Chowchilla, Merced, Antioch and Orland Gear Up For Weekend Of Racing

First of all...

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

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

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

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover




Also, what could be a series of informative books...

Short Track History Project at Gofundme

Additional info on the Short Track History Project  HERE


Bako Motorsports Power Hour is up at YouTube for Bakersfield Speedway news.  Lots of good stuff happening there, and you can see the video HERE.

Professionally done video footage From Bakersfield Speedway, heat races from March 21, which you can see HERE.

We did a little preview article for the Antioch Herald website for Antioch Speedway, which can be seen HERE.

We submitted newspaper style articles for Antioch Speedway that were sent out right after the races, and East County Today had it up on their website right HERE.

Video From the historic first Wingless Spec Sprint race at Calistoga, which was Round #2 of The Hunt Spec Sprint  Series can be viewed HERE.

Tony Karis was on the scene at Ocean Speedway last week and filed this report with the Register-Pajaronian, which you can read HERE.

A New DCRR Racing Radio Show.  
Really pleased with this one too.

These Points may a bit closer to accurate IMCA Points for Merced

These Points Are STILL UNOFFICIAL

MODIFIED
MERCED SPEEDWAY
MERCED, CA
(points through 4/11)

Alexander Wilson 180
John MacDougall 179
Bill Egleston 174
Robert Williamson 136
Ricky Thatcher 134
Ryan Porter 109
Les Friend 94
Joel Myers 74
Paul Stone 71
Clarence Holbrook III 63
John Osgood III 61
John DiGiovanni 42
Duane Cleveland 40
Kyle Wilson 40
Kellen Chadwick 39
Bobby Hogge 39
Tom Berry Jr. 38
Ryan McDaniel 37
Jim Digiovanni 36
Troy Foulger 36


SPORT MOD
MERCED SPEEDWAY
MERCED, CA
(points through 4/11)

Josh Hensley 232
Fred Ryland 187
Dwayne Short 187
Keith Brown Jr. 161
Jeremy Hoff 157
Mark Odgers 139
Neill Barcellos 130
Rick A. Diaz 109
Mark Squadrito 108
Bruce Nelson 107
D. C. Brown 103
Gary Tucker 100
Tim Prothro 94
Tim Hammett 87
Nick Spainhoward 79
Joshua Gish 74
Al Johnson 63
Garrett Jernagan 37
Megan Ponciano 37
John Fore Jr. 37

 Chowchilla, Merced, Antioch and Orland Gear Up For Weekend Of Racing

Orland Race Track Returns As Sacramento Valley Speedway

The newly renamed Sacramento Valley Speedway in Orland is getting ready to open its gates for the 2015 season.  New promoter Adam Zachary threw his hat in the ring late last year to try and keep the racing program alive at the Glenn County Fairgrounds race track.

I'm a little disappointed that Mike McCann's effort from 2013-2014 didn't pay off, because I felt he was trying to do some good things for the track.  A year and a half into the deal, he hit a road block that he couldn't overcome at the fairgrounds.  It's really a shame when people don't even try to work with what you are doing when the goal is to make money for that fairgrounds.

This just happened to be on the night that was to be one of McCann's biggest races, and after that happened, Mike walked away.  Funds were running low, but Mike felt he was nearly turning the corner.  Car count was growing and he'd found himself somebody who could write articles and announce.  He just couldn't overcome obstacles presented by certain people, and he had to walk away.

Mike says that he really felt that this season would have been a good one for the track had he been able to make it happen.  As I said, things were in place, and Mike felt that year three would have been the year it would have been profitable.  As his own car count began to grow, Mike had plans to entertain any cooperation between tracks that would have been beneficial to all tracks involved, and I really feel that he would have been every bit as successful as Paul & Carol Turner were in the long run.

Now, it falls on the new management to try and rebuild things in their core classes.  Hobby Stock and Mini Stock drivers now have a Friday night option in Chico they didn't have a few years ago, and some would be Orland racers run there.  The Mini Trucks are still there, and the Wingless Sprints opened up the rules just a bit under McCann's leadership in an effort to try and attract new drivers.  They continued to be supported pretty much by guys you'd expect.

So, the challenge now is to win the hearts and minds of racers who have been a bit skeptical of the way things have gone since the Turner family walked away from a successful ten year run at the track.  For his part, Zachary held meetings with the racers in December of last year to try and keep everybody on the same page, revealed his plans and announced that the core divisions would be back.  To the Street Stock drivers, he said to bring the cars and maybe something could happen.

Next came a pair of playdays to put the one-fifth mile dirt oval through it's paces and make sure the crew was on the same page.  The dress rehearsals are over, and it's time to go racing on Saturday night.  I'm not sure it was successful, but I did attempt to put something in the paper up there to make sure fans knew racing was back.  My hope is for a good start in all classes and a good season.  It may start out slowly, but if people hang in there, it can get much better.

On this week's card will be Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Hobby Stocks and Wingless Sprints.  As I understand it, they will again keep points, which I think is important to establishing a racing program that drivers want to support.  I'm not hearing anything bad so far, and that is a good sign.  Here's a look at the Top 5's in points last year after the six races that were held.

Orland Points 2014

Mini Stocks:  Tom Davis 207, Kenny Brit 160, R. Hunt 141, John Kirkpatrick 94, T. Kirkpatrick 78.

Mini Trucks: Keith Ross 193, Ross Vige 171, Dan Webster 154, Ryan Cherezian 128, R. Johnson 115.

Hobby Stocks: Steve Martin 174, Rich Hood 157, Garrett Agnew 155, S. Collins 95, B. Hampton III 91.

Sprint Cars: Bill Hopper 85, Felisha Jacobo 79, Ken Webber 74, Tony Richards 73, J. Wilson 54.

Racing Returns To Chowchilla Speedway On Sunday

It's a little over a month since Chowchilla Speedway held the second of their scheduled ten races this season under Oval Motorsports management, but Sunday will be Round #3 for the fast three-eighths mile dirt oval.  IMCA Modfieds headline a show that also includes IMCA Sport Mods and the Northern All Stars Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.  Figuring out who will be in the field is the big mystery.

The record will show that Ryan McDaniel won the big money in January, though there has been no indication that he will be in Chowchilla on Sunday.  2014 Chowchilla and Ventura champion Josh Vogt was the winner of the most recent race and would seem more likely to be there, but even that may not be a guarantee.  Bakersfield area racer Billy Wilker is listed as the point leader by 25 points over McDaniel and Vogt as the only driver to make both races.  Does that mean Billy is gunning for this championship?

It's a good possibility that a double digit car count can be achieved, and also a possibility that the field of cars for this one will include a different roster than what was seen last time.  We know that Antioch is running IMCA Modifieds on Saturday, but Merced has given the division a week off.  However, Santa Maria and Hanford run the class, as does Watsonville and Petaluma.  Jeff Streeter is a local, finished Top 3 last time and could be there on Sunday.

The Wilson's, Alex and Kyle, could be there. Alex is the current IMCA State point leader and Kyle won at Merced last week.  Randy Brown is another local and past track champion, and Jim DiGiovanni, John DiGiovanni and Michael Shearer could also be there.  The key word is could.  On Sunday, the show will go on at Chowchilla, and it should be interesting.  This is a track that has always seen differences in it's rosters from week to week in this division.

With Sport Mods, we know Fred Ryland is coming.  Fred won the big money and trophy in January, which had an influence on him going for the IMCA National championship this season.  He came back in March and won again, and his shadow, Keith Brown Jr., ranks second in points to him at Chowchilla, Antioch and in the State.  Brown, like Ryland, will be attempting a three race weekend that will include Watsonville and Merced.

The hope of Chowchilla really isn't based merely on Merced divers supporting the show or even Antioch drivers.  It's hoped that some local drivers come as well as visitors from other tracks, but since it's Sunday, there's at least a bit of hope of some racers from Hanford, Bakersfield and Watsonville coming out.  Nick Spainhoward finished second in the opener, but he skipped the last race.  Temptation got the better of him, and he came to Merced a couple weeks ago to remind Ryland of who the defending State champion is.  Might he come back on Sunday to try to do it again? A Ryland-Spainhoward shoot out would be entertaining.

Rick Diaz stepped out of the picture at Merced after winning that track's championship in 2014, but he was also a Top 3 driver at Chowchilla last year and is from the area.  Has he been saving his equipment for Chowchilla?  Long time multi division racer Tim Elias is fourth in points and another driver who could be there.  Chris Falkenberg and Marissa Odgers have both said they are coming, and Merced point leader Josh Hensley, Anthony Guiliani, John Gish and John Fore Jr. are others to keep an eye out for.  Car count could at least be in the low double digits for this race.

The Mini Stocks surprised everybody when the drivers braved the cold of January with a 14 car field to run for trophies.  Chris Corder opened the season with a feature win and is now the point leader.  Darren Miguel missed that race, but he won in March, a race that saw track officials run the race in the opposite diction.  While Miguel will have to work his way up the points ladder, Mike Congdon is listed as 18 points back in second, two ahead of the tied Joy Alger and Jennifer Corder.  Corder has made her Hobby Stock the priority this year and parked her Mini Stock a few weeks back.  It's hard to make a guess on car count as 14 cars were there in January and seven in March.  A good estimation is 6-10 cars.

Likewise, the Hobby Stocks didn't exactly shoot out of the gate with four cars on opening day.  One driver not there on opening day, Nick Lawrence, has already said he's coming, and it's a good bet that Kevin Joaquin will be there to try to back up his March victory.  Top 3 2014 competitor Austin Van Hoff is second in points ahead of Dexter Long and J. Corder, and this trio could be on hand.  Beyond that, it's speculation.  Could Shearer Racing have one of their cars out there?  Last year's champion, Shane Hausmann, hasn't been racing this year, and we haven't seen local racer Kode Dean in a Hobby Stock since last year.  A good guess would be 6-10 cars, but rules were adjusted in the hopes of getting cars from Bakersfield and Watsonville.

Plenty Of Excitement At Merced Speedway

Sixteen miles north and on Saturday night, Merced Speedway is having a four division show with IMCA Sport Mods and Northern All Stars Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Valley Sportsman cars.  In recent weeks, we've seen the debut of several cars in all divisions, but keeping them coming back has presented a bit of a challenge.  The potential is there for a noticeable increase in car count, and last week was one of the better car counts of the season.

Points have been a bit of a mystery, and even after the recent release of the point standings, there are some questions about accuracy.  Josh Hensley is listed as the point leader in Sport Mods, and that shouldn't be in dispute.  The rookie is the one with the best attendance.  Despite his terrible recent luck, Josh is well in command of the point lead at this stage of the game.  The order behind him is still in question as Mark Odgers and past Sport Mod champion Neill Barcellos are listed as second and third.  Odgers wasn't planning to be there anyway, but the team will field a car in Chowchlla.  Barcellos is a possibility, though he hasn't confirmed that.

Again, Fred Ryland and Keith Brown Jr. are planning to come in from Antioch to continue their battle, if you can call it that.  "Fast Freddy" has nine victories so far this season, while Brown is still looking for his first of the year.  He did have a strong third place finish at Antioch last week in a car he put a new body on.  Antioch rookie Tim Hammett is another possibility for this show, and it's anticipated that Dwayne Short will be there after his Top 5 run last week.  Short also finished third in his Hobby Stock.

With the revolving door of drivers in this class, we really don't know who else night be there, though we're guessing D.C. Brown can't wait to come back after an impressive drive from the back to second last week behind equally impressive winner Gary Tucker.  If we are fortunate enough to see Bruce "Bubba" Nelson or Jeremy Hoff in action, we know the competition level just went up.  What is interesting to note is that over 40 drivers have competed at Merced this season as of this week, and we still feel a turnout in the 8-12 car range is a reasonable estimation.

The list of feature winners in Hobby Stocks continues to grow with the addition of Gary Hildenrand to the list last week.  To date, only point leader Kevin Joaquin has two wins, and yet he has to wonder why he can't build up a bigger lead over the rookie Jennifer Corder.  At this point, Corder is still looking for her first win, but she has beat Joaquin to the line for two straight weeks.  Kevin DNF'ed two weeks ago and was fifth behind Corder last week.  It's only a a matter of time before that #97 car is back up front again.

The list of Hobby Stock drivers to race at least once this year is as impressive as Sport Mods as over 40 drivers have competed after seven races, and yet we've yet to see more than ten cars at any of the point season events.  However, the potential is there for that to change in a big way.  Last week, Austin Van Hoff had a good night with a heat win and second in the feature to inch his way into tenth in the standings behind Darren Miguel.  Miguel does have a feature win, but it's unknown if he will race a Hobby Stock when he's already likely to be there in his Mini Stock to go for three straight wins.

Dexter Long and George Silva were both in action last week and are currently fourth and fifth, respectively, in the standings.  If Ty Shelton skips another race, then one or both of these drivers could move by the third place competitor.  As for what car count may look like this week, we're thinking 8-12 cars is a good bet.  They're gonna get more than ten cars some time.  The question is, when?  Past Antioch champion Brad Myers dropped a hint that may suggest that he will be at Merced on Saturday, which would make things all the more interesting as he is definitely a fast competitor at Antioch.

Chris Corder has to be asking himself where Darren Miguel came from.  Miguel has hit the Mini Stocks like a tidal wave and has proven himself to be fast no matter what direction they run these cars.  Miguel is four points behind the defending champion and closing fast.  Corder was second last week, however, and people should know that he can strike for another victory at any given race.  Saturday night could be his night to shine.

Kevin Lockerby finished third again last week, but he has revealed that funds are getting low and he could disappear this week.  We've heard that Dennis Copus is also looking for sponsorship, so Lockerby and Copus are two good racers who would do a sponsor proud if given a chance.  Kevin is also the 1999 Little Truck champion at Merced and has been determined to put that #54 car into the winner's circle this year.  He also has the steady Joy Alger running just ten points behind him, so he'll have to be on his game to hold onto third in points.

The Mini Stocks have been known to have the big car count this season, and they had 12 cars last week, including a few surprises.  Dennis Keldsen came in from the Watsonville area, but he ended up last behind Petaluma visitor Kelly Campanile.  Again, Campanile's night started off well with a second place heat race finish, but it went down hill from there.  Rapidly improving Natalie Waldrop was seventh in the Main Event and is within striking distance of Copus for fifth in the standings now.  As far as what car count may be, it could be in the 8-12 range once again.  Mini Stocks have had slightly more loyal support than the other classes so far this season.

The question remains, where are the Sportsman cars?  For the first time this year, points have been added for all attempts to race this year.  It's not a big surprise to find that Marcus Lung is the point leader, though it's a bit closer than expected at four points ahead of Eric Seely.  Since Kenny Birdsong and Chris Birdsong have split duties in their car, Kenny is third in the points, and Jeff Bristow should be listed in fourth, 22 points out of the lead.  Only five cars have competed so far, which is only a fraction of the cars that are actually out there.  So, a prediction on car count for this race would probably be in the 2-4 car range.  Hopefully, they surprise us with more.

Five Divisions Come To Antioch Speedway

Back at Antioch Speedway, IMCA Modifieds are headlining a show that also features the Northern All Stars Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints and Dwarf Cars.  The track seems to be hovering right at the 12 car per division mark when you average out the total cars every week, and it should be near that again for this Saturday's action packed show.

The question about Nick DeCarlo will be answered on Saturday.  He won the Petaluma IMCA Modified title last year, and that track will run the division.  Will Nick stay at Antioch and fight to hold onto his lead, or head to Petaluma?  Terry DeCarlo has already revealed that Nick could opt to race elsewhere if the purse is big enough.  If not, he'll be at his chosen home track.  Only two people are right there with the second generation racer.  That would be Scott Busby, who is nine points back, and Bobby Motts Jr., who is trailing by 12 points.

Busby hasn't seriously competed for an Antioch championship since he won the final NASCAR sanctioned championship in 1997, though he has ranked second since then despite missing races.  Nobody has won more Main Events in this division's 25 year history than Busby, and he added another win two races ago.  Busby himself hasn't really declared an intent to race or points, though he has said he plans to make most of the races.  For now, all we can do is watch from week to week and see what develops, but this three car battle would be very entertaining if it continues to the end of the season.

Terry Kaiser is a bit of a surprise running fourth in points in his "General Lee" #01 car.  Behind him would be four time champion Troy Foulger.  Though Troy could probably claw his way back into contention after skipping a race, it seems more likely that he'll run when he feels like it and focus on the Late Model.  Last time out, he won the Main Event, and there's no reason not to expect the Bowers Racing #49 car at Antioch this week.

"The Superstar" Mike Salazar just made it known that the #29 car is ready for action this week, which is good news for the fans but bad news for the competitors.  A past Top 3 point runner, Mike will be near the front if the car is running right.  Another past Top 3 driver, Sean O'Gara, is a Top 10 competitor this year and should also be in action.  A field of 10-14 cars is anticipated, and others to watch for include, Chris Elby, Carl Berendsen II, Josh Combs and Clay Twigg.

Last week, Melissa Myers did what was rumored to be coming and skipped a race.  At the time, she was second in Hobby Stock points behind two time defending champion Kimo Oreta.  Oreta managed a sixth place finish last week, while rival Nick Baldwin was third.  Now, Oreta leads Baldwin by just two points in the standings.  These two drivers have proven to be very fast this year and have both won Main Events.  What has hurt them both is that the previous winner must start in the back of the pack a week later, and frequently this division has had no yellow flags this season.

That was the case last week as Jason Jennings and Brian Zachary battled fiercely for that feature win.  If not for motor issues that were slowly developing in his smoking #42j car, Jennings might have won the race.  As it was, Zachary passed him on lap 19, and Jason's engine caught fire after the checkered flag.  No word on whether he'll be ready for this race, but Zachary may be chomping at the bit to go for a second straight win aboard Jim Freethy's fast #99 car.

For several laps, young Jordan Swank impressed with a third place run in the blue #73 car.  The track was hooked up, if still a bit wet, and Swank lost third with a contact pass that dropped him to the back of the pack.  Still, his effort to that point shows that the second generation racer is getting more confidence and getting comfortable in his Hobby Stock.  Given that he was second in Four Banger points last season, that's not really a surprise.

When Swank fell back, Baldwin was able to claim third, while Jeremy Jennings and Calvin Louis Jr. rounded out the Top 5.  Jennings is now seventh in points with Louis and Zachary just two points behind him.  Further up front, Danny Jones moved into a tie with Swank for fifth in points after his heat win and seventh place feature finish.  The duo are both just 16 points behind Michael Cooper in the battle for fourth.  Estimations are for a 10-12 car field again this week, which could be more depending on whether certain drivers decide to come out.

Car count was down for the last Limited Late Model show, and now we have two regulars, John Keith and Peggy Sue Jarred, who have been dealing with motor problems.  No word on whether either of them will have things together for Saturday night.  It seems you can't keep Larry Damitz away from the track.  While one of his rivals was off in Merced winning again, Larry was crewing for the man who won the Late Model race at Antioch, Paul Guglielmoni.  Larry was proud of Paul's effort and has offered help to him through the years.

The rest of the pack may need help catching that orange and blue #15 car as Damitz has won two of the three races so far.  Despite that, Mike Hynes is only two points behind the defending champion going into Saturday.  Consistency is the key as Hynes has two seconds and a third so far.  Last week, Mike finally got to run a full Late Model feature after two scratches, and he ended up taking a checkered flag in sixth.  He'll be out to see if he can do anything about getting a Limited Late Model win this week.

Now that he knows he has a pretty good grip on the Merced point lead, Mark Garner wants to see if he can do anything about the Antioch point standings.  His last Antioch start is something he'd rather forget, but Mark is still just 14 points out of the lead.  Garner is a four time feature winner on the circuit.  Only six points behind him is two time division champion Mike Gustafson.  The division's all time winner pitted during the last race with mechanical woes but should be back to try again this week.  It wasn't a good week for 2013 champion Jim Freethy either.  After two spins in the Main Event, Jim was done, but he'll be back to try and set things right this week.   Estimations are for an 8-10 car turn out this week.

Dwarf Cars seem to be good for 12-14 cars per race, and one of the cars you'll usually find near the front of the pack is the #11d of two time defending champion Danny Wagner.  Danny didn't win last week, but he did chase the winner, Adam Teves, to the checkered flag and that gave him an eight point lead over David Teves, who had spun out of the lead about halfway through the last race.  Having won last week, young A. Teves gets to try and make a move from deep in the pack this week.  It will be interesting to see what he can do.

Mike Corsaro is still trying to make up for some bad luck a couple races ago, but the 2014 point runner up is only 12 points behind A. Teves for third.  In fact, Thomas Leiby and one time winner Jack Haverty are both within 20 points of A. Teves for third.  What's interesting is that this division seems to have the most loyal support of regulars at the track so far, and the roster increased by two last week with the addition of rookie Toby Brown and Dillon Hume.

Dwarf Cars have been racing at Antioch Speedway for over 20 seasons now, and they usually put on a good show for the fans.  There are drivers making their first move into racing in this class, which can ultimately lead them to other divisions.  Last week, Miranda Chappa made some good laps and grabbed a lead lap checkered flag in tenth place.  Tim Reeder was running in the Top 10 until a crash entering Turn 3 ended that.  That was still better than David Rosa could manage.  Mechanical problems in hot laps ended David's night in disappointment.

There was plenty of disappointment to go around in Wingless Spec Sprints last week.  No less than four cars were caught up in an early crash, and the night ended for three of them.  Alan Miranda ended up flipping after getting together with Kyle Bakkie, and James East was also out after that.  Bakkie and Miranda were first and fourth, respectively, in the standings.  Though that hasn't changed, Bakkie is now feeling the pressure up front.  Rick Panfili got a flat tire in the melee, but he managed a fifth place finish to stay within ten points of Bakkie.

Panfili may be Bakkie's chief challenger this season as Roy Fisher has indicated that he will probably miss some races this year.  Prior to winning his second feature of the season, Roy indicated that being in the Top 5 would be enough for him, and that he also intends to break out his Winged 360 Sprint Car for some racing in the weeks ahead.  The point race could get very interesting, though Bakkie might seem to have the advantage as last year's point runner up.

Panfili has never won a Main Event in his career, but he's coming off of a third place season in 2014.  There's every indication that Rick could win this year, but Miranda, who sits 26 points back, is also looking fast enough to win.  Not to be forgotten in the mix is rookie Marcus Smith, who is 30 points back.  You might have gotten the impression that he's out there just making his laps, but Smith surprised everybody by finishing third in the Main Event last week.

That spot belonged to third generation racer Jimmy Perry III, but motor issues left the #21p car stalled on the back stretch.  The team has had a few bugs to work out in their two appearances, but there's no doubt they are up to the challenge.  Jimmy's not a past champion for nothing.  As it was, Perry and then Smith were chasing another surprise runner, Ryon Siverling.  Siverling drove an outstanding race from start to finish and was rewarded with a career best second place finish.  Ryon is 36 points behind Smith in the battle for fifth.

The return of Chase Wood Jr., James East and a surprise visit from former 49ers and Raiders offensive lineman Jeremy Newberry helped give the Spec Sprints ten cars.  Newberry impressed with a heat race win and ran a close fourth in the feature.  Wood made it to the checkered flag for a sixth place finish as he continues to learn the ropes in a Spec Sprint.  Estimations are that car count could be in the 8-10 car range again.

With Antioch, Merced and Chowchilla Speedways all in action, it's sure to be an exciting weekend of racing.  Chowchilla offers the Sunday option for the Saturday night racers who didn't get enough racing.  For more information on these three tracks, check the official Oval Motorsports Website.


And Furthermore...


A Figure 8 race will happen in California in July.  Actually, three Figure 8 races, and they will happen in Alameda County at the annual Alameda County Fair on July 3-5.  Sunnyside Promotions is offering perks.  They are paying drivers to come compete, and the offer includes $400 and also $225 in six pit passes, good for fair admission.  The value comes to $625 in total.

The promoter wants 6-7 cars and it's open to anything from Mini Stocks to Hobby Stocks.  It's basically an exhibition before the main attraction Destruction Derby. They're not even looking for hard contact in the X, but rather just a show for the fans.  The flier went up on Tuesday night on the Sunnyside Promotions page and can be viewed HERE.   If you are wondering what a Figure 8 like this looks like, do a YouTube search for Hoagland Figure 8.

Earlier this year, Placerville Speedway was making a big announcement about their four race  Placerville POSSE 360 Sprint Car series.  The sponsor for the series actually put money up for the Limited Late Model and Pure Stock winners on those nights as well, meaning all three divisions are racing for extra money.  The track has reaffirmed its commitment to all three regular divisions, including $2000 championships for the Pure Stock and Limited Late Model divisions this year.

It's no surprise that the season opener had so many cars in the Pure Stock division that they needed a B Main.  The Sprints did well as usual, and the Limited Late Models have a few more competitors this year.  The first Placerville POSSE race was last Saturday, and next week is the next race.  The three divisions are joined by the NorCal Dwarf Cars this week.  By the way, for those curious, Colby Weisz (360 Sprint Cars), Ryan McDaniel (Limited Late Models) and Dan Jinkerson (Pure Stocks) were the feature winners on Placerville POSSE Night last week.  The increased prize money for the three winners paid $2000, $750 and $500, respectively
 
Not to be outdone, Petaluma Speedway just announced a partnership with PitStopUSA.Com for the Pit Stop USA Shootout for the 360 Sprint Cars.  This four race series will pay $2000 to win each race and has a $1000 championship for the series.  The winners get to compete in a Ten Lap Dash For Cash on October 18th.  The four races will be on June 6th, July 25th, August 15th and September 12th.

In the meantime, the 360 Sprints are back this week.  The first race was won by Andy Forsburg ahead of Bradley Terrell and Brett Rollag.  Terry Schank Jr. led Joe Stornetta and Klint Simpson for the Top 3 finish in the season opener for the Spec Sprints, which are back this week.  IMCA Modifieds make their season debut this week as Mini Stocks and Dwarf Cars are also on the card.  It should be an exciting and action packed show.

Sprint Cars are not on the card at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville this Friday night, but the IMCA Modifieds are in town to headline a show that includes IMCA Sport Modifieds, American Stocks, Four Bangers and Dwarf Cars. The season opener was interesting.  Bobby Hogge IV won, which is not a surprise.  It was a bit of a surprise that 2014 champion Kenny Nott and Jim Pettit II were absent.  The American Stocks are coming back strong and had about 18 cars last time.  Joe Joe Willoughby won that race, but this competitive field is sure to have several different winners this season.  Terre Rothweiler will be going for his second straight win in Dwarf Cars on Friday and Four Bangers are also on the card.

Late Models are back at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday.  Enough said...

Seriously, the Late Models headline a show that includes the Hobby Stocks, American Stocks, CDCRA Dwarf Cars and NMRA TQ Midgets.  The Late Models make monthly appearances at Bakersfield throughout the season.  The first visit by the class saw Bobby Hogge IV win.  Will he return for more, and can he win?  It should be a good show.  The Hobby Stocks and American Stocks have proven to be entertaining this season as well, and this is sure to be a crowd pleasing event.

Porterville's Rocky Hill Speedway continues their bi-weekly schedule with Mini Stocks, Super 4's, Hobby Stocks, American Stocks, Central Valley Tanks and Go Karts on the card.  Central Valley Tank is actually just the title sponsor on what is actually the IMCA Stock Car division, which brought a half dozen cars last time as the track joins Bakersfield and Kings Speedway in hosting this division.  Mini Stocks have been the big car count and a crowd pleaser, but there has also been enough Super 4's and Hobby Stocks so far to make things interesting.  Jarred Plumlee sets his sites on three straight Mini Stock wins this week, but Roy Atchison, Zak Westlake, Clinton Massey and the rest of the pack will have something to say about that.