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ALL AMERICAN SPEEDWAY RETURNS THIS WEEKEND WITH LIVE STREAMING COVERAGE
By Steve Blakesley -- HEREARCA MENARDS SERIES WEST
CONTINUES STOCK CAR TRADITION IN ROSEBURG
By Steve Blakesley -- HERE
Winged Sprint Cars Back At Antioch Speedway
Antioch,
CA...Antioch Speedway enters August with some exciting open wheel
racing on tap. As other tracks put out their schedules, management has
tried to find a place for a Winged 360 Sprint Car show. This will happen
on Saturday night as the division makes their second appearance of the
season. Joining them on the quarter-mile clay oval will be the Delta
Dwarf Cars, Super Stocks and Bay Area Hardtops.
Despite
the fact that we are in a covid-19 pandemic, the Winged 360 Sprint Cars
have been having some exciting shows with great turnouts throughout
Northern California. It can be challenging to promote one of these races
when guidelines won't allow fans in attendance at almost every venue in
the state, but management will be able to pay $1,200 to win and $200 to
start for this show. Last time we saw the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, there
was a solid 25 car turnout. This was also the biggest car count for a
regular event for this division in the track's history.
It
was Chase Majdic winning that race in the Demo Mittry owned car. Mittry
fields two cars with the second being piloted by his son Max, who is a
recent Outlaw Kart graduate. Majdic had a spirited duel with Petaluma
area star Colby Johnson before prevailing at the checkered flag.
Multi-time Chico champion Sean Becker has been teaming up with Jim Van
Lare this season, and he finished third at the last race ahead of
Colby's brother Chase Johnson and Watsonville star Zane Blanchard.
According
to the schedule, there is no other Winged 360 Sprint Car show happening
on Saturday night, and that could provide a big field for Saturday's
show. There is a desire to have more Sprint Car racing at the speedway
when it's possible to put on a top caliber show for the people to enjoy.
Local area stars should be represented by reigning champion Jacob
Tuttle, two-time champion Art McCarthy and past champions Billy Aton,
Shawn Arriaga and Matt DeMartini. Car count is expected to be in the 20s
as top drivers come from throughout Northern California.
Since
the local stars form the Delta Dwarf Car Association joined the larger
Western States Dwarf Car Association, car count has gotten even
stronger. Two weeks ago, the speedway hosted a Dwarf Car Regionals event
that saw over 60 competitors show up from around the state. One of the
top stars in the group remains two-time Antioch champion Danny Wagner.
Wagner has multiple victories this year, including a win at Petaluma.
Most recently, Wagner piloted his IMCA Modified to a win at Petaluma.
He's proven to be very difficult to beat in his Dwarf Car at Antioch
this year.
One of the things that
has aided the Antioch effort has been the addition of several new
drivers, including Chance Russell, Joe Tardiff and Ellie Russo. At the
front of the pack, reigning champion Scott Dahlgren, Travis Dutra, Devan
Kammermann, Troy Stevenson and Toby Brown have certainly provided some
good competition.
For this race,
there will likely be some drivers coming in from the NorCal and Redwood
Dwarf Car groups. Kevin Miraglio is one of the Redwood Dwarf Car
members and won the May 30th race at Antioch over past NorCal and
Watsonville champion Shawn Jones and past NorCal champion Ryan Winter.
Jones has been a beast on the Dwarf Car circuit this year with wins in
multiple locations. This show should be entertaining.
The
Super Stock division continues to move along as management tries to
rebuild its ranks. An open invitation has been extended to the Tri State
Pro Stock Series competitors. Anytime Super Stocks are racing in
Antioch, they are welcome to compete. Ryan Smith came in from the
Southern California area to get a win earlier this year. 2010 Antioch
champion Mitch Machado, a three-time champion at Petaluma, has won both
Tri State races at Antioch. We haven't heard who might come in from out
of town, but local stars to watch for include two-time reigning champion
Kimo Oreta, Mike Walko, Chad Hammer, Ryan Cherezian, Mike Gustafson and
2013 title winner Jim Freethy.
When
the Hardtop effort began to take hold on the dirt track scene in
Northern California just over a decade ago, Antioch Speedway was the
place that gave it its biggest opportunity. These vintage Coup and Sedan
race cars provide plenty of entertainment wherever they go. In
Placerville a couple weeks ago, Antioch star Joel Hannagan piloted Doug
Braudrick's "Junkyard Dog" to a Main Event victory. They've had many
trials and errors getting the car to run the way they want, but it has
gotten closer with each and every start. Hannagan could come into the
night as the driver to beat, but he should see some tough competition.
One
of those drivers is Dave Mackey in the Dudley Brothers Tribute car.
Mackey has won Main Events in the past at Antioch and was a winner at
Placerville Speedway last year. One of the founding members of the
Hardtop movement in the Bay Area is Tommy Thomson. He still drives a car
with the body from his days racing at Vallejo Speedway. Some others to
watch for include Kimo Oreta, Gene Haney, Matt Dragoon and Jeff
Kendrick. There will reportedly be some California Hardtop Association
support, though we haven't heard who that might include. Ken Clifford is
trying to get ready for this show. Others we might see include Joe
Shenefield, Dave Reed and Ron Ruiz.
For
the Sprint Car and Dwarf Car show alone, this should be an entertaining
program to watch. Covid-19 guidelines won't allow fans in the
grandstands, but you can watch this all on internet pay-per-view via
Dirt Oval TV. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Mike Cecil Memorial Race At Ocean Speedway Saturday Night
Watsonville,
CA...One of the big traditions Ocean Speedway has had for the past 20
plus years is the Mike Cecil Memorial race. Mike was a beloved member of
the racing community, a Street Stock champion and a winner of their
annual 100 lap Main Event back in the 1990's. When he passed away, his
family helped the track organize a race in his honor. The Cecil family
is three generations strong as Mike's father, Jerry Cecil, is a
four-time Sportsman champion and Watsonville Speedway Hall of Famer. Tim
Cecil competes in the IMCA Modifieds from time to time.
As
often happens in life, the family has found themselves busy handling
other things and made the decision to withdraw their involvement in this
race prior to the season. Management still wanted to keep honoring
Mike, but then we were hit by the covid-19 pandemic. Fans are not
allowed in the grandstands at this time, and the speedway didn't
officially acknowledge this race until Monday. The laps will be standard
at 25 for the IMCA Modifieds and 20 each for the IMCA Sport Modifieds
and Hobby Stocks. At press time, the IMCA Sport Modifieds were set to
pay $500 to win: the Hobby Stocks $300 to win, and the IMCA Modifieds
$750 to win. Those numbers could go up as more sponsorship is secured.
It will be a night of Stock Car racing on the Tom Sagmiller prepared
quarter-mile clay oval.
The IMCA
Modifieds are halfway to an officially acknowledged championship season
in the eyes of IMCA. Two races are in the books, and wins have been
recorded by Antioch point leader Troy Foulger and six-time champion
Bobby Hogge IV. Foulger held off Hogge to win the most recent race at
Antioch, and this duo is anticipated on Saturday night. A look at the
point standings, however, finds 2018 champion Cody Burke leading his
reigning champion brother Austin Burke by five points. 10 points behind
Cody is past champion Brian Cass, JC Elrod is 12 points out of lead and
Todd Hermosillo is 16 points back. Although this race doesn't have the
same build up it's had in the past, car count should be up at least a
little bit from the regular average.
The
IMCA Sport Modifieds have five races in the books and will crown a
champion through the sanctioning body. Nobody in the Top 8 has a feature
win so far. Last time out, Antioch star Brent Curran picked up his
second win of the season. Tanner Thomas, Fred Ryland and Andrew Peckham
are the other winners.
The point
race, however, is being led by Merced area competitor Gavin Espino.
Gavin has four Top 10 finishes and leads Kelly Campanile by 12 markers.
Five points behind Campanile is Billy Robertson. After picking up her
division-leading third Top 5 finish last time out, Adriane Frost is now
19 points out of the lead. She could very well be leading, but she
missed a race. Steven Allee is currently fifth in the standings. There
should be an increase in car count in this division as well.
After
three races in the Hobby Stock division, there's a Gallaher leading the
standings. However, it's not three-time reigning champion Rob Gallaher,
it's his father, Joe Gallaher. Joe leads the division with three Top 5
finishes and one win, giving him an 11 point lead over past champion
Terry Campion. Terry won the 40 lap race earlier this year. Steve Remde
is back in action and is third in the standings, two ahead of Bobby
Huckaby Jr and eight in front of Rob Gallaher. The Hobby Stock drivers
are used to competing for 80 laps in this event, but it will be 20 this
year. It's still the only Bay Area opportunity for drivers to race their
Hobby Stocks this week, and there could be drivers coming from out of
town for this show.
The Mike
Cecil Memorial race is still a time to remember a good man and beloved
member of the Watsonville racing community. With fans not allowed in the
grandstands due the covid-19 guidelines, Saturday's show will be
streamed on internet pay-per-view via Flo Racing. For further
information, go to www.racepmg.com or check out the Ocean Speedway Facebook page.
Madera Speedway Has Club Race And
Children's Hospital Fundraiser Night
Children's Hospital Fundraiser Night
Madera,
CA...After the excitement that took place last week during the Nut Up
Pro Late Model/51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Model program, Madera
Speedway returns with a Club Race this Saturday night. Madera Late
Models will be competing along with the MST's, Toyota Sedans, Hobby
Stocks, Central Valley Mini Stocks, Southwest Tour Trucks and the
Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds. It will also be Children's
Hospital Fundraiser Night at the track, and this event will be broadcast
for free for fans to enjoy on YouTube.
Under
the Club Racing format, there have actually been four events for the
Madera Late Model effort. The consistent Lily Mead finds herself leading
the standings by just four markers ahead of Trevor Schlundt. Schlundt
looked good in finishing second last time behind Garland Tyler. Tyler
counts himself as one of four different winners as Jacob Smith, Jeremy
Doss and Buddy Shepherd are the other winners. Rookie Joey Brasil holds
third in the standings, 33 behind Trevor Schlundt and nine ahead of Jon
Schlundt. Del McIntosh is fifth in the standings, 10 behind Brasil.
There should be a good turnout of Late Models for this race.
When
there's a club race, you can count on the MST division to bring the
excitement. These four cylinder Modified racers have some exciting
battles at the front of the pack. Reigning champion Bert Stephens leads
rookie Kyle Labrie by just nine points and Patrick Geiger by 12. Ryan
Reynolds is further back in fourth, one point ahead of Tim Kammerer and
nine in front of one-time winner Shaun Reynolds. The Reynolds boys
provide plenty of competition at the front of the pack, and Saturday's
show will be entertaining.
Andrew
Parr is leading the Toyota Sedan race by nine points ahead of Thomas
Magray. Car count has been a bit down this year in this class, but
others to watch for on Saturday include JJ Brandsen, Jason Lawton and
Wyatt Cantrell.
The House of JuJu
Central Valley Mini Stocks begin what will be in active month of August
with their visit to Madera. The group visited Merced Speedway recently
for what was their fourth race of the season. The point lead changed
hands at Merced as incoming leader, two-time winner and reigning
champion Dan Myrick lost a wheel early in the race. Meanwhile, Jason
Cook backed up his win at Hanford with a Merced victory, putting him
just six points ahead of Myrick and seven ahead of the very consistent
Jeff Durant. It might seem like a three-car battle, but Clint Massey is
also in the hunt, 34 points out. The Madera race gives these drivers a
chance to test their cars out on the pavement, and several racers are
looking forward to getting out there on the track.
The
Southwest Tour Truck Series is excited to get their second race in.
They were at Irwindale Speedway a few weeks ago putting on a show. They
had 12 competitors in the field, and Ricky Bogart picked up an
impressive win ahead of Parker Jones, Steve Reeves and final lead lap
finisher Sean Davis. The trucks will make a nice addition to what should
be a loaded program from top to bottom.
The
Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds are excited to finally be able
to put their cars on the track. These are some beautiful replica and
restored race cars from the days of Kearney Bowl Raceway and the old San
Jose Speedway. The group enters the year with a heavy heart as racing
historian and announcer Kenny Tacheuchi passed away. There should be
several of these beautiful race cars on the track on Saturday.
Covid-19
guidelines make it impossible to open the grandstands, but Promoter
Kenny Shepherd is leading the way when it comes to fan inclusion. Thanks
to sponsorship from nutup.com, these
races will be broadcast on YouTube for free for everybody to enjoy. It
will be a professional quality broadcast. For further information, go to
www.racemadera.com or check out the Madera Speedway Facebook page.
Saturday Night Action On Tap At Dixon Speedway
Dixon,
CA...Dixon Speedway has been leading the way for the California Micro
Sprint tracks when it comes to getting back open after the covid-19
pandemic shut down. The 1/5 mile dirt oval will roar to life for its
ninth event this Saturday night. The highly competitive Wingless 600
Micros will be there along with the Super 600s, Restricted Micros and
the rising stars of the Junior Sprint class. The grandstands still
aren't open yet, but fans can keep track of things at home by using the
Race Monitor app.
The Wingless
Micros have had six different winners in eight races as Ashton Torgerson
added his name to the win list last Friday. He also had a Top 3 finish
in the Super 600 class that night. Kelvin Lewis is still looking for his
first win of the season, though he has a second and a third among his
best efforts so far. That's good enough to give him a 26 point advantage
over one-time winner Cody Gray. Two-time winner Brandon Shaw is 36
points behind Gray in third, 26 points ahead of Joe Silva. This division
has been producing car counts of over 30 on average.
In
the Super 600 class, Brad Hannum has broken away from the pack. The
three-time winner has a 120 point lead over Sage Bordenave, who is still
looking for his first podium finish of the year. Two-time reigning
champion Kyle Mentch has hit a slump over the past two races and fell
five points behind Bordenave in third. Mentch has a season-high second
and third among his totals this year, keeping him 13 points ahead of
two-time winner Devon Courtnier.
The
Restricted class has a very close battle at the top. Izaak Sharp has
been fast this year and has been close to victory. He had three Top 3
finishes prior to last Friday night. On that occasion, he became the
sixth different winner of the season. The win gave him a three point
advantage over two-time winner Bryant Bell in the closest battle at the
track. Matthew Tatoole is 37 points back in third, 46 points ahead of
Brandon Riveira. Riveira has a pair of seconds and a win in his last
three starts.
The Junior Sprints
also saw their sixth different winner emerge last Friday. It looked like
Kyle Fernandez might pick up his third win of the season, but he was
passed by Brody Rubio. Rubio had three third place finishes prior to
getting the win, and he trails Fernandez by 38 points in the battle for
second. Your leader is reigning champion and one-time winner Makayla
Tatoole, who is 26 points ahead of Fernandez. Hayden Stepps is 33 points
behind Rubio as he looks for his first win.
There's
been some good racing happening at Dixon Speedway this year, and the
fact that you never know who might win on any given weekend in any of
the classes makes it that much more exciting to watch. For further
information on this Saturday's show, go to www.dixonspeedway.net or check out the Dixon Speedway Facebook page.
McGahuey, Schmidt Win Wednesday Night Races,
Saturday Night Racing On Tap At Coos Speedway
Saturday Night Racing On Tap At Coos Speedway
Coos
Bay, Oregon...July 29...RJ McGahuey won the 30 lap Winged Sprint Car
Main Event Wednesday night at Coos Bay Speedway. The special show drew a
dozen Winged Sprint Cars. Grants Pass resident McGahuey is a rookie in
the division and a past SODCA Dwarf Car champion, and he shared the
front row with 2016 Southern Oregon Speedway champion Jake Wheeler.
However, it was reigning Southern Oregon Speedway champion Mike Wheeler
giving pursuit to McGahuey in the battle as his nephew Jake faded.
McGahuey won ahead of Mike Wheeler, Patrick Desbiens, Austin Sause, Ian
Bandey, Johnny Burke, Jake Wheeler, reigning track champion Donovan
Prather, Stephen Snawder and incoming point leader Lawrence Van Hoof.
Snawder and Jake Wheeler won their respective 10 lap heat races. Snawder
had the fastest time of 12.630, beating the 12.679 of Jake Wheeler.
Ryan
Baker won the 30 lap Dirt Modified Main Event. The Coquille resident
started in the second row and battled reigning Cottage Grove Speedway
Sport Modified champion David Schmidt early on before getting by.
Another Cottage Grove racer, Braedon Hand, moved into second and took up
pursuit of Baker. However, Baker would win ahead of Hand, Schmidt,
Hunter Bloom, Paul Rea, Raymond Bloom, Ricky Braun, Aaron Bloom and Tom
Elam. Baker and Hand won their 10 lap heat races.
David
Schmidt won the 25 lap B Modified Main Event. He started on the front
row next to Braedon Hand, and the lead duo battled the whole way with
Schmidt winning ahead of Hand. Hunter Bloom came from the third row to
finish third, followed by point leader Aaron Bloom, KC Scott, Dalton
Bloom and Brionna Fuller. Hand won the 10 lap heat race.
Graig
Osborne won the 25 lap NASCAR Street Stock Main Event. This was his
second-straight win. He started on the front row next to Melissa Adams
and raced into the lead. He battled reigning champion Steve Dubisar and
point leader Ken Fox. However, Osborne prevailed at the checkered flag
ahead of Dubisar, Fox, Adams, Sam Talon, Sam Taylor and Dustin Hitner.
Osborne won the 10 lap heat race.
On
Saturday night, it's time for some NASCAR Whelen All American Series
racing action. In addition to the return of the Winged Sprint Cars and
the Street Stocks, there will be NASCAR America's Mattress Super Late
Models, a Sportsman Late Model/Outlaw Pro Stock head-to-head battle,
Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers.
The
NASCAR point fund money is lucrative when it comes to the America's
Mattress Super Late Model championship. We are five races into the
season, and Gresham visitor Jason Johnson has two wins. He is leading
the consistent Brody Montgomery by just 10 markers. Though Montgomery is
looking for his first win of the season, the 2018 title winner is
matching his rival with five Top 5 finishes.
Only
20 points out of the lead is rookie Braden Fugate, 26 ahead of Mike
Taylor. These four are anticipated this week, but we're not sure who
else might compete. Reigning champion Preston Luckman has won the last
two races as he is 30 points behind fifth-ranked Doug Elkins. BJ
Donofrio is the other winner, and rookie Hannah Robison has made her
first appearance in the Top 10 in the standings in tenth.
Trace
Fugate has one win and leads the Sportsman Late Models by 30 points
over Ryan Emry. Emry and third-ranked Phil Lovvorn both come out of
Corvallis. Lovvorn is 58 points out of the lead. Some of the Sport
Modified competitors who have been visiting may not be there, but the
Sportsman Late Models will be invaded by the Outlaw Pro Stock
Association, which is largely based out of Klamath Falls.
In
Yreka, local star Darek Alford picked up a surprise first career win in
the group's most recent race. Matt Harlow won his first career race
there a few weeks earlier, and both drivers are anticipated for this
event. Other stars to watch for include reigning champion Scott Flowers,
2016 title winner Steve Borror, James Flowers, Jeff Haudenshild, Colby
Hammond and Rick Lukens.
After
five races, Brad Hicks leads the Mini Outlaws by 58 markers ahead of
Matthew Emry. Hicks has one win and is the only driver with all Top 5
finishes so far. Tahlen Rodgers is a feature winner this year and is
just 14 points behind Emry. Two-time winner Scott Beaudoin is 38 points
behind Emry in third. Matt Diller won the most recent race and was also
the Hornets winner that night.
Cottage
Grove resident Isaac Stere has been enjoying his trips to Coos Bay.
With two wins, he holds a strong 70 point lead over Kevin Rockwell and
William Hitner. That duo leads Dan Briescacher by just six points with
Kris Parker eight points back in what is a closer battle for second.
Reigning champion Hannah Robison is a feature winner, but she has moved
up to the Super Late Models. Seth Christian also counts himself among
the winners this year.
Griff
Smith has been picking up all the glory in the Junior Stinger class. The
Hornet division for 11 to 14 year olds has seen an increase in car
count, but two-time reigning champion Smith continues to dominate. With
five wins, he has an 18 point lead over Lane Hitner and a 34 point
advantage over Alex Butler. Those three drivers are anticipated this
week along with Cameron Metzgus, Heather Burton and Teagan Montgomery.
Coos
Bay Speedway continues to be on a high as the only track on the West
Coast that allows a big fan attendance and concessions to be sold.
People are coming from all over Oregon to compete here and to spectate.
For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us or check out the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page.
Four New Winners At Marysville Raceway
On Wednesday Night
On Wednesday Night
Marysville,
CA...July 29...Sean Becker won the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main
Event Wednesday night at Marysville Raceway. Becker took the lead from
reigning champion Michael Ing just past the midway point of the race and
set sail for the victory aboard the Dan Monhoff owned Sprinter. In the
process, he becomes the seventh different winner in eight races for the
class. Covid-19 guidelines only allowed 100 fans in the stands, and the
race was broadcast on internet pay-per-view via Flo Racing.
Championship
contender Ing started up front and charged into the early lead ahead of
Becker. The lead the duo pulled away as Blake Carrick ran third, but a
red flag flew on Lap 10 for Kevin Lovell in Turn 3. Ing led Becker and
Carrick on the restart, but Becker was relentless. Becker put the moves
on Ing for the lead on Lap 15. Point leader Andy Forsberg slipped past
Blake Carrick for the third position on Lap 16, but his race came to an
end on a Lap 17 restart. Becker continued to lead on the next restart as
Blake Carrick moved around Ing for second. Tanner Carrick gained the
third position on Lap 20. Becker ran strong at the end and won ahead of
Blake Carrick, Tanner Carrick, Ing, Steel Powell, Bobby Butler, Corey
Lovell, Michael Wasina, Ben Wiesz and Pat Harvey Jr.
Ing
was the quickest a 14 qualifiers with a lap of 12.996, beating the
13.083 of Blake Carrick. Tanner Carrick and Forsberg won their
respective eight lap heat races.
Justin
Funkhouser won the 20 lap Pepsi IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. He
becomes the fourth different winner in five races. Driving for his
brother Brian Cooper, Todd Cooper raced into the early lead ahead of
Funkhouser. Hunter Merritt ran in the third position before being passed
by Philip Shelby on Lap 6. By then, Cooper held about a straightaway
advantage over Funkhouser. Unfortunately, Cooper had problems while
leading as he brought out a Lap 10 yellow flag in Turn 1. On the
restart, Funkhouser led Shelby and Hunter Merritt. State point leader
Timothy Allerdings slipped past Hunter Merritt for the third position on
Lap 15. Shelby was keeping the pressure on Funkhouser until he brought
out a yellow flag on Lap 15. On the final restart of the race,
Funkhouser maintained command ahead of Allerdings and Tyler Rodgers.
Rodgers surrendered the third position to point leader Jimmy Ford, but
Todd Cooper gained that position on Lap 18. Funkhouser went on to win
with Allerdings a season-best second, followed by Cooper, Ford, Mike
Merritt, Jason Ferguson, Shawn Smith, Shaun Merritt, Scott Savell and
Donnie Fortney. Shelby and Cooper were the eight lap heat race winners.
Jay
Norton won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event. Norton started on
the front row and would proceed to lead every lap in the event that only
had one yellow flag slow down. Championship contender Ray Trimble was
an early second, but Rod Oliver moved into the position on Lap 3 before a
yellow flag waved for a tangle that eliminated Joey Olschowka and Wayne
Trimble. Norton continued to lead Oliver on the restart as Ryan
McDaniel settled into third. McDaniel moved past Oliver for second on
Lap 6 and proceeded to move in on Norton. The lead duo began to pull
away from the pack and kept it close as Oliver had his hands full
battling Susanville Promoter Jeff Olschowka for the third position.
Norton repelled McDaniel's every attempt to get by for the impressive
win. Jeff Olschowka made a last lap pass on Oliver to cross the line third, but he was docked two positions by track officials.
Oliver ended up third, followed by point leader Dan Brown Jr, Jeff Olschowka, Ray
Trimble, Richard Vander Ploeg, Eddie Gardner, Joey Olschowka and Wayne
Trimble. Ray Trimble and McDaniel won the eight lap heat races.
Jim
Brookshire won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. The championship
contender becomes the fifth different winner in six races, but the win
came after a tangle between the leaders on the final lap. Maurice
Merrill set the early pace. Jacob Johnson moved the Jerry Bartlett car
into second on a Lap 2 restart. Brookshire settled into the third
position. The race was slowed by six yellow flags. Following a Lap 18
yellow flag for Zack Thornton in Turn 1, Merrill continued to lead
Johnson on the restart. Johnson was racing him hard, but there was
contact on the final lap. That resulted in a Merrill spin as Johnson
crossed the finish line in first. However, he was penalized to finish at
the tail end of the lead lap. This gave the win to Brookshire ahead of
Rick Etchieson, point leader Jessie Van Roekel, Chris Van Roekel, past
champion Shannon Collins, Mike Stoeckel, David Caluya, Thornton, Zach
Bullock and Jason Clayton.
There
were 22 Hobby Stocks for this show, and the eight lap heat race wins
went to Johnson, Chris Van Roekel and Brookshire. Stoeckle won the 10
lap B Main ahead of Joe Gillock end Sumer Cheney.
The
next Wednesday night race is scheduled for August 12th and will feature
the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds
and the Crate Sprints. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com or check out the Marysville Raceway Facebook page.
Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Resulys July 29, 2020
Winged 360 Sprints
Sean Becker
Blake Carrick
Tanner Carrick
Michael Ing
Steel Powell
Bobby Butler
Korey Lovell
Michael Wasina
Ben Wiesz
Pat Harvey Jr
Brad Bumgarner
Andy Forsberg
Alec Justeson
Kevin Lovell
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Justin Funkhouser
Timothy Allerdings
Todd Copper
Jimmy Ford
Mike Merritt
Jason Ferguson
Shawn Smith
Shaun Merritt
Scott Savell
Donnie Fortney
Tyler Rodgers
Phillip Shelby
Hunter Merritt
Willlie Horn Jr
Limited Late Models
Jay Norton
Ryan McDaniel
Rod Oliver
Dan Brown Jr
Jeff Olschowka
Ray Trimble
Richard Vander Ploeg
Eddie Gardner
Joey Olschowka
Wayne Trimble
Hobby Stocks
A Main
Jim Brookshire
Rick Etchieson
Jesse Van Roekel
Chris Van Roekel
Shannon Collins
Mike Stoeckle
David Caluya
Zack Thornton
Zac Bullock
Jason Clayton
Zach Lindgren
Devin Koranda
Jacob Johnson
Maurice Merrill
James Wooddell
Toby Merrifield
Sumer Cheney
William Merritt
Tim McHenry
Joe Gillock
B Main
Mike Stoeckle
Joe Gillock
Bill Clark
Sumer Cheney
Tim McHenry
Zack Thornton
Matt Rivera
Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 29, 2020
Winged Sprints
RJ McGahney
Mike Wheeler
Patrick Desbiens
Austin Sause
Ian Bandey
Johnny Burke
Jake Wheeler
Donovan Prather
Steven Snawder
Lawrence Van Hoof
Trent Ding
Street Stocks
Graig Osborne
Steve Dubisar
Ken Fox
Melissa Adams
Sam Talon
Sam Taylor
Dustin Hitner
B Modifieds
David Schmidt
Braedon Hand
Hunter Bloom
Aaron Bloom
K.C. Scott
Dalton Bloom
Brionna Fuller
Dirt Modifieds
Ryan Baker
Braedon Hand
dave schmidt
Hunter Bloom
Paul Rea
Raymond Bloom
ricky braun
Aaron Bloom
Tom Elam
The Editor's Viewpoint
We
started this past week off by not including an Antioch speedway recap
in the blog post. I can't tell you how disappointed I was in that, but I
didn't have enough information to put an article together. I did get a
little assistance from Ben Deatherage, so we at least had a few things
to talk about on the accompanying audio show. This is the second time in
five weeks that we didn't have the information we needed to put an
article out about Antioch. If you know me, you know I wasn't happy about
that.
The one thing about this
blog is that Antioch Speedway is usually front and center in what we do.
I don't think there will ever be a time when that's not the case, even
when we're not actively involved in the sport. We'll still be talking
about the good old days and doing that sort of stuff, and occasionally
we'll peak in and look at what's happening currently. As I had 10
articles ready to go and a rather lengthy Viewpoint column, I figured it
was best to just put that out. If I knew Antioch might have results
posted by Monday night, I would have waited a day. I knew that wouldn't
be the case. There are still no results as I write this.
It's
one of the things that I could have helped the track with. I know that
the new fangled websites from the monolithic company can handle that
stuff. If you've got somebody willing to sit down and do the work, you
can still get results up within 24 hours of the races. It just takes a
little bit of effort. In the case of Antioch Speedway, Mike Kord showed
how valuable he truly was. With him not being involved, results aren't
being posted in a timely manner. I miss Mike. He let us know what the
results were, and if I needed to put something out there, he told me
exactly what that was. He was also a good friend to me, and I certainly
hope he's enjoying his retirement. He deserves it.
Once
again, Doug Lockwood pulled one of his stunts. I say that jokingly,
because it's really good news. No sooner had I done my audio show and
had my post ready to go then Doug broke the news of more people signing
up to run the California IMCA Speedweek Series. For those of you who may
not be following, I'll repeat this. I don't mind, because I love saying
that the California Speedweek Series will start at Placerville Speedway
on August 10th, go to Petaluma on the 11th, Antioch on the 12th, Merced
on the 13th, Hanford on the 14th and Bakersfield on the 15th. We
already heard the announcement late last week that Travis Hoppes had put
in enough money to make sure that every IMCA Modified Main Event would
pay a minimum of $100 to start, while the IMCA Sport Modifieds would pay
$75 minimum thanks to additional sponsorship from Flo Racing.
It
was announced on Monday that the IMCA Modifieds had point fund money
for the Top 5 finishers with the champion receiving $1,000. I think
second was $400. We knew the IMCA Sport Modifieds would be paying $700
to win it all, and they get $300 for second with the Top 5 getting paid.
Those numbers will probably go up between now and then as sponsorship
money comes in. The IMCA Sport Modifieds had 22 drivers signed up as of
Monday, while the IMCA Modifieds had 17 drivers. This means we should
have achieved my goal of seeing at least 20 drivers signed up for each
class by Saturday. We could even be looking at 30 drivers signed up in
at least one of those classes by then.
Promoters
are still figuring out the support classes in some cases. Since Dan
Myrick is trying to work with promoters during this covid-19 pandemic,
the House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks will be included on the
14th at Hanford and the 15th at Bakersfield. They've also got a race at
Madera this weekend. We all know how tough businesses have it these days
as some aren't even able to open or are suffering through stifling
guidelines that are killing their businesses. If you're in Clovis or
Morro Bay, stop off and buy some food from the wonderful people at House
of JuJu. I know they're fighting the good fight down there, and these
are racing people. Support the people who are supporting the races.
IMCA
Stock Cars managed to get included at Merced on the 13th and Hanford on
the 14th. They've been having a harder time being able to get some
races since Merced only recently opened and Bakersfield and Hanford are
opening sparingly. However, I know the drivers understand that when
things start to return to normal, big things could be happening for this
class. We know that Merced will be jumping in bigger with this class
next year, and Antioch Speedway has announced that they will be included
on the 2021 schedule. Therefore, it's good news for the IMCA Stock Cars
in the future and during Speedweek.
I
just like the idea that we are going to have this series in August.
Some seasons have been decimated. A few places, such as Antioch,
Watsonville, Marysville and Petaluma seem to be moving ahead and trying
to run a normal schedule between now and when they close. Some tracks
may not have championships, and this gives the fans one week of intense
racing to enjoy. At the end of that week, we'll have an IMCA Modified
and an IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek champion we can be proud of. If you
want to know what else is going on with this series or offer
sponsorship or sign up to race, go to the California IMCA Speedweek
Facebook page.
Ocean Speedway is
indeed having the Mike Cecil Memorial race this Saturday night. It isn't
necessarily that I doubted they would do it, but we are going through
the covid-19 pandemic. You can't be so sure it's going to happen when
you're talking about bigger races. This race is about the Hobby Stocks
going extra laps as Mike was a long-time Street Stock competitor. Hobby
Stocks are the closest thing to them. He loved the 100 lap races they
used to run back in the day. It looks like as of Monday 1 Hour Drain is
signed on as the title sponsor for that race.
What
disappoints me is there has been no build up for this race. You usually
see the track and the Cecil family talking about what's coming up a
month before this happens. We might not have known what would happen a
month ago, but two or three weeks ago we should have had a pretty good
idea. You're talking extra money for the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport
Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. You've got to let everybody know what's
going on and beat the drums. When you go with a bigger purse, a fuller
pit area certainly helps that. We know Watsonville can attract the cars
for this event as they have in recent years, but not taking a firmer
stance on what this race will be this year was not a good move.
The
reason things weren't announced bigger became apparent soon after Ocean
Speedway management made the announcement that the race was happening.
The Cecil family has backed away from being involved in promoting this
race. I'm saddened to hear this news, but it also doesn't surprise me.
Eventually, people move on and do other things with their lives.
Stepping up to raise sponsorship money and do all of those things when
you have other things in your life you need to handle becomes
problematic. You eventually make the decision to walk away. I don't
think it's a slight against management that they chose to do this. Life
is just taking them in that direction.
Jerry
Cecil is a Watsonville Speedway Hall of Famer, and Mike Cecil will
forever be known as one of the best ever in the Street Stocks and
certainly one of the nicest guys you'd want to be around. There's reason
for this track to continue to honor him with this race. People are
watching everything they do. Longtime fans who know the Stock Car
heritage of this track will be looking. If the race eventually gets cut
while the big Sprint Car shows remain, it's just going to promote more
ill-will with those people at a time when you want them on board.
Promoter John Prentice has an opportunity to do a good thing here and
keep this race on the schedule for years to come. It shows the racers
that other classes matter as well. This was the special Hobby Stock race
on the schedule
In reality, this
race stems from an old tradition, and you could say it's almost 40
years old now. I think the first 100 lap Street Stock race may have
happened in 1981, and it continued for over 20 years before it got
passed on to the Hobby Stock class. I suppose management is to be
forgiven a little bit in light of the fact that they're trying to open
for any races at all during the pandemic when you can't have fans in the
stands. They may be late to the dance in putting the word out about
this show, but at least they did something. I'm curious to see what the
car count will be for this.
I
know more money can come in for sponsorship support for this race, so
the totals that have been put out there now could improve. They are
listing $750 to win for the IMCA Modifieds, $300 to win for the Hobby
Stocks and $500 to win for the IMCA Sport Modifieds, which is
significantly less than this race has paid in recent years. Furthermore,
they are regular distance races. There is no 80 lap Hobby Stock race
this year, which disappoints me. At the very least, they could have made
it a 40 or 50 lap Hobby Stock race. I hope that management doesn't take
the Cecil family's departure as a sign to just give up on the race, but
I wouldn't place odds on that not being the case in 2021. It will be
interesting to see how this race goes as it is the only show for these
three classes in the area on Saturday night.
To
be honest, I thought maybe Silver Dollar Speedway would jump in and
grab Friday night, but they are not doing anything this weekend either
after Sunday's successful show. They have it on their site that they're
keeping their fingers crossed for August 7th, and it makes sense.
They're playing the game known as "mother-may-i" with the county health
officials. In any case, Watsonville was able to move to Saturday, which
they would have done anyways. You can find out what's going on there by
going to the Ocean Speedway Facebook page.
We
got an update from Siskiyou Golden Speedway. We already knew that they
weren't running any races this weekend. I'm not sure how the fires are
going down there. If things get bad, they could have fire crews at the
Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds on the 8th as well. Therefore, management
didn't make a big announcement on Monday as far as what's next. They
just mentioned that they were aware that everybody wanted to get out
there and race, but they have to do the math to figure out what will
work for purses. Remember, they don't have grandstands, and that means
that it's going to be more difficult to pay purses unless people want to
sponsor. I don't know what "money people" they have down there who
would be willing to help them out.
Contrast
that with Cottage Grove Speedway, where Heather Boyce has to be smiling
from ear-to-ear. She's running the same six divisions she's run twice
already, Limited Sprints, Late Models, Street Stocks and the IMCA
sanctioned Modifieds, Sport Modifieds, and Sport Compacts. The first
time she opened, somebody sponsored the entire purse. The second time,
she got sponsors to pay half of it.
At
last report, she was well on her way to getting sponsors for half of
this Saturday's purse. She will be trying for that on the August 8th
show as well. There is a stronger community of racers in Cottage Grove
who want that track open, so they are more willing to chip in. Right
now, we're to the point of Dwarf Car competitors and Winged 360 Sprint
Car competitors wondering if they might get a race sometime this year as
well. Heather mentioned that she's trying to fit them in.
I
think it was a slight gamble booking back-to-back races when you know
you aren't going to have fans and will only have Dirt Oval TV streaming
services to count on. I say slight gamble, because the number crunching
I've done suggests that the money is coming in. I wasn't there to
observe, but do the math on their last show. 131 competitors, and
everybody pays $40 to get into the pits. How many people do you suppose
came with those 131 race cars? Plus, there were people sitting up in the
stands who obviously bought their pit pass at $40 just so they could go
watch. Hey, if the county health officials aren't keeping a close eye
on what you're doing, you can talk a good game of following the
guidelines and they may not even care.
Allow
me to do some math for you. You bring in 500 people paying $40 a pop to
get in. It's reasonable to think there were around 500 pit passes sold
for that show. This equals $20,000. According to her website, she has
three divisions that pay $500 to win and the others pay less. You have
your insurance to pay, IMCA sanctioning to pay and track officials.
She's not losing money doing this, even if she doesn't have sponsors.
Somebody
sponsoring her half of the purse is just a little bit more money coming
in at a time when she is paying Jerry Schram to buy that track. Under
these circumstances, Heather may very well try to book races through the
end of September and look at going into October if the weather will
allow her to do so. Plus, she's not doing points this year. IMCA will
take care of the three sanctioned divisions as long as they have four
minimum races.
A lot of people
never look at the money and do a little bit of counting. Sometimes you
don't understand all of the costs that go into running a race track, but
you can get a good ballpark figure of how much money the track is
taking in. When you look at a situation like Hermiston Raceway and their
two shows with 250 people watching Main Event only programs twice per
night, it adds up nicely. Once you realize they're not paying a big
purse and they're taking $5,000 through the gate for each showing, it
looks pretty sweet. Plus, they sell concessions. Now, you may want to
have more fans, but as they have the restrictions at 250 people on each
side of the crossover gate, this is about as good as you're going to
get. It's worthy of trying in the eyes of management there.
Which
brings me back to Siskiyou Golden Speedway. Obviously, Kevin would like
to do more, but money is what it is. If you don't have a few money
people pitching in for sponsoring shows, running anything bigger than
IMCA Sport Modifieds becomes problematic. They only have two in house
divisions and an IMCA Modified class they are trying to rebuild. A
racing season is pretty much lost at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. They will
crown an IMCA Sport Modified champion through IMCA, and the Modifieds
only need one more race before they can do the same. The track may elect
not to do anything in regards to having a champions banquet. I wouldn't
speculate on that any deeper as it's too early to know.
I
would expect a standard race to happen there without fans on August 8th
or 15th at the latest. They also have the Outlaw Pro Stocks and
Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars asking for race dates. They can easily put
together a decent show and make something happen, but might they
consider aiming higher again?
There
are some banner events that this track is known for, including the Bo
Hittson, John Arnberg and Mike Caveye Memorial shows. There's also the
Rod Restad Memorial. There are people down there that feel very
connected to those races, so could the track pick a date in September
and make an announcement soon about slightly bigger purses? It becomes a
challenge when you're not working with much money to begin with.
If
the track could get a sponsor or two to come on board and number crunch
things, I think something in the area of $1,500 to win for Modifieds,
$750 to win for Sport Modifieds and maybe even $300 to to win for Mini
Stocks could be possible. Put a slightly bigger pit entry for this one
given the fact that it will be a bigger race and work on building that
up in the days leading up to the actual race. Take pre registers, bring
in sponsors and take a swing at it. I consider this highly unlikely, but
it might be the best opportunity for any sort of big race for these
three classes to happen in the area this year. There is plenty of
opportunity, but is Kevin Barba the man to take a swing at it?
Anytime
Siskiyou Golden Speedway opens their gates for a race, people in
Southern Oregon are going to look. It appears doubtful that the Medford
track will even open this year, and that gives Yreka a free shot at
every division on the roster from the other track. The problem is that
when you start looking at Winged Sprint Cars and Late Models, drivers
don't want to give it away for free. Even if you were just aiming at the
Modified classes and Mini Stocks, there's an opportunity to do
something bigger. I don't expect huge news for what the next race will
be, but they will race again soon. The best place to find that out is
the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.
Douglas
County Speedway is getting ready to have their Rumble on the River. The
PRA association that runs the place will have their Hardtops,
Modifieds, Hornets, Mini Stocks and Street Stocks on the card, and I
would suspect that pavement racing enthusiasts will flock there this
Saturday. They don't necessarily draw huge numbers in the pits, but I
expect those numbers to be inflated. They were able to sell 250 tickets
at $15 a piece for people to come spectate, and I wouldn't be surprised
if it's sold out by the time race day comes. The report was only a few
tickets were left as I write this. It also appears as if the track is
planning to stay open from here on out.
The Saturday show is supposed to start at 2 in the afternoon, and The Score 1490 at 541radio.com
will actually have a broadcast. I understand it will be audio and
video. With this race, there are now five Oregon tracks that have
dropped a green flag on racing this year. It ain't the most ideal
situation to try to have a race, but it is what it is. The ARCA West
Series will be getting in on the action with an August 8th event. It
looks like Bill MacAnally found a date that worked for him and will be
promoting this show at the Roseburg track. Hearing that news, there's
reason to be optimistic that the ARCA West race in Roseville will happen
in October as scheduled.
Antioch
Speedway has a golden opportunity to get a big field of Winged 360
Sprint Cars and Dwarf Cars on Saturday night. Neither class is running
anywhere in the area this weekend. It's not often lately that Antioch
can attempt to run a Winged Sprint Car race with the more established
tracks open, but this date opened up and provided a golden opportunity.
The last time we saw the Winged 360 Sprint Cars at Antioch, they
produced a 25 car field that had one heck of a battle at the front of
the pack. With Dwarf Car numbers strong as well, it will be worth
watching this one just for these two divisions alone.
The
Super Stocks have an open door policy for the Tri State Pro Stock
Challenge Series drivers to come support, but I'm not sure who may be
there. Some of those drivers may participate in the show at Coos Bay
Speedway on Saturday, but there will likely be a few coming to Antioch
to take on the locals. The Bay Area Hardtop drivers get an opportunity
to put their cars on the track ahead of the September 20th Chet Thomson
Memorial. I'm not sure who will be there for that, but I heard
encouraging news that there will be some California Hardtop Association
participation for this. I'm hoping for a decent turnout of these Hardtop
racers.
I am aware that
management is fond of the Sportsman division that is on the Merced
Speedway roster. The Hardtops are the class that is established at
Antioch, but admittedly the numbers haven't been great in recent years.
The Bay Area roster is into double-digits, but you're lucky to see a
half-dozen of them without support from the California Hardtop group.
The change in management at Antioch may have made it more appealing for
the Sacramento area racers to support these dates in the future, but I'm
wondering. What would be the possibility of the Sportsman drivers
getting together and bringing a half a dozen or more of those cars to
Antioch sometime as a schedule addition for that particular night?
The
regular IMCA Modified, IMCA Sport Modified and Hobby Stock show has
been providing good numbers. Last week saw just a bit under 70 total
competitors, and I know management has to be encouraged by those
numbers. They get the week off to recover, but they're back to run on
August 8th. Those three divisions will also get to compete on August
12th when the Speedweek Series comes to town. Antioch Speedway seems to
be the busiest dirt track in California these days, and I see no
indication that this will change for the remainder of the season.
The
August 8th date at Antioch was initially going to be the Fourth Annual
Jerry Hetrick Memorial race, but some of the racers voiced a concern
about having this big race so close to their Speedweek race. The
divisions will remain on the schedule for a regular point race. I don't
think it was easy for the track to remove them from the schedule that
night, so the only other alternative would be no race at all on the 8th.
The Jerry Hetrick Memorial race will be moved to August 22nd instead,
which is a safe move to make. It will still be interesting to see what
the car count looks like a week after the Speedweek finale, but I
suppose it will be fine.
I did
notice something that caused a bit of concern from my point of view.
August 22nd has been booked at Petaluma Speedway as not only the annual
Johnny Soares Classic for the PitStopUSA.com
Wingless Spec Sprints, but also the annual Top Dog Nationals for the
McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds. This is the one show they have
every year that pays more money for the IMCA Modifieds, and it's been on
their schedule since day one. There seems to be a trend from Antioch
when they make schedule adjustments that they don't look at what's going
on at their closest neighbor when they do these things, and I'm
disappointed in that. It's not like this has only happened once.
This
could turn into "The Wild West" when things get back to normal. Let's
not forget that the Stockton Dirt Track has been looking at divisions
that Antioch runs and was initially going to run on top of Antioch's
season opener on March 28th with three divisions that were scheduled at
Antioch. Only the virus shut down kept that from happening. All I'm
saying is that when you make an adjustment to your schedule, at least
look at the tracks closest to you and see what they're doing. It's not
that hard to do. Is it reasonable for Petaluma Speedway to think they
can have one big race for the IMCA Modifieds? I think so. Antioch was
going to run their class on that night anyway, but there's more
incentive for the locals to stick around now that they've attached the
special meaning to that night.
A
couple of things struck me about the adjustments being made to the
Petaluma Speedway schedule, which can be found by just going to their
Facebook page. There are some additional USAC Midget and Wingless Sprint
races thrown in there, and the USAC/CRA Wingless Sprint show on
September 7th will still happen, despite the fact that Sprint Week and
the Louie Vermiel Memorial at Calistoga are cancelled. I'm glad to see
Rick Faeth stepping up and keeping the date. He did remove the NARC/King
of the West Winged 410 Sprint Car show that was set for August 30th. It
will be a PitStopUSA.com Winged 360
Sprint Car show instead. Obviously, the race fell victim to the fact
that they don't have fans in the grandstands and the purse for those
Sprint Cars would be huge.
Rick
was already looking ahead to what he could do and was way ahead of the
game. The Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks were scheduled that night,
and he saw an opportunity to invite the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge
Series. Joe Carr Racing came on board to sponsor this race, and that
Sunday affair will now see Pro Stocks and Super Stocks headlining. The
Pro Stocks are piggy backing off of Antioch as there will be a race for
the series there the night before. I've been informed that the Tri State
Series will also compete at the Larry Damitz Memorial race at Antioch
on October 10th. It's interesting how schedules keep being adjusted on
the fly due to what we're going through regarding the virus.
Placerville
Speedway had a show on August 8th that would see the Hunt Wingless
Sprint Car Series coming to town. Scott Russell has made the decision to
pull the plug on that race. This was not due to the fact that they were
going to have a hard time paying the purse or any of that. The track
will be hosting the opener for the California IMCA Speedweek Series on
August 10th, and they want to make sure they give them a good track.
This was the smart move to make. That's the race that sets the tempo for
the rest of the week, so you want to give the series a good start. The
Hunt Series will find another date somewhere down the line.
I
don't often get a look at the Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds,
and I'm very much looking forward to the Madera Speedway free broadcast
on YouTube on Saturday, which is being sponsored by nutup.com. To be
honest with you, I think the Super Modifieds are some of the prettiest
race cars out there. They don't race these cars, although I would love
to see a group of drivers get together to try to make something happen.
For the Legends of Kearney Bowl group, it's about going out there, doing
an exhibition and having fun. They are doing it right, and their car
count doesn't lie.
I'm saddened
that we won't be hearing Kenny Takeuchi giving us a history lesson as
the cars roll onto the track. He was the voice of Super Modified racing
back in the 1960s and 1970s and a Hall of Famer. He passed away prior to
this year. In recent years, he would show up at Madera, Stockton and
Roseville and provide his commentary. I always wanted to meet this guy.
I've been compared to him, and I know what a great honor it is to have
my name mentioned with somebody who was so professional and added to any
event he was a part of.
It's a
club race at Madera Speedway, which is terminology that Kenny Shepherd
used in getting approval from the Madera County Health officials to
open. The regular Madera Late Models won't have the big turnout that
the Nut Up Pro Late Models have, but it should still be nice. The MST's
have been very exciting to watch this year. Just for these three
divisions alone, it's a good show. With the Central Valley Mini Stocks
and Southwest Tour Trucks on the card along with the Hobby Stocks and
Toyotas, this show will be very entertaining. The price is right. If
you're like me and aren't able to fit a streaming service into your
budget, you can watch the stream provided for free. You can go to the
Madera Speedway Facebook page for more information.
All
American Speedway in Roseville is ready to get their six-race NASCAR
Whelen All American Series season started this Saturday night. They've
even created an in-house streaming service that you can go to at allamericanspeedway.tv.
NASCAR divisions include the Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks,
Mini Stocks, Bandoleros and Juniors Late Models. Since this is NASCAR
sanctioned, the six race Late Model championship will pay $3,500 to win
with fifth place receiving $800. There's nice point fund money there,
and the Modifieds, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks get point fund money as
well. The Mini Stock champion gets $500.
It's
taken some effort by Promoter Bill MacAnally, but now that the six-race
season has been announced, it's time to make it happen. Of interest is
the October 10th season finale for the NASCAR divisions. This will also
include the ARCA West race as part of the big October Classic event. The
racers in the area are just relieved to get back behind the wheel once
again. Though there is no attendance allowed in the grandstands due the
covid-19 guidelines, at least the track has a streaming service to
offer. For further information, go to the all American Speedway Facebook
page.
Maybe it was one of those
"dog days of summer" deals, but the Winged 360 Sprint Car division saw
their car count drop a little bit to 14 cars at Marysville Raceway on
Wednesday night. Overall, the show had a good turnout among all four
divisions as even the Limited Late Models delivered 10 cars. The Hobby
Stocks topped the list with 22 competitors, and there were 16 IMCA Sport
Modifieds. It would have to be classified as a pleasant show overall,
although the Hobby Stock drivers seem intent on tearing their cars up
out there every week. I don't quite get that.
I
would have to chalk it up to nerves as Jacob Johnson got into Maurice
Merrill on the last lap with Merrill spinning. Both drivers were trying
to get their first win, and Johnson led all the way up to the final lap
at Chico on Sunday before being passed by Kyle Allen. I don't know him,
although I'm assuming he is the son of past champion John "Porkchop"
Johnson, but I would have to believe he was more unhappy with himself
than anybody else would be. It's part of that learning curve. Jacob is a
relatively new driver who finds himself in a competitive car. Mistakes
happen sometimes. Overall, I think the drivers in this class need to
exercise a little bit of patience.
There
were new winners in all four divisions, which is always a nice thing to
see. I think Todd Cooper may have let one get away from him in the IMCA
Sport Modifieds, although he had a nice comeback to get back to third.
Justin Funkhouser has been fast, so he was due for that win. I'm
wondering when State point leader Timothy Allerdings will get his first
win this year as second on this occasion was his best effort yet.
The
always fast Sean Becker makes it seven different Sprint Car winners in
eight races. Looking at the schedule, there are only two Wednesday night
point shows remaining before that part of the season is done and they
get into the specials. That will include the Dwarf Car Nationals in
September as well as the Taxi Cab Open and the Halloween Sprint Car
Spooktacular in October. If there are any adjustments, the Marysville
Raceway Facebook page will surely let us know.
I
wasn't expecting big totals at Coos Bay Speedway. As people are getting
back to work and taking care of business, making the trip to the coast
for a Wednesday night race might be a bit more problematic. They did
have a dozen Winged Sprint Cars for the show, but I'm curious to see
what those numbers will be for the class on Saturday as Cottage Grove
Speedway will be running. Another Southern Oregon racer, RJ McGahuey,
managed to hold off Mike Wheeler to get the win in that class. You don't
say this very often, but the Sprint Cars had the biggest turnout of the
four divisions there.
In fact,
none of the other classes even hit 10 cars for the show. I think one of
the reasons why Drake Nelson decided to put the two Modified classes on
the bill was because the divisions weren't getting much racing
opportunities anywhere else in the state. They had nine Dirt Modifieds
and seven B Modifieds for this show, and I'm wondering if the fact that
this is not actually IMCA sanctioned might be negatively impacting the
numbers a little bit. It certainly hasn't helped. The Street Stock
numbers came back to Earth with seven cars. I think in the case of these
three divisions, drivers are definitely gearing up for Cottage Grove on
Saturday.
I don't fault Drake
Nelson for swinging for the bleachers with his Coos Bay Speedway Bar and
Grill idea. Why not? The other tracks being unable to do what he can
right now puts him at an advantage, and he's had the two biggest oval
track car counts under his watch in recent weeks. The Wednesday race was
an add-on to see if he could get decent numbers. It doesn't hurt to
try. I think under normal circumstances, when other tracks are running,
he's not going to do quite as well. When drivers have Southern Oregon
Speedway, Cottage Grove Speedway and Willamette Speedway as an option,
they're going to stay there most of the time.
I
wouldn't blame the man if the light bulb went off over his head after
what's going on this year. When things get back to normal, he might want
to think about the possibility of trying some Friday night oval track
shows. Why not? They run the drag strip on a Friday night. If he has a
mind to attempt to do more Modified races or different classes, Fridays
might be the best way to get those cars.
Then
again, Willamette Speedway and Cottage Grove Speedway were starting to
do Fast Fridays more often, and I would suspect they will get back to
that when we get back to some semblance of normalcy next year. Whatever
Drake announces, and there could be a date thrown in at the last moment,
the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page is the place to look for those
announcements.
It's a more
relaxed weekend. Nobody is doing anything on Friday night for a change.
In fact, there's nothing on tap for Sunday either. What's happening is
mostly taking place on Saturday, and there are a few tracks taking a
break. It frankly surprises me that some tracks are staying as active as
they have been without fans. Even though this might be a slower weekend
than we've been seeing recently, everything's getting ready to pick up
the following week. Even if you can't be at the track, there's still
plenty of California racing action to be viewed online.
It
was another week where I was a bit slow to motivate. I wasn't even sure
a post needed to be made heading into this weekend. We continue to move
forward in the hopes that we'll hear more positive news at a time when
it seems like the air is thick with negativity. One of the ways we fight
the doom and gloom is by doing the things we enjoy. I know I can speak
for the people who read this blog when I say that a night at the race
track is the place to break away from the negativity and enjoy yourself
for a while.
Anyway, we are still
here for now doing what we can. I wish certain places would do a little
better when it comes to keeping the people informed. We're in 2020
right now, and there's no reason for lack of results and that sort of
thing to be happening. We do our best to cover everything we can with
the information that we get. We do our best to be accurate, although we
recognize that occasionally something inaccurate may get by. However,
we're proud of our unofficial racing media effort and what we've done
this year under challenging circumstances. Your readership and your
support has certainly helped.
On that note, I will end this column. Until next time...
