Antioch Speedway, Siskiyou Golden Speedway, Cottage Grove Speedway, Madera Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, More

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Foulger, Keller, Johnson Win Steitz Memorial 
Freedom Series Race At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...July 4...Troy Foulger won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The win paid the four-time track champion $1,600 aboard the Bowers Motorsports Modified. This was the second Big Kahuna George Steitz Freedom Series event, which pays tribute to the legendary Sportsman division champion and big event promoter. Covid-19 guidelines will not allow for the grandstands to open just yet, but the action was broadcast online via Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV.

Aaron Crowell had a front-row start for the Main Event and charged into the early lead. During the first 10 laps, Kellen Chadwick and Shane DeVolder had a spirited duel for the second as they battled back and forth for several laps. Foulger battled from deep in the pack to grab the fourth position and begin challenging DeVolder for third on Lap 13. Two laps later, Foulger gained the position before a yellow flag waved. Crowell continued to lead Chadwick and Foulger on the restart. Working Turn 2 of the 17th lap, contact between Chadwick and Crowell dropped both drivers a few positions back as Foulger emerged with the lead over Jim Pettit II. Austin Burke was running third when Shane DeVolder went high in Turn 4 with three laps to go to get by as they went down the front straightaway. Unfortunately, DeVolder spun exiting Turn 4 as the checkered flag waved. Foulger brought it home to a satisfying win, followed by Pettit, Burke and Crowell. Reigning track champion Buddy Kniss battled back from an opening lap spin to finish fifth.

KC Keller won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The win paid the 2017 track champion $1050. Keller started up front and set the early pace ahead of Tanner Thomas. Reigning State champion Guy Ahlwardt quickly struck to third, and the leaders were in heavy traffic by the 10th lap. Chris Falkenberg battled from deep in the pack and used a high pass in Turn 4 of the 11th lap to take fourth from Trevor Clymens. Falkenberg managed to get past Ahlwardt for third on the 19th lap. Friday night winner Kenny Shrader and Chuck Golden tangled in Turn 2 for a Lap 20 yellow flag. Falkenberg moved into second and took up pursuit of Keller on the restart. However, Keller set a good pace and brought it home to the impressive win. Falkenberg settled for his second runner-up finish of the weekend, followed by Ahlwardt, incoming point leader Fred Ryland and Clymens. 

Nick Johnson won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. The Bakersfield star wrapped up a sweep of both Main Events on the weekend with an impressive performance that saw him have to win the 12 lap B Main to even get into the feature race. As Johnson worked his way through the pack, Josh Leach led most of the first half of the race. Johnson grabbed the lead just past the halfway point of the race, leaving Leach to engage in a spirited duel with James Thomson and Jason Robles for second. With four laps to go, Thomson managed to move past Leach, but Johnson had built a good lead on his way to victory. Robles made a late move to finish third, followed by Breanna Troen and Leach.

Up next will be the Wingless Spec Sprints, Delta Dwarf Cars, Super Stocks and Four Bangers. For information on what's next on the schedule and other news and information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Chadwick, Shrader, Johnson Win On Freedom Series Weekend At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...July 3...Kellen Chadwick won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the first win of the season for the past Antioch Speedway and Wild West Speedweek Series champion. The win paid $1,000 and kept him in the hunt in the championship battle. This was the first night of the big George Steitz Memorial Freedom Series event. Due the covid-19 guidelines, fans were still not allowed in the grandstands for the big event, but the race was broadcast simultaneously on SpeedshiftTV and Flo Racing.

After a pair of restarts, recent Susanville winner Shane DeVolder led Kellen Chadwick and Jim Pettit II. A yellow flag waved on the fourth lap. On the restart, there was some close quarters racing exiting the second turn, resulting in DeVolder and Pettit briefly getting together as Chadwick gained the lead. Chadwick set a good pace and built nearly a straightaway advantage before a yellow flag wiped it out on the 13th lap. Chadwick led Duane Cleveland and returning 2004 champion Aaron Crowell on the restart. Both Crowell and Pettit got around Cleveland following a lap 16 yellow flag. However, nobody was getting around Chadwick as he won ahead of Crowell, Pettit, Cleveland and Watsonville champion Austin Burke.

Kenny Shrader won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Shrader was the winner of the West Coast Nationals event to close last season. He led from the outset with championship contenders Todd Gomez and KC Keller mixing it up for second in the early going. Following a yellow flag on the ninth lap, previous Antioch winner Fred Ryland moved into the third position as Gomez tried to challenge Shrader for the lead. Another yellow flag slowed the pace on the 16th lap. On the restart, seventh row starter Chris Falkenberg moved around Ryland for the third position. A good battle ensued at the front of the pack, but another yellow flag waved on the 18th lap. 

On the restart, Falkenberg made a strong move around the outside of Shrader to lead the lap. However, Schrader went low in the second turn a lap later to regain command. Shrader pulled away just a little bit, leaving Falkenberg and Gomez to mix it up in the battle for second. Falkenberg won that battle as Shrader won the race ahead of Falkenberg, Gomez, Randy Miller and Ryland. Reigning track champion Tommy Fraser won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Falkenberg, Mark Garner, Patti Ryland and Kevin Brown.

Bakersfield star Nick Johnson made a late pass on Travis Dutra to win the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Trent Wentworth had a front row start and raced into the early lead ahead of James Thomson. As they were working the fourth lap, Thomson spun from second in the fourth turn. Wentworth led Dutra and Tim Elias on the restart. Wentworth caught traffic by the 10th lap as Dutra ran right behind him. Dutra got a good run on the outside as they entered Turn 1 on the 13th lap and moved ahead of Wentworth. Elias gained second on a lap 15 restart, and Johnson moved into third on lap 16. Elias spun from second on lap 19. A low pass in Turn 2 on the last lap gained Johnson the lead, and he brought it home to victory ahead of a disappointed Dutra. Wentworth settled for third, followed by Breanna Troen and Jacob Mallet Jr. Troen won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Aiden Ponciano, Jake Fletcher and Mallet.

For further information on scheduling and other things pertaining to the speedway, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Schank, Wagner, Robles Win At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...June 27...Terry Schank Jr won the Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Schank is a three-time Hunt Series champion, but surprisingly, this was his first Antioch win in the class. He also led a Hunt Series sweep of the podium. Schank started back in the fourth row with Jarrett Soares starting in the third row. The two drivers made a dash to the front of the pack with fifth row starter DJ Johnson, a past Antioch champion, coming to the front as well. When the checkered flag flew, it was Schank holding off Soares to get the win. Johnson finished third. 14 year old Dylan Bloomfield continued his Top 5 streak with a fourth place finish ahead of two-time champion Bob Newberry, Jeff Bernard, Jeff Scotto, Roy Fisher, Boy Moniz and Kevin Box. Johnson and Daniel DeKeyser won their respective eight lap heat races.

Danny Wagner scored the win in the 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. Wagner is a two-time Antioch Speedway champ with a title with the NorCal Dwarf Car Association as well. He came from the third row to grab the lead from Sean Catucci. Once Wagner got the lead, there was little doubt who was going to pick up the win. Catucci held on for his Antioch best second place finish ahead of hard charger Devan Kammermann. South Bay competitor Eric Wiesler finished fourth, followed by reigning Antioch champion Scott Dahlgren, two-time Antioch champion Mike Corsaro, Travis Day, reigning South Bay champion Mark Biscardi, David Rosa and John Tardiff.

Corsaro, Wagner, Dahlgren and Kammarmann won their respective eight lap heat races. David Michael Rosa won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Tardiff and David Rosa. 

Jason Robles impressed with his win in the 20 lap Jay's Mobile Welding Hobby Stock Main Event. Robles is actually driving the 2004 Street Stock championship car of Bobby Motts Jr. Making things even more interesting with the fact that Motts jumped behind the wheel of daughter Madison's car and battled Robles for the win. Motts settled for second with Dustin Himes making an impressive charge from 18th starting to finish third. Nico Zapatero finished fourth, followed by Jacob Mallet Jr, John Grassellie, Jon Haney, Abigail Gonderman, Jake Bentancourt and Gavin Griffitts. Eight lap heat race wins went to Breanna Troen, James Thomson and Mallet.

Chris Corder returned and won both the six lap heat race and 10 lap Four Banger Main Event. The three-time Merced Speedway champion won ahead of Jess Paladino and Trevor Jolly.

For scheduling information and other track news, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Elliott, Possinger Win Big At Siskiyou Golden Speedway

Yreka, CA...July 4...Trent Elliott won the 20 lap Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. This was a special event, which was sponsored by Hoppes Construction. The win paid Elliott $2,000. He is the reigning Southern Oregon Speedway champion. Covid-19 guidelines meant that there were no fans allowed in attendance, but the race was streamed online at Dirt 360 TV. A last-minute scheduling adjustment saw the Outlaw Pro Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars removed from the program this morning due to an order by the state.

Elliott had the front row for the feature race and charged into the lead immediately ahead of recent $1,500 Susanville winner Mark Wauge and reigning Coos Bay Speedway champion Preston Luckman. The three drivers ran closely throughout most of the race. Dennis Souza spun in Turn 4 for a lap 14 yellow flag, and Elliott continued to lead Wauge and Luckman on the restart. Though Elliott didn't really pull too far away from Wauge, he still managed to bring it home to victory. Lukman settled for third ahead of Jason Johnson, John David Duffie, Chris Biggs, Richard Papenhausen, Bruce Rayburn Jr and Souza. Larry Fuller, Cliff Massey and Richard Vander Ploeg were all Main Event scratches.

There were 12 Late Models on hand for this event, and they ran two sets of eight lap heat races. In the first round, it was Souza outrunning Vander Ploeg for the victory, and Luckman holding off Elliott to win the other heat. The first heat in the second round was somewhat rough as Vander Ploeg hit the Turn 4 wall and rolled. Massey also hit the front wall to end his race. The race was won by Duffie ahead of Biggs. Wauge won the second heat race in front of Elliott.

Braxton Possinger won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The win was worth $850, and he snapped a four-race winning streak for point leader Jorddon Braaten in the process. Reigning division champion Ethan Killingsworth charged into the early lead. There was a yellow flag after four laps with Killingsworth leading Isaac Sanders and Possinger. The Top 3 drivers continued their battle at the front when the green flag waved. A high pass in Turn 2 of the ninth lap gained Possinger second, and he began pressuring Killingsworth as Braaten made an inside pass on the frontstretch on Lap 12 to gain third. Possinger had the momentum coming out of Turn 4 and passed Killingsworth on the outside as they completed the 17th lap. The lead trio had a close battle going, and the yellow flag waved when Merissa Henson spun from her Top 5 position on lap 19. The race was called complete with Possinger winning ahead of Killingsworth, Braaten, Isaac Sanders, Matt Sanders, Joby Shields, Ryder Boswell, Jimmy Ford, Steven Sanders and Branden Wilson.

There were two sets of eight lap heat races for the 23 Sport Modified drivers. Braaten, Austin Petray and Shields won the first round. Braaten, Petray and Mike Medel won the second set of heats. 

For scheduling information and other news regarding the speedway, go to the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page. 

McCreadie, Braaten, Hedges Win Friday Night Action 
At Siskiyou Golden Speedway

Yreka, CA...July 3...Justin McCreadie won the 30.lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. The special event was sponsored by Hoppes Motorsports, and the first career win for McCreadie was worth $1,500. Due to covid-19 guidelines, no fans were allowed in attendance, but the race was streamed live on internet pay-per-view by Dirt 360 TV. 

McCreadie had the outside front row next to reigning Southern Oregon Speedway champion Zach Fettinger, and he charged into lead at the start. Point leader Travis Peery quickly settled into second in his bid for a third-straight win. A yellow flag flew for a Turn 4 tangle involving Nick Trenchard and John Campos on the sixth lap. McCreadie continued to lead Peery and Jeffrey Hudson on the restart. McCreadie set a good pace and built a half straightaway lead over Peery before Ray Kniffen Jr spun in Turn 2 for a lap 13 yellow flag. 

McCreadie continued to lead Peery on the restart, but a low pass in Turn 4 of the 15th lap gained Hudson the second position. Jon DeBenedetti had settled into fourth ahead of reigning IMCA Western Regional champion Bricen James. Meanwhile, Hudson had closed in on McCreadie by the 22nd lap and was giving him serious pressure as they hit traffic. Unfortunately, Hudson got a flat tire with two laps to go and would head for the pits. McCreadie was not to be denied as he brought it home to a satisfying win ahead of Peery, DeBenedetti, James, Trenchard, Paul Culp, Fettinger, Jake Mayden, Steven Sturdevant and Albert Gill.

There were 25 IMCA Modifieds on hand for this show with eight lap heat race wins going to Curtis Towns, Campos and Hudson. Sturdevant when the 12 lap B Main ahead of Mayden, James Welschonse, Preston Luckman and Culp.

Jorddon Braaten won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This was the fourth-straight win for the point leader, and it was worth $400. While Braaten worked his way up from the fourth row, Austin Petray beat Jesse Merriman at the start to grab the early lead. Braaten steadily worked his way towards Petray before making what proved to be his winning pass on Lap 8. Fifth row starter Mike Medel quickly struck to the second position. After a Lap 11 yellow flag for a two car crash in the second turn, Braaten motored ahead on the restart and built a straightaway advantage in the closing laps on his way to victory. Medel settled for second, followed by Petray, reigning champion Ethan Killingsworth, Matt Sanders, Colt Boswell, Aaron Bloom, Joby Shields, Merissa Henson and Mike Merritt.

The 29 car field ran three eight lap heat races with wins going to Medel, Braaten and Petray. Killingsworth won the 12 lap B Main with a flag-to-flag romp ahead of Isaac Sanders, Matt Sanders, Randy Wright and Branden Wilson.

Ashtin Hedges won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. After Hedges and previous feature winner David Steele won their respective eight lap heat races, they shared the front row of the Main Event. Steele figured to be the guy to beat and led the first seven laps before surrendering first to Hedges. Ashtin Hedges would go on to lead the rest of the way for the impressive win. Steele settled for second, followed by Hunter Magnan. After a terrible heat race, Kristopher Mix started in the fifth row and charged to a fourth place finish, followed by Terry Alford Sr, reigning champion Mike Whitaker, Derrel Nelson Jr, Jenna Hedges, Marilyn Yawnick and rookie Paige Boswell.

For further information on the happenings at the speedway, go to the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page.

 

Forte, Groves, Campos Celebrate 
Fourth Of July With Cottage Grove Speedway Wins

Cottage Grove, Oregon...July 4...Shane Forte won the 25 lap Todd's Auto Body Limited Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Cottage Grove Speedway. Forte is the reigning division champion, and he was never seriously challenged once he got the lead. This is the 64th Anniversary of the opening of the track when they ran motorcycles back in 1956. With no crowd allowed due to covid-19 guidelines, the opening of the track was made possible thanks to an anonymous sponsor who paid the entire purse for every division on the card. Fans were able to watch all of the action on Dirt Oval TV.

Brett McGhie had a front row start and charged into the lead ahead of past Southern Oregon Speedway champion TJ Winningham and Forte. An inside move on the backstretch of the third lap put Winningham into the lead, but Forte had a good run going on the outside. Forte went around McGhie in Turn 4 on the third lap to take second and made a similar move a lap later to take the lead from Winningham. The red flag flew after four laps when Tim Minter flipped in Turn 1. Forte continued to lead Winningham on the restart with Jesse Schlotfeldt moving into third. Schlotfeldt went around the outside of Winningham in Turn 4 on lap seven to take second. Unfortunately, Schlotfeldt had a serious push in Turn 2 on Lap 9 and fell back several positions as Tyler Thompson was second ahead of Winningham and reigning ISCS champion Tanner Holmes at that point. 

An outside move on the backstretch of the 13th lap to put Holmes into third. Forte had a commanding straightaway lead over the pack and had several lapped cars between himself and Thompson when the final yellow flag flew for RC Smith on Lap 16. Smith had blown a motor, and Thompson ducked into the pits during the yellow flag period. This put Holmes into second, but there were three lapped cars between leader Forte and Holmes. When racing resumed, Forte maintained his blistering pace and took it to the checkered flag by a straightaway ahead of Holmes. Stephen Snawder had third on the restart and would finish there, followed by Johnny Burke, Tyler Driever, Pat Desbiens, Anthony Pope, McGhie, Donny Waddell and Mike Griffith.

18 competitors took a lap during hot laps/qualifying. Snawder was the quickest with a 12.330 lap, beating the 12.551 of Driever. They ran three eight lap heat races with wins going to Snawder, Schlotfeldt and Forte.

Chad Groves won the 30 lap Late Model Main Event. Kyle Frick set the early pace ahead of Brian Smith. Tomas Hunziker settled into second on Lap 3, but he surrendered the position to Groves by the sixth lap. Groves caught Frick as they worked traffic on the ninth lap. An inside pass in Turn 3 of the 12th lap gained Groves the lead. The yellow flag flew on Lap 13. Groves continued to lead Frick and Jordan Wright on the restart. However, contact between Wrght and Frick sent both of them spinning in Turn 2 for a Lap 17 yellow flag. Groves led Hunziker and Rob Campos on the restart. However, it was Doug Elkins making moves later in the race. An inside move on the backstretch of the 20th lap gained Elkins third from Campos, and he went by Hunziker on the outside in Turn 4 on Lap 22 for second. Elkins immediately closed in on Groves and spent a few laps trying to get by on the outside. However, Groves remained smooth on the inside groove. Groves would bring it home to victory, followed by Elkins, Hunziker, Campos, BJ Donofrio, Randy Barley, Wright, Frick, Nathan Augustine and Ryan Ronning.

13 drivers ran hot laps/qualifying, and Frick was the only driver in the 13 second bracket at 13.990. Campos was second quick at 14.470. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Elkins and Groves.

John Campos won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. Campos charged into lead at the start ahead of Steven Sturdevant. Reiging State and Regional champion Bricen James briefly moved into second on a Lap 2 to restart. As Campos set a good pace at the front, a good three-car battle ensued between Sturdevant, James and Paul Culp. A Lap 7 yellow flag waved for a frontstretch tangle involving Brian Winkler and Steve Moore. Campos continued to lead Sturdevant and Culp on the restart, but Chad Groves made an outside pass on the frontstretch on Lap 9 to take over third. A lap later, an inside pass in Turn 4 of the 10th lap gained James the third position and he began battling Sturdevant for second. By the 18th lap, Campos had a straightaway advantage and was working slower traffic. A particularly scary moment occurred when Campos went between two slower cars in Turns 3 and 4, but he managed to lap them both. James gained second on Lap 22 before a yellow flag waved for a cone on the track. This gave James an opportunity to make a run at Campos, but Campos was not to be denied on this occasion as he brought it home to victory. Sturdevant settled for third, followed by Culp, Groves, Joey Tanner, Ryan Baker, Curtis Towns, Chance Hyser and McLain Beaudoin 

The IMCA Modifieds led the day with 24 competitors in hot laps/qualifying. James had the fastest lap of 14.651, beating the 14.693 of Tanner. Groves won his eight lap heat race with other heat wins going to Campos and Hyser. The 12 lap B Main win went to Jake Mayden ahead of Donald Schott, Dan Sheller, Winkler and Wayne Sturdevant.

Art Hiatt won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Shawn Hand set the early pace, and Hiatt moved into second ahead of reigning champion David Schmidt on the second lap. A high pass in Turn 2 of the third lap gamed Hiatt the lead with Schmidt and Doug Coffman quickly moving into second and third. The first of seven yellow flags waved on the fifth lap. Coffman initially took the second position from Schmidt on the restart, but another yellow flag erased the pass. Undaunted, Coffman again moved by Schmidt for second on the next restart as Hiatt continued to lead the way. Through a myriad of spins that brought out yellow flags during the final 20 laps, Hiatt maintained his composure and ran a smooth pace, not too far ahead of the second place battle. Coffman managed to win a close race with Schmidt to finish second. Aaron Bloom finished fourth, followed by Hunter Bloom, Jordan Henry, Jayson Nelson, KC Scott, Hand and Dalton Bloom.

Schmidt was the fastest in hot laps/qualifying with a lap of 15.522. The 16 competitors ran two eight lap heat races with wins going to past Oregon State champion at Nelson and Coffman.

Chris West won the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event. Adam Applebee led the opening lap before an inside pass in Turn 2 gained West the lead. Garrett Barth made in inside pass in Turn 2 on the third lap to take second from Applebee, and Troy Chamberlain brought out a yellow flag. West, Barth and Donald Schott were having a spirited battle for the lead as they went three-wide, but Chamberlain spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 4 yellow flag. Following another yellow flag, West continued to lead with Schott getting by Barth for second. An outside pass on the backstretch of the seventh lap gained Schott the lead from West, but West stayed tough on the inside and had the lead by the time they exited Turn 2 on the next lap. Graig Osborne was beginning his climb into the Top 5 as he settled into fourth on the 10th lap. An inside pass in Turn 4 of the 14th lap gained Osborne third from Barth. He went low in Turn 4 on Lap 18 to take second from Schott. However, nobody was stopping West as he held nearly a straightaway advantage over Osborne by the time the checkered flag waved. Schott settled for third, followed by Barth, Joey Tardio, Terry King, Applebee, Chamberlain, Kyndal Irvine and Darron Clark. Applebee was the quickest of 15 competitors in hot laps/qualifying with a lap of 17.697. The eight lap heat race wins went to Schott and King. King beat Barth in a near photo finish.

Cole Trissell won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Compact Main Event. This was the inaugural IMCA sanctioned event for the division, formerly known as Hornets. For much of the race, it look like Terry Cannon was going to be the winner. Chloe VanSant led the first two laps before Cannon made an outside pass in Turn 4 of the third lap to take over. Kerry Cooper also got by for second as a yellow flag waved. Canon continued to lead VanSant and Cooper on the ensuing restart, but a yellow flag waved for Lacee Jamison in Turn 4. Cooper retired from the race at that point, and Cannon continued to lead VanSant on the restart. Chris Lemon was running in third, but he had his hands full as Trissell began making a charge to the front of the pack. Trissell had bumper damage, and that bumper actually fell on the track for a Lap 8 yellow flag. Canon continued to lead VanSant and Trissell on the restart. The battle was close between VanSant and Trissell with VanSant making the move into second with an outside pass on the frontstretch of the 12th lap. However, VanSant and Trissell continued to battle fiercely for the next few laps. Trissell had second by Lap 16, and that became first as Canon slowed in Turn 1 on Lap 17. The yellow flag waved for Canon on Lap 18. Trissell held command on the restart, leaving VanSant and Lemon to battle for second. An outside pass on the backstretch of the final lap gained Lemon second as Trissell won ahead of Lemon, VanSant, Bart Pulse, Melissa Abston, Victoria Chandler, Cannon, Jamison, Brad Martin and Cooper. Cannon was the fastest of 10 drivers in hot laps/qualifying with a 19.645 effort. The eight lap heat race wins went to Abston and Cannon.

For further information on the next event that will happen at the speedway, go to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com or check out the Cottage Grove Speedway Facebook page.

Tyler, Reynolds Win Madera Speedway Club Race

Madera, CA...July 4...Garland Tyler won the 40 lap Madera Late Model Main Event Saturday afternoon at Madera Speedway. This was another Club Race at the speedway in which fans were not allowed in the grandstands due to the covid-19 guidelines. However, sponsorship from nutup.com enabled them to stream the race for free for the fans on YouTube.

Trevor Schlundt had the front row and settled into the early lead ahead of Lily Mead. Tyler took the second position from Mead on Lap 2, and the yellow flag waved for a Joey Brasil spin in Turn 3. On the restart, Tyler made a good move on Schlundt and passed him exiting Turn 4 on the inside. On the 14th lap, Hailey Liles spun in Turn 2 for a lap 14 yellow flag. This became a red flag when third place runner and incoming point leader Mead dropped oil all over the racing surface. Tyler led Trevor Schlundt on the restart, and the leaders ran closely as they pulled away from third place Del McIntosh. Fourth place Jon Schlundt was lapped on the 33rd circuit. Tyler won by about half a straightaway ahead of Trevor Schlundt. McIntosh was a solid third, followed by Jon Schlundt. Mead was scored fifth, followed by Liles, Justin Westmorland, Brasil and Tim Skoglund. Trevor Schlundt had the fastest time of 15.258, beating the 15.263 of Tyler. Schlundt won his eight  lap heat race ahead of Westmoreland.

Shaun Reynolds won the 48 lap combined MST and Toyota Sedans Main Event. Point leader Bert Stephens looked like a sure winner for most of the race before things went awry in the later stages. Patrick Geiger set the early pace ahead of Stephens and Ryan Reynolds. Geiger and Stephens began a side-by-side battle for the lead on the 10th lap, and Stephens used an inside move on the frontstretch of the 12th lap to beat Geiger back to the line for the lead. An inside pass in Turn 3 of the 13th lap gained Kyle Labrie third from Reynolds. LaBrie then made an inside pass in Turn 4 on lap 18 to take second. Shaun Reynolds spun moments later for a yellow flag. Stephens led LaBrie and Geiger on the restart, and they hit the halfway point in that order as Ryan Reynolds and Shaun Reynolds made up the balance of the Top 5.

Stephens led Geiger and Shaun Reynolds on the restart. LaBrie spun for a Lap 28 yellow flag, and Shaun Reynolds and Ryan Reynolds settled into second and third behind Stephens on the restart. Shaun Reynolds ran on the back bumper of Stephens, giving him plenty of pressure. There was contact between the two drivers in Turn 2 of the 35th lap, resulting in Shaun Reynolds gaining the lead. Geiger spun in Turn 4 for a yellow flag moments later. Shaun Reynolds continued to lead Stephens on the restart, and an inside pass in Turn 3 on Lap 37 gained Ryan Reynolds second. LaBrie went low in Turn 2 on Lap 38 to take third from Stephens, who appeared to be having mechanical issues. Ryan Reynolds kept it close, but brother Shaun Reynolds was the one taking the checkered flag in first. Geiger won a close battle with LaBrie to finish third. Stephens was lapped late and finished fifth, followed by the two Toyotas of Andrew Parr and Thomas Magray, Tim Kammerer and Haley Bugg. The Toyota of Jason Lawton had mechanical issues early and did not start.

Labrie had the fastest lap of 16.554, beating the 16.653 of Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds and LaBrie won their respective eight lap heat races. Parr was the fastest Toyota at 17.359 and also won their eight lap heat race.

Tyler Rogers won the 25 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. He led the race from start to finish with Manny Gonzales Jr not too far behind in second. Rogers also set the fast time of 16.455, but Gonzalez was the eight lap heat race winner.

Next Saturday will see the return of the Nut Up Pro Late Models and the 51Fifty Junior Late Models for a MavTV taping. For further information on scheduling and other things pertaining to the speedway, go to www.racemadera.com or check out the Madera Speedway Facebook page.

Trenchard, Kennemore Win Big 
At Diamond Mountain Speedway

Susanville, CA...July 3-4...Klamath Falls, Oregon competitor Nick Trenchard and local star Nevin Kennemore scored the big wins in IMCA Modified competition Friday and Saturday night at Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville. The Friday night offering paid $1,500 to Kennmore, while Trenchard collected $2,000 for his win on Saturday night. Despite covid-19 guidelines closing the grandstands at most tracks on the West Coast, the Susanville track continues to open with fans using social distancing, though they are unable to sell concessions.

The Saturday night show had 24 IMCA Modifieds in the field, and Trenchard started on the outside third row in his bid for a second win at the track. Multi-time IMCA Western Regional champion Cory Sample shared the front row with Scott Foreman and led the early laps while Trenchard and sixth row starter Ryan McDaniel worked their way towards the front. Trenchard managed to wrestle the lead away from Savell, and McDaniel also got by for second. The Top 3 competitors ran closely. Trenchard scored the lucrative win with McDaniel pocketing $1,000 for second. Sample picked up $800 for third as Riley Simmons, Shawn Natenstedt, reigning champion Chris Nieman, Santa Maria star Danny Lauer, Jeff Faulkner, Nevin Kennemore and Royce Goetz rounded out the Top 10.

They ran four eight lap heat races with wins being earned by Neiman, McDaniel, Sample and Faulkner. The remainder of the Main Event field was filled by the top finishers of the 12 lap B Main. Wade Kennemore won that race ahead of Simmons, Ray Lindeman, Boyd Murchison and Royce Goetz.

The hefty purse for Friday night drew 23 competitors. Nevin Kennemore was fortunate enough to draw the pole position for the race and charged into the lead from the waving of the green flag. Kennnemore, Alex Childs and Mitch Murphy battled at the front of the pack throughout the entire race with Kennemore prevailing at the checkered flag. Mitch Murphy collected $900 for second with Childs third, followed by Cory Sample, State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon, Ryan McDaniel, Shawn Natenstedt, Jimmy Lipke, Riley Simmons and Galen Hainline.

They ran three eight lap heat races on Friday with wins going to Mitch Murphy, Wade Kennemore and Sample. In the 12 lap B Main, Natenstedt.won a close three-car battle at the front ahead of Riley Simmons and Dave Sciaronni. Fitzgibbon and Hainline made up the balance of the Top 5.

Justin Foux won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event on Saturday night. The win was worth $1,000 for Foux. He battled with polesitter and current State point leader Timothy Allerdings at the start before taking the lead. Allerdings settled for a $500 second, followed by Craig Neiman, Jimmy Ray Huffmon, Dennis Crook, Jason Ferguson, reigning champion Richard Longacre, Colton Chew, Kelly Kennemore and Scott Foster. The two eight lap heat race wins were earned by Foux and Jeremy Phillips.

In Friday night IMCA Sport Modified competition, point leader Craig Nieman picked up the $500 prize in the 20 lap Main Event. Nieman shared the front row with Richard Longacre. However, Nieman was the one taking the glory with Foux a $350 second ahead of Tyler Rodgers. Colton Chew ended up fourth, followed by Longacre, Nathan Howard, Kelly Kennemore, Dennis Crook, Ryan Belli and Scott Foster. Kennemore and Foux won their respective eight lap heat races.

Jeff Marson won the $400 prize in Saturday's 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. He started in the second row with Keith Marson starting on the pole next to Dan Dias. Randy Boyd made it a good battle at the front of the pack. Jeff Marson managed to get the lead and hold off Boyd for the victory. Keith Marson settled for third, followed by Dan Dias, Shayna Nieman, Don Dieter, Jessie Yankee, Robert Warf, Doug Weeks and Aaron Flournoy. The eight lap heat race wins went to Keith Marson, Dias and Jeff Marson.

In Friday night Hobby Stock competition, there was a Marysville invasion at the front of the pack. Past Marysville champion John "Porkchop" Johnson won the 15 lap Main Event. This win was also worth $400. Johnson started on the front row of the race with Keith Marson next to him, but it was third row starter and Marysville competitor Robert Warf providing the toughest competition. Johnson would collect the win with Warf outueling Keith Marson for second. JT Stark ended up fourth, followed by Aaron Flournoy, Shayna Neiman, Jeff Marson, Doug Weeks, Dave Flournoy and James Wooddell. The eight lap heat race winners were Keith Marson and Johnson. The five lap Fast Dash win went to Keith Marson.

The Mini Stocks got to be part of the Friday night show, and Nick Boucher won the 15 lap Main Event for his second-straight win. Boucher started on the pole with season opener winner Kate Robertson in the second row. There was no match for Boucher, who won this race by two-thirds of a lap ahead of Robertson. 2018 IMCA Sport Modified champion Jason Emmot finished third with Suzi Schmitt the final lead lap finisher. Johnny Moya finished fifth, followed by Johnny Dahlen, Ross Vige, Zachary Barker, Andi Hart and Hayfork star Jack Turner. Eight lap heat race wins went to Boucher and Wyatt Spaulding. Boucher wrapped up a clean sweep with the five lap Fast Dash win.

For information on what's coming next, go to www.dmspeedway.com or check out the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.

Johnson, Slaney, Jones Win Sunday Night Action 
At Petaluma Speedway

Petaluma, CA...July 5...DJ Johnson won the 25 lap PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Sunday night at Petaluma Speedway. Johnson gained the lead early on and didn't get too much pressure on his way to the victory. The Sunday night lineup was necessary in order to accommodate Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV streaming services. The track is still unable to get any fans in the grandstands, and having an online pay-per-view gives them a source of much-needed revenue.

Piloting the Ted Finkenbinder entry, David Lindt II paced the first three laps ahead of Johnson before a yellow flag flew for Randy Tiner. Johnson motored past Lindt for the lead on the restart, and Shawn Jones gained second a lap later. A Lap 5 yellow flag slowed the pace, and Johnson continued to lead Jones on the restart. Cody Fendley settled into third on Lap 7 before yet another yellow flag was unfurled as Jones saw his run come to an end. Johnson led Fendley and Daniel Whitley on the restart, and the race had a lengthy green flag run before the final caution flag flew on Lap 22. The restart afforded Whitley the opportunity to get by Fendley for the second spot with 600 Micro graduate Nick Robfogel following into third. However, nobody was going to stop Johnson from posting the victory. Whitley was still an impressive second, followed by Robfogel, Fendley, Shayna Ensign, Ryan Siverling, Sparky Howard, Jessica Walker, Eden McCormick and Lindt.

There were 18 Wingless Spec Sprints for this show, and Robfogel turned the 3/8 mile adobe oval with a fast lap of 15.390. Fendley was second quick and 15.518. The eight lap heat race wins went to Lindt, Fendley and Johnson.

Point leader Anthony Slaney won the 25 lap McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified Main Event. This was his third-straight win aboard the Xtreme Scaffolding sponsored Modified. Many-time track champion Michael Paul Jr started on the front row and raced into the early lead over State point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon. Slaney got by Justin Yeager for the third position on a Lap 2 restart. Another yellow flag slowed the pace on the fourth lap. On the restart, Slaney motored past both Paul and Fitzgibbon to take the lead. Reigning champion Oreste Gonella settled into third on the seventh lap as Slaney and Paul pulled away a little bit. Slaney wasn't getting pressured too hard by Paul when the yellow flag waved on the 15th lap. With the track's two biggest stars in tow, Slaney again charged into lead on the restart and began to pull away a little bit to score the victory ahead of Paul and Gonella. Trevor Brady finished fourth, followed by Justin Yeager, Tim Yeager, Terry Kaiser, Fitzgibbon, Gary Zwicker and Kyle Bryan. Eight lap heat race wins went to Slaney and Paul

Shawn Jones won the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. Jones has been very tough to beat in his visits to Petaluma this year, including a win in the Pro division portion of the Dwarf Car Nationals last month. Mark Hanson led Ryan Winter and Mike Affonso for the first two laps. Zack Albers motored past Affonso for the third position on Lap 3. Winter put the moves on Hanson for the lead on the fifth lap as Jones settled into fifth. Jones slipped past Garrett Brady for fourth on Lap 6, and a yellow flag waved on the seventh lap. Jones moved into second behind Winter on the restart, but one lap was complete before another yellow flag waved. On this restart, Jones charged past Winter for the lead. They ran that way up until a lap 12 yellow flag. On the restart, Hanson took second behind Jones, and reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert gained third on the 14th lap. However, Winter continued to challenge Grenert for the third position as Jones pulled away. Jones won by straightaway ahead of Hanson with Winter making a last-lap pass on Grenert for third. Carroll Mendenhall finished fifth, followed by Brady, Albers, Affonso, Mike Dahle and Corey Eaton. 

There was a solid 28 car turn out for the Dwarf Car class, and eight lap heat race wins went to Travis Day, Grenert, Jones and Winter. Roberto Monroy won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Dahle, reigning champion Chad Matthias, Mendenhall and Jim DuBois.

Racing continues next Saturday night with the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars back in action along with the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks, General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars and Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. For up-to-the-minute updates on scheduling and other important things, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com or check out the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page.

Copeland, Brown, Ewing Win Fourth Of July Race 
At Placerville Speedway

Placerville, CA...July 4...Colby Copeland won that 30 lap Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. Copeland's winning move came during the final five laps of the race. Due to covid-19 guidelines, the race was unable to have fans in attendance, but it was broadcast on Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV.

Mitchell Faccinto had a front.row start and looked like he might be headed for victory for much of the race. Faccinto sped into the lead of the start ahead of Shane Golobic and Copeland. Following a Lap 6 yellow flag, Copeland slipped past Golobic for the second position. Copeland and Golobic went back and forth a few times for the second spot, but Copeland settled the score on the 14th lap. He set his sights on Faccinto and put the moves on him on the 25th lap to take the lead. Golobic followed suit by getting around Faccinto for second a lap later. Michael Faccinto charged by brother Mitchell for the third position on Lap 27. Golobic gave it a good run on the final lap, but Copeland repelled him for the impressive win. Michael Faccinto brought it home third, followed by Chase Majdic, Mitchell Faccinto, Tony Gualda, Sean Becker, Kaleb Montgomery, Blake Carrick and reigning champion Andy Forsberg.

There were 38 Sprint Cars in action on this occasion, and drivers qualified in their heat race groups. Golobic was the overall fast qualifier with the lap of 10.742, beating the 10.785 of Forsberg. They ran four eight lap heat races with wins earned by Montgomery, Mitchell Faccinto, Copeland and Gualda. The 15 lap B Main set the final starting positions for the feature race. Zane Blanchard won ahead of Bubba DeCaires, Jimmy Trulli, Shane Hopkins and John Clark.

Dan Brown Jr won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event. Brown started on the front row and led from the outset ahead of Matt Davis and Tom Tilford. Following a Lap 6 yellow flag, Brown continued to lead Davis, and Ray Trimble settled into third by the halfway point of the race. Trimble took second from Davis on the 16th lap as Dan Jinkerson moved in to challenge Davis for third. Jinkerson passed Davis for third on Lap 18, moments before a yellow flag waved. The yellow flag did not slow Brown as he remained in command on the restart and brought it home to victory. Trimble settled for second, followed by Jinkerson, Davis, Jay Norton, Tilford, Tyler Lightfoot, Rod Oliver and Wayne Trimble. Brown won the eight lap heat race.

John Ewing won the 20 lap Pure Stock Main event. Ewing started on the front row and led early. Kevin Jinkerson quickly struck to the second position ahead of Les Friend. However, a yellow flag waved on the 12th lap for a Turn 2 tangle involving Friend and two-time champion Nick Baldwin. Ewing continued to lead Jinkerson. However, a lap 16 yellow flag waved. Jinkerson had taken the lead from Ewing in Turn 2, but there was contact down the back straightaway that resulted in Jinkerson getting a right rear flat tire. He pitted and came back in time for the restart as Ewing continued to lead Zach Lindgren. Jinkerson passed Lingren for the second position on lap 19, but the best he could do was chase the happy Ewing across the finish line with a second place finish. Lindgren settled for third, followed by Baldwin, Ryan Murphy, Stephanie Hansen, Marcus Smith, Friend, Toby Merrifield and Jason Leonard. The eight lap heat race wins went to Clarence Holbrook and Jinkerson.

Mike Miller won the 20 lap Mini Truck Main Event. The coin toss determined that they would run in a clockwise direction. Miller started up front and jumped into the lead at the start ahead of Kevin Tremblay. Two yellow flags after one lap resulted in the elimination of Ted Ahart and Michael Murphy. Miller continued to lead Tremblay and Jason Murphy on the restart. Miller began to pull away steadily on Tremblay and would take the checkered flag by a straightaway advantage in victory. Jason Murphy settled for third, followed by Brian Tremblay, Howard Miller, Ahart and Michael Murphy. Mike Miller also won the eight lap heat race.

For scheduling information and other news, go to www.placervillespeedway.com or check out the Placerville Speedway Facebook page.

Six Race California IMCA Speedweek Schedule 
Announced For August

Merced, CA...Merced Speedway General Manager Doug Lockwood has been very busy over the past couple of months. Race tracks have been scrambling to get open during this difficult time of the covid-19 shutdown, and opening the 70 year old Merced County racing facility has been a bit of a challenge. Lockwood added even more to his plate. This gave him two big announcements to make within the last week.

The first announcement was that Merced Speedway is opening for a race on July 12th. This Sunday show is happening in order to allow Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV to broadcast all of the action live on internet pay-per-view. Covid-19 guidelines won't allow fans in the stands, but they will be able to watch all of the action. The IMCA Modifieds will be there along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, RaceSaver Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks and Central Valley Mini Stocks. More information is available at the Merced Speedway Facebook page. However, Lockwood wasn't through there.

On the morning in July 4th, Lockwood announced an IMCA Modified/IMCA Sport Modified California Speedweek series. He had been quietly working on this for the past couple of weeks, and it's going to be big. For the past several years, racers have been wondering why California promoters haven't gotten together to attempt something of this magnitude. The roster of drivers in both Modified classes in California stretches well into the 100s, and you can bring together some of the best drivers in the state and surrounding states for such a series.

Joining Lockwood in this endeavor are Placerville Speedway Promoter Scott Russell, Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford Promoter Peter Murphy, Bakersfield Speedway Promoter Scott Schweitzer, Petaluma Speedway Promoter Rick Faeth and Antioch Speedway Promoter Chad Chadwick. This will be a series of six events in six days at six different tracks, and it's going to be good.

It kicks off in a little over a month. The date will be Monday, August 10th at Placerville Speedway. The El Dorado County based Fairgrounds has a racy little quarter-mile clay oval that the Modified competitors have enjoyed visiting in recent years for special occasions. On August 11th, they head to the 3/8 mile adobe oval at Petaluma Speedway. This is the track that brought Modifieds to California for the first time back in 1987 thanks to legendary Hall of Fame Promoter John Pershing Soares.

On Wednesday, August 12th, Antioch Speedway joins the fun. The newly reshaped quarter-mile clay oval has been hosting some big IMCA Modified races this year. The drivers have been enjoying the new racing surface so far. The 70 year racing tradition at Merced Speedway continues as they host the Thursday event on August 13th. The quarter-mile clay oval will be ready for the all star field in both divisions. 

On Friday, August 14th, the 3/8 mile oval at Keller Auto Speedway at the Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford will be ready to present an exciting show. The series will conclude on Saturday, August 15th in a big way. The 1/3 mile dirt oval at Bakersfield Speedway has a reputation of having big shows for both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds.

The promoters understand that the virus has put a damper on what was going to be an exciting 2020 season. This Speedweek Series is an opportunity to crown champions in two divisions in a thrilling week of highly competitive racing. It's hoped that possibly some grandstands will even be open by then to allow the fans to be there to enjoy it all. Regardless, all six nights will be available on internet pay-per-view via Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV.

Currently, the IMCA Modifieds are set to run for $1,000 to win the Main Events, and the IMCA Sport Modifieds will be competing for a $600 winner's prize at each race. However, Lockwood and S&S Promotions welcomes any sponsors who want to get on board to help grow this series and promote their brands. There is a driver entry fee for the series. It's $50 for the week, due by August 1st. Otherwise it's $20 a night at the track. Entries can be mailed to:

S&S Promotions

900 Martin Luther King Jr Way

Merced, CA 95341

In addition to looking for series sponsors to help establish what is sure to be a tradition in California, Ryland Racing has been named as the official parts dealer for each night of the Speedweek Series.

During the past decade, the Pacific Northwest established a Modified Speedweek that saw some top California racers head north to take on the best that Oregon and Washington had to offer. Oakley's Kellen Chadwick stands as a two-time champion of that series, while Chowchilla's Alex Stanford has one title of his own. It's very possible that such Oregon stars as Regional champion Bricen James, Collen Winebarger, John Campos and Joey Tanner might come down south to take a shot at the California Speedweek IMCA Modified crown.

There are some good clay oval tracks in the state of California, and Placerville, Petaluma, Antioch, Merced, Hanford and Bakersfield are six of the best the state has to offer. These tracks serve as the foundation to get everything started, and it's possible that going forward California Speedweek will grow bigger and stronger with even more tracks getting involved.

We're waiting to see who might sign up to compete, but it's possible you're going to see the very best IMCA Modified drivers California has to offer. Some of the drivers could include reigning Merced champion Troy Foulger, California Stock Car Hall of Famer Jim Pettit II, two-time NASCAR Regional champion Bobby Hogge IV, Watsonville champions Austin Burke and brother Cody Burke, past Hanford and Merced champion Paul Stone, Bakersfield champions Robbie Sawyer and Brad Pounds and past Santa Maria champion Danny Lauer. That's just a sampling. The IMCA Modified roster could break into the 40s on average during the week, if not even better.

Unlike the Pacific Northwest Speedweek Series, IMCA Sport Modifieds will not be left out of this affair. Some of the names we're anticipating include reigning Merced Speedway champion Fred Ryland, past State champion Brian Cooper, two-time Antioch champion Trevor Clymens, past Antioch and Merced champion Jeremy Hoff, past Marysville champion Philip Shelby, past Antioch champion KC Keller and Bakersfield champion Michael Johnson. As with the IMCA Modifieds, this is a sample of the caliber of driver we could be seeing. 

Roster information will be revealed in the days ahead as drivers register. Racers have been asking for this, and now they're going to get it. California IMCA Modified/IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek is happening in August. It's sure to be six nights of some of the best racing you'll see anywhere in the country and it will all be using IMCA rules under IMCA sanctioning. Follow the California IMCA Speedweek Facebook page for news and information pertaining to the series.

2020 California IMCA Speedweek

August 10th Placerville Speedway

August 11th Petaluma Speedway

August 12th Antioch Speedway

August 13th Merced Speedway

August 14th Keller Auto Speedway

August 15th Bakersfield Speedway

Diamond Mountain Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 4, 2020
IMCA Modifieds
Main Event
Nick Trenchard
Ryan McDaniel
Cory Sample
Riley Simmons
Shawn Natenstedt
Chris Nieman
Danny Lauer
Jeff Faulkner
Nevin Kennemore
Royce Goetz
Matt Murphy
Wade Kennemore
Trevor Fitz
DAVE SCIARRONI
 Foreman
Cole Jones DNS

B Main
Wade Kennemore
Riley Simmons
Ray Lindeman
Boyd Murchison
Royce Goetz
Rob Robles
Cole Jones
James Welshonse
Jeff White
Jimmy Lipke
Larry McCracken
Gaylen Hadeline
Alec Childs
Brad Schmidt DNS

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Justin Foux
Timothy Allerdings
Craig Nieman
Jimmy Ray Huffmon
Dennis Crook
Jason Ferguson
Richard Longacre
Colton Chew
Kelly Kennemore
Scott Foster
Tyler Rogers
Jeremy Phillips
Colby Russell
Ryan Belli

Hobby Stocks
Jeff Marson
Randy Boyd
Keith Marson
Dan Dias
Shayna Nieman
Don Diettier
Jesse Yankee
Robert Warf
Doug Weeks
Aaron Flournay
Dave Flournay
JT Willis
Harold Sack
John Campo
Joseph Conroy
Keith Honea
David Johnson
Steven Buhr
JT Stark  DNS


Diamond Mountain Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 3, 2020
IMCA Modifieds
Main Event
Nevin Kennemore
Mitch Murphy
Alec Childs
Cory Sample
Trevor Fitz
Ryan McDaniel
Shawn Natenstedt
Jimmy Lipke
Riley Simmons
Gaylen Hadeline
Ray Lindeman
Danny Lauer
Jeffrey Faulkner
Chris Nieman
Matt Murphy
Wade kennemore
Cole Jones
Jeff White
Larry McCracken
DAVE SCIARRONI
Scott Foreman

B Main
Shawn Natenstedt
Riley Simmons
DAVE SCIARRONI
Trevor Fitz
Gaylen Hadeline
Chris Nieman
Cole Jones
Scott Foreman
Jeff White
Brad Schmidt
Rob Robles
Boyd Murchison

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Craig Nieman
Justin Foux
Tyler Rogers
Colton Chew
Richard Longacre
Nathan Howard
Kelly Kennemore
Dennis Crook
Ryan Belli
Scott Foster
Colby Russell

Hobby Stocks
John "Porkchop" Johnson
Robert Warf
Keith Marson
JT Stark
AARON FLOURNLY
Shayna Nieman
Jeff Marson
Doug Weeks
Dave Flournay
James Wooddell
8
Randy Boyd
64
Don Diettier
Joseph Conroy
Jesse Yankee

Mini Stocks
NICK BOUCHER
Katie Robertson
Jason Emmot
Suzie Schmitt
Johnny Moya
Johnny Dahlen
Ross Vigee
Zachary Barker
Andi Hart
Jack Turner
Bob Kelly
Wyatt Spalding
Anthony Houland DNS
Salvador Saucedo DNS


Siskiyou Golden Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 4 2020
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Braxton Possinger
Ethan Killingsworth
Jorddon Braaten
Issac Sanders
Matt Sanders
Joby Shields
Ryder Boswell
Jimmy Ford
Steven Sanders
Branden Wilson
Dylan Sauer
Colt Boswell
Scott Savell
Austin Petray
Randy Wright
Cale Cunial
Jace Wright
Billy Richey
Merissa Henson
Chance Gordan
Michael Medel
Ryan Peery
Brionna Fuller

Late Models
Trent Elliott
Mark Wauge
Preston Luckman
Jason Johnson
John Duffie
Chris Biggs
Richard Papenhousen
Bruce Rayburn Jr
Dennis Souza
Larry Fuller DNS
Richard Vander Ploeg DNS
Cliff Massey


Siskiyou Golden Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 3, 2020
IMCA Modifieds
Main Event
Justin McCreadie
Travis Peery
Jon Benedetti
Bricen James
Nick Trenchard
Paul Culp
Zach Fettinger
Jake Mayden
Steven Sturdevant
Albert Gill
Brice Carter
Preston Luckman
Ray Kniffen Jr
John Campos
James Welshonse
Jesse Bailey
Jeremy Crebs
David Satterfield
Jeffrey Hudson
Curtis Towns DNS

B Main
Steven Sturdevant
Jake Mayden
James Welshonse
Preston Luckman
Paul Culp
Jeremy Crebs
David Satterfield
Brice Carter
Duane Orsburn
Chance Hyser
Matt Jenner
Todd Newton

Mini Stocks
Ashtin Hedges
David Steele
Hunter Magnan
kristopher mix
Terry Alford Sr
Mike Whitaker
Derrel Nelson
Jenna Hedges
Marilyn Yawnick
Paige Boswell
Kassidy Wilkinson DNS
Julian Alford DNS

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Main Event
Jorddon Braaten
Michael Medel
Austin Petray
Ethan Killingsworth
Matt Sanders
Colt Boswell
Aaron Bloom
Joby Shields
Merissa Henson
Mike Merritt
Issac Sanders
Randy Wright
Branden Wilson
Chance Gorden
Ryder Boswell
Jimmy Ford
Chad Wormington
Jesse Merriman
Brionna Fuller
Braxton Possinger

B Main
Ethan Killingsworth
Issac Sanders
Matt Sanders
Randy Wright
Branden Wilson
Chad Wormington
Brionna Fuller
Chance Gorden
Jace Wright
Ryan Peery
Scott Savell
Cale Cunial
Steven Sanders
Dylan Sauer
Zach Nelson
Billy Richey
Steven Lysinger  DNS


Madera Speedway Unofficial Race Results Juy 4, 2020
Late Models
Garland Tyler
Trevor Schlundt
Del McIntosh
Jon Schlundt
Lily Mead
Hailey Liles
Justin Westmoreland
Joey Brasil
Tim Skoglund

MSTs/Toyotas
Shaun Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Patrick Geiger
Kyle Labrie
Bert Stephens
Andrew Parr
Thomas Magray
Tim Kammerer
Haley Bugg
Jason Lawton DNS

Hobby Stocks
Tyler Rogers
Manny Gonzales Jr


Stockton 99 Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 4, 2020
SPEARS WildWest Shootout-JM Environment
Southwest Tour
Derek Thorn
Eric Schmidt
Linny White
Carlos Vieira
Jacob Gomes
Cole Moore
John Moore
Tyler Fabozzi
Matthew Wendt
Dean Thompson
Tim Spurgeon
Kyle Neveau
Mike Beeler
Scott Sanchez
Joey Iest
Tracy Bolin
Blaine Rocha
Randy Hedrick
Jason Gilbert
Andy Allen


Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 4, 2020
Thompson's Auto Group Wined 360 Sprint Cars
A Main
Colby Copeland
Shane Golobic
Michael Faccinto
Chase Majdic
Mitchell Faccinto
Tony Gualda
Sean Becker
Kaleb Montgomery
Blake Carrick
Andy Forsberg
Michael Sellers
Tanner Carrick
Jodie Robinson
Zane Blanchard
Shane Hopkins
Jake Morgan
Michael Ing
Trent Canales
Jimmy Trulli
Greg Decaires
Justin Bradway
Brent Bjork
Ryan Robinson
Eric Humphries

B Main
Zane Blanchard
Greg Decaires
Jimmy Trulli
Shane Hopkins
John Clark
Stephen Ingraham
Joel Myers
Chris Masters
Cody Spencer
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Max Mittry
Justin Johnson
C.J. Humphreys
Mike Cook
Lonnie Alton
A.J. Alderman
Brad Dillard
Justyn Cox

Limited Late Models
Dan Brown Jr
Ray Trimble
Dan Jinkerson
Matt Davis
Jay Norton
Tom Tilford
Tyler Lightfoot
Rod Oliver
Wayne Trimble

Pure Stocks
John Ewing
Kevin Jinkerson
Zach Lindgren
Nick Baldwin
Ryan Murphy
Stephanie Hanson
Marcus Smith
Les Friend
Toby Merrifield
Jason Leonard
Clarence Holbrook
Jonathan Walsh

Mini Trucks
Mike Miller
Kevin Tremblay
Jason Murphy
Brian Tremblay
Howard Miller
Ted Ahart
Michael Murphy


Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 5, 2020
PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints
DJ Johnson
Daniel Whitley
Nick Robfogel
Cody Fendley
Shayna Ensign
Ryon Siverling
Sparky Howard
Jessica Walker
Eden McCormick
David Lindy II 
Keith Calvino
Ron LaPlant
Matthew Haulot
Tony Bernard
Shawn Jones
Dennis Furia Jr
Randy Tiner

McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds
Anthony Slaney
Michael Paul Jr
Oreste Gonnella
Garrett Brady
Justin Yaeger
Tim Yaeger
Terry Kaiser
Trevor Fitz
Gary Zwicker
Kyle Bryan

General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars
A Main
Shawn Jones
Mark Hanson
Ryan Winter
Michael Grenert
Carroll Mendenhall
Garrett Brady
Zack Albers
Mike Affonso
Mike Dahle
Corey Eaton
Adam Johnson
Matthew Hagemann
Mario Balestrini
Travis Day
Chad Matthias
Dylan Shrum
Jim DuBois
Michael Williams
Roberto Monroy
Shawn McCoy

B Main
Roberto Monroy
Mike Dahle
Chad Matthias
Carroll Mendenhall
Jim DuBois
Sam Borland
Kylee Johnson
Ben Baxmen
Shiloh Borland
Tim Steger
Vic Vaz


Cottage Grove Speedway Unofficial Race Results July 4, 2020
Limited Sprints
Main Event
Shane Forte
Tanner Holmes
Steven Snawder
Johnny Burke
Tyler Driever
Pat Desbiens
Anthony Pope
Brett McGhie
Donny Waddell
Mike Griffith
Justin Lemon
Dave Button
Tyler Thompson
Jesse Schlotfeldt
RC Smith
TJ Winningham
Tim Minter

Late Models
Chad Groves
Doug Elkins
Tomas Hunziker
Rob Campos
BJ Donofrio
Randy Barley
Jordan Wright
Kye Frick
Nathan Augustine
Ryan Ronning
Mike Peters
Pete Ulam
Greg Heinrichs
Brian Smith

IMCA Modfieds
John Campos
Bricen James
Steven Sturdevant
Paul Culp
Chad Groves
Joey Tanner
Ryan Baker
Curtis Towns
Chance Hyser
McLain Beaudoin
Paul Rea
Tyson Blood
Don Schott
Aaron Scheelar
Steve Moore
Wayne Sturdevant
Dan Sheller
Brian Winkler
Ray Bloom
Jake Mayden

B Main
Jake Mayden
Don Schott
Dan Sheller
Brian Winkler
Wayne Sturdevant
Brice Carter
Jim VanLoon
Eston Whistler
John Player

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Art Hiatt
Doug Coffman
David Schmidt
Aaron Bloom
Hunter Bloom
Jordan Henry
Jayson Nelson
KC Scott
Shawn Hand
Dalton Bloom
Michael Lavery
Jeff Cluff
Tanner Krohling
Roger Bell
Theran Trissell

Street Stocks
Chris West
Graig Osborne
Don Schott
Garrett Barth
Joey Tardio
Terry King
Adam Applebee
Troy Chamberlain
Kyndal Irvine
Darron Clark
Brody Humphrey
Brad Korpela
Anthony Prather

IMCA Sport Compacts
Cole Trissell
Chris Lemon
Chloe VanSant
Bart Pulse
Melissa Abston
Victoria Chandler
Barry Cannon
Lacee Jamison
Brad Martin
Kerry Cooper


Hermiston Raceway Unofficial Race Results July 3, 2020
Evening Show
Late Model Feature 2
Results are not official
1     #90 BJ Tidrick    
2     #68JR Bart Hector Jr
3     #39 Jake Klingenberg
4     #7 Tom Abercrombie
5     #777
6     #15 Jim Franklin    
7     #3 KEN BONNEY

Street Stock Duel 2
Results are not official
1     #10 Chad Ayers    
2     #75 Terry Lydell
3     #33 Rick Gerard
4     #13 Dan Nelson
5     #55 Justin Gage
6     #88 Jeff Mullins
7     #48 Luke Klingenberg
8     #11 Jake Dudney
9     #97 David Brock
10     #72 Preston Brock

Bomber Duel 2
Results are not official
1     #17 Kedric Preston    
2     #2 Arlen Calley
3     #13 Todd Nunn
4     #17x Keri Goodhart
5     #01 Mike McNeeeely    
6     #27 Ron Wilbur
7     #117 Harley Josephson
8     #29 Craig Jensen    
9     #123 Jeremy Erb    
10     #7 Tracy Howell
11     #23 Mel Leinbach

INEX Duel 2
Results are not official
1     #36 Robert Clark        
2     #92 Levie Jones
3     #17 Garrett Poynor
4     #21 Brock McDonough
5     #2 Larry Badoux
6     #13 Randy Copeland
7     #9 Steven Berven

Mini Stock Duel 2
Results are not official
1     #84 Mike Savage        
2     #27 Ron Wilbur
3     #36 Travis Bonney
4     #4 Tanner Dates

Hornet Duel 2
Results are not official
1     #27 Thomas Stevens    
2     #20 Ben Bahada
3     #22L tyler Larr
4     #9 Sean Zieske
5     #37 Karin Pitzer
6     #24 Justice Zamudio
7     #4 Shannon Hennsley
8     #88 Alejandro Mendoza
9     #36 Jared Cowles
10     #20X jeffrey holloway
11     #11 Joe Dunn        
12     #44 Colton Fisher        
13     #3 Jessica Hoffman        
14     #23 Tristain Trujillo    

Late Afternoon Show
Late Model Feature 1
Results are not official
1     #90 BJ Tidrick        
2     #39 Jake Klingenberg
3     #68JR Bart Hector Jr
4     #15 Jim Franklin
5     #7 Tom Abercrombie
6     #68sr Bart Hector SR        
7     #3 KEN BONNEY

Street Stock Duel 1
Results are not official
1     #75 Terry Lydell    
2     #88 Jeff Mullins
3     #48 Luke Klingenberg
4     #33 Rick Gerard    
5     #11 Jake Dudney
6     #10 Chad Ayers
7     #97 David Brock
8     #13 Dan Nelson
9     #72 Preston Brock
10     #55 Justin Gage

Bomber Duel 1
Results are not official
1     #29 Craig Jensen    
2     #123 Jeremy Erb
3     #2 Arlen Calley
4     #01 Mike McNeeeely
5     #23 Mel Leinbach
6     #17 Kedric Preston
7     #27 Ron Wilbur
8     #17x Keri Goodhart
9     #13 Todd Nunn
10     #117 Harley Josephson
11     #7 Tracy Howell

INEX Duel 1
Results are not official
1     #92 Levie Jones    
2     #36 Robert Clark
3     #17 Garrett Poynor
4     #2 Larry Badoux
5     #21 Brock McDonough
6     #13 Randy Copeland
7     #9 Steven Berven

Mini Stock Duel 1
Results are not official
1     #4 Tanner Dates    
2     #84 Mike Savage
3     #36 Travis Bonney
4     #27 Ron Wilbur

Hornet Duel 1
Results are not official
1     #22L tyler Larr    
2     #27 Thomas Stevens
3     #37 Karin Pitzer
4     #9 Sean Zieske
5     #3 Jessica Hoffman
6     #4 Shannon Hennsley
7     #20 Ben Bahadar
8     #88 Alejandro Mendoza
9     #44 Colton Fisher
11     #20X jeffrey holloway
12     #11 Joe Dunn
13     #36 Jared Cowles            
14     #23 Tristain Trujillo 

The Editor's Viewpoint

We've entered the month of July in the effort to reopen race tracks in the age of the virus that they are scaring everybody with. Tracks began opening in mid May on the West Coast. I started to project the possibility of more tracks allowing fans by the end of June. The status of that right now finds Coos Bay Speedway opening as a bar and grill and evidently being able to get their normal crowd and sell them food. Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville can have a crowd with social distancing but no concessions. Marysville Raceway can have 100 fans. That's where we are at the end of June. We have a fourth track to talk about, but we'll get to that further down.

I don't have the exact count, but it's over a dozen tracks on the West Coast that haven't opened for a race since the virus shut down. Some of them have had practices and some of them are planning to open. Only one track, American Valley Speedway in Quincy, has said that they can't open this year due to the virus. Right now we're at the stage where we are wondering when fans are going to be allowed at more race tracks, and I've had a heck of a time trying to figure this out. Obviously, there are fewer tracks having fans than I thought there would be at this time.

The reality is that Coos Bay Speedway is probably not operating within the spirit of the guidelines as laid out by Oregon Governor Kate Brown. They have a county that doesn't necessarily agree with the orders, and that helps Drake Nelson do what he's doing. Bar and grills have different guidelines to follow. When trying to apply them to your concession stand and beer booth, you can open up your gates to significantly more than 250 people. There's only one thing Drake needs to worry about. Will Brown issue an order to shut down bars and other indoor activities as California has just done? It's obvious that none of the other oval tracks in Oregon at this time want to do what it is Drake is doing, and I can't necessarily blame them.

Everybody gets a little bit nervous every time one of the governors speak. States across this country are now shutting things down again. Mostly, they're dealing with indoor venues. States are now trying to force people to wear masks in public. In fact, both California and Oregon issued those guidelines within the last week or so. There's a very real concern that if Newsom issues another order to shut things down, that could end up shutting down racing in California. It seems like that's the next step. That doesn't mean he'll do it, but that may be the next card on the table. We don't know what Brown might do in Oregon, and that ought to make the people in Coos Bay at least a little bit nervous. 

Fourth of July weekend is a time for celebration. Many people are proud to be in this country. I feel lucky to be in this country. There's a bit that George Carlin did in his stand-up routine that resonates with me. I'm not necessarily proud to be an American or white or any of that. I'm fortunate to be where I am and who I am in many regards, though I don't always feel that way. We have a country that has The Constitution and certain principles that people seem to want to destroy. Now more than ever, the rhetoric is flying. I could easily get into the left vs right, election season and all of that but I have no desire to go there in this column. I think what's happening with the reaction to the virus relates to politics.

The average citizens are the ones getting a little bit upset now. People have had to shutter their businesses and have lost money. People are now feeling the real threat of losing their homes and businesses. That's the people who have listened to what they've been told and are obeying their local officials. Try to step out of line and open your business when they say you can't, and you get smacked with a fine. Try to gather with people in the public square to protest for your constitutional rights, and you get branded a terrorist and somebody spreading the virus.

However, we've also had civil disturbance in this country along racial lines. To me, the initial grievances were legitimate. I don't want to get into the whole law enforcement debate. Not everybody who carries a badge is salt of the earth and should be worshiped and not everyone who carries a badge is evil and should be tarred and feathered. However, there are issues that do need to be discussed. The reason people are getting fed up with this discussion, however, is the violence, looting, destruction and actual beatings of people who don't agree with what's going on with the protests.

There's a news article going around that these protests have not affected the spread of the virus in any way. May I call BS on that? You can't have it both ways. What they're basically saying is that people who have certain political ideologies are immune, but people who dare to stand up for their rights and talk about The Constitution are going to get us all killed. Yes, the media is actually spreading this narrative, and average people are getting fed up. I don't know where things are going to go with more lockdowns, but I do know at some point the average people are going to get fed up. If enough people stand up against what's becoming a tyranny, will a new lockdown even be successful?

That's my bit of commentary on what's happening now. We're in July with some big racing weekends. Normally, you see fireworks displays going off at some race tracks. However, unless you're in Susanville for the big show this weekend, you're not even seeing a race in person. It's doubtful that we'll have anything significantly change in fan attendance on the 11th. Management at Ocean Speedway suggested that they may not even have fans this year. Yes, this has been said. Then again, things can change. It depends on what's going on at that particular time.

About a month ago or so, I forwarded the idea of an IMCA Modified/IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Series in California. It looks like the one that would have taken place in Oregon and Washington may get shelved this year unless something changes. My thought process is that 2020 is a mess. The season has been a disaster. Can we agree on that? Yes, some tracks have had some really good races that you've been able to watch on streaming services, but you haven't been able to watch them in person. Some tracks have sat dark because they couldn't open. 

Even some of the leading promoters in the return are not doing great numbers. How can you do the numbers you need to do when you can't sell tickets to the fans or sell them food? That's a lot of money being lost. Some of these tracks actually have people sponsoring them either officially or anonymously. Otherwise, you rely on getting whatever you can get through the back gate. We don't talk about the numbers coming in the back gate, because they are mass gatherings. You're getting significantly more than 250 people in the pits at some of these tracks, and some tracks are doing what they can to increase those numbers. That's all they have. Back gate, whatever sponsorship and whatever dwindling revenue they make from streaming services.

The bottom line is promoters have lost thousands of dollars. Hell they've lost tens of thousands of dollars due to the situation, and it's still not going to return to normal anytime soon. Even when you're able to open up, get as many fans as you can get and sell them food, we still don't know what other financial headaches await. How will the fan numbers and racer numbers really look when tracks are all open again to normal business? How many promoters might actually have to go out of business, putting those particular race tracks in jeopardy?

There's no other way to look at it. This season has been a mess and a financial loser. Promoters are just trying to look on the bright side and do something. We've watched updates from Merced Speedway Promoter Doug Lockwood, and he's been very measured in what he's said. He hasn't tried to make any big promises, and he hasn't even told the people until recently when the track will open. I know he's probably gone through some stressful situations negotiating with Merced County Health Officials to make a clear path to reopening, but we know the opening date will be July 12th. That's this Sunday.

So I've been putting out this idea about a Speedweek. My thinking was the end of August into Labor Day weekend, but I also had concerns. IMCA racing on the West Coast grinds to a halt when the IMCA Nationals come up in Iowa. They don't want you running on that particular weekend, but drivers don't even support the local shows the week before because they need to get ready for that weekend. So, I've given thought to going into September. Mid to late September would be ideal for a couple of reasons. The most important reason is that, in theory, more race tracks should be able to have fans in the grandstands and sell concessions. 

What you're trying to do is put a positive spin on a dreadful situation. So much racing has been lost. So many tracks aren't having proper championship seasons, but you can have a week where you get the best IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified drivers together in the spirit of good competition. Drivers will flock to this, and fans will support it as well. They don't necessarily want to sit at home and watch it on a streaming service. They want to be there, and I think this would be the moment to do what you can to make it happen. September might offer a better opportunity than August. That's just my opinion.

It's obvious that Lockwood has been thinking long and hard about not just when to open Merced Speedway up for a race, but also how to do Speedweek. He's announced dates and purse structure. It will happen from August 10th through the 15th. The IMCA Modifieds will pay $1,000 to win and the IMCA Sport Modifieds will pay $600 to win. The 2020 IMCA Modified/IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Series will include Placerville Speedway August 10th,  Petaluma Speedway August 11th, Antioch Speedway August 12th, Merced Speedway August 13th, Keller Auto Speedway August 14th and Bakersfield Speedway August 15th.

August 10th is only a little over a month away from where we are now. Will we have fans in the grandstands by then? I know you can ask the same thing about a mid September date, but there is a whole other month between now and then. The grandstand reopening process is going to be slow. Given this way California is going, we still don't even know if the governor might change his mind and start shutting stuff down. Therefore, it's entirely possible that the Speedweek as scheduled by Lockwood might have race tracks that can't even have fans in attendance. I hope that's not the case. It would be doubly disappointing if they do this in August and can't have fans, but September would have been possible. 

This is by no means meant to be a slight on what Doug is doing. Even without fans, it's still going to be good. The racers will probably get on board with this, and the streaming services will be available at a decent rate. Therefore, any fan who wants to watch this will be able to. There were going to be fans sitting at home and watching it on TV regardless of the grandstand situation. It's just that if you can get fans in the grandstands by doing something at a later time, it would be cool to at least take that shot. The weather won't be bad in September either, although there is a slightly better chance that you could get rain at some point. I look forward to this being a success for all tracks involved.

Actually, I did have the thought that if you waited until the later part of September, you could wrap up the series in a big way at Ocean Speedway. It's just been announced that September 25th and 26th will be the 10th Annual Pat And Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout. Everybody makes it a point to support this race as Jim and Pat did a lot for the racing community. It would add even more meaning to this already important race to crown your Speedweek champions in Watsonville. 

I'm glad to know that since Watsonville will be hosting the Howard Kaeding Classic in two weeks, they're also making sure their biggest Modified race on the schedule will happen. Then again, a lot of this has to do with sponsorship. There are some big sponsors coming on board to save the big Sprint Car race, and there are people doing the same for the Modified show. People remember Jim and Pat, so they're going to do what they can to keep that race going. Furthermore, there's a better possibility that fans will be able to enjoy that particular race in person, though it's doubtful that there will be any fans at the Howard Kaeding Classic.

I've been kind of oblivious to the business side of the internet streaming effort. There are quite a few companies out there doing this. I just deferred to SpeedshiftTV because I'm a fan of Chet and his announcing. He's got a trademark style that always makes the races that he announces more entertaining to watch. Streaming services are a thing of the present and will be more important in the future. This isn't just because of the virus shut down where we can only watch through these services. Even when grandstands open, there are people who would rather watch the races from home.

The old-school promoters will bristle at the suggestion that they should bring in streaming services at their tracks. They want the fans in the grandstands buying their food and drink. The problem is fan attendance has steadily declined. I think we can do things to change that trend, but it's a lot of work. I still go back to the idea that if you've got two or three hundred people sitting at home willing to pay for the right to watch your show, they'll do it if you give them that option. Plus, it's more money in your pocket. You probably weren't going to get any of those people at the track regardless, so why not take a swing at it?

In that model, I believe that tracks should entertain creating their own infrastructure. We've seen Skagit Speedway take a look at that, and Irwindale Speedway as well. You're already investing in an announcer, so hopefully that's a good announcer. You basically need to have good internet quality for streaming purposes and one good camera plugged-in to the PA system. Then, you just have to have a way to be able to charge people and keep your content behind a pay window. There's an initial investment, but I think it can pay off over time.

Streaming services are still going to be important for the same reason these cookie cutter websites exist. Many promoters are worried about other facets of what they do. They don't have time to set this stuff up and would rather have somebody do it for them. The established companies are the first people that they look too. SpeedshiftTV over a six-year period was making a big name for themselves. You started seeing a good percentage of big races on the West Coast being offered on internet pay-per-view via SpeedshiftTV. However, there were other companies out there doing it, and some were trying to be a little leaner and more financially attractive. 

Flo Racing offered streaming services at a fraction of the cost. At one time, they were doing monthly options at $20. It's $30 now, and even that is cheaper than the $40 that SpeedshiftTV offered. They basically were making more money using the premise that if you make it cheaper, more people will pay you. It's just good business. SpeedshiftTV also got aced out of the USAC deal, which has some some pretty big events throughout the season. Flo Racing had the exclusive deal. Suddenly, they were unable to get any of that money, and I'm sure that affected subscriptions and all of that. Understand that I'm not saying Speedshift was suddenly in some sort of financial straits. I doubt that was the case.

Flo Racing obviously had a little bit more money at their disposal when they acquired SpeedshiftTV. It was a good opportunity for Chet and a few others to cash in on all their hard work. They'll still have work to do with Flo Racing as they bring their touch to the other company. Eventually, we're going to see the infrastructure created by SpeedshiftTV merge with Flo Racing, so subscriptions going forward should be made with Flo Racing. The beautiful part about this is your options on races to watch on any given weekend will increase. I'm not a big fan of the corporatization of the motorsports business on our level, but it's a reality of the world we live in.

Oregon's almost forgotten track, Hermiston Raceway, opened for business on Friday night. I'm not even sure the rest of the state noticed them as they are almost in a different reality as the state's second paved oval. The track managed to have 250 people up in the grandstands and mapped out a rather clever plan. Firstly, it seems like the Umatilla County Health Officials worked with them on something I've been wondering about for a while now. It's so obvious that I'm surprised no other tracks on the West Coast so far have been able to do this. 

In Oregon, we're given the number of 250 people or less for a mass gathering. It's pretty simple, right? Coos Bay Speedway has come up with their clever little loophole of calling their concession stand and beer booth a bar and grill. It's working for them so far. What I've been saying is you have a gathering point in the pits and another gathering point in the grandstands. Two different locations on a very big facility, and the people on one side have no reason to mingle with the people on the other side. In fact, that's one of the things they said at Hermiston. There is no pit visitation allowed by fans in the grandstands. However, they get to have 250 fans in the grandstands and 250 people in the pits

What management decided to do was charge everybody a flat fee of $20 per entry. It didn't matter what their age was. You had to order your tickets online to assist in contact tracing. The other thing they did was decided to make two complete sessions featuring the six divisions racing that night. They were only running Main Events, and one show started at 5 pm. The other show started at 7:30 pm. That meant they were playing to two different crowds. The 7:30 event was sold out prior to race day. I believe the early show sold out the day of the race.

A $20 ticket for the kind of show they were delivering might seem a bit steep. There were a tick over 50 total cars in the pits for this one. On the other hand, we're dealing with difficult circumstances. They can't open the gates and get as many people as they want in the stands. They were able to sell concessions, although I don't know all the particulars on that. In order to be able to do business, they had to crunch the numbers and come up with a figure that worked. If you sell 250 tickets at $20 a piece, that gives you $5,000. Do it twice in the same day, and you've got $10,000. Run two events in the same day, and it counts for the same insurance. If run one show each day, that counts as insurance for each day. 

What they are doing actually might pencil in a way that makes it worthwhile for a promoter to do it. I don't know how fans would feel about paying $20, even in this situation, if that was the price tag every week. If you're not running every week, you might be able to get away with it a few times. I don't know. I do know that this was a clever business model, and it was possible because they managed to convince the proper officials that there were two separate gathering points. It's not 250 people total at the whole facility, but 250 people in the grandstands, and 250 people in the pits.

I've been saying this for a while now. This is the discussion we should have been having. Fans don't all come to a track and go into the pits to mingle with the racers. People connected with the racers and some hardcore fans like to go into the pits, but many fans just go into the grandstands, watch the show and leave. Under these circumstances, you're blocking the pit gate to the fans and saying that the grandstands is one location. In theory, you should be able to put 250 people there using social distancing measures, and do the same in the pits. Most tracks are opening without anybody in the grandstands and in some cases getting more than 250 people in the pits. Could somebody else in Oregon or even California attempt something similar? Depending on who you've got to work with in your county, you might be able to pull it off. 

It's kind of interesting to watch race tracks with no grandstands attempt to put on big shows. I think it's hard enough with no fans or concessions to pay a regular purse, which some tracks are actually doing. This weekend saw extra money purses being paid at Antioch, Susanville and Yreka. In this case, all three tracks were running IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds on Friday. What it did was lowered the total car counts in each location, but there was a surprising result. Yreka actually outdrew both tracks in total car count for each Modified division. I've been saying that as we keep going forward in this current situation, you might see numbers drop a little bit at some tracks, and we are seeing that.

Susanville is a bit off the beaten path. Still, they did well to get 23 IMCA Modifieds, although those guys were getting a very nice purse. There were a dozen IMCA Sport Modifieds. Mostly you were dealing with people from the area, but there were drivers who made the trip to be there. Results are a little bit slower to come in from Susanville, so I don't know any of the details other than that as I write this. It's unlikely that I'll even get the information to write any sort of article for the track until the next post.

For the three division show at Antioch Speedway, there were a tick over 70 cars. This is a far cry from the first Freedom Series weekend back on Memorial Day weekend. In fact, it's half the total that we saw then. I didn't expect to see 150 cars in the pits for this race. It would be unrealistic to think that. I am a little bit surprised that the number wasn't closer to or a little bit over 100, but the number was still not bad overall. You still had B Mains for the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. You can't always expect your car count numbers to be that big, and promoters have to brace for lower numbers in the pits and even lower revenue coming from the streaming services. We've got to get fans back in the stands as soon as possible, but I don't know when it's going to happen.

As I just don't have the budget to be able to afford a streaming service at the moment, I didn't get to watch Antioch in high quality. I did get to watch the three Main Events and the two B Mains. Yeah, people probably aren't supposed to do that, but ask me if I care. Maybe that's not the right attitude, but again, I don't care. The racing was actually pretty darn entertaining. The track seemed to be in better shape. It took a little bit longer to work everything in. 

It's obvious they are taking to heart that it's been a little bit dry this year and trying to come up with a different solution. I figured as much. Like I said before, I know the racers in the Modified classes tend to like those dry tracks. I also know there is a way to do that without making things too dusty. This one wasn't really that dry. From the angle that I saw, it was one of the best tracks the speedway has had this year, so I applaud them on that.

This leads me to Yreka, and I was able to watch the official stream thanks to somebody sponsoring me. That was greatly appreciated. The Friday show was very impressive in terms of car count. You had 29 IMCA Sport Modifieds and 24 IMCA Modifieds. There were a dozen Mini Stocks. It's a damn shame they couldn't open the grandstands, because this is one of the best car counts the track his had in recent years, and fans couldn't even be there in person to watch it. I do think there were a few areas where they were lacking a little bit.

For starters, there seemed to be no concern over time. There was really no reason for the show to run to midnight, and yet it did. They had too much down time. When you're running at a fairgrounds track, this is not something you want to have happen regularly. You might get one or two passes, but they're not going to continue to look the other way. I'm sure Kevin went home thinking about how to avoid this on Saturday night. The racing itself wasn't bad. You just need to come up with your format and keep the show moving. They had drivers coming from as far north as Washington for this one and all over Oregon. Then again, people were camping at the track or staying at a motel, so this wasn't a concern for the racers.

They wanted to have a streaming service, and all the established companies were spoken for. This left Dirt 360 TV to come to town again and offer a $10 per night deal. The price was right, and they also brought in Ben Deatherage to do the announcing. That certainly helped the presentation quite a bit, in my opinion. The stream seemed a bit laggy, but then it completely cut out on everybody at the start of the IMCA Modified B Main. It didn't return until about 10 laps into the IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. There was no post on social media letting everybody know that they were aware of the problem and fixing it, so people were not very happy. At least they didn't have this type of service for $20 or $25, but there was reason to be concerned.

The big show is something that Yreka is going to have to learn to do a little better. If you want to be known as one of the destination tracks, and Yreka used to have some big moments back in the day, you need to keep things running smoothly. Travis Hoppes coming down and putting money into this purse was a positive for the track at a time when there is a little bit of momentum on their side. With the Medford track still not open, this is the opportunity to make a case for why people need to put Yreka on their schedule. The issues they had are certainly manageable, so that's a good thing. You've basically got a team that's only in their second year together, and there will be speed bumps. 

My final Yreka thought on a Friday night concerns the IMCA Modifieds. If it isn't obvious, I'll spell it out. They could have kept the division on the card for Saturday night, and they would have done well with it. It's possible they could have had over 20 cars on Saturday. You definitely want to pay attention to certain tracks and not book certain divisions against them, but Susanville is not in Yreka's reality. A track like Medford is. Then again, Saturday was going to be all about Late Models and more money for the IMCA Sport Modifieds as well. It's not that big of a deal.

Saturday didn't start off with the best of news for Yreka, and obviously the IMCA Modifieds were better off with how things were booked. Misty Buchanan went live on Facebook in the morning to talk about a couple of things. The most important point had to do with orders that Governor Newsom apparently put out on Friday that the track wasn't even aware of. Management was told that they had to drop a couple of divisions from Saturday's schedule, and covid-19 guidelines were the reason we were given. I was basically waking up when I heard this news and wondering, "Okay, what does this have to do with the other California tracks running at fairgrounds locations? Are they cutting back too?" 

Like I said, Friday night got away from them, and I have to think that played into whatever order was given to the track. They had to cancel the Outlaw Pro Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars from the night's card, which could have taken 40 or more cars out of the pits. I'm not sure who might have been coming in from further north in the Dwarf Car ranks as I haven't heard any rumblings. I was guessing there could have been people from the PHRA and the Northwest Dwarf Car groups, but who knows? The Pro Stocks probably would have been good for a dozen to 16 cars. So, if this did come down from the state, it had to do with total people in the pits.

The weekend has really been about the two IMCA classes and the Late Models anyway. This is where their purses were being increased. The IMCA Sport Modifieds got quite a few drivers on Friday night, so canceling them could have been ugly. The Late Models were getting their turn at the big money with $2,000 to win, so them being cut was probably never going to be a consideration. 

Whatever you might think of the decision, two divisions would be a heck of a lot more manageable than four as car count would have been even bigger on Saturday if left to the original schedule. This is just more evidence of the struggles a promoter goes through to open a track during this stupid time over a virus that seems to be hyped up beyond what is actually happening.

It would be really tempting for me to get wordy here as I have thoughts on Saturday activity in Yreka and other places. Obviously, Siskiyou Golden Speedway was set up to have a huge weekend. No fans, but lots of cars. Having Hoppes Construction putting money into the purse offered the track an opportunity to make a big statement. People were speculating on Saturday about what was really going on. Why drop two divisions from the card that night? I have my opinions, but I will just say here that I don't buy that the state passed some sort of rule that forced them to cut classes. If that were the case, other fairgrounds tracks would have had to do the same thing. 

The most likely scenario is that management broke curfew by an hour on Friday night and worried about doing it again on Saturday. They made the call. I sort of understand that, but what a time for this to happen. The decision to run two sets of heat races on Saturday was probably made to stretch out the program a little bit and give it more of an appearance of a bigger show for the fans watching at home. However, I can't help but think that they could have at least kept the Outlaw Pro Stocks on the schedule, and they would have taken the time that was used for the five additional heat races. 

The racing was okay, but it was almost like the air was let out of the balloon. Saturday's show was anti-climatic, and the track didn't make the statement that it could have made. I'm sad to say that, but I'm just going to call this as I see it. Management will go back to the drawing board and figure things out. They're not done unless the state makes another mandate that forces tracks to close, but they'll look at how they've been doing things and how to proceed going forward. I'm not going to speculate on what this weekend's racing might look like, but I'm sure that the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page will put that update out there soon.

I sympathize with Kevin Barba, because I remember a similar moment we went through in Medford in 2016 at the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race. Everything was everything. Look at us go. Look at that car count and that crowd. We blew it with a show that dragged on ridiculously long, and the wake-up call we got the next week was a dismal crowd and less than 30 total cars in the pits. You take your lumps and you come back at it again the next week. It's so difficult to try to open race tracks right now and make a real go of it with the guidelines that are in place. This had such potential to be huge for the track. As they say, they'll get 'em next time.

I have to say that Dirt 360 TV laid an egg as far as the internet streaming. Friday's major glitches set the tempo. The slow reaction time of the company as people missed the Mini Stock Main Event and the Modified B Main left people with a bad taste in their mouths. A portion of the Sport Modified Main Event was also lost before it came back. They did make an effort to try to make good on their Facebook page, but they also indicated that refunds were not being given. At least people didn't lose out too badly given it only cost $10, but people were still grumpy over it.

The Saturday stream lacked the wisdom and informative announcing of Ben Deatherage, who headed back to Cottage Grove Speedway. I don't know who the guy was that announced, but let's just say he didn't enhance the program in a good way. When you're counting on a good announcer to go with the limited view you see on your TV screen, you need information. That was lacking. He was loud and excited, but he didn't add anything meaningful to the program. Fortunately, there were less than half of the viewers watching the stream on Saturday than there were on Friday. I say fortunately because that was less people who might not have liked what they witnessed. It's unfortunate because that's less revenue that was brought in.

Moving on to Antioch Speedway, I can only offer that the racing surface on Saturday looked good from my vantage point. Once again, I was enjoying the Main Events from the cheap seats, that is to say footage captured from people's smartphones. To them I say, thank you for that. The racing was very good throughout the field in all classes. Plenty of room to race, side-by-side battles and no dust problem. As I've been saying, the crew is getting used to this track, the surface and the configuration. They will get it dialed in, and last weekend was very encouraging.

Obviously I'd like to have more information on results as I'm aiming to put this column up soon. I had enough to go by for unofficial articles. The other information that would have been handy is sponsors that increased the purse money. I was told the IMCA Sport Modifieds ended up paying $1,050 with KC Keller grabbing the win there. He turned in a top-notch performance. Troy Foulger won at least $1,600 in the IMCA Modifieds. You knew you weren't going to keep the Bowers Motorsports team out of the Winner's Circle for long. Watching Bakersfield's Nick Johnson dominate The Hobby Stocks on both nights just serves to enhance my concern about the way the rules were opened up this year and how that leaves the local drivers at a disadvantage. I'll leave it at that for now, because even that race was entertaining. Plus, the division had the biggest car count of the weekend.

I don't believe the track has a schedule up for July 11th as I do this article, but they should be racing on Saturday with Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV streaming it again. You just need to go to the official website to get that confirmed. Chris Bennett was absent this past weekend, but he had good reason. He was hinting at getting an IMCA Stock Car. Well, he actually headed back east and bought one. I'm not sure if he's sold his Sport Modified yet, but he is selling it. It also seemed as if past Street Stock champion and current IMCA Sport Modified title contender Todd Gomez is looking to build a car for this class. 

There are two things I can say about IMCA Stock Cars at Antioch Speedway in 2021. Firstly, this doesn't mean any division is being cut from the roster. Nothing is even being hinted at from what I've heard. Secondly, I don't think you're just going to have two or three cars when this class starts. There are people who have built IMCA legal or nearly legal cars for the Hobby Stocks as it is, and I'm sure they are going to be running this class. If you've got Gomez and Bennett already making 2021 plans, who else is getting involved?

The Big Kahuna George Steitz Freedom Series race was a moderate success. It didn't go as big as we might have hoped, but it did perform well. What more can you ask for? As I've said, you're going to be challenged in getting big car counts as more tracks open. You start to find out how much local support you have at times like this. The Antioch Speedway numbers in some of the classes are still going to be higher than last year. Management will continue to move forward and do the best they can, but the hope is that fans will be allowed in the grandstands before too much longer. 

Diamond Mountain Speedway doesn't usually offer results very quickly. Usually, you have to wait until midway through the week if not later. I know that they've been using the MyLaps system for a few years now, and I just noticed that they put something up for the weekend. There was $2,000 on the line for the IMCA Modifieds, and I can report that Klamath Falls star Nick Trenchard bagged those bucks ahead of a $1,000 second for Ryan McDaniel. That was his second win there this year. Justin Foux bypassed the closer track in Yreka to go to Susanville and ended up $1,000 richer with his IMCA Sport Modified win. From the footage I saw of the track, it looked like the racing surface was just fine. They had fans in attendance, and the people actually got to watch a fireworks display at evening's end.

The fact that Cottage Grove Speedway decided to celebrate their anniversary with the last minute scheduled race definitely took numbers out of the Yreka and Susanville car counts. The locals are not going to skip this race, and other Oregonians made the trip there rather than going further south. When we talk about tracks that get held up as the standard-bearer compared to other places, this track is high on the list. You can be doing whatever you're doing at your track, and people will come back at you with, "At Cottage Grove they do," whatever it is.

I don't think Heather Boyce was excited about opening the track without fans, but somebody came on board at the last minute and sponsored the entire purse. This enabled her to open the gates and make some money towards her mounting pile of bills. I couldn't tell you if they are going to run another race this year and what that might look like. Obviously these decisions are made day to day given the situation that we're in. However, Heather will be putting something up on the Cottage Grove Speedway Facebook page as soon as she has made any sort of decision.

What I can tell you is it was an entertaining show. It's a pity that fans couldn't attend, because they would have been on the edge of their seats watching the great racing there. What does help when you're sitting at home watching Dirt Oval TV is the quality of announcing being offered by Ben Deatherage. I kind of compare him to long-time announcer Ron Albright in style. Both would do their best to educate the fans on what's happening, but occasionally Ben does like to throw a little bit of US history in on the deal. I would almost say he's the Ben Stein of announcing. He's not flashy, but he is informative. It's no wonder that he's in demand to do these live streams right now. You want somebody helping make your track look good in the way it's being presented, and Ben can do that.

Cottage Grove had the race with the most variety on the card, and that would make it tempting for anybody looking to purchase a view. You had the Limited Sprints, Late Models and Street Stocks. You had IMCA sanctioned Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Sport Compacts. I don't believe this is the first IMCA Sport Compact race on the West Coast. If my memory serves me, Merced Speedway actually sanctioned their class 15 years ago for a season or two. However, this is part of the modern movement tracks are making towards IMCA sanctioning for every division possible. Willamette Speedway and Sunset Speedway were set to do the same this year before the virus shut them down. The latter two tracks also have IMCA Stock Cars.

Placerville Speedway had a nice offering on Saturday night, led by an amazing 38 Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars. Placerville is one of those tracks that I would hold up as an example of how to do things. They've got probably the best regular Winged 360 Sprint Car show in the state, but they also offer the fans some good fendered Stock Car competition. 

This is how it used to be back at San Jose Speedway. Snobs will bristle at the idea of having fendered cars on the same program as their precious Sprint Cars. Stock Car fans get frustrated by the red flag delays of Sprint Car racing. Me, I like a good Sprint Car show with a Stock Car companion class. It's week-to-week on what Placerville Speedway does given the current situation, but I'm sure there will be an announcement on their Facebook page soon as to what's next. As for Saturday night, it was a good show.

A little bit of a discussion was happening right around the time that Petaluma Speedway was having their race. Trevor Clymens posted the pay scale that Antioch Speedway gave the IMCA Sport Modifieds for Saturday's race. I don't know who all the sponsors were that chipped in, but they're all awesome. Originally, this race was going to pay $750 to win and $100 minimum to start. The winner's prize ended up being $1,050, while the starter's money was $125. That's good money on any occasion, but this is a more challenging time.

Somebody got on the comment section and remarked that the pay didn't seem so good. I was scratching my head, because $125 to start an IMCA Sport Modified Main Event is good money. A regular IMCA Modified race gets $100 to start, so this is good money. I don't think they liked the drop in the purse and how quickly it went to $125. However, this race was going to pay $750 to win, and the drop was going to get you down to $100 quickly in that case. Because sponsors enhanced the top a little bit more, maybe it was more noticeable?

I don't always jump in comment sections on Facebook. I just tend to read things and observe most of the time. I couldn't resist pointing out that it was good starting money for an intermediate division. Of course, IMCA Sport Modified lead cheerleader Steve Kerstulovich of the PSM decided to grab one aspect of my comment and make it about that. I referred to the IMCA Sport Modifieds as an intermediate division. Tell me where exactly I'm wrong about that statement? In the pecking order at Antioch, IMCA Modifieds and Wingless Spec Sprints would be the top tier classes. The next tier, or intermediate, includes the Sport Modifieds.

In no part of my comment was I making light of the fact that Sport Modified racers invest quite a bit of money in their race cars. Racers are going to do that, and these cars aren't cheap. Modifieds are more expensive, but Sport Modifieds are by no means cheap. You'll find people putting more money into their Hornets or their Hobby Stocks too, and those divisions are supposed to be lower on the cost factor. To the people who maintain those cars, they aren't cheap. Some people have a little bit more money to spend and choose to invest in their cars. However, a pecking order remains.

Promoters have a hard time paying the bills as it is, and the purse hierarchy has to have a tier. I can tell you that at Southern Oregon Speedway we were hearing from Sport Modified people wondering why they're not getting $500 to win and $100 to start, which is what the IMCA Modifieds get. IMCA Modified drivers seem to think they're worth $1,000 to win these days, and some racers only bring their cars out for those types of events. On our pecking order, we have to consider the Winged Sprints and Late Models. By the time you get to Sport Modifieds, they are the fourth class. Doesn't mean they're cheap, but it does mean that when it comes to purse structure, they're not getting the same as the headliners.

Conversely, the Mini Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Late Model Lites aren't getting Sport Modified money. At Antioch Speedway, the example would be Dwarf Cars, Hobby Stocks and maybe even Super Stocks aren't getting Sport Modified money. I can guarantee you there were a few Hobby Stock racers at the pay window on Saturday wondering why they only got $50 to start and $300 to win (might have been more with sponsorship). Racers are going to want more money. I can guarantee you when you talk to IMCA brass, they look at the pecking order when it comes to their sanctioned divisions, and Sport Modifieds aren't top-tier. They have higher divisions on the hierarchy, just like they have lower divisions. 

I'm not sure why I have to explain this, and it kind of irked me a little bit for Steve to suggest I was disparaging the Sport Modifieds or somehow belittling the investment they have in their cars. I have to take into account that Steve is the Sport Modified head cheerleader in Oregon and is using the IMCA trademark to market his Pacific Sport Modified Series.

The little nit picks that I see racers and crew members putting out there during this difficult time to open the tracks just makes me scratch my head. Why even bother when you're going to get cursed for not paying enough, using the wrong format or whatever and may be losing money while trying? 

We're damn lucky that these race tracks have been able to open, and the circumstances totally suck. Fans have to be content to sit at home and order a Pay-Per-View online rather than being in the stands to watch the action. I will reiterate what I said. Antioch Speedway paid a pretty darn good purse for the IMCA Sport Modifieds this past weekend. $125 to start is good money by IMCA Modified standards, let alone Sport Modifieds, and it's being done without fans in the grandstands.

Madera Speedway threw in a Club Race for Saturday afternoon. This was supposed to be the Reverend Ron Spencer Memorial race. Ron would do the invocations before the races and would also take the time to pray with any driver who wanted it. When I was involved in doing the publicity at Altamont Raceway, he would come there as well. Whether you're a Christian or not, I've always felt that the pre-race prayer just set a good tone. I like that when I went to Chowchilla Speedway, Tom Sagmiller had the same thing going on there. In fact, he would have Ron do the prayer there on occasion.

I don't think Kenny Shepherd was initially going to have a race on Saturday due to the covid-19 guidelines. However, some racers did want to come out and run their cars. A few racers already had plans, but the way they do the point standings allows them to have a throw away race to not lose points. This wasn't a big car count. The show was basically nine Late Models and 10 MSTs and Toyotas combined. The latter group ran twin 24 lap races, while the Late Models got 40 laps. 

It was a nice laid-back affair, and Kenny handled the announcing himself. I get a chuckle out of him apologizing for the lack of multiple camera angles and quality and all of that. He's giving fans this show for free to let them see what's going on at the track at a time when they aren't allowed to be there. Some tracks are either charging you to watch the streams, due to the fact that they're trying to make money to keep going, or they don't even bother if they can't get the pay service. 

I maintain that if you can't get a pay service, you should do something to keep your fans in the loop. Kenny is actually giving away good enough quality that he could make money off of it. Even charging $5 to watch the stream would give him a little something to work with, but he's doing this on good faith with his fans in the hope that they will be there when the gates finally open for attendance. I'm sure the fans will be there..I know they wish they could be there on July 11th for the Nut Up Pro Late Models and 51Fifty Junior Late Models, which is also a MavTV taping. Thanks to nutup.com, Kenny is able to give these live broadcasts away to the fans for free on YouTube.

Going back to the 1990s, there was a bit of a movement to run a 4 Cylinder Modified class. This was thought to be the more economical way to get drivers up from the lower levels, but only a few tracks were on board with this. I recall Lakeport Speedway doing a class and at one time working with Orland Raceway on a series. To this date, they still have a 4 Cylinder Modified division at Lakeport. Delta Speedway had a similar class on the small oval. The MSTs are Madara's effort, and I must say these guys put on an entertaining show when you get enough cars. They have lots of good racing at the front of the pack. If you could get double-digit car count in this class, it would sure be great for this race track. I think this group stole the show on Saturday.

Petaluma got to wrap up the weekend racing in California with another Sunday night program. In a business sense, this is the only way they had a chance to open and get some revenue via Flo Racing and SpeedshiftTV. Next week they are scheduled for Saturday night, but Placerville Speedway doesn't have a show going that night. I'm not sure what that means for the streaming service, but I'm guessing management has already got a deal in place to make that happen for the four division offering that night.

I'm a bit surprised that the IMCA Modified car count didn't pop a little bit bigger. Then again, I don't think it's as big a deal getting out and racing now as it was a month ago when more tracks were closed. Drivers got two-race weekends in multiple locations, so maybe they were worn out? This still proved to be a big test for Anthony Slaney with the track's two biggest stars in recent years, Michael Paul Jr and Oreste Gonella, chasing him across the line. He passed the test. With the next McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified event, this will become an official point race in the eyes of IMCA as that will be their fourth show. Slaney is poised to win his first championship if he continues to support Petaluma.

As evidenced by the 28 Dwarf Cars they had, this division continues to be their strongest supported class. I had a feeling they would have the biggest numbers, but my expectations were actually a little bit higher. I need to stop that. This was a damn good turnout for them. Add in the 18 PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints, and you had the makings of a pleasant show. It still seemed to drag on a little bit longer than it actually should have, in my opinion. I'm not exactly sure why that was the case, but that show shouldn't have gotten anywhere near the fairgrounds dictated 10 pm curfew. They still got done without any loss of laps, so that's the positive.

Just to say it one more time, the tracks are getting to the point where other than the blowout shows they can't expect a bunch of visitors coming in and supporting their regulular races. As the tracks were reopening, we were seeing those numbers pop, but now we're going to start seeing exactly what support these race tracks really have. The reasoning for the numbers not being as big as they could be for the big shows last weekend is because there were too many options competing against each other. However, you have to expect that more tracks will be booking on top of each other going forward.

We all brace for impact. What will the governor of California say this week that could put racing in jeopardy? The racing community might be holding its collective breath, but we won't know until he opens his mouth and says whatever it is he thinks he needs to say. The same holds true for the governor of Oregon. She hasn't shut down the bars yet. Is that coming and how will that affect the Coos Bay plan? If the 250 person limit is still the rule right now in Oregon, might another track try to do racing the way they are in Hermiston? I guess we'll find out, but we've looked at enough that for this week. If you've made it this far, you're a trooper.

In the effort to get streaming services to cover your program, Marysville Raceway is going to do another Wednesday night offering on July 8th. They will have SpeedshiftTV and Flo Racing broadcasting Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds, Nor Cal Dwarf Cars and Limited Late Models, and I think they will have a good car count for this one. It does become challenging for people to make the trip during the week to support the show, and I wouldn't expect people to continue to go out of their way to support some of these races. This is a business decision for Marysville in light of the fact that they can only have 100 fans in the grandstands at the moment. They need internet streaming revenue. The Sprint Car show should still be worth viewing, and the NorCal Dwarf Cars and IMCA Sport Modifieds are always entertaining. 

I'm not exactly sure what Ocean Speedway has on tap for Friday night, but this should be another Flo Racing broadcasted effort. The Ocean Sprints, presented by Taco Bravo, are listed as part of the schedule. I've heard the Western Midgets were going to be added there, and I really can't speak to that. One schedule says one thing and another says something different. Plus, we're going through that time where things change on the fly. Ocean Speedway on Facebook will be the place to find out the current information. One thing I do believe is Tom Sagmiller will have a good track prepped for the racers.

The race tracks in Butte County and Glenn County are silent, but we might hear the roar of the engines in both locations soon. There's the possibility of something happening at Silver Dollar Speedway on the 17th or the 24th. Past Orland Raceway Mini Truck champion Dan Webster put it out on social media that his home track is about ready to make an announcement. Exactly what that announcement will be, we don't know yet, but he's telling everybody to get their cars ready. This could mean an announcement on Monday about a race on Saturday or something on the 18th. The Orland Raceway Facebook page will definitely be the place to check.

What's funny is I've talked about this being my last season of covering the weekly news in the sport and being on a week-to-week basis. We are now halfway through the season, such as it is. Will I make it to the end of the season? I'm just going one day at a time. I will say it's been a very interesting time to cover the sport as tracks try to make the best of an absolutely crappy situation. 

I'm not even sure I will be at a track in person covering a race this year, but I can be ready at a moment's notice if that changes. The best chance of that occurring would probably be the track in Medford if something happens there, but I can't even hazard a guess on if anything will happen there at all. 

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