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Sprint Cars Return To Antioch Speedway Saturday Night, SpeedshiftTV To broadcast
Antioch,
CA...On the heels of the successful reopening of Antioch Speedway under
covid-19 guidelines, racing will continue this Saturday night.
Scheduled to appear will be the popular Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless
Spec Sprints, Delta Dwarf Cars and the Four Banger division. Due to
current covid-19 guidelines, the grandstands will not be open, but the
race should once again available on internet pay-per-view. Check the track website or Facebook page for information on that.
The racing
community is still buzzing after the success of the George Steitz
Memorial Freedom Series event last weekend that saw a stellar turn out
across the three divisions. As the drivers in those divisions get an
opportunity to make repairs following the big double header weekend, the
open wheel race cars will be taking their turn on the fast clay oval
this Saturday night.
Antioch
Speedway will be the first Bay Area race track to offer Sprint Car
racing to the fans this year, and drivers from the Bay Area and all over
California have been expressing an interest in competing. In fact,
there have been inquiries from some teams from Oregon. This will
continue another trend that Antioch Speedway has maintained. For over a
decade now, there's been at least one Winged 360 Sprint Car show on the
schedule every year. 2015 champion Shawn Arriaga was the first driver to
commit to the race that will pay $1,200 to win, but he can expect some
stiff competition.
Saturday
night will also be an opportunity for the Wingless Spec Sprints to
compete under the newly adjusted rules. Management wrote the rules to be
more in line with the rules used at Petaluma Speedway. Antioch Speedway
is where the Spec Sprint movement began in 1999 as this is the 22nd
season for the class. Top teams from Antioch, Petaluma and elsewhere
will be in Antioch for what should be a strong turn out for the class.
While
Antioch Speedway has hosted at least one Dwarf Car event since 1994,
Saturday night's $500 to win affair will be the first event under the
newly-formed Delta Dwarf Car Association banner. The local competitors
formed the group so that they could join the bigger Western States Dwarf
Car Association, which has several other groups under its umbrella
throughout the state. The Dwarf Car division was one of best supported
classes on the roster last season, and some top teams are anticipated
from the other groups. Leading the local charge will be such hard
chargers as two-time champion Mike Corsaro and rising young star Devan
Kammermann. Devan finished second in the standings last year.
The
Four Banger division was initially introduced at Antioch Speedway to
bring in newcomers back in 2003. The division has has had an on-again
off-again relationship with the schedule, but the new management sees a
need to bring this class back to get new drivers involved. There were
Four Bangers at practice two weeks ago, and interest is growing. This
has proven to be a good springboard into other divisions as past Four
Banger champions Jason Jennings, Patti Ryland and Brent Curran are all
currently competing in the IMCA Sport Modified division.
Again,
the grandstands will not be open due to the covid-19 guidelines that
the track will be following. Live streaming information was not available at press time, but the website should have news on that at any time. Management is working on other
schedule updates, which will include some very exciting news. To keep
updated on all of that, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Siskiyou Golden Speedway
Gets Back On Track With Practice
Gets Back On Track With Practice
Yreka,
CA...Promoter Kevin Barba was excited about bringing any activity back
to Siskiyou Golden Speedway. Last weekend, Barba was able to have three
days of limited rental practice under covid-19 guidelines, and several
racers took advantage of the opportunity to get back on the track. The
path back to this limited practice has been challenging, but Barba has
been in communications with county officials to make it happen.
Back
in February, Kevin and his team began making various safety
improvements to the track and the facility itself. This included having
an experienced team practice on the track to help work out a kink in the
racing surface itself. The speedway was able to get one practice in the
books in March before things began to change. Though the virus
situation saw to it that they couldn't have any more practices in March,
Kevin and his team kept working hard to continue the improvements they
had planned for this season.
In
April, Barba got the news that he didn't want to hear. He and his crew
were not allowed to continue their improvements at the track. He was
hoping that while the next race date might not be known, he could make
things that much better before the day came. While he worked on track
equipment and other things for the speedway off of the site, the April
races ended up being canceled due to the virus situation. This was
particularly disappointing as the speedway usually does well with those
races if weather permits.
The
entirety of May has been lost for racing, but there is hope that good
news will be forthcoming in June. However, the speedway did get good
news in the week leading up to last weekend. Limited track rental
practices would be allowed. Barba and his team worked hard to groom the
track prior to the first practice and stayed busy all weekend to provide
the racers with the best possible surface to make good laps. Though
these weren't ideal circumstances in which to operate the speedway, it
would have to be deemed a success.
Some
top teams were among those making laps. This included 2018 IMCA Sport
Modified champion Trevor Tiffee. Trevor wasn't so active last season as
he took his time to prepare his new car. Unfortunately, that car
suffered serious damage at the R Charles Snyder Salute in Medford. He
got it back together and made excellent use of his track time. Likewise,
reigning IMCA Sport Modified champion Ethan Killingsworth was back to
make some good laps. Both of these racers are chomping at the bit to get
back to racing.
Southern Oregon
Speedway superstar Jon DeBenedetti was able to get some good laps in
his new IMCA Modified. The Massey Racing Team was there for the final
practice session on Monday. This included Eric Massey and Cliff Massey
in their yellow Late Models from the shop of Rapp Racing. The track
announced on Tuesday evening that they are entering the next phase
which, which means a more open practice. They are taking reservations
for practices on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. However there is a limit
to how many slots will be available. They have specific covid-19
guidelines which were listed on the Facebook page.
The Editor's Viewpoint
We're
making progress. That's the good news when it comes to the effort to
get these race tracks open for actual racing again. The bad news is it
seems to be moving at a snail's pace. I've decided to begin work on this
article on Tuesday afternoon. I wanted to put the previous blog post up
while the news was still hot off the press, but I figured maybe I would
put something together for the end of the week as more news comes in.
Why
can't we have people in the grandstands? That's the big question being
asked by anxious racing fans. They are dying for their fix, and watching
this stuff on TV just isn't the same as being there in person. I
totally understand. I'm still of the belief that however legitimate this
virus is, and I have my doubts, the summer and warmer weather is safe
enough for us to get back out there and do what we love to do. The
honest answer to the question is I don't know when the grandstands will
begin to open for fans. I do believe that the tracks that open first
might be the first in line to start allowing fans to spectate.
It's
likely to be 25% capacity at first. Maybe a little bit more. As I
mentioned before, however, 25% of a grandstand of 3,000 people still
gives you the opportunity to sell 750 tickets using social distancing.
When you look at the average attendance for some of these tracks, that
falls under the umbrella of what they've been getting under optimum
conditions on any given race night. You tell a track that they can sell
that much of a percentage of the grandstands, and more promoters will
take a look at opening. Having races without grandstands is still
problematic for some tracks. They need spectators to generate revenue.
What
is going to happen once the gates open is you're going to see a blatant
disregard for any of the guidelines that are put out there. Human
nature is such that people feel okay and feel ridiculous wearing a mask
or any of that stuff. In fact, there's evidence in certain pit areas at
certain races last weekend that not everybody took the guidelines all
that seriously. Once the gate opens and people begin to have some sort
of return to normalcy, they don't want to hear anything about masks,
social distancing or any of that. I'm not condoning those actions, but
this is a reality. For context, look at how things have been going in
other states. Though the media tries to shame certain places, they're
met with a resounding middle finger in the air from the people who just
want to live their lives.
I know
that by mid June, the active tracks in California will more than
double. We have four tracks that have held races, and I'm aware of six
more planning to race by mid June. Lemoore Raceway is the latest to
throw their hat in the ring for a June 13th date. I'm guessing that all
of these places are still doing it with empty grandstands, but I'm
waiting for that to begin to change. You'll start hearing talk about
that in the later part of June. Maybe a track gets lucky and is able to
sell some tickets to the fans, but if not, look for July.
What's
important to remember is every county is different. While tracks are
beginning to do stuff, even limited practices, others wait impatiently
in limbo. Stockton 99 Speedway will be racing this Sunday with a full
slate of action that will be shown on SpeedshiftTV. The Stockton Dirt
Track and Delta Speedway sit on State Fairgrounds property and don't
know when they'll be racing. Merced Speedway General Manager Doug
Lockwood commented on Monday night that he doesn't know when they will
open. Peter Murphy isn't sure when Keller Auto Speedway will open.
Likewise for Ventura Raceway.
It's
also just been announced that the three events scheduled for Perris
Auto Speedway in June have been postponed. They had an Eve Of
Destruction event scheduled along with a Stock Car offering and a
USAC/CRA Sprint Car event. They can't get the clearance to do what they
need to do, but management has stated that they hope to reschedule all
three events later in the year. I said it before and I'll say it again,
it was miraculous that Antioch Speedway opened their gates. I'll get
more into that in a moment.
While
fans wait patiently to know when they can buy tickets to watch a race,
there's also been some frustration expressed from fans about not wanting
to pay to watch the stream on internet pay-per-view. What do you
expect? The tracks have to make money. They can't give it to you for
free. How does that make sense when you're trying to pay the bills?
Making matters worse, some people couldn't resist holding up their
smartphones as they watched from the pits and were broadcasting the
races on Facebook. This was happening at Antioch Speedway via several
sources last weekend. The Noceti Group has politely requested that
nobody do that at Stockton 99 Speedway on Sunday. Will people cooperate?
I
do understand the frustration. It's highly doubtful that an adult
ticket for the show at Antioch Speedway would cost $22. That was the
cost to watch a night of racing via SpeedshiftTV. However, you must also
take into consideration that the stream isn't likely to be watched by
just one person. In fact, people could gather at that house for a party.
You might invite a dozen or more people over to your house for a
barbecue and watch party. Suddenly, that $22 is a bargain, and you can
get others to chip in if you need to.
Nobody
is happy that we are opening race tracks with no grandstands and
streaming the races online for a fee. This is not the optimum condition,
and promoters still aren't making out as well doing it this way as they
would under normal circumstances. Therefore, some promoters are
thinking long and hard about whether they want to open for a race with
no grandstands. Plus, will they be able to get any streaming service for
that night, and how much money can they make? The more streaming
options that are available, the less money a track will make from it.
This whole situation is a mess. However, it is what it is. If we want
any kind of racing at all, this is what we tolerate. I suspect things
will change by July.
While tracks
in Washington have been having practices, Oregon sits in frustration as
of Tuesday. There is no ETA on when tracks can open for an actual race,
and people are getting frustrated. What has happened up here has
torpedoed the progress that we've been able to make at Southern Oregon
Speedway in the last four years, and I'm not happy about that at all.
People are asking me when the track is going to open, but we don't know
when the guidelines are going to loosen up. Without being able to open
for a race in front of fans, it just doesn't make business sense to do
this. Also, if the track is fortunate enough to open, the original
schedule has gone out the window. Special events? What special events?
My guess would be a regular program if at all, but I think racers and
fans would still be happy given the BS we've all been through.
The
matter of overturning some of the state governor's executive orders is
still in the courts. They were originally overturned, and that decision
was blocked. I don't have an ETA on when the next decision will come or
what the governor's reaction will be. If we're just left to the phase
plan, Oregon wouldn't really be that far behind California. In fact,
some tracks in Oregon probably could have opened for a full practice or
maybe even a race in front of a
an empty grandstand if
the promoter wanted to do that. I can neither tell you when there will
be a full practice nor an actual race in front of empty grandstands at
this time, but I have a hunch that there will be news during the first
half of June.
For a racing fan
sitting at home watching the activity on SpeedshiftTV last week, they
got plenty of action. The buzz has been tremendous at Antioch Speedway.
Though there was some frustration with the presentation, or should I say
announcing, I've seen people giving the show high marks. I don't know
exactly how Promoter Chad Chadwick pulled off this little miracle, but
I'm sure it worked out exactly as he'd hoped if not better. There were
two track record car counts and two divisions produced the biggest
fields in their history at the track. This was on the heels of the most
successful practice the track had ever had the week before with 100
cars.
This is not new. Wade
mentioned this during the show this last weekend, but Chadwick has
spoken about running the season into November. Chad actually mentioned
that back in March, so nothing has changed there. I was wondering if the
track might sit back and wait to hear if there was any fallout from
this past weekend. They are not. A race has already been scheduled for
May 30th, and it will have an open-wheel flavor. It will feature a
$1,200 to win Winged 360 Sprint Car show along with Wingless Spec
Sprints, Delta Dwarf Cars and Four Bangers.
That's
the only show that has been officially confirmed on the schedule page
of the website as I write this, and I'm curious as to why. Roy Bain of
the Tri State Pro Stock Series has been talking about a date on June 6th
that he's negotiated with Chadwick. Today the Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint
Series announced a race on June 13th that will be for $1,200 to win and
$200 minimum to start. This marks the first ever appearance of the
premiere Wingless Spec Sprint Series to the track that started the
movement some 21 years ago. It's obvious that Chad is going full speed
ahead. I don't have to hear anything from him to know that there have
been discussions about when fans will be allowed in the stands. As soon
as they get the go-ahead, they will go for it.
Marysville
Raceway is buzzing from an amazing Monday night program. They had 45
Winged 360 Sprint Cars and probably the most exciting Main Event I
witnessed during the weekend. The Sprint Cars left you on the edge of
your seat the whole time before DJ Netto pulled off his late outside
pass to go from third to first. It was really something to watch. I have
to think that Dennis Gage is pleased with how the progress has been
going with the three races held so far, and I also believe he's been
talking to the appropriate officials to figure out when he'll be able to
sell grandstand tickets.
Sprint
Cars were listed on this Saturday's schedule, which I find curious
considering Antioch Speedway has jumped in with a Sprint Car show of
their own. I wouldn't be so surprised except Chadwick lowered the amount
of dates for the Sprint Cars on his original schedule, and that's the
bread and butter division at Marysville these days. Were I in Dennis's
shoes, I'd entertain bringing an IMCA Modified race to Marysville, but
that's just me. I'm waiting to hear if the show as listed on the website
is what it will be, featuring Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks,
Crate Sprints and Limited Late Models.
Susanville's
Diamond Mountain Speedway has pulled off some good limited practice
sessions. The buzz is all over the Internet about a Late Model show on
June 27th. Roy Bain mentioned that on one of his live Facebook Tri State
Pro Stock Series updates, and there's plenty of excitement within the
Late Model community about this race as a result. Oregon racers are
chomping at the bit to get back on the track. I've heard that June 13th
will be the first race at Susanville in front of an empty grandstand.
Though it hasn't been verified, I suspect that if this happens it will
feature the IMCA Modified and Sport Modified divisions, Hobby Stocks and
Mini Stocks. As always, you need to check the track's Facebook page and
website for updates.
Siskiyou
Golden Speedway held what would have to be considered successful limited
practices. Track rental per session was $600 for three hours, and they
had multiple sessions reserved during the three-day weekend. Promoter
Kevin Barba certainly made a production out of this with constant
updates on the track's Facebook page showing track prep and actual
practice footage.
The track is
looking good and improvements there are noticeable. He just announced
that he will have a more open practice this weekend and is taking
reservations as spots will be limited. They will be practicing Friday,
Saturday and Sunday. I'm sure he's trying to lobby for a full practice
ahead of the first potential race. I believe by June Siskiyou Golden
Speedway will get to race in front of empty grandstands. If they're able
to open before a track in Oregon, it could be a huge success in terms
of car count.
On Tuesday night,
Petaluma Speedway Promoter Rick Faeth finally made an announcement. The
track has been working on being able to have a race in front of empty
grandstands, and progress is being made. Rick says that as they get
closer to Phase 3, it will be possible to have a race, though only in
front of empty grandstands. The tentative date right now would be June
6th with a show featuring PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars,
USAC/BCRA Midgets, Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks and Jake's
Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. They will be making an announcement as
late as June 3rd on the status of that particular race date, so it's
important to keep an eye on the track's Facebook page.
I
think about the only happy racing guy in Oregon, aside from Collen
Winebarger returning from Antioch Speedway with all of the money from
his IMCA Modified clean sweep, is Cory Penfold. Cory and wife Sandy
built a race track on their property. It's a 1/10 mile dirt oval that
we've mentioned previously. Memorial Day Weekend saw them have two days
of practice racing with various different Outlaw Kart divisions. From
the photo and video footage I've seen, it looks like this went very
well. Cory, Sandy and the team have put much work into this place, and
it shows. Undoubtedly they will have more practice events in the weeks
ahead, but I know the news Oregon racers are really waiting for.
I've
been called into action to do some work at the track in Medford on
Thursday. We're going to be making preparations to get things ready.
Bear in mind, I don't know what exactly that means at the moment. The
track's stance has been no racing events until we are able to do so
without restrictions. This is a business decision, and it's one that I
don't disagree with. It's obvious now that the schedule as released
prior to the season is out the window. I'm not sure what racing will be
done this year. Whatever racing may happen, I'm not sure that some of
the big events that have been scheduled for later in the season will
actually happen. I don't know that people will be thrilled by that, but I
do know that the racers are anxious to get back to doing what they love
and will be supportive for the most part. You'll always have people
complaining, but people know the damage this virus situation has done to
the economy and several businesses.
Speculation
on what will happen is meaningless right now. Even practices are
challenging to make happen without certain restrictions. As has been
demonstrated by some of the rental practices that have happened in the
area, drivers are getting grumpy about it being too expensive. This was a
non-starter for management in Medford. Mike McCann wasn't interested in
even considering it with tight restrictions. Loosened restrictions? I
don't know. I don't know when a practice will happen there. I don't know
when a race will happen there, although I doubt it will happen unless
restrictions are lifted to allow fans in the grandstands.
What
I do know is the area is going to get groomed and the track will be
getting the attention of Jim Rodgers. I need to get out. I've been too
cooped up here. Even without the virus, I don't get out as much as I
truly desire. There was a time I would walk miles everyday before moving
up here. It's ironic considering I'm in beautiful country, though I
prefer the city where I once lived. Regardless, I need to get out, so
getting back on the mower and attacking the pit area is something I'm
looking forward to. I'm bringing suntan lotion and bracing for impact. I
know I'll feel sore from riding that mower, but I look forward to the
feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Things will be ready. As always,
people need to keep an eye on the track's Facebook page for updates.
It
was on Facebook that I noticed on Tuesday night that there's been some
talk at Douglas County Speedway. The most recent announcement they made
was of maybe having a race in July, which would be the NASCAR/ARCA West
Series. I don't know the status of that. They basically said the point
season might be out the window.
The
Tuesday announcement centered around having some sort of practice. They
were doing a polling of the PRA membership to see who would be
interested. When they get further along in the phase process, it may be
possible to have some sort of reserved practice similar to what Yreka is
doing this weekend. I suspect they're looking to do that in Roseburg.
If this is not a financial drain, I can see other tracks looking at the
same thing.
The biggest problem
is racers aren't putting money into their cars for practice season. They
do like to have practices. I know I've heard that a lot in Medford.
Racers want practices during the season. However, their money is being
spent on good equipment and tires to go racing. Because people want to
put their cars back on the track, they're anxious for anything. They'll
take a practice or two, but they want to race. We're waiting in Oregon
for the news that this restriction on sporting events will be lifted. If
that happens, running in front of an empty grandstand becomes possible
almost immediately. That's not acceptable for some tracks, but it is for
others. However, racing in front of spectators would be possible not
long after that. That could mean racing in Oregon with fans sometime in
July. Again, I'm only speculating.
A
lot depends on the next court ruling, which I don't believe will go in
the governor's favor. Perhaps this picture will become clearer soon. A
recent news report pointed out that the Oregon Supreme Court will be
hearing arguments on June 2nd. How soon a decision will be made after
that, I don't know. I suspect it won't take too long. Based on what is
decided there, you're liable to hear announcements from race tracks very
quickly. The fact that the race track in Roseburg is already asking
questions about a potential closed practice could mean other tracks are
looking at that idea as well.
At
this point, I need to close this column. Mike told me on Tuesday of a
trip to the track in Medford on Thursday, so I'm going to be out of
Wi-Fi range and away from the computer, mostly on a lawn mower going
over the vast pit area. Therefore, it's my hope that this will be ready
for posting either on Wednesday night or right when I get ready to leave
on Thursday morning. I'd like to do this on Thursday night to get all
of the latest information available for the post, but I'm going to be
tired after a day on the mower and I don't want to count on having the
energy to do something and disappoint myself when the time comes. At any
rate, I will end this column. I'm still in the midst of a big decision,
but it will keep for now. Until next time...
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results May 25, 2020
Yuba River Gold Rush
360 Sprint Cars
A Main
D.J. Netto
Mitchell Faccinto
Andy Forsberg
Justyn Cox
Chase Majdic
Jodie Robinson
J.J. Hickle
Colby Wiesz
Willie Croft
Geoff Ensign
Caden Sarale
Jake Haulot
Colby Copeland
Brad Bumgarner
Korey Lovell
Michael Ing
Max Mittry
Alec Justeson
Michael Sellers
Billy Wallace
B Main
Willie Croft
Caden Sarale
Korey Lovell
Geoff Ensign
Jake Wheeler
Blake Carrick
Greg DeCaires V
Jesse Love
Ben Worth
Tyler Thompson
Jacob Tuttle
Stephen Ingraham
Steven Snawder
Steel Powell
Nick Larsen
C Main
Jesse Love
Jacob Tuttle
Kevin Lovell
Mike Monahan
Pat Harvey Jr
Tim Estenson
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Cody Spencer
Devan Whitlock
A.J. Alderman
Jimmy Steward
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Todd Copper
Jimmy Ford
Scott Savell
Timothy Allerdings
Michael Johnson
Jason Ferguson
Theo Van de Sande
Shawn Smith
Shaun Merritt
Hunter Merritt
Phillip Shelby
Jason Pugh
Jeramiah Zeiter
Mike Merritt
Donnie Fortney
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results May 25, 2020
Yuba River Gold Rush
360 Sprint Cars
A Main
D.J. Netto
Mitchell Faccinto
Andy Forsberg
Justyn Cox
Chase Majdic
Jodie Robinson
J.J. Hickle
Colby Wiesz
Willie Croft
Geoff Ensign
Caden Sarale
Jake Haulot
Colby Copeland
Brad Bumgarner
Korey Lovell
Michael Ing
Max Mittry
Alec Justeson
Michael Sellers
Billy Wallace
B Main
Willie Croft
Caden Sarale
Korey Lovell
Geoff Ensign
Jake Wheeler
Blake Carrick
Greg DeCaires V
Jesse Love
Ben Worth
Tyler Thompson
Jacob Tuttle
Stephen Ingraham
Steven Snawder
Steel Powell
Nick Larsen
C Main
Jesse Love
Jacob Tuttle
Kevin Lovell
Mike Monahan
Pat Harvey Jr
Tim Estenson
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Cody Spencer
Devan Whitlock
A.J. Alderman
Jimmy Steward
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Todd Copper
Jimmy Ford
Scott Savell
Timothy Allerdings
Michael Johnson
Jason Ferguson
Theo Van de Sande
Shawn Smith
Shaun Merritt
Hunter Merritt
Phillip Shelby
Jason Pugh
Jeramiah Zeiter
Mike Merritt
Donnie Fortney
