Friday, June 30, 2017

Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway Timmy Post Memorial, Orland Raceway, Previews


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DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 125 by GenWhat




DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 124 by GenWhat


Late Models, A Modifieds Offer High Speed Excitement 
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...The summer is upon us, and the racing action is heating up at Antioch Speedway.  The Contra Costa County Fairgrounds racing facility is in the middle of its 57th season of racing, and there is an exciting program lined up for this Saturday night.  Headlining the show are the DIRTcar Late Models and a $1,000 to win A Modified race.  The B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars make this a well rounded program that offers a little something for everybody to enjoy.

The DIRTcar Late Models are in their fourth season at Antioch Speedway, but the Bay Area Late Model presence goes back years.  Promoter John M. Soares and his family has had a long standing commitment to promote this division, and it goes back to his father, John P. Soares.  The elder Soares kept a Late Model series going at Petaluma all the way through his retirement in 2002, and Jim Soares continued that.  When Petaluma Promoter Rick Faeth decided to move on from the division in 2013, it was Soares who made a phone call to his fellow promoter to get his blessing to add the class to Antioch.

Late Models had a history at Antioch Speedway.  The division evolved from Early Model Stock Cars in 1967 to Stock Cars in the 1970's and then Late Models in the 1980's.  The last regular championship season for the class was in 1993.  During that span, the track crowned champions every year but 1980.  Periodically, there were Late Model tour visits and some Petaluma Late Model dates from then until the division was brought back for championship seasons in 2007 and 2008.  Jeff Decker and Andy Obertello were the champions.  Management put the plans of establishing the class on the back burner until 2014.

Late Model racing is one of the most popular forms of dirt track racing across the county.  With their big tires and big motors, these cars are the fastest Stock Cars class out there.  They are also among the more expensive cars to maintain, which contributed to the class fading away at many tracks.  In many cases, there are drivers who own A Modifieds and Late Models, primarily because there are more racing opportunities in Modifieds.  However, Antioch competitors Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, Chester Kniss and Troy Foulger are four such drivers with two cars.

When the division was brought back to Antioch, Decker and Papenhausen were on the roster.  Papenhausen has won two of the last three championships.  Decker now has two championships at Antioch.  These two have racked up many wins and championships through the years, and you'll never see them just cruising in the back.  Papenhausen won the most recent event ahead of Decker.  Decker is also a Main Event winner in one the the three races held so far this season.  Heading into this week's race, Decker now leads Papenhausen by just two points in the hotly contested battle.  There's also a close battle for third with only eight points separating David Newquist, Shawn DeForest and Chester Kniss.  All three had Top 5 finishes last week.

Antioch offers one of the best Late Model programs in the state, and the most recent race saw ten competitors in action.  That could be the case again this week as "Rookie Of The Year" hopeful Kimo Oreta, 2016 "Rookie Of The Year" Mike Hynes, Joey Olschowka, Dennis Souza, Rob Norris, Terry Kuntz and Paul Guglielmoni are other drivers to watch for.

The longest continually active division at the track is A Modifieds, which are now in their 28th season.  Scott Busby was part of the original roster in 1990 and won his first Main Event in the division that year.  He's since won a total of 66 in the division, which leads all other drivers.  His 66th win last week was special for another reason.  It was his 72nd career win at the track.  Busby is now tied with the legendary J.D. Willis as the all time Antioch Main Event winner.  Willis won his Main Events in three different divisions and beat some of the best drivers to do it.  For those eagerly awaiting the start of an Antioch Speedway Hall Of Fame, they know that Willis is a lock to get in the first year along with such legends as Gary Pacheco, Bill Brown and Dennis Furia.

Busby started out looking like a contender for his sixth A Modified championship, but a crash in hot laps and some motor problems put an end to those hopes.  He's still a threat to win on any given night.  A win is something Bobby Motts Jr. would very much like.  Motts has been a consistent Top 5 finisher this year and was third last week.  With Mike Salazar having mechanical problems and failing to start the Main Event last week, Motts enters this week's $1,000 to win race with a big lead over Sean O'Gara and Salazar.  O'Gara sparked his own championship effort by finishing fourth last week.  The battle at the top of the point list is between these three, who are also looking for their first wins of the season.

The money may attract a few "bounty hunters" into the field.  With Petaluma not running on Saturday, past champions Michael Paul Jr. and Nick DeCarlo as well as that track's reigning champion Oreste Gonella may come to town.  Eric Berendsen will be looking to turn around his recent bad luck as he seeks 2017 "Rookie Of The Year" honors.  We saw the return of Trent Wentworth, Anthony Slaney and Jake Dewsburuy last week, and it's possible we could see them again this week.  The return of Danny Wagner, who finished second last week after winning the Dwarf Car Main Event, is also possible.

A couple of B Modified drivers were getting a bit antsy with all of the down time, so second ranked Trevor Clymens and third ranked Chuck Golden ran their B Mods against the A Mods last week.  Clymens came from the back to a seventh place finish after his late decision to even go racing.  With only four points separating Clymens from point leader K.C. Keller, the move might have been risky.  The chances of him winning in that field were slim, but the possibility of a crash in the 18 car field damaging his race car was decent.  Trevor showed his ability by finishing as well as he did.

The points will be on the line when Clymens goes for another win this week.  Keller would like nothing better than to add a second win to his 2017 totals.  He knows that wins will be needed to hold off the reigning champion.  On the other hand, Golden has been having a good season so far, and he could beat both of these hard chargers for his first win in a couple of seasons.  Golden may need that win to hold off Mark Garner and Randy Brown as both are within 20 points in the battle for third in the standings  Megan Ponciano, Kevin Brown and Mike Mates are other drivers to watch or this week.

The Hobby Stock division has been on the rise this year with car counts of around 14-16 per race.  With a mixture of newer drivers and competitors with a bit more experience, it's been an exciting show to watch.  You never know who will win on any given week.  At the top of the list, Chris Long leads rookie second generation racer Brent Curran by 36 points.  Curran is a past Mini Stock champion with two Hobby Stock feature wins, but his last couple of starts have been a bit rough.  He's still holding on to second despite the fact that Long has been a bit more consistent in his Top 5 finishes.  As a veteran of some 20 years of racing at the track, Long also has two wins.  Curran needs another win or a big night to gain some ground.

Cameron Swank has also been pretty consistent this year, but a flat tire last time out ended a Top 3 run.  More importantly, Cameron is still searching for his first feature win.  As fast as he's been this year, you have to believe that win is coming soon.  He might need it with Chris Sorensen hanging around just 18 points out of third.  The 2010 champion won his second Main Event of the season last time out.  When Michael Cooper had a flat tire derail his Top 3 run last time, rookie Chris Bennett was there to swoop in for a Top 5 finish and the fifth place point position.  Bennett is a quick study who isn't content to just hang around for a Top 5 finish.  It's led to a couple of spin outs, but as the season moves along, don't be surprised to see him get his first feature win in the Bob Hansen Tribute Car.   Bennett is only 16 points behind Sorensen.

There are a few names on the roster that we haven't been saying much about this year, but they are out there racing hard and their moment of glory will come.  Racers like Ricky Foster, Anthony Vigna and Billy Garner are either rookies or relatively new to the division, yet they find themselves in the top 10.  Two time Super Hobby Stock champion Gene Haney is currently ninth in the standings.  Jordon Swank has had his ups and downs this year, but as a recent Top 5 feature finisher, the two time Top 5 point competitor is closing in on the Top 10 in pointts.  Add in drivers like Robert Niven, Lori Brown, Joey Ridgeway, Steve Perry, Frank Furtado and Russell Shearer, and you have one exciting division at Antioch Speedway.

The Dwarf Car division's championship battle was shaken up a bit last week.  "Captain Chaos" Danny Wagner returned for a visit and reminded everybody who the two time champion is.  Behind him, Mike Corsaro grabbed a second place finish to step into the point lead.  Corsaro was the runnerup last season, but he's hoping to make his move into the division championship.  Teammate Charlie "The Hammer" Correia didn't have the best of nights last week, but he still managed to take over second in the standings.  The old man of the division finds young Devan Kammermann only 16 points behind him in the battle for second.  Devan may have just been seeking "Rookie Of The Year" honors this year, but the past Quarter-Midget competitor has done well this season.  He finished a respectable seventh in the 15 car field last week.

One time winner and reigning champion Kevin Miraglio is tied with Chris Becker and only two points behind Kammermann.  Miraglio was absent from the most recent race.  The Rosa family was well represented last week by Street Stock legend David Rosa and son David Michael Rosa.  Both had Top 6 finishes.  Both are lurking just outside the Top 5 in points.  David Michael is 14 points back and David is 26 points out.  Either one of these drivers could step forward and win the Main Event.  Adam Teves has done it twice now, and the teen leadfoot came back from a spin to finish third last week.  Adam was joined by father and 2015 champion David Teves.  David is in a new car, but when he gets the bugs worked out of it, watch out.  Rookie Roberto Monroy will be looking to rebound from last week's rollover, and others to watch for when the Dwarf Cars return include include Chuck Connover, Brandon Anderson and Jenna Frazier.

Late Models and A Modifieds will bring the horsepower this week, and the B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars will add to what will surely be an exciting program.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.


Free Fan Admission, Fireworks Part Of 
Timmy Post Memorial At Merced Speedway

Merced, CA...July at Merced Speedway kicks off with a very special race this Saturday night.  It's the annual Timmy Post Memorial Race.  Timmy was a beloved member of the racing community who died in an automobile accident on graduation night 1999.  His grandparents, Chuck & Marylee Griffin, were promoters of the track then, while his mother, Kim Barcellos was the head scorer.  This Saturday night's program will include IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  The track does a big fireworks show every year, and this one will take place on Saturday night.  As an added bonus, it will be free admission for the fans.

Timmy Post grew up at the speedway.  He worked in concessions, as an official, helping with things during the week or wherever he could help out.  He even towed cars off the track on the blue tractor that was nicknamed Timmy's Tractor.  That tractor is still being used today.  The first Timmy Post races featured 99 lap Main Events, and all of the classes ran for more money.  The races were geared towards the track regulars.  If you supported at least two races leading up to the big race, you were eligible to run.  Timmy would have wanted the Merced Speedway supporters to benefit.  In a way, this is why the night now has a free admission.  You can bet that Timmy would have wanted the track's loyal fans to have a free night of family fun.

For this year, the track is offering double the regular payout in all three classes for each 30 lap Main Event.  In addition, several contingency prizes and awards have been lined up for all of the divisions, which will be distributed to various positions throughout the field.  The drivers will be getting a bit more than usual, which is exactly the way Timmy would have wanted it.  At the end of the night, the winners will be joined by Timmy's family for the trophy presentations.  Bob Smith has once again sponsors some beautiful trophies for the winners.

It's been a while since we've seen the IMCA Modifieds at Merced Speedway.  They've been off for the month of June.  The consistent reigning champion Randy Brown has all Top 3 finishes so far, but he's still looking for his first win of the season.  At the moment, Brown is 21 points ahead of past Hanford champion Mike Villanueva and 31 points in front of 2012 champion Bill Egleston.  Brown has made the trip up to the Pacific Northwest to participate in the IMCA Wild West Speedweek.  As for whether or not he's coming back for Saturday night, we haven't heard if that's the plan.  That series has a race at Willamette Speedway on Saturday.

A Brown absence would almost guarantee that either Villanueva or Egleston would take over the point lead and allow Darrell Hughes II, Bruce "Bubba" Nelson and Ryan Porter to get back into the championship battle.  Multi time champion Paul Stone is a two time winner this season and could also get back into the hunt, but he's not expected to be there for all of the races.  Nelson, meanwhile, is hoping to put his IMCA Modified into the winner's circle for the first time at Merced.  He won a race earlier this year in Chowchilla.  Other drivers to watch for this week include Ricky Thatcher, Jarod Fast, Troy Stone, Harley Turner, John MacDougall and recent Medford feature winner Derek Nance.  We've also heard that multi time Southwest Tour champion Jim Pettit II will be there.

Fred Ryland leads the battle after seven IMCA Sport Modified races.  The 2015 State champion has one win and mostly all Top 3 finishes in his seven starts.  Ryland is now 45 points ahead of Rick Diaz.  He could miss a race and still be leading, even if reigning champion Diaz won for the fourth time.  Diaz did miss a race, but he's already made his way back to second in the standings.  The battle for second is just a bit closer as Tim Elias and Chase Thomas are seven points behind Diaz, and Jeremy Hoff is ten points back.  Diaz may be tough to pass as he remains one of the fastest drivers in the field, but these three drivers shouldn't be counted out.

There have been five different winners this year, including surprise wins for T.J. Etchison and rookie Chuck Weir and a win for State point leader Shane DeVolder.  The Merced Sport Mod division is one of the most competitive in the state, and there are others in the group who can win on any given week.  Other drivers to watch for include Chris Falkenberg, 2015 champion Josh Hensley, young hard charger Tanner Thomas, Paul Espino and Patti Ryland.  It just may be that we get a new winner again on Saturday night, and what better night to do it on than Timmy Post Memorial night?

Young guns Kodie Dean and Garrett Corn are taking the Hobby Stock division by storm.  These two account for six of the seven feature wins.  Point leader Dean has three, and third ranked Corn also has three.  Corn is trying to make up for a bad early season night, but it's tough when Dean keeps getting Top 5 finishes.  Corn is trailing by 39 points, and the division uses the one point per position format used by IMCA.  Ahead of Corn and 35 points behind Dean is Robbie Loquaci.  The past Chowchilla Mini Stock champion was a feature winner last year, but he's searching for that first 2017 win.  Through consistent Top 5 finishes, Robbie remains in the championship battle.

Past division point runnerup Kristie Shearer is still within just 11 points of Corn in the battle for third, while another young gun, Austin Van Hoff, trails Corn by 13 points.  These two drivers are due to return to the winner's circle again.  The only other driver with a win this year is 2015 champion Kevin Joaquin.  Joaquin has been running strong lately, but his absence from one race has taken him out of the championship battle.  He is still a threat to win, and other's to watch for are hard chargers James Stockton and Mike Stockton, Donnie Shearer, Shannon Nelson, Darren Miguel, Dexter Long and recent Stockton winner Tony Peffer.

The Timmy Post Memorial will be a special night and the perfect time to check out some great racing at Merced Speedway.  We'll be remembering a beloved member of our racing community, offering three great divisions of racing and having a spectacular fireworks display.  It's also free admission for the fans.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.


Double Points Night At Orland Raceway Saturday Night

Orland, CA... There's nothing like a double points night to shake up a championship battle.  This Saturday night, Orland Raceway will be holding the first of two such events for the season.  Competing on the one-fifth mile dirt oval track at the Glenn County Fairgrounds this week will be Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Micro Sprints and Wingless Gas Sprints.

Last time out, it was business as usual for Pure Stock point leader Jeremy Langenderfer.  He won his third straight Main Event as Keith Ross, Brad Ray and Shannon Collins grabbed Top 4 finishes in the ten car field.  After four events, Langenderfer's point lead over Ross is still just ten points.  Reigning champion Steve Martin is 33 points out of the lead in third, and the double point night is just what he needs to move up higher in the standings.  The Pure Stocks have had strong support this season.  Fifth ranked Amanda Koop, Earl Adams and John Camper are other drivers to watch for this week.

Tom Davis won his third straight Mini Stock Main Event last time as Sean Perry and reigning champion John Kirkpatrick chased him in the Top 3.  Despite his winning, Davis still leads Perry by just three points in the closest battle at the track.  Kirkpatrick is still only 20 points out of the lead.  Top 5 ranked Barbara Crain sat out the most recent race as her new car wasn't quite ready.  She should have it ready this week as other stars to watch for include Dustin Hills, Jason Libbee and Donnie Fortney.

In Mini Trucks, double division racer Ross continues to lead after his latest feature win.  Ross was chased by Olin Crain, reigning champion Dan Webster and William Fogle in the Top 4 last time out.  The standings are still close as Ross leads Webster by 15 points and Fogle by 23.  The most recent race was the first appearance of the season for Crain, who should be back this week along with 2013 champion Ross Vige, Nate Scaggs and Zachary Baker.

In Micro 250's, Jackie Whitson won his fourth straight race last time out.  He led a Top 5 that included Russell Hensley, Troy Weiss, James Barnes and Michael McCarthy.  It's a two car battle at the top of the point list with Whitson leading Barnes by 27 points.  Barnes is slowly falling back and is in need of a good night.  Other drivers to watch for this week include past champion Jess Garland, Ronnie Heyer and Jared Carter.

The 600 Micros and Wingless Gas Sprints round out the program this week.  Last time out, multi time champion Josh Jacobo won the Wingless Gas Sprint Main Event as John Irwin, Gregory Gabhardt and Audry Webb enjoyed Top 4 finishes.

Saturday's double point program should offer plenty of excitement for the fans.  Gates open at 5 PM with the first race to start at 7 PM.  General Admission is $8 with Juniors and Seniors $5 and Children 6 and under free.  For further information, go to www.orlandraceway.org.

  
Hardtop Double Header On Tap For Chico And Marysville

Chico, CA...The California Hardtops are preparing for their second double header weekend of the year, and it's once again taking place at Chico and Marysville.  The last time these vintage race cars were at the Northern California tracks, it was Rob Waldrop piloting the Bill McLaughlin owned #36 Sedan to victory on both nights.  Unfortunately, Waldrop had motor problems in the most recent race at Petaluma, leaving his appearance this week in doubt.

Two of the biggest supporters this season have been "The Rocket Man" Ken Clifford and Joe "Hood Pins" Hopp.  Hopp had an impressive performance on the pavement of Roseville as he grabbed his first win.  In fact, he swept the heat, dash and main that night.  Clifford was a feature winner last season, but he's still looking for his first win of this season.  He finished third at Chico last time.  We haven't seen much of Ken's son Jason this season, but there's a good reason.  The younger Clifford has been building his dad a new shop to maintain the team race cars.

Another Jason could be in action this weekend, and that's Jason Armstrong.  Jason has scored two wins so far this season, including the recent visit to Petaluma and the season opener in Placerville.  Jason has also become the man his fellow competitors come to when they need work done on their cars and a key person in helping set up the schedule.  Jason and his father Dennis Armstrong are both great competitors and welcome additions to the roster any time they are there.

The group hopes to see the return of Rhett Lange.  The former OTRO Hardtop competitor was at the last double header weekend and finished second at Marysville.  Other stars to watch for this week include Dan Whitney, Ron Ruiz, Russ Kraft and Steve Cloyes.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Wiesz, Papenhausen Win At Antioch, Plus Petaluma, Stockton More



First of all...


On Sale At Reduced Price




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

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



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

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover


Also...

If You Like Reading Our Articles, Feel Free To Leave A Tip In  ---  The Tip Jar

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion Can Be Heard HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Wiesz, Papenhausen, Busby Win Antioch Speedway Features

Antioch, CA...Colby Wiesz won the 25 lap All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway.  Wiesz is a three time Marysville champion, and he became the fourth different winner in five races.  Wiesz and Jake Haulot were eight lap heat race winers, and the Main Event lineup put them both on the front row.  Wiesz charged into the lead at the start and built a good lead.  A yellow flag for a stalled Emily Williams with about ten laps to go bunched the field, but Wiesz resumed his rapid pace on the restart to collect the victory.  Burt Foland Jr. made his move around Marissa Polizzi for third with six laps to go.  Second place Haulot had problems on the last lap and fell back.  That shuffled the lineup further as Wiesz won ahead of Foland, Polizzi, Adam Brenton and Haulot.

Richard Papenhausen scored the victory in the 20 lap DIRTcar Late Model Main Event.  The reigning champion joined 2015 champion Jeff Decker in winning an eight lap heat race.  Papenhausen hit his stride down the stretch and became the third different winner of the season.  Decker was a strong second, while David Newquist had his best finish of the season in third.  Chester Kniss and Shawn DeForest rounded out the Top 5 and lead lap finishers.

Scott Busby won an ugly A Modified Main Event that was cut a few laps short of its scheduled 20 lap distance.  With his second win of the season, the five time champion joins J.D. Willis at the top of the track's All Time Main Event Winner's List with 72 victories.  Busby survived all of the spins and tangles and avoided the mechanical gremlins that have plagued him all season to get the win.  Danny Wagner had an impressive night that netted him second in the Main Event and a heat race win.  Point leader Bobby Motts Jr. also won a heat race and enjoyed a third place feature finish, followed by Sean O'Gara and Anthony Slaney.  Nick DeCarlo won the other eight lap heat race.

Kimo Oreta won his second Limited Late Model race in the Sun Drop Racing #15 car.  Oreta won his eight lap heat race and started eighth in the Main Event.  Jim Freethy was the early leader, but Oreta made an impressive charge into the lead by lap eight.  Heat race winner and incoming point leader Mark Garner got around Freethy for second.  However, Oreta brought it home to a well earned victory ahead of Garner, Freethy, Jeff Kendrick and John Farrell.

Danny Wagner returned and won the 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event.  The two time division champion is competing in both A Modifieds and Dwarf Cars this year and doing well in both classes.  After joining Mike Corsaro as an eight lap heat race winner, Wagner wasted little time getting the Main Event lead.  Corsaro made good ground in his bid to win the championship as he settled into second.  Wagner proved to be too fast to catch as he won ahead of Corsaro.  Adam Teves came back from a spin to finish third ahead of David Rosa and Jeff Fitch.  The race had a red flag when Roberto Monroy rolled his car.

Racing resumes next week with a $1,000 to win A Modified race on the schedule.  DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds,  Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars are also on the schedule.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Race Results
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Jake Haulot, Colby Wiesz.  Main Event (25 Laps)-Colby Wiesz, Burt Foland Jr., Malissa Polizzi, Adam Brenton, Jake Haulot, Steve Jaquith, Aaron Miller, Jesse Colwell, Art McCarthy, Jason Paniagua.

DIRTcar Late Models
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, David Newquist, Chester Kniss, Shawn DeForest, Joey Olschowka Jr., Mike Hynes, Rob Norris, Dennis Souza, Kimo Oreta.

A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Danny Wagner, Bobby Motts Jr.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Scott Busby, Danny Wagner, Bobby Motts Jr., Sean O'Gara, Anthony Slaney, Michael Paul Jr., Trevor Clymems, Nick DeCarlo, John MacDougall, Trent Wentworth.

Limited Late Models
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Kimo Oreta, Mark Garner.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Kimo Oreta, Mark Garner, Jim Freethy, Jeff Kendrick, John Farrell, John Evans, Mike Gustafson, Lori Brown, Chad Hammer, Jon Haney.

Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Danny Wagner, Mike Corsaro.   Main Event (20 Laps)-Danny Wagner, Mike Corsaro, Adam Teves, David Rosa, Jeff Fitch, David Michael Rosa, Devan Kammermann, David Teves, Chris Becker, Justin Winter.


Kofoid Grabs Sprint Car Victory at Petaluma Speedway

Petaluma, CA...June 25...Michael "Buddy" Kofoid won the 25 lap PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Sunday night at Petaluma Speedway.  The event was held during the annual Sonoma-Marin Couty Fair.  Kofoid won the Trophy Dash ahead of Geoff Ensign, but incoming point leader Ensign had problems and didn't finish the feature.  Kofoid led most of the way for the impressive victory.  Recent Petaluma King Of The West Sprint Car winner Chase Johnson was running in the Top 5 down the stretch and made some late passes for a strong second place finish, followed by Klint Simpson, Kyle Hirst, Andy Forsberg, Tony Gualda, Cody Lamar, Norm Johns, David Lindt II and Colby Johnson.  There were 22 cars in action, and eight lap heat race wins went to Lindt, Justyn Cox and Gualda.

Koen Shaw won the 20 lap Santa Rosa Auto Body Micro Sprint Main Event.  Shaw and David Engstrom were both eight lap heat race winners, and they ran 1-2 at the front of the Main Event.  George Nielson just barely lost second to Engstrom at the finish.  Anthony Soper was a solid fourth, followed by Jim Beck, Nick Robfogel, Dolan McIntosh, Chris Sieweke, Justin Addiego and Danny Potts.

Spainhoward Conquers Stockton 99 Dirt Track 
In West Coast Sport Mod Tour Win

Stockton, CA...June 17...2014 IMCA State champion Nick Spainhoward won the 25 lap Sport Modified Main Event Saturday night during the San Joaquin County Fair.  This was the fourth of six West Coast Sport Modified Tour races, and they again produced a field of well over 30 cars in a headlining role at the track.  IMCA State point leader Shane DeVolder set the pace and had built a half straightaway lead over the dueling Todd Cooper and Spainhoward.  A restart midway through the race allowed Spainhoward the opportunity to take second from Cooper, and he immediately went to work on DeVolder.  A few laps later, Spainhoward raced past DeVolder and sped to his first Tour victory.  DeVolder brought it home second ahead of T. Cooper, Brian Cooper, Lee Jensen, Fred Ryland, Kyle Wood, B Main winner Guy Ahlwardt, Andrew Peckham and Tyler Rodgers.  Ahlwardt's 15 lap B Main win came ahead of Keith Brown Jr. and Patti Ryland.  Spainhoward, DeVolder, Jensen and Todd Gomez were eight lap heat race winners.

Tony Peffer won his first career 20 lap Bomber Main Event.  Peffer has moved up from Mini Stocks and races the Dwayne Short #27 Hobby Stock at Merced Speedway.  Peffer set a rapid pace and won by a lap ahead of second ranked Stockton 99 (pavement) Speedway racer Mikala Stearns and Ben Lewis.  Lewis won the eight lap heat race ahead of Kyle Singleton and beat Roy Luft to win the four lap Trophy Dash.  Justin Scantlen finished fourth in the Main Event, followed by Luft, Singleton and Dustin Lovelace.  Preston Corral was a Main Event scratch.

Chris Corder won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event.  Corder is the current point leader at Merced Speedway, but he and his sister Jennifer started racing at the Stockton pavement track prior to becoming regular competitors at Merced.  This dirt track race was still a point race for the locals, and they produced a dozen car field as other Merced regulars joined the action.  Corder's win wasn't easy as Top 5 ranked Jaya Nelson and Jason Womack were close behind in second and third.  Corder's clean sweep attempt ended after his eight lap heat race win as he finished second to Ethan Rumsey in the four lap Trophy Dash.  Justin McGehee stayed within 12 points of the lead as he finished fourth in the Main Event, followed by J. Corder, Billy Rodrigues, point leader Andrew Rumsey, heat winner David Cong, Justin Terry and E. Rumsey.


Golobic Wins Pombo-Sargent Classic
Hogge wins IMCA Modifieds At Ocean Speedway

Watsonville, CA...June 23...Shane Golobic won the Pombo-Sargent Classic for the King Of The West 410 Sprint Cars, presented by NARC, Friday night at Ocean Speedway.  Golobic is a two time champion in the track's regular Sprint Car show, and he recently won the Indiana Midget Week championship.  Coming off of his recent win in the series race at Petaluma Speedway, Chase Johnson and championship contender Bud Kaeding shared the front row of the 30 lap feature with Golobic starting third.  Johnson settled into the early lead as Kaeding washed up high.  Golobic quickly charged into second and started pressuring Johnson for the lead.  Golobic led lap eight with Johnson pacing the next lap.  On lap 10, Golobic moved back into the lead.  Cory Eliason took up pursuit of Golobic, but he surrendered that position to track point leader Justin Sanders down the stretch.  Golobic's win made him the seventh winner on this year's tour as Sanders settled for second.  Eliason stayed in the championship hunt in third, followed by Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Jamie Veal, D.J. Netto, Michael Kofoid, Gio Scelzi and Nathan Rolfe.  Johnson, Eliason and Netto won ten lap heat races, and Kaeding out-dueled Johnson for the six lap Trophy Dash win.

Bobby Hogge IV won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event.  Hogge isn't chasing points this year, but he returned to remind everybody who the reigning champion is.  Past champion Jim Pettit II and Todd Hermosillo had front row starting spots, but it was title contenders Nick DeCarlo and Alex Wilson battling for the lead as Hogge worked his way up from the third row.  Hogge passed both of them for the lead and eventual victory.  DeCarlo was a strong second ahead of A. Wilson, Brian Cass, Clay Daly, Danny Wagner, Raymond Keldsen Jr., Kyle Bryan, Hermosillo and Pettit.  There were 14 competitors, and Hogge and Cass won eight lap heat races.

Cameron Diatte won the 20 lap SBDCA Dwarf Car Main Event.  Diatte, Mark Biscardi and Gene "Punky" Pires were the trio of past champions starting in the first three positions, and they took the checkered flag in order.  Ryan Amlen finished fourth, followed by Tafton Chandler, Bill Belfield, Dan Zuger and Ryan Diatte.  Pires also won the eight lap heat race, and two time Antioch champion Danny Wagner suffered mechanical issues in hot laps and was a Main Event scratch.

Santa Maria Raceway Race Results June 24, 2017
RaceSaver Sprint Cars

Monty Ferriera
Mike Schott
Tanner Boul
Zane Blanchard
Albert Pombo
Eric Correia
Chris Ennis
Vaughn Schott
Grant Duinkerken
Scott Meisner
Mauro Simone
Jared Faria
Colton Danell
George Tristao
Tony Pombo

Mini Stocks
Joel Chavez
Justin Jackson
Thomas Mederios
Jaryd Padgett
Peter Orradre
Shaun Jones
Aaron Calvert
David Kavanagh
Megan Burgett
Cassidy Claborn
Alex Herrera
Wyatt Kenyon
Levi Burgett
Dylan Potter
Mike Ibison
Greg Noah
Chris McElreath
Jesse McCauley

Dwarf Cars
Camron Diatte
Jonathan Henry
Jonathan Conley
Tom Stephens Jr.
Angel Figueroa
Tommy Velasquez
Trevor Fitzz
Mike Keebler
Trafton Chandler
Tom Morley
Trent Morley
Nick Velasquez
Kody Cowan
Kory Cowan
Rich Clark
Brian Barnhill
Ira Henry
Dylan Thornton
Brandon Wiley
Jessica Clark
Greg Tayor
Jason Horton DNS
Dave Conley DNS

NMRA TQ Midgets
Chuck West
West Evans
Jason Arnolde
Scott Dobson
Ace Kale
Scott Niven
Kevin Kale

Jr Mini Dwarfs
Adam Nohl
Corbin Kuma
Bransyn Speer
Harlie Jones
Landon King

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Sprint Cars, Late Models Headline Five Division Show At Antioch Speedway



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Sprint Cars, Late Models Headline Five Division Show 
At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway is wrapping up the month of June with an exciting five division program on John M. Soares's fast three-eighth mile clay oval.  The fans are being treated to the faster divisions all on the same card.  All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars are there along with the DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars.  This is sure to be an exciting night of racing from green to checkered.

Rookie Kyle Offill took the Winged 360 Sprint Car division by storm with two wins in his first three starts.  Then, he surprised the field by vacating the lead to complete elsewhere.  This opened the door for his three closest challengers, Marissa Polizzi, Jenna Frazier and Grants Pass, Oregon's Aaron Miller to make a move.  It wasn't a stellar night for any of the three, but Frazier broke in hot laps to end her night early.  Miller finished eighth with Polizzi behind him.  When the points were added, Polizzi found herself leading Miller by just six points, while Offill dropped 16 points back in third.  There is a question of whether Offill will be there this week with a big event scheduled elsewhere.

Two open wheel veterans used solid finishes in the most recent race to move closer to the leader.  Burt Foland Jr. notched a third place finish that night, while three time Sprint Car champion Art McCarthy won his heat race and finished fifth in the Main Event.  McCarthy is now just 29 points out of the lead.  He is making up ground from his non start at the season opener.  The unpredictability of this division makes things very interesting.  There are three winners in four races, and the last two winners, Offill and Dustin Golobic, won their races with last lap passes.  Other drivers to watch for this week include Jacob Tuttle, Emily Williams, Brent Dothage and Jason Paniagua.  Tuttle's first start at the track resulted in an impressive second place finish.

The Late Model battle so far is between the same two drivers we've seen battle for the last two championships, Jeff Decker and reigning champion Richard Papenhausen.  With one win and a third, Decker leads Papenhausen by just four points.  Papenhausen finished second to Bobby Hogge IV in the Larry Damitz Memorial.  At your typical Antioch races, these are the two drivers to beat, and the driver knocking on the door to victory is Late Model veteran Shawn DeForest.  Shawn finished a close second to Decker in the season opener and was the 2007 point runnerup.  DeForest leads the tied David Newquist and rookie Kimo Oreta by just two points, Chester Kniss by four and Joey Olschowka by six.

Racing fans in California Don't get much opportunity to watch a true Late Model race these days, and Antioch's show is the best supported thing going at the moment.  This marks the fourth straight year that Soares has featured them on the schedule, and they generally make two appearances per month.  2016 "Rookie Of The Year" Mike Hynes and Dennis Souza remain strong supporters of the class, and two time Petaluma champion Paul Guglielmoni, Terry Kuntz and Rob Norris are other drivers to watch for this week.

The A Modified division has competed four times this season, but they are coming up on a stretch of important races.  This week marks the start of three races in a row, followed by a July 1st race that is listed as $1,000 to win and the Jerry Hetrick Memorial on July 8th.  At the moment, Bobby Motts Jr., leads Mike Salazar by just two points, while Sean O'Gara is 30 points back in third.  All three are looking for their first wins of the season, and all have had Top 5 finishes this year.

Despite blowing a motor last time out, rookie Eric Berendsen is within 23 points of O'Gara for third.  At last report, Berendsen was scrambling to get a motor together.  These four drivers are all anticipated this week.  Two time winner Kellen Chadwick will be in the Pacific Northwest defending his Wild West Speedweek championship, but five time champion Scott Busby will hopefully be back to go for his 72nd career Antioch win.  Busby won the season  opener, but he had back to back bad nights that ended before the Main Event started.  One time winner Chester Kniss will be in action, and other drivers to watch for include Gregg McElhaney, Gary Herick and Sean Wilson.

If the first three Limited Late Model races are any indication, it's going to be a fierce battle for the championship.  Mark Garner, Kimo Oreta and Mike Gustafson have each won a Main Event.  Oreta reminded everybody that he is still a player in this game with an impressive victory last time out.  Garner leads Oreta by just four points, while consistent Top 3 finisher Jim Freethy is just six points back and Gustafson is 12 points out.  Gustafson is a two time division champion, while Freethy was the only driver in the past six seasons to beat Larry Damitz for the championship.  At the moment, Jim would just be happy to get another feature win.

This has been a rookie season filled with mechanical gremlins for Buddy Kniss so far, but the teen leadfoot should be back and ready to go for it again this week.  Chad Hammer had a bad night last time as he lost his drive driveline during the feature.  John Evans got a fourth place finish that night.  Lori Brown, Jeff Kendrick and Jon Haney are other competitors to watch for this week.

In another close championship battle in the Dwarf Car division, Kevin Miraglio holds a slim two point lead over Mike Corsaro, while veteran Charlie Correia is eight points back.  Miraglio had a win in the season opener, but he missed the Top 5 last time out.  Corsaro finished a strong third after winning his heat race.  Teammate Correia finished fourth.  Both drivers are still searching for their first wins of the season.  As it is, the famed #08 car, nicknamed The Unicorn, has won three of the four races.  Adam Teves won his second race two weeks ago, while his father and 2015 champion David Teves also has a win.  David is currently building a new car.

Chuck Connover has been the model of consistency.  In three starts, he has three second place finishes.  If not for skipping the other race, the long time Dwarf Car competitor would probably be leading the points now.  As it is, he's tied with rookie Chris Becker for fourth, 26 points behind third place Correia.  He's also two points ahead of rookie Devan Kammermann.  Devan had another solid night in fifth last time as he is adapiting well in his move up from Quarter-Midgets to Dwarf Cars.  Other drivers to watch for this week include David Rosa, son David Michael Rosa, David Corsaro and Brandon Anderson.

The cars will be fast and the racing will be exciting this Saturday night with these five divisions all competing.  It's the perfect way to end what has been an exciting month at the track.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.


Antioch Sprint Car Point Race Tightens Up 
As June Comes To An End

Antioch, CA...With four point races in the books, the All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car point race is getting closer.  The next event is this Saturday night.  The most recent point race saw 12 competitors come to do battle for the $1,200 prize.  Reigning Petaluma champion Herman Klein sprinted into the lead at the waving of Robert Kempf's green flag.  Klein got a pretty good lead on Dustin Golobic before a late race yellow flag bunched the field.  Golobic was all over Klein when the green flag flew, and a last lap pass gained Golobic the victory.  Klein settled for second.

Burt Foland Jr. had a good night with a race long third place effort.  Heat race winners Brent Dothage and Art McCarthy finished fourth and fifth, respectively, as McCarthy made a late move around sixth place finisher Emily Williams.  John Clark drove a steady race to finish seventh.  The point battle was shaken up as incoming leader Kyle Offill was not in attendance.  This was the opportunity for eighth place finisher Aaron Miller and ninth place finisher Marissa Polizzi to move ahead.  Jenna Frazier's point hopes took a hit when she suffered hot lap mechanical problems and scratched for the evening.

When the points were added, Polizzi left the night with a six point advantage over Miller, who is coming all the way from Grants Pass, Oregon to race for the championship.  Offill slipped back to third, still just 16 points out of the lead.  Foland and McCarthy are both with striking distance of the lead, 22 and 29 points out, respectively.  Even Frazier is still in the hunt, 35 points back in sixth.

Newcomers Jason Paniagua and Jacob Tuttle finished 10th and 11th in the most recent race.  Paniagua is seventh in the standings at the moment.  This was Tuttle's second start, and it followed an impressive Antioch debut that saw him lead most of the way before finishing second.  Tuttle is the latest in a string of Outlaw Kart and 600 Micro graduates who have come to Antioch in their bid for a first career win.

With a close point battle and a host of visiting drivers who come in from week to week, the All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car show is always exciting to watch.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Point Standings
All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Marissa Polizzi 166
Aaron Miller 160
Kyle Offill 150
Burt Foland Jr. 144
Art McCarthy 137
Jenna FFrazier 131
Jason Paniagua 110
JaobTuttle 82
TylerSeavey 56
Shawn Arriaga 54

Antioch Speedway
All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Schedule
June 24
July 29
August 5 King Of The West
August 19
August 26
September 9
September 16
September  23

Past Champions
1998-Gary Geving
2007-Art McCarthy
2010-Craig Smith
2013-Chris Magoon
2014-Chris Magoon
2015-Shawn Arriaga
2016-Billy Aton

Recent Feature Winners
June 17, 2017:  Jonathan Allard
June 10, 2017:  Dustin Golobic
May 13, 2017:  Kyle Offill
May 6, 2017:  Tyler Seavey
April 22, 2017:  Kyle Offill
April 1, 2017:  Cory Eliason
September 31, 2016:  Billy Aton
September 17, 2016:  Colby Johnson
September 10, 2016:  Matt Barber
August 27, 2016;  Billy Aton
August 20, 2016:  Riley Matson
August 13, 2016: Art McCarthy
August 6, 2016:  Seth Nunes
July 30, 2016:  Art McCarthy
July 16, 2016:  Brayden McMahan
June 25, 2016:  Kaleb Montgomery
June 18, 2016:  Bobby McMahan
June 4, 2016: Shawn Conde
May 21, 2016: Koen Shaw
April 23, 2016: Billy Aton
April 2, 2016: Art McCarthy
August 29, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 8, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
July 11, 2015: Jake Haulot
June 20, 2915: Austin Liggett
June 6, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
May 16, 2015: Jake Haulot
April 25, 2015: Alissa Geving
March 7, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 2, 2014: Zack Lynskey

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Allard Wins SCCT Race At Antioch, Sargent Win Dwarf Car Nationals At Merced, More

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 Allard Takes SCCT Main Event At Antioch Speedway


Antioch...June 17...Jonathan Allard won the Sprint Car Challenge Tour Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway.  Due to a few red flag periods in the scheduled 40 lap Main Event and a fast approaching curfew, the race was shortened to 25 laps.  The Rod Tiner owned car was actually driven to victory by Cory Eliason at the first Antioch race, but Allard took over the driving duties as Eliason competed elsewhere.

Allard shared the front row with Kyle Hirst, and the two raced into the lead from the start.  Ryan Bernal was running third when a yellow flag flew on lap 10 for Zach Lynskey.  The lead trio remained the same until the red flag was displayed on lap 19 for a Kalib Henry flip.  A couple of yellow flags flew after the restart, the second of which saw the end to Bernal's run in third.  Two more red flags flew before lap 23, the first for a Herman Klein flip and the second for a flip by Cody Lamar.  Allard was still leading Hirst, and it was decided to cut the race to 30 laps or curfew.  The race made it to 25 laps with Allard winning ahead of Hirst.  Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker and Colby Copeland made up the remainder of the Top 5.  Hirst won the six lap Trophy Dash, while Becker, Lamar, Faccinto and Steven Tiner were ten lap heat race winners.  Justin Sanders won the 15 lap B Main ahead of Andy Gregg and Scott Hall.

A regular All Star Series program will be on the agenda next Saturday night with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars all seeing action.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Race Results
SCCT Sprint Cars
Heat winners-Sean Becker, Cody Lamar, Mitchell Faccinto, Steven Tiner.  Trophy Dash-Kyle Hirst.  B Main-Justin Sanders, Andy Gregg, Scott Hall.  Main Event-Jonathan Allard, Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker, Colby Copeland, Bradley Terrell, Tony Gualda, Willie Croft, Steven Tiner, Mason Moore.

Sargent Wins WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals,
Dean Wins Hobby Stocks At Merced Speedway

Merced, CA...June 17...Matt Sargent won the 30 lap Pro Dwarf Car Main Event Saturday night at Merced Speedway.  This was Night #2 of the WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals, which attracted over 60 Dwarf Cars in the format that ran three different classifications. The Pro group had well over 30 competitors, and the Top 10 finishers from Friday night's feature were locked into the 10 lap Fast Dash on Saturday.  Sargent finished second in that race behind Cameron Diatte to earn the outside front row starting spot for the feature.  Unfortunately for Diatte, his race ended at 15 laps.  Like Diatte, Sargent is a past SBDCA Dwarf Car champion, but he is a member of the Sin City Dwarf Car group in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Sargent followed up on his fourth place finish on Friday night with an impressive winning performance on Saturday.  NCDCA's Danny Wagner had a second on Friday and repeated that on Saturday, just ahead of Oregon's Jake Van Ortwick.  NCDCA'a Ryan "Ice Chip" Winter and Oregon's James Bringster were Top 5 finishers as Darren Brown, John Isabella, Dustin Loughton, Michael "Spanky" Grenert and Rich Abbott rounded out the Top 10.  The drivers who didn't qualify for the Fast Dash ran ten lap heat races with wins going to Josh King, Michael Tobiason and Ryan Martinez.  Zack Albers won the 15 lap B Main ahead of Eric Muse and Martinez.

Kevin Bender had an impressive night with wins in the Veteran Dwarf Car division Fast Dash and 20 lap Main Event.  Bender beat fellow NCDCA competitors Buddy Olschowka and Antioch point leader Kevin Miraglio to win the Fast Dash.  Olschowka fell back a few spots by the time the Main Event ended, and Bender prevailed ahead of fellow NCDCA member Mike Reeder and Miraglio.  NCDCA competitor Scott Dahlgren beat Olshowka back to the line for fourth as Bob Freheit, Eric Weisler, Angel Figuera, Jack Haverty and Charlie Correia made up the remainder of the Top 10.  Weisler won the lone ten lap heat race for the drivers who hadn't qualified for the Fast Dash.

Oregon's Jake Tupper won the 15 lap Sportsman Dwarf Car Main Event.  Tupper got behind the wheel of the car John Staudacher won with on Friday and got the same results by winning the 10 lap Fast Dash ahead of Antioch rookie Devan Kammermann.  Tupper earned his Main Event win by holding off NCDCA racer Josh Wiesz as Kammermann was a close third.  Mike Clark, Brian Barnhill, Robert Johnson, Sam Wren, Bill Belfield and David Corsaro completed the finishing order.

Point leader Kodie Dean won his fourth 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event.  After joining Garrett Corn and Dexter Long as the three eight lap heat winners, Dean started back in the fourth row for the Main Event.  By the lap five caution flag, Dean was already up to third, and he shot into the lead on a restart a few laps later.  After that, Dean had to keep reigning champion Michael Shearer and Corn behind him, but he accomplished that goal as the those three competitors finished in order.  2015 champion Kevin Joaquin finished fourth ahead of Robby Loquaci, Austin Van Hoff, Kristie Shearer, Shannon Nelson, Chris Bennett and Wally Kennedy.

Jeff Bristow won his second 12 lap Valley Sportsman Main Event.  He also won the eight lap heat race ahead of Shannon Fry.  Bristow scored his Main Event win ahead of the legendary Johnny Brazil, who was driving Kenny Birdsong's Rod Poor Tribute Car.  The field also included Watsonville Speedway Legend Jerry Cecil, who finished fourth behind Shannon Fry.  Eric Seely was a Main Event scratch.

After an AMA Motorcycle event next Saturday night, the Stock Car program returns on July 1st with the annual Timmy Post Memorial.  IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks will be competing.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.

Jones Unstoppable In Dwarf Car Nationals 
At Merced Speedway


Merced, CA...June 16...Shawn Jones scored the 20 lap WSDCA Pro Dwarf Car Main Event victory in night #1 of the Dwarf Car Nationals at Merced Speedway.  There were 63 Dwarf Cars in the combined three categories, and 36 of them ran the Pro classification.  Eight lap heat race wins went to Cameron Diatte, Ryan "Ice Chip" Winter, Danny Wagner and Martin Whittingham.  Ryan Martinez earned a starting berth in the feature by winning the 15 lap B Main ahead of Petaluma champion Dave Mosier and Kyle Dodd.  NCDCA regulars led all of the Main Event laps, and Wagner set the early pace ahead of Winter and Sin City's Matt Sargent.  Winter raced past Wagner for the lead on lap 3, and a lap five yellow flag slowed the pace.  Jones, who competes regularly with both SBDCA and NCDCA, followed Sargent past Wagner on a lap seven restart and promptly passed both Winter and Sargent for the lead on lap eight.  A final yellow flew on lap nine.  Jones continued to lead Winter and Sargent on the restart.  Wagner struck back to third on lap 13 and put the moves on Winter for second on lap 19.  However, there was no stopping Jones from scoring the impressive win.  Wagner was a strong second ahead of Winter, Sargent, Jake Vanortwick, Michael "Spanky" Grenert, C. Diatte, John Isabella, Camden Robustelli and James Bringster.

Oregon's Guy Tow Sr. won the 20 lap Veteran Dwarf Car Main Event.  There were 18 veterans in action, and eight lap heat race wins went to Mark Biscardi, Ryan Diatte and Buddy "The Budster" Olschowka.  Diatte raced into the Main Event lead at the start ahead of Biscardi.  Scott Dahlgren took second from Biscardi on a lap three restart.  Olschowka was running third ahead of Tow, and an lap eight red flag stopped the race.  Fortunately, there were no injuries.  Tow made a charge into the lead on the restart ahead of Olschowka.  However, Diatte took second from Olschowka on the final lap.  Tow was the happy winner ahead of Diatte, Olschowka, Biscardi, Mike Corsaro, Mike Reeder, Dahlgren, Jack Haverty, Kevin Miraglio and ageless veteran Charlie "The Hammer" Correia.

Oregon competitor John Staudacher won the 20 lap Sportsman Dwarf Car Main Event.  Only nine drivers competed in this division, and Staudacher and Bill Belfield were eight lap heat race winners.   The very active Main Event had several yellow flags, but Staudacher  led the entire distance.  Belfield ran second until losing the spot to Josh Wiesz on a lap ten restart.  Staudacher scored the impressive victory ahead of Wiesz, Mike Clark, Belfield, Robert Johnson, Brian Barnhill, David Corsaro, Devan Kammermann and Sam Wren.

Four time Antioch A Modified champion Troy Foulger won the 20 lap California Sharp Mini Late Model Main Event.  Foulger was driving one of Michael Shearer's two new cars.  There were six cars competing in this race, and Foulger also won the six lap heat race.  Riley Jeppesen set the early Main Event pace in a bid for his second win.  Foulger raced by both Tim Vaught and Tim Crews for second on lap 2 and shadowed the leader for two laps before making a pass in Turns 1 and 2 for the lead on lap five.  Jeppesen spun in Turn 4 and brought out a caution flag as his car had mechanical issues that would end his race.  Foulger led the restart and paced the remaining laps for the victory.  Vaught settled for second ahead of Crews, long time Merced competitor Tommy Bostic, Ian Shearer and Jeppesen.


Sanders, Frost, Campion Score Ocean Speedway Victories

Watsonville, CA...June 16...Justin Sanders impressed with his late charge to grab the victory in the 30 lap Taco Bravo Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway.  Sanders was in the hunt in third as they hit the 20 lap mark, and a lap 21 restart signaled to him that it was time to make his move.  After Kyle Offill surprised the 24 car field with a quick lap of 11.664.  Sanders and reigning champion Brad Furr won eight lap heat races.  However, it was Landon Hurst making a big statement with his heat race win and six lap Trophy Dash triumph, which gained him the Main Event pole.  Cole Macedo had to win the 12 lap B Main ahead of Dustin Freitas and Scott Parker to earn their feature starting spots. 

Hurst raced into the early Main Event lead ahead of title contender and Petaluma point leader Geoff Ensign.  Mathew Moles was an early third.  Ensign led Sanders and Moles around Hurst for the Top 3 positions on lap nine, and a lap 14 yellow flag slowed the pace.  Moles charged into second behind Ensign on the restart.  Sanders was third, and the Top 3 stayed the same through two yellow flags.  The lap 21 restart signaled that it was time for the front runners to make their moves, and Moles made a serious challenge on Ensign.  The close battle saw Moles lead lap 22 before Ensign moved ahead two laps later.  Sanders followed Ensign closely into second and put the moves on him a lap later for the lead.  Sanders set sail for the checkered flag as he posted an impressive victory.  Ensign and Moles were strong Top 3 finishers.  Tommy Tarlton finished a respectable fourth, followed by Jason Chisum, Kurt Nelson, Brent Kaeding, Jeremy Chisum, Kyle Offill, Dustin Golobic and Cole Macedo.

Adrian Fost drive to her third 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event win of the season.  Merced Speedway star Mark Odgers and Justin McPherson were eight lap heat race winners.  Odgers set the early Main Event pace.  With incoming point leader Matt Hagio absent, Mark Hartman was looking to make his move in points as he ran an early second ahead of Frost.  Hartman and Frost slipped past Odgers for first and second on lap three as IMCA State point leader Shane DeVolder was fourth.  DeVolder took third from Odgers on lap six, and Frost raced past Hartman for the lead a lap later.  DeVolder took over second on lap eight, but he surrendered the spot to Odgers a lap later.  Odgers held second until the persistent DeVolder grabbed the position on lap 19.  However, Frost drove a flawless race and earned the win ahead of DeVolder, Odgers, McPherson, Hartman, Shawn Bryant, Billy Robertson, Charlie Hunter, Duane Bieser and Bud Aiassa.

Terry Campion became the seventh different 20 lap American Stock Main Event winner of the season.  Campion surprised current point leader Rob Gallaher with a lap 19 restart pass for the lead.  Gallaher joined J.C. Elrod as eight lap heat race winners.  Unfortunately, Elrod was a Main Event scratch.  Austin Williams led one lap of the feature before Gallaher gained the lead.  Gallaher began to pull away when Campion took second from Williams on lap nine.  A lap 12 caution flag slowed the pace, and Gallaher continued to lead Campion and Williams on the restart.  A lap 18 yellow flag helped shake things up.  Campion took the lead from Gallaher on the restart.  Campion went on to victory with R. Gallaher settling for second.  Devon Sanders made a last lap pass on Williams for third.  Wally Kennedy finished fifth ahead of Tony Oliveira, Joe Gallaher, Katie Briggs, Jake Silva and Chris McCabe.

Dakota Keldsen won the 12 lap Mini Stock Main Event.  Car count dropped a bit as only one of the three Beardsley cars were there and D.J. Keldsen was in an American Stock.  Brady Muller won the six lap heat race.  Dakota Keldsen raced into the lead from the start and set a good pace in scoring the feature victory.  Muller was a race long second ahead of Bill Beardsley and Devin Belton.  Erik Moody was a Main Event scratch.


Hirst Wins Tarter Memorial Race 
At Chico Silver Dollar Speedway

Chico, CA...June 16...Kyle Hirst won the David Tarter Memorial 30 lap 410 Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway.  Hirst is the reigning King Of The West Series champion, and he swept the evening with wins in his ten lap heat race and the three lap Dash For Cash.  There were 20 cars in action, and Chase Magdic and Bud Kaeding won their heat races.  Gio Scelzi set the fast time of 11.181.  Majdic led the early Main Event laps ahead of Scelzi and Hirst.  Hirst took over second on lap five before a yellow flag flew.  Hirst, Scelzi and D.J. Netto raced into the Top 3 positions on the restart.  Reigning champion Sean Becker moved the Dan Menne car into third on lap 15 before a caution flag flew.  Hirst continued to lead Scelzi and Becker on the restart.  Kaeding took fourth from Netto on the restart.  A final caution flag waved on lap 21, but Hirst didn't let that stop him as he brought it home to an impressive victory ahead of Scelzi, Becker, Kaeding, Kalib Henry, Netto, Michael Ing, Mason Moore, Majdic and Andy Forsberg.

Tony Richards won the 15 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event.  Richards led all 15 laps of the race and won by a half lap in the non stop event.  Jake Morgan was a race long second.  Heat race winner Craig Swim was third until surrendering the position to Jeremy Wilson late.  Petaluma rookie William Fatu rounded out the Top 5.

Scott Gannett won both the heat and 15 lap Winged Economy Sprint feature.  Gannett won the feature ahead of Mike Ficklin and Mike Sayre.  Reigning champion Wyatt Brown scratched after motor problems in the heat race.

Ocean Speedway Watsonville, CA Race Results June 16, 2017
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo
A Feature 1

Justin Sanders
Geoff Ensign
Mathew Moles
Tommy Tarlton Jr.
Jason Chisum
Kurt Nelson
Brent Kaeding
Jeremy Chisum
Kyle Offill
Dustin Golobic
Cole Macedo
Scott Parker
Brad Furr
Jerry Bonnema
Josh Chisum
Bryan Grier
Gary Nelson Jr.
Wayne Katen
Dustin Freitas
Landon Hurst
Kaleb Montgomery
Michael Kofoid

B Feature 1
Cole Macedo
Dustin Freitas
Scott Parker
Gary Nelson Jr.
Wayne Katen
Bryan Grier
Josh Chisum
Richard Fajardo
Collin Markle DNS

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Adriane Frost
Shane DeVolder
Mark Odgers
Justin McPherson
Mark Hartman
Shawn Bryant
Billy Robertson
Charlie Hunter
Duane Bieser
Bud Aiassa
John Ferro

American Stocks
Terry Campion
Rob Gallaher
Devon Sanders
Austin Williams
Wally Kennedy
Tony Oliveira
Joe Gallaher
Katie Briggs
Jake Silva
Chris McCabe
DJ Keldsen
Samuel Mason
JC Elrod DNS

Four Bangers
Dakota Keldsen
Brady Muller
Bill Beardsley
Devin Belton
Erik Moody DNS

Police n Pursuit
Jesse Mueller
Dan Anderson
Justin Rhodes
Austin Beyner
Steven Fernandez
Mike Mount
Brian Cole
Jeff Bodenmuller
Chris Murphy
Roy Iler
Nick Graham
Josh Seymour
Kyle Dorris
Brad Jones
Michael Briley
Cliff Sloma DNS
Terry Traub DNS

Chico Silver Dollar Speedway Race Results June 16, 2017
410 Sprints

Kyle Hirst
Gio Scelzi
Sean Becker
Bud Kaeding
Kalib Henry
D.J. Netto
Michael Ing
Mason Moore
Chase Majdic
Andy Forsberg
Lucas Ashe
Ryan Souza
Brian McGahan Jr.
Casey McClain
Brandon Powell
Adam Brenton
Brad Bumgarner
Brent Bjork
Justyn Cox
Brian Boswell

Wingless Spec Sprints
Tony Richards
Jake Morgan
Jeremy Wilson
Craig Swim
Will Fatu

Economy Sprints
Scott Gannett
Mike Ficklin
Mike Sayre

Keller Auto Speedway Hanford, CA Race Results June 17, 2016
RaceSaver Sprint Car
Monty Ferriera
Zane Blanchard
Chris Ennis
Grant Duinkerken
mike schott
Scott Meisner
George Tristao
Jared Faria
Cole Danell
Tanner Boul
Mauro Simone
Steven Wenzel
Albert Pombo
Tony Pombo
Doug Gandy
Blaine Fagundes
Landon Davis
Phil Heynen DNS

IMCA Modified
Paul Stone
Bill Wilker
Jeff Streeter
Troy Morris
Terry Hershberger
Steven Fangmeyer
Steve Streeter
Mitchell Alsup
Bill Egleston
Troy Stone
Ryan Larimer
Robby Sawyer
Jimmy Reeves
Kenny Kirkpatrick
Michael Scruggs DNS
Jerry Flippo DNS

Mini Stock
Craig Moody
Shawn Schwartzenberger
Jason Cook
Matt Herod
Ben Lickey
Larry Rameriz
Cory Mata
andrew boydstun
Clinton Massey
Gene Glover
kit murphy
Shawn DePriest
Darren Estermann
William Hughes

Madera Raceway Race Results June 17, 2017
Late Models Modes

Logan Zampa
Garland Tyler
Glenn Cook
Dillion Tucker
Howard Holden
Ryan Philpott
Buddy Shephard
Shelden Cooper
Austin Herzog
Ryan Hart
Loren Kutz
Thomas Suarez
Kevin Thompson
Mark Squadrito
William Martyn
David Lewellen
Zachary Cook
Matt Erickson
Kent Cam
Del McIntosh
Henk Gaalswyk Jr.
Tate Sanders
Racin Vernon
Kyle Gottula
Rick Thompson

Jr. Late Models
Main

Austin Herzog
Eric Nascimento
Jesse Love
Zachary Telford
RJ Smotherman
Jarrett Gilmer
Kolby Berry
Kabe McClenny
Hailie Deegan
Austin Edwards
Kyle Keller
Tanner Reif
Lilly Mead
Anthony Guaimano
Jesse Burks

B Main
Kabe McClenny
RJ Smotherman
Austin Edwards
Lilly Mead
Jesse Burks
Hailey Liles
Jody Moen
Jackson Dukes

MST's
Bert Stephens
Rian Bowman
Shaun Reynolds
Zachary Cook
Dave Lander
Ryan Reynolds
Patrick Geiger
Dennis Brannon
Jason Kerns
Mike Marley
Thomas Magray

Keller Auto Speedway Hanford, CA June 17, 2017
USAC 360 Sprint

Results are not official
1     #83 Austin Leggitt   
2     #17V Danny Faria
3     #92 Jake Swanson
4     #81M Cody "Woody" Major
5     #10 Richard Vanderweerd   
6     #5M Max Adams
7     #3F Klint Simpson
8     #81X Michael Faccinto
9     #88 Jace Vanderweerd
10     #81 Tristan Guardino
11     #16K Landon Cling   
12     #7 Shannon McQueen
13     #55 Kyle Smith   
14     #57 Steve Hix   
15     #58 Steven Garris       
16     #11E Cory Elliott   
17     #29T Ryan Timmons       
18     #33B Brandon Wiley       

Mod Lites
Zack Forster
JD Brown
Jeff Thompson
Anthony Balcazar
Kaden Cochrun
Candi Varney
Tim Varney
Kyleigh Forster
Seth Poncetta
Roy Maynard
Nicholas Johnson
Kenny Cochrun

IMCA Stock Cars
Chad Johnson
Renn Bane
Troy Patee
Alan Mendes
Steve Streeter
James Elliott
Josh Nichols
Shawn Schwartzenberger
Brock Hamilton
Mike Hill
Matthew Brumley

Santa Maria Raceway Race Results June 17, 2017
Late Models

Tony Toste
Clay Daly
Justin Crockett
Dylan Thornton
Jimbo Clark
Jon Blackford
Larry Wise

IMCA Modifieds
Cody Burke
Kenny Kirkpatrick
Ryan Lauer
Troy Morris Jr.
Justin Crockett
Ryan Daves
Brian Clark
Steven Fangmeyer
Jeff Faulkner

Hobby Stocks
Pat Fausel
Scotty Preast
Doug Jeffers
Robby Cervantes
Matt McEwan
Mack McGeary
Kyle Eurto
Eddie Williams
Aaron Bruce
Clay Daly DNS

Pro Stock
Clay Daly
Justin Crockett
Devon Crockett
Doug Thornton
Tim Randolph
Billy Simkins
Frank Nyback
Elton Shaffer
Dave King
Chris Smith
Toby Randolph
Ryan Smith
Chris Clinton DNS

American Stocks
Taylor King
Justin Teller
Gregg Teller
Jimmy Satlawa
Sheldon Bailey
Hailey Wyand
Aaron Bollman
Greg Noah
Kristina McGeary
Ed Wyand
Jimmy Teixeira
Jon Waterfiled
Cody Smith
Raymond Shoemaker
Gary Rayburn Jr.
Jon Shanks
Martin Preciado DNS

Dwarf Cars
Jonathan Henry
Mike Keebler
Justin Jackson
Rich Clark
Ira Henry
Jessica Clark
Greg Tayler

600 Micros
Jimmy Leal
Ethan Evans
Troy Morris III
David Prickett DNS/

Marysville Raceway Race Results June 17, 2017
Winged 360 Sprint Cars

Tyler Seavey
D.J. Freitas
Jeremy Hawes
Mike Monahan
Kevin Lovell
Peter Paulson
Heath Hall
Raquel Hall
Jimmy Steward
Ryan Souza
Michael Ing
Jake Haulot
Bobby Butler

Wingless Spec Sprints
Matt Haulot
Josh Vieira
Billy Wallace
Paul Vandenberg
Shannon Newton
Brett Youngman
Cody Spencer

Winged Economy Sprints
Adam Ermolenko
Jason Holt
Chad Thompson
Cameron Haney Jr.

BCRA Midget Lites
Emilee Lindgren
Scott Kinney
Dakota Albright
Dan Foster
Steve Brown

Petaluma Speedway Race Results June 17. 2017
King Of The West/NARC 410 Sprint Cars

1     #68 Chase Johnson       
2     #0 Bud Kaeding
3     #69 Jamie Veal
4     #20 Cory Eliason
5     #83jr Gio Scelzi
6     #92 Andy Forsberg
7     #3c DJ Netto
8     #26 Billy Aton
9     #98 Sean Watts
10     #25 Bobby McMahan
11     #29r Riley Matson
12     #19 Chase Madjic
13     #12 Jarrett Soares
14     #7 Brent Bjork
15     #28 Nathan Rolfe
16     #12j John Clark
17     #5 Brian Boswel
18     #18 Jenna Frazier       
19     #44 Geoff Ensign       
20     #91ri Eli Deshaies   
21     #95 Jason Paniagua
22     #3 Bill Cornwell   

Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock
Results are not official
1     #3 Matt While   
2     #46 Steve Studebaker
3     #17 Terry Decarlo
4     #60 Shawn McCoy
5     #93 Roger Miller
6     #27 Tim O'Hara       
7     #49 Woody Woodward
8     #11c Sean Cook   
9     #00 Gary Adams       
10     #25k Jeff Kendrick   
11     #0a Sid Hess       
12     #76 Steve Hansen   
13     #22m Mitch Machado
14     #07 Manny Avila

Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks
Results are not official
1     #17c Duane Croft       
2     #32 Sean Hale   
3     #2 Tom Brown
4     #7
5     #74 Chris Sieweke           
6     #13 Dave Spindell
7     #07 Aiden Primrose       
8     #1a Austin Ohlinger   
9     #5 Justin Whisman

Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros
Results are not official
1     #3r Nick Robfogel       
2     #2j Jenna Perkins
3     #23 George Nielson
4     #1 Nathan Schank
5     #11d Tony Soper
6     #1j Jim Beck
7     #11a Amber Fields
8     #83 Danny Potts       
9     #14m Dolan McIntosh

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Antioch Sprint Car Preview, Merced Dwarf Car Preview, Stockton

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Sprint Car Challenge Tour Returns To Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presented by Abreu Vineyards, has taken Northern California by storm.  Everybody knew there would be big car counts, but it's not likely that people knew how big it would really be.  They had their first ever race at Antioch Speedway back in April and produced a track record field of 60 Sprint Cars.  They return to John M. Soares's fast three-eighth mile clay oval this week, and another strong field of cars is anticipated. 

What's interesting is that the tour has come through Antioch, Placerville, Tulare, Petaluma and Stockton, and there are no repeat winners in the first five races.  Cory Eliason wrote his name into the record books at Antioch as the first winner.  He beat recent Indiana Midget Week champion Shane Golobic and Sean Becker that night.  NASCAR star Kyle Larson won at Placerville.  Open Wheel and NASCAR Truck racer Rico Abreu won at Tulare, Willie Croft won at Petaluma and Mitchell Faccinto won at Stockton.  Will there be a new winner or a repeat winner at Antioch this Saturday night?

The SCCT is the pinnacle of Winged 360 Sprint Car racing anywhere on the West Coast.  These drivers are the best of the best.  You don't show up and just run the Main Event.  With at least 40 cars anticipated on Saturday, you have to earn your Main Event starting spot.  A Top 5 finish in this series is almost like a win.  There are no repeat second place finishers yet this season as Golobic, Gio Scelzi, Becker, Colby Copeland and Croft each have one.

With three third place finishes, reigning King Of The West Series champion Kyle Hirst holds a slim two point advantage over reigning Chico 410 Sprint champion Becker.  Becker has four Top 5 finishes in five starts, including his second, two thirds and a fourth.  Hirst, however, has a choice to make.  He is also a Top 5 driver in the King Of The West Series, which races elsewhere on Saturday.  Where will he race?

The point spread between first and fifth is 40 points, and that can be made up quickly.  Willie Croft is just 11 points out of the lead with a win, a second and a fourth.  He's poised to make his move this week.  S. Golobic and Faccinto are in the Top 5, and you also have hard chargers like Eliason, Michael "Buddy" Kofoid, Mason Moore, Ryan Bernal and D.J. Netto in the Top 10.  Golobic's brother Dustin just got a tuneup win for this race last week as he won Antioch's regular 360 Sprint feature with a last lap pass on reigning Petaluma champion Herman Klein.  Both drivers are anticipated this week.

It will be a full slate of racing with the Sprint Cars, starting with time trials.  They will line up their ten lap heat races based on those lap times.  The top heat race finishers will then run a Trophy Dash to determine the first four rows of the Main Event, which is slated to pay $2,500 to win.  There will be C Mains as needed and B Mains, which will transfer the top finishers into the Main Event.  It will be a night of racing that you won't want to miss.

For further information, check out www.antiochspeedway.com.  Or, check out the official SCCT page at www.sprintcarchallengetour.com.

Sprint Car Challenge Points

Kyle Hirst    721
Sean Becker    719
Willie Croft    710
Shane Golobic    688
Mitchell Faccinto 681
Cory Eliason    659
Michael Kofoid    634
Mason Moore    630
Ryan Bernal    629
D.J. Netto    593


Dwarf Car Nationals Coming To 
Merced Speedway Friday And Saturday

Merced, CA...One of the biggest gatherings of Dwarf Car racers will be taking place this Friday and Saturday night at Merced Speedway.  It's time for the Western States Dwarf Car Association's Dwarf Car Nationals.  Various Dwarf Car groups meet at these big events for what has become not just a weekend of great racing, but a little bit of partying and friends just getting together and having fun.  Merced is the second Nationals event this year, but it's also the first time one of these shows has been held at the nearly 70 year old racing facility.

The NCDCA group had some of their first races at Merced about 25 years ago when racers who competed at Stockton's one-eighth mile Delta Speedway formed the association.  Respected racer and car builder Frank Munroe was one of the early stars of the group and won several races and championships in those early seasons.  He was also a man with a vision.  Dwarf Car racing was growing on the West Coast, and he saw the potential for some big blowout events for the group.  The first such races were held every September at Marysville and had car counts of over 100 race cars in those early years.

The WSDCA has several member associations, including NCDCA, SBDCA, SODCA, CDCA and NNODCA.  In fact, there are drivers who compete in non WSDCA groups that join one of member associations so that they can compete in these big events.  The Dwarf Car Nationals events are something racers plan their whole season around.  There's already one race in the books, held in Quincy, California.  The format has three classifications, with the strongest support coming from the Pro division.  There's also a Veterans class for the older drivers and a Sportsman group for the new competitors.

Joe Frock won the first race for the Pros at Quincy when he took the lead from second place finisher Matt Sargent.   Ryan "Ice Chip" Winter, John Isabella and Camden Robustelli made up the remainder of the Top 5.  Kevin Bender won the Veterans race and Mark Hansen got the win in the Sportsman class.

Since this is the first Merced Nationals race and the Dwarf Cars have always raced well there, a huge field exceeding 60 cars is anticipated, and those numbers could rise.  Nor Cal will surely be represented heavily with such stars as Ryan Winter, Danny Wagner, Buddy Olschowka, Scott Dahlgren and long time competitor, Michael "Spanky" Grenert.  That's just a few of the drivers, but Nor Cal generally fields 20 or more cars at their shows and most of those racers will probably be in Merced.

The Bay Area has had a strong contingent of racers during the past 25 years, and SBDCA will surely be represented by such top notch talent as Gene "Punky" Pires, Cameron Diatte, Terre Rothweiler, Mark Biscardi and Shawn Jones.  Jones supports both Northern California groups whenever he can.  SBDCA will be there in full force, which puts the estimated car count into the 40's with just them.  A few competitors from Antioch Speedway will be on hand, including past Antioch and reigning SBDCA champion David Teves, reigning Antioch champion Kevin Miraglio, Mike Corsaro and Charlie "The Hammer" Correia.  Nobody has raced a Dwarf Car in California longer than Correia, who started as an NCDCA member in those early years and raced Super Modifieds for years before that.

Throw in some Petaluma support from the likes of Matt Hagerman, Ryan Klein and Chad Mathias, and we're probably in the 50's with car count.  Then, you'll have such top notch Southern California talent as John Isabella coming in from the CDCA.  There's Quincy winner Joe Frock and Matt Sargent from Nevada, and you also should watch for Southern Oregon stars like reigning SODCA champion Brock Peters, Cody Peters, Camden Robustelli, two time SODCA champion Josh King and Chad Cardoza.  There will be lots of cars in Merced.

If you enjoy the fast and close racing that the Dwarf Cars provide, this is a show you will want to see.  The best of the best on the West Coast will be there to compete for the prize and the bragging rights, and they all enjoy the festive, party atmosphere in the pits afterwards.  As a fan, it's a chance to meet these drivers and the kids can get autographs from their favorite racers.  It's two nights of exciting Dwarf Car racing, and that's not all.

On Saturday night, the Merced Speedway Hobby Stock division will be there.  The Hobby Stocks always put on a great show for the fans, and their recent County Fair race was no exception.  Over 20 cars were there, forcing the division to run a B Main Event.  Garrett Corn had nothing to do with the B Main.  The third generation racer was busy winning his third Main Event of the season, followed closely by Robbie Loquaci, two time winner Kodie Dean and 2015 champion Kevin Joaquin.

Corn is making up for lost ground after one bad night hurt him in points.  With point leader Dean finishing third, he gained very little.  Dean's lead over Loquaci is 31 points with Corn 37 points back.  As the track's Hobby Stocks are on an IMCA point system (without the sanctioning), gaining ground becomes more difficult as long as the leader continues to finish well.  However, there's still lots of racing to come, and anything can happen.  Joaquin returned to the Top 10 in the standings with his finish.

After recording another Top 5 finish, Mike Stockton is still in the hunt as a Top 10 point runner.  Further up in fourth you'll find Kristie Shearer.  The wife of reigning champion Michael Shearer, Kristie is 44 points out of the lead, but she's only 13 points behind Loquci for second.  Other stars to watch for include Austin Van Hoff, Shannon Nelson, James Stockton, Darren Miguel and Tony Peffer.

Saturday will also see the lone appearance of the Super 4 Mini Stock division.  This is a group of racers who competed at Rocky Hill Speedway in Porterville.  With that track dark until September, some of the racers have been looking for more opportunities to race.  Roy Atchison Jr. is the reigning Porterville champion and will be hard to beat.  Sons Roy III and Justin Athison were in action at the recent Bakersfield race, won by Roy Jr. ahead of Roy III.  Darren Esterman, William Hughes, Kit Murphy and Larry Ramirez are other drivers to watch for.

The Valley Sportsman division is also scheduled, and there's a call out to the competitors to get back to the track again.  Car count has been down and the track is currently not keeping a point total for the group this year.  The Rod Poor Tribute Car is anticipated, possibly with Chris Birdsong behind the wheel.  Jeff Bristow may be there as well as he attempts to sell his car.  Both drivers are winners this season.  Word is that Watsonville Sportsman legend and Hall Of Famer Jerry Cecil will be there, and others we're hoping to see include Jeff West, Eric Sealy and two time champion Mike Friesen.

On Friday night, the California Sharp Mini Late Models will compete again.  Thus far, the group has four cars, and all of them have been at every show.  The roster includes feature winners Tim Vaught and Riley Jeppesen as well as Ian Shearer and Tim Crews.

The Dwarf Car Nationals event this Friday and Saturday at Merced will be a great night of racing, and the other classes are icing on the cake.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.


West Coast Sport Mods Headline 
Stockton Speedway Dirt Track Show

Stockton, CA...The IMCA West Coast Sport Modified Tour heads to the dirt of Stockton Speedway this Saturday night.  Promoter Tony Noceti is trying something a bit different this week as he tests the waters at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds racing facility during the County Fair.  Normally a show at this track would feature one or more of the Sprint Car Tours.  This week is a special Stock Car program that features the IMCA Sport Modifieds, the Bombers and the Basically 4 Clylinder divisions.  The latter two divisions are featured on the pavement of Stockton 99 Speedway.

Having won the 2016 IMCA State championship, Brian Cooper wanted to try something different this season.  Brian, his 2016 Silver Dollar Speedway championship winning brother Todd Cooper and Stock Car champion Jerry Bartlett got together and formed the West Coast Sport Mod Tour.  With some great sponsorship from several businesses, they have been able to boost the regular purses at all of the tracks on which they compete.  Over 40 competitors have joined the group for a shot at the increased purses and point monies, and fields well into the 30's have competed.  In fact, WCSM support in a non point capacity boosted one race at Merced (won by Chuck Weir) into the 30's. 

When the tour finally opened their season after multiple rain outs, over 40 cars filled the pits as part of Merced's Ted Stofle Classic.  Track champion Rick Diaz won that race over Bakersfield's Michael Johnson and 2014 IMCA State  champion Nick Spainhoward.  Chico was the beginning of a two race weekend, and a Bakersfield sweep saw Matthew Mayo Jr. winning his first career race ahead of Johnson and Lee Jensen.  Three time Stock Car champion and current Chico and Marysville point leader Phillip Shelby won the next night ahead of Spainhoward and 2015 IMCA State champion Fred Ryland.  With his fourth place finish, Johnson is the only driver with all Top 5's at this point.

The concept of this Sport Mod Tour is simple.  You bring the best of the best in the division together in one place.  Most of the Northern California tracks cooperated with scheduling.  Even with Bakersfield Speedway not included, they've had a strong presence.  In fact, Johnson is the point leader, but it's very close at the top.  Only 14 points separate the Top 10 of Johnson, Spainhoward, Ryland, IMCA State point leader DeVolder, Jensen, Shelby, Jeremy Hoff, Kyle Wood, Tyler Rodgers and 2015 Marysville champion Howard Law.

Given the close proximity between Stockton and Antioch, racers like reigning Antioch champion Trevor Clymens, Stock Car champion Todd Gomez, 2016 Hobby Stock champion Guy Ahlwardt and Mark Garner are anticipated.  Not far down the road is Merced, and a few competitors will likely be in town to represent.  This is an opportunity for the Sport Modified racers to show what they can do.

Marysville racers like the Cooper brothers and Bartlett are looking to add their first win to the record books, and there will be several others from the area as well.  The other thing to consider is the fact that there seems to be an interest from management at Stockton in doing more Stock Car type things on the dirt track.  A good showing for this division will open the door for more races in the future.

Noceti offered further incentive for his Bomber (Hobby Stock) drivers to compete on the dirt.  This is a point race for the group that is used to racing on the pavement track.  Ben Lewis II is the point leader and has won most of the Main Events this year.  Ben's father and Kyle Singleton have all done some racing on the dirt at Merced Speedway in recent years, and the Lewis's have done well.  All three will probably be at the dirt race.  Mikala Stearns is 74 points behind Lewis II in second.  She's had multiple second place finishes, which helps give her a six point lead over John Medina, who has also finished as high as second.  Only 21 points out of second is Darin Adler.  They have a solid car count in Bombers on the pavement track, but it will be interesting to see who decides to run the dirt.  Antioch Speedway has had some rumblings of drivers interested in racing, and it's rumored that Top 5 point competitor and rookie Chris Bennett will be coming to town in the Bob Hansen Tribute Car.

The Basically 4 Cylinder class is also on the card.  Andrew Rumsey is a Main Event winner this year, and he carries a 19 point lead over Justin McGegee into the race.  Ethan Rumsey, Justin Terry and Jaya Nelson are other Top 5 competitors this year.  Once uppon a time, Stockton's only place for Mini Stock racing was right across the fairgrounds parking lot at Delta Speedway.  It was a huge show in those early days.  The lure of running the bigger Stockton dirt track may call other Mini Stock competitors from several places, but who is the question.  It will be interesting to see who will come out for this race.

Stock Car racing will headline the Fair Time show at the Stockton dirt track this Saturday night, and it should be an exciting program.  For further information, go to www.stockton99.com.