Diamond Mountain Speedway, Placerville Speedway, Ukiah Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Madera Speedway, More

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DeVolder, Wauge, Smith, Peckham Come Up Big 
At Diamond Mountain Speedway

Susanville, CA...June 27...Shane DeVolder won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Diamond Mountain Speedway. The win was worth $1,500 for 2018 State champion DeVolder, who built up a decent lead and was never threatened down the stretch. Covid-19 guidelines have kept most of the grandstands empty in California, but the Susanville track was able to open once again to fans using social distance guidelines. The race was also broadcast on Dirt Oval TV.

The race was restarted after Matt Hagio and Scott Foreman spun in the second turn. Riley Simmons led the opening lap, but Steve Sturdevant brought out another yellow flag. On the restart, DeVolder got a good run on Simmons and passed him for the lead on the back straightaway. A low pass in Turn 3 of the third lap gained Ryan McDaniel second with Jim Pettit II settling into third on the fifth lap. Having to transfer from the B Main, Friday night winner Collen Winebarger move into fifth on the seventh lap. Nick Trenchard and Chad Groves did separate spins in Turn 2 for a lap 14 yellow flag. DeVolder motored ahead on the restart, leaving McDaniel, Pettit and Winebarger to battle it out for the second position. A high pass in Turn 2 of the 16th lap briefly gained Pettit the spot, but McDaniel went low in Turn 4 on Lap 17 to reclaim second. Winebarger went inside Pettit in Turn 4 of the 18th lap to take over third. DeVolder led by a half straightaway at the checkered flag with McDaniel second ahead of Winebarger, Pettit, Simmons, State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon, reigning track champion Chris Nieman, John Campos, Mitch Murphy and Joey Tanner.

There were 45 IMCA Modifieds for the show. The five eight lap heat race wins went to Campos, McDaniel, Simmons, Hagio and Pettit. They also ran a pair of 12 lap B Mains to determine the rest of the feature starting grid. Jake Mayden took the lead from Groves on the fifth lap and went on to win the first B Main. Both Fitzgibbon and Winebarger got by Groves for the second and third positions. Groves settled for fourth with Stephen Sturdevant earning the final transfer position. Shawn Natenstedt led the entire distance to win the second B Main as Tanner, Foreman, Billy Walker and Robert Miller made up the Top 5. 

Andrew Peckham won the IMCA Sport Modified 20 lap Main Event. The win paid $400 to Peckham, and he took full advantage of his front row starting position to lead immediately. Matt Sanders settled into second ahead of Jeremy Hoff. A high pass in Turn 2 of the third lap put Skyler Winebarger into third. Jimmy Ray Huffmon spun in Turn 4 to bring out a Lap 6 yellow flag. On the ensuing restart, contact sent Sanders spinning in Turn 2 resulting in a five-car crash. There was also a multi-car pile-up exiting Turn 4, and that was the crash that was assigned the blame for the yellow flag. Peckham continued to lead Sanders and Winebarger on the restart. Winebarger made a backstretch pass on Sanders on Lap 8 to take second. Fred Ryland went inside Sanders in Turn 4 of the ninth lap to grab the third position. On the 14th lap, Ryland made a backstretch pass on Winebarger to take over second. Peckham was running strong out front, but some slower traffic in the final few laps allowed Ryland to close the gap. Ryland went high exiting the final turn in a bid to overtake Peckham, but Peckham beat him by half a car length at the checkered flag. Matt Sanders settled for third, followed by Hoff, Winebarger, Craig Nieman, Justin Foux, Travis Pruitt, Phil Marino and reigning champion Richard Longacre.

Eight lap heat race wins went to Matt Micheli, Winebarger, Hoff and Matt Sanders. State point leader Timothy Allerdings won the first 12 lap B Main ahead of Dennis Crook. Allerdings grabbed the lead from Crook on the ninth lap in that race. Jason Ferguson ended up third, followed by Huffmon and Scott Savell. The second B Main was a flag-to-flag romp for Foux as Marino finished second ahead of Isaac Sanders. Trevor Tiffee made a last lap pass to finish fourth and make the transfer.

Mark Wauge won the 15 lap Late Model Main Event. The win paid $1,500 to Wauge, who is a seven-time IMCA Modified champion at Southern Oregon Speedway as well as last year's Late Model Rookie Of The Year. Richard Papenhausen led just one lap before Wauge went low in Turn 4 and emerged with the lead. On the seventh lap, Trent Elliott made a similar move on Papenhausen to take over second. Wauge had a half straightaway lead, but Elliott closed in on him by the 12th lap. Elliott started taking looks to the inside, but Wauge stayed smooth out front. At the checkered flag, it was Wauge winning ahead of Elliott, Papenhausen, Paul Guglielmoni, Richard Vander Ploeg and Bruce Rayburn Jr. Wauge and Papenhausen won eight lap heat races.

Ryan Smith won the 20 lap Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series Main Event. Smith won the Super Stock feature race at Antioch Speedway the week before, which was his first win in this class. The win on this occasion paid $1,500 thanks to additional sponsorship money from Lyle Hopper of Winning Attitude Motorsports. Two-time feature winner Jesse Gonzalez led a pair of laps before a yellow flag flew for Donny Richardson in Turn 2. Following two botched restart attempts due to crashes, Ryan Smith made a big run on Gonzalez and led the third lap. An inside pass in Turn 2 of the fourth lap gained Justin Crockett third from Matt Micheli. Ryan Smith began to pull away from the pack, leaving Gonzalez and Crockett to battle for second. By the 11th lap, Smith held a straightaway advantage and was working slower traffic. Slower traffic came into play in the second place battle, but Gonzalez was making all the right moves to keep Crockett at bay. Smith would cruise to victory with Gonzales crossing the line second ahead of Crockett, Micheli and Chris Smith. Following tech disqualifications on Gonzalez and David Asano, the new finishing order was Ryan Smith, Crockett, Micheli, Chris Smith and Bill Pearson. Eight lap heat race wins went to Ryan Smith and Asano.

Royce Goetz won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Goetz spun early in the race and still managed to make a charge from the back for the $400 victory. Robert Miller drove the second Goetz car into the early lead ahead a Randy Boyd and Goetz. Goetz spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 2 yellow flag. Miller led Boyd and Shayna Nieman on the restart as Dan Dias and Jacob Dias battled it out for fourth. Following a lap six yellow flag for Dylan Sanford in Turn 2, Goetz managed to get back into fifth on the restart as Miller continued to lead Boyd and Nieman. Goetz was working the outside groove and made a pass around Neiman for third on Lap 11. A high move in Turn 4 of the 12th lap gained Goetz second. Jacob Dias spun for a lap 14 yellow flag. On the restart, Goetz made a strong move on the outside and managed to beat Miller back to the line to lead the lap. Goetz led the rest of the way for the victory, and Boyd made a last-lap pass on Miller for second. Dan Dieter also made a late move into fourth as Neiman settled for fifth. Eight lap heat race wins were earned by Miller and Boyd.

On the heels of this show, the track will have another two-day affair on July 3rd and 4th. The Friday night action will include a $1,500 to win IMCA Modified race. IMCA Sport Modifieds will pay $500 to win, the Hobby Stocks will pay $400 to win and the Mini Stocks will also be on the card. On Saturday night, the IMCA Modifieds get $2,000 to win, the IMCA Sport Modifieds get $1,000 to win and the Hobby Stocks round out the show with a $400 to win feature race. For further information, go to www.dmspeedway.com or check out the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.

Winebarger, Ryland, Boyd, Boucher 
Win Friday Night Races At Diamond Mountain Speedway

Susanville, CA...June 26...Collen Winebarger won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Diamond Mountain Speedway. This was the first night of a special two-day event, and the win paid Winebarger $1,500. Susanville had the first track in California to open the grandstands for socially distanced fan attendance, and only one other track in the state has been able to allow any fans in the stands as of this week.

Winebarger had a front row start for the race and led Jeff Lowell and John Campos on the start. There was just one yellow flag on Lap 2. Winebarger remained in command on the restart as Campos took second from Lowell. Winebarger began to pull away, leaving Campos and Lowell to battle for second. Robert Miller led Ryan McDaniel past Danny Lauer into the fourth and fifth positions on the seventh lap. During the final 10 laps, Winebarger caught slower traffic. A three-car battle made things particularly challenging for him in the final two laps, but Winebarger stayed low and got by all of the drivers to bring it home to victory. Campos repelled the serious efforts of Lowell to finish second. Miller settled for fourth, followed by McDaniel, Nick Trenchard, Riley Simmons, Joey Tanner, Jim Pettit II and Lauer.

An impressive field of 48 competitors showed up for the big event. There were six eight lap heat races that would take the Top 2 finishers directly into the feature race. Wins were recorded by McDaniel, Winebarger, Campos, Lowell, James Thibodeaux and Billy Wilker. The first 12 lap B Main saw Simmons lead every lap in victory. Shane DeVolder settled into second on lap seven and finished there ahead of previous feature winner Trenchard, Jake Mayden and Mitch Murphy. 

The second 12 lap B Main featured an incredible side-by-side battle between four cars at the front of the pack for most of the distance. Larry McCracken led much of the race, but he was passed by Tanner on the outside on the 11th lap. McCracken spun late as Mark Gaylord finished second ahead of reigning State champion Trevor Fitzgibbon, Shawn Natenstedt and Matt Murphy.

Fred Ryland scored the victory in the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The win paid $400 to Ryland aboard the Ryland Racing Shaw chassis. Jesse Ford led the opening lap, but he spun in Turn 1 along with Isaac Sanders for a yellow flag. This put reigning Marysville and Chico champion Matt Micheli into the lead ahead of Ryland and Tanner Thomas. Another yellow flag waved on Lap 2 for Craig Neiman and Phil Marino. Micheli led Ryland and Thomas on the next restart. A yellow flag waved after six laps for Marino in Turn 4. Micheli continued to lead Ryland on the restart, but Ryland would end up making an inside pass in Turn 4 of the ninth lap to take the lead. A yellow flag waved on Lap 11 when Colby Russell spun in Turn 4, collecting Micheli, Tyler Rodgers, Matt Sanders and Justin Foux. Ryland led Thomas and State point leader Timothy Allerdings on the next restart. They ran that way through another yellow flag on the 14th lap. Thomas was giving Ryland pressure when the yellow flag waved for an Isaac Sanders spin in Turn 4 on lap 18. Ryland again withstood the challenges of Thomas on the restart and brought it home to victory. Thomas settled for second and Micheli made a late move around Allerdings to finish third. Steven Sanders completed the Top 5. 

The Sport Modifieds had four eight lap heat races, and Foux, Allerdings, Isaac Sanders and Micheli claimed those victories. The first 12 lap B Main saw Andrew Peckham lead every lap in victory. Marino just managed to beat Craig Neiman back to the line to finish second as Rodgers and Jimmy Ray Huffmon completed the Top 5. Steven Sanders took the lead from Travis Pruitt on the second lap and won the second 12 lap B Main. Skyler Winebarger ended up third, followed by Patti Ryland and Colton Chew.

Randy Boyd won a time limit shortened 15 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. The win paid Boyd $400. The race saw seven yellow flags with the final yellow flag ending the originally scheduled 20 lap event at 15 laps. Boyd raced into the early lead ahead of reigning Silver Dollar Speedway champion Kyle Allen and Robert Miller. Allen spun in Turn 2 for no yellow flag as Miller moved into second over Jacob Dias. A yellow flag waved after four laps when Ethan Gunderson spun in Turn 4. Boyd led Miller and Shayna Nieman on the restart, but Joe Conroy spun in Turn 4 for a lap five yellow flag. As Boyd led the next restart, a sideways Miller fell back a few positions as Neiman settled into second over Dias. However, Allen managed to grab third a lap later. Miller was back in fourth on lap 10, and Keith Ross spun from fifth for a lap 11 yellow flag. Boyd continued to command the restart, leaving the battle for second. Nieman held the position, but an outside pass on the backstretch of the 13th lap put Allen into second. Dias spun for a lap 14 yellow flag, and time was becoming a factor. On the next restart, Nieman managed to get by Alan for second once again as Boyd led the way. Another yellow flag meant that the race would end at 15 laps with Boyd winning ahead of Neiman, Allen, Miller and Maurice Merrill. The eight lap heat race wins went to Allen and Boyd.

Nick Boucher won the time limit shortened 11 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Previous winner Kate Robertson led the first two laps. An outside pass on the frontstretch of the second lap gained Boucher second, and he went low in Turn 4 a lap later to take the lead from Robertson. After a yellow flag waved, Boucher continued to lead Robertson as Orland Mini Truck star Dan Webster moved into third. Webster passed Robertson for second on the fifth lap before a yellow flag flew for debris. Boucher led Robertson and Webster on the restart, but a yellow flag flew after six laps for an infield tire that was knocked onto the track. Boucher again led Robertson and Webster on the next restart. Following a lap nine yellow flag, it was decided that they would have a green, white and checkered flag finish due to an expired time limit. Boucher led the restart and brought it home to victory ahead of Robertson. Suzi Schmitt made a late move into third as 2018 IMCA Sport Modified champion Jason Emmot and Webster completed the Top 5. Robertson and Webster won their respective eight lap heat races.

For information on scheduling, points and other things, go to www.dmspeedway.com or check out the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.

Jones, Slaney, While, Brown Do It Again 
At Petaluma Speedway 

Petaluma, CA...June 28...Shawn Jones returned to Petaluma Speedway and turned in an impressive performance in winning the 30 lap PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event. Jones won the recent Dwarf Car Nationals at Petaluma and is the 2018 Hunt Series champion. The race was held in front of empty grandstands due to covid-19 guidelines, but SpeedshiftTV was there to broadcast the action live online.

Jones started on the front row and led from the start ahead of Cody Fendley. The race was punctuated by six yellow flags, but Jones would resume command over Fendley on each restart during the first 25 laps. Fendley, however, would not be able to hold off the onslaught of recent Antioch Hunt Series winner Bradley Terrell. As Jones had built a good lead, Terrell put the moves on Fendley to take second on the 25th lap. A lap later, Terrell caught a break when a yellow flag waved. However, the slowdown didn't stop Jones one bit. Jones motored ahead once again on the restart and brought it home to a satisfying victory. Terrell settled for second ahead of Fendley, Dylan Bloomfield, reigning champion Angelique Bell, Dennis Furia Jr, past champions Sparky Howard and Ryan Siverling, Keith Calvino and Jessica Walker.

Terrell was the only driver in the 20 car field to turn the 3/8 mile adobe oval in the 14 second bracket. His time was 14.924 as Fendley was second quick at 15.074. The three eight lap heat race wins went to 2018 champion Shayna Ensign, Furia and Daniel Whitley.

Anthony Slaney collected his second straight McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified feature win. Slaney again dealt with a race that had numerous yellow flags. Unlike last week, however, he was never seriously threatened in victory. Chris Sieweke took up pursuit of Slaney in the early laps, but he was overtaken by State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon on Lap 4. Fitzgibbon couldn't quite get close enough to Slaney to make a move, and he would settle for second. Sieweke finished third, followed by David Spriggs, Trevor Brady, Steve Studebaker, Gary Baker and Justin Yeager. Slaney and Fitzgibbon won their respective eight lap heat races. 

Two-time champion Matt While won his second-straight Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stock Main Event. At first, it looked like While might pull away to a dominant victory, but the race got close in the end. While led early ahead of past champion Shawn McCoy. By the time two-time champion Steve Studebaker got by McCoy for second on the fifth lap, While held a straightaway advantage. The determined Studebaker begin to work on erasing that lead, which was assisted by the occasional slower traffic in the path of While. On the 20th lap, Studebaker briefly got the lead, but While managed to get by again on the 22nd lap. While went on to win the entertaining race, followed by Studebaker, McCoy, Roger Miller, Justin Zwicker and Randy Miramontez. While also won the eight lap heat race.

Tom Brown won his second-straight Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stock Main event. The 2018 champion looked like he might meet his match from three-time Merced Speedway champion Chris Corder. Cody Bolles led the opening lap ahead of Roberta Broze, but Corder and Broze both got by Bolles on the second lap. Corder began to build a straightaway advantage as Bolles and Brown both got past Broze on the fifth lap. Brown slipped past Bolles for second on Lap 7 and set his sights on Corder. A yellow flag waved for Casey Monahan on lap 11. Corder led Broze and Brown on the restart, but Corder began to have fuel pickup issues on the 15th lap as both Brown and Broze got by. Brown set sail for victory, beating Broze by about a straightaway. Corder settled for a disappointed third, followed by Bolles, Monahan and Jake Barretta. Brown also won the eight lap heat race.

Sunday racing will continue on July 5th with the PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints in action once again along with the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds and General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars. For further information go to www.petaluma-speedway.com or check out the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page.

Philpot, Smith, Sorrels Grab 
Ukiah Speedway Feature Victories

Ukiah, CA...June 27...Justin Philpot won the 45 lap Limited Modified Main Event Saturday night at Ukiah Speedway. The purse for this division was sponsored by Taco Bell. Covid-19 guidelines will not allow any fans in the grandstands at Ukiah Speedway, but Furia Motorsports set things up so that they could broadcast the event for free on Facebook for the fans to enjoy. 

Tyler Caturegli set the early pace ahead of Shelby Helm, but Helm spun for a Lap 2 yellow flag as Philpot settled into second. On the restart, Caturegli and Philpot began an exciting side-by-side battle, but Philpot used the outside line on the frontstretch on the fifth lap to wrestle the lead away from Caturegli. Roy Ingalls Jr settled into the third position at that point with Sammy Nuno in fourth. The race ran uninterrupted during the final 43 laps, and Philpot began working slower traffic by lap 15. He held a half straightaway lead on lap 28th and was a straightaway ahead by the 35th lap. Traffic got very heavy for Philpot during the final five laps. Nuno headed for the pits on Lap 39 as TJ Buzzard settled into fourth. Philpot cruised to victory ahead of Caturgeli, Ingalls, TJ Buzzard, Helm, Kylei Keown, Bo Robertson, Tim Buzzard Sr, Dennis Anderson and Nuno. 

Philpot turned the quarter-mile paved oval at 13.730 for the fast time, beating the 13.830 of Nuno. Caturegli won the first heat ahead of Ingalls, and Helm held off Nuno to win the second 10 lapper. Kylei Keown won the four lap Slow Dash ahead of Robertson.

Brenton Smith won an exciting 45 lap Bomber Main Event. The purse was sponsored by TNT Towing. Ron Duke Sr jumped into the early lead from the outside front row ahead of Raymond Taylor. Following a yellow flag, a side-by-side battle began between Brenton Smith and Duke on the restart. Smith went low in Turn 4 on the fourth lap and emerged with the lead. The race was still close at the front of the pack, and an inside pass on the backstretch of the seventh lap put previous winner Charley Tour into second. Late Model veteran Denny Cashada quickly moved in from the fifth row to the third position by Lap 8 with his inside back straightaway pass on Duke. Loren Powers Sr made it a three-car battle for second behind Smith, but Cashada was on the move. An inside pass on the frontstretch of the 17th lap put Cashada into second, and Powers went low in Turn 2 on Lap 19 to take third from Tour. Josh Smith spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 20 yellow flag. Brenton Smith led Denny Cashada and Powers on the restart, but Cashada was beginning to give serious pressure to Smith for the lead. They ran side by side, but the battle was interrupted by a Lap 22 yellow flag. 

On the restart, Cashada got the momentum on the inside and wrestled the lead away from Brenton Smith as Powers continued to run third. Cashada seemed to be in control at this point, but he spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 24 yellow flag. Brenton Smith and Powers had a spirited dual for the lead, but Smith settled the matter on lap 32. A low pass in Turn 4 of the 40th lap gained Tour the second position. Smith, Tour and Powers ran closely at the front of the pack and would finish in that order at the checkered flag. Duke settled for fourth, followed by Dave Land, Roy Ingalls Jr, Cashada, Raymond Taylor and Josh Smith.

Cashada was the quickest of 12 qualifiers with a lap of 14.780, beating the 14.815 of Forrest Kuecker. Tour outran Brenton Smith to win the first 10 lap heat race with Powers beating Josh Smith in the next heat. Ingalls won the four lap Slow Dash ahead of Duke.

Ukiah Speedway has a little dirt track in the infield for what they call Jalopy racing, and Jimmy Sorrels won their 15 lap Main Event. Nicky Skidmore led the opening lap before being passed by Jack Schleif. Schleif got by Skidmore to take the lead but spun, handing the lead to Robert Portlock Jr ahead of Sorrels. Sorrels made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the fourth lap to take the lead with Rich Lavollee now second ahead of Schleif. Turn 2 became a cluster of stalled race cars as these events have no yellow flags, but Sorrels was doing a good job of negotiating the carnage. Both Lavollee and Schleif got into trouble in the second turn as Justin Johnson briefly grabbed the second spot. However, Lavollee and Schleif were back in second and third by Lap 14. Sorrels won the race by a comfortable margin ahead of Lavollee, Schleif, Johnson, Jesus Campos, Nicky Skidmore, Portlock and Tim Walters. Sorrels and Schleif won their respective 10 lap heat races in impressive fashion with Schleif also winning four lap Trophy Dash.

The Pro Jammers and Jr Jammers ran together for a 15 lap Main Event. John Parker was the only Pro competitor and therefore won his group and the overall race. Christian Sanchez was a race long second and also won his group ahead of Hailey Glass and TJ Sorrels. Glass had this quickest Jr Jammer time of 17.981, but Sanchez was the winner of their class's heat race. Parker had a time of 17.261 in qualifying.

Racing will be back at the paved oval on July 11th. For information, check out the Ukiah Speedway Facebook page. 

Shepherd, Wise Win MavTV Late Model Races 
At Madera Speedway

Madera, CA...June 27...Bakersfield's Buddy Shepherd won the Nut Up Pro Late Model 80 lap Main Event Saturday night at Madera Speedway. This was a MavTV taping, and the race was also streamed live on the internet for free as the track is still unable to open its grandstands due to covid-19 guidelines. Shepherd led a good portion of the race and held off the persistent threat of Cole Moore for the victory. 

Jeff Bischofberger settled into the early lead ahead of Shepherd, Moore and Matthew Wendt. The lead trio begin to pull away just a little bit from the pack as they ran closely. Shepherd used traffic on the 26th lap to take the lead from Bischofberger, and a lap 28 yellow flag waved for Mike Weimann. Shepherd continued to lead Bischofberger and Moore on the restart. Moore made a backstretch move around Bischofberger to take second on the 30th lap. Ross Strmiska settled into fourth on lap 36. There was a lap 50 brake to allow adjustments on the cars, and Shepherd led Moore, Bischofberger, Strmiska and Wendt at that point.

When racing resumed, Shepherd continued to lead Moore. Strmiska made a move around Bischofberger to take over third. The lead duo pulled away a little bit in their own battle, and the yellow flag waved on lap 68. The battle between Shepherd and Moore resumed on the restart. The last 17 laps saw three more slow downs. Each time the race got going again, Shepherd found Moore pretty much glued to his back bumper. However, Shepherd made no mistakes and scored a well-earned victory. Moore settled for second ahead of Strmiska, Bischofberger, Blaine Rocha, Ryan Philpott, Racing Vernon, Joey Iest, Matt Erickson and Parker Malone.

Bakersfield's Seth Wise won the 51Fifty Junior Late Model Main Event. Bradley Erickson was the early leader ahead of Jadan Walbridge and Cole Brown. A Lap 11 yellow flag flew for Calvin Hegje. Erickson continued to lead Walbridge and Brown on the restart. The.lead duo pulled away from the pack just a little bit as another good battle was going on for third between Brown, Wise and Brody Armtrout. Wise moved by Brown for the third position on the backstretch on lap 22, and a yellow flag waved a lap later. Erickson led Walbridge on the restart with Wise now joining a close battle at the front of the pack. A low pass in Turn 2 of the 34th lap put Wise into second. The race would take a lap 40 break, and Wise actually beat Erickson back to the line to lead the 40th lap. Walbridge was third ahead of Brown and Armtrout at that point.

Wise continued to lead Erickson and Walbridge on the lap 41 restart. A yellow flag flew on lap 42 for Jake Bollman in Turn 4. Wise led Erickson and Walbridge on the restart. Erickson and Walbridge had a close battle going for second as Wise steadily pulled away from the pack. However, Kylie Ith brought out a lap 50 yellow flag to bunch the field. Wise continued to lead Erikson and Walbridge on the restart. Yellow flags on lap 52 and 57 did nothing to stop Wise. He continued to hold command on each restart. Erickson still had his hands full with the determined Walbridge, and Walbridge finally made the move into second on lap 60. However, Wise pulled away to a straightaway advantage over Walbridge by the time the checkered flag flew. Erickson settled for third, followed by Brown, Armtrout, Holly Clark, Kabe McClenny, Cody Kiemele, Bowman and Kasey Kleyn.

Jeffrey Erickson won the 30 lap Bandelero and Mini Cup race. The two divisions were combined. Jace Hale led a lap before Erickson got by. Joey Kennealy made a backstretch pass on Hale on lap 10 to take over second, but a low pass in Turn 1 of the 16th lap regained Hale the position. Erickson had built a good lead, but Hale spun from second for a Lap 22 yellow flag. Erickson continued to lead the restart, and Hale actually regained second from Kennealy. Erickson built a straightaway advantage by the time the checkered flag flew with Hale second, followed by Joey Kennealy, Caden Cordova, Rebecca Dubie and Harley Kennealy. Erickson and Harley Kennealy won the eight lap heat races.

On July 4th, the speedway will be running Reverend Ron Spencer's Red, White and Blue Classic, featuring Madera Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Legends of Kearney, MSTs and Toyota Sedans. For further information, go to www.racemadera.com or check out the Madera Speedway Facebook page.

Becker Battles Golobic For Placerville Posse Win Friday Night

Placerville, CA...June 26...Sean Becker scored the victory in the 30 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Placerville Speedway. Becker was piloting the #88n Sprint Car for Dan Monhoff and had to overtake Shane Golobic to get the win. The win paid $1,500, and Country Builders helped sponsor the event to ensure that everybody who started the feature race received a minimum of $300. Covid-19 guidelines kept the fans away once again, but the race was streamed live on SpeedshiftTV.

Colby Copeland set the early pace ahead of Willie Croft and recent Marysville and Watsonville winner Golobic. Golobic went low in Turn 4 to take the second spot from Croft on Lap 4. Moments later, Kalib Henry rolled in Turn 4 to bring out a red flag. The first restart attempt also saw a yellow flag for Kyle Offill. Copeland continued to lead Golobic as Becker settled into third on the next restart. Jake Morgan spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 7 yellow flag. Copeland led the next restart, but a seven car crash on the back straightaway resulted in a red flag. Reigning track champion Andy Forsberg was one of the drivers involved with multi-time Marysville champion Colby Weisz rolling. 

Copeland continued to lead from the outside groove with Golobic looking to the inside. Golobic switched to the outside, but he did make an inside pass in Turn 2 of the 12th lap to take the lead from Copeland. Copeland kept Golobic in his sights, but he surrendered second to an inside pass in Turn 2 by Becker on lap 18. Golobic found himself working traffic with Becker running not too far behind him. Becker saw his opening in Turn 2 as he went low on lap 28 to grab the lead. Copeland made an outside pass in Turn 2 a lap later to take second from Golobic. However, Becker would score the win ahead of Copeland, Golobic, Blake Carrick, Justyn Cox, Tanner Carrick, Croft, Stephen Ingraham, Michael Faccinto and Ryan Robinson.

The event drew 36 Sprint Cars. The drivers qualified within their nine car heat race groups. Golobic was the overall fast timer in Group 2 with a time of 10.804 on the quarter-mile clay oval. Becker was second quick at 10.856. Copeland outran Morgan to win the first heat with Blake Carrick beating Golobic to grab the second 10 lap heat race win. Craft scored the next heat win over Cox, and Tanner Carrick was the fourth heat race winner in front of Ryan Robinson. Michael Sellers and Weisz ran 1-2 throughout the 15 lap B Main. Offill made a late move into third, and JJ Hickle passed Justin Bradway on the final lap for the fourth and final transfer spot.

Darren Brown won the 20 lap NorCal Dwarf Car Main Event. Brown is a top competitor in Southern California and Nevada. Kevin Bender led one lap before spinning on the front straightaway for a yellow flag. Ventura star Tommy Valasquez III led the restart ahead of Ryan Winter and reigning champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert. Kenny Cucuk spun for a Lap 2 yellow flag. Winter took the lead from Velasquez on the restart as Ben Wiesz settled into third. Weisz led Shawn Jones around Valasquez for the second and third positions on the fourth lap. The race was red-flagged after seven laps when Cucuk rolled in Turn 2. Brown had just settled into third. He ended up second behind Weisz as Ryan Winter retired from the race. Brown took the lead from Weisz on the restart. The rest of the race ran without incident, and Brown stretched his advantage over Wiesz to nearly a straightaway by the checkered flag. Jones was a close third, followed by Shawn Whitney, Tommy Velazquez III, Grenert, Nick Velazquez, Justin Winter, Brian Quilty and Zach Albers.

The Dwarf Cars produced as a solid 26 car field for this event. Jones, Brown, Whitney and Grenert won their respective eight lap heat races. Josh Weisz led the first six laps of the 12 lap B Main before Ryan Winter made an outside pass to grab the lead and the eventual victory. Wiesz settled for second ahead of Albers, Kobe Kerns and Dan Giel. 

To keep up with all of the news and results at the speedway, go to www.placervillespeedway.com.

Golobic Back On Top At Placerville Speedway

Placerville, CA...June 27...Shane Golobic returned to winning form with his impressive drive to victory in the 40 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. This was the second night of the Placerville Posse event, and the win paid $2,500 to Golobic aboard the Matt Wood owned Elk Grove Ford/NOS Energy Drink sponsored Sprinter. Covid-19 guidelines meant that this race could not be held in front of fans in the grandstands, but it was streamed live on SpeedshiftTV.

Blake Carrick charged into the early lead ahead of Friday night winner Sean Becker and Cody Lamar. Golobic was third when a yellow flag flew on the second lap. Carrick continued to lead Becker and Golobic on the restart. Close racing at the front of the pack saw Golobic make make his move into second on Lap 7 with reigning track champion Andy Forsberg following into third. With Golobic taking up pursuit, Carrick continued to lead through two yellow flag slowdowns. On the 17th lap, however, Golobic found his opening and made the move around Carrick for the lead. Forsberg slipped past Carrick for second on Lap 21 as Colby Copeland settled into the fourth position. 

The race behind Golobic heated up as Carrick used a lap 35 restart to reclaim second from Forsberg. However, Copeland ran closely behind the duo in fourth as this battle would go down to the checkered flag. Golobic motored ahead to the victory. Copeland made a move around both Carrick and Forsberg to claim the second position on lap 39 and would finish there. Carrick settled for third, followed by Forsberg, Becker, Kyle Hirst, Shane Hopkins, Michael Faccinto, Cody Lamar and Kalib Henry.

The 36 competitors qualified within their heat race groups, and Forsberg had the overall fast time of 11.035 on the quarter-mile clay oval, beating the 11.044 of Lamar. They ran four 10 lap heat races, and Justyn Cox outran Jodie Robinson to win the first race. Jake Morgan won the next heat ahead of Forsberg, while Blake Carrick held off Hopkins to win the third heat. The final heat race win went to Becker ahead of Golobic. Stephen Ingraham led the 15 lap B Main for 11 laps before being overtaken by Willie Croft for the lead and eventual victory. Ingraham settled for second ahead of Justin Bradway, Jimmy Trulli and Brent Bjork.

Darren Brown made it a clean sweep on the weekend with his second 20 lap NorCal Dwarf Car Main Event victory. Brown ran third on the opening lap behind reigning series champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert and Ben Wiesz. Brown moved around Wiesz for second on the third lap, but Wiesz regained the position a lap later. That battle went on for several laps before Brown finally got by Wiesz on the eighth lap. A lap later, Brown put the moves on Grenert to grab the lead. Brown steadily began to pull away from the pack. Weisz took second from Grenert on the 15th lap, and moments later there was a yellow flag. Brown led Wiesz on the restart as Ryan Winter settled into third. Winter led Shawn Jones around Wiesz for the second and third positions on lap 17. Jones used a lap 19 restart to take second from Winter, but Brown was not going to be denied the victory on this occasion. Jones settled for second, followed by Ryan Winter, Wiesz, Grenert, Shawn Whitney, Zach Albers, Buddy Olschowka Tommy Vasquez III and Nick Velazquez.

There were 28 Dwarf Cars on hand for this show, and the eight lap heat race wins were recorded by Kevin Bender, Ryan Winter, Whitney and Brown. Vernon Hubbard won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Wade Ehrlich, Austin Quilty, John Williams and Dylan Shrum.

There will be a race on Fourth of July weekend, though fans won't be allowed in the grandstands and there will be no fireworks display. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be back in action along with the Limited Late Models, Pure Stocks and Mini Trucks. For further information, go to www.placervillespeedway.com.

Netto Returns To Winner's Circle At Keller Auto Speedway,
Durant Wins CVMS Race

Hanford, CA...June 27...DJ Netto won the 30 lap King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. This was the second win of the year for the reigning King of Thunder champion, who scored a victory earlier this season at Marysville Raceway. Unfortunately, fans were unable to attend this race due to covid-19 guidelines forbidding attendance at this time.

Ryan Bernal outran second row starter Netto to win the six lap Trophy Dash, putting the duo on the front row for the feature race. The battle was between these two drivers for much of the race. However, Netto pulled away from Bernal in the waning laps to win by nearly a straightaway. Mitchell Faccinto finished a straightaway behind Bernal in third, followed by Craig Stidham, Tucker Worth, Zane Blanchard, Jace Vanderweerd, Grant Duinkerken, Ben Worth and Koen Shaw. 

Rather than run time trials, the Sprint Cars ran two sets of heat races. In the first set, Duinkerken outran Stidham to win his heat, while Bernal beat Landon Hurst by over a straightaway in the second heat. In the second set of heats, Worth won a close race with Netto, and Faccinto won the final heat ahead of Kaleb Montgomery. After points were tabulated, they had six drivers to run the six lap Trophy Dash to set the first three rows of the Main Event. Bernal won that race ahead of Netto.

Jeff Durant won the 20 lap House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stock Main Event. The victory for Durant snapped a two race winning streak for reigning series champion Dan Myrick. Durant started back in the fourth row of the race. Front row starters Jason Cook and Joe Rogers Jr mixed it up with Clinton Massey early in the race as Durant worked his way to the front. Durant would get around Cook and go on to the victory. Cook settled for second ahead of Rogers, Massey, Myrick, Brandon Wolford, Andy Boydstun, Ethan Griffioen, Eddie Humphrey III and Steven Roark.

There were 24 Mini Stocks for this show, and Cook set the quickest time of 23.030, beating the 23.630 of Rogers. Six lap heat race wins were earned by Jeff Durant, Wolford and Steve Durant.

Rod Bane won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. Bane battled with multi time division champion Troy Patee to get the win with Patee settling for second. Steve Streeter ended up third, followed by Larry Thompson, Joshua Nichols and Darren Wilson. Bane also won the six lap heat race. 

Racing isn't scheduled to return until August 8th with the King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars being joined by the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Stock Cars and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com or check out the Keller Auto Speedway Facebook page. 

Braaten, Steele Win Siskiyou Golden Speedway Races

Yreka, CA...June 27...Jorddon Braaten continued his domination of the IMCA Sport Modified competition with a 20 lap Main Event win Saturday night at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. This was the third-straight win for Braaten, who also leads the current point standings. Due to covid-19 guidelines, the speedway was unable to open the grandstands for spectators

Braaten started back in the sixth row for the race and had to work his way up to the front of the pack. The three-time Medford champion was met by two-time Medford champion Mike Medel in the battle for the lead. Braaten would get past Medel for the win with Medel settling for second. Merissa Henson returned to action and finished a solid third, followed by Mike Merritt, Jimmy Ford, reigning champion Ethan Killingsworth, Chad Wormington, Mike Jones, Ryder Boswell and Randy Wright. Boswell and Ryan Peery won their respective eight lap heat races.

David Steele won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Steele is the two-time reigning champion in Medford and the 2015 title winner in Yreka. After both Steele and Ashtin Hedges won their respective eight lap heat races, they had the front row for the feature race. The duo had battled for the Medford championship last season with Hedges ending up second. In this race, it was more of the same as Steele continued his recent string of Main Event success with another win. Hedges settled for yet another second place finish, followed by three-time reigning track champion Mike Whitaker, newcomer Michael Douglas, Steve Goetz, Hunter Magnan, three-time champion Marilyn Yawnick, Terry Alford Sr, Jenna Hedges and newcomer Paige Boswell.

The Limited Sprints were added at the last minute and produced a four car field. After David Marble won the eight lap heat race, Pat Desbiens won the 30 lap Main Event. Past Southern Oregon Dwarf Car champion RJ McGahuey finished second ahead of Marble and Dave Button.

A big show is planned next weekend. Friday night will see the IMCA Modifieds back for $1,500 to win. The IMCA Sport Modifieds will race that night with the Mini Stocks also competing. Saturday night will see the Late Models race for $2,000 to win, joined by the IMCA Sport Modifieds for $850 to win, the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and Outlaw Pro Stocks. Hoppes Motorsports is sponsoring this event, and it will be available on internet pay-per-view at Dirt 360 TV. For further information, go to The Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.

Johnson, Lipke, Schmidt Win Sunday Night Gambler Special At Coos Bay Speedway

Coos Bay, Oregon...June 28...Jason Johnson won the 30 lap America's Mattress NASCAR Late Model Main Event Sunday night at Coos Bay Speedway. This was a double header weekend for the Late Model division, and Johnson came from Gresham to win the Main Events on both occasions. He started in the second row and wasted little time taking the lead. Willamette Speedway star Douglas Elkins and 2018 champion Brody Montgomery took up pursuit of Johnson before finishing second and third, respectively. Rookie Braden Fugate, Mike Taylor and Dennis Souza rounded out the finishing order. BJ Donofrio scratched after the 10 lap heat race, won by Elkins. 

Sunday was the annual IMCA Modified Gambler race, which brought some good racers from all over Oregon. When the checkered flag waved, however, it was Jimmy Lipke of Yreka, California picking up the win. Lipke started on the pole as Wednesday night winner Jon DeBenedetti provided him with his closest competition. However, Lipke prevailed at the checkered flag with DeBenedetti being forced to settle for second ahead of hard-charger Bricen James. James came from 10th starting to finish third, followed by Sam Potter, Paul Rea, Ryan Baker, Mike George, Raymond Bloom, Paul Culp and Tom Elam. DeBenedetti and James won their respective 10 lap heat races. 

Reigning Cottage Grove Speedway IMCA Sport Modified champion David Schmidt ended up being a double winner on the evening. Schmidt won the IMCA Sport Modified Main Event and the Sportsman Late Model race as well. In IMCA Sport Modified competition, Schmidt joined Doug Coffman as 10 lap heat race winners. It was this duo that would run at the front of the pack in the feature race. Schmidt had the outside front row and would hold off second row starter Coffman to take the checkered flag. Aaron Bloom settled for third, followed by Jordan Henry, KC Scott, Mike Lavery, Hunter Bloom and Dustin Comer.

Schmidt also won the Sportsman Late Model 25 lap race. Again, he had the outside front row, and this race was a mirror image of the front of the IMCA Sport Modified race as Schmidt held off Coffman for the win. Eight lap heat race winner Ryan Emery finished third, followed by Jordan Henry, Trace Fugate and Jared Simmons. 

Willamette Speedway racer Kevin Roberts won the 25 lap Street Stock Main Event. Reigning track champion Steve Dubisar, who was an eight lap heat race winner, provided Roberts with his toughest competition. Roberts shared the third row with Dakota Goddard, and this duo had their sights set on Dubisar, who took the early lead. Dubisar would be overtaken by Roberts, who went on to score the victory. Dubisar settled for second, followed by Goddard, Phil Lovvorn, Ken Fox, heat race winner Graig Osborne, Eddie Farness, Sam Talon, Melissa Adams and Dominic Conti. 

Tahlen Rodgers won the 25 lap Mini Outlaw Main Event. After winning the eight lap heat race, Scott Beaudoin was looking for a sweep of the action, but the Main Event pole sitter was out of that race early. Rodgers battled John Henry to claim the feature victory. Matthew Emry ended up third, followed by Brad Hicks.

Seth Christian won the 25 lap Hornet Main Event. Saturday winner Isaac Stere picked up the eight lap heat race honors and was looking for another win as he started on the outside front row. However, Christian would get by him and pick up the win. Stere settled for second, followed by Kevin Rockwell, Dan Briesacher and Kris Parker. 

The Coos Bay Speedway oval will be hosting a Wednesday night special race, featuring the Winged Sprint Cars, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Street Stocks and Junior Stingers. For further information go to www.coosbayspeedway.us or check out the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page.

Johnson, Henry, Fox, Stere Win Coos Bay Speedway Races

Coos Bay, Oregon...June 27...Jason Johnson won the 35 lap America's Mattress NASCAR Super Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Coos Bay Speedway. Coos Bay Speedway is the only track on the West Coast able to open their grandstands for fan attendance and to sell concessions to the fans as they operate as Coos Bay Speedway Bar and Grill.

Johnson had the outside front row starting position in the Main Event and motored into the lead. 2018 champion Brody Montgomery quickly struck to second. However, Johnson was just a bit too quick for Montgomery as he sped to the victory. Rookie Braden Fugate backed up his 10 lap heat race win with a third in the feature, followed by fellow heat race winner Douglas Elkins, Mike Taylor, Dennis Souza and Greg Heinriches

Jordan Henry of Roseburg won the 25 lap Sportsman Late Model Main Event. The car count doubled from the previous week, and Henry had the pole position for the feature. His biggest challenge came from heat race winner David Schmidt. Schmidt, who is the reigning IMCA Sport Modified champion at Cottage Grove Speedway, started back in eighth and led fellow heat race winner Doug Coffman through the pack. Once Schmidt got there, he couldn't quite overtake Henry. It was Henry prevailing at the checkered flag, followed by Schmidt, Coffman, Ryan Emry, KC Scott, Trace Fugate, Phil Lovvorn and Garrett Smith.

Ken Fox won a very competitive 30 lap Street Stock Main Event. The 2018 champion was one of three different 10 lap heat race winners. He started back in the fourth row and worked his way through the pack, where he had to battle Dyllan Siewell and Dakota Goddard. Fox would get past both of those drivers and take it home to an impressive victory. Goddard settled for second ahead of 2018 Sportsman Late Model champion Siewell, Graig Osborne, Phil Lovvorn, Shannon Collins, Sam Talon, Dominic Conti, Melissa Adams and reigning champion Steve Dubisar. The other 10 lap heat race winners were Terry King and Lovvorn.

Scott Beaudoin won the 25 lap Mini Outlaw Main Event. Beaudoin had the pole for the race, but he was also challenged by heat race winner Jason Kellam, who would settle for second. Tahlan Rogers ended up third, followed by Matthew Emry and Brad Hicks.

Isaac Stere won the 25 lap Hornet Main Event. Stere is a competitor in the class at Cottage Grove Speedway and finished second in his previous Coos Bay visit. Both Stere and previous winner Hannah Robison came from deep in the pack. Stere got to the front quicker than Robison and overtook DJ Hussy for the lead. Robison would take over second, but all she could do was chase the flying Stere to the checkered flag. Hussy ended up third, followed by Mike Bales, Dan Briesacher, Leroy Rockwell, Kris Parker, Kevin Rockwell, William Hitner and John Henry. Robison and Briesacher were the 10 lap heat winners.

Brock Peters won the 25 lap Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Main Event. Peters is a two-time champion with the group. He started in the fourth row with Ryan Smith in the third row ahead of him. Chad Cardoza and reigning series champion Josh King shared the front row. Early on, it was King and Cardoza mixing it up for the lead, but Peters and Smith moved in to make it a four car battle. Peters eventually got the lead and would bring it home to victory. Smith finished second, followed by Cardoza, King, John Chrisman, Jason Robustelli, Trevor Davis, Mark Nielsen, Casey Warren and Chris Kress

For further information on the happenings at the track, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.

Henson, Dothage, Smith 
Open Yreka Outlaws Season With Victories

Yreka, CA...June 26...Merissa Henson won the 20 lap 500 Open Kart Main Event Friday night at the Yreka Outlaw Kart track. Henson has been one of the top IMCA Sport Modified and Limited Sprint stars in the area in recent years. She scored a clean sweep in the 500 Kart division with wins in both eight lap heat races and the 20 lap feature race. Henson had the pole and impressed with the victory ahead of Kirk Doering, Dryver Dothage, Cadyn Smith and Brant Phllipe.

Dryver Dothage was making his debut in the 500 Open Kart class, but he also won the 20 lap 250 Kart Main Event. Following along with Henson's example, Dothage won both his eight lap heat races before collecting the feature triumph. Second row starter Nicolas Perrin earned a second place finish in the 14 car field. Cole Cunial impressed by starting 13th and driving to a third place finish ahead of Kasey Simmons and 14th starter Emma Rodgers. Logan McKnight finished sixth, followed by Taylor Fuller, Jacob James, Faith McCullough and Brodi Snider. Snider came up from the Kelseyville area and won a heat race. Reigning division champion Cale Cunial also had a heat race win.

Larry Fuller won the UAS Speedway Kart 12 lap Main Event. The patriarch of the Fuller family also won both eight lap heat races. Chasing Larry Fuller in the Main Event was reigning champion Steve Rambo, Ed Grubb and reigning 4 Cycle champion Lori Fuller.

Chayce Smith won the 15 lap Box Stock Main Event. The Hayfork driver had to battle Karson Crisp early on. Smith would prevail in the end with Crisp settling for second. Bentleigh Chapman came from the third row to finish third, followed by Grant Proctor, Landyn Snider, Mallory Hirschbock, reigning champion Carson Henson and Dale O'Neal. There were four different eight lap heat race winners as the victories were collected by Henson, Crisp, Proctor and Snider.

Hunter Granger won the 15 lap Beginners Box Stock Main Event. Granger won the Open Box Stock championship last season, and he won a heat race earlier in the evening after finishing second to Elijah Humphrey in the other heat. Granger and Humphrey shared the front row for the race, but Granger would get the lead. Brody Norton would chase Granger across the line in second, followed by Kyndel Crisp, Humphrey, Talia Colley and Austin Bartholomew.

Racing at the Outlaw Kart track is scheduled to return on July 10th. Scheduling announcements and other information will be forthcoming on the Yreka Outlaws Facebook page.


Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
Placerville Posse Night #2
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Main Event
Shane Golobic
Colby Copeland
Blake Carrick
Andy Forsberg
Sean Becker
Kyle Hirst
Shane Hopkins
Michael Faccinto
Cody Lamar
Kalib Henry
Jodie Robinson
Tanner Carrick
Joel Myers
Stephen Ingraham
Trent Canales
John Clark
Ryan Robinson
Willie Croft
Kyle Offill
Greg Decaires
Tony Gualda
Jake Morgan
Justyn Cox
Justin Bradway

B Main
Willie Croft
Stephen Ingraham
Justin Bradway
Tanner Carrick
Brent Bjork
Andy Gregg
J.J. Hickle
C.J. Humphreys
Chris Masters
Michael Sellers
Max Mittry
Mike Cook
Nick Larson
Justin Johnson
Lonnie Alton
Bobby Butler
Jimmy Trulli
A.J. Alderman 

NorCar Dwarf Cars
Darren Brown
Shawn Jones
Ryan Winter
Ben Wiesz
Mike Grenert
Shawn Whitney
Zack Albers
Buddy Olschowka
Tommy Velasquez III
Nick Velasquez
Josh Wiesz
Kevin Bender
Vernon Hubbard
Justin Winter
Wade Ehrlich
Tom VanTuyl
Austin Quilty
Brian Quilty
John Williams
Dan Geil

B Main
Vernon Hubbard
Wade Ehrlich
Austin Quilty
John Williams
Dylan Shrum
Kenny Cucuk
April Halliday
Corey Eaton
Kobe Kerns
Katelin Eccles
Austin Struthers
Hailey Wiesz


Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 26, 2020
Placerville Posse Night #1
A Main
Sean Becker
Colby Copeland
Shane Golobic
Blake Carrick
Justyn Cox
Tanner Carrick
Willie Croft
Stephen Ingraham
Michael Faccinto
Ryan Robinson
JJ Hickle
Jodie Robinson
Kyle Hirst
Michael Sellers
Jake Morgan
Andy Forsberg
Trent Canales
Joel Myers Jr
Justin Johnson
Chase Majdic
Bubba DeCaires
Colby Wiesz
Kyle Offill
Kalib Henry

B Main
Michael Sellers
Colby Wiesz
Kyle Offill
JJ Hickle
Justin Bradway
Eric Humphries
Cody Lamar
Shane Hopkins
Max Mittry
Jimmy Trulli
Nick Larson
John Clark
Mike Cook
Lonny Alton
CJ Humphries

NorCal Dwarf Cars
A Main
Darren Brown
Ben Wiesz
Shawn Jones
Shawn Whitney
Tommy Velasquez III
Mike Grenert
Nick Velasquez
Justin Winter
Brian Quilty
Zach Albers
Kevin Bender
Josh Wiesz
Kobe Kerns
Austin Quilty
Robert Kozinski
Dylan Shrum
Vernon Hubbard
Katelin Eccles
Cory Eaton
Ryan Winter
Kenny Cucuk
John Williams
Dan Geil
Wade Ehrlich

B Main
Ryan Winter
Josh Wiesz
Zach Albers
Kobe Kerns
Dan Geil
Cory Eaton
Robert Kozinski
Katelin Eccles
Hailey Wiesz


Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Results are not official
1     #88N D.J. Netto        
2     #22 Ryan Bernal
3     #37 Mitchell Faccinto
4     #3 Craig Stidham
5     #33 Tucker Worth
6     #7Z Zane Blanchard
7     #88V Jace VanderWeerd
8     #67G Grant Duinkerken
9     #01W Ben Worth
10     #88K Koen Shaw
11     #5D Connor Danel            
12     #3K Kaleb Montgomery        
13     #6C Travis Coelho        
14     #5 Cole Danell        
15     #5S Mauro Simone
16     #12 Jacob Pacheco    
17     #67X Britton Bock        
18     #10F Jared Faria        
19     #9S Landon Hurst            

CVMS Mini Stocks
Jeff Durant
Jason Cook
Joe Rogers Jr
Clinton Massey
Dan Myrick
Brandon Wolford
Andy Boydstun
Ethan Griffioen
Eddie Humphrey III
Steven Roark
Shawn Schwartzenberger
Hailey Marvin
Jason Cook
Shawn DePriest
Gene Glover
Billy Beckham
Kenneth Marain
Michael Hutchinson
Steve Durant
David Wolford Jr
Matthew Herod

IMCA Stock Cars
Rod Bane
Troy Patee
Steve Streeter
Larry Thompson
Joshua Nichols
Darren Wilson


Siskiyou Golden Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
Hobby Stocks
David Steele
Ashtin Hedges
Mike Whitaker
Michael Douglas
Steve Goetz
Hunter Magnan
Marilyn Yawnick
Terry Alford Sr
Jenna Hedges
Paige Boswell

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Jorddon Braaten
Michael Medel
Merissa Henson
Mike Merritt
Jimmy Ford
Ethan Killingsworth
Chad Wormington
Mike Jones
Ryder Boswell
Randy Wright
Jace Wright
Colt Boswell
Ryan Peery
Austin Petray
Gary Foster DNS

Sprint Cars
Pat Desbiens
RJ MCGahney
David Marble
Dave Button


Ukiah Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
Race #2 (Covid-19 Restrictions) | Ukiah, CA
Limited Modifieds
Jason Philpot
Tyler Caturegli
Roy Ingalls Jr
TJ Buzzard
Shelby Helm
Kylei Keown
Bo Robertson
Tim Buzzard Sr
Dennis Anderson
Sammy Nuno

Bombers
Brenton Smith
Charley Tour
Loren Powers Jr
Ron Duke Sr
Dave Land
Roy Ingalls Jr
Denny Cashada
Raymond Taylor
Josh Smith

Jalopines
Jimmy Sorrels
Rich Lavollee
Jack Schleif
Justin Johnson
Jesus Campos
Nicky Skidmore
Robert Portlock Jr
Ryan Skidmore
Tim Walters

Legend Cars
Tyler Long
Dan Munier

Pro/Jr Jammers
John Parker
Christian Sanchez
Hailey Glass
TJ Sorrels


Madera Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
Nut Up Pro Late Models
Buddy Shepherd
Cole Moore
Ross Strmiska
Jeff Bischofberger
Blaine Rocha
Ryan Phillpott
Racin Vernon
Joey Iest
Matt Erickson
Parker Malone
Austin Herzog
Tim Skoglund
Shelden Cooper
John McCullum Jr
Jay Juleson
Hans Beeler
Mike Beeler
John Moore
Logan Zampa
Michael Mitchell
Dylan Zampa
Matthew Wendt
Rick Thompson
Glen Cook
Mike Weimann
Jacob Gomes DNS

Fifty51 Jr Late Models
Seth Wise
Jadan Walbridge 
Bradley Erickson
Cole Brown
Brody Armtrout
Holly Clark
Kabe McClenny
Cody Kiemele
Jake Bollman
Kasey Kleyn
Cassidy Hinds
Kale McClenny
Kenna Mitchell
Kylie Ith
Kercie Jung
Robbie Kennealy
Calvin Hegje
Brody Moore

Bandoleros/Mini Cups
Jeffrey Erickson
Jace Hale
Joey Kennealy
Caden Cordova
Rebecca Dubie
Harley Kennealy


Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
Richie McGowan Memorial
IMCA Modifieds
Austin Kiefer
Robby Sawyer
Jerry Flippo
Cody Laney
Troy Foulger
Logan Drake
Gary Dutton
Rob Sanders
Bobby Hogge IV
Alex Stanford
Jack Aguiar
Brad Pounds
Roger Holder
Bryan Clark
Michael Thing
Steve Noland
Tom Smith
Chris Cromp
Dakota Schweitzer
Chett Reeves
Tom Malcom
Ethen Dotson
Gavyn Manning
Kyle Heckman

IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Michael Johnson
Jason Nation
Nick Spainhoward
Garrett Jernagan
Daniel West
Brian Baker
TJ Etchison
Jeff Miller
Dylan Potter
Greg Mann
Justin Gonzalez
David Pearson
Austin Ruskauff
Billy Simkins
Jason Bannister
Brylon Holder
Tyler Blankenship
Brock Crawford
Robby Claborn
Michael Black
Markus Frazier
Cale Kanke

B Main
Daniel West
Cale Kanke
Billy Simkins
David Pearson
Austin Ruskauff
Justin Gonzalez
Brian Baker
Michael Black
Robby Claborn
Dylan Potter
Jason Pugh
Brandon Jennings
Sean Vega
Jim Reed
Adam Jeffrey

American Stocks
Dakota Brown
Tyler Irwin
Kody Sly
Brock Crawford
Josh Yadon
Mark McCaslin
Clay Water
Nick Coffman
Tara Childress
Craig Houk
Jr Daves
Andrew Johnston
Mason Conway
Ratcliff Brandon
Ethan Dotson
Kevin Irwin
Steve Johnson
Brian Childress
Rich Denman

Hobby Stocks
Cody Johnson
Dylan Wilson
Nicholas Johnson
Trevor Baker
Tyler Bannister
Tina Pounds
Mark McCaslin
Austin Van Hoff
Dale Frye
Kelly Nichols
Jacky Roberts
Brooke Cimental
Teena Johnson
Kenny White
Raymond Noland
Tate Loftis
Kevin Irwin
Anthony Silva
Johnny Wood
Ricky Childress Jr
Austin Manzella
Ryan Little

B Main
Teena Johnson
Dale Frye
Johnny Wood
Kelly Nichols
Ryan Little
Austin Van Hoff
Mark McCaslin
Kevin Irwin
Jacky Roberts
Brooke Cimental
Logan Clay
Rick Henderson
Jesse Bowls
Karl Noland


Kern Raceway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
SPEARS MODIFIEDS SERIES
EDDIE SECORD
JEREMY DOSS
TRAVIS MCCULLOUGH
WILLIAM GUEVARA
CHRIS DALTON
AUSTIN STEWART
JIM COFFEY
DAVID LEVITT
ERIC BRUST
BRADY MELO
JERRY TOPOREK
DOUGLAS CARPENTER
BROCK MELO
ED COFFEY
GENE FIFE
RYLEY MILLARD

SUPER STOCKS
CHRIS DALTON
PAUL EBERSBACHER
RON CROSS
ANTHONY MAINELLA
GENE FIFE
KENNY HARRISON

LEGENDS
COLTON PAGE
JOSH AYERS
EDDIE GARONE
CHRISTIAN BAZEN

BANDOLEROS
TRENTON EURTO
QUENTIN FRITZ
LOGAN CHAMBERS
STEPHEN BAZEN 
NATHANIEL EDWARDS
TRAVIS MASON

SR MINI DWARFS
ADAM NOHL
STEPHEN BAZEN
MALLORY MEYERS

JR MINI DWARFS
CASH LAWLESS
NATHAN NOHL


Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 27, 2020
NASCAR Weekly Racing Series
America's Mattress Super Late Models
Jason Johnson
Brody Montgomery
Braden Fugate
Doug Elkins
Mike Taylor
Dennis Souza
greg heinrichs
Chris Kristensen DNS

Sportsman Late Models
Jordan Henry
Dave Schmidt
Doug Coffman
Ryan Emry
K.C. Scott
Trace Fugate
Phil Lovvorn
Garret Smith
Jared Simmons DNS

Street Stocks
Ken Fox
Dakota Godard
dyllan siewell
Graig Osborne
Phil Lovvorn
Shannon Collins
Sam Talon
Dominic Conti
Melissa Adams
Steve Dubisar
Eddie Farness DNS
Charlie Withers DNS
peyton reigard DNS
Jeff Thurman DNS
Terry King DNS
Matt Breiter DNS

Mini Outlaws
Scott Beaudoin
Jason Kellam
Tahlan Rogers
Matthew Emry
Brad Hicks

Hornets
Isaac Stere
Hannah Robison
dj hussy
mike bales
dan briesacher
Leroy Rockwell
Kris Parker
kevin rockwell
William Hitner
john henry
george wheeler

SODCA Dwarf Car
Brock Peters
Ryan Smith
Chad Cardoza
Josh King
John Chrisman
Jason Robustelli
Trevor Davis
Mark Nielsen
Casey Warren
Chris Kress
Steve Walker
Erin Morganstern
Camden Robustelli
Reggie Ayres
Ashleigh Strain
connor wolff


Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 28, 2020
America's Mattress Super Late Models
IMCA Modifieds
James Lipke
Jon DeBenedetti
Bricen James
Sam Potter
Paul Rea
Ryan Baker
Mike George
Raymond Bloom
Paul Culp
Tom Elam
David Satterfield

IMCA Sport Modifieds
David Schmidt
Doug Coffman
Aaron Bloom
Jordan Henry
K.C. Scott
mike lavery
Hunter Bloom
Dustin Comer
Jason Johnson
Doug Elkins
Brody Montgomery
Braden Fugate
Mike Taylor
Dennis Souza

Sportsman Late Models
David Schmidt
Doug Coffman
Ryan Emry
Jordan Henry
Trace Fugate
Jared Simmons

Street Stocks
Kevin Roberts
Steve Dubisar
Dakota Godard
Phil Lovvorn
Ken Fox
Graig Osborne
Eddie Farness
Sam Talon
Melissa Adams
Dominic Conti

Mini Outlaws
Tahlen Rogers
John Henry
Matthew Emry
Brad Hicks
Scott Beaudoin

Hornets
seth christian
Isaac Stere
kevin rockwell
dan briesacher
Kris Parker


Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 28, 2020
PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints
Shawn Jones
Bradley Terrell
Cody Fendley
Dylan Bloomfield
Angelique Bell
Dennis Furia Jr
Sparky Howard
Ryon Siverling
Keith Calvino 
Jessica Walker
Tony Bernard
Eden McCormick
Blaine Cory
Daniel Whitley
DJ Johnson
Jeff Scotto
Matthew Haulot
Randy Tiner
Shayna Ensign
Nick Robfogel

McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds
Anthony Slaney
Trevor Fitzgibbon
Chris Sieweke
David Spriggs
Trevor Brady
Steve Studebaker
Gary Zwicker
Justin Yaeger

Lumberjack's Restaurant Super Stocks
Matt While
Steve Studebaker
Shawn McCoy
Roger Miller
Justin Zwicker
Randy Miramontez

Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks
Tom Brown
Roberta Broze
Chris Corder
Cody Bolles
Casey Monahan
Jake Barretta


Yreka Outlaw Karts Unofficial Race Results June 26, 2020
Beginner Box Stock L206
Hunter Granger
Brody Norton
Kyndel Crisp
Elijah Humphrey
Talia Colley
6Aiden Bartholomew

Box Stock sealed L206
Chayce Smith
Karson Crisp
Bentleigh Chapman
Grant Proctor
Landyn Snider
Mallory Hirschbock
Carson Henson
Dale O’Neil

UAS Speedways
Larry Fuller
Steve Rambo
Ed Grubb
Lori Fuller

250 Outlaw
Dryver Dothage
Nicholas Perrin
Cole Cunial
Kasey Simmons
Emma Rodgers
Logan McKnight
Taylor Fuller
Jacob James
Faith McCollough
Brodi Snider
Cale Cunial
Dallin Dagata
Cadyn Smith
Austin Bartholomew
Morgan Berry DS
Drew Berry DNS

500 Outlaw
Merissa Henson
Kirk Doering
Dryver Dothage
Cadyn Smith
Brant Phillipe

The Editor's Viewpoint

It's worth noting that the path has been made in the state of Oregon for race tracks to open, get fans in the grandstands and sell concessions to them. You might need a cooperative county health official to be on your side, but some county officials are willing to listen. There are certain county officers that apparently don't completely agree with the strict state orders. If you can present a proposal to them that appears to take into consideration social distance guidelines and all of that, you might just be able to do what you're looking to do at the race track. Coos Bay Speedway is open for business, it seems to be business as usual and it's perfectly acceptable in the state of Oregon.

Let's be clear on this. Coos Bay Speedway isn't just opening up the gates and saying, "Come on in, it's business as usual." There are certain covid-19 guidelines that are being followed, and Promoter Drake Nelson has listed those on the track's Facebook page. They do different things in the way they handle concessions. They have the right of way marked out to keep the flow of foot traffic moving in certain directions. They have hand sanitizer available. They're telling people to come on out to the "bar and grill", but they're observing social distance guidelines. That's the other thing, they are calling their concession stand and beer booth a bar and grill.

One of the things I think is being done at Coos Bay Speedway is they don't have a specific limit of people allowed in the grandstands. At least we're not hearing any specific number. The only thing we hear is 250 people in the pits. The bar and grill will allow more people. Exactly what the maximum occupancy of that is, we don't know. What we can ascertain is that those numbers are within line of the average attendance on any given week at the track. It appears to be a question of the space occupied by the bar and grill. When you take into consideration the seating, which is the grandstands and hillside area, you're talking about square feet. Those numbers will be significantly higher than the 250 person limit put in place by the covid-19 guidelines.

The governor didn't say having sporting events with fans and concessions was necessarily allowed at this point in time, but we aren't talking about huge sporting events when we talk about local race tracks. There are some who believe that race tracks fell between the cracks of this whole deal, so it took a promoter like Nelson to get creative and do what he's done. Nobody is telling him he can't have a race with fans and concessions as long as he adheres to the covid-19 guidelines as put in place in order for him to operate Coos Bay Speedway Bar and Grill. That's the rub, it's being classified as a bar and grill. The Medford Dragstrip is doing something similar. 

Heather Boyce is getting ready to open Cottage Grove Speedway on the Fourth of July with a maximum of 250 people allowed in the pits according to Lane County guidelines. We don't know if there could be more people in the pits or if they might allow fans in the grandstands for that matter. The only announcement Heather made was the six divisions that will be running and that space will be limited. We are assuming that she has at least drafted a plan that she will propose to the county to allow her to have fins. If she has in fact done that, the reason she didn't make the announcement last Wednesday is because she doesn't know if it will be allowed or not. Make no mistake, the success of Coos Bay Speedway encouraged Heather to take a shot at opening on what is the track's 64th anniversary. They opened back in 1956.

Let's be clear about this as well. If Drake Nelson had gone to the health officials with a proposal that said, "I'm going to open my race track, have fans and be able to sell them food, " this would not have happened. The legal wording of what he's doing, which includes calling his place a bar and grill, has enabled him to circumvent the guidelines imposed on sporting events. The guidelines on sporting events were a bit draconian, to say the least. Racing facilities in Oregon generally don't have thousands of people on the premises on any given week. On big nights, you might have a couple thousand people, but that's also not the norm. He did what he had to do, and it was approved by Coos County health officials. 

It comes down to what county officials will say, and Cottage Grove is the next track on deck to make a move. If you are in Phase 2, you can at least take a shot at this. Of course, Oregon doesn't have very many other tracks, and two of the better-known tracks in the state have their own issues that prevent them from taking a shot right now. Cottage Grove Speedway is the next track on deck, and we haven't heard from Southern Oregon Speedway in regards to what they might be thinking. What is clear is that with Cottage Grove opening and Coos Bay doing what they are doing, the Medford track will be forced to make a move to at least see if they can get fans. 

Let's expand this beyond Oregon. The bar and grill phased reopening plan basically allows places to fill their buildings with a certain percentage of maximum occupancy, based on the size. This is what Drake was looking at when he did what he did at Coos Bay Speedway. In the counties where these types of establishments are allowed to open in California, tracks could at least attempt something like this. To be clear, it's outside the guidelines as put in place by the state. You have some more constitutionally minded officials on the southern end of Oregon. Certain counties in California, even if they do have bar and grill establishments open, might have officials who would stop a race track from attempting this type of thing.

It's not the most ideal situation, but look at it this way. The Oregon governor was talking as tough as the California governor. California tracks were opening for races. Some tracks were making plans to open, and Nelson was looking around and saying, "Why can't we do something here?" He had the idea in place back in mid May, but it took a few weeks beyond that to make it work. If his idea is indeed sound, California tracks might start looking at this as a way to get some fans in the stands and some concessions. 

The wildcard in all of this is how the numbers spike in cases of the virus and what the respective governors might do in terms of shutting things down. But if things are what they are now, promoters in California might start looking at this idea. Coos Speedway Bar and Grill has shown the way. Time it's not on our side, and the racing season window will close in a few months in Oregon due to weather

As I am looking at the exit and thinking about going more into the background with my media effort, there's one thing that would be tempting. I think I'd love to do some more announcing. I had hopes of going back to Antioch and maybe grabbing the microphone again, but obviously my return there isn't going to happen. I wouldn't mind either doing a regular program at a track for a couple of years or just going from place to place. I enjoy announcing, and I think I can add something to the program. I was offered a gig to announce a live broadcast on Fourth of July weekend, but I had to decline it. This is actually the second time I've had to decline an offer this year, and both for the same reason. 

It's just not easy for me to get around where I live, and I would be required to take a bus down to California. The first offer came a couple of weeks before the virus shutdown. A good friend of mine asked if I would be willing to do a few shows at a specific track. I'll leave the friend's name and track out of it, but I would have loved to take the gig. I'm just not up to taking a very long trip on a bus multiple times, but if that offer had been to become the track's announcer, I'm fairly certain the answer would have been yes as long as I would have had a place to live. I knew when he started mentioning taking a bus that it just wasn't going to happen.

This weekend gig that was offered to me would have required me to take a train. Again, I would have had to find a way to the train station and from the train station, and it's becoming more of a headache to deal with it. If I would have had an easier way to get to the track, the answer definitely would have been yes. I'm almost relieved that I turned the deal down. It turns out that this person was trying to help the track build an infrastructure to do live streaming as they didn't think they could find a pay service to do it for them. Within 24 hours of being offered this gig, the track did find another streaming service. All's well that ends well for them. I believe I could have helped enhance the show, but I'm sure they will do fine with what they have.

We really need to keep an eye on the numbers. As it is becoming normal to open without any fans in the stands, we're suddenly getting people used to the fact that they can watch racing at home rather than at the track. I hope that doesn't have a negative effect in terms of people deciding they are not going to the track when it opens to fans. It's not just the people sitting at home watching the streams, but people who suddenly aren't paying any attention at all. Will they care when they can come back? We won't know those effects until the grandstands finally open. The other thing is the economic impact of things and what it does to people's disposable incomes. 

The first tracks that were opening after everything had been shut down for about two months were seeing huge car counts. Drivers didn't care if they had to drive four hours down the road if they could race. Then, more tracks started opening. We're going to start seeing those car count numbers level off a little bit, and that means less revenue being generated at the track through the pit gates. As streaming revenue dips just a little bit, promoters might start scratching their heads and wondering if it's worth opening until they can get things back to normal. If there are people still willing to donate money or sponsor these efforts, some promoters can hold on longer. I don't know what the impact will be on all of this, but I think we'll find out.

I cautioned everybody last week, and I will do so again. When you start hearing the media talking about the virus cases going up, you should be nervous. I don't believe the narrative. I'm sorry if I offend the people who do believe it, but the facts don't back up what we're being told. Facts have never stopped the powers-that-be from doing what it is they want to do. If they can get away with it, they'll shut things down again. When we're starting to hear about mask rules being put into effect and governors threatening to shut things down again, we need to be worried. At some point, people might reach their breaking point. I will end that thought process before I go off on a tirade, but let's just hope that we're not facing a shutdown and a premature end to what we've called the racing season this year.

When Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville opened their gates for their first race back on June 13th, they did so with fans. They were following social distancing guidelines, which meant only so many fans would be allowed in the stands. No number was given on that, just spots marked on the grandstand seats where you could sit or couldn't. No concession stands were offered on the 13th, and they weren't offered last weekend either. The track was flooded with race cars on Friday night with over 110 competitors across four divisions, including an impressive 48 IMCA Modifieds.

Dry, slick and dusty was the order of the day, but the racers were given two amazing grooves on which to compete. This meant some exciting side by side racing, though at times I'm sure the fans had to strain to see some of the cars exiting Turn 4. When you have this many cars, time limit can become a factor, and it erased some of the Main Event laps for both the Hobby Stock and the Mini Stock races. However, both the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds were able to go their intended distances. Fred Ryland has certainly hit his stride as he kicked off the two-day event with a Friday night Sport Modified win. 

I continue to be impressed by the IMCA Modified racing I'm seeing at various venues, and Susanville is no exception. They had an incredible side-by-side battle for the first four positions during the second B Main, won by Joey Tanner. Collen Winebarger had the front row for the Main Event. There was only one yellow flag on Lap 2, so this 25 lap affair went quickly. As you might expect when you put "Superman" on the front row, he left the field to battle for second. The drivers seemed to be running more towards the high side of the track, but there was still some good side by side battles to be had. The Friday night show was entertaining, and I'm sure the fans had no complaints even with the dust in the air.

I don't know where Promoter Jeff Olschowka is getting the money to pay these big purses. The Modifieds were receiving $1,500 to win on both nights and an increased purse. The Saturday show would have a big purse with both the Tri State Pro Stock Series and Late Models getting $1,500 to win. Susanville isn't just tentatively opening the gates this year, they are making a statement. On one hand, tracks are struggling to be able to pay a regular purse with no fans in attendance. These guys do get fans, and maybe that helps them be able to pay a little bit more. When you get 48 IMCA Modifieds into your pits, that $1,500 to win isn't that much of an issue. Susanville has been very impressive so far this year.

Saturday night continued that trend of impressiveness from the Lassen County Fairgrounds based track. They again hit the 110 car mark. Actually, they were a little bit above that. When you're dealing with this volume of cars, it's important to keep the crew on the same page and keep the show moving. Fortunately, there wasn't much downtime and I'm happy to report that the fans witnessed no cut in laps for Saturday's show. And yes, there were more fans there on Saturday than there were on Friday. I know they are talking about social distance guidelines and all of that, but from the camera angles, it didn't seem like that was being observed in the grandstands. It's pretty simple. They can have fans, and they have fans. As soon as they can have concessions, they'll have that too. Guidelines probably won't matter at that point

The track tends to go dry and dusty, but there was a little bit less dust on Saturday night. The one thing I can say about the way they prepare that track is it stays smooth. They were able to get some good two-groove racing throughout the night, and I'm sure the fans and the people watching the stream at home were entertained by that. Collen Winebarger really is an impressive driver. Though he finished third behind Shane DeVolder and Ryan McDaniel on Saturday, he was doing most of the passing. If you're going to run a Superman logo on your car, I guess you need to drive like it too.

I'll give Susanville credit for trying to bring in the Late Models for the show. I'm not exactly sure how that came about. I know that Jeff was speaking with Tri State Pro Stock Series Director Roy Bain about the possibility of doing it. Unfortunately, California is about dead when it comes to Late Models. Oregon has quite a few, but it didn't look like there were too many takers coming from the state. $1,500 to win isn't a bad payday, and Mark Wauge was the one coming in from Medford to get the job done. He beat Trent Elliott, who is last season's Medford champion. It was no gimme, and it was also the first Late Model win for Wauge.

The Pro Stocks didn't have as big a car count as they've had, but that's the bad news. The good news is a low car count for them is 16 cars, and there was still quite a bit of quality in that field. The Smith family came in from the Bakersfield area, making for a long trip back and forth. Since Ryan Smith was the one bringing home the winner's prize, I'd say it worked out pretty well for them. I'm not sure what's up next for the Pro Stock group. On Deck would be the Rocky Nash Memorial race in Medford, but it's not looking good at the track at this point. My guess is if we don't hear an announcement from Medford on an opening here in the next week, that date will be lost. It disappoints me as I really wanted to see Rocky get honored with this race.

I can't say enough for the job that Jeff and his crew did at Susanville. We don't hear a lot about what goes on at that track. There are other glamour tracks in California that people talk about, and Susanville is just sort of hidden in the shadows, so to speak. However, the racers knew the way up there this time and gave the crowd one heck of a show. Even the Hobby Stock field was filled with quality competitors, and the IMCA Sport Modifieds delivered the second highest turnout of the weekend. When you're doing this well and you've got the momentum on your side, you keep rolling the dice and taking a shot at another one. Susanville will do it again this weekend.

This is the part that amazes me. Again, the track will be paying big bucks. IMCA Modifieds are getting a shot at $1,500 to win this Friday and $2,000 to win on Saturday. The money will also go up a little bit in the IMCA Sport Modifieds with $500 to win on Friday and then $1,000 to win on Saturday. Hobby Stocks are still getting good money at $400 to win each night. I'm not sure they're going to get as big a car count. The IMCA classes have other options in California, and drivers from the Bay Area on south will probably converge on Antioch Speedway for their big event. They should still do pretty well, but the numbers may not reach the same heights this time. 

Promoters are going to step on each others toes, whether deliberately or accidentally. The scheduling snafu we talked about between Cottage Grove Speedway and Siskiyou Golden Speedway had another effect. Susanville has their big show. In fact, one of the reasons why the Yreka track chose not to run IMCA Modifieds or Sport Modifieds this Saturday was because they knew that Susanville was doing a big show for both classes. However, Susanville is doing a big show for both classes on Friday as well. Though the Sport Modifieds pay a little bit less at Susanville on Friday, they get more on Saturday. It becomes tempting for Sport Modified drivers to just head to Susanville again, rather than Yreka. I don't necessarily believe that Susanville and Yreka are in the same world, so to speak. What one track does doesn't really affect the other track.

I think Yreka got a little bit gun-shy and prematurely pulled the two divisions from Saturday, and they shouldn't have worried about it so much. The bounty hunters in the area might head to Susanville, but there's enough local interest from drivers in Yreka and just over the border to at least give you double digits in the Modifieds. The only thing Yreka would have to worry about this weekend was if the Medford track was going to open, which it's not. At the very least, I would have left the IMCA Sport Modifieds on both Friday and Saturday. You might lose some drivers to Cottage Grove, but you won't lose that many. In the end, Kevin Barba and Travis Hoppes had to do what they thought was best for business. That's exactly what Susanville is doing as well.

Fans sitting at home won't be able to go to the grandstands in Yreka just yet, but at least they'll have the streaming service being offered by Dirt 360 TV. This was a better way to go than to create something in house, which was being considered for about a day. These guys do streaming service, usually for tracks up in Washington. One of the nice things about it is they're not trying to gouge the fans. Most of the time, you're hearing about $20 or more to watch the streaming services for just one race on SpeedshiftTV or Dirt Oval TV. They're asking for $10 a night. I'm not sure how many cars are going to be there in Yreka on either night, but it should be a good show nonetheless.

The reason I'm concerned about paying $2,000 to the Late Models is you're taking a big risk and you don't know how many cars you're going to get. Susanville offered $1,500 to win and drew seven Late Models on Saturday. That's not really worth the money, I'm sorry to say. Coos Bay Speedway was offering a Saturday night show under the NASCAR banner, but even they didn't do that much better. It seems like many of the local drivers were staying away, but they weren't getting that many drivers from out of the area either. With Susanville and Yreka, you're talking about two tracks that do not feature Late Models at all, so taking that kind of money and putting it into a purse for them is a risky proposition. Yreka is banking on several drivers from Medford coming to town. It could happen, then again it may not be as big as they are hoping. We'll find out shortly.

Coos Bay Speedway is living the high life in Oregon right now. Tracks are trying to figure out how to make 250 people or less work to run some sort of program. They managed to have a race at River City Speedway in St Helens within those guidelines and with no fans. Cottage Grove Speedway is on deck to attempt something, and as of Monday the report we got from Heather was that they would still have no fans in the stands. She did make sure everybody knew that Dirt Oval TV would be there broadcasting it live and also they would be paying a full purse for all divisions thanks to sponsorship. 

The thing is, I still believe Heather is trying to figure out if there's a way to make fans happen. She needs to let the racers know what's going on so that they will be there, but she can take this down to the last minute if she has to with the fans. If she tells people on Friday that they can attend in person, they will break down the gates to be there. This will be interesting to see whether they do get fans or if it's just a participant only night at the track. It's doubtful at this point, but you never know.

Whether it's exactly legal or not, Coos Bay Speedway is open for business. They are getting technical and saying all the right things, and this is enabling them to put fans in the grandstands and sell them food. At this point, they're even adding races at the last minute to take advantage of the fact that they are the only oval track in the state to do this. This past weekend saw the car count numbers go up in some classes but not in others. It still ended up being a good show for what it was. Drake's decision to run a race this Wednesday night had to do with the fact that the dragstrip was already booked this weekend. I'm quite sure if they didn't have a drag racing event scheduled, that oval track would have been running. 

It bears repeating that at some point the numbers are going to level off. The people will have gotten the racing bug out of their system. Well, at least they will have when it comes to them a traveling longer distances to go racing. Either that or their own area tracks will be opening. We're starting to see some numbers coming down in the pits in some divisions at some tracks. 

I don't blame Drake for doing what he's doing, because usually Coos Bay is kind of forgotten out there on the Oregon Coast. They're turning heads and should be making a little bit of money at this point. Yeah, you're trying to give the fans an entertaining show on any given night, but the idea is to make money. Nelson figured out a way to do that in this difficult time, and so far he hasn't been challenged too seriously since the June opening.

The little Kart track in Yreka finally got going again. They meant to do that a few weeks ago, but rain put a damper on that. It's normal for this track to get 20 Karts for a show. Sometimes they do a little bit better. When there are really no other options except for the Saturday night shows at Cycleland, you're bound to see visitors. Several racers came from Oregon, and a few drivers came from further south to help produce a 40 Kart field. They did particularly well in the 250 Kart division with 16 entries. I'd have to classify this a success. Yreka isn't likely to be challenged by the little track in Medford as I highly doubt that there will be a race there this season. Further north in Cottage Grove would be the next best bet. 

I've been saying that the Kart situation from Yreka through Oregon is a mess. I do like what Cory and Sandy Penfold are doing at their little track, Marion Creek Speedway. They're bringing a bit of passion and love into this, and they seem to be building a community there. People need to work together on this to save Kart racing or it will get priced out of existence really quick. The reason you want to keep this around is because you need to keep bringing new drivers into this sport to eventually move up to the big track. Drivers are constantly walking away from the bigger tracks, so you always need new talent.

We are starting to see drivers that have been running the Yreka Kart track moving up to the bigger track. Paige Boswell, Cale Cunial and Brionna Fuller are the newest drivers to graduate, but there are others on the cusp of doing the same. Therefore, this is important. Kart racing in Yreka has had an on-again, off-again lifespan. The Medford track had a steady run for two decades, but it was in serious decline over the last five years. Frankly, management has been losing money trying to keep the gates open at that little track for the last four years and wasn't enthusiastic about doing anything at all this year. They do have people involved at the little track in Yreka that care, so they've got a chance to keep it going. Keeping anything going during this difficult time is not easy, so I give them credit for what I classify as a successful opener.

The bigger race happening in California on Friday was the first night of the Placerville Posse Sprint Car race. The track looked to be in good shape, and the Main Event had good two-groove racing for the Sprint Cars. Guys were making moves high and low, which you want to see. Even the Dwarf Cars were entertaining and had some good racing during the second half of their Main Event. The first half was a bit rough, but that happens. While the Dwarf Cars brought in about 26 cars, I counted 36 for the Sprint Cars. If you can get your count like this with two divisions on any given race night, I'd be happy with that. Let both divisions qualify, run Trophy Dashes for both classes and make a traditional, old-school show.

What I find interesting is that the Sprint Car division didn't get into the 40s. With the money that Scott Russell secured via sponsorship and everything, I thought that the Sprint Car count would get into the 40s. Nobody else was doing anything on Friday night. Then again, racing season as far as tracks opening to the racers is getting closer to normal in the state, even if we're not having fans. Therefore, the numbers in the pits might go down just a little bit. 36 cars is by no means a bad turnout. It's an excellent turnout, but you'd hope for a little bit more when you're paying $1,500 to win and $300 minimum to start the race. I don't think management was complaining. It's just my observation.

It was pretty much the same turn out a night later. Everything seemed to go pretty well all the way around. You had some quality Sprint Car racing and Dwarf Cars as well. What's amazing is the NorCal Dwarf Cars had nearly 30 competitors, and down in Antioch there were over 30 with the Delta Dwarf Cars. There are lots of Dwarf Cars in the state of California these days. Placerville is truly one of the leaders when it comes to Sprint Car racing. We're able to note that there were 20 King of Thunder Sprint Cars down in Hanford. Obviously, some of those drivers would have made the trip up north to Placerville if they didn't have the option of running closer to home, and you would have had a count in the 40s. Even without them, there's a few drivers I'm surprised didn't come to Placerville, but you had a lot of quality in that field none the less.

Hanford wasn't without some good drivers in their field. We can't say anything DJ Netto does surprises us now. Last season was sort of his coming-out party as one of the stars of California Sprint Car racing. He's both the King of Thunder and NARC/King of the West Sprint Car reigning champion. He showed why he was the Hanford champion by winning the Main Event there on Saturday. He beat Ryan Bernal. I guess this was a good show, and it certainly went a bit smoother. However, there was no streaming service to speak of in Hanford. SpeedshiftTV was all booked and they didn't have options.

Obviously, you want streaming services in these difficult times. It's really not a bad idea to have them anyway. When you can get fans in the stands again, there's always going to be people who aren't coming to the track. Maybe they don't want to, or maybe you have fans of the track that can't get there. In these times, you're not getting fans at all, so you want that streaming revenue. There's another way to look at this. If you're not able to get a streaming service, you really should try to find a way to include your unhappy fans at home who want to be there. It's not the track's fault that the fans can't be there, but the track can still do something about it.

These days it's easier than ever to do something. You don't even have to buy a camera. As long as you've got Wi-Fi or a good phone plan, you can stream stuff from your phone and put it on Facebook. You can give the fans pictures of who is there. You can do something to let them know you miss them and here's what's going on. You want to keep your fans engaged, because if we are able to get to the point where fans can come back in the stands again, you want them excited about it. They will be as far as getting out of their house and being at the track, but being engaged with what's going on at the track so far this year is important.

If you did it on the low buck scale, you could simply post pictures and let people know briefly who won and how it went. It could be as simple as using your camera phone and showing cars on the track mud lapping at close view. You can give them clips of races. Tracks that are doing nothing have no excuse as far as I'm concerned. If you want to do a little better, it's not that expensive to buy camera equipment that can stream. Then you can do what tracks like Ukiah Speedway, Lakeport Speedway and even River City Speedway in St Helens are doing. Bring the action to your fans at home and let them know you miss them being there.

Hanford was one of the tracks that did nothing in this area on Saturday. It was a complete news blackout there. Likewise, Yreka didn't even have Misty running her camera phone to give people updates on Saturday. Very disappointing. Hanford also had two dozen Central Valley Mini Stocks, which made for plenty of excitement on the track I'm sure. That's the track's second event since reopening after the virus shut down. It doesn't look like they will have anything happening there until August according to the schedule on the track's website.

The car count numbers came crashing to Earth in Yreka this past week. This looked more like one of the typical shows that we've seen at the track for the past few years. There were just a tick under 30 cars. 15 IMCA Sport Modifieds stayed in the area rather than towing to Susanville, and 10 Mini Stocks were on hand as well. I'm a bit disappointed at the low turnout of Mini Stock racers when it comes to local area support. I'm not sure what happened, but there hasn't exactly been a vibe from management letting these drivers know that they matter. I've said it before, but Mini Stocks really have been carrying a lot of the workload at this race track for the past several years. 10 cars was still a good show.

What I do know is that the track can benefit from other tracks not being open. However, as I mentioned above, these numbers are going to level off as more tracks open. If the Medford track starts opening on a regular basis, Yreka will be back to square one. They're going to have more IMCA Sport Modifieds as new drivers are joining from the area, and they should be able to have at least 4-6 cars when it comes to IMCA Modifieds, even if it's not a huge number. I hope the Mini Stock drivers stay supportive. They should also see good numbers on Friday and Saturday for the special event, but Susanville ought to make them nervous when it comes to Late Models. 

Susanville paid $1,500 to win the Late Model show last Saturday night, and they couldn't even draw 10 cars with that. Granted, there weren't a lot of cars in the area, but people from Oregon or other areas of California with cars weren't beating down the gates. Coos Bay didn't siphon the cars away either as there were 12 cars there. What exactly will Yreka get for $2,000 to win? That's going to be interesting to see. Obviously, they're banking on heavy support from the Medford area drivers, and maybe they'll get that. We're only a few days away from finding out. 

I don't necessarily believe Yreka had to drop the IMCA Modifieds from Saturday's program. There were enough cars in the area that they might have been able to cobble together two heat races and a Main Event. Most of the area's drivers stayed home rather than going to Susanville. It was a nice gesture from management to work with another track, but totally unnecessary in this case. They couldn't throw Dwarf Cars in on the lineup because they were in Coos Bay. Pro Stocks were in Susanville and the association itself doesn't like to book back-to-back races if they can help it. Knowing that they might come up light in Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks, it was decided to book Sprint Cars.

The problem with that decision is it wasn't officially announced until Thursday. There were Sprint Cars for the taking, but this isn't the way you do it. Then again, I think management only wanted a taste of this division without the price tag. I don't think they were prepared to go more than $500 to win, and beyond the Medford area, nobody would look too hard at that purse, especially when Cottage Grove is getting ready to open this weekend anyway. They did get four takers for the show, but they probably could have done better. Like I said, there's been a lot of momentum and a lot of positive things happening at Yreka, but weekends like the one we just had show how much work there is still to be done.

I was monitoring the streams for both Madera and Ukiah. What's interesting was Madera was simultaneously recording for MavTV, and those episodes will air later. They had professional-quality with their video, but there was a problem. The internet connection gave out on them twice. The second time, we lost the feed for the last laps of the Pro Late Model Main Event. Fortunately, Race Monitor was still running and I kept an eye on things from there. They truly do have a top-notch Late Model program at Madera. I think what they do with Late Models and Junior Late Models at Madera rivals anything happening on the pavement on the West Coast, and it's something that Kenny Shepherd should be proud of for sure. 

Ukiah had a humble production with one camera, but the announcer was piped in. He did an adequate job of conveying what was going on out there. I applaud Furia Motorsports and the local community there for making this thing happen as I know money is tight. I haven't heard officially that the track is unable to pay a purse, as is the case in Lakeport, but that might be the case here. They did have two excellent sponsors in TNT Towing and Taco Bell that sponsored $1,000 each to the Bomber and Limited Modified Main Events.

I don't know what it is about Ukiah Speedway. Maybe it's the banking, but they have some of the best paved racing I've seen in California. I've heard people say you could throw dirt on that track and make for one hell of a show. My answer is, "No you cannot." If you're going to do that to a pavement track in the area, do it to Lakeport. Ukiah is really a good pavement track. I would probably enjoy being down there because of the good racing that they have. Every time I was able to visit that track in person with Gary Jacob, I always enjoyed the show, and the live stream showed great racing again. Though they didn't have a huge car count, they had enough to be entertaining. The Bombers were definitely doing one heck of a job.

Furia hit on the idea of doing Jalopy racing. What they have done is cut a little dirt track in the infield. I don't know what this measures in at. Maybe it's a 1/10 or 1/6? Something like that. It's got bumps. It's not meant for the drivers to get speed. It's meant for them to negotiate the track in these cars and entertain the fans. It's like the stadium oval or arena Figure 8 idea I've talked about. Same sort of premise, only what they're doing here is making this part of the show, rather than my idea of taking a small facility and making it the show. It's just another way to get people involved in racing at Ukiah, and drivers do move up to the pavement divisions from there.

As I said, I like what Furia Motorsports does. They've given this track a fighting chance, and they were doing the same at Lakeport Speedway for the past several years. I know things got a little bit political behind the scenes, and I'm not getting into any of that. I know David Furia from his days at Antioch Speedway in the 1990s, and he's a good man. He puts his heart into what he does, and it shows. I respect his effort at Ukiah. It's one of those tracks that I'd love to visit before I ultimately put away the pen and walk away from this media effort.

Petaluma Speedway wrapped up the weekend activity with a Sunday affair that was broadcast on SpeedshiftTV. This was not a date that they moved to Sunday but rather one that was originally scheduled there when the County Fair was still going to happen. However, Rick Faeth has booked a Sunday race for July 5th. It's interesting that the track hasn't done too much racing on Fourth of July weekend in recent years, but they're planning to take a stab at it this week. They might be a little bit nervous after what went down on Sunday.

I think it might have been hoped that there would be a few more IMCA Modifieds. After all, nobody was running them in the Bay Area. Drivers headed up north to Susanville, but it was probably hoped that a few drivers might stop off at Petaluma on the way home. They didn't even get 10 IMCA Modifieds, and the Mini Stocks and Super Stocks were even worse at a half dozen each. It also highlights my thoughts that Petaluma and Antioch ought to get together on the Super Stocks and make something happen between the two tracks that would benefit both tracks. I think it's easier than they may realize. 

When you're not getting fans in the stands, you need as many people in the pits as you can get. I would hope the IMCA Modifieds do a little bit different better on Sunday because most of those drivers will have run in Antioch on Friday and Saturday. Even long distance travelers could make plans to be at Petaluma under those circumstances.

The Wingless Spec Sprint numbers weren't so bad at 20 competitors. Last year, Petaluma was knocking it out of the ballpark in this division, so it's not too surprising to see them do well. I wish the race had gone just a little bit smoother. The win was never really in doubt as Shawn Jones pretty much dominated the show, much like Anthony Slaney did in the IMCA Modifieds. The evening wrapped up with both divisions, and it took a little over an hour to get them done. I'm not exactly sure why as a lot of this had to with lengthy yellow flag periods.

We enter July with tracks lobbying to be able to open their grandstands on the West Coast. We've highlighted what Coos Bay and Susanville are doing, and only Marysville has been able to have any fans at all with 100 total at their most recent Wednesday night offering. I'm not hearing any rumblings of any grandstands opening on the big Fourth of July weekend. We're getting ready to celebrate our nation's freedom, and even fireworks displays are being shuttered this year. I'd have to believe that somebody else will be able to get fans as we go through July. I know there's the threat of shutting everything down again, which could happen. We're hearing of bars and restaurants now being shuttered again. Will that creep in and start getting some of our race tracks? Let's hope not.

When I was putting last Friday's post together, a couple of news items sort of hit me at the very last minute. I had certain things written in this column that probably could have been changed, but it would have delayed the posting by several hours. I couldn't see doing that with racing activity getting ready to happen that night at a few locations. I wanted people to wake up in the morning with the post ready to be viewed. I'm trying to be a little quicker about that this year, and it's currently possible for me to accomplish that. That might change depending on when the Medford track opens.

Rob Gallaher went to Marysville and apparently won the Hobby Stock Main Event. He drove a good race, but he by no means dominated the field. There were drivers right behind him waiting for him to make a mistake. Rob doesn't usually do that, and he took the checkered flag first. What everybody saw on SpeedshiftTV was the three-time Ocean Speedway champion scoring the victory. However, it got taken away from him. This is the problem with Hobby Stock rules. Tracks tend to do the rules just a little bit differently so that discourages their guys from traveling down the road and keeps the out-of-town guys from coming in. Personally, I think that sucks. It is what it is. 

I don't think Rob was too pleased about that, and I don't blame him. It's a long trip from the San Jose area to Marysville, just to get disqualified on something that probably didn't affect whether you were going to win or not. It's things like this that are going to get people on the bandwagon of the IMCA Stock Car movement. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Getting promoters to agree on the rules for these non-sanctioned divisions? Good luck with that. You can't get three promoters to go outside, look up at the sky and agree to what color it is. On one hand, I understand a promoter's attitude when it comes to their own bottom line. On the other hand, sometimes promoters are dicks for the sake of being dicks. I'm not saying that was the case in Marysville.

Rob just purchased his IMCA Stock Car license, so I would expect that he might end up taking trips down to Hanford or Bakersfield to run with the class there. The movement is beginning, and the first signs we saw of that happened in Oregon. I believe the genesis of the Oregon IMCA Stock Car movement came down to the fact that Jerry Schram got insulted by a Street Stock driver over the tire rules. He sat at the meeting with all the other racers and just took it, but he was seething. The next thing you knew, Willamette Speedway and Sunset Speedway added IMCA Stock Cars. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series was created, but that's been suspended this year. I do hope it comes back.

In California, Hanford led the way by starting the IMCA Stock Cars over a decade ago. That division's drivers sort of branched out with visits to Bakersfield Speedway, where they have crowned champions, and Tulare Thunderbowl. Ventura Raceway took a look at this division last year, but a driver's meeting revealed that the racers weren't ready to switch over from Hobby Stocks just yet. If they're talking about it, this could happen down there soon, but the track did create an IMCA Sport Compact division. Most of the tracks run those as Four Bangers.

Merced Speedway booked the minimum four race schedule needed to ensure that they would crown an IMCA Stock Car champion this year, and there were local drivers who built cars legal to those rules. It's starting to happen. Camaros and Firebirds aren't so easy to get, and while you could try other makes of cars, these metric cars that are used in the IMCA rules are the growing thing. The biggest complaint I hear about IMCA Stock Cars is they are more expensive to run than a Hobby Stock, but I don't know any of that. I couldn't speak to it as I'm not a rules expert. I would always err on the side of affordability for racers in certain mid-level and lower-level classes. You need cars.

It was quite interesting to see my friend Chris Bennett put the post up about Antioch Speedway announcing IMCA Stock Cars for 2021. On one hand, you had people wondering whether the Hobby Stocks or Super Stocks might be threatened because of this. I don't think so, and the track made no such comments. You're not going to pull the plug on the Hobby Stock division if it's still getting cars, and Bakersfield has both IMCA Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. I don't see any indication that that's changing just yet. It seems that Bennett is also looking at getting an IMCA Stock Car as he is selling his IMCA Sport Modified. I think that's probably a smart move.

You're going to see tracks start to do this. The more tracks start succeeding in growing a car count in IMCA Stock Cars, the more other tracks will look. Look at the IMCA Sport Modifieds as an example. There were a few tracks reluctant to get in on this one, but they couldn't afford not to. The car count dictated that you added this class to your roster. I am still amazed that Petaluma Speedway didn't decide to put this class on the roster, but they didn't. Would they take a look at IMCA Stock Cars? I don't know.

What I've been saying is what many of the racers who like this idea have been saying. With IMCA, you have the universal rule set. If you're IMCA legal, you can run at a track with the Stock Car class as long as you have your license. Heck, sometimes you can run without a license, but you don't get points. It depends on the track you visit. You'll want to get that IMCA license, because the options are going to get bigger and bigger with his class. Frankly, I won't be surprised if tracks start moving their Four Bangers along the lines of the IMCA Sport Compact class. I'll go ahead and make the prediction that it could happen at Antioch Speedway.

I've had the thought in the back of my mind for a while, but watching the shows play out at Antioch Speedway, it's obvious what Chad Chadwick is doing. One of his methods in trying to regrow this program is rebranding it. He was always impressed with the NASCAR way of doing things. There was that image you had when you were there that it was a little bit more special than just your average Saturday night race track. From the NASCAR banner to the officials in their red jackets. The fact that you could complain to Scotts Valley or Florida if you didn't think you were getting a fair deal. The point funds. The fact that your car was legal at several other tracks as long as you were running the NASCAR rules.

Putting IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds back under the sanctioning at Antioch Speedway was a no-brainer for Chadwick. John didn't see a need to do that, and I'm not questioning that. After all, his family brought the Modifieds back to California without sanctioning and had enough success early on that it started this ball rolling in California and the West Coast in general. However, you can see the landscape in 2020. If you aren't running IMCA sanctioning for your two Modified classes, you are getting left behind. It's that simple. Antioch drivers started towing down the road rather than running the track in their own backyard, but now they're more interested in racing at home again. They are part of the bigger IMCA picture now. 

I've used the term divisionitis. That's the term for tracks that have too many divisions. Antioch Speedway is one of those tracks. This is also part of the formula of making a program work. You need so many cars in the pits, and car count started dropping in the different classes. You had loyal racers in all of these classes that would be there anytime they were scheduled, so there was always a reluctance to pull the plug unless circumstances dictated it. John didn't like to do that, but we've seen it happen with Four Bangers, Mini Trucks, Super Hobby Stocks and Street Stocks. The Street Stocks were flat-out killed when they still had a car count. That's another subject.

New management comes in, and racers get nervous. They're wondering if their division is in danger, and some racers have reasons to worry about that. Chadwick had so many other things to tend to that dropping divisions from the lineup was not the highest priority going into 2020. However, he has a plan. I'm not privy to that plan, but putting sanctioning on the Modified classes was part of it. IMCA Stock Cars were always going to be added from what I heard from the time Chad was in negotiations to get the track. What he's striving for is a good show from top to bottom that the fans don't want to miss. He's also intent on having classes that produce car counts. There could still be a rotation of divisions, but I suspect some divisions may not be there within the next few years.

I know he's enamored with the 1990s in particular. Once the Late Models went away, the Modifieds took over quickly with a big car count. Street Stocks were steady and Hobby Stocks were added. There was a fourth division rotated every week. Therefore, having three strong divisions at the start is important. You've got IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modified now, and neither division is in danger. I suspect the Dwarf Cars are safe, but they're also a division that will only be there about half the time. Hobby Stocks right now are your third class, and if the Spec Sprint numbers hold, they might be okay for some dates in the future. 

This is just me speculating, and this is also something that would play out in the next few years. Winged 360 Sprint Cars will surely get some visitation, but the trick will be to book them in a way that you get cars. Super Stocks will be a project, if Chad wants to engage in that project. Numbers will take time to grow. I would suspect the Tri State Pro Stock Series will be brought in. I doubt this is happening, but I still say Antioch Speedway and Petaluma Speedway should work together with this class, at the very least. The Four Bangers will be given a chance to grow. IMCA does sanction a similar division, so I wouldn't be surprised if Sport Compacts became a thing but at Antioch.

Honestly, I think if management could get away with it, they would book the Modifieds and the Sport Modifieds heavily the way divisions were booked in the 1990s. I just don't know if the racers' pocketbooks could handle that. If you could get car counts in the 20s or 30s in these two divisions, you could book them more than 20 times each. The fans of these classes would certainly appreciate knowing that they were there that much. That's part of the problem with dwindling crowd count, in my opinion. When you're rotating divisions, there are nights that have divisions that aren't high on the fans' priority list. This is something I'm sure Chad is looking at, because he's aware that there were more fans back in the glory days he's trying to recreate.

Circumstances now dictate that fans can only watch on SpeedshiftTV at the moment, and there's no ETA on when fans will start being allowed back in the stands. Therefore, it's all about getting as many cars as you can in the pits to help pay the bills and giving the fans at home the best show possible. You want them ready to come back out there and watch, and they will be. It's almost a certainty that you'll see some of the biggest attendance at Antioch Speedway that you've seen in years when the track finally lets fans back in again. That's because people want to go there. Whether you keep them there depends on the show you give them. I believe Chadwick is looking to the past glory days for the formula to make this a reality.

Longtime racer and promoter Pete Paulsen shared a Facebook post that he made a year ago of some of his favorite race cars. Pete has owned a lot of beautiful race cars through the years, but these particular vehicles were ones that he drove at Delta Speedway. For a few years there, he was the promoter of that track. He succeeded Dale Pyatt, who was the guy who created the unique Friday night program on that maybe 1/5 mile dirt oval. He ran a Mini Sprint class, Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks. Let me tell you, watching Mini Stocks on that track made me a fan. Had I been able to travel there a little easier back in those days, I would have been a regular at Delta Speedway for sure. 

When Pete took over the place, he had to deal with the fact that the Dwarf Car drivers pretty much went off with the NorCal Dwarf Car Association and the Mini Sprints pretty much left to run with the Northern Stars Mini Sprints Tour. What he ended up doing was adding a Modified 4 Cylinder class and eventually a Bomber 4 Cylinder class. He even started doing occasional Figure 8's. He also added the Micro Sprints and some Kart racing as well. The Karts and all that grew, and unfortunately there was resentment of the Mini Stocks being on the track. Mini Stocks were said to have ruined the racing surface. Typical complaints. By the end of 2000, Mini Stocks were gone, but they had a nice decade-long run there.

What struck me was I made a comment about how good the racing was in these divisions back then. Pete responded that it might be fun to see if he could rent the track for a Saturday and put one of those types of programs on again. If he had it in his mind to make this a reality, he would. He puts on amazing car shows and is active in his community raising money to help others. I love his bikes for kids program as well. I wish something like this could happen again, but there's an attitude with some racers that this sort of thing is beneath them. What are you going to do? 

I'd love to reinvent the Mini Stock program on a little track like that. Maybe you do that with the Four Bangers. I'd love to find a half a dozen or 10 Dwarf Car drivers not afraid to run on the little track. Keep the Wingless Micro program going, if they wanted to be a part of it. If enough Four Cylinder Modifieds were there, add them too. Run California Sharp Mini Late Models as well. There you go. I think it would be a lot of fun, but I don't think it will happen. I will say that if Pete made it happen for even a special occasion and I was able to get there, I'd support it.

I've been lucky enough to borrow the Medford race track's free pass to SpeedshiftTV, which has been my window into the racing world lately. As a member of the Wild West Speedweek Series, this was complimentary from the good people at the streaming service. The merger with Flo Racing has officially ended that. I found out that great news as I was getting ready to log on to watch Antioch Speedway, although I heard from several people on Facebook that the stream kept cutting out on them. I hope that's just a speed bump from the merger and not an indication of where things might be headed. In any case, I was left in the dark at Antioch, although I did have live scoring to go with for Placerville. Word is that Antioch will be going with the MyLaps system, but it's looking like maybe that won't happen until 2021? 

This kind of highlights where I'm at with this media effort. I log hours of time every week on the blog, and this particular post has taken longer due to the amount of articles in it. Sometimes I have a difficult time getting myself up to do this anymore, and yet that spark is ignited when I get busy and start working on whatever article that might be. Despite the hours of time, there's no money coming in. We're not being supported and the ad revenue that you're supposed to get via Google just doesn't happen until an obscene amount of hits are counted. I've been trying for my first payout from them since November of 2014, and I'm still a good year away from my first $100 payout. That's not much.

I'm not really trying to complain about money, but pointing out that I'm doing this on a budget. When a door is closed on me, I keep trying to find ways to make it work. It's not as easy to go with the obvious sources, and that turns into more work. The irony of the struggle isn't lost on me. I couldn't even begin to pay for a month subscription as I really don't have any money at all. If I get a little bit of support, there are other things in line that need to be addressed that I am just going without for now. Therefore, paying for a streaming service just isn't something I would consider unless I had steady revenue coming in.

At this point, I don't expect to be able to watch much of anything unless tracks put it out there for free, and I'm okay with that. When it becomes a big headache for me to keep doing this, I'll either adjust how I do it or walk away completely. I am getting a bit tired of just looking on the bright side and trying to make it work, and it almost feels like the effort really isn't wanted or needed anymore. It's nobody's fault. Things just change. I do appreciate the friend who hooked me up with the ability to check out Susanville. I am trying to finish up most of this column so that I can watch what happened there on Saturday and add that last article to this post.

What you should know with the weekly effort, while it lasts, is that I will do my best. If I'm unable to get the information I need to do it the way I want to do it, I will stop. If I have to adjust the style a little bit to make things work and can still do something, I'll do my best. It's really not that big of a deal I suppose. I'm very proud of the archives on this blog that show all the content we've put out, especially during the last five years. It's all on the page now. Actually, The Best Of The Blog And Beyond Volume 2 has a nice ring to it. Maybe that's a book to work on when I start going into editing mode and working on books, rather than doing the regular review stuff.

This has been an epic post for sure. I wasn't wanting to go on as long as I did with all of the articles I did this week, and at times I stressed my out myself out a little bit. I admit to being frustrated when I found out I couldn't get access to SpeedshiftTV, but I didn't dwell on it while there was stats I can monitor. I will take a Speedshift donation if it's offered to me, but it's not required. You you can message me on Facebook or the Twitter site if you want to help me out with that. I'm going to try to stick to the plan of only doing one post this week and not doing one at the end of the week, even though there are some big events coming this weekend that I could preview.

On that note, I will end this column. Until next time...