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Orland Raceway Schedule Signals Good Times Ahead In 2020

Orland, CA...The new schedule has been released for Orland Raceway, and it promises all of the excitement and good times people have enjoyed in recent years. Promoter Rich Hood enters his fifth season as he comes off of what some people regard as his best year in charge of the fifth-mile dirt oval last season. Fans have enjoyed Pure Stock, Mini Stock and Mini Truck racing on the Glenn County Fairgrounds based track for years now, and those three divisions return once again. Coming off of a solid season, the Wingless Spec Sprints are back along with the 250 Micros and other classes.

There are still some people who look at Orland Raceway being in the shadow of the better-known track in Chico, but fans who came out to watch races last season left after being entertained by some very exciting racing. The 2020 schedule is spaced once again to allow drivers an opportunity to get their cars ready for the next show. There aren't many back-to-back weeks of racing. Hood knows that his racers and fans have budgets, so he's booked a schedule to ensure that they won't have to miss any of the action.

Following playdays that are scheduled for March 7th and 22nd, the raceway roars into action on April 4th with a program consisting of Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Stocks and 250 Micros. The Spec Sprints and Pure Stocks will carry the heaviest load at the speedway as each class is booked 15 times. The Mini Stocks get 12 dates, while the sometimes crazy Mini Truck class gets 14 dates. The first date for them is on NAPA Auto Parts night at the races on April 11th. The Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints and Mini Trucks are also part of that show.

Two popular divisions are each getting three visits. They are the California Hardtops and the Crate Sprints, the latter of which is a featured division at Marysville Raceway. Orland will follow the Marysville rules for the class, and their first stop will be on May 2nd along with the Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and 250 Micros. They return on June 20th along with the Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints and Mini Trucks and make a final appearance on October 9th.

The October 9th and 10th two-day event is very special to Orland Raceway. It's Battle of the Axles 5, an event that Hood introduced to the speedway at the end of his first season at the helm. All of the divisions get special increased purses. The Crate Sprints are joined on the 9th by the Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and the California Hardtops. On the 10th, one of the biggest Pure Stock races in the state happens. It's been paying $1,000 to win for the past few seasons, and they will be joined by Wingless Spec Sprints and a Destruction Derby to end the night.

Getting back to the Hardtops, they make their first appearance at the speedway on April 25th. They will be joined with by the Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks and Micro 250 Sprints. The second Hardtop appearance is September 5th. The Wingless Spec Sprints, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and 250 Micro Sprints will make that an exciting night for sure.

Orland has some special nights that have become very popular with the fans, and they will all continue this year. A night at The Glenn County Fair is always special. They will have their traditional Friday night race on May 15th, featuring Wingless Spec Sprints, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. It's usually one of the biggest attended races and a great atmosphere to enjoy. A night later will be the annual Destruction Derby with a stock class. There will also be a Boat Race and a woman's Mini Van event. 

The Thomas Schmidtke Race For A Cure event happens on June 13th. Schmidtke was a beloved member of the Orland community who lost his battle with Cancer. The family began a fundraiser to make sure that his infant daughter was taken care of. As this event grew, the family branched out to raise money for various causes that fight Cancer. It's an event that not only raises money, but drivers vie to win the big trophies that night. Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks and 250 Micro Sprints are all there that night. Saturday night happens to be July 4th of this year, and the speedway will roar to life with Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. A special Ladies Night happens on July 18th with a reduced ticket price for the ladies. Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and Wingless 250 Micros will be there that night.

August 29th is another one of those special events. It's Kid's Bike Night. Not only do kids get to race for trophies on the track, there's also a bike giveaway. Local racer Barbara Crain helps management organize this event, which seems to get bigger every year. Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and Wingless 250 Micro Sprints will all race that night. Fan Appreciation Night is another event people mark on their calendars. The September 19th show sees the drivers put their cars on display behind the main grandstand before the races for a meet and greet. Pure Stocks will race along with Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. It's the final point race for the Spec Sprints. The other three divisions return along with the Wingless 250 Micro Sprints to close the point season the following week.

The NorCal Dwarf Car class has given their blessing for a visit. Last year saw them bring a limited field for what proved to be a very entertaining race. This year, the Dwarf Cars make their visit on August 1st along with Wingless Spec Sprints, Pure Stocks, Wingless 250 Micros and Micro 600s. The schedule is loaded with excitement all season long, and there's the possibility of other big announcements to be made during the season.

Last season saw the Pure Stock division explode with some of its biggest numbers seen at the speedway in years. On some nights, the count was so big that they needed a B Main to fill the Main Event field. With previous champion Paul Stephens missing a few races and 2017 title winner Jeremy Langenderfer splitting time between this class and Wingless Spec Sprints and Mini Stocks, the battle shaped up between multi-time Mini Truck champion Keith Ross and Phil Spencer. This was a battle that went down to the very end of the season with the championship very much in doubt.

Ross shot out the gate with back-to-back victories to take the early lead, but it was a slim lead with Spencer finishing on the podium both nights. The consistent Spencer had a good four-race run from there, while a pair of bad nights dropped Ross from the lead. He remained In contention while Spencer was able to pick off his first win. Spencer had a terrible July and had a dismal showing on the final night. In fact, Ross was in a position to overtake him, but he only finished a couple of positions better than Spencer in the finale. When points were tallied, Spencer won the championship by a mere two points. It was one of the closest battles in Speedway history.

Steve Martin is a past champion, and he stayed with it all season despite really not having the kind of luck he's been used to in the past. This earned him the third place trophy, though Martin will certainly be looking for the key to getting back to the Main Event winner's circle again this year. Stephens missed the first two races and still only trailed Martin by 34 points in the end, while beating John Camper by just 21 points to secure fourth. Stephens was a feature winner and also one of the most exciting drivers to watch on any given race night.

Wes Smock returned after a lengthy absence and didn't look like he missed a beat. The man who delighted fans some 20 years ago with his battles with the legendary Ken Lewis led the division in feature triumphs and ended up sixth in the standings ahead of Langenderfer, who was another feature winner. James Taylor, Maurice Merrill and Thomas Pavlik were also ranked in the Top 10, in order. Longtime Orland racer Kevin Pendergrass returned late in the season and ran strong, winning the final point race.

The Wingless Spec Sprint division saw an increase in car count, assisted by the decision in Chico to drop their own class. Orland has the second longest running Spec Sprint division in the state behind Antioch Speedway, where the class started in 1999. Tony Richards is the top local star in this class and has won championships at both Orland and Chico. As fast as he's been in his visits in recent years, it was a foregone conclusion to most people that Richards would win the championship in dominant fashion. Though he did dominate, the championship eluded him.

At the season opener, Richards had mechanical issues and was unable to start the feature. Fellow championship hopeful RJ Baker also suffered problems in heat race competition to end his night early. Richards, however, had the antidote to that. He proceeded to win eight Main Events, including the next three following his disastrous start. However, Denny McNary was the most consistent driver at the speedway. Seeing him fail to earn a podium finish was a rare occasion. Though Richards chipped away at the McNary lead each week, McNary still won the championship by 27 points in the end.

The Spec Sprint division saw the car count maintain double digits for most of the season, and new drivers begin joining the ranks as the season wore on. Baker returned with a vengeance and finished third in the standings by 51 points ahead of Cort Marchuk. Both drivers earned multiple podium feature finishes during the season. Fifth in the standings and top rookie honors went to Jeremy Langenderfer. It was a dream come true for the Hobby Stock competitor to get the chance to do some Sprint Car racing, and he handled himself very well against the competition, losing fourth in the standings by just 25 points.

It was Ryan Owens finishing sixth in the battle ahead of Jerry Douglas, Cassie Amore, Josh Tucker and Tyler Rockwell. Douglas, Tucker and Doug Butterfield were also feature winners. With the Spec Sprint division doing as well as it is, an Orland event for this division is quickly becoming something people circle on their calendars as something they don't want to miss.

Tom Davis has turned into one of the top Mini Stock competitors in the state. Not only does he win often in Orland, he had multiple victories again in Susanville and won one of the biggest races in Hayfork in July, leaving with a $500 first prize that night. Davis had an early season challenge from Kevin Pendergrass, who won the second race. However, Pendergrass would elect to remove himself from the battle. Davis won 10 races in 12 starts and left little doubt that he would be the champion. Only Pendergrass and Paul Stephens were able to evict him from the winner's circle. 

On the track during the second half of the season, past champion John Kirkpatrick, Jason Libbee and Barbara Crain made things interesting with their weekly battles for second. Crain was a welcome return to the speedway as she had announced prior to the season that she would be retiring from driving. Kirkpatrick was just a bit more consistent than Libbee when it counted and would finish second by 30 points in the end. Crain ended up fourth by a comfortable margin ahead of Langenderfer. The remainder of the top 10 was filled by Tammy Whicker, Pendergrass, Shasta competitor Dusty Hills, Matt Canada and Stephens.

The Mini Truck division is always a thrill to see at Orland. These drivers tend to race a bit more aggressively than the drivers in the other classes and put on an entertaining show. The season started off well for Zack Webster. He won a pair of races, but when he rolled his truck off of the second turn at the fourth event, he lost valuable ground in the battle. His father, past champion Dan Webster, missed a pair of early races, but with six wins to his credit, he was the most dominant driver when he was there. The championship, however, came down to a battle between Kalvin Kvalvik and William Fogle. Fogle had back-to-back podium finishes when he made the decision that ultimately might have cost him the championship.

Fogle made a trip to Hayfork in victory, but Kvalvik stayed local and grabbed his second podium finish that night. There was still a close battle at the front, but everybody faded as consistent podium finishes kept Kvalvic at the front. He won multiple Main Events and ended up beating Fogle by 42 points for the championship. Only 19 points behind Fogle was Dan Webster. In fact, Webster only beat Dan Libbee by nine points as Libbee settled for fourth. James Wooddell ended up fifth, followed by Anthony Esquaville, Zack Webster, Beau Chandler, Tony Quinones and Rick Etchieson

Micro Sprints have been a staple at the speedway since being introduced to the track by then Promoter Mike McCann back in 2013. The 250 class saw Mike McCarthy miss a race before returning and becoming dominant with the most wins in the class. In the finale, contact from another car exiting Turn 4 in the battle for the lead sent McCarthy into the front wall and flipping spectacularly. He was uninjured, and he managed to win the championship by just 20 points ahead of the steady Ronnie Heyer. Heyer missed three races, but he won a Main Event down the stretch to put him in the position to possibly win in the end. He outran Lester Elsey by just 14 points to finish second. Jess Garland and Kylie Porath completed the Top 5. Porath and Elsey counted themselves among the feature winners for the season.

In the 600 Micro class, Tyler Rockwell made the late-season commitment to run for the championship. Past champion Jeromie Crismon led early, and both drivers were among the feature winners for the season. However, Crismon took himself out of the lead by skipping the second to last race. Rockwell won the finale and beat Crismon by 19 points for the championship. Colby Greig, Tony Alosi and Jessica McManus completed the Top 5 in the standings. Cody Gray and McManus counted themselves among the feature winners in the seven race season.

It has become a proud tradition of racing at Orland Raceway, and it actually stretches back to the 1970s. The current track was built a little over 30 years ago and is experiencing its best run in 15 years. Car count is growing, and this is leading to more fans coming to check out the show. There are big things ahead for this little race track. For further information, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page.

10th Annual Toller Memorial Kicks Off Season 
At Marysville Raceway

Marysville, CA...The 2020 season is about to begin at Marysville Raceway. In recent years, management has elected to get things started at the end of February with the Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial race. This is an event that honors the long time Marysville and Grass Valley official and announcer and his wife, who served as scorekeeper at both tracks. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be competing along with the Wingless Spec Sprints and the Crate Sprints.

The $2,000 to win first prize should entice some of the top 360 Sprint Car competitors in the area. Last year, the race was run under threatening skies with a reduced field, and it was Placerville champion Andy Forsberg picking up his second win in this event. Only Forsberg and Justin Sanders are two-time winners of this event as other winners include current NARC/King of the West Sprint Car champion DJ Netto, Jonathan Allard, current Chico champion Sean Becker, current Sprint Car Challenge champion Kyle Hirst and Jeremy Burt.

The Winged 360 Sprint Car division serves as a strong headline class on any given night on which they are competing. Last season saw the championship go to Michael Ing on the strength of six feature wins. Past Marysville champions Korey Lovell and Mike Monahan finished second and third, respectively. Other top local racers include Pat Harvey Jr, Jimmy Steward, Alec Justeson and Billy Wallace. There should be some top drivers in the field from other areas as well. 

As with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, the Wingless Spec Sprints were a part of this race when it first started in 2011. Other than last year, this class has always been a part of this show. They were dropped from the regular rotation at the track following the 2017 season. However, several top Spec Sprint drivers in Northern California have enjoyed competing here in the past and should help make a decent car count. Placerville Winged 360 Sprint Car star Kalib Henry won the race for this division two years ago with Cody Spencer winning the previous season. Terry Schank Jr, who could be the driver to beat this Saturday, won this race in 2016, and other winners in the past include Aaron Gustin, Scott Hall and Jeremy Hawes. Hawes is the only two-time winner for this class. For the Spec Sprints, this is their first opportunity anywhere in the state to go racing this year. 

Last season, the Winged Crate Sprint class was included in this event for the first time. Darren Johnson picked up the win in what was a solid 10 car field. Johnson might have been the champion last year with his four victories during the first half of the season, but he fell out during the stretch run. Brett Youngman used consistency as the only nine time Top 5 finisher to win the championship. His only win during the season happened in a visit to Chico. Kiely Ricardo finished second in the standings, just eight points ahead of Cameron Haney Jr. These three drivers are anticipated for this race, and others to watch for include Nick Larson, Chad Thompson and Mike Ballantine.

The Sherm and Loree Toller Memorial race gives fans an opportunity to return to Marysville to enjoy the first event of the season. The Sprint Car themed program always manages to delight the crowd. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.

Sprint Cars, Stock Cars Scheduled For 
Keller Auto Speedway Saturday Night

Hanford, CA...The season kicked off on an impressive note at Keller Auto Speedway last Saturday night. The three-division program included 70 total race cars and a packed house to enjoy the show. The King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars and IMCA Modifieds return this Saturday along with the season openers for the IMCA Stock Cars and House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks.

The King of Thunder Sprint Car Series was created between Hanford and Tulare last year, resulting in bigger numbers and a very competitive field. Last Saturday's show offered proof that this trend will continue this year. There were 23 Sprint Cars last week, and it turned out to be the race of the night. Mitchell Faccinto made his winning pass on Keith Day Jr with two laps remaining and brought it home to a crowd-pleasing victory.

One of the things keeping Winged Sprint Car racing going well these days is the inflow of talented young competitors. The addition in recent years of drivers like Faccinto, Gio Scelzi, Dominic Scelzi, Netto and Michael Faccinto is making for some great racing in Hanford. Those drivers are anticipated on Saturday and also count themselves as front runners in the race for victory. Others to watch for include Kaleb Montgomery, Steven Kent, Grant Duinkerken and Mitchell Moles.

The second event of the four race IMCA Modified schedule for the track happens this week. After two years off of the schedule, the Modified racers showed how badly they wanted to be there last week by producing a strong 24 car field. This group had a heavy Bakersfield flavor to it, and Robby Sawyer won a nip-and-tuck battle with Cody Laney and Brad Pounds to sweep the podium. Pounds won the championship in Hanford back in 2015, but he finished second to Sawyer in the standings at Bakersfield last year. 

It could easily be a battle between these three for the championship, which will actually wrap up after the fourth race on April 25th. As IMCA requires a minimum of four races to consider it an official championship, Hanford will indeed have a track champion once again. The track was actually the first to offer an IMCA sanctioned championship series in California back in 1989, and Hanford had a strong Modified presence throughout the 1990s.

One of the drivers in the field last week who can lay claim to being a champion at both Hanford and Merced in the past is Paul Stone. Stone managed a fourth place finish ahead of Ryan Daves last week. These five drivers are anticipated this week, and other drivers to watch for include past Merced and Chowchilla champion Randy Brown, Rob Sanders, Dylan Thornton, Steve Noland, Jerry Flippo and past Hanford champion Billy Wilker.

Every season, the IMCA Stock Car division continues to gather momentum on the West Coast. This division got its foot in the door at Keller Auto Speedway over a decade ago, and the track continues to put up the biggest numbers for the class on the West Coast. Drivers like Ron Hurt, Loren DeArmond, Brock Hamilton and Troy Patee count themselves as Hanford champions during the decade, but the current champion is Bakersfield's Chad Johnson. Chad won four of the six events last year, but he still only managed to hold off runner-up Cody Johnson by just six tallies in the end. The Johnson brothers have proven tough to beat wherever they go.

Frequently, the IMCA Stock Car class is producing double digit numbers. This field includes such talented racers as Patee, Hamilton, Hurt, Larry Thompson, Rod Bane, Renn Bane and Tanner Lorenzo. Though Chad Johnson has proven extremely difficult to beat, there are some good drivers lining up for the opportunity this Saturday night.

Some of the biggest car counts for the track last year were produced by the House of JuJu CVMS Mini Stock division. The group, which is now in its fourth season, has helped Hanford establish a class. That has been a struggle in recent years. Not only is Dan Myrick the reigning CVMS champion, he used consistency to hold off Jason Cook by just 11 points to win the Hanford championship as well. Cook scored two feature victories to one for Myrick.

CVMS championship runner-up Gene Glover ended up third in Hanford points last year. A strong turnout of Mini Stock racers is anticipated this Saturday night, led by hard chargers such as Greg Baronian, Clinton Massey, Darren Wilson, Brent Myrick, Danny Myrick and Jeff Durant. The cars are pretty evenly matched and the racing is always exciting when the CVMS is in town. The fact that the CVMS is competing for $5,000 in point fund money offered up by House of JuJu of Clovis and Morro Bay lends itself to helping them produce good car counts.

Saturday should offer some great racing all the way around with this four-division lineup. You won't want to miss out. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.

Hogge, Gonzalez, Nation, Robinson 
Win Stockton Dirt Track Main Events

Stockton, CA...February 22...Bobby Hogge IV scored the victory in the 25 lap Dirt Modified Main Event Saturday night at the Stockton Dirt Track. The win paid Hogge $1,500. With a front row starting position, Hogge charged into the lead at the outset, trailed closely by Riley Simmons and Anthony Slaney. Slaney and Nick DeCarlo settled into second and third on the second lap. Ryan McDaniel and Troy Foulger started deep in the pack, and McDaniel charged into fourth on the ninth lap. Moments later, Foulger gained fifth, and the duo both got past DeCarlo on the 13th lap as DeCarlo retired with front-end issues. The flying Hogge lapped seventh place Buddy Kniss on the 19th lap. Kniss had a flat tire and lost a wheel moments later for a red flag.

Hogge maintained the lead on the restart as McDaniel made a move on Slaney. However, Slaney came charging by on the outside to maintain second. Nobody was going to stop Hogge from scoring the impressive win. Slaney held off the advances of McDaniel for the $600 second place finish. Foulger settled for fourth, followed by Simmons, Tim Balding, Steve Studebaker, Jeffrey Faulkner, Anthony Giuliani and Kniss. The eight lap heat race wins went to Foulger, Duane Cleveland and Studebaker.

Point leader Jesse Gonzalez scored an impressive win in the 20 lap Tri State Pro Stock Series Main Event. Gonzalez won the New Year's race as well. The win paid the Nevada racer $1,500. Gonzalez sprinted into the lead at the start ahead of Bakersfield area star Justin Crockett and Bay Area racer Ryan Cherezian. Santa Maria's Dave King Jr slipped past Cherezian for third on lap four. The only yellow flag of the race flew on a lap 10 as Antioch champion Kimo Oreta, Tyler Jones and Terry DeCarlo tangled in Turn 3. Gonzalez resumed command on the restart with King charging past Crockett for second. The battle for second got a little bit too close in Turn 1 as Crockett got into the rear end of King on lap 16. King limped to the pits as Gonzalez continued to lead Crockett. Gonzalez sped to a comfortable victory ahead of Crockett, Jeff Olschowka, reigning series champion Mike Learn, Cherezian, Oreta, Bill Hall III, Chris Smith, Ryan Smith and John Evans. The eight lap heat race wins went to Crockett, Cherezian and Learn

Jason Nation won the $1,000 prize in the 20 lap Sport Modified Main Event. Nation had a front-row start and charged immediately into the lead in what would be a non-stop event. Point leader Guy Ahlwardt settled into second with Merced champion Fred Ryland charging into third on the second lap. Nation gradually stretched his advantage over Alhwardt to a straightaway by the halfway point. Nation would go on to victory with Ahlwardt a solid second. Fred Ryland won a close battle with Bobby Hogge IV to finish third. Brent Curran settled for fifth, followed by Antioch champion Tommy Fraser, Craig Nieman, Jeremy Hoff, Brian Lewis and Shawn Smith. Eight lap heat wins went to Alhwardt, Curran and Hogge.

Point leader Ryan Robinson scored the unlikely victory in the 20 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Heat race winner Tim Kaeding had the front row start and led Robinson and heat race winner Justyn Cox when the green flag waved. Kaeding seemed to have things well in control when he slowed after completing the 13th lap with a flat tire. The crew got that repaired, but Kaeding would have other issues and retired from the race. Ryan Robinson emerged with the lead and paced Cox and Kyle Offill on the restart. The lead trio ran in that order all the way to the checkered flag as past Petaluma champion Jake Haulot, Jodie Robinson, Ashlyn Rodriguez and Kaeding completed the finishing order. 

Les Friend won the 20 lap Bomber Main Event. Nick Baldwin seemed to have the race won until a wild restart on lap 16 opened the door for Friend to drive-by and gain his second-straight win. Past Antioch champion Melissa Myers led the opening lap before an outside pass on the front stretch gained DJ Keldsen first. Placerville champion Nick Baldwin made a pass down the backstretch on lap four to take second from Meyers. The leaders caught traffic on lap 10, and Baldwin went high. As they exited Turn 2 of the 11th lap, Baldwin gained the lead from Keldsen. Keldsen had problems lapping a slower car but kept it straight on lap 12 moments before Baldwin developed a left front flat tire. The yellow flag finally waved for a car on the back stretch on a lap 15. Racing to the green flag, the left front tire came off of the Baldwin car, and he pitted off the back stretch. Friend made a move around Keldsen for the lead. Despite smoking, Keldsen ran close behind Friend, but Friend prevailed at the checkered flag. Clarence Holbrook finished third, followed by Rick Etchieson, Myers, Brett Taylor, Rich Denman, Paul Pedroncelli, Baldwin and Ryan Peter. Friend and Taylor won their respective eight lap heat races.

Chris Corder won the six lap Mini Stock heat race and the 12 lap Main Event. The past Merced and Chowchilla champion was the winner of the previous feature a few weeks ago. Corder had a front-row starting position and charged into the lead at the start. A yellow flag waved on lap three as Dan McCabe broke exiting turn two. Corder continued to lead point leader Joe Flowers on the restart. They ran that way to the finish with Trevor Jolley settling for third ahead of McCabe.

The next scheduled event is Saturday, March 21st. The NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Series will be making an appearance along with a Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series. The following week, Dirt Modifieds and Sport Modifieds are back In action along with the Pro Stocks, Bombers and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.stocktondirttrack.com.

Faccinto, Warmerdam, Sawyer Open 
Keller Auto Speedway Season With Wins

Hanford, CA...February 22...Mitchell Faccinto scored the victory in the King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. This was the season opener for the speedway, which is under the new promotion of Peter Murphy this season, and the Faccinto win came with a thrilling late race pass.

Keith Day Jr won the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Grant Duinkerken to earn the pole position for the feature race. Day set the early pace ahead of Duinkerken and Dominic Scelzi. Scelzi slipped past Duinkerken for second on the fourth lap before a yellow flag waved. A red flag waved on the restart attempt after Joey Ancona and Zane Blanchard crashed, eliminating both competitors. Day continued to lead Scelzi and Faccinto on the restart, and they ran in that order until a lap 12 yellow flag as Scelzi saw his race come to an end. Day led Faccinto and Gio Scelzi on the next restart. Following the final yellow flag of the race on lap 16, the race was on for the victory. Day led Faccinto and Gio Scelzi in a close battle at the front of the pack. Only a second separated the three drivers during the waning laps. Faccinto made his winning move on the 28th lap with Scelzi following closely into second. Mitchell Faccinto went on to victory ahead of Gio Scelzi and reigning series champion DJ Netto. Day settled for a disappointing fourth place finish, followed by Michael Faccinto, Kaleb Montgomery, Steven Kent, Duinkerken, Mitchell Moles and Jace Vanderweerd.

A solid 23 car field came to compete, and Mitchell Faccinto had the quickest lap of 12.230, beating a 12.248 of Netto. Eight lap heat race wins went to Dom Scelzi, Duinkerken and Moles. Day outran Duinkerken to win the six lap Trophy Dash.

Brendan Warmerdam won the 25 lap IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car Main Event. Polesitter Rob Soloman set the early pace ahead of Kyle Rasmussen and Warmerdam. Warmerdam made his move into second on the sixth lap and took up pursuit of the flying Soloman. Working the 18th lap, Warmerdam finally slipped past Soloman to grab the lead. From there, Warmerdam went on to claim the victory. Soloman settled for second, followed by Grant Champlin, Colby Thornhill, Mike Schott, Connor Danell, Michael Pombo, Albert Pombo, Brooklyn Holland and Rick Bray. 

Soloman had the quickest lap of 14.440 with Rasmussen second fast at 14.461. The 23 car field ran three eight lap heat races with wins going to Blaine Fagundes, Michael Pombo and Bray.

Robbie Sawyer won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. The division has returned to Hanford for a limited amount of appearances after a one-year hiatus. Sawyer had the pole position for the race and set the early pace ahead of Brad Pounds and Jerry Flippo. Cody Laney charged by Flippo for third on the fifth lap as Sawyer and Pounds ran closely in front. Yellow flags punctuated the race on laps seven and eight, and Sawyer led Pounds and Laney on each restart. The Top 3 competitors ran closely, and Laney made a move around Pounds on the final lap. However, it was Sawyer taking the checkered flag in victory, followed by Laney, Pounds, Paul Stone, Ryan Daves, Flippo, Rob Sanders, Randy Brown, Dylan Thornton and Steve Noland. There were 24 competitors, and eight lap heat race victories went to Stone, Laney and Kyle Heckman.

Racing continues next Saturday night as the King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars return, joined by the IMCA Stock Cars and Central Valley Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.

California Hardtops Release 2020 Schedule

Placerville, CA...After spending the past several weeks securing dates with promoters at various racing venues, California Hardtop Association President John Philbert released the tentative 2020 schedule for the vintage racing group. The CHA features several different variations of Ford, Chevy and Dodge Coupe and Sedan race cars from the 1930s and 1940s. They always give the fans a good show wherever they go. 

Through the years, the CHA has competed at over a dozen different venues from pavement to dirt, and Philbert handled the task of securing the group races at a variety of different venues, while still giving them enough time to make it easier for the drivers to maintain their cars and be ready for as many events as possible. In the end, there were twelve dates booked at five different venues.

The two tracks that will host the Hardtops the most this year will be Orland Raceway and Placerville Speedway. In fact, the group visits the 1/5 mile dirt oval in Orland on April 25th, and they return for late-season visits on September 5th and October 9th. The latter date will be the closer for the season. On May 2nd, they visit another of the drivers' favorite tracks, Placerville Speedway. The quarter-mile bullring will also host the vintage group on June 27th and July 25th.

The schedule also calls for a pair of visits each at Chico's Silver Dollar Speedway, Marysville Raceway and Antioch Speedway. Chico will be the place to be on June 12th and July 10th, both of which are Friday night shows. Marysville gets the Hardtops on June 27th and August 29th. The group got their start at Antioch Speedway over a decade ago, and they return on August 1st. The Chet Thomson Memorial will take place at Antioch Speedway on September 26th.

There was plenty of excitement at the Hardtop shows last season, and the driver doing most of the winning was Ron Ruiz. In fact, Ron ranked #1 in the DCRR Racing News rankings last year, followed by "The Rocket Man" Ken Clifford, Joe Hopp and Joe Shenefield. Of those drivers, only Hopp is questionable for the coming season. Joe is in the process of moving out of state, but his fellow competitors are hoping to coax him out for at least a visit or two in the coming season.

Placerville seems to be the venue that draws the biggest support. One of the more exciting races of last year saw Bay Area racer Dave Mackey pilot the Dudley Brothers Tribute Car from the back of the pack to victory. Fellow Bay Area racer Ken Retzloff was also a feature winner on the circuit. It's possible that this duo could turn up in Placerville for a visit or two this season.

As it is, Ruiz and Clifford are definitely looking forward to all of the excitement this year. Last season was perhaps the best year yet for Ruiz as he seemed to have the car to beat on various occasions. Clifford takes more pride in just being part of the pack and having fun. The enthusiastic Hardtop booster provides GoPro cameras for all of the competitors to capture some amazing in-car footage. Clifford recently sold a race car to Clay Foster, who plans on joining the group this year. Though Ken didn't win a Main Event, he did win one of the most exciting heat races of the year in Orland last year. On occasion, we should also see Ken's son Jason Clifford piloting the team's other car.

Shenefield had his moments last year, but some bad luck late in the season caused him to miss a couple of races. He plans to be ready for the action this year. Another driver absent for much of the season was Dave Reed. Reed is driving the car formerly owned by Philbert. It has been fast and won races with Read behind the wheel, but motor problems last year plagued him. He's hoping for better luck this year.

Another driver who is fast when he's on the scene is Roger MacShain. MacShain got his opportunity to get into the racing action by purchasing the Sedan formerly owned by Bill McLaughlin. Rob Waldrop drove that car to multiple victories in the past. Larry Wells will be back in the Dream Bowl #51 Sedan. We should see several other racers at various times during the year, including Mario Romano, Rhett Lange, Tom Grady and the always fast Jason Armstrong. Armstrong will be competing in various classes during the season, but hopefully he'll get the opportunity to make a few Hardtop races.

The team of Daniel Carver and Jeff Kendrick are getting into the Hardtop class. Kendrick purchased a car with a rich history. The original car was piloted by Southern Oregon racing Hall of Famer Harold Hardesty at the old Ashland track in the 1950s. The body of that car actually was used on that car back then, and though its most recent owner, Terry DeCarlo, painted the car last year, Kendrick has restored the old paint and is planning on running the paint scheme Harold ran back in the day.

The roster of active Northern California Hardtop racers is well over 20 cars these days, and one of the ways the group is hoping to get the numbers up beyond Placerville is by running a schedule that doesn't require the drivers to race every week. They are hoping to see visits from Bay Area competitors, such as Mackey, Retzloff, Doug Braudrick, Tommy Thomson and Matt Dragoon.

The CHA Hardtops don't engage in serious championship racing. It's more of an exhibition where the drivers respectfully battle each other for position. The competition still gets close and exciting. As the competitors are familiar with each other, they're more comfortable with enjoying side by side laps and entertaining the fans. Whether in Placerville, Orland, Chico, Marysville or Antioch, you'll want to check out the California Hardtop Association whenever they are in town.

Antioch Speedway Gets New Entry Level Division 
With Return Of Four Bangers

Antioch, CA...With the announcement that Chad Chadwick is the new promoter at Antioch Speedway, there are many changes being made to the program. This year will be the 60th consecutive championship season at the Contra Costa County based clay oval track. From those early days when it was Hardtops thrilling the crowd, the speedway has always adapted and rolled with the times. 

One thing that has always been important to the longevity of the program is the entry-level division. This is the class that the newer drivers could use to get their start as the premier class became just a bit more expensive. In the early years, the Hardtops were the only class. As they evolved into the Sportsman division, or the "Skinny Cars" as they were affectionately known, there was need for a new class. Early Model Stock Cara were added to the rotation in 1967. Hall of Famer JD Willis got his start in that division during the very first season for the class.

As the Stock Cars evolved, the speedway again saw the need for a new entry level class, and the Street Stocks were born in 1978. The division was probably more successful than any other entry level class had been before. For nearly a decade, the division was producing the biggest car count at the speedway, and new stars emerged from there, such as Scott Busby, Bert Elworthy, Bart Reid and Don Shelton. The 1990's saw a change as the entry-level division wasn't feeding drivers into the Late Models, which had become a bit pricey. The Dirt Modifieds began in 1990. They have now been a part of the roster for over 30 years and are the track's premier class. As Street Stocks evolved, the Hobby Stock division began in 1995 as the new entry-level class.

As technology evolves and people move on to different things, getting new drivers into the sport continues to be a challenge. The automobile industry has evolved to a point where we have to think differently when it comes to rules and what divisions are viable. There was an abundance of front wheel drive, four cylinder cars when the speedway decided in 2003 that it was time to start the Four Banger class. At the time, there was also the four cylinder Mini Truck class, which was considered another entry-level class in 2001. In effect, the speedway had two beginner's classes. Drivers like Jason Jennings and Bruno Korbmacher were the early Four Banger champions.

To get the division started, Promoter John Soares teamed up with car builder Lance Cline. Cline built the cages and put the first 10 cars together for the class in 2003. Within the next year, car count grew to 20 of these four cylinder machines on some race nights. Fans in the stands who thought their dream of racing may never happen, suddenly found an avenue to live out their dreams, but unfortunately things sort of unraveled as the division was put on hiatus. The class didn't go away as it grew at places like Ocean Speedway and Merced Speedway.

In 2009, the class returned to Antioch Speedway, but it was a slow process getting the count back up. Patti Ryland ushered the division in with back-to-back championships and was a force on the track as she battled such top competitors as future champions Justin Silvera and Ken Radabaugh. In the third year of the revival, count finally started to grow, and it looked like things were on their way. The Four Banger division was the way to put such competitors behind the wheel as Abigail Gonderman, Frank Furtado, Jordan Swank and the last official champion for the class in Antioch, Brent Curran. As count again dropped back to between six and eight cars for most races in 2014, management made the decision to drop the class and encouraged the competitors to go down the road to Merced. Unfortunately, most competitors either parked or sold their cars.

Enter new Promoter Chad Chadwick. Having been around Antioch Speedway for decades, Chadwick has seen how things have evolved and what's worked and what hasn't. As a man that racers went to for parts or even to get a new Pro Modified chassis, Chadwick has heard people's suggestions and observations. The Four Bangers may have been gone, but advocates of the class have never given up on the idea that the division needed to return to the rotation again. This falls in line with Chad's vision to grow the numbers in both the pits and the grandstands. 

The need for new drivers to join the competition is constant. Some of the more established racers move on to other things, and car count will suffer if you don't have new drivers coming in. For somebody looking to get their start, the idea of doing that behind the wheel of a Modified or a Sprint Car is unthinkable. Even the Hobby Stock division, once the entry-level class, has evolved enough that they can be intimidating to a racing newcomer. The Four Banger class offers just the solution for the nervous new driver.

They get behind the wheel of a basic stock four cylinder car. There's a limit to how much you can actually do with that race car. Therefore, it's not going to break your budget to build one of these cars and get behind the wheel. While you might not learn much about chassis set up with one of these cars, you learn what it's like to be a dedicated racer. You learn the basics of car maintenance and how to handle a race car. When you get to a point where it becomes easy and you win quite a bit, you will know whether or not the sport is for you. You'll end up making the move up to the next class.

For instance, Bruno Korbmacher ended up going into the Street Stock division, and he would win Main Events there. Patti Ryland moved up to become one of the top Hobby Stock racers and feature winner in that class before doing that again in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Jordan Swank rose very quickly in the Hobby Stock ranks to become the championship runner-up, and Brent Curran went Hobby Stock racing, becoming Rookie of the Year in that class. He's become one of the top IMCA Sport Modified drivers in the area since then. Most of the racers who have gone this route will tell you that the Four Banger class was just the thing they needed.

Some people will look at the speed of this division and think they aren't really racing, but that's simply not true. The reduced speed generally keeps the drivers running closer together and makes for some entertaining battles for the fans to enjoy. It's a much-needed addition to the program that will lead to future stars in the other classes. Chadwick knows that the car count growth process might take a little bit of time, but he's prepared to give it the time it needs. Drivers are already lining up to be on the roster for the 2020 season.

Knowing that the division is just being restarted after a five season lay off, Chadwick has booked a more relaxed 10 race schedule to get things going. It's anticipated that the numbers will grow into double-digits in the near future, and optimism is high that this division will be the shot in the arm the track needs to help grow the overall roster. Though there are bigger things happening at the speedway, having a class like the Four Bangers is still very important and will be a part of what entertains the fans on race night.

The first race for the class will happen on April 4th. For further information on this, check out the rules, schedule and other information listed at www.antiochspeedway.com.

The Hobby Stocks Are 25 Years And Going Strong 
At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway fans enjoy their fendered Stock Car racing as well as the Sprint Cars and open wheel Modified classes. Nothing seems quite as exciting as the Hobby Stocks. They are entering their 25th year at the speedway, and they are coming off of one of their better seasons in recent years. Car count was up, and there were several feature winners last season. Though Chris Sorensen won his third championship, he definitely felt the pressure from a group of rising young stars who were nipping at his heels.

The Hobby Stock division was added to the speedway in 1995 at a time when the Street Stock division was still alive and well. Some people questioned whether it was needed, but management at the time had the foresight to realize that this would not only be a way to get new drivers into the speedway at the time, the division would ultimately take the place of the Street Stocks. Fans of Street Stock racing will recognize today's Hobby Stock as the Street Stock class of the early 1990s. It's great racing, and you're still not breaking the bank to put a competitive car together.

In those early years, it was drivers like the late Cecil Henry, Terrie Wacht, Tom Flannary, Rich Gardner, Fred Baker, Trevor Clymens, Donnie Babb and Larry Tucker who were battling at the front of the pack. Another exciting thing happened with the Hobby Stock division. Women competitors had been running strong at the speedway through the years, but it was Wacht, Melissa Hansen-Myers, Megan McCown-Ponciano and Denise McCown who broke through to become champions in this division's first decade. At that time, car count was consistently delivering B Mains, and there would even be C Mains on occasion. It was hard not to stay to enjoy a Hobby Stock race, even if it ended up being the last division on the program.

Even when the track saw a decline in car count entering the last decade, the Hobby Stock division has endured. Car count only rarely dipped below 10 during the last decade, but the show went on. Sorensen has certainly been one of the stars as a three-time champion in the last decade, matching Kimo Orata in that statistic. However, Sorensen surpassed Oreta as the division's all-time feature win leader last year. A sign of just how stable the class is these days has been the increase in new drivers to the roster in recent years.

Last season, Breanna Troen almost overtook Sorensen by consistency alone in points as she settled for an impressive second ahead of rising star Josh Leach. Leach was second to Sorensen in feature wins, and it was only through bad luck that he wasn't in the battle between the other two drivers in the end. As it was, he still ended up third ahead of two more impressive young guns, Ken Johns and Will Buirch. Johns outdueled Buirch in a close rookie battle as he spent the second half of the season with consistent Top 5 feature finishes. This duo is hoping to get a feature win and will be a threat this year. 

While the Hobby Stock division has graduated some good racers into the IMCA Sport Modified ranks, including Brent Curran and past Hobby Stock champions Guy Ahlwardt and Cameron Swank, there remains some good drivers in the division as we enter the new decade. Jason Robles, Jacob Mallet Jr, James Thompson and Lori Brown, all feature winners last season, should be in action this year. Tyler Henrickson, Judy Allison-Arth, Madison Motts, Dalton Jewell and Angela Brown are among the others to watch for. It's great to see that the division is alive and well, but there are some who think that it can be fine-tuned to make it even better.

When Promoter Chad Chadwick took the helm of the speedway this offseason, he started looking around at ways to improve things. One of the ideas he hit upon was to adjust the rules slightly to enable racers from neighboring Merced Speedway and Ocean Speedway to be legal to compete. He's hoping to walk that fine line where the changes won't be too expensive for locals to continue to support, while making it so that visiting drivers don't have to change too much and ultimately not make the visit as a result. The gamble is that the division that was knocking on the door to B Mains last season and will start seeing them this year.

Hobby Stock racing is a staple at the speedway. These cars are perhaps the most identifiable to the average person, though even street cars have evolved a bit from the cars that people used to build into Hobby Stocks. However, it's still fendered, slam-bang, close-quarters racing. There is nothing quite like it on the roster at Antioch Speedway. 

They will have a healthy schedule this year with 17 dates, the first of which will be on  March 28th. The Hobby Stocks are being included as part of the Freedom Series, which has races on May 23rd, July 5th and September 5th. It's all part of the excitement being offered at Antioch Speedway. Classic style Street Stock racing is alive and well with the Hobby Stock division. For further information on rules, scheduling and other things, go to at www.antiochspeedway.com.

Super Stocks Begin 20th Year At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...The 2020 rulebook for the Super Stock division at Antioch Speedway has just been released. In addition to some rules updates that will help take the division in a direction that will make it more compatible with the Tri State Pro Stock Series, a name change has occurred. Promoter Chad Chadwick has decided on the Super Stock name for the class that has been known as Limited Late Models for over a decade. 

The important thing is that Chadwick has made the commitment to try to stabilize and rebuild the class. Prior to taking over as promoter at the speedway, there had been rumors that he was even considering removing the division, but drivers approached him and pledged their support for the coming season. Out of concern for the future of the class, Chadwick began exploring the options of what to do, and the result is a relaxed 11 race schedule and a new rule book and name change.

It was 20 years ago when Promoter John Soares added the division to the roster. On the heels of the successful launch of the Wingless Spec Sprint division in 1999, Late Model enthusiast Soares wanted to do a similar thing for Stock Car racing. There had been an abundance of Late Model chassis from the early 1990s that had been rendered obsolete as the Late Model division continued to evolve. Not wanting to force changes on an already-established Street Stock division, Soares decided to take an early 1990s approach to creating the division he would call Super Stocks.

One of the biggest advocates for this division for years was Ron Brown. Brown begin hunting for old chassis to get some of the first drivers involved in the Super Stock class. Brown himself had raced at the speedway in the Sportsman, Late Model and Street Stock divisions, and he was keen on competing in the new Super Stock class. In fact, Brown won several Main Events and the first two championships for the division. Among the first names on the roster were past Sportsman champion Mike Gustafson, Street Stock star David Rosa, Chester Kniss, Clay Twigg, Dusty Green and George Connor.

Antioch Speedway was committed to establishing this class, and as car count slowly grew in those early days, Soares's commitment never wavered. Within a couple of years of Antioch establishing this class, both Watsonville and Chowchilla started divisions of their own, and there was even a brief series, sponsored by George Steitz. Within five years, the Super Stocks, which became Limited Late Models, were getting car counts in the mid-to-high teens. It's interesting to note how the division was named originally.

Soares always knew he wanted a Late Model presence at the track, but he was working closely with his father, who promoted Petaluma Speedway. Since Petaluma had Late Models and occasionally shared them with Antioch, John decided to sneak a more limited version of the class onto the roster by naming it Super Stocks. It's also interesting to note that Petaluma Speedway had a highly competitive Super Stock division in the 1980s. John himself competed in that class, which evolved to become the POSSE Super Stock Tour.

As Antioch's division grew, drivers like John Asher, Jeff Silva, Ty Duggins, Lori Brown and Gustafson became champions. Nobody has won more Main Events in this division's history than Gustafson, but he's never been a flashy driver. He goes out there and wins and generally doesn't make a big deal of it, but he now has two Super Stock titles and one Sportsman championship in his likely Hall of Fame career. As the division approached the end of its first decade, there was good and bad news. 

The good news was that Larry Damitz, who was approaching 80 years old, joined the class to compete against his grandnephew Chevy McGinnis and others. The bad news was car count dwindled as Antioch began running full on Late Model races. Concerned about the future of the division, Soares made the controversial decision to merge the Super Stocks with the better supported Street Stock division in the hopes of increasing the car count. Within a year or so, however, most of the Street Stock drivers had parked, but the Super Stocks managed to stop the decline and at least gain a few new drivers.

The next decade began with Damitz, current Petaluma champion Mitch Machado and current Merced Speedway IMCA Sport Modified champion Fred Ryland battling for a championship. Damitz may have been fast, but Machado was just a bit quicker as he won the honors in 2010. This was one of only two times in which Damitz settled for runner-up status at Antioch Speedway during the decade. He won five championships, losing to Jim Freethy in 2013. He also won a pair of titles at Merced Speedway.

Damitz won the 2016 championship. It's not exactly accurate to say he was planning to run for the championship again. Larry never really talked about point racing, but he usually made every race and was therefore highly-ranked most of the time. He was planning to compete in 2017, but he passed away a couple of months prior. The division got a big trophy for the Larry Damitz Memorial race in 2017 and 2018 thanks to sponsor Pete Paulsen, and both times the trophy went home with Mark Garner. Garner had been climbing up the ladder in a car he got from Chester Kniss that had its roots as a NASCAR Regional championship car driven by Steve Hendren in the early 1990s.

Kimo Oreta took over the Sun Drop Racing #15 car and won the championship in 2017, but Garner dethroned him a year later. Oreta again rose to the occasion last year, meaning the Sun Drop Racing team has won seven of the last nine championships at Antioch Speedway. Oreta raises the bar high when it comes to Main Event wins, but drivers like Mike Walko, Jim Freethy, Chad Hammer, Michael Burch Jim Robbins, John Evans, Ryan Cherezian and Chris Long keep things very competitive. 

As the new promoter, Chadwick knows there are fans who enjoy this style of racing, so he's made a commitment to try to stabilize things with a new set of Super Stock rules. We're already hearing rumors of a few drivers joining the roster this year, including Late Model and Modified veteran Terry DeCarlo. After taking a year off from the division, word is that Garner is looking to come back to the class this year as well.

Concern over rules has led to enough uncertainty that drivers don't tend to visit Antioch in this class. However, it's hoped that the adjustments might attract some drivers from Petaluma and from the Tri State Pro Stock Series to make a visit or two during the season. It's also hoped that a few cars that have been parked in recent years might find their way back to the speedway this season. It's all about giving the fans more of a show to enjoy. 

Chadwick has worked on every aspect of the Antioch Speedway program in the weeks leading up to the season opener on March 28th. The Super Stocks get a little bit more time to be prepared as their opener occurs on April 25th. Optimism is high as the Super Stocks head into the new season. You can find all the latest news on scheduling, rules and other things by going to the official web page at www.antiochspeedway.com.

The Editor's Viewpoint

It's Friday night before the February 22nd racing weekend. It's kind of weird looking at the weather. There's been consistent sunny skies in California. In fact, it's been sunny in Oregon as well. If promoters wanted to get out on their tracks and do some work up here, they probably could. I don't know if that's been the case yet, but they've been very busy in California. Racing season is getting started, and it will go all the way into November at various venues.

On social media, we've seen Rick Faeth putting his first touches on the 3/8 mile adobe oval in Petaluma. The infield tires and the walls have been painted, and Rick has also announced several sponsors are back for the 2020 season. For promoters like Rick, the work is never done. Even during the offseason, you've got to plan ahead. This has been the key to the success at Petaluma Speedway, and they will be kicking things off in March.

Meanwhile, in Watsonville, Tom Sagmiller took his first swipe at the quarter-mile clay oval. John Prentice adjusted a few things on his early schedule. The World of Outlaws are booked, but because they keep getting rained out every year, he's moved that back a little bit into April. Fans have been starving for a visit from the Outlaws there, so I know this one will go well if it happens. It looks like Prentice has made another decision, and this one leaves me just a little bit sad.

We were speculating last year as to whether the Civil War Sprint Car Series would make it to its 30th season. It will not. Though they had a strong season finale in Marysville last year, the Civil War Series has been put on the shelf. There was a rumor that it had been sold, but I don't know about the rumor. I do know that the rival Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, presented by Abreu Vineyards, has managed to get dates at Watsonville, Marysville and Chico this year. Those were the remaining holdouts from the new series. The goal of the SCCT was to take charge of Winged 360 Sprint Cars in Northern California, and that has been a success. I personally believe there could have still been room for a Civil War, which probably would have rebounded eventually. However, it would have taken work and time. I don't blame Prentice for making the decision he made.

Everybody is still waiting on news from John's other tour, the All Star IMCA Modified Series. No official schedule has been released as of yet, but speculation is that it should come out at any time. Judging from the schedules I've seen released, there will be dates at Merced, Marysville, Placerville, Bakersfield and Watsonville. If Calistoga races this year, I would anticipate another date there. I'm not sure if any other tracks will be on this schedule, but it wouldn't surprise me. We'll find out when the schedule is released.

Antioch Speedway had a successful clean up party. It was remarkable to see some 50 people showing up with yard tools and going through the pits and the track and making it better. The winter months take a toll on a race track, so there was lots to do in the pits and on the track. Promoter Chad Chadwick plans to reshape the racing surface, and there's more work to be done. Sunday will be another work party at the speedway. They need to keep busy, because March 7th will be the first playday.

Of course, I told my friend Larry Adams that I anticipate the rain will hit in March. The weather has been too good lately. It's amazing to see racing happening in February. There have also been several practices and they will happen again this weekend at tracks such as Marysville, Chico and Merced. You can't really predict when winter weather will ease up and conditions will be ripe to open a race track. If patterns continue to be this way, more tracks will open in February, because there's money to be made then too. However, I know that when spring hits, we're still going to see a little bit of rain. Hopefully, rains won't be so heavy that we lose too many events, but we should always be ready for that.

Getting back to Antioch, it seems like Chadwick is looking at every aspect of that racing program and making adjustments. I know that he's been making mental notes since he stepped in as Race Director last year, so it's not like these changes are sudden. He just needed to officially get the track to start putting them in motion. I think every division on the roster has been adjusted in one way or the other. The biggest move to me is the IMCA sanctioning. This was a no-brainer. Since the other tracks use it, Antioch was being left behind. The problem is several Antioch racers choose to go elsewhere on Saturday night, and that sanctioning is one of the reasons why.

Much like it was back in the nearly four decades in which Antioch was NASCAR sanctioned, raising the IMCA banner gives the racers a voice if they don't think they can make headway with track officials. If they have a grievance at the track, and they don't think the rules were enforced fairly, they can simply get on the phone to Iowa and make a protest. This does happen. In that way, both sanctioning bodies are similar. Plus, you have those universal rules. One of my gripes with the sanctioning is the point fund money could be a bit more attractive, but I am trying not to throw daggers here. IMCA at Antioch is a good move.

You've got some pretty big names who live in Contra Costa County in both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. They have an attractive schedule at Antioch Speedway this year. There are several big races throughout the season, including the reborn Freedom Series. Now, the local drivers can make a potential run at the State championship differently. They will be able to stick around close to home more often and not have to spend every weekend out of town. They'll still have to travel, but not as much. I'm not going to speculate on the names that might be a part of things this year, but it was nice to see Guy Ahlwardt, 2019 Sport Modified State champion, as part of the work crew in Antioch last weekend.

It was nice to see Tommy Thomson make the announcement last week that he had spoken with Chadwick about keeping the Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race on the Antioch Speedway schedule. It wasn't listed on the initial release, but an August 1st Hardtop race was. Chet was a legend at Vallejo Speedway in the 1960s and the father of Tommy. They ran that race at Vallejo Speedway throughout the 1970s until the track closed at the end of the 1979 season. The running of the Chet Thomson Memorial race at Antioch Speedway on September 26th will be the fifth running there, and believe it or not, the history of this race still matters to some people. It may have been over 40 years since the last race at Vallejo Speedway, but people still remember 

My intention is to be there as the Southern Oregon Speedway season will wrap up the week before. However, I'm still listing everything I plan to do this year as tentative. There are still a few loose ends to be tied up, and I'm in need of a conversation that hasn't happened yet. Once I get that information, I also need to put the committee together or do what needs to be done for the third Hall of Fame night at Antioch Speedway. I'm leaning towards making the hand off as the coordinator of this thing at my earliest convenience. I don't think that will happen this year. However, I have confidence that the community will keep it going if and when I do step aside, and I'm also happy to be a consultant if asked to do so.

I've said my personal goal is to eventually make my way back to the Antioch area, and it may take my departure from the sport to ultimately make that happen. This is why I'm in need of certain information before making certain decisions. In either case, I'm expecting that I will be active on the racing blog all season and covering many of the tracks that I covered last year. To what degree I try to go beyond my blog, I haven't decided yet. Certainly, a few coins being thrown my way will influence me. Otherwise, it depends on what becomes a pain in the rear end for me to do and what doesn't. The Medford, Oregon track and the Bay Area tracks take a priority for me.

Orland Raceway remains high on my list as well, and I was happy to see Rich Hood release the new schedule last week. This is one of the things that facilitated the need for this blog post. I wanted to do a preview and recap article for the track. Rich has been basically doing smart growth with the track, which means not trying to do too much too soon. He's entering his fifth season, and all indications are that car count numbers and fan attendance were up slightly again last year. He's accomplished this by knowing exactly what it is he has there and where his support comes from. Also, he's not trying to do too much too soon. This is why I'm so confident that Rich Hood is the right man for the job and hope he continues to run things for the foreseeable future. He may be the best promoter this track has had in it's current 30 year run. I might not have said that a couple years ago, but I believe it's the truth now.

I love the way that race track gets behind the community in its time of need. They will raise funds for good causes. The Thomas Schmidtke Race For A Cure event is a highlight in that endeavor. You also know that it's about the kids, and Bike Night remains on the schedule. I know how much Barbara Crain enjoys rounding up the bikes and getting the trophies and working with Tandy Hood in that effort. It's a big success, and Fan Appreciation Night is unique. You get all the drivers parked behind the main grandstands before the races and have a meet and greet. This is a race track that cares about its community and its fans.

Any track isn't perfect, and I know that sometimes the Orland racers get a bit restless and frustrated. However, they've got to know that the intent is good. The option is closing the gates. If you don't have Rich Hood bringing stability back to this track, what do you have? Revolving-door promoters and the possibility of the gates closing for good? They've got a nice lineup of Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks. Plus, Micro Sprints and visits from the Crate Sprints and California Hardtops. Plus, the season gets closed with the biggest event of the year, the Battle of the Axles. All of the regular classes will be showcased at this two-day event.

I'm happy to see the California Hardtop Association is still going strong. I will give John Phlbert credit for putting together a good schedule. In my mind, a dozen races is just about perfect for this class. This gives the racers an opportunity to keep their cars in working order and not have to run every week. You're talking 12 races from early April through October. This includes five race tracks. The Hardtops are some of the coolest race cars you're going to see at the track, and these guys take pride in their machines. You've also got racers who are happy to meet with the fans and just have fun out there. Orland and Placerville will be the main tracks, but they come to Chico, Marysville and Antioch as well. I am pleased that it sounds like the group will actually be on-board at Antioch as I've heard they got the agreement they were looking for. The more cars, the merrier. 

You also have the whole "seeing is believing" approach, and Ken Clifford knows what to do here. He's invested in the GoPro cameras for the different race cars, and that adds up to some really cool in car footage on Facebook. You get to see the thrills and spills, and this actually led to one of the new drivers that's come on board this year. Clay Foster has purchased the former Marc McCaslin car that Clifford himself bought last year. I think that even though Ken would gladly collect a fleet of Hardtops if he could, the goal in acquiring that car was to eventually get somebody else involved. You've always got to keep the new cars and drivers coming in. I've said it before, but I believe Ken is one of the best ambassadors we have for Hardtop racing in Northern California.

The important thing to remember with Hardtop racing is that it's not just exhibition, putt-putting around the track. It's respectable racing. You're not laying a fender into somebody else to gain the position. You're passing cleanly, and you're respecting each other on the track enough to go side-by-side. The Hardtops are not racing for purses or points. They do get a trophy at the end of most night, but it's still about fun, entertaining the fans and presenting a style of racing that we're only getting a glimpse of. Imagine watching these beautiful race cars when they were king across this country in the 1950s and 60s. 

I remain an advocate of Hardtop and even Sportsman racing. I just like race cars with character, and even the Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds rank high on my list. I know that times have led us to where we are with the cars all sort of looking the same and using body wraps instead of paint jobs. I'm sad for the people who watch racing now who don't remember that aspect of the sport. You're missing something, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that we have racing with Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Dwarf Cars and that sort of thing, but I'd take Hardtops, Sportsman cars and Super Modifieds if I could. Time always moves ahead, but thankfully we have groups like the California Hardtop Association to help preserve the past.

When your scheduling race dates, you can get into trouble. We talk about race tracks respecting each other. When you're within a certain radius of the other track, you're trying to cut them a break in the hopes that they'll do the same. Don't misunderstand me, it's not always possible to keep the Sprint Cars off on the night that the other track is running the same class, or Modifieds or whatever. You have to run what you have to run. But when a track not far away is booking a big $1,000 or $2,000 to win race for the Modifieds, it's not unreasonable for you to try to remain dark so that racers can support that track. The track you're doing that for should be willing to do the same for you. This isn't something that can happen all the time, but once or twice a year should be reasonable for each and every track.

I had to laugh at somebody in the Hanford area suggesting that Stockton shouldn't be running Sprint Cars this weekend. Excuse me? One of the reasons Stockton has elected to race as much as they scheduled in January and February was to take advantage of the fact that nobody else was running. It just so happens that Hanford is kicking things into gear early, and the two tracks butted heads. I think Tony Noceti has generally tried to keep an eye on other schedules, and he saw the opportunity to run Sprint Cars and took it. It won't be the end of the world for either track, in my opinion. It does seem to me that the Stock Car and Modified classes have drivers more willing to race this early in the season than the Sprint Cars. Not sure why that is.

I was a bit concerned about Tony's decision to run both Modified divisions as part of his March 28th show. At the time, Antioch Speedway hadn't released a schedule, but it stands to reason that at that point, Antioch is going to be running and will likely have those divisions on the roster. The thing is, Tony has been committed to trying to establish more of a Stock Car and Modified presence on the Stockton Dirt Track, knowing that this will give him more of a well-rounded schedule to go with his big Sprint Car events later in the year. He is also crowning champions in six different divisions this year, which to me further indicates his commitment to build something at the Stockton Dirt Track.

The thing is, Stockton needs to be aware of what Antioch is doing. The Stockton 99 Speedway pavement track has a long history, but the dirt track is the new kid on the block. Antioch Speedway is in its 60th season, so basically you're establishing something in the shadow of the track that's already there. Antioch will not dwarf you in Sprint Cars, but they are the second oldest continuous IMCA Modified program in California. Therefore, when you're looking to jump into this, you need to be aware of what Antioch is doing. I think Tony just rolled the dice as Antioch didn't have a schedule released, so I hope that going forward something will be worked out.

The other thing to consider is that eventually a track wanting a presence is just going to have to bite the bullet. This means you go head to head at least sometimes. With Antioch Speedway going to IMCA sanctioning, this is more incentive for some drivers to stay local. However, Stockton is paying a nice purse for both the Modifieds and Sport Modifieds, and that will factor in for drivers who are not running for championships. It will be interesting to see how March 28th turns out. Add an All Star Series IMCA Modified race at Marysville that night, and it's further interesting. Whoops, looks like we might have had a little bit of overbooking that weekend after all. 

I'm going to add just a bit to this one after watching the races at the Stockton Dirt Track. Tony really hit on a good idea to run the early-season races while everybody else is pretty much dark. March is when you'll start seeing several tracks opening with playdays and actual races, so Tony decided to roll the dice once again with another Stock Car oriented program. It's one way for him to throw his hat in the ring and say, "I want to do Stock Car type shows here and do them well." The purse he's putting up, especially with the Dirt Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Pro Stocks, is impressive. It does show a commitment, although I think there might be a few promoters thinking to themselves, "Is he crazy paying that much?"

The thing I looked at is that we are already in a time when some Dirt Modified racers don't want to support their regular shows because they can go elsewhere for $1,000 or more to win several times throughout the season. What's $500 to win for them? It's hurt this division to a point that frustrates me. I don't remember that being a problem with Late Model racing back in the day. During the season, you book a race for $1,000 to win or more, and you'll get the cars. At next week's $500 or $600 to win event, they forget you. But, it is what it is, and you'll never hear racers complain about being paid too much money. It's more of a promoter's problem than anything, but if you can pay the bills you're doing fine.

I'm concerned when you start seeing Sport Modifieds getting $1,000 to win, because you're talking about an intermediate division here. They aren't the headliners, and you create a problem when you start shelling out more money to them more often. You already have drivers in this class rightfully noticing how big of a car count they have. They start putting two and two together and saying, "How come those guys get all the money and we don't?" In the old days, it was as simple as you moved up and challenged yourself more. I'm not going to signal anybody out, but we know the Sport Modified drivers out there who are ready for the next challenge, but why move up if the money is going to start coming into this division?

The thing is, you'll start seeing drivers drop down, and they won't just be guys from the back of the pack either. You'll start seeing drivers who race at the front of the pack. Case in point, Bobby Hogge IV had a car in the field in the Sport Modified race at Stockton. This is a guy who is capable of coming to town for any big money Dirt Modified or Late Model show and leaving with the top prize. I want to tell Sport Modified drivers to be careful what they wish for. If anybody is hanging around the Sport Modified division simply to avoid the likes of a Bobby Hogge, Troy Foulger, Ryan McDaniel and you get my point, just know that you may end up having to deal with them in this class. Then what? Too expensive and we need Economy Modifieds? Where does this insanity end?

Here I go being negative again, right? That's not really my point. We recycled the Modified chassis to do Sport Modifieds, and this wasn't necessarily a bad idea. You have an abundance of Modified chassis that won't be too competitive in Dirt Modifieds, so it made sense to add Sport Modifieds, even if I wasn't somebody shouting from the rooftop that we needed the class. 

I was somebody saying we needed Spec Sprints for similar reasons, and the division has done well. Limited Late Models came to be because you had those old chassis sitting out there that would never be competitive in full on Late Models. Why let stuff like that go to waste when you can get use out of it? I guess this is just a warning that history is about ready to repeat itself, which may be the point I'm making now.

At the end of the day, Tony pulled off another good show in Stockton. Only one of his four dates has been rained out, and you've seen the Dirt Modified, Sport Modified and Bomber divisions hold up quite nicely. The Pro Stocks knocked it out of the ballpark once again. Tony couldn't be too disappointed with what happened, even if there might be room for improvement here or there. You're still asking drivers to come out and race at a time when it's generally still the offseason. I call it a win for Stockton.

Peter Murphy made the decision to buy out the contract to promote Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. It's really a shame that he had to become a promoter when he was a pretty darn good Sprint Car racer before his career ending injury. But, you do have somebody who has a passion for the sport and can take this track up to the next level. I don't think we've truly seen what can be done in Hanford since Dave Swindell walked away some 15 years ago, but there's lots of potential. Case in point, they had 70 cars for a three-division program Saturday night. What a great way to start the season, and this is February. They race again next week.

The Pro Stock division is something that a lot of us can relate to and appreciate. This is effectively the Late Model division we remember from the 1990s, and you'll see Late Model names in that field. The problem is the division has different names and different rulesets at different places. Bakersfield and Santa Maria have passed the baton to this class and retired the full on Late Models. The Pro Stock effort there had a good season two or three years ago but could have done a little bit better last year. There are still quite a few cars involved, and now is the time to take the bull by the horns and bring some order to a division that many fans love.

Let's face it, you have Sprint Car fans and you have Modified fans, and I defy anybody to tell me that we have a problem with either class when it comes to delivering car count. We don't. However, there are tracks that struggle to get ten or a dozen Pro Stocks, Limited Late Models, Super Stocks or whatever you want to call them for any given race. If some semblance of order isn't restored, this division will die very quickly. I don't want to see that, because I don't know how California can get back to the full Late Model class without somebody with money and resources creating a new tour. This leaves the Pro Stocks to give us Late Model fans a type of racing that we love. However, it also needs a guide in creating sensible rules that ensure drivers can afford to race.

What you need is leadership and a good purse, and both of these things are happening. You do have some good minds at work down in Bakersfield, but two things have happened in the last year that can and have given this thing steam. First, you had Roy Bain of Oregon coming together with California's Gordon Russell Jr to create the Tri State Pro Stock Series. Russell used this as a means to bring racing back to his beloved home race track in Cedarville, and he has stepped away from the Tri State Series to focus more on that this year. The race in Cederville will still be a part of the series, and Russell has handed off his duties to Mike Learn. Learn is certainly somebody who has a passion for this type of racing and will do it some good here. 

With Roy Bain, you have somebody who loves to race, but he also isn't ashamed to leave the car at home and act in an official capacity on race night. I think this is important. Roy will also do social media work to spread the word and like Russell and "Mr Controversy" Jerry Bartlett, Bain will do video updates. People are watching Roy and his effort, and it's causing quite a stir. I think it's a good thing. I don't see a national sanctioning body out there that will come in here and do what it is Roy is trying to do locally. He's trying to unite the class in Nevada, Oregon and California under the same set of rules.

Obviously, the Tri State Series can only do so much. They can handle the races that they have booked, but if they can make it so that their racers can travel here or there, local races will gain cars too on any given night. One of the things that has really helped Bain is that the promoters are prepared to pay a little bit more money to help entice the racers. This is very evident with Tony in Stockton. Tony saw a good thing here immediately last year and took this division under his wing. They competed for $1,500 to win last Saturday night and $100 minimum to start. The result was a 23 car field. 

This series brings drivers from Oregon, Nevada and all over California, and that makes it enticing. The quality of driver is very impressive as well, and it's headline caliber, in my opinion. I've got my eye on this and have been very encouraged every time I communicate with Roy. He thinks this stuff through and truly has a passion for the class. If he's not sure about something, he'll do his homework to come up with an answer and a reason why it's done that way. When I witnessed the live stream of the race in Stockton, I was very pleased once again with the show put on by this class. I've been a fan of it for a while, and the fact that Southern Oregon Speedway only has three races for this division this year makes me a bit grumpy. I'll leave it at that.

I just feel that there are some people out there that like fast, competitive fendered Stock Car racing. Me, I can enjoy racing on different levels, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this class. I hear people talk about it, and they love it too. Ask fans at Petaluma, and you're going to hear people talk about those Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks. There are people who like Limited Late Model at Antioch, but they also want to see some more cars. 

One of the reasons it took so long for us to see a new set of what are now called Super Stock rules at Antioch is because Promoter Chad Chadwick was trying to make some adjustments to get the numbers back up in this class. He knows that a healthy Super Stock division is an asset to this track. I could ramble on and on about this topic, but I really just want to give a shout out to Roy Bain and the Tri State Pro Stock Series and the great work they are doing with this class. There's so much potential that it's one of the things that has me looking forward to what good things might be next.

This one might be a little bit nitpicky to some people, but I'm going to say it anyway. One thing that struck me while watching the Bomber division at Stockton was that these cars really aren't Bombers or Hobby Stocks anymore. I mean, there are tracks that were fighting for that principle, but basically the division has become the Street Stock class that we remember. In fact, there's an effort to push it even further, and I wonder if the Bomber, Pure Stock or Hobby Stock name should be temporarily retired until a division comes along that mirrors what that name truly stands for. I just don't think these are Hobby Stocks anymore, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

I could go into a rant about how John disappointed me at Antioch when he merged the Street Stock class with Limited Late Models in an effort to save the Limited Late Models. Sure, he saved the class, but virtually every Street Stock driver ended up parking within a year or so. Then, he teased them by running the class under the name Super Hobby Stocks and gave up on that idea after three years. This division has always ranked in my Top 3 from those early days when everybody would make a mad rush for the gates after the Sportsman Main Event, but I sat in my seat and enjoyed every lap of Street Stock racing.

Although you do get new drivers in the Hobby Stock division these days, it's not quite the entry level class it used to be. You've got some experienced drivers who know a few tricks, and it's not purely about how much money they put into their cars. I think the reason Chad is bringing the Four Bangers to Antioch is to give fans that entry-level class. When I think of Hobby Stocks, I still think of an entry-level class, but maybe the class that we know these days isn't entry-level enough for the name. I doubt anybody will be changing that anytime soon, but I wonder if Hobby Stocks and classes of that type as we know them right now should be renamed Street Stocks.

Sometime along the way, we may want that entry level V8 or v6 division, and this would be a class where you weren't allowed to make a bunch of tweaks. Sure, 10 years down the road, the division would evolve. They always do. But in the beginning, this would be bone stock, entry-level racing. It's just a thought, and maybe it's one people would shake their heads at and say, "No, damn it. We have enough divisions as it is." Believe me, I understand that concern too. Don't misunderstand me, I certainly enjoyed the Bomber race that I witnessed at Stockton, but I could definitely see something going on in this division that is just a little bit different than the Hobby Stock ideal. Still good racing, whatever you want to call it.

Since I'm going long anyway, let me finish my point on purse money. There used to be a day, certainly under the NASCAR banner, when you had your paying #1 division. If you had three divisions, the second one might pay, but the third division basically didn't get a purse. They ran for trophies. Blasphemy! No, this was actually something that helped promoters stay in business. The entry-level division generally pulled in good numbers that helped the promoter pay the purses in the other classes or just pay the bills. Drivers wanting to race for money were encouraged to move up, and the only thing that ever stifled that was making the next division up too expensive. Otherwise, you found that drivers moved up every season.

I am just a bit horrified to watch promoters have to pay anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 of total purse money just on regular race nights. Yes, it happens. These poor souls also have to hear about how they're being greedy and hurting racing and all that stuff, but they're trying to take care of the racers by paying the way they do. In this case, there are tracks running two or sometimes three headline caliber divisions and paying accordingly on that night, and if the numbers don't meet a certain level, they suffer the consequences. If this happens too many times, well, you know. It's not just bitching about your race track on social media that causes the gates to be closed.

When I see the Sport Modified division rising above the $300 to win level, which in my mind is fair for them, I know that this story is very familiar to me. It will happen the way I mentioned earlier in this column. If you wipe out the Dirt Modified division, where do you think many of the big stars are going to go? Already across the country, it's being recycled into the Economy Modified class. Yes, now we have three Modified divisions, and I'm not entirely delighted by that idea. I understand it, but at some point I'd like different looking race cars to go to the forefront. I just don't know that we'll ever see that happen again. We're in a Modified and Sprint Car world now, but I'm drifting.

Once promoters start opening their wallets further, drivers start expecting it. Therefore, if more tracks start paying $500 to win on any given Sport Modified night with more $1,000 to win or more races along the way, you're going to create more of the environment where drivers won't race for $300 to win anymore. You either end up having to pay them more than you can afford, dropping the class or being happy if you can't get double digits on a regular basis. Things I've witnessed in the last four years in Medford make me understand this situation much more.

For instance, you're starting to see bigger money Hornet races now. That's right, the entry-level division now has purses on occasion that would compare to what the Modifieds are getting. There's the Froggy 44 at Cottage Grove that pays $444 to win. Willamette had a race for $750 to win. Roseburg has The Hornet's Nest 50 for an increased purse, and I had somebody down in California ask me about a $1,000 to win race for the class. This is at a race track that has a Hobby Stock division wondering why they don't get one of those races yet, so I know it wouldn't happen there unless somebody threw money at the promoter to initiate it.

If they did it the NASCAR way, the promoter might refuse. I remember stories of management at Antioch refusing money for the Street Stock division back in the 1980s. If you want to sponsor, it must go to the Late Models. I was often frustrated by that, but as I look back now, I do understand why they did what they did. Drivers might expect it all the time, right? On the other hand, if you let them know up front that a sponsor is paying this money, not you, maybe you take the money whenever it's offered?

I'm going to sound like a hypocrite here because I wholeheartedly endorse the Central Valley Mini Stocks and what Dan Myrick is doing with this class. He has proven something that racers will say over and over again to a promoter. If you pay more money, they will bring you more cars. Dan has taken money out of his own pocket at times to prove his own theory, so I know the passion is there. My thoughts here run contrary to what it is he's doing, and so I hate saying this. I want Dan to continue what he's doing, but I also have to look at the damage done to the promoter trying to pay the bills.

Any increase in money is felt. Some tracks might only pay the Hornets $80 to win or $100 at most. You may get $10 or $20 to start, and that depends on the track. You're not even cracking $1,000 for a purse doing that. Some tracks aren't paying anything and are sticking with the old school formula. So, a promoter could decide to be nice and say, "How about $250 to win and $50 to start?" It doesn't sound like that much, right? However, when you're counting on the extra however many hundred dollars you don't have to pay back to this class going towards something else, the loss of that can hurt you.

We didn't have to worry about this back in the day, because you usually didn't have more than two divisions anyway. Drivers understood that in the entry-level class they may not get paid, and there were nights when only half of the headline division got paid. Drivers might be told one week you had to finish 12th or better to get money and the next week they might get 12th and find out only the Top 10 got paid. So, we've come a long way on that. In the process, we've also come to the point where some tracks pay every division something and that purse money going out is well into the thousands of dollars.

I don't know what got me on this line of thinking. I do talk about the struggles promoters have to keep those gates open, and there are many of them. You struggle to get fans to come in a world where they have other options for their entertainment dollars. You struggle to get the racers to come back. You struggle with technology and how it affects your car counts in each class. Plus, you struggle with technology and how it encourages fans to stay home and watch online instead of coming out, buying a ticket and eating your food at the concession stands. It stands to reason that a purse of $7,000 or so on any given race night can have an impact on hurting local racing when a promoter finds that they can't pay that purse anymore.

That's probably about it for now. I wrote most of this ahead of the Stockton and Hanford races. There wasn't much happening up north. We just put out a post on the Jefferson Racing News blog last week, and also made the announcement that we may be cutting back there. That won't be the case on the DCRR blog, where we'll continue to run things weekly. I'm still figuring everything out and how best to proceed. As I mentioned in the Viewpoint on the other blog, I want to reconnect with some of the fun aspect and try to remind myself of the reasons why I wanted to be so heavily involved in the sport to begin with.

Combining a busy writing schedule with virtually no regular pay coming my way just got to be too much. The other thing is that the support that we generally get comes more from the Bay Area, and that also factors into why this blog will be the center point. Eliminating the Monday morning deadlines would be beneficial to my health. If this ends up being my final season involved in the sport, I want it to be fun. I want to enjoy doing the blog and being at the track every week.

It looks like it will be the fifth season at Southern Oregon Speedway for me. I am very proud of what we've accomplished, but I'm also aware that we need to remain focused to keep this momentum going. A good week is not a guarantee these days. You have to work at it, and I need to be better at some of the things that I'm responsible for. 

I will probably be sad for a while longer that I won't be present in Antioch as there were some things I felt I could do to help, and I was excited about returning and being a part of things there. My interactions with Chad Chadwick have been positive. It is probably best to leave my comments at that for now. I am including a couple of Antioch Speedway related articles in this post.

On that note, I'm going to end this column. Until next time...