Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Larry Damitz: In His Own Words, Jim Pettiit II From 1991, Pit Stops

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Remembering Larry Damitz, a look at the latest news from around the circuit.
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Larry Damitz:  In His Own Words From June 23, 1993

Larry Damitz was not somebody I got a lot of interviews with.  Even after a win, he'd smile and give two or three word answers.  He wasn't one to brag and didn't care about any glory either.  As a writer, that made covering him a challenge.  In June of 1993, he opened up a little bit to me, which made it possible for me to write an article about him in The DCRR magazine on June 23rd that year.  It was rare that I got him to speak that much on record, so I was happy to have this.

On when he started racing and what got him started.

"I started running Hardtops in 1953 in Pacheco.  I really don't know (what got me started).  I've always liked cars and I started working on cars when I was nine.  Well, I started driving when I was nine years old.  I've always been interested in automobiles.  Another guy and I knew of a Hardtop that was halfway completed, so we went over and finished it off and started racing.  That's about it."  Larry Damitz

Racing Hardtops in his early years.

"When I started, they had one class, and they had enough cars that they had a C Race, sometimes two C Races.  Even later on, when it got down to where they only had 50 or 60 cars, every car in the Main Event could win the Main Event.  There were always some Main Event cars in the B Main.  If you had an early number to go qualify, a good car, good driver could be in the B Main." Larry Damitz

Competing On the BCRA Circuit.

"When it first started, it was Bay Cities Racing Association, and they ran Pacheco Friday night and Vallejo Sunday night.  That was the circuit.  I never ran every race on it.  That was too much, but I occasionally ran in different places.  Mostly, I was driving Pacheco and Vallejo.  Pacheco was a good track."  Larry Damitz

On finally winning a Main Event.

"I didn't win a Main Event until 1963 (at Vallejo).  Everybody that comes out here and they think in their first year they're supposed to clean house and win a Main Event.  Oh hell, they race all year, two years, don't win a main and they quit."  Larry Damitz


Larry won his first Hardtop Championship at Vallejo in 1965.  Many more championships would come in the years that followed.

"I won the Hardtop championship in 1973 (at Petaluma).  One year we ran there.  Soares (Sr.) didn't have it then.  It was called the Sears Point Racing Association, because we formed an association and had a verbal contract with the guy that owned Sears Point Raceway.    He was gonna put in an oval track there, so we started an association.  He had a partner.  There were two people in on it, and they couldn't see their way clear to get it started right then.  We got in with the guy Corky that promoted Petaluma, and we ran Hardtops over there in 1973.  The end of 1973 is when the fuel shortage hit, and things kind of tightened up.  They decided to put an oval track in at Sears Point.  A couple of years later, they folded.  The year before that, I won the championship at Vallejo in 1972."  Larry Damitz

"We won the (Super Stock) championship at Vallejo in 1978.  In 1979, we ran at Petaluma.  We built our first Super Stock in 1976.  We just fiddled around.  In 1977, we built a little stronger motor, and we went to Chico 11 times that year and won every Main Event we went up there too.  We didn't run every week, because on Friday night, it was a little harder to get up there."  Larry Damitz

The wreck at Antioch Speedway in 1985.

"I broke a shoulder blade in my wreck with Buzz Enea and Mike Walko in 1985.  Back then, the configuration of this track was altogether different than any other track.  It was fun to drive.  It was a lot of fun.  More fun than any of them.  Better than any quarter-mile track just about.  They had it banked right up to the wall, and you had to run right around the wall.  I just wanted to come back and run the track some more."  Larry Damitz


On who he enjoyed racing with.

"There's always been good competition, always.  Sometimes, there's a little more than others.  You'll always have people that race over their head all the time.  That's the only bad thing about it.  When you've got to put up with that."  Larry Damitz  
Damitz.

On the division that almost gained Larry as a competitor.

"We had a Dwarf Car in the works after we heard that Delta was gonna run a Dwarf Car program on early Sunday evenings that year (1991).  We had seen them run in Pahrump with 35 cars and thought they were neat.  We thought this would be a good car to drive when I was too old to muscle the Late Model around the track."   Larry Damitz

Note:  Amazingly enough, Larry continued racing after that interview and racked up ten more of his impressive 17 championships after that.  In fact, his last season ended with him as champion at Antioch Speedway.  In the 1960's, only Gene Dudley earned more points than Damitz at Vallejo, beating him by only 8 points.  One of his biggest Hardtop wins came in 1973 when he won the 100 lap Chet Thomson Memorial.

In 1978, he won the Vallejo Super Stock championship.  He won the 1980-1981 Petaluma Speedway Super Stock titles.  In his first year at Antioch in a Late Model (1984), he was a Main Event winner, and he racked up 10 wins in 1986 after his back injury sidelined him in 1985.  He finished second in points that season.  When Super Stocks ended at Petaluma in 1986, Larry won his first Late Model title in 1987 before taking on the crew chief role for nephew Milt McGinnis.  Milt won back to back titles at Petaluma in 1988-1989.  Larry won the 1994, 2001 and 2002 Petaluma Late Model titles.

Though he continued to drive a Late Model, Larry went on to race Limited Late Models mostly during the final decade of his career.  His Antioch numbers had him second in points twice and champion five times in his last seven seasons.  He added two more championships at Merced during that time,  Only Mike Gustafson has more wins in his Antioch career in that class.  Damitz has over 100 wins just between Antioch and Petaluma.

There are many competitors out there who Larry influenced throughout a career that lasted over 60 years.  He was a mentor to Kimo Oreta last season.  About 30 years prior to that, he had a major impact on the career of one of Antioch's best ever Late Model racers, Jim Pettit II.

Jim Pettit II:  Reflects On His Late Model Success At Antioch

Late in the 1991 season, I stored a few interviews for the off season of The DCRR magazine.  However, some poor decisions led to me selling the magazine to Scott Holloway and rebranding it as The Pacific Coast Report.  The day I put the finished copy of the first edition on Holloway's desk for printing, I gathered my things and left, intending not too return and to leave the sport.  Obviously, that didn't happen. 

Dad encouraged me to go back, and thanks to some supportive racers, I created a new DCRR, named slightly different (eventually, I bought it all back from Scott).  The problem was I did an interview with Jim Pettit II that I am rather proud of that never saw the light of day in The DCRR.  The article was only in the PCR that to my knowledge was never printed.  I could have rewritten it, but Jimmy had made the move up to pavement in 1992.

In the interview, Jim talked about his Late Model efforts after his 1984 NASCAR Regional title and the impact Larry Damitz had on the success he had at Antioch.  Jimmy won three Antioch titles from 1987 to 1991.  He also made the announcement of his future plans.  I share Pettit's quotes here for the first time.

Jim Pettit II talks about the beginning of what would be a successful pavement career with many championships.

"If everything goes right, I'll run the Southwest Tour.  We've got a brand new car and everything.  We've got three motors.  They're all store bought motors.  I'm not real thrilled about V-6's, but it's a brand new car."  Jim Pettit II


On his love of dry slick racing surfaces.

"I love the drys slick.  When it dries out, I love the dry slick.  It's just like pavement.  (Some of) These guys don't understand it, especially Bobby Hogge.  You've got to have finesse.  When the track turns black and dry, you can't drive it in the corner and throw it like you would on a wet track.  You've got to have a lot of finesse and a lot of patience.  You can't get excited in the car.  You've got to get into the corner.  You've got to keep the car straight, get it turned and ease on the throttle.  You've got to feather it"  Jim Pettit II

Jimmy shows Larry Damitz some finesse.

"It's like the day race that I won here in Larry's car.  Larry comes up to me and shakes his head and says, 'I don't know what you get out of running these kinds of tracks, ' because you know these day races are normally dry slick.  He says, 'If it wasn't for you driving my car, I wouldn't even be here, ' because he doesn't like dry slick slicks.  Then, he's shaking his head.  He says, 'Why do you like running them?'  I look at him and I laughed and said, 'To see who has the most finesse.'  He says, 'What?'  I say, 'Finesse.'  Now, Larry is real quiet.  So, he's buckling me in for the Main Event.  He hooks the window net in for me, and I'm getting ready to start the car.  He leans down and looks at me and says, 'Go show me some finesse.'  I come in after (winning) the race.  We're in the pits and I say, 'What do you think about that finesse Larry?'  He says, 'You know that move where you passed (Jeff) Silva on the outside?  That was the best move I saw the whole race.'  Then, two weeks later, he got one himself.  He said I was making him look bad, so he had to go out and win one." Jim Pettit II


On switching to Merced Speedway after his NASCAR Regional championship.

"After I won the Region, I had a car that just was done.  The car that I won the Region with, we came back with it in '85.  The first five races with it, we had three wins, a second and a third, and then we had motor problems with it from then on.  Then, after I got the motor problems solved, I got the car bent real bad.  It was all down hill from there.  Then, in '86, we had the same car.  We didn't buy a new car, and the chassis was all messed up.  It was a backward battle.  The car was messed up.  It didn't matter how I drove or however I set it up, the car just wouldn't go.  I ran Merced for two years, and when Merced didn't run, I'd come up here and have to run the semi.  It's like, 'Damn, I used to dominate up here, and now I'm in the B Main.'

No guys, you don't get it, we're here to win.

"In '86, the crew that I have with me now, they were new in '86.  It was there first year of racing with me, and they had no idea who I was.  It was word of mouth.  'Yeah, we'll go racing with him.  We'll help him.'  I go out to Merced, and I drove my you know what off.  I drove so hard, and I got tenth place.  They were stoked.  'Hey, tenth place, we're hooked up.  We're flying.'  I'm going, 'No, you guys don't understand.  Tenth place don't cut it around here.'  I got out of the car and I said, 'I have never driven so hard in my life to go so slow.'" Jim Pettit II

On buying a championship car from  Larry Damitz.

"Larry really didn't want to sell me that car.  He told me the last race of '86, 'I sell it to you and this is what I want.'  I said, 'Okay.'  So, then I called him up and I said, 'Well, I'm ready to buy the car.'  He said, 'Well, I don't know if I want to sell it.'  I said, 'What do you mean you don't want to sell it?  You told me you'd sell it to me.'  He said, 'Well, where are you gonna run? next year?  I said, 'Antioch.'  The whole reason he didn't want to sell me that car was because he thought I was gonna go to Merced, and he says, 'The car doesn't work well on a dry slick.  I could never get it to work on a dry slick.  On a heavy track, it'll work good.  I value our friendship more than to sell you this car and you go to Merced and the car doesn't work good and you're unhappy with the car.  I'd rather not sell you the car and keep our friendship, but if you run Antioch, I'll sell it to you.'"  Jim Pettit II

On winning with Larry's old car at other tracks.

So, then we go to Merced a couple of times when Antioch was shut down.  A dry track at Watsonville, and I was kicking their butts in a 100 lapper.  I'm lapping Milt, and Larry comes down and asks, 'What are you doing to make this thing work on a dry track?'  I was up front.  I told him the last year they ran the Williamson Classic 100 laps.  I always save Larry a spot, and we park next to each other.  We were pulling out our little black books for the cars, and what we had to setup for, and I said, 'I have the thing set up for the Main Event.  I ain't worried about the dash.  I ain't worried about the heat race.  I've got it set up right now for the Main Event.  I may be slow in qualifying, but come Main Event time, I'm gonna be fast.'  He looks at me and he laughs.  They had their car within a couple points of the same percentages.  They had it set up for the Main Event too.  I went out there and got fourth quick, won the dash and won the main.  I lapped Milt twice.  Larry comes down and says, 'What are you doing to get this thing hooked up on a dry track?'"  Jim Pettit II


On the role of Larry Damtz in winning the 1991 Late Model championship.

"The goal to winning the championship was everybody put in a lot of effort, time and money into it, and it definitely wouldn't have been possible without Larry Damitz and everybody's involvement in the group, Tom and Milt and the whole Sundrop Racing Team.  I mean, there were no balks or anything about me driving their car.  They were really enthused about getting it together for me.  He tore it up one night at Watsonville pretty bad and wasn't gonna show up here.  Due to the fact that I blew up, Larry don't get up before 10 on Saturdays, but he was down there at 8:30 or 9:00 getting that thing together, putting the rear in the car and getting it fixed up, just because he knew I didn't have a car.  Larry had offered it to me before, because he knew I didn't have a car."  Jim Pettit II 

On What Larry wanted for Jim borrowing his car.

"I never gave Larry any money for renting the car or anything.  He didn't want anything.  All he wanted was the earnings.  If we got $60, he was happy with that.  If we got $500, he was really happy with that.  If we got $60 or $100 and lost two tires, he didn't even want the tires.  When I kept getting Hendren running over the top of me and tearing tires off the cars, I felt obligated to buy the tires for him.  He didn't want it.  I still ended up forcing it on him.  He's one hell of a gentleman." Jim Pettit II



And Effort To Save Late Models in 1993?



When I dug up the quotes from Larry Damitz, I found this little gem from that same week.  Late Model numbers were down and there was talk about dropping the class in favor of Dirt Modifieds.  That happened at the end of the season.  Brynda Bockover had other ideas.  In fact, if it were up to her, I believe they would have been back in 1994.  Alas, that was Rick Farren's decision to make. 

Brynda let me in on the fact that she was working on something.  She was actually in contact with the Bainton's in Bakersfield, who later formed the successful Car Quest Late Model Tour.  Brynda asked me not to say anything.  I wanted this story.  Hell, I wanted to help and would have worked with her on this.  Late Models needed to live, and how many top Modified drivers ended up running Late Models anyway?  Can you say feeder class?

So, I did as asked.  Hey, I wasn't always the pain in the ass with her that people might think.  But, this one bit me in the ass.  Imagine my surprise when John Cardinale scooped me with a big Late Model article in the local paper.  I couldn't be mad, because I respected John.  Brynda had him call me when he first started covering the track, and I helped him with advice here and there.  John was a quick study, a total pro and future Sears Point Speedway Public Relations Director.  Sadly, he passed away, but he's been inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall Of Fame.

This never ran in the magazine, though I did eventually do an article about The Late Model situation and where are the cars were.

Shh, don't tell anybody, but...

"This is not for publication because the Grand Am drivers will automatically think I'm doing something against them, but I'm working very seriously with a couple drivers on a new set of rules for the Late Models.  I don't want to lose the Late Models.  Something is wrong.  I know the rules shouldn't have been opened up during the off season, and I didn't have anything to do with it."  Brynda Bockover June 23, 1993

Note:  What this comment shows is what a tight rope that woman had to walk.  I've mentioned in my book, or at least I hope I got the point across, how I have more respect for her now when I look back at what she went through with critics like me on her case.  Isn't hindsight wonderful?

In 1993, she couldn't make a big decision like this without approval, and she was smart enough to know fans wanted this.  She was also smart enough to know there were people like Scott Busby making the case for the Dirt Modifieds to be #1 with NASCAR and Regional points.

She had to be careful.  I said it before and I will say it again, she was right about Late Models.  I'll have to dig up the Jim Bowman quotes that got me criticized by a certain Dirt Modified driver back then.  Jim was right too.


In Memory of Larry Damitz

You can never take life for granted.  Tomorrow is not promised.  Today, our racing community is mourning the passing of Larry Damitz.  They called him "The Sundrop Kid" though he was 87 years old.  He was also the Antioch Speedway Limited Late Model champion for the third straight year and fifth in the last six years.  He had a pair of Merced championships during that time as well.

Larry was an icon, a role model, an inspiration.  Drivers seem to come and go through the years, but he was still there.  From the era that gave us Leroy Geving, Johnny Franklin and Gene Dudley to the era of Mike Chisholm, Lee Olibas and Jack Dempsey to the era that gave us Jim Pettit II, Ed Sans Jr. and Bobby Hogge III and into the current era, Larry has been there.  He's beaten them all, and he's done it with class.

Larry was not braggadocios.  He was one of the nicest guys at the track, but he was reluctant to talk about his accomplishments.  His presence at the race track was a testimony to his love for racing.  He didn't do it for points and championships.  He won a lot, but he didn't do it merely for the wins.  He did it because he enjoyed it.  He liked being a part of the community.  He liked working on race cars.  He liked being at the race track with his friends.

I realized over the past few years how we should appreciate what he was doing out there.  Most racers would have retired 20 years before he did, and there he was.  He was planning to come back again this season.  It brought a smile to my face to see him do it and do it so well.  There was no decline.  He was the champion his last season at the track.  He went out a champion.

He ranks in the Top 10 on Antioch's All Time Win List and is second only to Mike Gustafson in Limited Late Model wins.  He won an amazing 10 Late Model features in 1986 at Antioch.  Going over my notes, he won two Super Stock and four Late Model championships at Petaluma and ranks high on the win list there.  He won 11 Super Stock features at Chico one year and won championships at Vallejo.  I mean, everybody knows how good the Hardtop racers were in the 1960's, and Larry beat them all for his first championship.

I'll tell you my biggest failure in racing was that I was unable to convince John to start the Hall Of Fame at Antioch Speedway in 2000.  I know Larry knew how much he was loved and how important he was to our sport, but it would have been nice if we had acknowledged that officially.  Not just him, but other legends who are still with us. People like Larry were the ones who made others want to go racing.  He was one of my racing heroes and my dad's as well.

To be honest, one of the reasons I hated coming up here is because I wouldn't be seeing Larry race.  And, if I ultimately don't leave the sport when I move my life forward, it's hard for me to imagine I won't be back there at Antioch Speedway one day.  If/when that day comes, I won't get to see him race.

To the critics, let's see you wheel a car at 87 years old the way that man did.  There may have been a bump here or there, but the man could drive the wheels off of his car.  The Limited Late Model division just became a wide open championship, but the racers, even his critics, are still sad.  They may win a race, and somebody else will win the championship, but they won't have to earn it by beating the legend himself.

I can't imagine what awaits us beyond this life, but I'm pretty sure that if there's a race track there, that's where Larry will be.  He'll be out there racing Del Quinn, Leroy Geving, Phil Pedlar, Gary Pacheco, Mike Chisholm, Vern Willhoite, George Steitz and so many other greats who are no longer with us.  And no matter what, win lose or draw, he'll have a smile on his face.  He'll be doing what he loves to do.  We should all be so fortunate to find that thing we love that makes us happy and be able to enjoy it for as long as he did.  For those of us who are still here, racing won't be the same without Larry Damitz.

Pit Stops

It awfully quiet out there...  Maybe too quiet.  California has taken a pounding from the rain, causing levee and dam issues.  Will they still say it's a drought?

On the last Saturday of February, playdays were happening in Bakersfield and Madera.  Out at Merced Speedway, Ed Parker gave us an update on what's happening in Merced.  There was a driving school/seminar taking place all weekend, and we watched a live feed for a few minutes as a few cars made some laps.  Ed was quick to point out all of the hard work Tim Ragsdale has put into preparing that track so this could happen.  The playday at Merced is scheduled for just two weeks from now on March 11th.

After giving the live stream update, Ed was going to talk to the new EMT's.  They are part of Merced Speedway's new safety crew that will be there this year.  Ed is working on lots of things to put the touches on the coming season.  He had a successful first year, and he wants to carry that momentum into this year and make it even bigger.  The one thing about Parker is he's always willing to attend meetings that can help make things better, and he's constantly updating everybody on social media as to the latest happenings.  There isn't a promoter out there on the West Coast doing personal updates like he does.

Merced Speedway was one of the last hold outs when it came to live scoring and MyLaps.  One concern was the cost for the track and the racers, who will be required to buy a transponder and pay a yearly subscription fee on top of that.  However, many of the track's IMCA Modified and Sport Modified drivers already had them, and some Hobby Stock racers do as well.  The Mini Stock drivers are not required to get them at this time, though drivers might want to get one if they can.  The benefits of live scoring are the drivers will know how fast they are going and where they are in real time, and if Parker uses the free Race Monitor app, as Watsonville, Petaluma and other places do, the fans will be able to keep up in real time as well.  You still need a scorer up there to make sure things are going right, but this should help keep scoring straight and get people the race results quicker.

Parker has a loaded schedule with IMCA back again for Modifieds and Sport Modifieds.  The Hobby Stocks, Valley Sportsman and new Mini Late Models are part of the Merced roster, but fans will get to see the BCRA, Dwarf Cars, RaceSaver Sprints, Vintage Super Modifieds and AMA Flat Track Motorcycles as well.  Parker let it slip that C33 Painting will be painting the walls on the track and the main entrance entrance.  Little touches like that make a big difference.

Back in January, Speedway Illustrated's Mike Adaskaveg was on hand for a special photo shoot and article for the new California Sharp Mini Late Model class.  The article should appear in April.  Back east, this division is starting to catch on.  It's a smaller scale Late model class with a 600cc engine.  Past Merced Speedway Street Stock champion Robby Jeppesen is the authorized Sharp Chassis Dealer in the state.  We've heard that there were six cars here already, and Ian Shearer and Riley Jeppesen made some practice laps on the track in January.

Michael Shearer owns two of the cars, with Ian Shearer and Timmy Vaught set to drive them.  Riley Jeppesen will be diving the Robby Jeppesen owned entry, while Timmy Crews is piloting the Mark Morton owned car.  Morton won the free car drawing at the awards banquet last November.  The Crews family was an early supporter of Chowchilla Speedway with Chuck Crews racing Hobby Stocks.  Merced Speedway came on board with the new class and booked them for six races this year, including April 8th.  It's already generating lots of buzz in Merced, while Dixon Speedway is putting the classs on their schedule for some races as well.

The rumor mill hasn't let too much info come up our way.  We do know that Zoe Sandoval will live out her dream and join Destiny Carter as part of Chris Corder's Mini Stock team this year.  We've heard past Sportsman champion Mike Henautlt is returning, and Robby Giorgi will join his Mariposa Mafia teammates in his Hobby Stock debut.  We'll be watching for more news, but most of last year's stars are anticipated this season.  The track's website is www.racemerced.com.

Back at Antioch Speedway, we waited a few days after releasing our schedule article, but we didn't get answers to the questions we had.  In the interest of getting the word out, we released what we had.  Speedway Webmaster Mike Kord clarified our question regarding the John Soares Sr. Memorial Race.  This will happen on September 16th when Late Models and A Modifieds are part of the program.  We speculated that the big money race on September 30th might be it, but Soares has made that the Fall Brawl.  It's $1500 to win the Late Models, $1000 to win the B Modifieds and $850 to win Hobby Stocks.  Soares actually has some big shows sprinkled throughout the season.

Not mentioned on the original release was the Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race for A Modifieds, but it's happening again on July 8th.  Last year, that race paid $2500 to win and didn't even require a special entry fee or higher ticket price for the fans.  The race follows a $1000 to win A Modified race on July 1st.  The Larry Damtiz Memorial Race, which appears to be a Limited Late Model race at this point, is set for May 13th.  Interestingly enough, the division is dark that night at both Petaluma and Marysville, two places with good drivers willing to travel for the money.  We'll be trying to track down some information on this race so that we can spread the word.

Bay Area Hardtops are a thing now.  This is an offshoot of the California Hardtop Association with five dates set for Antioch.  This includes the big Chet Thomson Memorial Race on September 9th.  Antioch is where the Bay Area Hardtop movement was reborn about ten years ago when the California Hardtop group was founded by Stock Car veteran Conrad Cavallero.  Dave Mackey informed John M. Soares of the desire some drivers had to build a group that would be there to support Antioch.  Mackey is joined by Rob Waldrop, Bill McLaughlin (car for sale), Ken Retzloff, Tommy Thomson, Dan Williams, Doug Braudrick and Steve Cloyes.  The Sun Drop Racing Team #100 car and Pete Paulsen could make appearances as well.  Mackey reports that several people have expressed interest in building cars.

Meanwhile, John Philbert has not walked away, but he has given the California Hardtop Association drivers a nice schedule of dates at Chico, Placerville, Marysville, Orland, Calistoga and Roseville.  Jason Armstrong may be at the head of the pack on race day, but he's also a guy keeping some of these cars together.  The CHA roster includes hard changers like Dennis Armstrong, Ken Clifford, Jason Clifford, Joe Hopp, John Turner, Rick Ruiz, Joe Shenefield, Dave Reed in the old Philbert car and Philbert in another car.  If this isn't enough, California still has the Bakersfield Hardtops, who will have a championship season with dates between Bakersfield and Kern County Speedway.

Of course, the modern California Hardtop revival traces its roots to 2002 and a Cascade Hardtops visit one weekend to Sacramento Raceway and Orland Raceway.  Mike McCann and Chuck Prather led the Oregon based group into California as past Cottage Grove Street Stock champion Steve Lemley won both races.  Lemley's old car is now the Jason Clifford car.  Prather's old car is the John Turner car.  Prather spent the next couple of seasons building a group in Roseville and Sacramento.  Cavallero took the reigns in the northern half of California, with Ken Bonnema actively seeking cars and supporting Chowchilla races.  In Bakersfield, Kenny Farris and Marc McCaslin started their group, and McCaslin has been a driving force in keeping it going.  McCann, meanwhile, features the 6-Cylinder OTRO Hardtops eight times at Southern Oregon Speedway this year.

Getting back to Antioch, this is John and Donna Soares' 20th season at the helm of the 57 year old racing facility, and they are excited about all of the things happening from Playday on March 11th and 18th, to the opener on March 25th and all the way to the big season ender on September 30th.  They kick off the new Sprint Car Challenge series with the first of two appearances on April 1st along with the first of two BCRA Midget Lites visits.  The King Of The West/NARC Sprint Car Series is back for two appearances as well.  And, Soares' All Star Series roster of divisions includes Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, Late Models, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.  All eight divisions are competing for 2017 track championships.

Rumors?  The grapevine hasn't yielded too much.  We're hearing reports that three time Hobby Stock champion and 2017 Limited Late Model "Rookie Of The Year" Kimo Oreta has been picked to drive the Sun Drop Racing #15 Limited Late Model and Late Model.  We've already seen the racing debut of former Antioch announcer Chris Bennett.  Past Hobby Stock champion Chris Sorensen is making good progress on making the former Ed Leis Modified ready for B Modified racing.  We certainly hope he is able to get out there as much as he wants to.  Robert Monroy will be making his Dwarf Car debut.  We're also hearing that past Mini Stock champion Brent Curran is going Hobby Stock racing this year.  We're not sure if Brent is still considered a rookie (we'll have to check notes on that), but he'll be fast either way.  New Years Bash winner Chris Long is also ready to go.

As a division carrying the work load at Antioch, some of the B Modified drivers are signing up for the Sport Modified Series that was put together by Chico and Marysville racers Brian Cooper and Jerry Bartlett.  These two have brought in some amazing sponsors for increased purses for the eight race series that will pay extra money when it comes to Chico, Merced, Marysville, Stockton and Petaluma.  Word is they intend to pay at least the Top 10 in point fund money and will have trophies for the Top 15.  Where does that leave Antioch drivers?  Cooper and Bartlett, by the way, wanted a date at Antioch.  At this point Fred Ryland, who has shifted his regular racing to Merced, is in along with rookie Guy Ahlwardt.  We've also heard that Mark Garner and Trevor Clymens want to support this series.  Antioch's roster is such that this class could be getting 16-20 cars per race with the right scheduling, but a heavily booked 2016 season still had at least ten cars most nights.  Management is happy with that.

We're also anxious to see what is happening with Limited Late Models, where a car count is definitely needed.  We've only heard rumors that Buddy Kniss may end up in this class.  Lori Brown, Mike Gustafson, John Evans, John Keith and hopefully Jim Freethy could be there.  If Kimo Oreta is behind the wheel of the #15 car, who will be the driver of the #03 car?  Mark Garner has a B Mod, but we haven't heard if he's still running the Limited Late Model.  He is poised for his first Antioch championship if he does come back.  As for Freethy, he's the only driver in the last six seasons to beat Larry Damitz for the championship at Antioch.  Past Antioch Late Model and Modified star Mike Walko is rumored to be coming back.  News trickles our way slowly, so we'll have to see.  For the last decade, Limited Late Models have struggled to reach the ten car mark, and even merging the popular Street Stock class into this division in 2009 didn't solve that issue.

There is plenty of reason to be optimistic that most of last year's stars in the various divisions will still be a part of the 2017 All Star Series program at Antioch Speedway, along with some new drivers.  The show continues to go on, and this track has hosted and will continue to host some of the biggest races in the Bay Area.  For further information on the happenings at the track, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Despite what the rumors might say, John Prentice continues to be a player in the promoting game in California, and he just recently debuted his new website at www.racepmg.com.  The off season saw Prentice make some changes designed to get the ship pointed in the right direction through rough waters.  Prentice decided to walk away from the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series, but that series found a new home with Petaluma Promoter Rick Faeth.  A few promoters opted to break ranks with Prentice, and nothing was more bombshell than the big announcement by Promoter Scott Russell of the new Sprint Car Challenge Series.  With Abreu Vineyards and Elk Grove Ford coming on board, that series has a nice weekly purse ($2500 to win) and a point fund paying $10,000 to the champion and $1000 minimum for tenth.  Placerville has teamed up with Stockton, Petaluma, Antioch and Reno-Fernley to make this happen.

Prentice didn't just lay down and give up.  The Civil War Sprint Car Series, which has been the leader of the 360 Sprint Car movement for some 25 years, is back.  They also pay $2500 to win.  While the championship isn't as big at $6,000 and a payoff down to tenth, it's still good money.  Racers have two good 360 Sprint Car series now, and that means everything should still be fine.  Civil War tracks still include Watsonville, Chico, Marysville, Hanford and Tulare.  Furthermore, it's been announced that NARC is back.  It will be the King Of the West/NARC 410 Sprint Car Series in 2017, and the schedule and purse and point funds are still very impressive.

Prentice continues to offer the All Star Modified Tour.  The sale of the Hunt Series affords him the opportunity to do more to build up the state's premiere IMCA Modified Series.  All of last year's tracks are still on board for this, including Watsonville, Merced, Tulare, Petaluma and Marysville.  Some people are calling for a Speedweek, like they have up North.  You never know what can happen.  However, with NARC coming back as part of the KWS, there is every intent to bring back the Sprint Car Speedweek that disappeared when NARC went away back in 2000.

Prentice still promotes Ocean Speedway in Watsonville and has for over a decade.  Taco Bravo Sprint Cars headline along with IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, SBDCA Dwarf Cars and Police In Pursuit Cars.  The schedule is up, and the key dates are still there.  This includes the Johnny Key Classic and Marshall Sargent Memorial for Sprint Cars, the big Mike Cecil Memorial Race for Hobby Stocks and the end of September Pat Pettit Memorial Shoot Out.  There's also visits by BCRA and USAC Sprint Cars sprinkled in there.  It may have been rough going there for a bit this past off season, but Prentice is at the helm keeping it all together.  The Watsonville opener is set for April 7.

Rick Faeth wasted no time with the announcement of the C&H Veteran's Services Presents The Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Tour.  The 12 race series will take place between the tracks in Petaluma, Chico, Placerville, Stockton and Marysville.  The pay is an impressive $1200 to win and $175 to start, the highest ever for a Spec Sprint Series.  The champion wins $1500 and the Top 10 drivers get point fund money.  Also, there is no membership fee.  With all of this incentive, it will be interesting to see how well the active Spec Sprint roster of somewhere around 70 drivers supports the tour.

As for Petaluma Speedway, it doesn't matter to Faeth that every year there seems to be a discussion over what to do with the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds property.  There's a race track there now, and as it was with Jim Soares before him, he will continue to do his best to schedule a good season for the racers and fans.  Preparations are already underway for the coming season.  The roster of classes includes PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 and Wingless Spec Sprints, McLea's Tires IMCA Modifieds, Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks, Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks, General Hydroponics Dwarf Cars and Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros.  As usual, Faeth has hustled to get many good local business on board as fine sponsorship partners.

The PitStopUSA.com four race series for both Sprint Car classes returns with extra money involved in this point series within a series.  These two classes again join the Super Stocks for the end of the season Adobe Cup in October.  The Johnny Soares Classic is back for Wingless Spec Sprints, the BCRA London Bash Hall Of Fame night returns, there's big USAC, King Of the West/NARC and Sprint Car Challenge events, a Dwarf Car Regionals and lots of excitement for all to enjoy. In fact, the first of the four PitStopUSA.com Sprint Car Series races kicks things off on April 1st.  For further information on upcoming events, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.

Bakersfield Speedway continues to be a hotbed of IMCA sanctioned racing.  Between there and Hanford, you have Modifieds, Sport Modifieds, Stock Cars and RaceSaver Sprint Cars all under the IMCA banner.  The Modified classes have been strong for a while now, and between Hanford, Bakersfield and Tulare, the RaceSaver Sprints seem too be on the verge of an explosion.  The Stock Cars have just sort of cruised along at Hanford in the past, but the Bakersfield contingent wants this thing to catch fire across the state.  These Metric Stock Cars were pretty much getting ten car minimum fields last year, and the car count is expected to get bigger.  Pat Biggs and Dave Bauer have certainly been doing what they can to grow the class, and all of the racers deserve credit.  It's only a matter of time before a third track enters the picture.

Of course, Bakersfield has lots of variety.  In addition to the IMCA classes, there's Hobby Stocks, American Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mod Lites, Pro Stocks, Late Models and Mini Dwarfs.  Plus, special visits from other classes.  The big Richie McGowan night for Hobby Stocks and Bud Nationals at the end of the season highlight the schedule along with Racing For Ronald and Camp Out For Cancer fund raising nights.  We didn't see the Mike Mosier Memorial Race listed, but this may have been missed.  As usual, Scott Schweitzer is doing an amazing job of promoting things here, and the site is www.bakersfieldspeedway.com for more info.  YouTube is the place for the very informative Bako Motorsports Power Hour.  That show also includes news from Kern County Raceway, which has a NASCAR program on pavement and a Friday night dirt track that is supported by many Bakersfield competitors.  Their website is www.kernraceway.com.

There are more cool news items from the area, including the addition of the Central Valley Mini Stocks to the program at Lemoore Speedway.  It's a six race season that begins on April 23rd.  The class actually had some cars last season, and there's video footage of four cars racing on the Outlaw Kart track.  A serious effort is being made to get cars for this group, which is your basic 4 Banger division.  The racers really want to make this thing pop, and we won't be a bit surprised to see them get a ten car field or more this year.  They have a Facebook page for more information right HERE

Speaking of Facebook, we saw word as we were making our most recent DCRR Blog update that there are eight races scheduled for Rocky Hill Speedway in Porterville this year.  Considering the word we were getting was that the track might close, this is good news.  March 11th is the scheduled opener, there's the Annual Veteran's Day Race and Thanksgiving Thunder also on the schedule with the possibility that more dates and divisions could be added.  Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Super 4's are the core three classes, and the Rocky Hill Speedway Facebook Page should have more updates HERE.

Honestly, if this reporter were to head back to California and was involved in helping establish a racing program, Rocky Hill Speedway, with its great heritage stretching back decades, along with Orland Raceway, would be high on the list.  If a Chowchilla/Merced deal were possible, we'd easily slip back into "Valley Racing Mode" again.  Chowchilla Speedway is back, thanks to veteran racer and past Barn Burner Promoter Joe Diaz Jr. and Kris Koontz.  The two are bringing racing back to the big track.  Since Evan Sanders managed to book some Kart races on a special track in front of main the grandstands last season, there's been oval track racing at least once a year there since Tom Sagmiller promoted races in 2000.

Diaz is an open wheel minded guy, which is not surprising considering his Super Modified back ground.  But, he's driven just about everything, and that includes Mini Trucks.  Diaz plans to feature Sprint Cars, both winged and non winged, 600 Micros and Vintage Supers.  However, he also knows that the base of cars in the area is A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.  That may be where the strongest support comes while they build something up in Sprint Cars.  Dias and Koontz want to bring family fun back to Chowchilla again.  If we are able to get information on finishes, we will include Chowchilla news here this season.  They have reopened the official Chowchillla Speedway Facebook page HERE.

Orland Raceway is going for 12 races this year, and the roster features Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks and Micro Sprints.  On Glenn County Fair Night on May 19th, they have added a special Figure 8.  Promoter Rich Hood wants to try something different.  If interest is there, something more may come of it.  Hobby Stocks are legal for this.  Considering there are people in Antioch, such as Jim Robbins and Bob Brown, and the Keldsen family probably has at least one car available, there's the possibility of some Bay Area support for this.  For further information on happenings at the track, check out www.orlandraceway.com.

We did get a report that 66 cars made practice laps at Bakersfield Speedway's playday.  Can you tell they are ready to race there?  We saw some streaming video of about a half-dozen Hobby Stocks making laps, and there were Wingless Sprint Cars getting laps on Sunday as well.  They actually did race on February 4th at Kern County Raceway, and Brad Pounds bested a 21 car A Modified field ahead of Bret Bennett and Cody Laney.  An equally impressive 22 car B Modified field saw Gary Dutton win ahead of Michael Johnson and Nick Spainhoward.  Don Mead won the 11 car Hobby Stock race ahead of Michael Scruggs and Ken Irwin. Lance Gonzales beat Andy Boydstun and Kit Murphy in the 12 car Mini Stock feature.  D.J., Labow won the American Stock feature ahead of Skip Spiller and Dakota Brown.  A nice opener for the dirt track.

The Sherm and Loree Toller race opened the Marysville Raceway season on Saturday.  Perhaps overshadowing the Winged 360 race was the 28 car turnout on hand to open the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series. There was late race drama when Klint Simpson and D.J. Johnson tangled battling for the lead as Johnson flipped.  A surprised Cody Spencer got the win ahead of Terry Schank Jr., Troy DeGaton, Austin Liggett and Geoff Ensign.  DeGaton had to earn his feature start with a second in the B Main behind Thomas Leiby.  This was an impressive start for the Hunt Series.  Meanwhile, D.J. Netto drove the Tri-C car to the Winged 360 Sprint Car feature win ahead of Justin Sanders and Andy Forsburg.  Howard Law picked up the IMCA Sport Modified win ahead of Phillip Shelby and Todd Cooper.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Antioch Speedway 2017 Schedule Released, 2016 Merced Speedway Season Review

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A look at schedules as racing season is around the corner.  Note that Rocky Hill Speedway announced a limited schedule after this show was recorded.

 
Oval Motorsports Releases 2017 Antioch Speedway Schedule

Antioch, CA...The 2017 Antioch Speedway schedule has just been released, and it's a good one.  All of the divisions the fans enjoyed last season will return along with some big special events.  2017 marks the 57th consecutive season of operation for the Contra Costa Fairgrounds based racing facility.  It is also the 20th season under the promotion of John & Donna Soares of Oval Motorsports.  The track operated during it's first 20 years under the management of John's parents, John & Gladys Soares.

One of the big things racing fans will notice about the new schedule is the return of the King Of The West/NARC 410 Sprint Car Series and the debut of the new 360 Sprint Car Challenge Series.  Soares met with the founders of the Sprint Car Challenge, and the result was the season opener for that tour on April 1st.  They are back again on June 24th, a weekend in which NASCAR is at Sonoma and Soares is known for booking big events at Antioch.  The schedule that night may include the addition of a second class.  The new series boasts a $2500 first prize for the Main Event, and the Top 10 point earners compete for a big point fund, which includes a $10,000 championship.

Meanwhile, the King Of The West Series just announced that they are bringing back the NARC name.  NARC was the big sanctioning for Winged Sprint Car racing in Northern California from 1960-2000.  The King Of The West Series is as big as it gets in California Sprint Cars with their 410 cubic inch motors making them the fastest Winged Sprint Cars in the state.  The first race will take place on June 3rd, and they return on August 5th.  The oldest sanctioning body in California, the BCRA, will once again be represented by the Midget Lites on April 1st and August 19th.

Meanwhile, the track's All Star Series roster of divisions will include the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, A Modifieds, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars and the Bay Area Hardtops.  The track has been building up its own Winged 360 Sprint Car class for the past three seasons and had its best season yet last year.  It is anticipated that car count will continue to improve this year.  Last season's championship battle went down to the wire in favor of Billy Aton ahead of ageless veteran Art McCarthy.  Their season kicks off on April 22nd as they are scheduled for 12 races.

Antioch Speedway is the birth place of the Wingless Spec Sprint class, which is basically Sprint Car racing for the Stock Car crowd.  These self starting, 360 cast iron motored Sprint Cars are now competing at other places, but it was Soares who scheduled the first races at Antioch in 1999.  Jim Perry Jr. won last season's championship and has won more races than anybody in division history.  He didn't have an easy path to the championship with Marcus Smith, Roy Fisher and Rick Panfili in the battle.  Spec Sprints kick off their 10 race season on April 29th.

Late Models are back for what will be their fourth consecutive championship season.  These high powered Stock Cars have an 11 race season that starts with the opener on April 25th and wraps up with a $1500 to win Fall Brawl Race on September 30th.  Two weeks before on the 16th will be the John Soares Sr. Memorial Top Dog Challenge.  Two of the drivers who have been at the head of the pack are 2015 champion Jeff Decker and reigning champion Richard Papenhausen.  A Modifieds won't be left out either as they begin their 28th consecutive season at the track.  They kick off an 11 race season on April 8th.  They are also scheduled for $750 to win on May 6th, $1000 to win on July 1st and the Second Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race on July 8th.  Last season, Carl Berendsen II held off five time champion and division legend Scott Busby to win his second championship in three seasons.

The work horse classes at the speedway this year are the B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  The B Modifieds check in with a 17 race season, while Hobby Stocks, the track's entry level class, have 19 races.  Both divisions are part of the March 25th opener and return on April 8th when B Modifieds race for $500 to win and the Hobbys get a $300 first prize.  These two divisions are also part of the Fall Brawl September 30th finale, where the B Modifieds get $1000 to win and the Hobby Stocks race for an $850 prize to the victor.  Last year saw Trevor Clymens win a good battle with Al Johnson for the B Modified championship, while Guy Ahlwardt won the Hobby Stock crown in his rookie season.  Ahlwardt has a B Modified this year, opening the door for hard chargers like Jordan Swank, Michael Cooper, Chris Long, Frank Furtado, Cameron Swank, Lindey Buirch and Natalie Perry to battle for division supremacy.

The racing community was recently shocked by the sad news of the passing of BCRA Hall Of Famer Larry Damitz.  At 87 years old, Damitz won the Limited Late Model championship last year, which was his fifth championship in six years.  Reports were that Larry was planning his return when he died unexpectedly.  The Limited Late Models race 11 times this year, and the May 13th race will be the Larry Damitz Memorial race.  Only ageless veteran Mike Gustafson, himself a two time Limited Late Model champion, has more wins in this division's history.  The season kicks off for Limited Late Models on March 25th.

The always exciting Dwarf Cars are back for what will be their 20th championship season at the speedway.  Kevin Miraglio came through with a strong season last year to beat Mike Corsaro for his first championship.  Racers like David Rosa, Josh Miller, Tim Reeder and Jenna Frazier help make this an exciting show for the fans.  Dwarf Cars kick their season off on March 25th.

There's a desire amongst some of the drivers in the area to build up their own base of vintage Hardtops.  To that end, the new Bay Area Hardtop group was created, and they have a schedule of four races with the possibility of more.  Their season kicks off on April 22nd and continues on July 8th, August 19th and September 9th.  The September 9th event will be the annual Chet Thomson Memorial Race.  Hard chargers such as Dave Mackey, Rob Waldrop, Tommy Thomson, Dan Williams, Ken Retzloff and Steve Cloyes, among others, are anticipated this season.  No conflicts exist between this schedule and the California Hardtop Association, which ensures drivers from either group can support the other. 

There will be two playday opportunities for racers to test their cars on March 11th and 18th.  The season kicks off on March 25th with Spec Sprints, Late Models, Limited Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.  April 1st is the first big open wheel night with the Sprint Car Challenge and BCRA Midget Lites, followed by Wingless Spec Sprints, Late Models, A Modifieds, B Modifieds ($500 to win), Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks ($300 to win) on April 8th.  It all adds up to a season of plenty of All Star Series racing excitement.  For further information on scheduling and other things, check out the official track website at www.antiochspeedway.com.


Antioch Speedway 2017 Schedule

March 11 Open practice

March 18 Open practice

March 25 Spec Sprints, Late Models, LLM, B-Mods, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf

April 1 Sprint Car Challenge, BCRA Lights

April 8 Spec Sprints, Late Models, A-Mods, B-Mods ($500 to win), LLM, Hobby Stocks ($300 to win)

April 15 No racing Easter

April 22 All Star 360 Winged Sprints, A-Mods, B-Mods, Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks and Hardtops

April 29 Late Models, Spec Sprints, A-Mods, B-Mods, Hobby Stocks

May 6 All Star 360 Winged, A-Mods ($750 to win), LLM, Spec Sprints, B-Mods, Hobby Stocks

May 13 All Star 360 Winged, A-Mods, Dwarf, LLM (Larry Damitz Memorial)

May 19 Contra Costa County Fair – Racing TBA

May 20 Contra Costa County Fair – Racing TBA

May 27 No racing Memorial Day Holiday

June 3 King Of the West Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks

June 10 All Star 360 Winged Sprints, B-Mods, LLM, Dwarf, Hobby Stocks

June 17 All Star 360 Winged, Late Models, A-Mods, Dwarf

June 24 Sprint Car Challenge, TBA

July 1 A-Mods ($1000 to win), B-Mods, Late Models, Hobby, Dwarf

July 8 "Jerry Hetrick Memorial" All Star 360 Winged, A-Mods, LLM, Hobby, Dwarf Cars, Hard Tops

July 15 Late Models, B-Mods, Spec Sprints, Hobby, Dwarf

July 22 Late Models, Spec Sprints, B-Mods, Hobby, Dwarf

July 29 All Star 360 Winged, Spec Sprints, B-Mods, LLM, Dwarf, Hobby

August 5 King Of The West Sprint Cars, Dwarf Cars

August 12 Spec Sprints, Late Models, LLM, B-Mods, Dwarf, Hobby Stocks

August 19 All Star 360 Winged, BCRA Lights, B-Mods, LLM, Hobby, Hard Tops

August 26 All Star 360 Winged, A-Mods, B-Mods, Spec Sprints, LLM, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars

Sept 2 No racing Labor Day Weekend

Sept 9 All Star 360 Winged Sprints, Late Models, A-Mods, B-Mods, LLM, Hobby Stocks, Hard Tops (Chet Thompson Memorial)

Sept 16 "John Soares Sr. Memorial Top Dog Race" All Star 360 Winged, Late Models, A-Mods, B-Mods, Dwarf, Hobby

Sept 23 All Star 360 Winged, Spec Sprints, LLM, B-Mods, Dwarf, Hobby

Sept 30 "Fall Brawl"  Late Models ($1500 to win), B-Mods ($1000 to win), Hobby Stocks ($850 to win)

Schedule Subject To Change


2016 Merced Speedway Season Review

Merced, CA...Merced Speedway entered the 2016 season under the promotion of Ed Parker.  Since 1950, the speedway has operated weekly during the spring and summer months.  In 2010, that streak was put in jeopardy when the 20 year promotional run of Chuck & Marylee Griffin ended.  However, Oval Motorsports came in and saved the season.  They had a six season run before passing the baton to Parker.  This move was met with positive response from the racers, which resulted in some of the best car counts the track has seen in recent seasons.  Parker excelled in his role as promoter and put together a great staff of officials.

Most of the divisions returned, led by IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and the Sportsman division. Parker built the schedule around the track's marquee events and doubled down on the concept of honoring track heritage.  The Ted Stofle Classic returned.  He also put the Matt & Glass Memorial Race back on the schedule, brought back the popular Timmy Post Memorial and added what was a very successful John Fore Jr. Memorial race at the end of the season.  The 2016 Legend's Night was the biggest one yet, and Parker has indicated that it will lead to a Hall Of Fame being established at the track.

The IMCA Modifieds were coming off of a season with some low turnouts, but it was about ready to rebound.  Only once in 13 races did they have a field with less than ten cars.  When Paul Stone won the opener, it appeared as if he might be the driver to beat, but he took himself out of the running to race elsewhere.  Two past Merced champions, Ramie Stone and Bill Egleston, and past Chowchilla champion Randy Brown were the three players in the battle.  Egleston was also an early winner, and R. Stone stepped up with a big win in the special All Star Series Tour race.  Egleston took himself out of the running to race elsewhere, but the battle was about to take a big turn.

Brown got on a roll during the last eight races that saw him get all five of his wins and never fail to finish inside the Top 3.  This left little doubt that he would be the champion.  In addition to his five wins, Brown also had three seconds and three third place finishes. R. Stone still had some problems during the season, but his one win out of six Top 5's earned him second in the standings.  Hard charger Bruce "Bubba" Nelson won "Rookie Of The Year" honors as the third ranked driver.  Though without a win in this division, he had two thirds out of six Top 5 finishes.  Despite missing races, Egleston's two wins, two seconds and one third enabled him to eek out a tie with Ricky Thatcher for fourth in the final rundown.  Thatcher had three Top 5 finishes.

Highlights during the 13 race IMCA Modified season included a win on Ted Stofle Classic night for Bakersfield visitor Ethan Dotson ahead of Egleston.  Robby Sawyer came in from Bakersfield to win on Timmy Post Memorial night ahead of Brown.  Brown did win the Matt & Glass Memorial Race ahead of R. Stone.  Other winners included Jeff Streeter and Mike Villanueva.  Ryan Porter had two season high seconds, while Karl Rose and rookies Ryan Larimer and D.J. Shannon each had one.  Tim Balding, Austin Burke, Darrell Hughes II and Nick DeCarlo each had one third as their best finishes at Merced.

The IMCA Sport Modified car count exploded during the first half of the season thanks to a big infusion of new and returning racers.  Several B Mains were needed during the season.  Though there was some drama in the championship race, it wasn't a close battle.  Steve Stone shot out of the gate like a cannon ball with a win, a second and a fourth in his first three starts, but the past Chowchilla Street Stock champion took himself out of the running.  However, Rick Diaz had three of his wins in the first five races to take control.  Diaz was running the season in dedication to his friend, John Fore Jr.  Despite losing his ride during the season and being counted out, Diaz found another ride and didn't miss a beat.

The numbers Diaz posted were the most impressive at the speedway in 2016.  Rick won six Main Events, had four seconds and two other Top 5's.  He could have skipped the finale and still won the championship.  The second place battle was a nail bitter between Mike Drake, Gary Tucker and Tim Elias.  Drake held off Tucker by just four points on the strength of one second, two thirds and two other Top 5's.  Tucker had a bit of a rough start, but he recovered with one win, one second, four thirds and two additional Top 5's.  Elias and fifth place Josh Hensley each had a season high third.  Elias had three additional Top 5's, while Hensley had one.

Tucker's win came in the Matt & Glass Memorial Race ahead of Diaz, who amazingly did not miss a Top 2 finish in the last seven races.  Nick Spainhoward won the Ted Stofle Classic for Sport Modifieds ahead of Matt Lewis.  Levi Keifer came in from down south and won the Timmy Post Memorial ahead of Fred Ryland.  Diaz won on Legend's Night ahead of Chase Thomas and another Bakersfield visitor, Clint Reichenbach, won the John Fore Jr. Memorial Race ahead of Lee Jensen.

During the season, reigning IMCA State champion Fred Ryland made the decision to race mainly at Merced, and he steadily rose up the ladder to seventh in the standings on the strength of four wins and four seconds.  Sixth ranked Chase Thomas won his first career Main Event.  Other season best finishes included Matt Lewis, Anthony Giuliani, Danny Roe and Lee Jensen with one second each.  Season best third place finishes included Dwayne Short twice and Igor Grandzuk, Paul Espino and Mark Odgers each once.

Like the Sport Modifieds, the Hobby Stock car count soared and caused the need for several B Mains during the season.  There wasn't much drama in the championship race, thanks to the strong start of Michael Shearer.  Even a bit of a slump down the stretch didn't derail him.  Kristie Shearer was an early second, but reigning champion Kevin Joaquin began to put it together for a strong finish.  By season's end, Joaquin had worked his way into second in points.  M. Shearer's numbers included one win, a division leading four seconds and two thirds.  Joaquin's absence from two races may have cost him a shot at the championship, and he still finished within 11 points of M. Shearer after winning the double point finale.  Kevin had two seconds (in the final three races), one third and an additional two Top 5's.  He also grabbed the biggest win in his career by holding off Bruce "Bubba" Nelson to win the John Fore Jr. Memorial race for the Hobby Stocks.

Speaking of big wins, Phillip Vaughn's first win came in the prestigious Ted Stofle Classic ahead of Dexter Long.  Vaughn finished third in points with two seconds, a third and two additional Top 5 finishes.  Robbie Loquaci was just four points behind Vaughn in the standings with one win, one second, two thirds and two additional Top 5's.  Austin Van Hoff struggled at times with just one third and one fifth, but he still managed to rank fifth in the final standings.

Other highlights included Rookie Darren Miguel's win on Tommy Post Memorial night ahead of Robbie Loquaci.  One of Bruce "Bubba" Nelson's three wins came ahead of Dexter Long on Legend's Night.  Multi time champion Raul Rodriguez Sr. scored three feature wins, while other wins went to Watsonville champion Terry Campion, Ben Lewis II, (three time second place finisher) Dexter Long and rookie Garrett Corn.  Other noteworthy finishes included one second place finish each for K. Shearer and Ben Lewis.  Past champion Andrew Krumm had two third place finishes, while Ken Winland, John Hensley, Shannon Nelson and Mike Stockton each had one third.

There was absolutely no doubt that Chris Corder would be the Mini Stock champion, nor was there any doubt that the man is a true sportsman who has supported this division faithfully in recent seasons by putting other drivers in his cars.  Chris racked up an impressive seven wins and one fourth to win the championship by a wide margin over rookie Paul Lauretti.  Lauretti had one second, one third and four additional Top 5 finishes to hold off fellow rookie Destiny Carter for second in the standings.  Carter was able to realize her dream of racing thanks to Corder putting her into one of his cars.  She had three Top 5 finishes with her best finish coming with a fourth place finish in the finale.

Tony Peffer and Curtis Thornhill rounded out the Top 5 in the standings.  Peffer had a season high second, a third and three additional Top 5's.  Thornhill joined Watsonville champion  D.J. Keldsen and Jason Lewis on the feature winner's list with one each.  Other notable finishes included one second place finish each for Jeff Amos, Mike Germait, James Stockton, Brian Widdowson and the returning Jennifer Corder.  Joy Alger and Lucy Falkenberg each had two third place finishes, while Bobby Jackson, Andy Boydstun and Dennis Copus each had one third place finish.  Copus destroyed his car in a crash to end his season early.

Not only did Parker put the Sportsman division back on the schedule, he made them the headliners for double points on Legend's Night.  Perhaps it's fitting that the man driving a car in tribute to legend Rod Poor won the championship.  One of the loudest cheer leaders for this division, Kenny Birdsong had three wins, one second and three thirds to win this championship.  Two time champion Mike Friesen, who is a big supporter of vintage racing, asserted himself into the championship battle by winning the Legend's Night race ahead of another past champion, Mark Odgers, who was wheeling the Vern Willhoite Tribute car.  Friesen had two wins, a second and three thirds to rank a close second in the standings.

A broken tow vehicle on that crucial Legend's Night took Jeff Bristow out of action and forced him to settle for third in the standings.  He still had one win and three thirds.  Odgers did well when he raced, and his two wins and one second assured him of fourth in the final standings ahead of newcomer Shannon Fry.  Other notable finishes included Eric Seely and Tim Prothro with one second place finish each.  Prothro also had two thirds, but he missed races to make repairs.  Word is that a few more cars not seen in a while may return to action in the coming season, including past champion Mike Henault.

2016 Merced Speedway Points
IMCA Modifieds
Randy Brown 478
Ramie Stone 446
Bruce Nelson 428
Bill Egleston 415
Ricky Thatcher 415
Jarod Fast 319
Mike Villanueva 278
Harley Turner 236
Ryan Larimer 220
Paul Stone 216

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Rick Diaz 569
Mike Drake 511
Gary Tucker 507
Tim Elias 481
Josh Hensley 457
Chase Thomas 422
Fred Ryland 420
Tanner Thomas 386
Steve Stone 361
Dwayne Short 358

Hobby Stocks
Michael Shearer 237
Kevin Joaquin 226
Phillip Vaughn 205
Robbie Loquaci 201
Austin Van Hoff 186
Dexter Long 185
Garrett Corn 184
Kristie Shearer 182
Kodie Dean 168
John Hensley 153

Mini Stocks
Chris Corder 205
Paul Lauretti 161
Destiny Carter 148
Tony Peffer 131
Curtis Thornhill 130
Lucy Falkenberg 115
Jennifer Corder 69
Joy Alger 66
James Stockton 59
Mike Germait 57

Valley Sportsman
Kenny Birdsong 183
Mike Friesen 167
Jeff Bristow 143
Mark Odgers 98
Shannon Fry 90
Tim Prothro 88
Jerry Cecil 60
Jeff Amos 59
Jesse James Burks 50
Eric Seely 49


IMCA Modified Top 5's
1  Paul Stone, Bill Egleston, Randy Brown, Bruce Nelson, Ricky Thatcher
2  Jeff Streeter, Paul Stone, Tim Balding, Randy Brown, Ramie Stone.
3  Bill Egleston, Randy Brown, Paul Stone, Streeter, Bruce Nelson.
4  Ethan Dotson, Bill Egleston, Bruce Nelson, Derek Nance, T.J. Etchison.
5  Ramie Stone, Ryan Porter, Austin Burke, Riley Simmons, Jeff Streeter.
6  Randy Brown, Paul Stone, Ramie Stone, Ryan Porter, Jeff Streeter.
7  Robby Sawyer, Randy Brown, Darrell Hughes II, Ryan Porter, Harley Turner.
8  Randy Brown, Ryan Porter, Mike Villanueva, Robert Marsh, Karl Rose.
9  Mike Villanueva , Randy Brown, Ryan Larimer, Josh Combs, Ramie Stone.
10 Randy Brown, Karl Rose, Nick DeCarlo, Bruce Nelson, Ricky Thatcher.
11 Randy Brown, Ryan Larimer, Bruce Nelson, Ramie Stone, Travis White.
12 Bill Egleston, D.J. Shannon, Randy Brown, Mike Villanueva, Jim Pettit II.
13 Randy Brown, Ramie Stone, Bill Egleston, Ricky Thatcher, Bruce Nelson.

IMCA Sport Modified Top 5's
1  Rick Diaz, Steve Stone, Josh Hensley, Gary Tucker, Tim Elias.
2  Steve Stone, Mike Drake, Gary Tucker, Chris Falkenberg, Paul Espino.
3  Rick Diaz, Fred Ryland, Igor Grandzuk, Steve Stone, Chris Falkenberg.
4  Nick Spainhoward, Matt Lewis, Mike Drake, Tim Elias, Gary Tucker.*
5  Rick Diaz, Anthony Giuliani, Gary Tucker, Tim Elias, Chris Falkenberg.
6  Fred Ryland, Gary Tucker, Nick Spainhoward, Patti Ryland, Steve Stone.
7  Levi Keifer, Fred Ryland, Gary Tucker, Rick Diaz, Steve Stone.
8  Fred Ryland, Danny Roe, Paul Espino, Rick Diaz, Chase Thomas.
9  Fred Ryland, Rick Diaz, Dwayne Short, Mark Odgers, Mike Drake.
10 Rick Diaz, Fred Ryland, Chase Thomas, Jordan Hagar, Patti Ryland.
11 Rick Diaz, Chase Thomas, Tim Elias, Fred Ryland, Mike Drake.
12 Chase Thomas, Rick Diaz, Mark Odgers, Gary Tucker, Fred Ryland.
13 Rick Diaz, Fred Ryland, Gary Tucker, Mike Drake, Chase Thomas.
14 Fred Ryland, Rick Diaz, Chase Thomas, Chuck Weir, Josh Hensley.
15 Gary Tucker, Rick Diaz, Dwayne Short, Chase Thomas, Andy Welch.
16 Clint Reichenbach, Lee Jensen, Mike Drake, Tim Elias, Jerry Bartlett.

Hobby Stock Top 5's
1  Michael Shearer, Kristie Shearer, Andrew Krumm, Ben Lewis II, George Silva.
2  Raul Rodriguez Sr., Michael Shearer, Robbie Loquaci, Kevin Joaquin, Garrett Corn.
3  Terry Campion, Dexter Long, Andrew Krumm, Garrett Corn, Kristie Shearer.
4  Phillip Vaughn, Dexter Long, Michael Shearer, Andrew Krumm, Matt Kile. *
5  Bruce Nelson, Phillip Vaughn, Ben Lewis II, Kodie Dean, Garrett Corn.
6  Raul Rodriguez Sr., Michael Shearer, Kevin Joaquin, Dexter Long, Robbie Loquaci.
7  Ben Lewis II, Raul Rodriguez Sr., Robbie Loquaci, Tommy Bostic, Ben Lewis.
8  Bruce Nelson, Ben Lewis, Michael Shearer, Kodie Dean, John Hensley.
9  Darren Miguel, Robbie Loquaci, Ken Winland, Kevin Joaquin, Gary Hildebrand.
10  Raul Rodriguez Sr., Michael Shearer, John Hensley, Kristie Shearer, Jerry Tubbs.
11  Garrett Corn, Michael Shearer, Phillip Vaughn, Kevin Joaquin, Donnie Shearer.
12  Bruce Nelson, Bruce Nelson, Phillip Vaughn, John Hensley, Austin Van Hoff.
13  Dexter Long, Kevin Joaquin, Garrett Corn., Kodie Dean, Robbie Loquaci.
14  Robbie Loquaci, Kevin Joaquin, Austin Van Hoff, Phillip Vaughn, Cody Parker.
15  Kevin Joaquin, Dexter Long, Shannon Nelson, Phillip Vaughn, Donnie Shearer.
16 Kevin Joaquin, Bruce Nelson, Mike Stockton, Nick Baldwin, Andrew Krumm.

Mini Stock Top 5's
1  Chris Corder, Jeff Amos, Robert Jackson, Paul Lauretti, Dennis Copus.
2  Chris Corder, Mike Germait, Dennis Copus, Paul Lauretti, Kevin Lockerby.
3  Chris Corder, Jason Lewis, Joy Alger, Tony Peffer, Curtis Thornhill.
4  Jason Lewis, James Stockton, Joy Alger, Lucy Falkenberg, Destiny Carter.
5  Chris Corder, Jennifer Corder, Andy Boydstun, Clinton Massey, Justin Moore.
6  Curtis Thornhill, Brian Widdowson, Paul Lauretti, Chris Corder, Destiny Carter.
7  Chris Corder, Tony Peffer, Jennifer Corder, Paul Lauretti, Lucy Falkenberg.
8  Chris Corder, D.J. Keldsen, Tony Peffer, Jennifer Corder, Paul Lauretti.
9  D.J. Keldsen, Chris Corder, Lucy Falkenberg, Tony Peffer, Curtis Thornhill.
10 Chris Corder, Paul Lauretti, Lucy Falkenberg, Destiny Carter, Tony Peffer.

Sportsman Podiums
1  Jeff Bristow, Kenny Birdsong, Tim Prothro.
2  Kenny Birdsong, Eric Seely, Mike Friesen.
3  Kenny Birdsong, Jeff Bristow, Mike Friesen.
4  Mark Odgers, Mike Friesen, Kenny Birdsong.
5  Mike Friesen, Tim Prothro, Kenny Birdsong.
6  Mike Friesen, Mark Odgers, Tim Prothro.
7  Kenny Birdsong, Jeff Bristow, Mike Friesen.
8  Mark Odgers, Jeff Bristow, Kenny Birdsong.


In Memory Of Larry Damitz

You can never take life for granted.  Tomorrow is not promised.  Today, our racing community is mourning the passing off Larry Damitz.  They called him "The Sundrop Kid" though he was 87 years old.  He was also the Antioch Speedway Limited Late Model champion for the third straight year and fifth in the last six years.  He had a pair of Merced championships during that time as well.

Larry was an icon, a role model, an inspiration.  Drivers seem to come and go through the years, but he was still there.  From the era that gave us Leroy Geving, Johnny Franklin and Gene Dudley to the era of Mike Chisholm, Lee Olibas and Jack Dempsey to the era that gave us Jim Pettit II, Ed Sans Jr. and Bobby Hogge III and into the current era, Larry has been there.  He's beaten them all, and he's done it with class.

Larry was not braggadocios.  He was one of the nicest guys at the track, but he was reluctant to talk about his accomplishments.  His presence at the race track was a testimony to his love for racing.  He didn't do it for points and championships.  He won a lot, but he didn't do it merely for the wins.  He did it because he enjoyed it.  He liked being a part of the community.  He liked working on race cars.  He liked being at the race track with his friends.

I realized over the past few years how we should appreciate what he was doing out there.  Most racers would have retired 20 years before he did, and there he was.  He was planning to come back again this season.  It brought a smile to my face to see him do it and do it so well.  There was no decline.  He was the champion his last season at the track.  He went out a champion.

He ranks in the Top 10 on Antioch's All Time Win List and is second only to Mike Gustafson in Limited Late Model wins.  He won an amazing 10 Late Model features in 1986 at Antioch.  Going over my notes, he won two Super Stock and four Late Model championships at Petaluma and ranks high on the win list there.  He won 11 Super Stock features at Chico one year and won championships at Vallejo.  I mean, everybody knows how good the Hardtop racers were in the 1960's, and Larry beat them all for his first championship.

I'll tell you my biggest failure in racing was that I was unable to convince John to start the Hall Of Fame at Antioch Speedway in 2000.  I know Larry knew how much he was loved and how important he was to our sport, but it would have been nice if we had acknowledged that officially.  Not just him, but other legends who are still with us. People like Larry were the ones who made others want to go racing.  He was one of my racing heroes and my dad's as well.

To be honest, one of the reasons I hated coming up here is because I wouldn't be seeing Larry race.  And, if I ultimately don't leave the sport when I move my life forward, it's hard for me to imagine I won't be back there at Antioch Speedway one day.  If/when that day comes, I won't get to see him race.

To the critics, let's see you wheel a car at 87 years old the way that man did.  There may have been a bump here or there, but the man could drive the wheels off of his car.  The Limited Late Model division just became a wide open championship, but the racers, even his critics, are still sad.  They may win a race, and somebody else will win the championship, but they won't have to earn it by beating the legend himself.

I can't imagine what awaits us beyond this life, but I'm pretty sure that if there's a race track there, that's where Larry will be.  He'll be out there racing Del Quinn, Leroy Geving, Phil Pedlar, Gary Pacheco, Mike Chisholm, Vern Willhoite, George Steitz and so many other greats who are no longer with us.  And no matter what, win lose or draw, he'll have a smile on his face.  He'll be doing what he loves to do.  We should all be so fortunate to find that thing we love that makes us happy and be able to enjoy it for as long as he did.  For those of us who are still here, racing won't be the same without Larry Damitz.