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The Summer Nationals at Antioch Speedway
The buzz probably hasn't been out there about the late June Summer Nationals races at Antioch Speedway, but here's what is on the schedule:
June 26 (Friday):
Antioch – Summer Nationals
– IMCA Modifieds, Limited Late Models, IMCA Sport Mods (no track
points but there will be national, regional, and state points), Hobby
Stocks, Dwarf Cars.
June 27 (Saturday):
Antioch – Summer Nationals – DIRTcar Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods.
NASCAR
racer Kenny Wallace will be driving a Modified and a Late Model that
weekend and is willing to drive any other race car made available to
him. He'll compete in every class he can. The track traditionally runs
a big race on the weekend of the Sears Point NASCAR race, and this is
no exception.
Questions were asked to this reporter about the purse, and this is the word we got from John Soares Jr. at Antioch Speedway. The Friday night IMCA Modified race will pay $1500 to win and a minimum of $125 to start, which could end up being $150. The Sport Mods will race for $500 to win.
Expectations are for good car counts in both classes, and we are
already hearing rumors of cars coming down from Oregon for this event.
The Saturday night IMCA Modified feature will pay $2500 to win and will pay the same to start as mentioned above. Sport Mods get $750 to win. The Late Models get a minimum of $1500 to win and $150 to start regardless of car count.
John would like to pay $2000 to win if he can get 20 cars, and I'm
thinking that will include an increase in the start money, though I
didn't get clarification on that part. However, these two races should
be big.
A Brief Preview Of Summer Nationals At Antioch Speedway
June 26th and 27th are the dates you will want to mark on your calender. It's the Summer Nationals at Antioch Speedway. This is the weekend NASCAR comes to Sears Point Raceway and it's traditionally the weekend Promoter John Soares Jr. likes to book something special at Antioch Speedway. Last year, it was a $3000 to win Winged 360 Sprint Car race, won by Bradley Terrell, but frequently Late Models and Dirt Modifieds are part of the show. Soares and Oval Motorsports loves to do things up big for the drivers.
For that weekend, Soares has booked NASCAR racer and personality Kenny Wallace to compete and will be providing him with a ride in the House Late Model for the Saturday race. That Late Model show will pay $1500 to win regardless of car count and will grow to $2000 with a 20 car field. Wallace may have his eyes on the prize, but among the drivers who will likely be going for the big win are Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, Troy Foulger and Paul Guglielmoni.
Unconfirmed rumors have Bobby Hogge IV considering an appearance. Only two drivers have won more Main Events than Hogge in Antioch Speedway history, and he won two Late Model features there last season. You never know who will compete in this race, but a bigger than usual field in the 16-20 car range is anticipated.
The IMCA Modifieds will race for $2500 to win on Saturday and $1500 on Friday. Interestingly enough, point leader Scott Busby has a more difficult time getting wins at Antioch when the big money is on the line, though he has won 61 times in this division at his home track. Can he bag some of the big bucks this time? In addition to this season's top point runners, such as Bobby Motts Jr., Carl Berendsen II, Dustin Humes, Alex and Kyle Wilson, Chis Elby and Jeff Thomas, several top names from other tracks are anticipated.
Petaluma point leader Nick DeCarlo, six time Petaluma champ Michael Paul Jr., Watsonville point leader Bobby Hogge IV and the Burke brothers, Cody and Austin, are others who could show. Troy Foulger, a four time Antioch champion, is rumored to be planning to compete, as is past Antioch champion Kellen Chadwick, who has a knack for winning the big races.
The IMCA Sport Mods also have two nights of racing that weekend. They even get extra money as they run for $500 to win on Friday and $750 in Saturday. When you hear big Sport Mod race at Antioch, you suddenly think Fred Ryland will be getting a little extra for his wins. Ryland leads the Antioch, State and National point races with several wins along the way. However, he can expect some stiff competition for this event. The monkey wrench in all of this is that Ryland is competing for points at Watsonville, but there is an out as Antioch's Friday race is being specified as a non track point race.
This means Ryland will likely not be at Antioch, opening the door for a new winner if the scheduling holds true. Top candidates from the point list include Keith Brown Jr., Ron Brown, Chuck Golden and Megan Ponciano on Friday, and F. Ryland, Patti Ryland, Paul Mulder and Al Sotomayor can be added to the mix on Saturday. From Marysville, stars like Jimmy Ford and Alan Furuta could be on hand for this, and other names to watch for include Jeremy Hoff, Bruce Nelson, Anthony Guiliani and possibly 2014 IMCA State champion Nick Spainhoward.
The Friday portion of the show will also include Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars and will be a regular point race for all three divisions. Adding to the interest is the report that Kenny Wallace is willing to drive any and all divisions that are a part of the show. For further information, check the official Oval Motorsports Website.
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Weekend Review Edition
Porter, Nelson, Joaquin Win Merced Main Events
Ryan Porter won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Merced Speedway. Porter started back in the fourth row of the Main Event. Robby Jeppesen and Bob Williamson shared the front row for the feature, and Jeppesen set the early pace. Bill Egleston and last starter Porter were soon in the lead battle. The third generation of Porters to race at Merced soon grabbed the lead and sped home to his second win of the season. Egleston got his title hopes back on track with a second ahead of Jeppesen, IMCA State point leader Alex Wilson, Kyle Wilson, last week''s winner Karl Rose, Williamson, and John McDougall, who had his worst finish of the season. Heat race wins went to K. Wilson ahead of Egleston and Rose in front of Williamson.
After coming as close as second this year, hard charger and two time Hobby Stock champion Bruce "Bubba" Nelson bested a 14 car Sport Modified field for his first win of the season at Merced. Nelson had his hands full early with Bakersfield's Jared Tickel jumping out to an early lead through a myriad of early yellow flags. However, Nelson made the low groove work well enough to take the lead by lap six of the 20 lap event. Once in front, Nelson led the rest of the way and brought it home to a well earned victory. Tickel settled for second and Mark Odgers out dueled point leader Josh Hensley for third. Tim Cecil turned in a good effort in fifth as Gary Tucker, Matt Pedroni, Eric Rose, Alan Pace and Chase Thomas completed the Top 10. Nelson gave a preview of things to come by beating Tickel to win his heat race. Young Nick Tucker held off Odgers to win his heat race.
Kevin Joaquin had two wins earlier this year, but he has settled for four of his five second place finishes in recent Hobby Stock action. This time around, the point leader was on a mission to get his third 20 lap feature win of the season, and failure was not an option. Joaquin made a charge from eighth starting and battled Shannon Nelson and three time winner Kristie Shearer at the front. Joaquin would prevail for his third win as Shearer settled or second. Austin Van Hoff turned in another great effort in third as Nelson settled for fourth. Rookie Jennifer Corder rebounded from recent bad luck for a much needed fifth place finish as Bobby Williams, Ty Shelton, Richard Ragdsale, George Silva and Jesse Ruckman completed the Top 10. The Hobby Stocks had two heat races, and recent Chowchilla winner Silva won his heat race ahead of Nelson. Ty Shelton won the other heat race ahead of 15 year old Cody Parker.
Point leader Marcus Lung bested a short field of Sportsman drivers for another feature win ahead of Kenny Birdsong and Mike Palmberg. Lung also won the heat race.
Merced Speedway will be dark for a couple weeks before returning for the Ted Stofle Classic on the second weekend of July. IMCA Modifieds and Sport Mods headline that event along with Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. Further information can be found on the official Oval Motorsports Website.
Liggett, East Win Sprint Car Races At Antioch Speedway
Making his first start of the year at Antioch Speedways, Austin Liggett impressed with a $1250 win in the 25 lap Northern All Stars Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Placerville star Eric Humphries made a rare appearance and came home a strong second. In a race that saw all of the other leaders have various problems, James East won his first 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint feature.
The growing Winged 360 Sprint Car effort at Antioch produced a 12 car field, and Humphries won his heat race ahead of title hopeful Art McCarthy. Dustin Golobic won the other heat race over Kurt Nelson. Only Chico Economy Sprint point leader Brandon Powell was unable to start the feature after rear end damage in his heat race. Jeremy Burt was back for the second time this season and set the early Main Event pace ahead of Liggett and Chase Wood Sr. Kurt Nelson gained third on lap two, and Humphries was running fourth by lap five. Working lap eight, Liggett got a good run on the outside of Burt in Turn 4 and raced by for the lead. Burt suffered mechanical issues and pitted in the infield on lap 11, and a Turn 2 tangle involving point leader Shawn Arriaga, McCarthy and Wood brought out a lap 13 caution flag. Liggett led Nelson and Humphries on the restart, and the battle between Liggett and Nelson heated up. In a battle of the slide jobs, Nelson's move through Turns 3 and 4 on the 15th lap put him temporarily into the lead. Liggett made the same move in Turn 2 a lap later, but with slight contact to the front of the Nelson car. As Nelson held on and slipped back to fourth, Liggett led Humphries and McCarthy. Even with a late yellow flag for an Arriaga spin in Turn 3, Liggett proved unbeatable. Liggett brought it home to a well earned victory ahead of Humphries. Nelson made a lap 23 pass on McCarthy to claim third as McCarthy settled for fourth. Arriaga was fifth at the line. Wood and Gonderman were lead lap finishers in sixth and seventh, respectively. Brayden McMahan, Ricky Brophy and Burt rounded out the Top 10 as all drivers received a minimum of $150 to start.
The Wingless Spec Sprints were still feeling the effects of the ugly race they had last time. The wreck that ended the previous race left two cars out of this week's action and forced point leader Kyle Bakkie to bring a backup car to maintain his point run. Marcus Smith won his first heat race ahead of John Clark, while Alan Miranda won his heat race in front of Bakkie. Smith had a front row start for the Main Event and led the opening lap. Unfortunately, he spun in Turn 4 a lap later, handing the lead on Clark ahead of Miranda and East. Working lap eight, Clark came up on lapped traffic. Problems with a slower car resulted in a Clark spin on the back stretch for a lap eight caution flag. Miranda now led East and previous winner Jimmy Perry III. Perry made an outside pass on the front stretch on lap 11 to take over second, and he ended up passing Miranda for the lead on lap 13. Miranda spun from second for a lap 15 yellow flag, and Perry had a right rear flat tire. Suddenly, East was the leader ahead of Bakkie and Smith. Smith made a low pass in Turn 2 of the 18th lap to take second and chased East the rest of the way. However, East made no mistakes and won the race ahead of Smith, Bakkie, Rick Panfili and Miranda. Non finishers Perry, Clark and Chase Wood Jr. were scored in that order.
Racing returns next weekend for the two day, Summer Nationals event. Friday night racing will feature IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The Saturday night show will have DIRTcar Late Models, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. NASCAR Star Kenny Wallace will be driving an IMCA Modified on both nights and a Late Model on Saturday night.. Further information can be found on the official Oval Motorsports Website.
Papenhausen Stretches Antioch Point Lead With Fifth Win
The Late Models had two heat races, and Anthony Restad started a good night for him with a heat win ahead of Decker. Papenhausen dominated his heat race ahead of Duane Cleveland. Pole sitter Danny Malfatti raced into the early lead in the Main Event with David Newquist and Cleveland right behind him as Papenhausen started back in tenth. A lap two caution flag flew when a spin collected Decker and Papenhausen. Both restarted in the back, but Decker's problems saw him limping around the track as Malfatti continued to lead Newquist and Cleveland. Papenhausen was already in fourth when a lap four caution flag slowed the pace. On the restart, Newquist and Malfatti were running side by side through Turns 1 and 2. Papenhausen saw an opening between the two as they exited Turn 2 and made his move. After a brief three abreast moment, Papenhausen had the lead on the back stretch and proceeded to pull away. Restad quickly grabbed second from Newquist in Turn 4 and set about the futile task of trying to catch Papenhausen. Cleveland's strong run came to an end by lap 10 as Malfatti and Newquist continued their side by side battle for third. Limited Late Model point leader Larry Damitz ran fifth with a three car race for sixth behind him. The flying Papenhausen had a straightaway lead over Restad by the checkered flag. Newquist won the battle with Malfatti for third. Randy Shafer finally won the battle behind Damitz and then passed the 86 year old lead foot for a fifth place finish. Damitz settled for sixth as Terry Kuntz, Rob Norris, Mike Hynes and Cleveland rounded out the Top 10.
Kimo Oreta won the Hobby Stock heat race ahead of last week's feature winner, Chris Sorensen. Oreta had the pole for the Main Event, meaning it would be difficult for anybody to challenge him for the victory. Oreta raced into the lead ahead of Danny Jones and Michael Cooper, but a lap two caution flag flew for a Jessica Jones spin in Turn 2. The hood of Natalie Perry's car flew up, and that was fixed to enable her to restart. Oreta maintained the lead on the restart as last starter Sorensen took second from D. Jones. An inside move on the front stretch regained D. Jones second from Sorensen on lap five. J. Jones again spun, this time in Turn 4 on lap seven. She got going, but a yellow flag flew, resulting in her being black flagged for causing two yellow flags. Oreta continued to lead D. Jones and Sorensen on the restart, and the lead three cars ran closely. A low move in Turn 4 of the ninth lap gained D. Jones the lead, but he nearly spun in Turn 2 to surrender the lead back to Oreta. Sorensen limped to the pits with a flat tire as Cooper was running a strong third. D. Jones shadowed Oreta's every move. As they hit slower traffic, Oreta made the right moves and brought it home to victory. D. Jones settled for his fifth second place finish of the season with Cooper and Perry enjoying season best finishes in third and fourth, respectively. Jordan Swank, Frank Furtado, Sorensen and J. Jones rounded out the finishing order.
Racing returns next weekend for the two day, Summer Nationals event. Friday night racing will feature IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The Saturday night show will have DIRTcar Late Models, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. NASCAR Star Kenny Wallace will be driving an IMCA Modified on both nights and a Late Model on Saturday night.. Further information can be found on the official Oval Motorsports Website.
Teves, Mulder Collect Antioch Victories
Charging up from tenth starting, point leader David Teves posted an impressive 20 lap Northern All Stars Dwarf Car Main Event win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The win was the third of the year for Teves, who also won his heat race. Paul Mulder won an exciting 20 lap IMCA Sport Mod Main Event for what was his first win of the season.
The Dwarf Cars had three heat races with Mike Corsaro winning his heat race ahead of Dillon Hume. David Teves collected a heat race win ahead of 2013 Petaluma champion Travis Dutra. Pat Urdahl won the third heat race ahead of two time defending champion Danny Wagner. Wagner had the pole for the Main Event, but he was surprised by fellow Antioch Mini Truck alumni Travis Dutra, who charged into the lead. Hume brushed the wall to lose third to Urdahl on lap two. Jenna Frazier, Brian Gray and Robert Coe tangled in Turn 2 for a lap four caution flag. Dutra chose the inside on the restart and continued to lead Wagner as Corsaro was now third. D. Teves was now fifth, and Frazier spun in Turn 2 for another caution flag on lap seven. Dutra continued to go with the outside and led Wagner on the restart as D. Teves was now third. After another caution flag for Frazier, D. Teves slipped past Wagner for second on a lap nine restart as Dutra continued to lead the way. A low move in Turn 2 of the 11th lap gained D. Teves the lead. Despite a lap 19 caution flag for Gray, Tim Reeder and Hume in Turn 2, D. Teves would not be denied. D. Teves led the rest of the way to win ahead of Dutra, Wagner, Urdahl, Mark Biscardi, Josh Miller, Miranda Chappa, Reeder, Coe and Hume.
The IMCA Sport Mods had a good turnout and ran two heat races. Keith Brown Jr. won his heat race ahead of Mulder. Ron Brown won the other heat race ahead of Megan Ponciano. Ron Brown and Chuck Golden shared the font row for the Sport Mod feature, and Golden raced into the early lead ahead of Brown. K. Brown hit the wall at the Turn 1 exit and was in turn hit by K.C. Keller to end the race for both drivers. Golden chose the inside and surrendered the lead to R. Brown on the restart. Patti Ryland was third, and point leader Fred Ryland spun to avoid an incident. He got going at the back without a yellow flag for him, but Megan Ponciano did bring out a yellow flag. R. Brown chose the outside, only to lose the lead to Golden on the restart. P. Ryland slipped past R. Brown for second. Again, F. Ryland was caught in another incident where he spun and got going before a yellow flag. P. Ryland made a strong move past Golden for the lead on the back stretch on lap eight, only to get sideways in Turn 2 to drop to third. Golden regained the lead with Mulder now second. R. Brown and Al Sotomayor tangled in Turn 4 for a lap 10 caution flag. Golden stayed with the inside on the restart, but he slipped back to third as Mulder now led Watsonville ace Matt Hagio. Despite the near misses, F. Ryland managed to work his way into the Top 5 by then. F. Ryland soon made it a three car battle up front with Mulder and Hagio. Mulder led Hagio and F. Ryland through a pair of quick caution flags, the second of which actually negated a Hagio pass for the lead on lap 15. Mulder led Hagio and F. Ryland on the single file restart. F. Ryland managed a low pass in Turn 4 for second on lap 19, but he could only chase the leader as Mulder won ahead of F. Ryland, Hagio, Golden and P. Ryland. Ponciano was sixth ahead of R. Brown, Jimmy Lipke, Sotomayor and Cline.
Racing returns next weekend for the two day, Summer Nationals event. Friday night racing will feature IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The Saturday night show will have DIRTcar Late Models, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. NASCAR Star Kenny Wallace will be driving an IMCA Modified on both nights and a Late Model on Saturday night.. Further information can be found on the official Oval Motorsports Website.
