Awards Banquet Honors Antioch Speedway Champions And Pit Stops

First of all...

The DCRR Racing Media Books

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

Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

And

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

Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

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DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting  HERE

 The Antioch Speedway awards banquet article and more pictures can be seen HERE

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Awards Banquet Honors Antioch Speedway Champions

Limited Late Model champion Kimo Oreta showing off two of his trophies.

Antioch, CA...John & Donna Soares wrapped up their 20th season of promoting at Antioch Speedway with the awards banquet.  Eight champions and "Rookie Of The Year" awards and the Top 10 drivers in all eight divisions were honored.  The Top three drivers also received point fund money, and the champions received two championship jackets sponsored by Hoosier Tire and the track.

Soares went to the podium before the awards were handed out.  He thanked all of the racers for their support and talked a bit about the state of racing.  Soares noted that he feels the track is on the upswing.  "At many places, racing is down.  We're doing okay and the numbers are coming around, " said Soares.

For those keeping track of the history of the track, John & Gladys Soares, the current promoter's parents, opened the gates and ran the track from 1961-1980.  This means a Soares has promoted the track for 40 of its 57 seasons.  "Dad built this track, " Soares explained, " and I felt I should keep the family name here."

Marissa Polizzi finished second in Winged 360 Sprint points and certainly would have been Most Improved Driver if there was an award this year.

Art McCarthy made the biggest comeback of the season by making up over 60 points to win the Winged 360 Sprint Car title.  McCarthy won three Main Events en route to his second Antioch championship season.  Marissa Polizzi had a great season in second, and Burt Foland Jr. was third.  Jake Tuttle finished fourth in points and was this year's top rookie.

Second place DIRTcar Late Model point runner David Newquist (left) and third place competitor Shawn DeForest (right).

Jeff Decker skipped the speech, letting his seven wins and his third Antioch Speedway DIRTcar Late Model championship do the talking for him.  The battle for second went down to the wire, and David Newquist edged Shawn DeForest to finish there.  Kimo Oreta finished fifth in the final standings to win "Rookie Of The Year" honors.

Eric Berendsen finished third in A Modified points and was Rookie Of The Year.

Bobby Motts Jr. set out to win the A Modified championship in dedication to Steven Cunningham, a family member and fellow racer who died prior to the season.  Motts, who has teamed with Mike Ferry for years, is a past Antioch Speedway Street Stock champion.  One win and four second place finishes helped propel him to the championship.  Sean O'Gara had his best season in second, and Eric Berendsen claimed "Rookie Of The Year" honors with his third place point season.

Abigail Gonderman was seventh in Wingless Spec Sprint points and Rookie Of The Year.

Bryan Grier needed his fourth win of he season to wrap up his Wingless Spec Sprint championship.  Grier won a very close battle for the Spec Sprint title three years ago at Watsonville.  He remarked that it is very difficult to win a points race before thanking his crew for their hard work.  Rick Panfili was just two points out of the lead going into the finale, but an opening lap crash ended his race.  Second is sill Panfili's best season as he has been a part of the Spec Sprints since they were added to Antioch in 1999.  Five time winner Bob Newberry ended up third.  Abigail Gonderman finished seventh in points and won the "Rookie Of The Year" award.

Billy Garner (left) and Mark Garner (right) proudly display their trophies.

Kimo Oreta was already set to drive the Sun Drop Racing Late Model for his rookie season.  When Larry Damitz died before the season, they picked him to pilot Larry's #15 championship Limited Late Model as well.  Oreta responded by winning four Main Events, finishing second five times and giving the team their eighth division championship between Antioch and Merced.  Oreta thanked the Sun Drop team for letting him drive their cars.  He also recalled how he had switched from racing pavement to dirt and how Damitz was there to help him win his first Hobby Stock championship.

Jim Freethy had a solid season and held off Mark Garner in a close battle for second.  Freethy won three Main Events, while Garner won two.  Garner maintained an impressive double division effort, and he used three wins to finish second in B Modified points.  Chad Hammer finished sixth in Limited Late Model points to win the top rookie award.

K.C. Keller had an amazing B Modified season that saw him only miss the Top 5 once during the year.  He scored four feature wins and won the championship.  Following Garner was Chuck Golden in third.  Two time winner Todd Gomez was seventh in the standings and won "Rookie Of The Year" honors.

Chris Sorensen won more Hobby Stock features than anybody this year and was fourth in points.

Another of the close battles took place in Hobby Stocks.  It was a four car battle for much of the season before Chris Sorensen and Chris Long faded.  Cameron Swank had two wins late in the season after he had four seconds.  This resulted in him winning the championship.  "Rookie Of The Year" Brent Curran won two races.  Though he had four of his five second place finishes in the last five races, Curran settled for second in points ahead of fellow rookie Chris Bennett.

Jenna Frazier ran Dwarf Cars and was also seventh in Winged 360 Sprint points.

Mike Corsaro won his first Dwarf Car championship on the strength of three wins.  He was quick to thank long time Dwarf Car racer Charlie Correia for getting him involved in the sport and all of his support.  Devan Kammermann was the top rookie and second in points after a close battle with David Michael Rosa.

Soares is already at work planning the 2018 season.  You can go to www.antiochspeedway.com for more information.

Pit Stops

Promoter John M. Soares addresses the Antioch Speedway awards banquet.

The Pit Stop Reporter returned to Antioch for the 20th Annual Oval Motorsports Antioch Speedway Awards Banquet.  This event was well attended by over 200 people.  Promoter John M. Soares spoke optimistically of the past season and of the future in his brief address before the banquet.  With the weather being very cooperative for late November, the swap meet and playday on Thanksgiving weekend was looking like it would be a go.  A visit to thew track on the Wednesday showed the challenges Soares faced.

The front and back straightaways were still under some water, and Soares was working on the grader to get things ready.  The pits were ready.  The forecast called for possible rain on Saturday, but Soares was rolling the dice in hopes of making it happen.  For one thing, drivers would get a chance to make some laps and sell some parts to others in need.  Secondly, this was needed to help keep things going for the track.  Listening to John and his assistant Jay Banks speaking that afternoon, you not only could hear the optimism about the future.   They were working on things to make it happen.  Even in the heart of the offseason, things need to be done.  To that end, Soares and Banks went to Reno for the RPM Promoters Workshop.

Soares was open about his thoughts on the racing program he offers, the strong points and the things that need improvement.  He also spoke openly about overtures he personally made to work with one track.  Antioch Speedway has historically worked well with the track in the past.  The bottom lime is Soares is one of the few promoters on the west coast who offers Late Models and Winged 360 Sprint Cars, sometimes on the same night.  With A Modifieds, Wingless Spec Sprints and B Modifieds among the roster of eight divisions on his All Star Series card, the purse isn't cheap.  Soares spoke about that, but he will continue to offer up a packed program with some big events on the schedule.

The rumor was confirmed earlier this week.  The New Years Bash will return to Antioch Speedway on January 1st.  Soares first ran a January 1st race in 2015.  It is a risk as the weather could force cancellation and it is also very cold.  The effort will be made to get the program done at a reasonable time.  This year will again offer A Modifieds, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks, and Dwarf Cars will also be on the card.  Soares recently commented that he is working on securing sponsorship for A Modifieds, and B Modifieds are set to pay $750 to win and $100 to start.  He is high on B Modifieds as they performed well in their busy schedule this year.  Car counts reaching 18 cars will receive $500 to win and $75 to start in 2018.

New Years at Antioch will be the only big track offering a race.  Traditionally, Marysville runs a playday that night.  It is interesting to note that Promoter Dennis Gage has dropped the winged Super Stock division from the program at Marysville for 2018, leaving such notables as Mike Walko, champion James Castleberry, Rod Oliver and Phillip Shelby without a track to run their cars.  Whether this could work in Antioch's favor in the Limited Late Models as they return for their 19th season remains to be seen.   Marysville's sister track in Chico made a not surprising announcement that they were dropping 410 Sprint Cars in 2018.  They were the only remaining regular Winged 410 Sprint Car program on the West Coast. 

How this might effect the King Of The West/NARC Sprint Car Series remains to be seen.  They did announce that plans to bring back Speedweek will be on hold for another year.  It has been announced that NARC will team up with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour for events at Placerville, Stockton and Hanford this season.  The Harvest Classic in Hanford will also include the IMCA RaceSaver Sprints.   Chico will have a Winged 360 Sprint program in 2018, and there are rumors of another Sprint Car division being added at Marsyville.  The Civil War Series isn't going anywhere just yet.  They have announced that they will run ten races between Watsonville, Tulare, Calistoga, Chico and Marysville.

NARC/King Of The West 2018 Schedule is HERE

Back at Antioch, about 20 drivers were on hand for playday, which included the eagerly anticipated Hardtop debt of Doug Braudrick.  Doug is a former Modified racer who's father was a car owner in Hardtops and Super Modifieds at Vallejo Speedway.  His Hardtop is a tribute to his father's car.  One of the things that hurt the Bay Area Hardtop effort this year was cars such as Doug's weren't ready.  He put a lot of effort into making sure his car was just right, and playday gave him a chance to shake it down before actually racing it.  Unfortunately, he never got to make laps at full speed, but he discovered a few problems that he will address before racing season next year.  Bay Area Hardtop booster Dave Mackey was there to support Braudrick.  Dave is tearing his car down for repairs, but he plans to be ready for the first Antioch race of 2018. 

Brent Curran is a proud new father, Hobby Stock point runnerup and Rookie Of The Year.

Brent Curran has had a great year.  The second generation racer became a new father this year  He came within a few points of a Hobby Stock championship, and he was the Hobby Stock "Rookie Of The Year" with two feature wins.  For the first time this year, Keith Brown Jr's #128 car was at the track, and Keith put Curran behind the wheel for his first laps.  Brent had lots of fun, and nobody can depute that he has the talent to make the move up when the time comes.  Tim Hammett was another racer taking advantage of practice in his B Modified.  We've heard discussions about possibly having more practice dates next year during the season, and one of the positive arguments for such a thing is that guys like Tim can get more seat time and get more comfortable in their cars.

 Trevor Clymens led the B Modified division in feature wins and was fourth in points.

There were several B Modifieds at the track, which also included Kevin Brown, Trevor Clymens and the Swank Racing car.  Clymens has his car so dialed in that he really doesn't need the laps.  Nobody has more feature wins over the past two seasons than him.  Then again, he's a big supporter of the track and has repeatedly used his Facebook page to get more support for the division.  Hobby Stocks included long time competitor Russell Shearer, Anthony Vigna and rookies Haley Gomez and Travis Tabucci.  Mario Marquez was one of the Dwarf Car racers making laps, and Top 5 competitor Shannon Newton was there with his Wingless Spec Sprint.  Newton fared pretty well with a pair of Top 5 feature finishes outside of Antioch after the point season. 

While the Antioch racers have a month to get ready for the New Years Bash, Merced Speedway competitors had their awards banquet on Saturday night.  There's much to celebrate this season as the track managed to have some big events this season.  Ed Parker is hard at work planning out the next schedule.  He puts much consideration into what to run on any given week as the goal remains to have the best car count possible.  Parker will work with various promoters to make sure certain race dates don't clash.  The business of the night was to crown Randy Brown (IMCA Modifieds), Fred Ryland (IMCA Sport Modifieds), Kodie Dean (Hobby Stocks), Chris Corder (Mini Stocks) and Jeff Bristow (Sportsman) as champions.  California Sharp Mini Late Models didn't race for points this year, but word is that will change next season.

They had a rather impressive spread of trophies at the banquet.  Champions again received championship rings.  This is another of the nice things Parker brought with him as promoter.  Joining the Merced racers for the banquet was the West Coast Sport Mod Tour.  The special tour races generally produced car counts in the 30's or more, and they actually gave Merced a free preview after multiple rainouts and greatly increased the numbers that night.  They produced a more than 40 car field at their scheduled race.  They crowned Nick Spainhoward as champion after a good battle with Michael Johnson.  We are delighted to see that Daren Ricks Campbell was brought on board to handle publicity for the Tour. 

Ryland Racing sponsored the Most Improved Driver awards.  In IMCA Modifieds, D.J. Shannon's back to back second's to end the season earned him that honor and tenth in points.  Chase Thomas enjoyed a third place point season in IMCA Sport Modifieds to win the award, but we give honorable mention to younger brother Tanner Thomas for finishing fifth with season high second and third place finishes.  With four wins, Kodie Dean's Cinderella season not only won him the Hobby Stock championship, it also won him Most Improved honors.  Lucy Falkenberg had three second place feature finishes as her third place Mini Stock season earned her the honors. 

We never heard who won Rookie Of The Year in the various classes, but Justin Villanueva appears to be the top rookie in 14th in IMCA Modifieds along with a season high second place finish.  Chuck Weir moved up from Dwarf Cars and had a feature win in front of one the biggest IMCA Sport Modified fields of the season.  He finished eighth in points.  Cody Parker was close behind him in ninth and had a season high second.   Another close race in Hobby Stocks found James Stockton finishing just ahead of Tony Peffer.  Both were up from Mini Stocks.  Stockton had a season high second, and Peffer won a race on the Stockton dirt track.   With two season high second place finishes, Shawn DePriest appears to be the highest finishing rookie in Mini Stock points, ranked fourth.  This, of course, is unofficial. 

An interesting proposal has come out of the Falkenberg Racing camp, but then when is Dale Falkenberg ever boring?  The track announcer has been buying Mini Stocks at a pace that would make even Chris Corder jealous.  Dale wants to see the division grow, and he was hard at work preparing some cars for the Dixon Enduro, which will also see Nathan Corn's son Matthew racing.  Dale wants to see Trophy Dashes return to Merced and is proposing a sponsorship for Mini Stocks to help make it happen.  Several California tracks have gone the opposite rout of Oregon and have dropped the dashes.  Leave it to Falkenberg to make a case to bring them back to Merced.  If there is a promoter willing to do it, chances are it's Ed Parker.

It's been a sad year for Sportsman fans.  Recently, car builder and sponsor Bill Baker passed away.  Baker teamed up with legend Rod Poor when the Sportsman division was brought back to Merced in 1999 and they won some races together.  He then teamed up with Keith Van Houten, who won a championship with him.  Baker was also a long time sponsor at the track.  Earlier this season, Shannon Fry passed away, and 2016 champion Kenny Birdsong lost his battle with Cancer.  Of course, the Sportsman division would not be heading into its 20th season at the track if not for Promoter Chuck Griffin adding it to the roster 1999.  Griffin also passed away this year.  Perhaps the best tribute the racers can give to their fallen friends is to come back with a stronger car count next season.

Dixon Speedway had a 200 lap Mini Stock Enduro and Dwarf Car race scheduled for the week in which Antioch was having their banquet.  However, enough rain during the week canceled those plans.  Word was that there would be a bigger turnout than a few years ago when 12 cars competed in a 100 lap race.  They had rescheduled this race for Saturday night.  Unfortunately, Merced's banquet meant some of the drivers who might have come wouldn't make it.  They have moved this show again to December 9th.  It's been said in recent years that Dixon has potential to be a home track for both Mini Stocks and Dwarf Cars.  Both have had several races there, and Dixon has seen Midgets, Modifieds, Hardtops and Sprint Cars turn practice laps on the one-fifth mile dirt oval in the past.  Hopefully, the weather cooperates and they get some good support.

Pictures have just circulated showing the racing surface of Chowchilla Speedway being leveled.  Sadly, the race track folded a few races into the 2017 season due mostly to poor planning and unrealistic goals.  This was the first season for that management, who promised a very ambitious season with open wheel racing on every other weekend.  Nobody seemed to consider where they were going to get all of the cars or how the drivers would be paid.  No promotional strategy was ever unveiled to entice fans to come watch on a Sunday afternoon.  The grandstands remain, which means you can't say racing will never be there again.  However, racing is gone from the big track for now as horsing events and a possible end of the year Destruction Derby take over.  It's a sad day for those who remember just how special that place once was.

There is an intriguing concept that perhaps could be tried in a Chowchilla rodeo arena.  It's a growing phenomenon that is happening across the country, and a few places on the West Coast.  Figure 8 racing in a rodeo arena.  The Alameda Fair has done this three years running.  The cars aren't going fast enough to hurt anybody, but they are going fast enough to be interesting.  The Salinas Fair, like the Turlock Fair, has tried Dwarf Cars in a Rodeo Arena, and now they have a successful Agri-Race with Mini Stocks and more cars than they know what to do with.  It's an oval race and certainly very wild and entertaining.

Why bother?  It would keep racing going in some form and give Chowchilla something to build on.  It could be paired with the one or two Destruction Derbies planned.  When you get eight cars, you have a full field.  You're not really competing with anybody in the area as Madera and Merced run on bigger tracks.  This would be unique to Chowchilla.  Your basic Mini Stock car is the cheapest big car to get, and local driver and fan support can be generated quickly.  The winner has bragging rights around town.  Maybe it eventually becomes a monthly event.  If it really takes off, who knows where it can go.  As is, it's not too much work going from a Figure 8 arena to a Rodeo Arena.  It's something to consider.  Local Sprint Car racer Steve Jaquith is so concerned about the future of racing in his home town that he's planning to meet with a local official to see if anything can be done to save the big track.

One long time promoter has offered his opinion on what to do if you ever put a track back at Chowchilla.  Mike McCann suggests if they ever cut a big track to do a more meticulous job of measuring the straightaways and the turns to provide for a better racing surface.  Since the track has been wiped out, it wouldn't be difficult to look at the dimensions at other tracks and come up with a different layout next time.

In Yreka, rumors are circulating that the association continues to work on raising funds to cover the missing funds from last season.  We've heard the total could be anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000, and a recent report suggested it's $23,000.  Where that puts 2018 is subject to speculation.  However, new board members have been elected and the goal is to keep things going.  The Outlaw Kart program separated from the SCMA in an effort to keep that alive if things take a turn for the worse on the big track.  Kart racing would still continue on the smaller track in 2018 either way.  They are in the midst of an ambitious Fall and Winter season, and things have been going okay for the most part.  We're hoping for the best and more racing in Yreka in 2018.

The PSM Sport Modified Series and awards meeting happened in Oregon on Saturday.  Group organizer Steve Kerstulovich continues to work hard to promote the effort, and he was surprised to receive an award for all of his efforts.  The room was full as several racers came from throughout the state came to discuss 2018 plans.  Cottage Grove Speedway, Southern Oregon Speedway and Siskiyou Motor Speedway will continue to be a part of the series.  If Sunset Speedway continues to run IMCA Sport Modifieds, they will be included as well.  The rumor is that Willamette Speedway will be adding IMCA Sport Mods, and they will be included if that is true.  It was suggested that American Valley Speedway and Diamond Mountain Speedway be added to Yreka as Northern California tracks, but as of now this will not happen.

Kerstulovich hopes to have a Tri Holiday Series, and Promoter Mike McCann was there to verify that the R. Charles Snyder Salute will happen in Medford on Labor Day weekend.  Cottage Grove and Willamette are the two other tracks being discussed as part of the series, but it was also pointed out that Yreka's Bo Hittson Memorial Race on Memorial Day Weekend is still an important race with a good turnout for Sport Mods.  Travis Pruett indicated that he was hoping to get Willamette to book the class as part of the Monster Truck show on Memorial Day Weekend.  If this happens, it could make that a possible date for the special series.  All of each participating track's dates will be included in the PSM Series from April through the end of September, including any rain makeups.

Several things were discussed before Dot's Trophy Shop In Cottage Grove sponsored impressive trophies for the Top 5 point competitors of this season.  Jorddon Braaten successfully defended his championship and received a nice $600 paycheck.  IMCA State champion Jayson Nelson finished second ahead of Cottage Grove champion Buddy McHargue, Medford champion Mike Medel and Daniel Ray.  All indications are that this coming season will be the best one yet for the Sport Mods.  Yreka and Cottage Grove were coming off of strong seasons, and Medford had its best year yet for the class.  Bob Thomas and Joby Shields were at the meeting and plan to race next season, while Donald Bandfield and James Anderson hope to join the class as well.

DCRR Racing News Update From Various Venues

First of all...

The DCRR Racing Media Books

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

Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

And

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

Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

If You Like Reading Our Articles

Support Us Via The Go Fund Me The Tip Jar HERE

Also...

DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting  HERE

The Adobe Cup PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car race at Petaluma can be viewed HERE

The California Hardtop race at Orland Raceway can be viewed HERE

The Wingless Sprint Car race race at Orland Raceway can be viewed HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show
First of all...

The DCRR Racing Media Books

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

Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

And

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

Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

If You Like Reading Our Articles

Support Us Via The Go Fund Me The Tip Jar HERE

Also...

DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting  HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Golobic, Clymens, Bonnema, Diatte Win 

Ocean Speedway Finale

Watsonville, CA...October 13...Shane Golobic closed the 2017 season at Ocean Speedway with a victory in the 30 Lap Taco Bravo Sprint Car Main Event.  This was his first win of the season in this group, but the multi time track champion was coming off of a thrilling win in the 30 lap King Of The West/NARC Sprint Car Main Event.  Golobic started the night off with the second quick time in qualifying and a second place heat race finish, but he held off fast timer and 2016 champion Brad Furr to win the six lap Trophy Dash.  2015 champion Justin Sanders finished third in the dash, and the three champions spent he entire Main Event running at the front of the pack.  S. Golobic won, just ahead of Sanders and Furr.  Cory Eliason finished a strong fourth, followed by Michael "Buddy" Kofoid, Koen Shaw, Jeremy Chisum, Jerry Bonnema, Jason Chisum and Dustin Golobic.  S. Golobic came out second in qualifying and clocked in with a lap of 11.595.  His time held up as the quickest until 18th qualifier Furr bested him with his lap of 11.573.  The closest heat race of the night was the second heat as Koen Shawn held off S. Golobic.  Mathew Moles won the first heat in front of Furr, and Jason Chisum won the third heat ahead of Geoff Ensign.  Ensign used an 11th place feature finish to wrap up the track championship.

Trevor Clymens made a surprise visit and won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event.  Clymens is the 2016 Antioch Speedway champion.  Buoyed by his first win of the season a week earlier, 2017 point runnerup Mark Hartman was looking for two in a row, but Clymens was just too fast as he forced Hartman to settle for second.  Hartman previously raced Mini Trucks at Antioch Speedway.  Clymens also beat Hartman to win their eight lap heat race.  The Bieser family enjoyed their best night of the season as Alex Bieser finished third in the Main Event ahead of Duane Bieser.  John Ferro enjoyed one of his best efforts of the year as he won his heat race ahead of new champion Matt Hagio and finished fifth in the Main Event.  Hagio DNF'ed the feature in 11th as Charlie Hunter finished sixth, followed by Mike Kofnovec Jr., Jason Pugh, Dave Smart and Billy Robertson.

Ron Bonnema made his first appearance of the season and left with a 20 lap American Stock Main Event win.  Jerry Skelton was contending for his second win of the season, but Bonnema held him off for the victory.  Bobby Huckaby Sr. was a solid third with heat race winner Katie Briggs settling for fourth ahead of Vernon Silva.  J.C. Elrod wrapped up second in the standings with a sixth place feature finish as Mark Reist, Terry Traub, Tom Cline and John Farrell rounded out the Top 10.  Briggs won her eight lap heat race ahead of Farrell, and Huckaby won the first heat ahead of Skelton.

Cameron Diatte wrapped up his SBDCA Dwarf Car championship season with a 20 lap Main Event win.  It was a battle of the Diatte's up front as Cameron scored the win ahead of Ryan Diatte.  Ryan Amlen was a solid third ahead of Zach Price, 2017 point runnerup Mark Biscardi, Gene "Punky" Pires, Brady Beck, Chris Dorto, Justin McKenna and Bill Belfield.  Pires won his eight lap heat race ahead of Zach Price, while C. Diatte scored a win in his heat in front of Amlen.


There were no official results posted on what was the most successful evening of racing in the past few years at Orland Raceway.  Wild Iron horseman has been capturing the races on video and was there for the final race of the year.  Not all of the names were available, but we did the best we could in filing an unofficial report.

Stevens, Crain, Webster Win Orland Raceway 

Battle Of The Axels

Orland, CA...October 14...Paul Stevens won the 25 lap Pure Stock Main Event at Orland Raceway.  It was the first ever Battle Of The Axels, and the $1,000 to win race attracted 27 cars just for this division.  Stevens is the 2015 Orland champion, and this was the biggest win of his career.  Placerville star Dan Jinkerson raced into the early Main Event lead ahead of Stevens.  Jinkerson quickly bolted to a straightaway lead as three time Chico champion Brian Compton battled Stevens for second.  A low move in Turn 4 of the seventh lap gained Compton second.  Multi time Susanville champion Richard Longacre was fourth when a spin in Turn 4 forced a lap ten caution flag.  Jinkerson chose the inside and continued to lead Compton and Stevens on the restart.  A high pass in Turn 2 of the 15th lap gained Stevens second from Compton, and a lap 16 caution flag flew for a back stretch crash involving John Kirkpatrick and Brad Ray.  Stevens led the restart, and contact sent Jinkerson spinning in Turn 2.  Jinkerson got going without a yellow flag as Longacre and B Main transfer Dave Silva were second and third.  A lap 19 caution flag flew for a crash involving Jinkerson, and Silva spun to avoid them after the fact.  Stevens continued to lead on the restart as Compton took second from Longacre.  Longacre regained second on lap 12, but he lost the position to Placerville star and B Main winner Scott Grunert on a lap 23 restart.  Stevens went on to win ahead of Grunert, Longacre, Shannon Collins, Compton and Jeremy Langenderfer.  Grunert took the lead from Orland champion Langenderfer on a lap eight restart and won the 15 lap B Main with Silva and Ronnie Richards completing a Placerville sweep of the podium.

Olin Crain won a wild 25 lap Mini Stock Main Event.  Crain took advantage of a tangle between the leaders to score the $500 victory.  Two time Marysville Mini Stock champion Jimmy Ford raced into the lead at the start ahead of new track champion Tom Davis.  Past Hayfork champion Jack Turner spun in Turn 4 for a lap four yellow flag, and Davis pitted during the caution period.  Ford appeared to be the class of the field as Sean Perry settled into second ahead of Hunter Merritt.  Crain gained third on a lap six restart, but he had his hands full battling Merritt and Davis.  An outside pass on the front stretch of the 14th lap gained Perry the lead from Ford as Merritt gained third.  A lap 15 caution flag bunched the field, and Ford regained the lead from Perry on the restart.  Davis settled into third on lap 17.  As they worked lap 21, contact sent Perry spinning on the front stretch, and he collected Davis in Turn 1.  Ford led Dustin Hills on the restart.  As Ford exited Turn 4 on lap 24, he got just a bit sideways, and Hills took him the rest of the way around as they crashed on the front stretch.  Crain suddenly had the led, and he sped home to the thrilling victory.  Davis made a last turn pass on Merritt to finish second as Merritt settled for third.  Perry finished fourth ahead of an unidentified driver in the #7 car.

Dan Webster won a close battle to collect the $500 prize in the 25 lap Mini Truck Main Event.   Contact between Webster and new champion Keith Ross in Turn 2 allowed Olin Crain to race around both for the lead.  Webster brushed the front wall on lap two and lost his rear bumper for a yellow flag.  Crain continued to lead Ross and Webster on the restart.  Ross was pressuring Crain for the lead before beating him back to the line to take the position on lap eight.  Webster ran a close third in the entertaining three truck battle.  Crain was running the high side, but he finally went too high and drove off the track in Turn 1 on lap 19.  Ross chose the inside on the restart, but Webster raced by for the lead.  Webster held off Ross the rest of the way for the well earned victory.  The former Ryan Cherezian #12 truck, which is now based out of the Hayfork area, was driven to a third place finish ahead of Ricky Wagner and William Fogle.

Danny Myrick Wins Central Valley 

Mini Stock Feature And Championship

Lemoore, CA...October 29...Danny Myrick wrapped up the inaugural season for the Central Valley Mini Stocks with a 30 lap Main Event win.  The win wrapped up the championship for Myrick.  Dan Myrick and Danny Myrick had a close championship battle, but Dan's hopes ended with a busted tie rod while leading the B Main.  In reality, it would have been a nearly impossible task to overtake Danny Mryrick, who set fast time, won the Trophy Dash and won the fourth heat race in his clean sweep performance.

The Mini Socks produced a season high 19 car field.  Dan Myrick set the fast time with a 15.066 lap around the one 1/5 mile dirt oval.  Logan Doglione had a lap of 15.223, beating Ryan Doglione's 15.261 effort for second fast time.  Danny Myrick continued his momentum with a four lap Trophy Dash win ahead of L. Doglione.  Terry Caraveo won the first eight lap heat race by a wide margin ahead of Chris Goldsmith.  Gene Glover won the second heat ahead of Chuck Doglione.  Darren Wilson won the third heat in a close battle with Ben Davis, and Danny Myrick won the last heat ahead of L. Doglione.  Dan Myrick finished fourth in his heat to put him in the B Main, but he broke a tie rod while leading.  This handed the lead and eventual victory to Merced Speedway regular Shawn DePriest ahead of R. Doglione and Jeff Durant.

There were 16 starters for the Main Event, but the battle of attrition left only six cars on the track by the finish.  Danny Myrick set a rapid pace, but Rod Baronian stayed with him as the two lapped the whole field.  Myrick was the happy winner, just ahead of Baronian.  Wilson was a lap down in third, and C. Doglione and Goldsmih were each two laps down in fourth and fifth, respectively.  R. Doglione was the final finisher in sixth as Durant, Randy Brown Sr., Ross Maddox and Davis rounded out the Top 10.

The 2017 season finale was reason to celebrate.  People worked very hard to make this a reality, and a good portion of the regulars who competed this year drove cars built specifically for this effort.  Some cars came out of the wrecking yard to race ready status within a week or two.  The CVMS also wishes to thank House of JuJu, B&B Ag Transport and Jake Miller Hay Co. for sponsoring the CVMS season finale.  Also, thanks to Pacific Ag Rentals, Susie Myrick, Ella Brown and Erick Montgomery for all the great raffle prizes.  For further information on the group, check out the Central Valley Mini Stock Facebook page or go to www.centralvalleyministocks.com.

Davis, Oliver, Compton, Baldwin Win 

Marysville Gold Fever Races

Marysville, CA...October 21...The Annual Gold Fever Tax Cab Open Show was at Marysville Raceway Saturday night.  This is an event that stretches back many years, and the program included Limited Late Models, Super Stocks, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Pure Stocks.  Some drivers did double duty by changing their cars over to run in a second division.

Matt Davis won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event from last starting.  Most of these drivers  compete at Placerville Speedway normally, and Scott Woessner won the eight lap heat race ahead of Ryan McDaniel.  The McDaniel family is three generations strong as Ryan's father Randy and grandfather Plummer have also raced at Marysville through the years.  An opening lap crash eliminated past Marysville champion George Magenheimer and Kelly Ricardo, who was piloting one of the Micheli cars.  Davis made his way to the front and battled Winged Street Stock feature winner Rod Oliver for the win.  Wayne Trimble was a lead lap third.  Woessner fell out five laps from the end in fourth, and fifth place finisher McDaniel's race ended on lap five.

Rod Oliver won the 20 lap Winged Super Stock feature.  Rod is following in the footsteps of Danny Oliver, a past Late Model star at both Marysville and Chico.  The Dozier family has been a respected family in Marysville for decades, and Brandon Dozier kicked things off with an eight lap heat race win ahead of Oliver.  Oliver set a blistering pace out front in the rapidly run Main Event and won by over a half lap ahead of multi time Petaluma Speedway champion Steve Studebaker.  Bill Hall was the final finisher a lap down.  Merced Sport Modified champion Fred Ryland, Dozier and Marsyville and Chico Sport Modified champion Phillip Shelby completed the finishing order.

Sean Smith captured the checkered flag in the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event.  Again, Steve Studebaker was the closest threat to the winner, but it was much closer this time as Smith earned the victory.  Fred Ryland won his eight lap heat race ahead of Smith, but his problems in the Super Stock race made him a feature scratch for Street Stocks.  Studebaker won his heat race ahead of Steve Hammett, and Hammett finished a strong third in the Main Event.  Garrett Agnew and Bill Hall rounded out the Top 5 on the lead lap as Dave Silva was a lap down in sixth.  Leif Berglund scratched on the pace lap, and Richard Vanderploeg also failed to start the feature.

Brian Compton scored an impressive victory in the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event.  Compton is a three time Chico champion, and he won his eight lap heat race ahead of Kyle Cheney.  Past Antioch champion Brad Myers and past Orland champion Paul Stevens battled all night.  Myers held off Stevens to win their heat race.  With Compton a half lap ahead in the Main Event, the race was for second.  Stevens earned that finish not too far ahead of Myers and past Orland Mini Truck champion Brad Ray.  Brian Zachary, Shannon Collins, Breanna Troen and Cheney were lead lap finishers in order as Placerville Pure Stock champion Jason Palmer and Antioch champion Cameron Swank rounded out the Top 10.

Nick Baldwin outran Scott Grunert to win the 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event.  This division had the biggest car count as several Placerville racers supported the show.  Baldwin and Grunert are both past Placerville champions, and their battle up front was close.  Jason Palmer won a photo finish with Dan Jinkerson for third as Hobby Stock winner Brian Compton was a strong fifth.  Russ Murphy, Paul Stevens, Guy Bean, Jarod Mize and Brad Myers completed the Top 10 in the 17 car field.  Palmer managed to beat Compton to the line to win the first eight lap heat race.  Baldwin won the second heat ahead of Jinkerson and Murphy won the third heat in front of Grunert.

Pit Stops

The Antioch Speedway Awards Banquet is coming on November 18th.  The DCRR will be represented as we drop in on our old friends and celebrate the season with them.  Thanks to several people stepping up and sponsoring us, we're making an appearance and will probably be covering the banquet for various outlets.  While it will be great to see everybody, nothing else has been discussed and we're not commenting on any rumors surrounding this visit.  It's about face to face conversations with friends, putting some negative things in the past and looking ahead to the future.  We have already announced that The DCRR will be back in 2018 covering racing at various venues.

Antioch Speedway is in the news.  For starters, management is planning for next year and beyond.  John & Donna Soares now have promoted this track for 20 years.  Last season was difficult at times, but some improvements were made to the facility with more good things planned.  We've not seen further confirmation on a Thanksgiving Weekend Swap Meet and Playday, but Trent Wentworth posted recently that this was the case.  It was also hinted at that another New Years Bash will happen, which means the track won't have a lot of down time.  Soares will reportedly be headed to Reno for the Promoters Meeting, and he's also made some intriguing comments that will interest racers and fans.

Rumors were circulating about what divisions might or might not be back next season.  However, we're not hearing a word about any of this season's divisions not being a part of the show in 2018.  Most of the divisions performed about where they were expected to.  The surprising numbers were the increased car count in Hobby Stocks despite being booked 19 times this season.  Both B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks delivered B Mains for the Fall Brawl.  Mini Stock drivers wanting back were given a minimum goal of eight cars, though more would be expected.  There's been some talk among the racers on Facebook, and it won't be a surprise to see some Mini Stock race dates next season.  There's plenty of reason to be optimistic about Antioch Speedway in 2018.

Dixon Speedway will be having a 200 lap Mini Stock Enduro on the 18th.  We endorse this idea.  They will be joined on the card by the Dwarf Cars, who will have a 50 lap race.  The track has held races for both groups in the past, and you can find footage of some of that on YouTube.  Garrett Corn has been beating the drums for this race, and it looks as if there will be Merced representation in Dixon.  Indications are the car count will be bigger than 2014's 100 lap Enduro that was still very entertaining at 12 cars.  Hopefully, something like this can take root and become a more regular occurrence.

Thanksgiving Thunder hasn't found another track after losing both Porterville and more recently Hanford.  It's unclear if they will get another track in time, but Kern County and Tulare are reportedly the leading candidates.  An announcement will be made on this race's status by this weekend.  Of course, USAC will have the big Turkey Classic at Ventura Raceway on Thanksgiving weekend.  November 11th will be crowded with the Gary Patterson Memorial in Stockton, the Oval Nationals in Perris and the big IMCA event in Las Vegas.

On the heels of his success with the Battle Of The Axels, Rich Hood will be coming back for a third season at Orland Raceway.  Hood has done an impressive job of breathing new life into that track, but he knows there is more work to be done.  A string of good showings to close the season has to be encouraging.  He may be year to year at this point, but the Glenn County Fairgrounds has to be pleased with what they've seen after two years.

After a somewhat successful Rod Restad Memorial to close the season, Siskiyou Speedway has been rocked with disturbing news that they are at least $12,000 short in the SCMA treasury.  The curious part in the story is that bank statements highlighting the financial transactions were never supplied to the board when they made various decisions based on information that had been given.  We suspect the SCMA will soldier through this, but it highlights one of the ways in which the management will need to change if they want to grow a racing program there.  The only regular divisions are Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks, and car counts weren't where they should be on "non special" nights.  The Outlaw Kart program has broken off from the SCMA to ensure its own survival in case the SCMA doesn't pull through.

Up north in Medford, Southern Oregon Speedway management is enjoying some down time, but plans are in the early stages for next season, including other additions to the facility.  John Holmes of Johnny Cat has graciously donated new clay for the race track.  Numbers have been slow to come up, though they are slightly better than 2016.  Things have been down for several years, and management knows this is a work in progress.  A few pieces of the foundation they hope to build upon were put in place this year with Hall Of Fame Night, the R. Charles Snyder Salute and the Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge, but more is coming.

Petaluma Speedway canceled the final race of the season as the devastating fires and smokey conditions led to firefighters using the fairgrounds as a base.  The Adobe Cup a week earlier was a resounding  success.  The track was recently used to film footage for an upcoming racing movie starring John Travolta.  Ocean Speedway also wrapped up their season.  For years, the track would only run until the end of August or first of September, but it went to the second week of October again.  Promoter John Prentice was definitely put through the ringer this year, but he nonetheless had a respectable season at Watsonville, saw growth in the All Star Modified Series and kept the King Of The West/NARC and Civil War Sprint Car Series going.  Prentice and Petaluma's Rick Faeth will probably work together when they can, as has been the case over the past several seasons.

You can also expect Ed Parker of Merced Speedway to do his best to stay off of the big dates at Watsonville.  Parker has hit on the right scheduling formula for Merced.  It includes several big events, but none of the divisions are booked so heavily that car count suffers.  Both Modified classes and Hobby Stocks have been strong all season and should continue that trend.  You can expect Parker and company to book another great season of racing with more surprises in 2018.

Still sitting in the weeds is Rocky Hill Speedway and Chowchilla Speedway.  Rocky Hill had a limited schedule booked, but much needed repairs to the facility forced the whole season to be scrapped.  The question is, does this mean the track is gone for the long term, or will we get racing back in 2018?  Chowchilla was more a victim of an overly ambitious schedule that could not deliver the cars and had no fan support.  You have to go with a back to basics, smaller is smarter formula to make it work in Chowchilla.  At this point, does anybody even care?  Meanwhile, they will continue the winter Barn Burner Series at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds.


I received a message from Marilyn Yawnick of the SCMA about a bad situation at Siskiyou Motor Speedway.  There is a substantial amount of missing funds as of October 17th, and this is leaving the SCMA scrambling to get the money needed to continue.  The group just had their awards banquet and is proceeding with their elections.  The intent is to keep things going, but they need help.

Missing Funds Put SCMA and Siskiyou Speedway's 

Future In Doubt

Yreka, CA...The Siskiyou Motor Speedway awards banquet capped the 2017 season last Saturday with the crowning of D.J. Bottoms (IMCA Sport Modifieds) and Marilyn Yawnick (McDonald's Mini Stocks) as SCMA champions.  The ballots are going out to elect 2018 SCMA Board Members.  The intent is to keep racing alive at Siskiyou Motor Speedway.

In the midst of that optimism, there is concern over the future of the SCMA as the association  running the track.  According to 2017 SCMA Secretary Marilyn Yawnick, an audit was recently done of the group's funds, and it revealed that $12,000 was missing.  That figure could go as high as $20,000 in missing funds.

The name of the person suspected in this case was not revealed.  All financial reports filed during the season suggested that bills were being paid, and financial decisions made by the board were made based on false reports.  According to Yawnick, the board doesn't see the actual bank statements.

It was revealed by Yawnick that when the person in question was confronted about the missing money, the answers given were not provable.  Also, the person in question was not accepting accountability for the loss and was therefore unapologetic.  The Yreka Police Department has been contacted, but the SCMA as of now is in debt.

Concern over this matter recently resulted in the Yreka Outlaw Karts group breaking off from the SCMA.  The move will make things more challenging for the Outwlaw Karts, but they recently announced a winter indoor racing schedule.  There are enough people dedicated to Karts to keep that effort going, and they held a separate banquet to honor their champions last weekend.

The SCMA has been scrambling to find the funds to keep the group afloat.  Though there are people who have stepped forward, more help is needed.  The Yreka race track hosts such big events as IMCA Modified Speedweek, The Arnberg/Hitson Memorial, The Rod Restad Race and Sprint Car Speedweek as well as staging weekly events.

The track is looking for donors.  Yawnick points out that the track can and has made money.  With the youth movement in the regular racing program and the growing Outlaw Kart program, racing in Yreka is on the upswing.  Those looking to donate to the SCMA can visit the contact section of the web page at www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com or send an e-mail to scma.webmaster@gmail.com.

Decker, Ryland Win Antioch Speedway Finale, Laney Wins At Tulare, Mayea Wins At Coos Bay, Petaluma, Orland More

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Decker, Ryland, Myers Win Fall Brawl At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...October 7...Jeff Decker won the 30 lap DIRTcar Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway.  This was Decker's seventh win of the season and it wrapped up his third Antioch championship.  The Fall Brawl started with eight lap heat races, which were won by David Newquist and Shawn DeForest.  Decker had a front row start for the Main Event and sprinted out to lead at the drop of the green flag.  DeForest's race ended on lap two.  Richard Papenhausen came from the third row to take second from Newquist.  However, Decker set a blistering pace and wrapped up his championship season with a win ahead of Papenhausen, Newquist, Paul Guglielmoni and Kimo Oreta.

Fred Ryland returned and won the $1,000 prize in the 30 lap All Star Series B Modified Main Event.  Ryland is the 2015 champion, and he won this year's Merced Speedway championship.  His last Antioch win was in the New Years Bash in January.  2016 champion Trevor Clymens set the early pace ahead of new champion K.C. Keller.  A lap ten caution flag for Mark Garner had an impact on the race.  On the restart, Andrew Peckham and Keller made it a three wide battle for the lead, and Keller made a Turn 4 pass on Clymens to gain the position.  Peckham slipped underneath Clymens for second in Turn 4 on lap 12.  Keller was setting a rapid pace and caught slower traffic by lap 22.  Peckham made a Turn 4 pass for the lead.  Ryland was challenging for second when contact with a slower car sent Keller spinning in Turn 3 on lap 23.  Peckham had the lead on the restart.  Ryland pressured him for the lead until making the pass in Turn 4 on lap 28.  Ryland won ahead of Peckham, Clymens, Todd Gomez and Randy Brown.

The 23 B Modifieds ran four eight lap qualifying heat races, and Jimmy Ford, Clymens, Keller and Gomez scored the victories.  Ryland won the six lap Trophy Dash.  Anthony Giuliani won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Al Johnson and Peckham.

Melissa Myers collected the $850 first prize in the 30 lap Hobby Stock Main Event.  This was the fourth win of the season for the two time division champion.  New champion Cameron Swank set the early pace ahead of Myers.  Myers found herself leading when Swank spun in Turn 3 for a lap nine caution flag.  Myers led the restart and paced the remaining laps for the impressive victory.  Swank charged back to third and battled fiercely with Chris Long for second.  When Swank nearly spun in Turn 4 late in the race, Long pulled ahead to finish second.  Swank settled for third ahead of Curran and Chris Bennett.

There were 23 Hobby Stocks for this race, and Myers, Swank, Frank Furtado and Chris Brown won the eight lap heat races.  Myers continued a clean sweep performance by winning the four lap Trophy Dash.  Joey Ridgeway led all 12 laps to win the B Main ahead of Jeremy Jennings and Bennett.

The November 18th Awards Banquet will honor all of the champions of the 2017 season.  In addition to the three champions mentioned above, Art McCarthy (Winged 360 Sprint Cars), Bryan Grier (Wingless Spec Sprints), Bobby Motts Jr. (A Modifieds), Kimo Oreta (Limited Late Models) and Mike Corsaro (Dwarf Cars) are the other champions.  Stay tuned for news on the upcoming 2018 season and other information at www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results

DIRTcar Late Models

Heat Winners (8 Laps)-David Newquist, Shawn DeForest.  Main Event (30 Laps)-Jeff Decker, Richard Papenhausen, David Newquist, Paul Guglielmoni, Kimo Oreta.

B Modifieds

Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Jimmy Ford, Trevor Clymens, Todd Gomez, K.C. Keller.  Trophy Dash (4 Laps)-Fred Ryland.  B Main (12 Laps)-Anthony Giuliani, Al Johnson, Andrew Peckham.  Main Event (30 Laps)-Fred Ryland, Andrew Peckham, Trevor Clymens, Todd Gomez, Randy Brown.

Hobby Stocks

Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Melissa Myers, Cameron Swank, Frank Furtado, Chris Brown.  Trophy Dash (4 Laps)-Melissa Myers.  B Main (12 Laps)-Joey Ridgeway, Jeremy Jennings, Chris Bennett.  Main Event (30 Laps)-Melissa Myers, Chris Long, Cameron Swank, Brent Curran, Chris Bennett.

Mayea Wins Lucas Oil Open Show At Coos Bay Speedway

Coos Bay, Oregon...October 7...Rob Mayea scored the $3,000 win in the 50 lap Lucas Oil Open Show, presented by The Prather Family, Saturday night at Coos Bay Speedway.  Among Mayea's accomplishments are his three straight Willamete Speedway Late Model championships from 2014-2016.  He won his ten lap heat race and started eighth in the 17 car Late Model field.  2017 Willamete champion Collen Winebarger raced into the early lead ahead of Joey Tanner.  Mayea slipped past August Tidal Wave 50 winner Trent Elliott for third on lap eight, and Mayea took second from Tanner on a lap ten restart.  At the lap 25 mark, Winebarger was leading Mayea, Tanner, Jim Whistler and Elliott.  Mayea raced past Winebarger for the lead on lap 30.  A lap 41 caution flag slowed the place, and Winebarger's run in second ended as Whistler took up pursuit of Mayea.  However, Mayea drove a great race down the stretch for the big victory.  Whistler held off Tanner for second as Elliott settled for fourth.  Rookie Brody Montgomery was the highest local finisher in fifth as Brian Cronk, Blaine Taylor, Jason Johnson, B.J. Donofrio and Doug Elkins completed the Top 10.  Elliott held off Tanner to win his ten lap heat race.  Mayea won his heat in front of Winebarger and Elkins won his heat race ahead of Daniel Deibele.

Road To The Iron Giant Street Stock champion Kyle Yaeck won the $500 prize in the 30 lap Street Stock Main Event.  2017 point runnerup Ken Fox set the early pace ahead of 2016 champion Daniel Land.  Yaeck took second on a lap six restart, and he passed Fox for the lead a lap later.  Kevin Roberts and Steve Dubisar dropped Fox back to fourth on a lap 11 restart.  Yaeck had to contend with Roberts running closely behind him throughout the final 20 laps, but he made no mistakes and earned this win.  Roberts settled for second.  Donald Schott took third from Dubisar on lap 19, but Land took the position on lap 27.  Land finished third, and Dubisar and Fox dropped Schott back to sixth on the last lap.  Michael Hollingsworth, Brian Cronk, Andy Gardner and Troy Chamberlain made up the remainder of the Top 10.  Land won a ten lap heat race ahead of Cronk, while Roberts held off Yaeck to win the other heat race.

Two time Sportsman Late Model champion Wayne Butler won the $500 prize in the 30 lap Main Event.  Butler won the ten lap heat race ahead of Tom Yaeck.  Butler led all the way to win the Main Event with Yaeck not too far behind him.  Dyllan Siewell made a lap 13 pass on Max Augustine to earn the third place finish as Augustine and Deven Brown completed the finishing order.  Josh Kralicek was a Main Event scratch.

Ken Fox won his third 30 lap Mini Outlaw Main Event of the year.  Joe Maricle set the early pace ahead of Austin Henderson.  Fox raced past Henderson for second on a lap three restart, and he put the moves on Maricle for the lead on lap seven.  New champion Sam Talon took third from Henderson on lap 15, and he raced past Maricle for second on lap 23.  Talon made his presence known in second.  However, Fox stayed cool under pressure and won ahead of Talon, Maricle, Henderson, Matt Diller, Dan Daniels, Richard Thompson and Max Sanford.  Rob Lauver was a Main Event scratch.  Donald Briggs won a ten lap heat race ahead of Henderson, but he scracthed from the Main Event.  Talon won the other heat race in front of Fox.

Braden Fugate scored the $300 victory in the 30 lap Hornets Main Event.  This was his fourth win of the season.  Jacob Farness raced into the early lead ahead of Donald Briggs and Austin Henderson.  Farness and Briggs battled for the lead throughout the first half of the race until Briggs' race came to an end on a lap 16 caution flag.  Farness led Hannah Robison and 13th starter Fugate on the restart.  Farness saw his race end on a lap 22 caution flag.  Robison led Fugate and Henderson on the restart.  Fugate began pressuring Robison for the lead until making his winning pass on lap 28.  New champion Ryan Siewell started 17th and made a last lap pass on Robison as Fugate won ahead of Siewell, Robison, Henderson, Matt Diller, Joe Maricle, Max Sanford, April Warmack, David Pellum and Taylor Sayre.  Robison won her ten lap heat race ahead of Warmack.  Farness won his heat over Matt Butler and Pellam won his heat in front of Maricle.

Laney, Reichenbach, Nelson Win 

Tulare Thunberbowl Nationals

Tulare, CA...October 6-7...Cody Laney led all 30 laps to win the $2,000 prize in the IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl.  After winning the ten lap Trophy Dash ahead of Brad Pounds, Laney had the pole for the big money feature.  Laney jumped into the early lead ahead of Pounds and Robby Sawyer.  Sawyer took second from Pounds on lap eight, and Last Chance Qualifier winner Troy Foulger moved the Bowers Racing Modified into third on lap nine.  Foulger took second from Sawyer on lap 15, and Bobby Hogge IV gained third two laps later.  The battle was close for a while, but Laney pulled away in the waning laps to win ahead of Foulger, Hogge, Ryan McDaniel, Sawyer, Pounds, Brian Cass, Clay Daly, Chet Reeves and Randy McDaniel.  The drivers ran two eight lap heat races on Friday to earn spots in Saturday's Trophy Dash.  Sawyer and Ryan McDaniel won their two heat races as Laney and Pounds won the other heats.  Laney held off Pounds to win the ten lap Trophy Dash.  The non dash qualifiers ran a 12 lap Last Chance Qualifier, and Foulger won that race with Saturday night arrival Hogge passing third place finisher D.J. Shannon on lap nine to finish second.

Clint Reichenbach won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event.  The 2017 Santa Maria champion led all 20 laps to score the $1,500 victory.  Lee Jensen held of Reichenbach to win the ten lap Trophy Dash and earn the pole for the feature.  However, Reichenbach charged into the lead at the start ahead of Jensen.  Shane DeVolder took third on a lap six restart and passed Jensen for second on a lap seven restart.  Nick Spainhoward took third from Jensen on a lap nine restart, and the 2014 IMCA State champion Spainhoward passed the new IMCA State champion DeVolder for second on lap 11.  Spainhoward gave it a good run down the stretch, but Reichenbach held him off for the big win.  DeVolder settled for third ahead of Chris McKeller, Garrett Jernagen, Watsonville champion Matt Hagio, Tina Pounds, Matt Mayo Sr., Austin Manzella and Kelly Wilkinson.  Friday night heat races determined the six starters of Saturday's Trophy Dash based on points.  Jack Aguiar was the only winner of two eight lap heats as Pounds, Jensen, Reichenbach and DeVolder were the other heat winners.  Jensen won the dash ahead of Reichenbach.  The non dash qualifiers ran a Last Chance Qualifier with McKeller winning the 12 lap race ahead of DeVolder and Jernagen.

Bruce "Bubba" Nelson won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event.  The two time Merced Speedway champion drives one of the FND Motorsports cars, and the win paid $1,000.  Nelson won the ten lap Trophy Dash ahead of Matt Kile to earn a pole position start for the extra money race.  Nelson raced into the lead at the start ahead of Kile.  Nelson's teammate and 2016 Merced champion Michael Shearer took second from Kile on lap five.  The teammates battled for the lead all the way, and Nelson scored the win just ahead of Shearer.  Kile settled for third ahead of Gene Glover, longtime Street Stock racer Mike Calhoun, Katie Briggs, Dwayne Short, Garrett Corn and Michael Scruggs.  Bob Ellis was a Main Event scratch.  Dave Shuyler was a double eight lap heat race winner on Friday as Scruggs and Nelson each won a heat.  However, Schulyer suffered mechanical issues in the ten lap dash to end his night.  Nelson won that race ahead of Kile.  Calhoun won the 12 lap Last Chance Qualifier ahead of Corn and Short.

"The Dirt Dawg" Andy Boydstun won the $600 prize in the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event.  The race was led early by Shawn Schwartzenberger with Kelly Campanile leading a few laps before Schwartzenberger raced by on lap seven.  Boydstun took second from Campanile on lap ten.  Schwartzenberger was shuffled back to fourth on a lap 11 restart.  Boydstun looked good as he led the waning laps of the race for a much needed victory.  Campanile settled for second ahead of Matt Herod, S. Schwartzenberger, Clinton Massey, Kit Murphy, Jason Cook, Roy Atchison Jr., Bryant Desaire and Joshua Dysart.  Massey was the only double eight lap heat winner as Campanile, Herod, Boydstun and Craig Moody won the other heats.  Campanile outran S. Schwartzenberger to win the ten lap Trophy Dash and earn the pole for the feature.  Paul Schwartzenberger won the 12 lap Last Chance Qualifier by a wide margin ahead of Murphy and Kenneth Shurgarts.

Chad Johnson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event.  Johnson is the 2017 Bakersfield Speedway champion, and the win paid $750.  C. Johnson won the Trophy Dash to earn the pole for the feature, but Tyler Johnson raced into the lead at the start.  IMCA State champion Troy Patee was an early third.  C. Johnson slipped past T. Johnson for the lead on lap eight, and Steven Johnson took third from Patee on lap 12.  However, he surrendered the spot back to Patee on lap 16 as C. Johnson and T. Johnson had a close battle for the lead.  Steve Streeter took third from Patee on the last lap as C. Johnson won ahead of T. Johnson, Streeter, Patee, James Elliott, Renn Bane, S. Johnson, Jon Dias and Alan Mendes.  Patee and C. Johnson won Friday night eight lap heat races, and C. Johnson won Saturday's ten lap Trophy Dash ahead of T. Johnson.

Forsberg, Simpson, Bell Win Adobe Cup Races 

At Petaluma Speedway

Petaluma, CA...October 7...Andy Forsberg won the 30 lap Adobe Cup Main Event For the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway.  The win paid Forsberg $5,200.  The rapidly run Main Event had two restarts.  The first occurred when Geoff Ensign got out of shape racing to the green flag and made contact with another car, resulting in Ensign stalling in Turn 1.  The first restart attempt saw Colby Copeland run over the right front of Chase Johnson's car with Copeland getting his rear end in the air and Johnson stalling in Turn 1.  Copeland raced into the early lead ahead of Forsberg and Kurt Nelson.  The lead five cars ran close in the early stages of the race, and Forsberg made a low pass in Turn 2 of the 11th lap to take the lead from Copeland as Simpson also got by for second.  The final caution flag flew on lap 14 for a Nicholas Ringo spin on the back stretch, and Foresberg continued to lead Simpson on the restart.  Michael "Buddy" Kofoid settled into fourth behind Copeland and gained third on lap 16.  Two laps later, Kofoid passed Simpson for second in Turn 4.  Foreberg went on to the rich win with Kofoid in close pursuit for a $2,000 second.  Copeland made a pass on Simpson at the line for a $1,000 third place finish.  Simpson settled for fourth ahead of Nelson, Cory Eliason, Bradley Terrell, Sean Becker, Ryan Bernal and Jonathan Allard.  Eliason came out 29th for qualifying and set the fast time of 12.263 to beat the 12.275 lap of Terrell.  $100 eight lap heat races were won by Simpson, Forsberg, Chase Johnson and Nelson.  Ensign won the six lap Trophy Dash to collect the $500 prize.  Colby Johnson won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Nicholas Ringo and Peter Paulson. 

Klint Simpson won the 20 lap PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event.  The 2016 Petaluma champion earned $1,200 for the win.  Three time Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint champion Terry Schank Jr. set the early pace in a close battle with Ensign and Simpson.  Ensign raced by Schank for the lead on lap eight, but he surrendered the lead to Simpson as the race went past the halfway point.  Schank quickly moved into second and kept it close, but Simpson made all the right moves for the big victory.  Schank settled for a $700 second with rookie William Fatu a $500 third.  Simpson settled for fourth ahead of Jimmy Christian, Nick Larsen, Sparky Howard, Marcus Smith, Troy DeGaton and Dan Gonderman.  Simpson set fast time with a 14.059 lap, beating the 14.166 effort of Larsen.  Simpson, Larsen and Ensign each won eight lap heat races.

Bakersfield star "Blazing" Brady Bell won the time limit shortened 26 lap Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock Main Event.  The win in the Bob McCoy Memorial race paid Bell $2,000.  Chico Silver Dollar Speedway champion Phil Marino set the early pace ahead of Petaluma Speedway champion Matt While.  Bell was up to third on lap two.  The fourth caution flag flew on lap nine, and Marino led While and Mitch Machado on the restart.  Marino was still leading While on lap 20 as Bell moved back into third.  Bell raced past While on lap 22 with Marysville and Chico Sport Modified champion Phillip Shelby gaining third a lap later.  A lap 25 caution flag flew with the time limit approaching, and Marino's race was over.  Bell took the lead on the restart, and the race ended due to time at 26 laps.  Bell won ahead of Shelby, Dan Smith, Steve Studebaker and Mike Learn Jr.  There were 26 cars, and the two eight lap heat race wins went to Studebaker and Smith.

Golobic Wins King Of The West Sprint Car Race 

At Ocean Speedway

Watsonville, CA...October 6...Shane Golobic won the 30 lap King Of The West/NARC 410 Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway.  This was his second win of the season.  After finishing second in the six lap Trophy Dash to Michael "Buddy" Kofoid, D.J. Netto was looking for his second win of the season.  Kofoid fell back a few positions as the race went on, and Golobic and Dominic Scelzi moved up to battle for second.  The two exchanged the position before Golobic claimed it by lap 26.  Golobic got a run on Netto as they entered Turn 1 working what would have been the 29th lap.  There was contact, resulting in Netto flipping.  Netto's car caught fire, but he was not injured.  Golobic had the lead at that point and went on to score the $3,000 victory ahead of D. Scelzi, Justin Sanders, Kofoid, Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Kurt Nelson, Kyle Hirst, Gio Scelzi and Tim Kaeding.

There were 24 Sprint Cars for the second to last King Of The West Series race of the season.  Sanders set the fast time of 11.418, beating the 11.510 lap of Faccinto.  T. Kaeding won the first ten lap heat race ahead of Sanders.  Golobic beat Nelson to win the second heat, and Johnson won the third heat ahead of D. Scelzi.  Kofoid gained the pole for the Main Event by holding off Netto to win the six lap Trophy Dash.  Jarrett Soares won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Brent Kaeding and Brent Bjork.

Mark Hartman won his first 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event.  Hartman had his hands full with Justin McPherson and point leader Matt Hagio in close pursuit, but he kept his cool and brought it home to a well earned victory.  Duane Bieser settled for fourth ahead of Billy Robertson, Mike Kofnovec Sr. and Charlie Hunter.  Igor Gradzuk was a Main Event scratch.  Hartman won the eight lap heat race ahead of Hagio.

Two time champion Terry Campion won the 20 lap American Stock Main Event.  Campion had a front row start and charged into the lead, leaving the battle for second.  Point leader Rob Gallaher battled J.C. Elrod before gaining the position.  By then, Campion had a huge lead, and he won by a half-lap lead ahead of Gallaher, Elrod, Chris McCabe, Mike Reist and Kyle Reeder.  Elrod won the eight lap heat race ahead of Campion.

Point leader Cameron Diatte backed up last week's win with another impressive 20 lap SBDCA Dwarf Car Main Event victory.  Diatte sprinted out to the lead at the start and won by over half a lap ahead of Gene "Punky" Pires.  Ryan Amlen was close behind in third as Zach Price, Joe Barkett, Doug Penny, Bill Belfield, Brian Barnhill, Chris Dorto and Trafton Chandler rounded out the Top 10.  Barkett won the first eight lap heat race ahead of Pires, and Diatte made a lap seven pass on Chandler and held him off to win the second heat race.

Jacobo, Clifford, Whitson Score Orland Raceway Feature Wins

Orland, CA...October 7...Multi time champion Josh Jacobo scored a $500 win in the 25 lap Wingless Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Orland Raceway.  Jacobo and Jeremy Wilson led the pack to the green flag.  Past champion Tony Richards settled into second behind Jacobo.  Working lap three, Richards slid underneath Jacobo for the lead in Turn 1, but he pushed in Turn 2 as Jacobo reclaimed the position.  Richards spun off the track in Turn 3 for a yellow flag.  Jacobo led Wilson and Josh Tucker on the restart.  Richards made a low pass in Turn 4 to take third from Tucker on lap six.  Richards was racing Wilson hard for the second spot before making an inside pass in Turn 2 on lap 14.  Lane Embrey spun in Turn 2 for a lap 17 caution flag.  Jacobo led the restart with Richards searching high and low for a way by.  Richards spun in Turn 3 and was clipped by Wilson, knocking the right rear wheel off of the Richards car for a lap 20 caution flag.  Jacobo led Wilson and Tucker on the restart, and they finished in that order.  Tanner Thomson and Ed Butterfield rounded out the Top 5.

Jason Clifford won he non stop 25 lap California Hardtop Main Event.  J. Clifford led father Ken Clifford for a lap before Dennis Armstrong took second with a Turn 1 pass.  J. Clifford had a straightaway lead by lap six as Dave Reed made a low pass in Turn 3 to take second.  Ken Retzloff made a Turn 4 pass on Armstrong for third on lap eight.  J. Clifford soon caught slower traffic, which allowed Reed and Retzloff to close in on him.  Ron Ruiz settled into fourth on lap 11.  J. Clifford set a good pace up front.  He never managed to pull away from Reed, but J. Clifford made all the right moves in traffic as he won ahead of Reed, Retzloff and Ron Ruiz.  Jason Armstrong was leading Roger MacShain in a close battle for fifth when his car slipped out of gear at the white flag.  MacShain passed him for fifth, and J. Armstrong settled for sixth, followed by K Clifford, Tom Grady, Joe Shenefield and D. Armstrong.

B.J. Martin won the 25 lap Wingless 600 Micro Sprint Main Event.  The 2002 Pure Stock champion took the lead on lap two and led the rest of the way for the win.  Colby Greg ran second for most of the race before Cody Gray took the spot on lap 23.  Greg settled for third, followed by Tony Alosi and Prather.

Justin Stretch finished last in the Wingless 600 Micro race, but he led flag to flag to win the 25 lap Winged race.  Two time champion Jeromie Crismon was a straightaway behind when he gained second on lap nine, but he caught Stretch by the checkered flag to finish a close second.  Martin chased down Alosi and passed him on lap 23 for a third place finish.  Gray and Alosi made up the remainder of the Top 5.

Track champion Jackie Whitson Jr. won the 30 lap 250 Micro Sprint Main Event.  Whitson Jr. started on the front row and led five laps before James Barnes surprised him by taking the lead on a lap six restart.  A lap 12 restart opened the door for Whitson, and he took the lead back.  Whitson Jr. led the rest of the way for the win.  Barnes pitted from second on lap 20, handing the position to Jackie Whitson Sr. as Jess Garland, Jarrid Carter and Ronnie Heyer rounded out the Top 5.

This Saturday night's Battle Of The Axels is offering a $1,000 prize to the Pure Stock Main Event winner.  New champion Jeremy Langenderfer won the point season finale two weeks ago ahead of his closest rival, Shannon Collins.  These two lead what should be a big field of stars, including 2016 champion Steve Martin, 2015 champion Paul Stevens and Brad Ray. 

The Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks will race for $500 to win.  2016 champion Dan Webster won the Mini Truck point finale two weeks ago, but he settled for second in points behind champion Keith Ross.  These two and Olin Crain should be among the favorites to win the big race.  Tom Davis wrapped up his Mini Stock championship season with a win two weeks ago, and he enters this race as the favorite to win.  However, Sean Perry, 2016 champion John Kirkpatrick, Barbara Crain and Donovan Chilton are among the other stars hoping to win the big money.

The show will end with an exciting $1,000 to win Destruction  Derby that is sure to have the crowd on the edges of their seats,  Gates open at 5 PM with the first race starting at 7 PM.  General Admission is $10.00 with Juniors (7-12) $5.00 and Children 6 and under free.  For further information , go to www.orlandraceway.com.

The Editor's Viewpoint

I'd already written most of this before getting up and doing some jogging in place, but then my mind started opening up.  This is actually the first Editor's Viewpoint article I've written in some time.  I'm loving the nostalgia thing happening in racing.  I don't see a lot on the Legend's Of Kearney Bowl Super Modified guys, but what I see I like.  Lots of cars, serious community involvement and a desire to honor racing's past.  I hear there is an offshoot of this group that wants to start racing, rather than exhibition racing.  It's not a bad idea, but I've already heard a few things that raise concerns from people I respect.  I'll just say that if certain people don't keep their egos in check, that effort will not make it very far.  Legend's Of Kearney Bowl works because people are doing it for the right reasons.

The Vintage Classic is coming to Roseville at the end of the month with those old Supers, Midgets, Sprint Cars, Hardtops and all of that.  This is an effort to honor West Capital Speedway greats.  I will just say this, Bonnie Chisholm does more for this sport than people may realize.  She has a passion for it, and I for one greatly appreciate what she does.  Sadly, she reported that this event will be the last.  I'm disappointed, but I totally understand.  People are getting older and the interest is waning.  Plus, Roseville has a new promoter with a different agenda.  It is my hope that an event of this type will continue some place else, but without somebody like Bonnie leading the charge, I'm not counting on it.

The California Hardtops had 11 cars at Orland Raceway last week for a non stop Main Event, won by Jason Clifford.  There were at least six Main Event winners, going from my memory, this season.  The CHA seems to be going through some leadership changes which I think could help them.  For the most part I like what I've heard from Jason Armstrong and Ken Clifford.  I anticipate that there will be dates at Orland and Placerville next year.  Now, here's the interesting part.  I count 24 real Hardtops off the top of my head that have raced these past two years.  That's not counting cars sitting right now or two cars that ran but really don't fit the rules.  The only thing lacking is direction.  Bakersfield averaged 10-12 cars this year in their championship season, showing that they are still going strong. 

My birthday this year marked the 15th anniversary of when Mike McCann brought Hardtops down from Banks, Oregon for a two race weekend at Sacramento and Orland.  That is what sparked the modern movement in California, but it was already thriving in Oregon and up north.  Oregon still has OTRO and PRA.  What I'm saying is Hardtops are alive and well.  At Antioch, Dave Mackey made a commitment to support anything John M. Soares booked, knowing that Soares was the first promoter in the Bay Area to book regular dates.  Oregon Promoter Chuck Prather gets credit for trying for a couple years after  McCann's initial visit to establish the Hardtops at Roseville and Sacramento before he headed back up to promote Coos Bay Speedway.  Soares liked the cars and booked the class about ten years ago.

I'm not getting into the politics of what went wrong.  Blame can be placed on all sides, but the Hardtops abandoned Antioch.  It was McCann who promoted a race in August of 2015 that boasted 14 cars.  McCann did all the leg work, and he was considering taking over the group or starting a new one before he got the Medford track.  That date showed what could be and saved Hardtops at Antioch.  A year later, Mackey and Tommy Thomson brought back the Chet Thomson Memorial to another 14 car field.  These two dates were still the biggest supported Hardtop races on the dirt over the past few years.  Mackey spearheaded the creation of the Bay Area Hardtops as a group supporting Antioch, but there was a problem.  Two cars were not ready, another one needed a motor, another one was going to miss the season due to health issues for Tommy Thomson.  Thankfully, he's okay and will have his car ready next year.  If Soares does book Hardtops, it will do better next year.

I've said this before, but I have hopes of big support for the Thomson race next year and the creation of a special CHA race at Placerville or Orland that gets similar support.  Having both groups in existance will only help expand the roster as long as a sensible schedule is booked for all involved.  The interest is clearly there, but it has lacked direction.  Really, they need to keep an eye on the rules and not approve cars that go outside the boundaries of what this division is.  I still say it might not be a bad thing to allow Sportsman cars to race with them as used to happen in the past.

I've heard calls for the Sportsman class at Antioch.  On one level, yes, yes, yes.  However, you have no cars and building a new division from scratch at this time is not a good idea.  I'm only begrudgingly okay with bringing Four Bangers back, and I'm not wild about the idea.  Merced has Sportsman cars in the area, but the racers have to decide how badly they want this division.  It's time to bring those parked cars back.  If the division is going to happen, the effort should be at Merced where it was brought back almost 20 years ago.   If they get cars and the racers want to make special appearances, I'm all for it.  These are some of the neatest looking machines out there.

An intriguing idea was proposed by Larry Adams.  It's not a new concept.  He got it from what Medford did almost 20 years ago.  He suggests putting wings on Modifieds to give them a new look.  I'd add bigger tires, which is something I've discussed with Don O'Keefe and others through the years.  Back in 1990, Dave White put a Pinto body on his Modified and brought it to Antioch.  Sportsman fans got the significance of that, but management had no clue about the history of the track.  He was asked to put a "regular" body on his car.  I can just imagine what would have happened had we started seeing Pinto's and Vega's and then allowed wings on them.  I'll confess that the similarity to the Sportsman division was one of the biggest reasons I got behind Modifieds in the first place.

I would love a winged Modified class with bigger tires.  It would be unique and something different.  However, Antioch would be going it alone.  Most of the tracks are buying into the IMCA line of BS and will frown on this.  I'm not bashing the rules package of IMCA, but the sanctioning and what it offers leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion.  Going NASCAR might be better if sanctioning is a must.  If Antioch were to try this, they might benefit from calling a meeting to discuss rules for just this idea and who might run it.  I think a few of the teams with family ties to the Sportsman class might jump at the idea.  Now, what might work is a trial run.  Set up a few dates outside of the regular A Modified point race to see who is interested.  On one had, this might fail miserably.  On the other hand, what if it started a new trend that generated interest in the sport again?  What do we have to lose at this point?

With this post, we've pretty much wrapped up our 2017 effort to cover as much racing as we could.  The biggest reason I've done this much is probably to occupy my mind and bury the unpleasant thoughts.  I wasn't planning to do all that I did this season beyond the blogs, but Antioch Speedway roped me in again.  The track's Webmaster and Souvenir Program Publisher Mike Kord asked me for an article on Larry Damitz.  Of course I sent it because it's Larry Damitz and I happen to like Mike.  I wanted to help out the track even though I've been told I'm still not in good standing there.  As I haven't spoken to management to hear their thoughts and haven't expressed my thoughts to them yet, I'll leave it at just this one sentence.  I wanted to help out to the best of my ability from where I am, and I feel I have accomplished my goal.  

If not for a group of people that helped me out with information during the season, this wouldn't have been possible.  I had deadlines to get the coverage in at least ten newspapers that I know of.  In my Antioch effort, Mike Kord provided me with information.  My anonymous source, Chris Briggs, Larry Adams and Jim Thomson updated me during the races, which was very helpful.  Paul Gould sent me winner's photos all season long, just because he wanted to help get the track coverage.  He asked for nothing in return, which is a contrast to one photographer who asked for $25 per picture.  I never asked for a dime for my efforts, which probably makes me stupid given my status of being just one step above homeless.

There were six tracks and ten newspapers that printed at least one of my articles.  To my knowledge, Bill Choy at the Siskiyou Daily News was the only Sports Editor who saw to it that I got a byline.  To be clear, getting these articles in the paper so that we could get new fans in the stands was my motivating factor.  I've never made it about me, which maybe was a mistake when I look back on things.  However, I'm proud of my effort.  This effort was about getting coverage for tracks that had none, but two of those tracks weren't quick enough with results for articles and one of them closed. 

We lost Chowchilla Speedway and Rocky Hill Speedway this year.  Folks, running a race track is not easy.  Keep that in mind when you put down a race rack because everything didn't go your way.  Remember, it's not all about you.  That being said, sometimes tracks have reasons for the criticism they receive.  I'm covering tracks like Orland, Yreka and Hayfork that we are lucky to still have.  We're at a point at many tracks where we have to evaluate what we are doing and make decisions for the future.  These tracks are barely staying open, and because of that, the main goal is just opening the gates for a race.  They don't have the resources to start on a plan for the future.  Mark my words, though, we will start losing some of these tracks, and some of these losses will be painful to the racing community.  This is a time for racing fans to be involved in the sport and to not have rigid demands that become deal breakers when things go wrong.

The DCRR Turns 30 next year.  Who would have thought it would make it that far?  I'm proud of what we've been able to do to help the sport, but I suppose I will always struggle over the question of whether or not I'd do it again.  I applied for credentials to the RPM Workshop in Reno.  I'm not sure I can even afford to attend, but I'd like to know if what we do at The DCRR is worthy of media credentials for such an important event.  Promoters meet and make important decisions regarding the future of the sport.  Now more than ever, they need to be up on the game, and they need to forge partnerships that benefit all involved.  The more divided the sport becomes, the easier it is to  bring it all down.

In the long run, I'm not sure where my future is.  I know I need to make changes for my own peace of mind, but I also know that The DCRR will continue in 2018.  I'm not sure how far I will push The DCRR Media thing as a way to go the extra mile helping other race tracks.  While I don't ask for financial compensation, I've never been offered any from the race tracks I cover either.  The Tip Jar has been empty all year, and there are things that would help me personally and my writing effort in general if I had the finances to afford them.  I just do what I do otherwise.  I will continue writing about racing in 2018, but that's all I can say.  I will not knock myself out trying to meet deadlines for tracks that can't help me out in various ways.  They can hire a publicity director to do these things.  They aren't free, because what they do is work.  I've never been about the money, but I'll put my record up against anybody in the game.

I do want to thank Promoter Mike McCann for being the one who not only offered me a gig at Southern Oregon Speedway, he gave me a place to stay.  Though I'm not going to lie and say I'm a happy person  right now, I know how lucky I am.  We've had some memorable experiences trying to rebuild a racing program, and I've been challenged in ways I never expected.  I'm proud of what I've been able to bring to the table in what has at times been a frustrating situation.  We've worked hard for every accomplishment we've achieved, but we haven't been able to enjoy a lot of it.  It's one of the most interesting experiences in racing I have ever been a part of.  Now, if we can just get the racers to "buy into" what we are doing and recognize that we are not the people they've been upset with in recent years, the place might have a chance at some good years.  It's up to the racers.  While there are a few things we might be able to try, we've done a lot as it is.  It goes along with my belief that racers sometimes take things for granted.  Times have changed a lot too.

In the midst of the struggle, we successfully launched a Southern Oregon Racing Hall Of Fame, The R. Charles Snyder Salute and The Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car Challenge, which was the biggest Wingless Sprint race of the year in Oregon.  Hall Of Fame Night is important to me, but my still as yet unachieved dream is to have a Hall Of Fame Night at Antioch Speedway.  Love of that race track and the racers there is why The DCRR exists at all.  I'm planning to slowly work on a book during the offseason, possibly the sequel to Just A Kid From The Grandstands and/or a Racing Yearbook.  The content is largely complete for both books, though serious editing is required for the sequel.  I'm taking advantage of the fact that I don't have demanding deadlines now in order to relax a bit and slowly work on things.  I always get burned out at the end of the season, and I'm feeling it more this year in light of all the stress associated with this season's efforts.

This year has given the fans a lot to be proud of and things to look forward to.  We're lucky we still have a few good promoters in the game doing good things for the sport.  Like I always say, as long as the gates continue to open, there's a chance for good things to happen.  Thank you all for reading and stay tuned for more.

That's All For Now.  Thank you all for reading...
The Editor


Ocean Speedway Watsonville, CA Race Results October 7, 2017
King Of The West/NARC Sprint Cars
A Main
Shane Golobic
Dominic Scelzi
Justin Sanders
Michael Kofoid
Chase Johnson
Mitchell Faccinto
Kurt Nelson
Kyle Hirst
Giovanni Scelzi
Tim Kaeding
Bobby McMahan
Jason Statler
Bud Kaeding
Brent Kaeding
Sean Watts
Dustin Golobic
Jeremy Chisum
Nathan Rolfe
Jarrett Soares
D.J. Netto
Brent Bjork
Richard Fajardo

B Main
Jarrett Soares
Brent Kaeding
Brent Bjork
Nathan Rolfe
Jason Statler
Jeremy Chisum
Richard Fajardo
Jenna Frazier
Cory Eliason DNS

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Mark Hartman
Justin McPherson
Matthew Hagio
Duane Bieser
Billy Robertson
Mike Kofnovec Sr.
Charlie Hunter
Igor Gandzuk DNS

American Stocks
Terry Campion
Rob Gallaher
JC Elrod
Chris McCabe
Mark Reist
Kyle Reeder

SBDCA Dwarf Cars
Camron Diatte
Punky Pires
Ryan Amlen
Zach Price
Joe Barket
Doug Penny
Bill Belfield
Brian Barnhill
Chris Dorto
Trafton Chandler
Brady Beck


Madera Raceway Race Results October 7, 2017
MavTV Late Models RPM Mortgage Pro Late Model Open
A Main
Buddy Shepherd
Eric Holmes
Ross Strmiska
Austin Herzog
Trevor Huddleston
Ryan Phillpott
Glenn Cook
Kyle Gottula
Racin Vernon
Garland Tyler
Blaine Rocha
Ryan Hart
Jagger Jones
Kolby Berry
Matt Erickson
Kevin Thompson
Logan Zampa
Dillon Tucker
Hailie Deegan
Tyler Herzog
Jeremy Doss
Howard Holden
Mike David
Eric Nascimento
Lawless Alan
Rick Thompson

B Main
Geoff Morris
Henk Gaalswyk Jr.
Shelden Cooper
Robby Hornsby
Jarrett Gilmer
Dylan Garner
Loren Kutz
Ray Mayer
Trevor Schlundt
Lawless Alan
Racin Vernon
Ryan Hart
Kevin Thompson
Elliott Stjerne
Ben Lewis
William Martyn
Ryan Schartau
Del McIntosh

C Main
Robby Hornsby
Geoff Morris
Del McIntosh
Ray Mayer
Rodney Preacher
Quintin Harris
David Lewellen
Doyle Moen
Brett Wasson
Thomas Suarez
Kent Cam
Erik Woods
Lucy Carmona
Aaron Mullins

Lucas Oil Modifieds
Linny White
Taylor Miinch
Kyle Tellstrom
Wes Miller
Jim Mardis
Eric Hamilton
Shelby Stroebel
Michael Mitchell
Chris Cook
William Guevara
Mike Regelman
Mark Allison
Dave Arce
Dustin Tilbury
Cody Kay
Jeremy Kay
Eddie Secord
Michael Womack
Jason Irwin
Trevor Cristiani
Dylan Cappello
Scott Winters
Blake Rogers
P.J. Pedroncelli DNS

Jr. Late Models
Jesse Love
Kolby Berry
Austin Edwards
RJ Smotherman
Kabe McClenny
Jesse Burks
Lilly Mead
Adam Lemke
Tyler Reif
Kyle Keller
Eric Nascimento
Hailie Deegan
Anthony Guaimano
Tanner Reif

Mini Cups
Tyler Reif
Kale McClenny
Aaron Thomas
Avery Vivian
Aiden Phillips
Joseph Holiday
Kena Mitchell


Petaluma Speedway Race Results October 7, 2017
Adobe Cup
PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Winged Sprint Cars
A Main
Results are not official
1     #92 Andy Forsberg
2     #4s Michael Kofoid
3     #5v Colby Copeland
4     #101 Klint Simpson
5     #72w Kurt Nelson
6     #5h Cory Eliason
7     #43 Bradley Terrell   
8     #88n Sean Becker
9     #56 Ryan Bernal
10     #11d Jonathan Allard
11     #7h Jake Haulot
12     #9x Peter Paulson           
12     #38 Colby Johnson   
13     #83t Tanner Carrick   
14     #5c Trent Canales   
15     #52 David Lindt II
16     #57 Billy Butler
17     #73c Cody Fendley
18     #01 Jodie Robinson       
19     #49 Mike Monahan       
20     #9n Nicholas Ringo           
21     #63 Geoff Ensign       
22     #68 Chase Johnson

B Main
Results are not official
1     #38 Colby Johnson       
2     #9n Nicholas Ringo   
3     #9x Peter Paulson
4     #12j John Clark
5     #56j Shawn Arriaga
6     #7n Zack Lynskey
7     #9 Bret Barney
8     #99t Tanner Boul
9     #3 Ricky Brophy

PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints
Results are not official  
1     #32 Klint Simpson   
2     #1 Terry Schank
3     #42 William Fatu
4     #98 Geoff Ensign
5     #1c Jimmy Christian
6     #24n Nick Larsen   
7     #6 Sparky Howard
8     #28 Marcus Smith
9     #39t Troy DeGaton   
10     #87 Dan Gonderman
11     #77s Ryon Siverling   
12     #83 Danny Potts
13     #36 Bob Newberry       
14     #32b Eden McCormick   
15     #73x Keith Calvino   
16     #3r Bob Davis
17    #42 Adam Teves  
18     #11 Matthew Haulot   

Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks
Results are not official
1     #54 Brady Bell           
2     #86 Phillip Shelby   
3     #04 Dan Smith
4     #46 Steve Studebaker
5     #3r Mike Learn   
6     #401k   
7     #49 Woody Woodward
8     #22m Mitch Machado   
9     #12 Ryan Cherezian
10     #4t Brent Lawrence   
11     #9n Darien Balestrini   
12     #28m Phil Marino           
13     #7 Chris Warner   
14     #3 Matt While           
15     #73 Gary Newman
16     #2a Donnie Richardson            
17     #8 Snazzy Duckworth   
18     #60 Shawn McCoy            
19     #25 Erick Veeniinga            
20     #07 Manny Avila            
21     #71 Ray Trimble           
22     #17 Jim Hall           
23     #12s Shane Brandon   


Tulare Thuderbowl Raceway Race Results October 7, 2017
IMCA Modifieds
Results are not official
1     #5L Cody Laney           
2     #49 Troy Foulger
3     #2 bobby hogge iv
4     #10R Ryan McDaniel
5     #198 Robby Sawyer
6     #1P Brad Pounds
7     #55X Brian Cass
8     #81 Clay Daly   
9     #9xxx Chet Reeves   
10     #29H Randy McDaniel
11     #5 David Spriggs
12     #C9 Chad Reichenbach
13     #71 Bill Wilker
14     #81X Paul Stevens   
15     #32 DJ Shannon       
16     #17N Steven Noland   

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Results are not official
1     #7C Clint Reichenbach       
2     #40 nick spainhourard
3     #44S Shane DeVolder
4     #18C Chris McKellar   
5     #4 Garrett Jernagan
6     #14H Matthew Hagio
7     #32 TINA Pounds   
8     #13M Matt Mayo
9     #04M austin manzella
10     #96 Kelly Wilkinson
11     #AR15 Jack Aguiar   
12     #1ST Aaron Farrell
13     #88B Ryan Bledsaw           
14     #20S Lee Jensen           
15     #30 Donald Hampl   
16     #M13 Matthew Mayo Jr.      
17     #27T Tony Peffer   

IMCA Stock Cars
Results are not official
1     #111 Chad Johnson       
2     #76 Tyler Johnson   
3     #1JX Steve Streeter   
4     #45 Troy Patee
5     #2 James Elliott
6     #13 Renn Bane   
7     #26 Steven Johnson           
8     #99 Jon Dias           
9     #1 Alan Mendes   

Hobby Stocks
Results are not official
1     #4 Bubba Nelson           
2     #29T Mike Shearer
3     #44M Matt Kile
4     #9 Gene Glover
5     #55 Mike Calhoun    
6     #89 Katie Briggs   
7     #66 Dwayne Short           
8     #C29 Garrett Corn           
9     #91 Michael Scruggs

Mini Stocks
Results are not official
1     #6 Andrew Boydstun           
2     #2 Kelly Campanile
3     #77 Matt Herod
4     #15 Shawn Schwartzenberger   
5     #777 Clinton Massey
6     #00 kit murphy   
7     #32X Jason Cook   
8     #24 Roy Atchinson Jr.  
9     #91 Bryant Desaire   
10     #4 Joshua Dysart   
11     #313 Craig Moody
12     #27 Paul Schwartzenberger       
13     #11 Kenneth Shurgarts
14     #5T Teddy Caraveo Sr.          
15     #39 Steve Porter
16     #3T Blake Sousa           
17     #3 Carson Scheenstra           
18     #46 Steven Scott


Santa Maria Raceway Race Results October 7, 2017
USAC West Coast Sprint Cars
Tristan Guardino
Max Adams
Austin Liggett
Danny Faria Jr.
Grant Anderson
Kyle Smith
Brandon Wiley
Tom Hendricks
Steve Hix
Dalton Hill
Ryan Timmons
Gary Nelson
Garrett Long
Jordan Linson
James Herrera
Trent Carter
Jay Irvine
Jake Swanson
Steve Demontt
Ben Catron
Ryan Stolz
Jimmy Thompson DNS

USAC Micros
Bryce Eames
Dex Morris
Jimmy Leal
Jacob Diamond
Troy Morris Jr.
Carson Myrick
Ethan Evans

Hobby Stocks
Taelor Janes
Eddie Williams
Matt McEwan
Pat Fausel
Aaron Bruce zincic
Markus Frazier
Mack McGeary
Dave Condon
Corey Brough
Scotty Preast DNS
Chris Whitford DNS

American Stocks
Jimmy Satlawa
Gary Rayburn Jr.
Taylor King
Sheldon Bailey
Kristina McGeary
Gregg Teller
Ed Wyand
Justin Teller
Jennifer Oseguera
Lindsey Love
Aaron Bollman
Nicholas Verbryke
Jon Shank
Hailey Wyand
Jon Waterfiled DNS
Jimmy Teixeira DNS
Joel Chavez DNS
Gary Rayburn DNS

Dwarf Cars
Jonathan Henry
Joe Barkett
Cameron Diatte
Stephen Brunn
Lonnie Tekart
Mike Keebler
James Billings
Ira Henry
James Price
Jessica Clark
Angel Figueroa
Brian Barnhill

NMRA TQ Midgets
Chuck West
Scott Niven
Jason Arnolde
Ace Kale
Kevin Kale
West Evans
Paul Sanders
Taelor Janes
Dave Lambert
Wes Cummings
Don Mosely

Sr. Mini Dwarf Cars
Zach Chavez
Tailor Morrison
Joshua Chambers
Dylan Cherry
Stephen Bazen

Jr. Midgets
Zach Chavez
Christian Bazen
Wyatt Moody
Elexa Herrera


Ventura Raceway Unofficial Race Results October 7, 2017
VRA Dwarf Cars
1 69 Johnny Conley
2 93 Jason Horton
3 14 Tommy Velasquez III
4 22s Gage Cheek
5 8 Tim Conley
6 16 Tom Stephens Jr.
7 64 Trevor Fitzgibbon
8 41 Nick Velasquez
10 88 Jeff Brink
11 45 Korey Cowan
12 4 Tommy Velasquez
13 55 Mike Long
14 6 David Conley

California Lightning Sprints 
A Main
1 21k Bobby Michnowicz
2 87 Charlie Caraccilo
3 31 Bruce Douglass
4 45 Cody Nigh
5 13pg Aiden Lange
6 35jr Dakota Albright
7 44 Brent Sexton
8 26 Steve Brown
9 03 Pat Kelly
10 29z Brad Dillard
11 37 Dominic Del Monte
12 83 Rob Pelmear
13 54 James Squire III
14 15 Jon Squire
15 17 Dale Garner
16 42 Jon Robertson
17 14 Jarret Kramer
18 29 A.J. Bender
19 1k Kevin Micnowicz
20 10 Dan Hellberg
21 72 Craig Dillard
22 25k Hunter Kinney

Semi
1 42 Jon Robertson
2 03 Pat Kelly
3 15 Jon Squire
4 83 Rob Pelmear
5 17f Dan Foster
6 17 Dale Garner
7 54 James Squire III
8 14e Emily Lindgren
9 2 Doug Nunes
10 11 Wayne Hanson
11 06 Gage Cheek
12 25 Scott Kinney DNS
13 7f Frank Ditmar DNS
14 4 Eric Greco DNS

Focus Midgets
1 33 Mike Leach
2 98 Kyle Bellman
3 59 Jet Davison
4 18k Zac Bogner
5 37 Jessica Valentine

Senior Sprints
1 15 Rick Hendrix
2 1k Danny Parrish
3 3g Greg Andrews
4 47 Ed Schwarz
5 53 Greg Foster
6 2 Wally Pankratz
7 66 Chris Meredith
8 4k Tyler Hatzikian
9 5k Eddie Williams
10 67 Russell Martin
11 Steve Brown DNS