The Nor Cal Hardtops Set To Return To Antioch

Mike McClure #5 (left) and Conrad Cavallero #2 (right) are the founders of the Northern California Vintage Hardtops group. They make their tenth appearance at Antioch Speedway since 2008 this Saturday night.

For more on the Nor Cal Hardtops, check out their Home Page.

Going all the way back to Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco, Pete Paulsen #66 has been a competitor, car owner and promoter of racing in Northern California. The car pictured above is his latest creation, paying tribute to the car he raced at Vallejo Speedway in 1966.

For more information on Pete, check out his Home Page.


The Nor Cal Hardtops are coming to Antioch Speedway for the first of three scheduled 2010 appearances Saturday night. This is a pretty nice deal that will bring back fond memories to those who were there back in the day. I never got to see this division compete until my birthday about ten years ago at Sacramento Raceway, but this is a really nice division. As I recall, it was a Cascade Hardtop race, won by Steve Lemley, I'm a child of the Sportsman division, but that's for another post.

A post on this blog a couple of years ago, located HERE, touches on the Hardtop division and included pictures. That night in September 2008, which was my birthday, Conrad Cavallero scored the win at Antioch.

Cavallero is racing the #2 car that is a replica of the one driven by champion Johnny Frankling in the early 1960's at Vallejo Speedway. Mike McClure has the orange #5 car, a replica of the one driven by champion Leroy "Go Get Em" Geving in the early sixties. Cavallero and McClure are paying tribute to the classic battles between Geving and Franklin from Vallejo Speedway back in the 1960's. I believe Franklin was the final champion at Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco in 1960, but I don't have my notes in front of me to verify that. The man was fast though and a threat to win on any given week.

In my records, I have several stories from Vallejo and Pacheco. Actually, I have the final season of Contra Costa Speedway in Pacheco from the old newspaper archives and a listing of Hardtop champions at Vallejo Speedway from 1961-1978. At one time I had a Vallejo Speedway Memorial Page where I listed those champions and showed the track as it was the day I visited in 1993. It was still there then, but it's all houses now. I guess I need to restore this page eventually.

"The Green Hornet" Tom Thomson, according to the Antioch announcer, won the final Hardtop race at Vallejo in 1979, and the green #39 car he was driving at Antioch in 2009 was that car. Both Thomson, the son of Vallejo Speedway Hardtop champion Chet Thomson, and Terry DeCarlo picked up feature wins last year at Antioch in that car. Dwarf Car ace Dan Williams had two wins last year at Antioch, while "The Sun Drop Kid" Larry Damitz had one win.

Below I have pieced together feature finishes for the Nor Cal Hardtops' five races at Antioch last year. Using Antioch's point system for feature finishes, Conrad Cavallero would have been the champion had a point race existed. Just a fun little stat. The top point earning car would have been the #39 driven by both Thomson and DeCarlo.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see who shows. There were 12 different cars on hand during the five shows last season. I understand George Connor was not in good health last year, which kept him from competing last season after running with the group in 2008. Hopefully, things have improved. for him. I recall George being one of the first divers in the Limited Late Models at Antioch in 2000. I also understand that Pete Paulsen has built a car that is the replica of the one he raced at Vallejo in 1966.. We'll see who is on hand come Saturday.

Here are the results I have from the five shows last year. I have been unable to track down finishes from the year before, but I have gathered information on what cars were there and who won.

Top Hardtop performers in 2009 at Antioch *

2 Conrad Cavallero 222
57 John Philbert 200
6 Dan Williams 194
39 Terry DeCarlo 140
44 Carmen Cavallero 134
92 Jack Low 130
5 Mike McClure 122
39 Tom Thomson 98
100 Larry Damitz 50
101 Chester Kniss 48
3 Leland Smith 42
7 Bruce Smith 42
77 Charles Mart 40
101 DuWayne Rottier 36

* Not an official point race

4/19/00

Main Event

1. 39 Terry DeCarlo
2. 101 Chester Kniss
3. 2 Conrad Cavallero
4. 92 Jack Low
5. 3 Leland Smith
6. 1 John Philbert

5/16/09

Main Event

1. 6 Dan Williams
2. 39 Tom Thomson
3. 2 Conrad Cavallero
4. 92 Jack Low
5. 5 Mike McClure
6. 44 Carmen Cavallero
7. 1 John Philbert
8. 101 DuWayne Rottier

Heat Race

1. 39 Tom Thomson
2. 6 Dan Williams
3. 2 Conrad Cavallero
4. 44 Carmen Cavallero
5. 5 Mike McClure
6. 92 Jack Low
7. 101 DuWayne Rottier
8. 1 John Philbert

6/28/09

Main Event

1. 6 Dan Williams
2. 44 Carmen Cavallero
3. 2 Conrad Cavallero
4. 5 Mike McClure
5. 39 Terry DeCarlo
6. 77 Charles Mart
7. 57 John Philbert

7/11/09

Main Event

1. 39 Tom Thomson
2. 6 Dan Williams
3. 44 Carmen Cavallero
4. 57 John Philbert
5. 7 Bruce Smith
6. 2 Conrad Cavallero

8/22/09

Main Event

1. 100 Larry Damitz
2. 39 Terry DeCarlo
3. 6 Dan Williams
4. 2 Conrad Cavallero
5. 92 Jack Low
6. 57 John Philbert
7. 5 Mike McClure

Dates raced in 2008 and confirmed cars present

6/7/08 Likely hot lapping for coming race

2 Conrad Cavallero
39 Tom Thomson

6/14/08

V8 Mike Henault (feature winner)
2 Conrad Cavallero
92 Jack Low
70 George Connor
6 Dan Williams
39 Tom Thomson

7/26/08

39 Terry DeCarlo (feature winner)
2 Conrad Cavallero
70 George Connor

8/16/08

V8 Mike Henault (Feature Winner)
2 Conrad Cavallero
39 Tom Thomson (Heat Winner?)
6 Dan Williams

9/20/08

3 Conrad Cavallero (Feature Winner)
101 DuWayne Rotter
92 Jack Low
39 Tom Thomson
5 Mike McClure
44 Carmen Cavallero
70 George Connor
6 Dan Williams