The Western Modified Champion is Alex Stanford, Mike Villanueva is second, Robbie Jeppeson was third with Ray Mayer, and Bill Egelston completing the top five. Sixty Eight different drivers competed in the Western Modified Points Championship during the 2009 season at the Chowchilla Speedway.

Mike Shepherd is the Super Stock Champion; Mitch Enos is second with Steven Hannah, Donnie Shearer, and Roy Hart Jr. making up the top five in the points. Thirty Six different drivers competed in the Super Stock Points Championship during the 2009 season at Chowchilla Speedway.

The Hobby Stock Championship was a barn burner to say the least and when the smoke cleared it was Jarod Fast with 541 points and Danny Roe with 540 points. Jarod Fast is the Hobby Stock Champion for 2009.

Roe was the point leader all the way up to the final main event, Fast had won two races in a row to get close to Roe in the points. Fast won the final race making it three in a row, Roe finished third but the car he barrowed for the main event was found to be 120 pounds light in post race inspection. Roe was penalized one position per pound the car was found to be under weight; he earned one point for the race for what would be 123^rd position. He retained his points for the heat race and trophy dash due to the fact he was in his own car.

Had Fast not won all three of the final main events, or even finished second in one of them Danny Roe would be the champion, but Fast matched his name and got a hot hand at the right time, the same time that Roe hit a tough patch in his season. Shannon Marlow, Shannon Porter and Robby Laquaci made up the top five in the points. Forty Five different drivers competed in the 2009 Chowchilla Speedway Hobby Stock Championship.

Kathy Evans is the 4-Banger Champion, followed by Paul Thornburn, David Cox, Greg Mead, and Joe Willoughby for the top five. More than forty different 4-banger drivers competed in the 2009 championship at the Chowchilla Speedway.

Tim Prothro is the 2009 Sportsman Champion, Mike Shearer, Justin Shearer, Mark Odgers, and Mike Henault made up the balance of the top five. Seventeen different drivers competed in the Sportsman class in 2009.

Chris Koontz is the 2009 Spec Sprint Champion, with a hard charging Christian “The Weasel” Hickman finishing right behind him. Twenty Four different drivers competed in the Spec Sprint class in 2009.

The Chowchilla Speedway features the Chowtown Pacific Dirt Nationals presented by Richwood Meats on October 16^th, 17^th and 18^th. Three nights of spectacular main events featuring the Modifieds, Western All Star Super Late Models, Super Stocks and the 4-Bangers. Click on this link for more information.

For more information go to www.racechowchilla.com.

Just Checking In With An Update And Some Comments

Can't let the 2009 season go without pointing out this is the 50th consecutive season of activity for Antioch Speedway. That means next year with be the 50th Anniversary of that track. Will there be any special plans? Guess we'll find out. Though I'm not optimistic about it, I am hopeful. It's just nice to see the track is still running and doing better in some areas than last year, from what I hear. It would be nicer if they had newspaper coverage here, but...

I'm very sorry for the lack of updates. To say my head has been elsewhere would be an understatement. I haven't given much thought to the book I was planning to write, to be perfectly honest with you. I have finished a non racing related book that I am editing. I have given some thought to pulling out some previously published material for a racing history book of sorts. Some of what I consider to be my best stories, along with Gary Jacob and other writers from past DCRR issues. And some photos, of course. Lots of them.

What would be the point of that? For starters, to get this stuff published and looking more professional than anything I had done previously with The DCRR. The print would be bigger. The look and feel of the book would be like a book you would get at Barnes & Noble. The areas focussed on would include Antioch, Chowchilla, Merced, Watsonville, Petaluma and other tracks. Driver profile stories, the classic 1989 DCRR Series Memorable moments, a look back at Antioch Speedway in the 80's. Never wrote the 1989 installment, but I might just break out an old story from my Antioch '87 magazine about the 1979 season to make it a full ten year series.

Big stories about Antioch and Merced history, some season review stories and other things. At this time, the "angry editor" stuff would NOT be a part of this. The book would be a celebration of racing on a short track level. That's all. How many pages? I figure at least 100 or 200. Is this something that would interest any of you who are lurking? If so, perhaps I can make this happen. The more positive feedback I see, the more inspired I will be to do this, so feel free to post.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Don O'Keefe Jr. not that long ago. It was good to see him again, and he looked great. Seems life in Indiana agress with him. It was nice to catch up with him on things and we of course recalled putting the Spec Sprint class together and the recent publicity we enjoyed in Norm Bogan's excellent story in Flat Out Magazine. It's nice to be remembered and even nicer to know the division is still going strong. Even Antioch has enjoyed some good car counts this season.

Petaluma is doing good things with the division as well. Incidentally, I understand Jim Soares has to renew his contract there. I certainly hope he gets to return. He has really turned the place around. I haven't been to a race in California in over five years, and frequently when I think of going to a race it's Petaluma. I've heard things about that bid. I won't mention here, but if it comes to light in the future, I definitely have an opinion. I support Jim at Petaluma. Yeah Jim, "there's no we" and I'm not looking to come back, but I do respect what you have done there. Pops would be proud of you.

Hopefully, we can keep the negativity at a minimum and move ahead. Some tracks aren't doing well, but others are. The main thng is tracks like Antioch, Watsonville and Petluma have made it throigh some tough times and even Chowchilla is doing okay from what I hear. There will be ups and downs, but there always has been. As long as the ones in charge don't do anything stupid, the drivers will come back and the show will go on.

Anyway, that's all for now. Best wishes to everybody and I hope whatever you're doing you are happy.

Wingless Spec Sprint Points From Antioch

I've got these for all the divisions, but since we had the recent story in Flat Out Magazine, I thought it would be nice to put the Spec Sprint points up here for the record. Note, I included the NCMA points from 1998 as Antioch management did honor the top point runners that year. Eventually I will get around to posting the other divisions.

Antioch Speedway
Wingless Spec Sprint Points

NCMA MODIFIEDS (1998)*

1 Scott Holloway 596
2 Ed Amador Sr. 543
3 Don O'Keefe Jr. 541
4 Duane Watson 534
5 Jeff PIke 514
6 Andy Archer 495
7 Bill Felver 481
8 Dave Cuhna 437
9 Del Quinn 432
10 Burt Siverling 412

* Official Antioch Standings

1999
Dan Gonderman 558
Andy Archer 456
Don O'Keefe Jr. 451
Travis Berryhill 381
Eric Mentch 339
Jim Perry Jr. 280
Larry Teixeira 215
Phil Pedlar 193
Terry DeCarlo Sr. 191
Rick Brophy III 189

2000
1 11 Travis Berryhill 531
2 10 Eric Mentch 516
3 15P Jim Perry Jr. 450
4 8 Dan Gonderman 417
5 29 Billy Fraser 332
6 7 Brian Gray 326
7 47B John Buccellato 296
8 02 Jimmy Lavell 255
9 21P Jim Perry III 244
10 64 Terry Tarditi 242
11 22 Roy Fisher 241
12 26 Dalton DeOrnellas 234
13 91 Eric Ferreira 227
14 12 Bill Felver 218
15 20 Keith Shipherd 214
16 6 Jeff Rose 211
17 4 Rick Panfili 187
18 2 Phil Pedlar 165
19 18 Rich Butler 161
20 44 Larry Teixeira 153

2001
1 64 Terry Tarditi 555
2 15P Jim Perry Jr. 398
3 29 Billy Fraser 394
4 3G David Goodwill 349
5 2 Brian Gray 304
6 11 Travis Berryhill 277
7 23L Mike Lokmor 270
8 26 Dalton DeOrnellas 263
9 47B John Buccellato 263
10 21P Jim Perry III 257
11 20 Keith Shipherd 247
12 24 Brandi Ford 246
13 16 John Hendrickson 236
14 22 Roy Fisher 222
15 6 Jeff Rose 180
16 55 Scott Merrell 163
17 4 Rick Panfili 159
18 1 Bill Wallace 157
19 77 Daryl Moore 145
20 19 Kraig Collins 144

2002
1 40 Darrell Hanestad 986
2 15P Jim Perry Jr. 935
3 3G David Goodwill 907
4 29 Billy Fraser 881
5 55 Scott Merrell 804
6 16 John Hendrickson 769
7 1M Joey Santos 672
8 64 Terry Tarditi 620
9 24 Brandi Ford 611
10 36 Bob Newberry 554

2003
1 40 Darrell Hanestad 1057
2 29 Billy Fraser 965
3 3g David Goodwill 829
4 36 Bob Newberry 788
5 21 Jim Perry III 768
6 55 Scott Merrell 764
7 11D Danny Olmstead 735
8 9 David Hays Jr. 674
9 4 Daryl Moore 604
10 25 Sal Mannina 588

2004
36 Bob Newberry 819
29 Billy Fraser 791
17 Joey Santos 765
40 Darrell Hanestad 761
15 Jim Perry Jr. 744
55 Scott Merrell 715
9 David Hays Jr. 675
57 Troy Caraway 669
22 Roy Fisher 633
6 Jeff Rose 620

2005
55 Scott Merrell 749
96 Arvo Backholm 743
17 Joey Santos 684
15p Jim Perry Jr. 663
32 Billy Macedo 598
22 Roy Fisher 554
41 David Press 522
18 Dennis Fraser 506
41h Scott Holloway 496
9 David Hayes Jr. 390

2006
1 21p Jim Perry III 694
2 04 Derek Overcamp 588
3 22 Roy Fisher 546
4 4s Dan Simpson 542
5 10 Brandi Ford 472
6 41 David Press 466
7 14 Jeff Kindt 424
8 8 Dan Gonderman 394
9 8x Anthony Ryan 382
10 6 Jeff Rose 360
11 2x Brian Gray 238
12 48v Brian Vaughn 196
13 9 David Hays Jr. 194
14 15c Steve Mannina 188
15 7s Danielle Simpson 168
16 41s Jack Clark 142
17 0x Dave Ellis 113
18 48 Michael Vaughn 104
19 7h John Keith 100
20 57 Troy Caraway 84
21 32 Billy Macedo 80
22 14jr Matt Streeter 80
23 33 Scott Dupont 70
24 41h Scott Holloway 42
25 96 Todd Miller 42
26 36 Bob Newberry 36
27 51 Dennis Fuller 35
28 23 Tyler Henriques 34
29 22d Nick Davis 33
30 17j Jim Riddell 32
31 99 Tom Dupont 28
32 41x Terry Miller 22
33 11d Danny Olmstead 16
34 90 Craig Smith 11

2007
1 15p Jim Perry Jr. 675
2 21p Jim Perry III 613
3 22 Roy Fisher 587
4 14 Jeff Kindt 572
5 26 Billy Aton 530
6 04 Derek Overcamp 525
7 41 David Press 443
8 8 Dan Gonerman 416
9 8x Anthony Ryan 388
10 9 David Hays Jr. 385
11 0x Dave Ellis 302
12 11 Ricardo Rivera 276
13 6 Jeff Rose 244
14 57 Troy Caraway 232
15 m1 Billy Macedo 224
16 41s Jack Clark 220
17 10 Chris Magoon 158
18 48 Micheal Vaughn 150
19 8t Troy Passama 146
20 44 Rick Panfili 139
21 10L Colby Rennert 134
22 23 Nick DeCarlo 82
23 36 Bob Newberry 78
24 22x Kris Koontz 70
25 81 Troy Foulger 64
26 22y Lee Yetter 56
27 41r Randy Lathrop 54
28 10m Eric Mentch 52
29 34 Steve Stein 48
30 9t Tony Boscacci 28
31 59 Tim Burcher 26
32 17t Dusty Green 24
33 3e Anthony Espinoza 24
34 2x Brian Gray 20
35 51 Dennis Fuller 5

2008
1 M1 BILL MACHEDO 684
2 26 BILLY ATON 682
3 8x ANTHONY RYAN 602
4 11 RICARDO RIVERA 524
5 04 DEREK OVERCAMP 448
6 22 ROY FISHER 432
7 31 TROY FOUGLER 424
8 15P JIM PERRY, JR. 396
9 8 DAN GONDERMAN 373
10 41 DAVID PRESS 280
11 44 RICHARD PANFILLI 276
12 87 RYAN BERNAL 256
13 14 JEFF KINDT 198
14 95 ALAN CLARK 172
15. 21P JIM PERRY III 122

An Antioch Speedway Story

The Antioch Speedway website has been running stories about the races there. They aren't archiving them and there's still no newspaper coverage, but at least it's something. Perhaps they will send them to John Kelley's MotoRacing Magazine, which appears to be the last magazine of it's kind standing in this area. Who would have thought? It's a monthly magazine, but at least it's something to offer a snapshot of what's going on.

Anyway, here's the story from the web page. I'm not planning on doing this all the time, but figured I'd do it this once.

Sep 13 2009 - Welcome back Race Fans...

This weekend brought out some names from days of old; near and recent. Most notably was the return of Todd Tadiello making his return after what I am told was almost a decade of absense. Russ Seiber jumped back into the Dwarf Car and Chris Sorenson graced us with an appearance in a Hobby Stock. These three along with many other competitors picked a great weekend to come to the Antioch Speedway. The racing was thrilling and with limited yellows coming out, gave us some awesome non-stop action to witness. The competition was fierce as always.

Feature division and most entertaining for the night was the Dirt Modifieds. Nick DeCarlo jumped off to a quick start and set the pace for those behind him. He challenged the three behind him to get creative in their line selection. He definitely made Joe Carr and Scott Busby work for their positions. Once the two veterans got passed DeCarlo they managed to inch away from him and we were witness to glory in driving. It was intense to watch when Kenny Neu and Troy Foulger got into the mix of the top 5. There was a collective feeling of awe once the dust settled and Joe Carr was again in the winner's circle. Scott Busby, the winningest modified driver in California, gave him a good battle but settled for a stellar 2nd place finish. DeCarlo wound up in third, holding off the hard-charging and current points leader Neu.

Every week the Hobby Stocks come in and make the statement that they are a division not to be overlooked. As the season progresses, the racing action is becoming more and more notable. This past weekend was no exception and could arguably contend for the best race of the night against the monster machines of the dirt modifieds. Coming off the recent win, Jack Jonker led the pack. Nipping at his heals and waiting for any mistake to capitalize upon were current points leader Fred Ryland and prior winners Nick DeLuca and Erik Schantin. These four have stepped up their game and were put to the test as the lappers came into the picture. DeLuca was able to get past Jonker for a moment before being passed by Schantin. As they navigated around the 3/8 mile dirt oval it came down to who would be the most consistent. The track held up and has been coming in better and better as the year goes by. The hobbies took advantage of all the room and made many 3 wide passing turns. With a slight bobble from Nick DeLuca, Erik Schantin was the first to cross the checkers to the delight of the roaring crowd gaining his third win of the season. Amazingly Schantin won the race without tearoffs. It turned out in turn one of the starting lap, he went to pull a single tearoff and the whole thing came off leaving him without any for the entire A main event. Typically racers have to overcome mechanical and other obstacles but sight is normally not one of them. It makes the win even more thrilling when you find out about the battle inside the drivers seat.

Coming off a recent injury, we were unsure of the status of Daniel Mendes. The current Super Stock points leader underwent some intense medical tests and took some well received precautions prior to jumping back into the black #3. He brought his clearance and for those who were questioning; you were left without any doubts. He is here and he's not going anywhere. Bring it on you, can hear him say when you look at the drive in his eyes. Mendes started in 8th and made a quick charge to the front. Once he got past Larry Damitz and Michael Newman, it was over. He never waivered and was never challenged for the lead. Mitch Machado made a valiant effort following Mendes' move thru the pack but couldn't match the power he had and scored a second place finish. It is no surprise that Larry Damitz finished in the top three. He is as I call him, always Mr. Consistent.

Ricardo Rivera raced in the Dwarf Cars. He won, enough said. Tony Carmignani is staying within striking distance by maintaining his second place finishes. He pulled up on Rivera late in the race but the laps weren't there to make a definite challenge. Worthy of noting, is the improvement of Jerry Doty. He has been watching and learning from the top guys. It shows in his finishes from the past few months. Doty has nearly always finished in the top 5, this past weekend he gained a third place win. He is one to watch in the next year. It is not uncommon for a dwarf car driver to "move-up" to a dirt modified, but it is hardly ever seen in the reverse. This weekend we had last years dirt modified champion, Rob Norris, jump into a dwarf car. It was a nice change of pace for the modified driver. Unfortunately in every division mechanical woes will happen. Norris pulled off early in the main event, returning as it finished. Hopefully the car problems can get dialed in and we can see some more championship racing in the dwarf car division.

The Freedom Series was moved to Chowchilla for the last installment but that didn't affect our local boys. A big congratulations to Kenny Neu for taking the modified purse and Gene Haney for garnering the Hobby Stock win. The soon-to-be retired Haney was back in the familiar seat of his mini truck this weekend. He pulled out a solid third place finish and stayed in the points lead for this division. The Trophy Dash winner Tommy Brown came in second behind Mini Trux winner Mike Harman Sr. It was the first win for both men.

Prior to the Trophy Dash, we observed a moment of silence for those lost in the tragedies of years ago. It shall remain a reminder of loss and the unity of the nation. Let's all take this time to shake the hand of your neighbor, love yourself and your family. We hope that you come to the races with that same sentiment. This is a dying breed and we encourage you to cheer loudly for that which you love.

A reminder of the changes; the 2009 banquet has been cancelled. The Wingless Sprints have a $1500 to win show added to the Western All Stars Late Model event on October 3rd. Antioch Speedway management has added 2 additional dates of racing, the 17th and 24th of October. Divisions to be announced at a later date. As always, the opinion/statements made are not necessarily that of the speedway management.

Antioch Speedway Results

September 12, 2009

Dirt Modifieds
1. 12 Joe Carr
2. 73 Scott Busby
3. 17 Nick DeCarlo
4. 99 Kenny Neu
5. 49 Troy Foulger
6. 28 Chester Kniss
7. 68 Norman Beck
8. 16 Michael Paul
9. 00 Todd Tadiello
10. 44 Jon Haney
11. 61 Jeff Bettencourt
12. 2a Andy Angelo
13. 2 Mike Learn
14. 6 Dan Gonderman

Super Stocks
1. 3 Danny Mendes
2. 22 Mitch Machado
3. 15 Larry Damitz
4. 83 Michael Newman
5. 2 Mike Gustafson
6. 90 Jeremy Petrell
7. 65 Lori Brown
8. 11 Lloyd Cline
9. 8 Alan Beasy
10. 40 Steve Perry
11. 10x Eric Van Hooser

Hobby Stocks
1. 45 Erik Schantin
2. 99 Jack Jonker
3. 24 Nick DeLuca
4. 7 Fred Ryland
5. 03 Philip Gibber
6. 00 Chris Sorenson
7. 87 Wes Bentley
8. 98 Joe Cancilla
9. 56 Chuck Templeton
10. 11 Joanna Kujala
11. 57 Craig Ebert
12. 28 Anthony Roeder
13. 300 Jake Neu

Dwarf Cars
1. 45 Ricardo Rivera
2. 11 Tony Carmignani
3. 55 Jerry Doty
4. 3 Duane Jordan
5. 30 Joel Osias
6. 12 Butch Liston
7. 3s Chuck Golden
8. 1 Russ Seiber
9. 3n Clayton Dortbach
10. 41 Rob Norris

Mini Trux
1. 51 Mike Harman Sr
2. 99x Tommy Brown
3. 45 Gene Haney
4. 4 Ray Bunn
5. 99 Travis Dutra
6. 73 Ron Mayberry
7. 21 Frank Rosa
8. 37 Garrett Mayberry
9. 66x Joe Cambra
10. 11d Danny Wagner

Trophy Dash - Mini Trux
1. 99x Tommy Brown
2. 99 Travis Dutra
3. 21 Frank Rosa
4. 21d Danny Wagner

From The DCRR Archives - Chowchilla Speedway 2000

What I remember most about the 2000 season was the fun I had at Chowchilla Speedway. Things in 1999 ended on a rather frustrating note and I was not a happy camper at that time. Maybe the writing was on the wall and I was on my way out anyway, but I never expected I would find my smile at a track in Chowchilla of all places. But from the moment I got there and this radical promoter named Tom Sagmiller was talking on the pit PA system and telling people there was a $25 fine if you're not having fun, I was hooked.

Tom did things differently. A $5 adult ticket for the weekly show. Needing point fund money, he shaved his head for donations. On a rainy night, he was about to cancel a show. I recall him asking the fans if they would like the drivers to come back and mud pack the track and race. They loved the idea of course, and the drivers came out and did just that. Tom was always doing things like that that were outside the box. I'm of the opinion, though, that his particular style was needed or it never would have flown.

Tom also liked to come into the California Racing Online chat room and talk with whoever was there on our weekly chats. The Hobby Stock $500 (40 cars the fist year) and Open Wheel Round Up were born in that room. I have respect for Tom and Cindy and what they did at Chowchilla, and they are two of the nicest people in the sport. Did you know that at a time when he and the Merced promoter weren't getting along, Tom let me stay at his place an extra night and even drove me to Merced Speedway so I could announce report there?

Anyway, here is a story from the 2000 Chowchilla Speedway Awards Banquet:

CHOWCHILLA SPEEDWAY ENDS SUCCESSFUL 2000 SEASON

BY DON MARTIN II
CHOWCHILLA, CA...NOVEMBER 12...Just a year ago at this time, the work crews were just breaking ground on the new race track at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds. Now, roughly 250 drivers, crew and officials gathered to honor the accomplishments at the First Annual Chowchilla Speedway Awards Banquet. It was a happy occasion for all who worked so hard to make this dream a reality.

After the Chowchilla Speedway tradition of the invocation before the event, done by Steve Stone Sr., and a delicious roast beef dinner, it was time to get into the awards ceremonies. Handling the Master Of Ceremonies duties were Promoters Tom & Cindy Sagmiller. Charlie Ruth received the "Best Idea" award for providing the inspiration that led to the effort to open the track. Charlie, Kenneth Stone, Leonard Burnett, Perry Thomas, Tom Sagmiller, Mike Bettencourt, Roy Hart, Mark & Regina Fleming were acknowledged for their investments that made opening the race track possible.

Over 30 special awards were then handed out to all the track officials, sponsors and investors for their very important contributions to this special season. The investors had the guts to take a chance on the track when some people were saying it wouldn't happen. Many of the sponsors and track officials worked during the weeks leading up to the season opener and throughout the year to make sure things went off as planned. The track officials worked on a volunteer basis to help the track get started. Without the support of all these people, the 2000 season at Chowchilla Speedway would not have been possible.

A few special awards were then handed out to the drivers. Monty Tomlinson Jr. received the award for "Having The Most Fun" every week. His crew then received the "Golden Wrench" award, and it was pointed out that Monty was the only driver to race regularly at both Chowchilla and Merced this year. Popular Hobby Stock racer Craig Tatum received the award for "Most Dents On A Race Car", and it was jokingly pointed out that Craig had managed to hit every car in the division at least once. The "Most Confused" award went to veteran Larry Folker for the time he spent in a Street Stock before returning to the Modified division, where he has won several championships. Brad LeDuc received the award for "The Most Air Time" after his crash off of Turns 3 and 4 nearly landed him in the airport next door.

"Rookie Of The Year" awards were next, and Brad LeDuc (Winged Sprint), Red Williams (Hobby Stock), Steven Williams (Modified) and Nathan Corn (Street Stock) collected that hardware. The "Most Improved Driver" plaques went to Phillip Lust (Street Stock), Brian Folkner (Modified), Roger Dory (Hobby Stock) and Joshua Lefler (Winged Sprint). Though there were several Mini Stock drivers during the last couple months of the season, only three time feature winner Bob Terry actually joined the track's R.A.C.E. Association, and he was crowned champion. Terry actually beat a field of Hobby Stocks in his Little Truck at the season opener, and he plans to return next season as the division is expected to grow considerably.

All the drivers who were members received trophies and point fund money, and each champion received two jackets in different styles. 16 year old Doug Fisher received the 13th place Hobby Stock trophy and is expected to return in a new car with his sister Amy also getting a car. Kevin Anderson was 12th, Red Williams' crew chief Jaye Aguero was 11th and Scott Van Gelder tenth. The Ford driving Dale Falkenberg was ninth, and both he and wife Tami are planning to field cars next year. Billy Alvis was eighth and two track racer Dan Holcomb seventh. Roger Dory was sixth and Chowchilla based rookie Craig Tatum received the fifth place trophy. Two time winner Sydney Finn was fourth, and Charles Seals enjoyed one of his most successful seasons in third. Five time winner Jerry O'Hagan, who also won the preliminary feature at the big open show, received the second place trophy and is already being tabbed as the driver to beat in the 2001 championship race. Seven time winner Red Williams won the championship in an impressive rookie season to receive the big trophy and jackets. He sold his car to Jay Connelly and is building a Street Stock for next season.

16 year old Joshua Lefler picked up the seventh place trophy for the Winged 362 Sprint Cars. The steady Joe Diaz Jr., who has sold his car to Jim Myers and is looking for another one, finished sixth. All of the top five point runners won at least one feature, and veteran Roy Winters finished fifth. Brad LeDuc claimed the fourth place trophy. Roy Greer ended up third behind his father, two time winner Richard Greer. George Terry, who led the effort to get the carbureted and winged Sprint Car effort going in Chowchilla, won the track championship to receive the big trophy and Jackets. George is hoping to have a new car for next season.

In the Street Stock division, Kevin Pugh earned the 13th place trophy. Robby Jeppesen settled for 12th, Dennis Corn was 11th and Larry Folkner managed a tenth place trophy in the short time he competed in the division. Speedy Davis sold his car to Andrew Krumm during the season and debuted a new car to maintain ninth in points. 65 year old Al Loewen finished eighth and "Mr. Excitement" George Lefler, who definitely lived up to his nickname, finished seventh. Sixth went to Merced champion Ramie Stone, who had some impressive results in his Chowchilla visits and intends to race here full time next year. Phillip Lust grabbed the fifth place trophy and brother Jimmy Lust was fourth. Monty Tomlinson Jr's solid season, which included two feature wins, earned him third place. The consistent Nathan Corn used his two feature wins and six trophy dash wins to finish second. Steve Stone Sr. proved to be the man to beat and won the championship jackets and trophy with ten heat wins and eight feature victories. In receiving his trophy, Steve was quick to give credit to his pit crew and said he couldn't have done it without them.

Monty Tomlinson Jr. received the 18th place Modified trophy for his two appearances in a car that was last run on the asphalt of Madera. David Jelen was 17th, Michael Jiminez 16th, Chowchilla's Wayde Stockton 15th, former Hanford champion Jimmy Reeves 14th, Mike Dinublio 13th, top five Merced racer Troy Stone was 12th and Robby Jeppesen 11th. Late starter Larry Folkner managed to climb to tenth in points and impressive rookie Steven Williams grabbed the ninth place hardware. Early season point leader Bob Hotchkiss was eighth with Merced champion Jack Stanford seventh. Jack plans to race more at Chowchilla in 2001. Brian Folkner struggled at times but still managed to earn a sixth place trophy. Veteran Bob Williamson was fifth and Chowchilla's Dennis Clay fourth. A one time feature winner, Dennis plans to build a Street Stock for next year, but if he can land the sponsorship he may stay with the Modified. Two time Merced champion Paul Stone, who had two feature wins this year, finished third and plans to have a new car for next year. Two time feature winner and six time dash winner Fred Lind earned the second place trophy. Six time winner Mike Johnson won the champion's jackets and trophy, and he is preparing for a move up to Late Models next season.

With plenty of good food, conversation and awards, a good time was had by all. It was the perfect way to wrap up a fun and exciting season at a new track that everybody worked so hard to make reality. Promoter Tom Sagmiller is now working on the schedule for an even better 2001 season under the Racing At Chowchilla Enterprises banner.