My Racing Auto Biography Is Now Available On Lulu

It's ready now.  Before I get into the details of this new book, I'm gonna talk about what led me write it in the first place...

Don't worry, you can just scroll down if you get bored.  It's all in here...


In July of 2013, I got a phone call from Mike McCann.  He wanted to talk about racing in general and we shared our thoughts on the current situation.  We discussed what was happening at Orland Raceway, which was his track at the time.  I won't get into all of that as this was a private conversation, but I offered my opinions and ideas on things.

I knew Mike had his work cut out for him because that place has had some serious struggles since Paul & Carol Turner walked away.  I have a lot of respect for those two because they probably had the best program there in years.  They took that little track and made it something special.  After that, it was a struggle to keep it open.

Promoters that followed had things working against them.  During their struggles, the track down the road started a Mini Stock, Hobby Stock and Spec Sprint program and awarded points.  Management after the Turners ran races, but not point races.  I wanted to help, which is why I ghost wrote for Orland while doing the same for my home track (Antioch Speedway) in 2010.

What can I say?  I kind of like that track.  They gave the NCMA some race dates years earlier.  They were the first track to follow Antioch into the Spec Sprint revolution.  When I met the Turners in Reno in 2001, I suggested they start a point race for the guys, and they did just that.  Up until then, it was the Jacobos running hot laps.  Next, they had a big race with 27 cars in 2003.  This little track wanted to do big things.

So, I knew some of the people who followed the Turners.  One of them was Pat Bisio, a past Antioch Pure Stock and Spec Sprint racer.  Several years earlier, Pat was actually talking about something that would have been so cool if it had happened.  I won't get into it here, but it didn't surprise me when he was one of the people trying to keep this track going.  I know he had been racing there and wanted the place to survive.  He's good people.

So, while I listened to Mike, a past Promoter Of The Year award winner for his work at the track in Cottage Grove, Oregon, I heard what he was trying to do.  He wanted to build his car count and then enter into partnerships with tracks that could benefit each other.  There were already tracks asking him, but Mike wanted to make sure he had a base first.  Car count basically needed to be rebuilt.  He did book some Hunt Series races and I believe had BCRA up there as well.

Mike had challenges, and I had ideas.  I didn't want to intrude, so I waited to see if he was interested and wrote the post that stayed at the top of this blog for a while.  I feel bad for Mike, because if he could have turned the corner, that race track could have had days as good as or even better than the "golden age" of the Turner reign.  Unfortunately, he had to step away half way into 2014 after doing all he could.

Running Orland Raceway or any track in this day and age isn't easy.  He was up against a lot, and so is the new management.  It's up the the racers to decide if they want to get behind this new management and build something up.  It won't be too much longer before that track just goes dark if the racers won't race there.  As for Mike, I have a lot of respect for him, and he could still do good things for this sport.  He's a man who has a good record and seems to like the underdog tracks.  That's another thing I like about him.

Anyway....  This is going someplace, I swear...

Mike fired up my mind again.  I was talking a lot with my good friend Don O'Keefe Jr. as well, and I started gathering info, pulling in late nights and planning a new DCRR book, the history book I started this blog for in the first place.  It would be  more than one book, to be honest, because I want to be detailed on as many of the races and racers as possible.

Then, I thought I should write a post about what got me started in the sport.  I was feeling nostalgic, still a little down about things and I was in a weird place.  The post started just fine, but I kept writing and writing.  Before I knew it, I was writing about my struggles to get some place in racing as a writer, my battles with track management, my time with the NCMA.  Do I stop?  No.

I had no idea where I was going or if I would use it, but I had to write.  I had to keep going.  I think I had 40,000 words by the time I got to the chapter where I was looking back after walking away.  Then, I started writing again, because there were holes to fill.  Another 20,000 words later, I had what I told Don would be a nice little auto biography if I wanted to release it.

Did I?  Who the hell am I?  Does anybody care?  As the chapter in the book says, it's not about us.  I was a writer, publisher, announcer and some would say all around pain in the ass.  I was once called detrimental to racing by management at Antioch.  I took it as a compliment at the time, because the racers liked what I was doing.  I think it was Tom Leopold who called me Stats.  Darryl Shirk called me Scoop.  I jokingly referred to myself as Detrimental Don.

In those 60,000 words, I took a hard look at everything, including myself.  I took the gloves off and called things as honestly as I could.  I took myself to task.  I tried to see things from the view of a few people I sparred with and realized a few things.  I was honest about why I did what I did, right or wrong, and how I felt at certain times.  But, would anybody care?  I had my doubts.  I did think writing that was a bit of therapy for me.  It was in need of heavy editing to ever do anything with it, so I walked away.

My mind went far from anything racing. I probably should have worked on the book, but I didn't.  It didn't hit me until last November that I should not run away from the racing side of my life.  I don't know if any of this matters now, but I felt I needed to return to it and do something.  I like to write, and racing should be one of my subjects.  I wrote about it for too long to not do it now.

I had a plan.  The first part was the Best Of The Blog And Beyond book, which took over a month to put together as it required lots of layout work, some editing and over 30,000 words of new material. While working on that, another 30,000 words were written for the auto biography as I thought of other things to cover.  The book became over 90,000 words or 136 pages as I have completed the project.

I don't know if anybody is interested in any of it.  I really was just a kid from the grandstands who went on to do some things that might have mattered to some people in racing.  I wore my heart on my sleeve, leaped before I looked at times and paid the price sometimes.  When I had people to work with, such as my sister and Don O'Keefe Jr., I managed to do some good things.

So, in this book, I talk a little about how I got hooked on racing, being taken in by Al Norstrom and his family and learning more, my time with the NCMA, CMA and Spec Sprints, publishing a magazine and some of the many interesting anecdotes I have about certain incidents and interesting people I met in the sport.

Then, there is track management.  I had several promoters listening to my opinions and sometimes even doing things I had suggested.  When I got in that position, I tried to make a difference, but I wasn't perfect.  I was not friendly with Brynda Bockover, and I sometimes think she deserved better from me.  That is chronicled in the book.  I was still in the mode where I wished a Soares was back at Antioch, and then it happened.  John Soares Jr. came after Antioch Speedway.

Be careful what you wish for...

I worked with John and helped do many things during those first three seasons.  That was the peak time for the track in car count.  It leveled off for a year and declined slowly over the next decade.  Many factors played into that, and blaming any one thing isn't fair.  I don't look at all of that, but I do talk about the good and bad of those three years.  I discuss why I'm to blame for some things, others are to blame for some things and sometimes things just happened.

I went on to show that I could still do what I loved to do at other tracks, and that led to Chowchilla Speedway and Merced Speedway.  We all know the feud between Tom Sagmiller and Chuck Griffin.  I knew it well before I even went down there.  In much the same way I wanted to help facilitate an alliance between Sagmiller and Soares, I somewhat naively thought I could broker a peace between Tom and Chuck.  I'm a dreamer.  That's chronicled there as well as why it ended for me at Chowchilla.  I am honest and there's plenty of blame to go around, including myself.

There is a lot in this book and a lot more I could have included.   Some doesn't come to mind, but some does.  So, there are stories about how I learned by doing as a publisher and writer, my attempt to bring Sportsman racing back to Antioch, my thoughts on the man who is "the Voice" of Antioch Speedway, the time I could have been killed on the way to the track, memorable racers and races I've seen and so much more.

And that's it.  This book is done, and I have no project planned for the next one. I have ideas, but that is up to the readers.  I feel a lot of creativity in me at the moment, whether used for a nostalgia project or the current racing scene. If nothing else, I have now released my second racing book of the year, and I am proud of both of them.  I'm interested in doing more, especially a "just the facts" history project, and I can do it well.  However, if these two books are all that I do from here on out, I think they represent things pretty well.

Anyway, here's the Table Of Contents and where to get this book for those who are interested.


Just A Kid From The Grandstands:  My Time In Auto Racing

By Don Martin II

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

Don Martin II is an award winning writer and announcer, who has covered auto racing at various racing venues throughout California, including Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway, Chowchilla Speedway, Watsonville Speedway, Altamont Raceway and Petaluma Speedway. Sometimes he was very controversial in his opinions, but he was always honest.  Within these pages is the story of his journey from being a fan in the grandstands to becoming the publisher of a weekly racing magazine,  an announcer and writer for three race tracks and a co founder of the popular Wingless Spec Sprint division.

Table Of Contents

Chapter                                        Pages
Dedications                                    4
Why Write This Book Now?                            5-6
My Family's Support                                7-9
How I Got Hooked On Racing                            10-12
My Time With The Nordstrom Family                        13-16
The Letter Cars And The Special Races                        17
My First Big Opportunity                                18
Supporting Steve Torres                                19
The Column That Launched And Doomed Me                    20
Meeting Mike Johnson And Joining The NCMA                     21-22
Mike Johnson And The CMA                            23-27
The Magazine And Opportunities Blown And Never Given                  28-29
The Art Of The Magazine                                30-32
Meeting Mike Conley                                33
I've Never Been A Fan Of Early Rainouts                         34-35
The Pacific Coast Report                                36-39
The Ugly Specter Of Favoritism                            40-42
Chuck Taylor & Figure 8 Demise                            43-45
Be Kind To Typewriters                                46-47
Random Thoughts                                48-49
Meeting Dennis Furia                                50-51
The Case For A Hall Of Fame                            52
Of Soft Drinks And Free Magazine Promotion                     53
Car Builders And Parts Dealers                            54
Can I Get A Ride?                                55
Can I Quote You?                                56-57
The Interviews & Conversations                            58-60
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Race Track                 61-62
Lonnie Fish And The Not So United Drivers                        63
Brynda Got It Right                                64-65
Backing John Soares Jr.                                66-68
The Beauty Of Opening Day                            68
Barkhimer, Clapp, Farren and Bockover And The End Of "The Barky Legacy"         69-74
The Beginning Of The John Soares Jr. Era                        75-76
When Sweet Turns Sour                                77-78
Working With Don O'Keefe Jr. On Wingless Spec Sprints                  79-83
An Ill Fated Night In 1999 That Changed It All For Me                84
Trying To Smile As Things Get Worse                        85-86
Chowchilla Speedway And Tom Sagmiller                        87-88
Wanting To Walk Away From Antioch Speedway                     89
Goodbye Dear Friends                                90
The Sportsman Division Returns To Merced                        91
The End For Me At Antioch Speedway                        92
Working With Joe Martinez And Starting CRO                    93
Going To One Banquet And Avoiding The Other                    94
Getting Banned From Antioch Speedway                        95
Why Announce At Merced Speedway?                        96-97
Tom Sagmiller Said What?                            98
Of Hobby Stocks At Chowchilla                            99
Walking The Fence In An Ugly Feud                        100
Sagmiller's Risk Was Spec Sprint's Reward                        101
Being "Clubbed" Over The Head And Liking It                    102-106
Sweet Turns Sour Again                                107-108
In Reno For A Reconciliation That Never Happened                    109
Does It Matter Who Won The Feud?                        110
Picking Up The Pieces For A Final Push                        111
On The Road With My Friend Chris                        112
The DCRR State Point Race                            113
Good Bye Del Quinn And NCMA Frustrations                    114
Burning Out Fast                                    115
The Last Straw                                    116
Assessing John Meyers                                117-120
To All The Tracks I've Been To Before                        121-123
Memorable Racers And Races I've Seen                        124-129
It's Not About Us                                    130-131
One More Attempt To Pull Me Back In                        132
Looking Back From Afar                                133-134

The Curious Case Of Antioch Speedway Four Bangers

At the bottom of this post is a new episode of the DCRR Racing Radio Show, which actually deals with subjects related to this article, though it was recorded prior to the big announcement.

In case you haven't heard, it was just announced on the Antioch Speedway Facebook Page that all Mini Stock races would be moved to Merced Speedway  this season.  When you look at car count numbers at Antioch, this is not a surprise.  Given the nature of this division, however, I wonder if anybody will tow to Merced as I'm sure track management hopes will be the case.

So, the Mini Stocks can join the Street Stocks and Mini Trucks on the scrap heap of discarded divisions at the track.  Oddsmakers may be trying to figure out who could be next, Econo Sprints or IMCA Modifieds.  The rule changes just made in Econo Sprints (formerly Wingless Spec Sprints) may be a foreshadowing of what is to come.  IMCA Modifieds have already been effected by the presence of Sport Mods and had several sub ten car fields last season.

The track kind of had to make this move with the Mini Stocks.  It was either this or actually try to call a meeting with the racers and see who was left.  It's much easier to break out the white out on the current schedule, so the decision was made to see who might want to go to Merced.  It could gain them a car or two, which is the point of this decision.

Four Banger car count just sort of dwindled, and there's a reason for that.  It's sort of what happened to Mini Trucks.  There used to be 12-18 drivers showing up, and it dipped down to one or two.  So, it's not like nobody saw this coming.  At least they had signs of what was coming, unlike the Street Stocks, who have a few people on Facebook trying to get their beloved division back.

In 2008, they usually got at least 12 cars, while Limited Late Models were lucky to get six.  It was decided to merge the classes in 2009, and some racers stayed.  It looked like it might work, but it was pretty much just the Limited Late Model guys in 2010.  Management created the Super Hobby Stock class and gave them three years.  Drivers like David Rosa, John Bellando, Steve Geiser, Danny Jones, Jim Robbins, Gene Haney and Eric Berendsen raced. It looked like it had momentum in it's second year, but it stumbled a year later and was dropped.  So much for what some considered the Street Stocks.

I wasn't big on the move to add Four Bangers in 2003 when Lance Cline began building cars for the class.  Lance built several cars and we started running four car exhibition races that year.  It wasn't a bad division per se, but we already had Mini Trucks and Pure Stocks.  Was this really needed or just a case of too many divisions?

They began running for points in 2004 and car count grew.  They had boosters in this class who created a web page and forum.  There was a movement to get this division, which was near 20 cars per race, some purse money.  Management was not amused with the attitudes of one or two of these racers, and the decision was made to run a season with no points.

Car count took a hit.  It's one thing to not run for money, but without the lure of the points, some drivers felt it was "pointless" to compete.  For a couple seasons, there were no Four Bangers at Antioch, but the class was growing like gangbusters at Watsonville. Antioch brought it back and struggled with a half dozen or so cars for a couple seasons, occasionally getting double digits when the Watsonville racers came.

I give them credit for sticking with it, and it looked like it was going to work this time.  Car count grew in 2010. After a couple of pretty good seasons, car count nose dived last season.  I'm not sure what led to that, but it is hard to run a division if the drivers are not supporting the cause.

With three tracks under the Oval Motorsports Northern All Stars banner, management has its hands full fine tuning things leading into the new season.  Some of their recent decisions may have had people talking, but the hope is it will work out in the end for all involved.  If you are a Mini Stock racer, that means your races are in Merced and Chowchilla, rather than Antioch.


DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 8 by GenWhat

Prentice May Hold The Key To A Better Spec Sprint Series

The other book has been uploaded on Lulu.  I haven't made the official release announcement yet, but you may be able to find it at Lulu before I make the big post here.  I'm doing paperback and hard cover books for that too.  It's about my time in the sport of auto racing.  More details to come.  

In the meantime, I did a new DCRR Racing Radio Show on the latest Spec Sprint news.  Also, a reminder of the Best Of The Blog And Beyond Book before continuing on with the post.  The audio show is linked at the bottom of this post.

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

Anyway...

Seems like every time I talk to my friend, Don O'Keefe Jr., my mind starts racing with ideas and thinking about things I can write about.  I love the Wingless Spec Sprints.  I still love the NCMA.  I suppose I should. I was on The Board with the NCMA for five seasons and wrote about them for over a decade.  The book will have a lot of that stuff in it.  I also kind of helped start Spec Sprints with Don.  We named them "Spec" Sprints for a reason.  It's nice to see a few people still remember that.

For the people pushing for wings and other things, get a life.  This division has lasted all of these years because the rules have went relatively unchanged in all of that time.  Parts dealers didn't manage to screw them up like they did Late Models and have tried to do with other classes in the name of making a buck.  Wanna know what is needed for Spec Sprints right now? Promotion.  Promote the damn class.  It still has lots of potential.

I managed to see almost all of my goals for this class achieved.  I wanted to see it field no less than 12 cars at Antioch that first season.  We did it, or rather the Spec Sprint Class of 1999 did it.  You guys rock.  Without you, it fails.  I wanted B Mains.  That happened the first race a year later and continued for a few years after that on a regular basis.

I wanted a blowout race to show how awesome this class really is.  Tom Sagmiller liked my idea enough to start The Open Wheel Round Up in 2001 at Chowchilla Speedway.  We set a record of 32 cars, and other promoters noticed.  I was told John Padjen noticed.  A Street Stock racer named Sam Fries noticed and would start the CSRA at Sacramento.  Marysville, Watsonville, Petaluma, all got involved.  Orland Raceway was the first to follow Antioch.  God Bless Paul & Carol Turner.  That track hasn't been the same since they left.  Still think they are bad guys?   Bet you wish you had them there now.

When we had 32 cars, I had two other goals in mind.  I wanted a series and I wanted a Spec Sprint Class at Chowchilla.  Well, Chowchilla went a different route.  Tom used the NCMA and CSRA, rather than starting his own class.  I still feel that was a mistake and that having his own class would have helped what he was doing.  It was nice to see that he returned to that idea of having his own class that last season. If only he had done it sooner...

When I returned to Antioch, I had another goal in mind.  I wanted a Series.  We had the Golden State Challenge Series for 410 Sprint Cars and an amazing Civil War Series for 360 Sprints.  We needed a Spec Sprint Revolution Series, because this was a class that was gonna revolutionize the division.  I believed that then and still believe it could be bigger than it is today with the right leadership.  I believed that leader to be John Soares Jr. at the time.

Something happened though.  Orland was doing their thing, Antioch's class was solid, the CSRA was about to start and the NCMA was running dirt and pavement at the time.  Marysville and Chico were looking.  John attempted to reach out to the NCMA, and they would support the Del Quinn and Darryl Shirk Memorial races in 2003.  It worked great for Del's race.  We set a new record at the time of 35 cars.  Then, a lot of NCMA guys didn't show up for Darryl's race or the $2000 to win race after that.  They didn't support Orland's Harvest Classic that year either.  Orland still had 27 cars, which was awesome for them.

It was obvious to me John wasn't pleased by this.  On one hand, I don't blame him.  On the other, this thing wasn't handled properly.  I would have avoided making the big race after Darryl's race because we waited too long to put a word out and other groups were running that night.  No attempt was made to work together.  It failed.  So, John focused on Dirt Modifieds after that.  The Spec Sprints were still there, but no more attempts were made to go big with them.  That always disappointed me, but I understand.  The Dirt Modifieds were a safe bet.

Well, the NCMA had hit upon an idea that kept them afloat after they lost Antioch.  They began putting up big money to win select races.  That first year, Antioch regulars won every race they attended, and the NCMA got bigger car counts on those nights  It helped save the club.  I believe Del Quinn and Ed Amador spear headed that movement and deserve credit.  I miss Del.  He was a good man.  I never suspected that when I was watching him race in Hanford that night that it would be his final race.

Well, in 2004, the NCMA created the Select Series.  Certain dirt races on their schedule would be for extra money and a special point race.  They ran at Chowchilla, Watsonville, Marysville, Reno-Fernley, Hanford, Merced and wherever they could.  Guys from other groups supported them, and sometimes they had pretty big races, especially at Chowchilla.

It still never became what it could be or what I envisioned.  They ran their last series event in 2009 and began focusing only on pavement..  I want to point out that the division had long been on the radar of a man who did promote Sprint Car racing properly, John Padjen.  In fact, about 2005 or so, John promoted a mega race to end all mega races and had over 70 cars in the pits for that Spec Sprint race.  That remains a record for this class to this day.  Personally, I feel it should have been challenged in the years that followed, but nobody really tried other than John.

So, it was not a surprise to me when Chico was involved in the creation of the Joe Hunt Magneto Spec Sprint Series.  Finally, this class was gonna get that big series and a little more respect.  Chico, Marysville and Placerville were a part of it early.  Petaluma came on bard eventually, Orland even had a race or two.  Antioch sat on the sidelines and watched it happen.  The track that started the Spec Sprint movement had no dates.  Disappointing to me, but it is what it is.

Now, the Hunt Series had big races and B Mains at times too, but they had a problem similar to the NCMA's Select Series.  There was no real hype behind it.  In fact, at times it was even difficult to find a point list or results for this class.  Really?  Come on guys.  Build this up.  This is the "Sprint Car for the working man" and it should be in the 30's and headlining.  Terry Schank Jr. has won three of these deals.  Taylor Simas is a champ as well.  Past Antioch and Watsonville Champion Tommy Laliberte won last year.

I love the concept of this thing.  Well, I should.  It was always my goal to have this series at some point.  It just needed the right tracks to work together.  It turns out that there is new leadership as John Prentice has taken the helm of all three of the major dirt series in Northern California.  This includes the Civil War and King Of The West.  Who knew that Prentice would be the kingpin of the Sprint Car movement in this area in 2015?

I have no idea who he will have handling things for the Hunt Series, but he is working on a new and better web page.  He evidently sees great things for Spec Sprints.  I mean, Calistoga is actually on the 2015 schedule as well as Watsonville, Stockton, Chico, Petaluma and Placerville.  This means that the cars from Petaluma, Watsonville and Chico will make up most of the roster.

I have a hunch that John will try to promote this thing better than it ever has been and grow it to new heights.  This is just what is needed.  The main thing to me is that there are people still out there trying to do great things with this class, 17 years later.  When all of the schedules are available, they will show Antioch (Econo Sprints), Petaluma, Marysville, Chico, Orland (a bit more open) and the Hunt Series will be options for the racers to get their weekly fix.

The thing people don't understand is that this is still a headline caliber class.  Its rules are such that the most experienced Sprint Car people and racers with other backgrounds can race together in a fair and competitive field.  The cars are fast and race so well together that fans aren't worried if they aren't watching injected Sprint Cars.  All they are seeing is great Sprint Car action.  That's what matters.

So, I look forward to seeing who wins the Hunt Series this season.  The racers will have their skills tested as these tracks are greatly different from each other.  I do believe that whomever comes out of it as the winner will be a true Champion.  It will be interesting to see who that will be.  Regardless, I look for great things from Prentice and the Hunt Magneto Spec Sprint Series in the future.

By the way, you can track The Hunt Series happenings as well as the other two Sprint Car Tours and Ocean Speedway through Prentice's New Web Site.

Hunt Series Points At A Glance

2010 Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprints

1 Terry Schank Jr.     512

2 Taylor Simas     500   

3  Billy Wallace     439  

4 Johnny Reeves     433   

5 Jerry Cisco     410

6 Cody Myers     407

7 Scott Hall     377

8  Arvo Backholm     375

9 Josh Vieira     372

10  Timmy Sherman Jr.     370

11  Janna Spear     312

12  Rowdy McClenon     302   

13 Brett Youngman     266

14 Jay Youngman     264

15  Justin Funkhouser     240

16  Jimmy Pettit     208   

17  Ryan Bernal     193

18 Joe Stornetta     191   

19 Zack Lynskey     178

20  Nick Davis     178   

Joe Hunt Wingless Sprint Series Shootout Points.

1)      359     7T - Taylor Simas

2)      356       1 - Terry Schank Jr.

3)      350  7/71 - Jimmy Sills

4)      334     56 - Scott Hall

5)      323    9M - Mason Myers

6)      295      9 - Cody Myers

7)      216     00 - Braedon Enos

8)      210     21 - Janna Spears

9)      198     13 - Rowdy McClenon

10)    168   25X - Johnny Reeves

11)    164    7EJ - Jeremy Hawes

12)    160    32S - Alex Schutte

13)    137     XX - Brett Youngman

14)    129     3V - Josh Viarra

15)    127    23K - Rick Sharp

16)    121    33J - DJ Johnson

17)    121     12 - David Sprigg

18)    103     17 - Nathan Johnson

19)     97      8S - Klint Simpson

20)     97      24 - Nick Larson

2012 Final Points Standings

1     #1 Terry Schank Jr     396

2     #2vs Cody Smith     340

3     #56v Scott Hall     328

4     #5B Angelique Bell     289

5     #13 Rowdy McClenon     283

6     #6 Joe Stornetta     246

7     #12 David Sprigg     208

8     #11t Travis Moore      200

9     #6sp Sparky Howard     200

10     #5V Geoff Ensign     196

11     #7 Jeremy Hawes     184

12     #XX Brett Youngman     156

13     #2 Trevor Schmid     143

14     #7JA Billy Aton     132

15     #6w Billy Wallace     129

16     #24N Nick Larson     126

17     #14jr Matt Streeter     109

18      #07n Zah Lynskey     93

19     #1jr Tim Sherman Jr     91

20      #4X Tony Richards     87

2013 Hunt Spec Sprints Final Points Standings

1     414     1 / 3X     Terry Schank Jr

2     401     13     Rowdy McClenon

3     398     56 / 7J / 77J     Scott Hall

4     342     17     Colton Sack

5     292     5B     Angelique Bell

6     288     6     Joe Stornetta

7     275     32E     Geoff Ensign

8     269     4B     Jerry Cisco

9     218     24     Shawn Jones

10     210     07N     Zack Lynskey

11     203     83     Austin Leggett

12     201     24B     Bradley Clark

13     199     5D     Sparky Howard

14     173     4X     Tony Richards

15     159     81     Brett Barney

16     159     3X     Scorry Dupont

17     140     74     Taylor Nelson

18     129     98 / 77     Bob Newberry

19     121     24N     Nick Larson

20     95     33M     jason MacIntosh

 Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Series 2014 Points

1         395   10C/56   Tommy Laliberte

2         373   1/3X       Terry Schank Jr.

3         336   O1         Shane Myhre

4         314   2           Trevor Schmid

5         284   32         Rowdy McClenon

6         265   6           Joe Stornetta Jr.

7         249   77J/56K Scott Hall

8         224   5B         Angelique Bell

9         212   12J        John Clark

10       205   6N         Gary Nelson Jr.

11       191   17          Colton Slack

12       171   33M       Jason McIntosh

13       154   24B        Bradley Clark

14       144   3X/3F    Geoff Ensign

15       142   9           Shayna Sylvia

16       133   11D       Klint Simpson

17       108   6SP       Sparky Howard

18       103   73C       Cody Fendley

19       90     56/3X    Chase Johnson

20       87     77N       Bob Newberry

DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 7 by GenWhat

Antioch Speedway Needs To Generate More Excitement For Points Racing

Two things...

At the bottom of this article is a new DCRR Racing Radio Show that, among other things, talks about getting drivers interested in racing for points again at Antioch.

Also...

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

Anyway...




The intent here is to look at something that I think can be improved upon.  The problem with writing something like this is that I will offend some people.  That is NOT my intent here.  Those of you who have been around the races for a while know what I'm trying to say.  So, if I do offend anybody here I'm sorry.

You know, back in the day, I'd be bouncing around ideas in my head for the season preview edition of The DCRR .  If I did an issue in January, it would probably still be season recap and special story kind of stuff.  The preview didn't hit the mail until the week before the season.  In fact, they did a preseason sign up meeting at the pizza parlor.  I tried to go to that before doing that edition.

This way, I knew who actually had signed up at that point.  I generally had already heard a lot of the rumors of who was moving up and who was taking a break or retiring.  Then, I'd do a serious break down of the racers past accomplishments and things I had noticed about what they had done.  It's easy to do when you have no life.  Those old season previews were pretty detailed.  Right down to predictions on who might contend to be in the top 10, 15 or even 20, who might be "Most Improved Driver" and "Rookie Of The Year" and so on.

I was very into this.  Generally, I was pretty accurate, but thank God there were surprises too.  We don't want it to be too predictable or we get bored.  Back in those days, the late 1980's and early 1990s, there were a lot of cars.  You earned what you got.  Being in the top ten wasn't a guarantee.  You had to race every week and do well.  I've mentioned how we had drivers race every week and make it out of the B Main once or twice that year or not at all.

It took a lot to win a championship.  Now, I'm gonna get into a topic that I in no way want to discuss to be offensive.  I respect what it takes to race every week.  I know what they have to do to make it happen.  I learned a lot from my time with Allan Nordstrom.  He became a top ten driver at Antioch, and it took a lot of effort to do that.

Antioch Speedway recently opened their season.  Those races counted for points.  When I look at the Limited Late Modes, they were one of the most loyally supported classes last season.  I think there were five drivers to run every race, give or take a driver.  Larry Damitz is the man to beat, but Mike Hynes, Jim Freethy, Mark Garner and Mike Gustafson started the season with him this year.  Not sure Gustafson wants it.  He doesn't always race for points or he'd have a lot more championships.  Somebody will likely be there to keep Larry on his toes.  You'd like to see more racers, but at least there should be two or three drivers racing for that title.

Sport Mods are the same as Limited Late Models as far as support, maybe slightly better.  It went down to the end last season, and the top five drivers had a good attendance record.  You have to have some drivers showing up every week or you have what we had in 1988 when Mike Johnson won the NCMA Antioch Championship.  Boy did he take grief for that for different reasons.  But, there was an excuse in his case.  The division had just started.

The Dirt Modifieds have been at Antioch since 1990.  I see where Spec Sprints took some heat for car count last year and even had a date canceled, but here's the thing.  The Dirt Modifieds had sub ten car fields just as much as they did.  The Northern All Stars Tour actually used Sport Mods to fill the field or there would have been a couple more sub ten car fields.  I say that NOT to bash the class, but to make a point.

Even in that first year for Dirt Modifieds, four guys were in the hunt, and it could have been any one of then who could have won it.  It was interesting watching early division booster Bruce Curl Sr. battle past Antioch Stock Car and Sportsman State Champion "Rapid" Richard Johnson for that title.  Johnson won it.  Then, Scott Busby took over for a few years, but we still had great attendance.  Then, Regional points came in, and it got insane.  The racing was brutal, the drivers very supportive and we had a quality Top 20 in points.  The Top 5 were championship quality drivers.  I mean, they could have won the title at other tracks that season had they went there.

In recent seasons, if we have three drivers running all of the Modified races, it's a good season.  I say that NOT to belittle Troy Foulger, because I will be honest.  He's a good driver, racing for a good team with good equipment.  I can easily see him winning a championship or two back in those days.  It's not his fault nobody is challenging him.  So, he rattled off a track record four championships in a row.

Last year, Troy was on his way again when he pulled a Dean Cline.  Dean never cared for points, and he abandoned two likely Stock Car Championship seasons at Antioch.  One season, he sold his car to the driver who won that championship.  In Troy's case, I'm betting it was because he had nothing to prove and he wanted to focus on the other Modified Series and that Late Model.  I believe he won a Late Model feature down the stretch too.

Only one driver had Troy's attendance record at that point in IMCA Modifieds, and he won the championship.  I WILL NOT belittle his accomplishment.  When I was announcing, he started racing Street Stocks.  He became a runner up in points in a competitive field for multiple seasons.  He raced Limited Late Models and was fast when the car together.  I was actually talking to his dad a lot at the time as I "ghost wrote" that one season here on the blog.  So, yeah, I feel that he's a good driver, and I congratulate Carl Berendsen II on winning that championship.  I know they have a tight budget, so getting to the races last year was probably tough some times.

As I look at this year's point race and deduct the visitors from the 28 cars that raced at Antioch, that leaves potentially 11 drivers who will race for this IMCA Modified Championship.  Of course, I'm including Kellen Chadwick, Nick DeCarlo, Scott Busby, Shawn DeForest, Bobby Hogge IV, Mitch Machado and Joe Carr in that.  Will they be regulars?

I would LOVE it if Chadwick, DeCarlo, Busby and DeForest raced there.  Right now, Chadwick and DeCarlo are on Foulger's heels.  I believe the DeCarlo team has reason NOT to support Antioch.  Just my opinion based on observations and not conversations.  Then again, beating Foulger, or trying to, may appeal to the 2014 Petaluma Speedway Champion.  As for Chadwick, he is fast ANYWHERE he races, but it's usually just money races.  He has an Antioch title already.  I don't see Busby going for it, but there are fans who would love to see him try.

So, if I borrow a page from Gary Jacob, who used to do the "Realistic" Regional Point sheets that warned the Stock Car drivers that Merced Cal Mod racer Gordon Rodgers was coming, the Antioch point sheet looks like this if the other big names don't support the point race.

Realistic Antioch IMCA Modified Points

Troy Foulger        98

Shawn DeForest    56

Chester Kniss       54

Bobby Motts         50

John MacDougall     36

I'm assuming DeForest stays for the IMCA deal, otherwise Foulger has a 44 point lead over Kniss.  If the other three top five don't run, this is what's left.  It looks like it's already Foulger's Championship to win if he wants it.  We have some talented racers in the area who compete at times, such as Aaron Crowell, Mike Salazar and Johnny Curtis.  They didn't race at the big show, so they are 98 points behind Foulger already.  This is another drawback to making that big show a points race.

Why does any of this even matter?  I mean, the fans that braved the cold saw a couple of really good Dirt Modified shows.  The racing is generally good all season.  Why bring this up?  I suppose it's a little bit like having a burger at Nations or one of the better places.  You have a plain burger or you have ketchup, mustard or whatever you like on it.  The point race is the ketchup and other garnishments.

Back in the day, yeah, we talked about who was winning, but it was also about the points.  We wanted to see who would win the championship.  In 1980, Mike Gustafson and San Houston had a close battle.  Len Mello could have lost it all on the last night in 1981 if Mike Green was a dirty driver, which he's not.  Only ten points in favor of Dave Byrd over J.D. Willis during two exciting seasons in 1982-83.

Fans get excited about that stuff.  They come back for more.  It's one of the ways you hype it and create excitement.  It brings fans and it gets drivers more interested in racing.  I know the economy and other things factor into this, but they schedule substantially less races for each division than they used to.  Driver support (each race) has waned in that time.

As a writer, I'd have to say this is Troy Foulger's championship to lose.  I'd be pushing the "what if" scenario of Chadwick and DeCarlo until we don't see them at the third or fourth race.  As somebody who has always been a supporter of the little guy, I'd be writing about Chester Kniss and his accomplishments.  He's come up through the ranks and done well for himself.  Might he be due for that Championship?  I'd do what I could with my articles.

All of these awesome racers deserve credit, because they put on a show from the front to the back of the pack.  They are why I ever wanted to be involved in the first place, so hyping them all up would be my goal.  I did it with the NCMA, at Merced when times were really bad there in car count.  I know it made a difference at Chowchilla too.  I want to see it start building up again at Antioch like it should be and can be again.

But, the bottom line is what really is needed is a way to create excitement in the Championship battles again.  Inspiring the drivers to want to come back.  That sort of thing.  How?  Do you bring a "Chase" format to the track where guys can make it as long as they support X amount of races?  Is that fair to the drivers who do totally support the shows?  Do you throw away a bad finish or two, which can confuse the fans?  I don't know.

I just wish there were more drivers running every race and making the points more interesting.  The drivers who are winning the Championships deserve them.  They are dedicated racers, and you have to be dedicated to be a Champion.  But, I guess what I'm saying is we need to find a way to create more support.  Or rather, they need to do that.  I'm just a writer with a blog and a book to finish.  I'm not even a part of things, so what do I know?  Whatever the case, I wish them nothing but success at Antioch and all the tracks.

 
DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 6 by GenWhat

Using Kickstarter To Begin A Big Racing History Project?

Okay, first...

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

Moving on...

Having waited a couple of days to post this, I think I may have talked myself out of this idea, but I'm open to input.

This is something I would very much like feedback on, so feel free to comment and tell me if I am over reaching or if this is an idea you could support.

I am very much interested in sharing ALL of my research with the people who enjoy racing history, doing more research and putting together what would probably end up being a series of books.

To do this properly would require a tremendous amount of time and it would be a job to do.  Basically, a full time job.  Not a lot of slacking off either.  The ideas are flying around in my head right now, and I want to try to make as much sense as I can here.

First and foremost, this is NOT an editorial type of project.  This is about the facts of racing history and NOT the politics.  The forthcoming autobiography covers the opinion stuff and the Best Of The Blog And Beyond has a combo of history and opinion within those pages.

This project would include extensive history, week by week results and articles for several of those seasons, point standings, driver profiles, photos and all of that.  It would start with Antioch Speedway, but I would also include other tracks, starting with Merced, Watsonville, Chowchilla and Petaluma Speedways. 

There would articles from me, but also two of my top writers, Gary Jacob and Harlan Osborne, would be included in this monumental project.  And, there would potentially be several books.

To do this, I will need to do serious research through my own archives. I will be scanning a lot of pictures.  What was in the recent book was only a glimpse of what I have.  This would mean I will be retyping articles word for word and transcribing stuff from my collection of tape recordings.  I have a lot of information there, and this includes Vallejo Speedway.

I would also probably need to go to at least one library, if not others, and get copies of old articles to flesh this project out further.  There is also a certain archive I would attempt to attain.  I can't get into details any further than that, but there is a lot of history there, if I can get it, that would open this project up even wider.

It would be a full time job that will take months and probably at least the whole year to complete.  I'm not in a financial position to just do all of this.  In fact, if I am unable to do a Kickstarter, the likelihood of any of this stuff getting to the readers will be very slim.  What I have may end up being lost entirely.

I know the names have changed at the tracks, and maybe some people don't care about the history stuff anymore.  I also know a lot of people from the past are out there reliving the old times on various social media sites.  They care about it at least that much. 

Nothing has really been done for Antioch Speedway since I left, and many of you already know what I can do. Merced is sitting on an amazing history that is barely acknowledged, and so on.  So, there is a lot of history just waiting to be told, from the exciting races to the championship battles to some of those great drivers that people may not even remember so much these days.

I think I have the ability to put some stuff together that racing history buffs would enjoy reading, and I am willing to do it if there is an interest.  Or, I can just end it with the auto bio and let what I have just fade into obscurity.  I have always considered it a shame that we never got that book from Gary Jacob.  He covered some big races through the years, and he submitted many of those articles to me for several years.  For instance, books on Bakersfield and Rocky Hill Speedways would also be possible.  I have the ability to let him tell these stories again, in his own words.  That is, if anybody is interested.

I may not be describing this very well.  I have a very big goal in mind, but every penny would go into producing these books and giving me the ability to do it right.

There would be perks for contributors, which would include:

Sneak peaks at what is done so far.
Looks at some of the history I have that is not out there.
Exclusive audio updates for contributors.
A peak into some of my older audio, including audio calls, that have disappeared with time.
Possibly even some .pdf copies of key issues of old DCRR Magazines, including season review and yearbook editions.
And, copies of at least one of the finished books, depending on the contribution levels

If anybody knows me, they know that once I commit to something, I see it through, even at times when it gets a little stressful.  I start seeing those finished books in my mind and I want to make them happen.

So, this is what I'm thinking.  It's just an idea at this time, and I have not opened a Kickstarter page yet.  I'm interested in continuing this process beyond the auto biography, and I can't do it without support.  If you think the history matters and would like to support the cause, let me know.

A Quick Update And A New Audio Show

On Monday evening, The DCRR Book was released in hard cover and paperback on Lulu.  I made the announcement here. 

You can order it in print on demand.  I'm very excited about this book and the next project I am currently working on.  It's been over a decade since I put out any publications under The DCRR Banner.

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

Of course, I felt I needed to do a special audio broadcast commemorating the occasion (seen bottom of post).  On this show, I discuss a little bit of what is in the book and what I am working on now.  I hope to have the next book, the autobiography, ready for print very soon. The show also discusses some of the scheduling news for tracks in California.  The racing season is just around the corner.

As for what that means for me?  Do I pick up the pen and paper again and head to the tracks?  Might there be audio calls once again?  Well...

The long answer is I do believe that more hype and more excitement is needed, now more than ever.  We need to get people excited about what is going on at the tracks.  We need to get the fans back out at the tracks.  We need to get more cars in the pits.  These guys that race occasionally, we need to inspire them to race more often.

I know a tough economy dictates what happens there.  In the case of those who can race more, we need to give them a reason to want to do just that.  We need to hype up the current stars of the track AND the others who are out there tying to put on a show. They ALL have a story to tell.   They are ALL making it happen.  So, more is needed right now.  There's no denying that.

As for where I would fit into any of that?  I've always been a low buck reporter.  My situation (thanks to my dad) afforded me the ability to come out and cover the show as long as I had access to things.  At this point and time, it's not in my budget to return on a regular basis.  In fact, it's not a good situation in that regard, though I'm not trying to bring any of that up here.  We all have problems we have to deal with.

So, the short answer is, at this time there are no plans to jump back into the fray.  I think I could do well in any capacity I was needed, but there are capable people in place right now.  They may not want or need me around at this point.  So, at this time, I will continue to concentrate on this page and keeping things going while I can.  A return visit to the track is a possibility, perhaps for a play day, if I am able to.

In the meantime, this book is something I am very proud of. I could have kept adding to it.  There are 524 pages of interesting stories, facts, race results, history and very cool photos.  The next book will show more about what was going through my mind as I did the things (good and bad) that I did.  I will pull no punches, including on myself.

The third book, if (and I have to honestly say if) I am able to, will be more of a factual look at racing history.  Antioch Speedway is where I will start, and then go from there.  I have a few different ideas.  It will be a job putting it together the right way, and it will require months to do it right.  Antioch Speedway deserves that. I also have more than one book within me when it comes to that.  That is, if the readers want that.

As it is, this current book is a glimpse into what that third book can be.  It stands on its own merits as one of the best books that has ever been offered for California Racing in our area.  As I have said, I am proud of it.

As the season gets ready to start, I wish everybody a happy and safe racing season, wherever they race. I also wish you all the best in heath and happiness for you and your families.  THAT is what really matters when it's all said and done.

And now, the latest DCRR Racing Radio Show


DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 5 by GenWhat

Introducing The DCRR Racing Book

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

I did it.  This is my first published racing book since the last DCRR Racing News Magazine was released in 2003.  As I looked at the final PDF that would be uploaded to Lulu for Print On Demand, tears came to my eyes.  This was stressful, but I was obsessed with getting this done.  You don't even want to know what I went through yesterday to get that PDF just right.  It was beyond annoying, and I had doubts that this would get finished.  It was that bad.

When I decided to do this book in December, it was with the thoughts of putting a book together with my favorite posts from The DCRR Blog.  I've written some things here that I'm proud of, and I just thought they might make a nice book if anybody was interested.  Then, I realized there might be two or three books worth of material, all at around 120 pages each.

Oh, it will be a snap, I told myself.  Famous last words.  It sort of blew up from there.  I already had a mind to add the Antioch Speedway and Merced Speedway pieces I had written years ago.  Aquatically, Gary Jacob wrote the Merced piece in the early 1990's and shared it with me.  I updated it with new information about 12 years ago.  I even found a few tidbits from the 1950's.

Along the way, two things happened.  I decided that some season review stories I had written would be perfect for this book.  Then, there were a few other things I had run in The DCRR that I thought belonged.  Then, I decided to include the reporting I did on the Antioch Speedway bid of 1997.  I found it relevant.  These aren't part of The Blog, of course, which is why "And Beyond" is included in the title of the book. 

The problem with me is I get like a kid in a candy store as I put this stuff together.  I want to add this and that and the other.  Before you know it, there's 200 more pages than planned, and there was other stuff I wanted to include.  I had to stop somewhere. 

The other thing was, as I was putting this together and adding the Merced and Antioch pieces, I asked myself a question.  Where is Watsonville?  Petaluma?  Vallejo?  Baylands?  You get the point.  I decided to write several articles on the subject.  I wrote about 30,000 more words, but this was needed.   It's a conflicting message, however.

This is NOT the racing history book I always envisioned writing.  It does have a lot of history, but I am sitting on a lot of information.  I can do MUCH better than this.  There is history in this book.  Some point standings are included, champions lists are included and that sort of thing, but it's only a snap shot of what I have.  If anything, it is version .5 of that history book.  It would take months for me to do that book, and I wanted something sooner.

Next for me is the auto biography of my time in racing.  I need to edit the thing and put it up on Lulu next.  It stands at around 120 pages at the moment, which is fine.  I don't anticipate adding more, but I might.  Then, I may consider attacking the history book, depending on what sort of insert there is in such a thing.  I am sitting on points lists, win lists, stories and that sort of thing from several tracks, including Antioch, Watsonville, Merced and Chowchilla.

The other thing I was blessed with for this book was to have some talented photographers sending me pictures.  L&J Photography and Green Flag Photography sent the magazine pictures through the years, so we have some of their amazing pictures in there.  Stuff from Don O'Keefe Jr., Chuck Smith and my own personal photos are included as well.  It's only a sampling, really, but there are some nice shots in there.  I even got to use some vintage San Jose pictures that were sent to me about 15 years ago for the magazine.  They date back to the 1930's.  I could have included more from my archives, but that would have required hours of scanning.

This book is a snapshot of some of the things I witnessed or researched in racing at the tracks I loved, including Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway, Watsonville Speedway, Chowchilla Speedway, Petaluma Speedway and Baylands Raceway Park.  There are controversial subjects in here, such as when I put my butt on the line covering the 1997 Antioch Speedway bid and supported John Soares Jr.

The creation of Wingless Spec Sprints as well as a look back at the early years of the NCMA are included.  My thoughts on some of the things happening in the sport are in there.  Why I left.  The NCMA point controversy of 1990 is in there.  For the first time ever, I talk about the Dirt Modified point controversy of 1999 at Antioch and what went down from my point of view.  There are some vintage Pit Stops columns.  There's so much, I can't mention it all here other than to say I am very proud of this book.  There's something for everybody within those 524 pages.

This is the First Edition, . That means nothing in particular unless I revise the PDF.  The only books that will be printed are the ones that will be ordered from Lulu.  There are some things I'd like to revise, but they may have to wait until the next big project.  For instance, there are point listings I should have included with a few stories.  I should have updated the Antioch Win List as I do have that information.  The list I used was convenient.  The Antioch and Merced stories could have been updated to the current date.  There's still a lot of cool things covered in those stories. 

This is why I say this is NOT the history book I always had in mind.  However, there is a lot of racing history covered within those pages.  It is with the satisfaction of knowing that I did my best here that I release this book to you.  I hope you enjoy it.  Putting the book together page by page brought me smiles as I recalled many of those times.  There can be more where this came from if you are interested.

I have endeavored to offer this book at a reasonable price.  Printing isn't cheap and my time is worth something, but the price tag isn't as big as some books of this type are.  This is because I want people to read this and I want people to add this to their collection of racing memorabilia.  I think it will be a worthy addition to anybody's collection.  I hope you do too.

The book is available for Print On Demand at Lulu.  I have done other books there and find that they do good work  You can get it in Hard Cover or Paperback


I leave you now with the Table Of Contents for this book


 Table Of Contents

Chapter                                                Pages
Foreword                                            5-8
What's In A Name?  DCRR                                    8-9
I Couldn't Have Done It Without Dad                                10-11
Remembering Gary Jacob                                        12-13
Don’t Look Now, But Mel Maupin Is Fifth In Dirt Modified Points                    13-16
Reid Holds Off Maupin For Victory                                16-17
Pit Stops: Kimberly Myers                                        17-18
Gone But Not Forgotten                                        18-19
Some Sad News To Report                                    19-20
Looking Back At The Tim Williamson Classic                            20-21
Looking Back At The Mike Cecil 100                                22
Pelphrey Wins Mike Cecil 100 At Watsonville                            22-23
Antonetti, Herrick Score Watsonville Victories                            23-24
Looking Back At The Ted Stofle Classic                                25
The Valley Sportsman Division Continues At Merced Speedway                    25-29
The End Of The Sportsman Division At Antioch: A What If Scenario                    29-32
Through All The Changes, Racing Has Continued To Endure                        33-36
Looking Back At Antioch Speedway Through The Years                        37-43
The 20 Most Influential Moments In Bay Area Racing During My Time In Racing            44-46  
Looking Back: The Curl Racing Family                                46-48
Back When The Stock Cars Came Back To Antioch In 1981                        48-50
Twenty Years Ago This December:  The Decision That Changed Antioch Speedway            50-52
CarQuest Late Model Feature Winners And Top Five In Points At A Glance                53-57
The Sky May Be The Limit For Limited Late Models                            58-59
Looking Back: The Creation Of The Spec Sprint Division                        59-64
The Tenth Anniversary Of Wingless Spec Sprints                            64-69
1988: A Look Back At That First Season For The NCMA                        70-71
Shirk Takes 1989 NCMA Championship Honors                            71-73
Holloway Wins Controversial 1990 NCMA Championship                        73-74
NCMA Survives 1991 Season, Shirk Dominates The Action                        74-75
Better Car Counts For NCMA In 1992 As Shirk Wins Title                        76
Why I Left The CMA After Just 1 Season                                76-79
A Little Recognition Can Be A Good Thing                                80-81
I'll Tell You What Bothers Me                                    81-82
Chowchilla Speedway Closed                                    82-84
Kennedy Wins Chowchilla Hobby Stock $500                            84-85
Record Wingless Spec Sprint Count At Chowchilla                            85-86
Ross Wins Feature, Munroe Champion                                86-87
Byrd Opens Chowchilla Shoot Out With Victory                            87-89
Stone Charges To Big Chowchilla Victory                                89-90
Stanford Wins Timmy Post 99 At Merced                                90-91
Perry Wins Shirk Memorial Race                                    91-92
Shirk Memorial Race Win Nets Berryhill Championship                        92-93
Goodwill Caps Top Five Rookie Season With Shirk Memorial Win                    93-94
Hanestad Charges To Shirk Memorial Win                                94
Jim Perry Jr. Wins Shirk Memorial Race                                95
Remember What It's All About?                                    95-98
Jumping Into The Fray For the 1997 Antioch Speedway Bid                        98-116
    The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    99
    The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    100
    The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    101-102
    The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    103-105
    The Bidding Begins For Antioch Speedway                            106-107
    West Coast Speedways Looking To Stay At Antioch Speedway            107-109
    John Soares Jr. Ready For His Next Challenge                    109
    Soares Wins Bid For Antioch Speedway                        110
    New Era Means New Title Contenders                        111-112
    The Editor’s Viewpoint                                113-114
    New Antioch Management Meets With Drivers                    113-114
    Drivers Gather For Meeting In Antioch                        114-115
    Give Soares A Fair Chance                            115-116
Lancaster, Babb Win Twin 50’s At Antioch                            116-117
O’Keefe Impresses With Double Point Victory                        118
Lady Luck Smiles On O’Keefe In Victory                            119-120
O’Keefe Ends Long Draught With Victory                            119
Baylands Raceway Was More Than A Sprint Car Track                    120-127
My Visit To Vallejo Speedway                                128-131
The Legend Of Vallejo Speedway Lives On                            132-140
Walking The Fence                                    141
I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy                                142-143
Ten Cool Facts About Merced Speedway in the Griffin Era                    143-144
Ten Cool Facts About Tom Sagmiller & Chowchilla Speedway                145-146
Looking Back: "The Big Dog" Ramie Stone                            146-147
Looking Back: What Might Have Been                            147-151
It's A Shame NASCAR Doesn't Care About Our Local Short Tracks Anymore            151-153
After Further Reflection, Brynda Bockover's Reign Over Antioch Speedway Was A Success    153-155
Looking Back:  Andy Archer                                155-160
Jim Booth:  A Big Reason For The NCMA’s Success                        161-162
Cargo Wins NCMA Antioch Championship                            163
Shirk Wraps Up Fifth NCMA Championship (1996)                        163-164
Nobody Gave Them A Chance, But NCMA Heads For 10th Season                165-168
Quinn  Wraps Up Second NCMA Championship (1999)                    168-169
Contrary To Rumors, The NCMA Lives                            169-170
Mike Conley, The Figure 8 And Antioch Speedway:  What Went Wrong?            171-174
Four Generations Watch As Hogge Wins Pacific Cost Region                    175-176
The Good Old Days: Bobby Hogge III is Antioch Champ                    176-177
A Brief Look At The Old Champion Speedway In Brisbane, CA                178-180
Watsonville Speedway Hall Of Fame                            180-181
From The Archives: Jim Bowman from 1991                        182-185
Some Of The Best Dirt Track Racing In California Has Happened At Watsonville Speedway    186-198  
Watsonville Pit Stops                                    199-202
Watsonville Pit Stops                                    203-206
Mini Stocks At Delta Speedway Truly Was A Show To See                    206-210
Petaluma Speedway Has Made Its Mark On California Dirt Track Racing            211-218
Petaluma Pit Stops                                     219-223
Antioch Speedway Pit Stops                                  223-230
Drivers Honored At Awards Banquet                            231-234
Antioch Speedway Pit Stops                                 234-237
1998 Antioch Speedway Season Recap                            238-240
Banquet Ends Successful Antioch Speedway Season (1998)                    241-243
Antioch Speedway Moments On Film (1999-2003) By Green Flag Photography            244-257
1999 Antioch Speedway Season Review                            258-260
Banquet Concludes 39th Season At Antioch Speedway                    261-262
Antioch Crowns Six Champions In 40th Season (2000)                    263-266
Elworthy’s Time Finally Comes At Antioch                            267-268
Wingless Spec Sprints Take Center Stage At Antioch Speedway                268-269
Coe Drives To Antioch Pure Stock Championship                        269-270
Brown Prevails Again In Antioch Super Stock Championship                    270-271
Dynamite David Brows Away The Competition                        271-272
Eight Champions Crowned In All Pro’s Fifth Antioch Season                    273-276
Antioch Speedway Pit Stops                                277-281
Good things Happened At The Local Race Track, Where Was The Media Then?            282
Papenhausen, Carr Double Winners On Qualifying Night                    283
Hubbard Wins $5000 In CarQuest 50                            284-285
Hogge IV, McDaniel Star In Qualifying Night At Antioch                    285-286
Scott Dominates Winter Chevrolet 100 For $6000 Victory                    286-287
Pettit Unstoppable In Altamont Victory                            288-290
Drivers Tune Up For Southwest Tour Race                            290-291
McCoun Scores Altamont Win                                291
Diaz Scores Surprise Win At Altamont                            292
Altamont Pit Stops                                    292-294
Fighting For The Cause (We're Right Behind You)                        295-298
Looking Back: Taking A Stand For Antioch Management Change                298-300
How To Kill A Division In Three Easy Moves                        301-302
Does The Local Racing History Matter Anymore?                        303-304
Photos By Jack Menges                                    305  
San Jose Speedway: Can It Be Rebuilt Once More?                        306-312
Del Quinn Memorial Race Breaks Car Count Record At Antioch                313-315
The 1990 NCMA Championship Controversy                        315-317
Remembering The 1999 Antioch Dirt Modified Point Race                    317-320
Looking Back: The Early Days Of The Street Stocks At Antioch                320-325
16 Years And Going Strong:  A Salute To The Street Stocks                    326-339
Hard Work Pays Off For Torres                                340-341
Merced Speedway:  Looking Back                                342-351
Antioch Speedway:  A Look Back                                352-361
More From The Chuck Smith Collection                            362-363
If Antioch Speedway Had A King, His Name Might Be J.D. Willis                364-365
In Memory of "Dr. Dirt" Jim Soares                            366
The Antioch Speedway Winner’s List                            367
Photos From The Don O’Keefe Jr. Collection                        368-373
Thoughts On Chowchilla Speedway's 15th Anniversary                    374
Pit Stops Visits Chowchilla                                374-376
Greer Wins 363 Sprint Chowchilla Debut                            377
More Notes From The Chowchilla Speedway Archives                    378-380  
Heaslet, Williams Win At Chowchilla                            381
From The DCRR Archives - Chowchilla Speedway 2000                    382
Chowchilla Speedway Ends Successful 2000 Season                        382-384
They Had More Fun In 2001 At Chowchilla Speedway                    385-389
Photos By L&J Photography                                390-402
Hogge Charges To $1000 Chowchilla Victory                        403
Ten Champions Crowned At Chowchilla Speedway                        404-407
Six Champions Highlight Solid Season At Merced                        408-411
Merced Fights Back For Respectful 2001 Season                        411-415
Southwest Tour Star Pettit Wins 9-11 Memorial race At Merced                415
Thomas Impressive In His 9-11 Memorial Title Defense                    416
If You Build It, They Will Come: The Search For Another Racing Field Of Dreams        417-420
A Word About Voting And A Trip Down Memory Lane                    420-422
Pit Stops:  A Look At Some Of The Families Of Racing At Antioch                422-427
What's The Point                                        428-430
Closed Tracks: Thinking About What Could Have Been                    431-432
Sacramento Raceway's Oval Has Held Many Races Through The Years                432-436
Team Cobra Finally Gets A Feature Win                            436
Cascade Hardtops Invade Sacramento Raceway                        436-437
The BCRA Made Me Do It                                437-438
The Green Flag Waves                                    439-440
Scott Storms To $5,000 Victory At Antioch Speedway                    441-442
New Tracks, Big Races And Other Cool Stuff                        442-445
The Concern Over Too Many Divisions                            446-447
The DCRR Antioch Speedway Hall Of Fame                        448
Hogge Beats Old Rival Busby For $3,500 Antioch Victory                    448-449
Thoughts On Track Unity, Hyping Racing On The Internet And Other Things            450-451  
82 Years Old? Are You Serious?                                452
Larry Damitz Speaks                                    453-454
A Visit From A Friend And A Few Thoughts About Things At Antioch                454-457
You Really Need To Come Back, Don                            458-459
What's Hurting Short Track Racing?                            460-462
Standing Up For Change In Racing                                462-467
The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    468
Looking Back: Joe & Bob And What Could Have Been                    468-470
Accused Of Playing Favorites                                470-473
The Final Straw: Why I Left Racing And Never Came Back                    474-476
It Must Be Time For The RPM Workshop In Reno Once Again                476-477
The Road To 2003 Goes Through Reno                            477-479
RPM Promoter's Workshop In Reno Turns 30                        479-480
The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    480-482
The Editor’s Viewpoint                                    483-487
After Further Review, It Was A Draw                            488-490
Remember The Good Times, Look Forward To More                        490-494

Bonus Material

What About Pearsonville Speedway Or Ernie Purssell Speedway?                495-497
Antioch Speedway Needs To Generate More Excitement For Points Racing            498-500
Prentice May Hold The Key To A Better Spec Sprint Series                    500-502
Sometimes The Smaller Tracks Can Do Big Things                        503-505
Limited Late Models Part Of Today's Big Antioch Speedway Event                506-508
Garner May Be Someone To Watch In Limited Late Models At Antioch            508-509
Chadwick, Nelson and Damitz Open 2015 Season With Antioch Wins                509-510
Foulger, Hoff Win Big At Antioch Speedway                        511-512
The Hobby Stocks Are Coming To Merced On January 3rd                    512-514
Cleveland Collects $2500 IMCA Modified Prize At Merced Speedway                514-515
McDaniel Wraps Up West Coast Nationals With $2000 Chowchilla Victory            515-516
Random Thoughts                                    516-517
Antioch Speedway’s Top Finishers From 1980 At A Glance                    518-519
Wingless Spec Sprints Have Arrived                            520-522
Hodges Wins Dash For Cash                                523