Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Ocean Speedway, Madera Speedway, Ukiah Speedway, Speedweek Preview, More

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Pit Stops

On the eve of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, we enter another exciting weekend of racing in California. This time around, we've got some Friday activity as well as some Saturday racing. It looks like the tracks will stay off of Sunday for another week. Petaluma Speedway has been running Sunday shows, but they're able to go back to Saturday for this week. They will return to Sunday a little bit more in the weeks ahead.

The weekend will have some exciting options for IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified racing. The Hobby Stocks will be able to get some racing in as well. For Sprint Car racers, there's some winged and non winged activity. Pavement racers will have a big Late Model show at Madera Speedway, and there's some Bomber and Limited Modified activity out at Ukiah Speedway. Chances are, whatever it is you like, there will be a track running something for you. Sadly, you won't be able to go to most of these places, but some of them will be providing streaming services. A couple of those options will be free.

Antioch Speedway

The cornerstone divisions on the Antioch Speedway roster will be competing this Saturday night. The IMCA Modifieds are Back in action along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. The quarter-mile clay oval continues to struggle to establish a Four Banger division, which is also on the card. This was going to be the Jerry Hetrick Memorial race with extra money on the line, but the Speedweek Series coming up next week necessitated the need to move that race back to August 22nd.

When Troy Foulger scored his latest IMCA Modified win ahead of rival Bobby Hogge IV, there was reason for the Bowers Motorsports team to celebrate. Not only do they take pride anytime they can beat Hogge, but they've extended their lead at Antioch. Foulger leads Jim Pettit II by 25 tallies. Both drivers have visited the winner's circle in Antioch this year, and it was Pettit pulling off a thrilling pass on Foulger late in the race last Saturday at Watsonville to steal the victory there. The IMCA point structure can make it a challenge to catch people as it's one point per position, but the point average also means that Foulger and Pettit tend to have to start further back in the pack on any given week.

Pettit can't get too comfortable in second as past Antioch champion Kellen Chadwick is just six points behind him. Chadwick is also a Main Event winner at Antioch, though admittedly he's not having the kind of season he was hoping for so far. With the point window only open through the end of September, Chadwick might have a difficult time catching Foulger. 29 points behind Chadwick is 2018 State champion Shane DeVolder, who was absent from the most recent event. DeVolder now leads reigning champion Buddy Kniss by just 25 points. DeVolder is an Antioch feature winner, but Kniss is still looking for his first win.

We know that the IMCA Modifieds have generally been delivering 20 or more cars per race, but we are curious what the numbers will be as drivers get set for the Speedweek opener at Placerville on Monday. 

The IMCA Sport Modifieds, meanwhile, have been generating bigger numbers. Two-time reigning Merced Speedway champion Fred Ryland had been leading the battle, but he skipped the most recent race. This enabled 2017 champion KC Keller to maneuver his way into the lead by 13 points over past Limited Late Model champion Mark Garner. Keller is a feature winner at Antioch this year and had a podium finish last time out. 

Only five points behind Garner is Kenny Shrader, who also has a win this year and finished in the Top 5 the last time out. Shrader finds himself five tallies ahead of past Antioch champions Ryland and Trevor Clymens and 11 points in front of Todd Gomez. Just six points behind Gomez is reigning State champion Guy Ahlwardt. Guy had to miss some racee this year, but he still might find his way into the Top 5 before the season is over. Last time out, the division again delivered enough of a car count to necessitate a B Main. That could be the case again this week. 

Not only are we not seeing race results listed on the track web page lately, but there are no point standings being posted for the Hobby Stocks. We're not sure if they're not keeping totals this year or if they just haven't been posting them. What we do know is it's been a very competitive show this year. Drivers that haven't been regulars in the field, including Rob Gallaher, Joe Gallaher, Nick Johnson and Brad Myers, count themselves as feature winners. Myers, a past champion at the track, won the latest race after James Thomson had mechanical issues and retired in his bid for a win. Travis Dutra, another feature winner this year, ran strong that night. Jason Robles is another winner this season.

The last time out, the Hobby Stocks delivered the biggest car count at the track as the numbers have been strong with new drivers joining the ranks. Breanna Troen has been a consistent Top 5 finisher, and like Thomson, you figure that she could strike for a win on any given week. Some of the drivers to watch for this week include Larry McKenzie, Gene Haney, Jon Haney, Josh Leach, Chris Bennett and Lori Brown.

The unknown factor is how many Four Bangers will show up for this race and if any new local drivers will be among them. There was just one car making laps the last time the division was on the card. The division has had an on-again off-again relationship with the track since running exhibition races back in 2003 and a full season in 2004. 

After being gone for a few years, the division was returned to the roster in 2009 and ran for six seasons before the final checkered flag for the class in 2014. It could be a slow process in getting this class built back up again if somebody in the area doesn't start building cages for these cars and getting them to new drivers, which is what happened when the division was established back in 2003.

In any event, it should be a good show at Antioch Speedway with these divisions involved. The track has opened up its own streaming service in conjunction with Low Budget TV, and you can find it at antiochspeedway.tv. For further information, go to antiochspeedway.com.

Ocean Speedway 

Ocean Speedway is back to its regular Friday night activity this weekend, and open wheel racing will be a part of the agenda. The Ocean Sprints, presented by Taco Bravo, are back along with the Western Midgets, South Bay Dwarf Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and the Police N Pursuit cars. In this difficult time of no fans allowed in the grandstands, the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval has been producing some good racing and it's all been broadcast on internet pay-per-view at Flo Racing.

The Ocean Sprints have been getting strong car counts this year as drivers come in from everywhere to take part in the action. There have been no repeat winners yet as multi-time champion Shane Golobic, Mitchell Faccinto, Blake Carrick, reigning King of the West champion DJ Netto and reigning Chico champion Sean Becker have all picked up wins. Driving the #69 car made famous by his legendary father Brent Kaeding, Bud Kaeding leads the standings. He is the only driver in the field with all Top 10 finishes, three of which are Top 5s.

Kaeding has a commanding lead over Kurt Nelson at 89 points and is 91 points ahead of Kaleb Montgomery. The battle is for second as reigning champion James Ringo is 26 points out of that position in a tie with Koen Shaw. It's interesting to note that nobody in the Top 6 in the standings has won a Main Event yet. Sixth is currently being held by Joey Ancona, who is 33 points out of second.

The IMCA Sport Modifieds will be having their seventh race of the season, and only one driver in the Top 10 in the standings is a feature winner this year. That's Brent Curran, who picked up the win at the last regular event for the class two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Fred Ryland joined Curran on the two-time winner's list with his win in the Mike Cecil race as Andrew Peckham and Tanner Thomas are the other winners. Adriane Frost tops the field with four Top 5 finishes in her five starts. Even though she missed a race, she is only nine points behind Gavin Espino in the championship battle.

Frost moved past Kelly Campanile for second after the Cecil race. Campanile is only 14 points out of the lead, while Stephen Allee is 19 points back, Max Baggett trails the leader by 20 and Billy Robertson is 24 tallies back. Robertson had a bad night at the Cecil as he was the first driver out of the event, but he is five points ahead of State point leader Timothy Allerdings.

The Western Midget group has been able to hit double digits in car count this year as new drivers are joining the excitement. However, it's still David Prickett winning these races. He has both Watsonville wins to his credit, giving him a 13 point lead over teammate Tyler Slay. Slay has a pair of Top 5 finishes as he looks for his first win. He leads Norman Harley Rose by 16 points, while Tyler Dolacki and Jon Santibanes are tied for fourth, 25 points behind him. As the newer talent gets more comfortable behind the wheel of their Ecotec Midgets, it will be interesting to see who can evict Prickett from the winner's circle first.

Two-time winner and past champion Ryan McClelland find himself topping the field in the Four Banger division. He has a 14 point advantage over reigning champion Kate Beardsley and Tony Gullo, who are tied. Beardsley remains the most consistent driver in the field as the only one with all Top 5 finishes, but like last year, she is still searching for her first win. She and Gullo are six points ahead of Nicole Beardsley, who has a win to her credit. Past champion Bill Beardsley is fifth in the standings, 37 behind McClelland and six in front of Richard Mitchell. 2018 Central Valley Mini Stock champion Greg Baronian is the other winner this year.

Nick Graham of the Santa Cruz Police Department has a 31 point lead in the Police N Pursuit battle. Chasing him is Capitola Police Department representative Jackie Yeung. Yeung is only two points ahead of Scotts Valley Police Department representative John Hohmann and six tallies in front of Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office representative Steven Fernandes. The other winner this year is ninth-ranked Tony Parker of the Task Force Racers.

The local stars of the South Bay Dwarf Car Association are having a challenge trying to get a win this year. Past champion Gene "Punky" Pires has come the closest to getting a win with one third and one fifth this year, while reigning champion Mark Biscardi has struggled a little bit. Past Watsonville champion Shawn Jones has a pair of victories with Petaluma Redwood Dwarf Car competitor Joey Lingron also a winner. Last time out, Jones held off Ventura Invaders, Tommy Velasquez III and Nick Velazquez, who finished second and third, respectively. Reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert ended up fourth to go along with the second he had at the previous race. Ryan Amlen was the top local competitor in fifth at the most recent race. There could be some visitors again for this one, and other regulars to watch for include Eric Weisler, Trafton Chandler, Eddy Claessen and Danika Del Monte.

Ocean Speedway will be getting the weekend started in the Bay Area with Friday night action, and you won't have to miss a bit of it if you tune in to the Flo Racing internet pay-per-view broadcast. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com or check out Ocean Speedway Facebook page.

Petaluma Speedway

Petaluma Speedway is back from a one-week break, and they're offering some exciting USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car racing. Also competing on the 3/8 mile adobe oval will be the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars and Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros. During a time when some special events have been canceled, management has doubled down on the West Coast 360s. Not only did this race remain on the schedule, but others will happen in the weeks ahead. 

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car racers are ecstatic to finally get back out on the track again. They thought it would happen back in July at Placerville as a double bill with the USAC Western Midgets, but that track had to cancel due to something else happening at the fairgrounds. Promoter Rick Faeth knew he wanted to make this one happen, and the racers are just chomping at the bit to get back on the track again. Not only is a good field of drivers anticipated from the Southern California area, there will be some regulars who elect to remove their wings to see what they can do in non-wing action.

Last season, 2018 series champion Austin Liggett was the class of the field when the group came to town in October. He got the win ahead of Billy Aton. Aton is one of the local area racers who has a Wingless Sprint Car championship to his credit at Antioch Speedway and is also a Winged champion at that venue. Aton was followed by JJ Ringo, Caden Sarale and Tristan Guardino. Guardino is the reigning series champion, and some of the others who followed the tour last year included Watsonville star Koen Shaw, Austin Ervine, Hannah Mayhew, TJ Smith and Ryan Timmons. Timmons comes from the area, but he's been one of the top stars with USAC in the past couple of years. Local area racers to watch for include Shawn Arriaga, Norm Johns, Bradley Terrell and Ricky Brophy.

On multiple occasions, the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car show has delivered over 30 drivers. As the scheduling for other groups has been affected by the pandemic, invaders come to town from the NorCal, South Bay and the Delta Dwarf Car groups. Standings listed on the track webpage find NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert leading reigning Redwood Dwarf Car champion Chad Matthias by 53 points. Matthias is still looking for his first win, but Grenert has a win and is the only driver with all Top 5 finishes. Fellow NorCal racer Ryan "Ice Chip" Winter has three Top 5s.

Perhaps the biggest star in the state right now with the Dwarf Cars is past Watsonville and NorCal champion Shawn Jones. He has two wins in his three visits and also won the Dwarf Car Nationals. Two-time Antioch champion Danny Wagner is also a winner this year. Matthias finds himself leading the second place battle by eight points in front of Jimmy Damron, while Petaluma regulars Carroll Mendenhall and Matt Hagermann are 10 points and 13 points behind him, respectively. Some of the others to watch for include Vernon Hubbard, Garrett Brady, Mike Dahle, Michael Affonso and 2018 champion John "Scooter" Gomes.

This will be the third appearance of the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micro division, but we are waiting for an accurate point update. Both wins have gone to Ocean Speedway Sprint Car star Koen Shaw. In fact, he has been chased across the line on both occasions by multi-time champion Jim Beck. Beck didn't compete for points last season in a championship race that went in favor of Justin Adiego. Addiego had a third in the group's first race but skipped the most recent event. It was Kyle Grissom getting third last time out to go with his fourth in the first race, while Brian Slubik also has a pair of Top 5 efforts. Some of the drivers to watch for this week include Rob Brown, George Nielsen, Shiloh Borland, Amber Fields, Trevor Mendenhall and Carroll Mendenhall.

For the West Coast 360 Sprint Cars and Dwarf Cars alone, Saturday's show should be worth viewing. Once again, the track will be offering pay-per-view internet services via Flo Racing. For further information, go to petaluma-speedway.com or check out the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page.

Keller Auto Speedway

Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford will be alive with the sound of race cars with a pair of races happening in a week's time. This Saturday night will be the return of the King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars along with the RaceSaver 305 Sprints, IMCA Stock Cars and Mini Stocks. The two Sprint Car classes will be absent on Friday, August 14th, replaced by the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds Speedweek race. Flo Racing will be providing the streaming services on both occasions.

This will be the third race for the track since they opened after the covid-19 shut down. They did have a couple of races before the shutdown. It doesn't appear as if they are keeping point totals for this season. They've had three different Winged 360 Sprint Car feature winners in as many races. The last time out, reigning King of Thunder champion DJ Netto battled Ryan Bernal and Mitchell Faccinto to pick up the win. Faccinto and Keith Day Jr also count themselves among the winners this year. Some of the other stars to watch for this week include Craig Stidham, Tucker Worth, Grant Duinkerken, Zane Blanchard, Connor Danell and Kaleb Montgomery. As the only Winged 360 Sprint Car show happening on Saturday night, there could be some drivers coming from out of town to get a race on the popular dirt oval.

This will be the third event for the IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprints Cars. The last time they competed was at Merced Speedway, and Grant Duinkerken returned to get the win in that event after reigning series champion Grant Champlin led the early laps. The two winners so far are the always fast Blake Robertson and Brendan Warmerdam. There should be a good turnout of competitors, and some of the stars to watch for include Rob Solomon, Albert Pombo, Michael Pombo, Brooklyn Holland, Connor Danell and Kyle Rasmussen.

The last time the IMCA Stock Cars competed, it was a special event with limited attendance. Rod Bane picked up the win with multi-time champion Troy Pattee chasing him across the finish line in a very close battle. Both of these drivers are anticipated for this show. There could be a good turnout for this as IMCA Stock Car drivers in the area are chomping at the bit to get going. There's been quite a bit of talk in California about other tracks adding this division, but Hanford is where it all started in the state about 15 years ago. Some of the racers to watch for this week include reigning champion Chad Johnson, Cody Johnson, Brock Hamilton, Eric Hamilton, Wayne Dotson, Renn Bane and past champion Loren DeArmond.

There have been two Mini Stock races so far, the first of which was a House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stock race. The last time was a regular event, but both occasions had strong car counts. Dan Myrick won the CVMS race back in February, but his luck has taken a serious nosedive in recent Madera and Merced races as he watched the finish of both events from the sidelines. The recent regular race was won by Clint Massey with Myrick leading the pursuit in second ahead of Brandon Wolford and Jason Cook.

CVMS competitors will be having a sanctioned race at Hanford on August 14th, but it's just possible that some of these drivers will get back out there Saturday just because they enjoy competing on this racing surface. Other drivers we'll be watching for include past Hanford and Kern Raceway champion Andy Boydstun, Shawn Schwartzenberger, Gene Glover, Jeff Durant and Shawn DePriest.

It should be a good night of racing for fans of fendered racing as well as Sprint Car enthusiasts, and you can watch it all at Flo Racing. The best places to get information are www.racekingsspeedway.com and the Keller Auto Speedway Facebook page.

Diamond Mountain Speedway

Diamond Mountain Speedway at the Lassen County Fairgrounds in Susanville made a splash a couple of months ago when they not only opened, but they did so with socially distanced fans. As things have tightened up just a little bit in California with mask requirements, management put it out on Facebook that they we're waiting to hear back from County Health officials in regards to fan attendance for this Friday and Saturday's show. The Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page will have updates when they are available. 

As for the event itself, it's a good one. This is an I-80 Series event, which features IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Northern Nevada Sprint Cars at Susanville and other Nevada venues. These three divisions will be on the card on both nights along with Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. The money to win on both nights will be $1,000 for the IMCA Modifieds and $400 each for the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. The Sprint Cars and the Dwarf Cars, which will join the action on Saturday, are to be determined.

It isn't often that past Chico and All Star IMCA Modified Series champion Ryan McDaniel gets to race his Modified for points, but that appears to be the case in Susanville. They are five races into the season, which makes this an official championship in the eyes of the sanctioning body. McDaniel has earned all Top 5 finishes in his five starts, giving him an eight point lead over Riley Simmons. This is your battle for the championship. Both drivers are looking for their first wins, but both have finished as high as second. McDaniel has done it twice. 

Reigning champion Chris Nieman is 29 points behind Simmons in third, one point ahead of Shawn Natenstedt and nine in front of Oregon star Nick Trenchard and Nevin Kennemore. Trenchard is a feature winner this year, and he's done it twice, including the $2,000 win last time out. Kennemore, Colin Winebarger and Shane DeVolder are the other winners so far.

Craig Nieman has his eyes on an IMCA Sport Modified championship. He has three podium finishes this year, including one win. This gives him a 30 point advantage over Dennis Crook. Crook is 22 tallies in front of State point leader Timothy Allerdings, who finished second last time out. Tyler Rodgers is one point behind Allerdings, while Colton Chew is eight points behind the third-ranked competitor. Rodgers is a feature winner this year as is Anderson, California visitor Justin Foux and 2015 State champion Fred Ryland. The money on the line and the fact that a racer can get two shows in may see some visitors coming from out of town for this.

The Hobby Stock division has also had five races this year. What's interesting to know is that most of last season's stars haven't been racing much here. Randy Boyd has been practically unbeatable this year with a pair of wins and a pair of seconds and has finished no worse than fourth. Despite that, his lead over Shayna Nieman is only 18 tallies. 

Nieman has finished as high as third once this year and was fifth last time out. She's got a 42 point advantage over Marysville racer Robert Warf. It's a close battle for third as Joe Conroy is two points behind Warf and Aaron Flournoy is four points back. There could be drivers coming in from Marysville, Chico and the Nevada area for this show as the Hobby Stocks have had strong support this year so far. Other feature winners this year include Royce Goetz and John "Porkchop" Johnson.

The Mini Stock drivers have been chomping at the bit to get some racing in. They've only had three races so far, and Kate Robertson finds herself leading on the strength of a win and a pair of seconds. Her advantage is only five points in front of past IMCA Sport Modified champion Jason Emmot. Emmot earned his second third place finish last time out, keeping him fourteen points ahead of Hayfork visitor Ian Thulin. Another Hayfork racer, past champions jack Turner, is 18 points behind Emmot in a tie with Anthony Hovland. Nick Boucher is also a feature winner in the class this year. 

We're not sure who will be on the roster of the Northern Nevada Sprint Car group, but there could be some Crate Sprint drivers from Marysville joining the fun. The Dwarf Cars should also have a decent turnout on Saturday. Information on whether fans can attend and other important notes can be found at www.dmspeedway.com or by going to the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.

Ukiah Speedway

Ukiah Speedway is back in action this Saturday night for an event that will be under the lights. It's the Hillcat Industries Bomber special. They will be running two Main Events, the first of which is 35 laps for $500 to win. The next race will be 45 laps for $1,500 to win. Smith's Concrete is sponsoring to enable them to turn on the lights to race later in the evening. TNT Towing, who has been a good supporter of Ukiah's effort to open under covid-19 guidelines, will be sponsoring $500 to win for the Limited Modifieds. Also competing will be the Jammers and the Jalopies. Jalopies will also be there on Sunday along with a Mud Bog, and you're likely to catch a lot of the action by going to the Ukiah Speedway Facebook page and watching the stream for free.

Bomber point leader Charley Tour might be hoping to go in there as the favorite to win the big prize this week. He has been running strong, and he is the only driver with all Top 5 finishes in his four starts. He also has a win, but Brenton Smith has been the hottest driver with a pair of wins in recent weeks. Jeremy Doss also has a win. The track standings find Loren Powers Jr trailing Tour by 60 points and leading Roy Ingalls Jr by 69. Ingalls is only two points ahead of Smith in a closer battle for third. The Bombers have been offering some of the most exciting and action-packed racing on the paved oval so far this year.

The Limited Modifieds have had four races so far, but three of them have yielded the same results. Jason Philpot is a three-time winner with a 36 point advantage over Tyler Caturegli. The only other driver with a win is Sierra Furia, and she had her hands full holding off Philpot and Caturegli to get the job done last time. She was a welcome return to the field as we had missed her at the previous two races. Roy ingalls Jr holds third in the standings by 21 points ahead of TJ Buzzard and 29 over Sammy Nuno. These drivers might be the top contenders for the win, but others to watch for include Tim Buzzard Sr, Bo Robertson and Erick Ray.

John Parker has been the only Pro Jammer driver to show up consistently and easily leads the standings in his bracket. Meanwhile, Christian Sanchez has two Junior Jammer wins to get a 23 point lead over Hailey Glass. Glass is looking for her first win, while TJ Sorrels has a win to his credit. He is two points behind Glass. Charles French could also be there to give it a shot this week.

The little track on the infield gets watered down moments before the race, and then they turn the Jammers loose. Jack Schlief has picked up a pair of victories, but his lead is only 15 points in front of Jimmy Sorrels going into the fourth round. Some of the stars to watch for in this group include Keith Potter, Robert Portlock Jr, Rich Lovollee and Justin Johnson.

Furia Motorsports and their team have been making good things happen at Ukiah Speedway in a difficult situation. Though the fans can't be in the grandstands due to covid-19 guidelines, they've been offering up free streaming through their Facebook page. The Ukiah Speedway Facebook page is the place you want to go to for further information.

Madera Speedway

One of the leaders in getting tracks back open during the covid-19 shut down has been Madera Speedway Promoter Kenny Shepherd. Though some tracks have taken the nationally created plan to get things open, Shepherd had to create his own proposal that he offered to the Madera County Health officials. Fortunately, he managed to get the track open through different phases. 

After a few Club Races, they've even been able to have MavTV tapings with the popular and exciting Nut Up Pro Late Models and the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models. These two divisions will be in action this Saturday night along with a Bandolero versus Mini Cup shootout race and INEX Legends of the Pacific. You won't have to pay to watch this one. Thanks to sponsorship from nutup.com, Madera Speedway will be streaming it live in professional quality for all to see on YouTube.

Bakersfield driver Buddy Shepherd has impressed with a pair of Nut Up Pro Late  wins to get this thing started. Shepherd was in the hunt for the win the last time out, but those honors went to Jeremy Doss with an impressive drive to victory ahead of Shepherd and Trevor Huddleston. Shepherd now leads Ross Strmiska by 31 points in the championship battle. 15 points behind Strmiska is Blaine Rocha as Ryan Philpott is 16 points behind Strmiska. Matt Erickson has probably been earning the passing honors as he comes from deeper in the pack every week, and he is 25 points behind Strmiska in fifth. A field in the twenties is anticipated for the Pro Late Model portion of the event. 

If you want to get a glimpse of the future stars of Late Model racing, you need only look at the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models. Racers as young as 10 years old compete in this class. Bakersfield racer Seth Wise has a pair of victories and a third place finish, and yet he's not leading the standings. Bradley Erickson got the win last time and has finished no worse than third as he leads Wise by a slim five point advantage. Jaden Walbridge has also been fast and consistent as he trails the leader by 17 points. 15 points behind Walbridge is Cole Brown as Kercie Jung is 23 tallies out of third. Yung had her season-best effort in second behind Erickson last time out. This field could reach into the twenties for this show.

As the track works to build up the Mini Cup and Bandolero car counts, the two groups run a combined show that has proven to be very interesting. The Bandoleros have a slight advantage as they are a little quicker. On all three occasions, Jeffrey Erickson has driven to victory. He leads Joey Kennealy by 31 points in the championship battle as Caden Cardova is just two points behind Kennealy. In the Mini Cup portion, Rebecca Dubie has led her group on all three occasions. She finds herself just eight points ahead of Harley Kennealy in a close battle as Colton Nelson is third. 

The INEX Legends will be making their first appearance of the year in Madera. They've been racing quite a bit at Lakeport this year with visits to Stockton as well. We're not sure who will be on the roster, although drivers like Aiden Daniels, Kylie Daniels and Cody Winchell could be among the group. Whoever comes, the Legends Cars have been putting on good shows at various asphalt tracks in California for well over 20 years now, and this race should be no different.

if you are a fan of paved Late Model racing, you definitely don't want to miss Madera Speedway this Saturday night. Fortunately, you won't have to. As they will be taping footage for their MavTV broadcast to be aired later, you'll be able to watch high quality production of the show via the Madera Speedway YouTube page. We can thank nutup.com for helping make that possible. For further information, go to www.racemadera.com or check out the Madera Speedway Facebook page. 

In Closing 

It should be an exciting weekend to whet our appetites as we prepare for the California IMCA Speedweek Series that will launch on Monday at Placerville, hit Petaluma next, followed by Antioch, Merced, Hanford and Bakersfield. Some of the best IMCA Modified and Sport Modified competitors will be competing for the week-long championship. Flo Racing will be broadcasting all of the action as they have also come on board to sponsor the IMCA Sport Modifieds to guarantee $75 to start each feature race. Hoppes Motorsports has made it so that each Modified Main Event starter will get at least $100.

Management at Siskiyou Golden Speedway has said that they will be back under racing conditions again on August 22nd. Divisions will include the IMCA Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies. They were trying to put together a practice day for this Saturday, while the Yreka Outlaw Kart track will run a show on Friday, but word is the practice won't happen. The track will have a big two-day Labor Day Weekend show. It happens September 5th and 6th with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Outlaw Pro Stocks on both nights, and Mini Stocks will be there on Saturday night. The Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page will give you the up-to-the-minute information on what's happening there.

With some 50 different competitors across all of the divisions competing at Orland Raceway, we'd have to consider last Saturday's show a success. It's likely that they will be doing more, but we wait for the announcement on the Orland Raceway Facebook page. We're still trying to get results that we can share on the blog. 

The crown jewel of the Western States Dwarf Car Nationals will be happening on the final weekend of September at Marysville Raceway. They have begun putting together the details on that, and it's sure to be big once again. This is an event that's hosted by the NorCal Dwarf Car Association. Marysville Raceway has two more Wednesday night offerings during August before they wrap up their championship series, and you can get more information by going to www.marysvilleraceway.com or checking out the Marysville Raceway Facebook page.

California IMCA Speedweek Starts Monday At Placerville

Merced, CA...It's been something that's been speculated about for over a decade now, but it's happening next week. For the first time, California promoters have gotten together to create an IMCA Modified and Sport Modified Speedweek. The effort was spearheaded by Merced Speedway General Manager Doug Lockwood, who contacted the promoters at five other venues to create a six-race series that will take place in six days. 

The competitors in both IMCA sanctioned divisions will be put through the test. Not only will they be challenged to keep their cars in working order, they will be driving on six different racing surfaces in six days. There's not much of a margin of error. They go to the tight quarter-mile bullring at Placerville Speedway on Monday to get it started. On Tuesday, they go to the 3/8 mile adobe oval at Petaluma Speedway. They go across the bridge to the quarter-mile clay oval at Antioch Speedway on Wednesday. They head further south to the valley for a stop at the Merced Speedway quarter-mile oval on Thursday. On Friday, they head down to Hanford's Keller Auto Speedway, and they end it at the 1/3 mile dirt oval at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday night.

Due to covid-19 guidelines not allowing fans to attend any of these races, the promoters had to crunch the numbers to see what worked best for them. However, they came up with some purse money that was appealing enough to get drivers to start signing up at $50 a piece. During that time, sponsors came on board to make the purses that much more attractive. The IMCA Modifieds will pay $1,000 to win each race. Thanks to Hoppes Motorsports from Southern Oregon, IMCA Modified Main Event starters will receive at least $100 each race. The IMCA Modifieds will pay $1,000 for the championship with the Top 5 drivers receiving point fund money.

For the IMCA Sport Modifieds, a little bit of sponsorship was needed to help make it more attractive. Ken's Body Shop signed on to make sure that the Main Event winners will receive $750 at each race, and they also signed on to make sure the champion at the end of the week receives $700. The Top 5 drivers will receive point find money. Flo Racing, who will be offering the internet pay-per-view streaming service, came on board to help pay $75 minimum to start each Main Event. There are also a few other special cash prizes being offered for other things during the course of the week.

By the time the deadline had come for pre-signups, there were 39 IMCA Modified drivers from throughout California who added there names to the list, and there are some top caliber racers among them. The driver in this group with the most experience when it comes to Speedweek is Kellen Chadwick. Not only is he a past Antioch Speedway Modified champion, he's won two Wild West Speedweek Series crowns in the Pacific Northwest, including last year. He knows that it's not always about winning every race, but you have to finish consistently to have a chance.

West Coast Stock Car Hall of Famer Jim Pettit II has risen to the top of the IMCA State point list as he finds himself battling Antioch point leader Troy Foulger for those honors. Pettit recently won the Main Event at Watsonville. Speaking of Watsonville, six-time Watsonville champion and two-time NASCAR Pacific Coast Regional title winner Bobby Hogge IV has signed up for the week of excitement. 

A further sampling of the talent coming to the show includes past Merced Speedway champion Darrell Hughes II, Bakersfield title winner Robby Sawyer, past Hanford and Merced champion Pail Stone, past Hanford and Watsonville champion Brian Cass, Antioch champions Buddy Kniss and Nick DeCarlo and multi-time Watsonville champion Cody Burke. There are so many good drivers on this list that it's anybody's guess who will win in the end.

On the IMCA Sport Modified side of things, we have 30 drivers who have pre-registered. Two-time reigning Merced Speedway champion Fred Ryland could be the driver to beat. He's offered some stiff competition on the circuit this year with wins at Antioch, Watsonville and Susanville to his credit. However, 2017 Antioch champion and current Antioch point leader KC Keller hopes to have something to say about that. He has signed up for the series along with two Yreka champions, Trevor Tiffee and Ethan Killingsworth. Longtime Watsonville racer and past Street Stock champion Doug Hagio is on the list of pre-signups along with current State point leader Timothy Allerdings and reigning Watsonville champion Jarrod Mounce. 

The California IMCA Speedweek Series came at a time when we certainly needed some good news to get excited about. With the pandemic keeping the grandstands closed and making it hard for tracks to open at all, the racers will be able to get out there for six nights of competitive action. Fans will be able to watch every lap of it in the comfort of their own home via the www.floracing.com streaming service. For further information, go to the California IMCA Speedweek Facebook page.

California IMCA Speedweek presented by Hoppes Motorsports!

Entry list for California IMCA Speedweek

Modifieds

1-Robby Sawyer

2-Terry Hershberger

3-Paul Stone 

4-Jeffery Faulkner jr.

5- Darrell Hughes

6-Mike White

7-Cody Burke

8-John Pierce 

9-Ryan Daves

10-Tim LaBrake 

11- Jerry Flippo

12-Buddy Kniss

13-Jake Dewsbury

14- Anthony Slaney 

15- Bryan Clark

16- Gavyn Manning 

17-Christopher Sieweke 

18- Danny Wagner 

19- Nick DeCarlo 

20- Troy Morris III

21- Freddie Plourde

22- Josh Combs

23- Kellen Chadwick 

24-Dakota Schweitzer 

25-Bobby Hogge

26-Zane Devilbiss 

27-Derek Nance 

28- Austin Grabowski 

29- Jeff Browne 

30- Mitch Machado

31- Robby Jeppesen

32- Jim Pettit 

33- Jake Pike 

34-Justin Yaeger 

35- Tim Yaeger jr

36- Brian Cass

37-Vinny Raucci jr 

38- Tom Smith 

39-Alyssa Smith 

Sportmods

1-Fred Ryland 

2-Doug Hagio 

3-Jason Bannister 

4-Vaughan Vondera 

5-Jason Pugh

6- KC Keller 

7- Ryan Deforest 

8- Ethan Killingsworth 

9-Trevor Tiffee 

10-Scott Foster 

11-Brent Curran 

12- Cory Hemphill

13- Crystal Hemphill

14-Tanner Thomas 

15- Scott Savell 

16- Todd Gomez

17- Haley Gomez

18- Sheyne Bradley 

19- Joe Salvi 

20-Timothy Allerdings 

21-Garrett Jernagan 

22- Aaron Farrell 

23-Tyler Thomas

24- Chuck Weir

25- Kenny Shrader 

26- Jarrod Mounce 

27- Kelly Wilkinson 

28- Dylan Potter 

29- Tim Rolan 

30- Kyler Reynolds 

California IMCA Speedweek Aug 10-15th

Placerville Speedway August 10th

Petaluma Speedway August 11th

Antioch Speedway August 12th

Merced Speedway August 13th

Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds- Hanford August 14th

Bakersfield Speedway August 15th

Sponsors 

R&J Landscaping $100 hard charger each night sportmods 

R&J Landscaping $500 long tow for the week sportmods 

One hour drain $100 to 2nd place mods each night

Hammonds handyman & pressure washing $100 hard luck Petaluma modifieds 

Advanced Sign Contractors $500 product credit 7th in mod points must ran all 6 races

Kens Body shop made all sportmod races $750 to win and $700 to points champion

Hoppes Motorsports made all Mod events $100 to start.

Floracing made all sportmod events $75 to start 

Delta transmission $100 drawn to a lucky mod driver at each drivers meeting.

Xtreme scaffolding will be donating IMCA tire to the mod driver that draws the 4 in the re draw each night.

All events will be covered live on www.floracing.com,

Johnson, Miraglio, Learn Score Antioch Speedway Wins

Antioch, CA...August 1...Colby Johnson won the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. In the division's previous visit back in May, the Petaluma Speedway racer lost a close battle with Chase Majdic at the end and would settle for second. This was his second win at Antioch.

On this occasion, Johnson had the pole position by virtue of his second place heat race finish. Watsonville regular Kaleb Montgomery started next to him, and Johnson, past champion Billy Aton and Majdic mixed it up at the front of the pack. 2015 Watsonville champion Justin Sanders started back in the fourth row and rapidly worked his way to the front of the pack, getting around both Aton and Montgomery. However, Johnson stayed smooth and scored the victory with Sanders settling for second ahead of Aton, Montgomery, Joey Ancona, Majdic, Travis Labat, Caden Sarale, Burt Foland Jr and Brett Barney. Magic and Aton won their respective eight lap heat races as there were 15 competitors for this show.

Kevin Miraglio won the 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Association Main Event. The 2016 champion also won the May race for the group. Miraglio, Toby Brown and Mario Marques won their respective eight lap heat races to put them out front for the start of the race. Miraglio charged into the lead, while reigning champion Scott Dahlgren worked his way from the fourth row. Devan Kammermann had to start back in the sixth row. Dahlgren managed to get up to second, but he was no match for Miraglio. Kammermann got all the way up to third with Chance Russell finishing fourth, followed by Travis Day, two-time champion Mike Corsaro, Bobby Johnson, Ellie Russo, Marques and Gage Myers.

Mike Learn won the 20 lap Super Stock Main Event. Learn is the reigning Tri State Challenge Series champion. This race went 20 laps without a yellow flag. Jay Bryant was making his season debut, and he mixed it up with Chad Hammer, Jim Freethy and Mike Walko in the early laps before an impressive outside groove effort aboard the John Keith owned entry gained Chris Long the lead at the halfway point. Long enjoyed the lead for a lap before Learn went racing by. Learn stretched his advantage to about a straightaway in victory. A last-lap pass gained 2013 champion Freethy second as Long settled for third, followed by Mike Walko, Bryant, Hammer, John Evans, Danica Garretson, Chris Bennett and Joey Ridgeway. Learn and Freethy won the eight lap heat races.

For news and information from the track, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Foulger, Ahlwardt, Myers Share Antioch Speedway Spotlight

Antioch, CA...July 25...Troy Foulger won the 25.lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The win saw Foulger increase his point lead aboard the Bowers Motorsports Modified as a bad night for Kellen Chadwick enabled Jim Pettit II to take over second in the standings.

Heat race winner Pettit managed to lead some laps before Foulger went racing by. Starting back in the fifth row, Bobby Hogge IV made his charge to the front and eventually overtook Pettit for second. However, Foulger would prevail at the checkered flag ahead of Hogge. Pettit settled for third, followed by Danny Wagner in his season debut in the class, two-time champion Carl Berendsen II, Arron Crowell, Bobby Montalvo, Bobby Motts Jr, Billy Wilker and Greg Allen McElhaney. Crowell and Chadwick won the other eight lap heat races.

Guy Ahlwardt won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The reigning State champion started back in the fourth row next to championship contender Mark Garner. Ahlwardt and fifth row starter KC Keller made their way to the front of the pack. Ahlwardt got the lead and held off Keller to pick up the win. Keller gained the point lead with a second place finish and the absence of incoming leader Fred Ryland. Reigning champion Tommy Fraser finished third, followed by Trevor Clymens, Kenny Shrader, Brent Curran, Jason Jennings, Tyler Rodgers, Garner and Justin Foux. 

There were 23 cars, and eight lap heat race wins went to Tommy Clymens Jr, Scott Savell, Curran and Ahlwardt. Anderson visitor Foux won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Jennings and Damion Merritt.

Brad Myers won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the first start of the season for the past Hobby Stock champion. Myers had the pole position and led early on. Myers had a nip-and-tuck battle with James Thomson early on as Travis Dutra also ran in contention. Thomson saw his hopes for victory end in mechanical failure. Myers went on to win from there as Dutra faded late. Breanna Troen had a season-best second, followed by Gene Haney, Larry McKenzie, Jake Bentancourt, Jason Robles, Lori Brown, Colton Haney, Dutra and Nick Zapatero.

They were 25 Hobby Stock competitors on hand for this show, and eight lap heat race wins went to Myers, Thomson, Dutra and Gene Haney. Robles won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Gavin Griffitts and Dutra.

For further information on the happenings at the track, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

The Editor's Viewpoint

I have to admit I'm pretty excited about the California IMCA Speedweek Series that will be coming up starting this Monday. We had been talking about how something like this could be big during the pandemic we're going through, but of course at that point all we're doing is speculating. I can put ideas out there, and I believe I have good ideas, but I'm still just somebody sitting at a desk creating articles for the blog. It takes somebody who runs a race track to actually make it happen.

We're fortunate that somebody like Merced Speedway General Manager Doug Lockwood was looking at the things we were writing while he was trying to figure out how to get his own track open for a race. Imagine my surprise when Doug not only announced that he was going to have a race at Merced Speedway in July, but he was also working on a Speedweek Series with other promoters. I was thrilled when he made the announcement early last month that this thing was going to happen.

My idea had two parts to it, but I see now that part of it may not have been realistic. For a couple of months there, I was thinking that we might start hearing some really good news about tracks opening up their grandstands for fans. When I started thinking about Speedweek, I was also thinking that maybe we could do it at a time when tracks might open to fan attendance. I was looking at September for that possibility, but I'll admit to you that I'm doubtful much is going to change in that department by then. Something could happen somewhere, but overall I am doubtful that a lot is going to change.

The other part of the idea was that this series would be something to rally behind. Tracks aren't going to have championship seasons in some cases. You can easily count the tracks that have been rising above when it comes to opening up and doing several races without fan attendance, but there are several that are just running sparingly. Those tracks may not crown any champions at all this year, but tracks could still participate in a Speedweek. It's a chance to have a little bit of normalcy this year. It's also a chance to do something that we haven't really done in California since the NARC Sprint Car Series back in the 1990's. One week of intense racing with championships on the line. 

Doug had a pretty good idea where to go with this thing. He started contacting different promoters and had the series set up and ready to go. I don't know how many days it took him to do this, but when he made the announcement, we knew that August 10th would be the opener at Placerville Speedway. On August 11th, the racers would head for Petaluma Speedway. On August 12th, Antioch Speedway would get to host an event. Merced Speedway would open its gates for a show on August 13th, and the drivers would head on down the road to Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford on the 14th. The series would come to a conclusion at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday, August 15th. We also knew that fans would not be left out with Flo Racing internet pay-per-view available.

We've had a Speedweek in the Pacific Northwest that was headed up by Jerry Schram. This year was going to be a radically different series as he decided to remove three of the tracks from the rotation and add a track in Washington. When the pandemic saw to it that one track couldn't open, not to mention that one track still has to deal with health and safety code violations, the IMCA Wild West Speedweek Series that we've known for the past eight seasons would not happen this year. I guess we'll wait and see what comes up in 2021. This was only for the IMCA Modifieds anyway. 

It's kind of funny, because being a part of Southern Oregon Speedway, I heard a few insinuations that our track didn't care about the Sport Modifieds. We actually attended two PSM meetings and supported them with sponsorship. We also have had the biggest race in the state for that division. This year, we weren't just going to have the R Charles Snyder Saute on Labor Day weekend, but we had an additional $2,000 to win race scheduled for June. The pandemic killed all of that for us, which is still a sensitive subject for me. We also endorsed the attempt to add the IMCA Sport Modifieds to Speedweek as a series race for that division.

For whatever reason, as the IMCA Sport Modified division continued to grow up here, it wasn't included on every track's Speedweek schedule. We've had them at Southern Oregon, and Siskiyou Golden Speedway had them there. The year it was attempted to run them at every show, Heather Boyce at Cottage Grove decided to be the stick-in-the-mud who wanted to do it differently. When she did that, some of the California teams decided they weren't coming up if the series was only running the other four tracks. She had the power to bring it all together, and she decided to torpedo it. She did start her own special series at her track, but a lot of us were looking over at what she was doing in disbelief.

When I saw that my proposal to do a Speedweek and have both Modified classes included was the way Doug was going in California with this series, I was thrilled. You have to look at how the IMCA Modifieds have taken hold on the West Coast. Going back to the previous decade, there were enough tracks running IMCA sanctioning that a Speedweek Series could have been attempted at least 15 years ago. I know that from the very beginning of the Pacific Northwest Speedweek, there were people in California asking why the state didn't have anything. That's a good question. I suppose you'd have to ask all the promoters involved, but it could come down to one simple idea. Nobody took the initiative and put it together.

We can say that promoters won't agree on anything, and sometimes that's actually the case. Other times, nobody sits down and has a real discussion. Promoters aren't getting a good proposal and seeing that this could be a good thing for everybody. This was the perfect time for what Doug did. Tracks are looking for anything to hang their hat on right now, and a week-long series was just the thing. You have to be realistic when you're talking about opening your gates with no fans. What exactly can you do? I've been amazed when I've seen some of the races that promoters have put out there with extra money purses when they don't have fans in the grandstands. Obviously they've had sponsorship or I don't know how they could have done what they did.

Doug and the other promoters put together a purse structure, which was better than your average race. However, it was still in need of sponsorship to really bring it home. This is where Hoppes Motorsports came in. Travis Hoppes already sponsored a big weekend event in Yreka that drew more cars. He came on board to become the title sponsor and also insured the IMCA Modified racers that they will receive a minimum of $100 to start each Main Event. Flo Racing stepped in to make sure every IMCA Sport Modified race would pay $75 to start. Other sponsors came in for other perks, and even a point fund was announced that will be worth $1,000 for the IMCA Modified championship and $700 for the IMCA Sport Modifieds.

It really comes down to this. Without the community's involvement and the sponsorship, this couldn't happen. Without these promoters stepping up and booking dates, all we are doing is talking about it. The next thing that needed to happen was the racers had to step up. We have 39 IMCA Modified drivers and 30 IMCA Sport Modified drivers. Each of them has registered at $50 per car to compete for Speedweek championship points. That's an impressive start. What the entry list shows is that we are probably going to have some dates on the schedule that will see 40 cars compete in at least one of these divisions.

You have challenges in trying to do something like this during a pandemic. Also, consider how late everything came together. I believe the announcement was put out there on the Fourth of July. It's about a month later, and we've gotten the entry list together in that span of time. This would have to be considered a success. Doug isn't just looking at this as something to give us all a reason to smile during this crappy year. He's also looking at this as the beginning of something that could become bigger and better. In better times, fans will be attending and more preparations can be made ahead of time. This should be the beginning of a new tradition. 

Due to budgetary reasons for myself and the fact that we've only got a few dollars to spend on anything these days, I'm not sure I will be able to watch the action on Flo Racing, but I know people will. At some of these race tracks, they've bounced from one streaming service to the other, and that's led to some unhappy fans who have had to spend money through different companies. Most of them have bought subscriptions to Flo Racing, so they'll be able to make that useful for six days of some of the best IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified racing you're going to see in California. What's not to like about that? 

Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville is stepping forward this weekend with a Friday and Saturday night offering. This will be the I-80 Series that also includes several Nevada tracks. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Northern Nevada Sprint Cars will compete on both nights, while the Dwarf Cars will be on the card on Saturday night. The timing could be perfect for another big turnout in Susanville. 

IMCA Modifieds will be getting $1,000 to win on both nights, while the IMCA Sport Modifieds and the Hobby Stocks get $400. The purses for the Sprint Cars and Dwarf Cars will be determined. The track has been opening with socially distanced fans allowed and no concessions available, but they mentioned earlier in the week that they were still negotiating with Lassen County Health officials as to what will be allowed this time. The Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page will have all the other relevant information there. 

The Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series is busy as ever putting things together. As I've said, I think series organizer Roy Bain has everybody on speed dial. He's out there keeping an eye on all the news and trying to negotiate race dates for the Pro Stock division. What will really impress you is when you realize that the Pro Stocks have sort of been in disarray in recent years. Roy has been able to rally drivers from three states to the race track for some big shows for this class. Promoters are seeing 20 cars or more showing up at some of these races, and they are willing to do business under these circumstances. Roy has been able to offer $1,000 to win purses thanks to some really great sponsorship.

I'll continue to sing the praises of Lyle Hopper of Winning Attitude Motorsports, because he's stepped way above and beyond for the cause. People like Jay Bryant of Jay's Mobile Welding, Travis Peterson and Rick Workman Communications have also provided sponsorship. Roy went live on Monday with another update to confirm that the series will be in Susanville on August 15th. Both Workman and Peterson are helping sponsor that show to enable it to be $1,500 to win, and it will either be $100 or $150 to start. That's more good news.

The track that has been the biggest supporter has been Antioch Speedway. Actually, the biggest supportive track going into the year was the Stockton Dirt Track, but Tony Noceti has had one hell of a time trying to get the dirt track open since the pandemic shut down. There's still some hope that the November event could happen there, but we'll have to see. Antioch Speedway supporting this thing was almost a no-brainer. Management had been looking at this series for a while. Antioch knows that their support in the IMCA Modified classes and Hobby Stocks is solid, but there are divisions that could use a little bit of help. The local Super Stock division is one of them.

Already, Roy has been able to book two Tri State Series races in Antioch, and both had car counts in the 20s. The end of August will see them come to Antioch on the 29th, before heading to Petaluma on Sunday, August 30th. We know that Joe Carr Racing has sponsored purse money for the Petaluma portion of the weekend. Workman will be offering additional point fund money for a weekend series, and $300 will be on the line for that champion. What's interesting is that this Tri State Series will come close to having as many dates as originally scheduled, although some of the tracks will be different than originally intended. It's called making the best of a crappy situation. 

I was made aware of the fact that the group will also be part of the Donna Soares/Larry Damitz Memorial race in Antioch on October 10th. My sources tell me that this will still be Hall of Fame night. I've had to walk away from that night due to other circumstances, but I've reached out and offered the Hall of Fame portion of the event to Chris Briggs of the Antioch Speedway Days Of Old Facebook page. I don't know much more about that. Being that we do offer our opinions in this column, I will probably mention who I'd nominate and why, but I want to talk specifically about what's going on with the Pro Stocks here. They get to be a part of two big Antioch moments in October. 

From management's standpoint, they need to do what they can to pad the car count. There's hope that by October there will be fans allowed in the stands, but we can't predict what the governors of these states are going to do. if you don't get decent car counts, it could be problematic. The IMCA classes won't be there that night as they head down to Bakersfield. Super Stocks were always on the schedule, and bringing the Tri State Challenge Series to town was needed to help boost that car count. I haven't seen what Bakersfield is doing for the annual Bud Nationals race, but the Western Pro Stock Series has usually been a part of that in recent years.

October 31st will be a Halloween special at Antioch. I know management is crossing their fingers that the fans will be allowed by then so they can at least bring the season to a close on a positive note. The Pro Stocks are working on something special, and it's Hopper who is pitching in to help make it $2,000 to win and $200 to start on the occasion. The information still changes daily, and Roy watches everything. He will go live on the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series Facebook page with relevant updates as needed.

The Outlaw Pro Stock Association in Oregon has indicated that they are part of the schedule at Siskiyou Golden Speedway on August 22nd and will be part of something happening on Labor Day weekend on September 5th and 6th. As always, we wait for official updates from the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page. However, Missy Buchanan did go live on Tuesday to propose a playday for this Saturday night. Kevin had always intended to take the weekend off to spend with family, which I thought was interesting. However, Misty assured everybody that she could maintain things for a playday if the racers wanted to support it. 

On Wednesday night, she canceled the playday idea, but there will be one on August 21st. On the 22nd, the track will have IMCA Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and the first race for the Jefferson State Jalopies. You'll notice the absence of the IMCA Sport Modifieds. I really don't think that's a bad idea, but there are hardcore racers down there that aren't happy. They feel it's the biggest car count and should be on every date. I feel like to help keep it as the biggest car count, giving them a night off every once in awhile is a good idea. You can't make everybody happy, but you do try to do what's best for business.

With Southern Oregon Speedway having wiped out every big event they have remaining on their schedule due to the fact that fans aren't allowed to attend, this left Labor Day weekend wide open for Yreka to step in. I suggested in the previous Viewpoint column that they have some key Memorial races that haven't been run yet. This means Labor Day weekend could be a very special time in Yreka, and they've got a month to try to put something bigger together. The Medford area racers are looking, and this is another opportunity for the track to take a shot at something big and pull it off better this time. The Wednesday night announcement of no playday for this weekend yeilded more scheduling information for the rest of the season.

The track will try to get another playday on August 28th, and the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will be there the following night to headline along with Mini Stocks and Jefferson State Jalopies. Again the IMCA Sport Modifieds are not included on the schedule. I find that to be an interesting decision, but maybe not a bad one. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association hasn't had many racing opportunities, and I think they will come out in force for this show. Not to mention visitors will probably be in town from further north. It would be a golden opportunity for a Mini Stock booster of some sort to come out and sponsor some bonus money for the winner or maybe the Top 3 finishers or something. 

It turns out that the Labor Day weekend show will see IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Outlaw Pro Stocks competing on both Friday and Saturday. The Mini Stocks will race on Saturday. This according to the schedule that lists dates from now through the end of October. It looks like it will be a special occasion, so I'm sure that when Kevin has figured all of that out, you'll see Misty making announcements on the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page. It's nice to see the track regrouping and taking another shot, and they can do it better this time. I'm confident that it will be a good thing for the track and the racing community.

I noticed the race they listed for September 12th. They have some IMCA racing and Mini Stocks that night, but that won't include a point race as they can't have one on the weekend of the IMCA Nationals in Boone, Iowa. However, they are listing the Sprint Cars. I'm assuming they are taking a shot at getting the Limited Sprints from Southern Oregon Speedway. They can get those cars, but one thing is a must. 

Put the purse out there, and don't get too skimpy on it. At the very least, you need to give the Cottage Grove Speedway purse of $500 to win and $100 to start if not the Southern Oregon Speedway purse that's almost double that. Put the word out there, and you'll get double-digit car count for sure. Make it vague, and don't be surprised when there is not much of a turnout. I will say that it's interesting that they are taking a shot at it, especially since they may not be able to have fans by then either.

With Redwood Acres Speedway racing last week, Shasta Speedway about ready to race and Mountain Valley Raceway in Hayfork announcing plans to hold an event on September 12th, every track has reported from the northern half of California except for Quincy. For them, the Plumus County Fairgrounds is closed for the year. The people in Hayfork have been struggling to get anything going, but they did have a practice recently. I understand they made Josh Smith the president of the group down there. Josh has been active in the Hayfork racing community since they started racing there again about 10 years ago.

You just have to pick a date and go with it when you can. They didn't get to have their July celebration event, and it sounds like the group wants to do a fireworks display. The sad thing is, they don't know if they will even be able to have fans in attendance. They're trying to do a fireworks show that people will be able to see from away from the fairgrounds. I could say maybe they'll have fans in the stands by then, but you don't know for sure. This will be their big event at the Hayfork track. Maybe their only event? I don't know, but I would assume the regular Pure Stock, Mini Stock and Enduro classes will be on the agenda that night. You'll have to check the Mountain Valley Raceway Facebook page to know for sure.

Shifting gears to action coming up this weekend, Antioch Speedway will have their core lineup at the track on Saturday night, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers. We're hopeful of being able to see some results for the show. This was originally going to be the Jerry Hetrick Memorial race, which had been scheduled for June before the pandemic hit. When the racers saw that this was so close to the Speedweek Series, they requested that Jerry's race be moved to give it a better chance to succeed. Therefore, these same four divisions will be competing on August 22nd for the Jerry Hetrick Memorial. It was going to be these four divisions anyway, but now it's a special occasion as well. 

Last Saturday night turned out to be a big occasion for the track. You don't normally want to launch certain things on race day. You prefer to have a little bit of build-up, but the track announced the antiochspeedway.tv streaming service that night. It was announced so late that I'm not sure if everybody who would be interested even knew about it. The track also officially unveiled their new Facebook page, which I believe was originally the West Coast Nationals page last year. It's just been modified as the track page. I don't think this was the most organized way to handle things, but it's the way they were handled. At least it's been done.

The streaming service is an interesting deal because they're actually using the services provided by Low Budget TV, and their announcer was there to call the races. These guys are usually at Bakersfield Speedway, which is only running a limited schedule. Occasionally they go to Kern Raceway and other tracks in the area. I believe the track came to them for help setting up the infrastructure. What I've heard from people in the know is that the biggest issue they have in Antioch is having a good Wi-Fi internet connection. Management definitely needs to invest in that to ensure that the streams stay up, and then they should be good to go. 

Petaluma Speedway will be back on Saturday night. The USAC West Coast 360 Wingless Sprint Cars get to compete this week, and it's the first run for these guys this year. I expect drivers to be coming up from the Southern California area, and some locals will remove their wings as well. This will be worth watching on Flo Racing for sure. Another division that should bring the cars will be the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars. They've been hitting it out the ballpark at Petaluma so far this year. With the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros and the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks, it's a nice program, but there is a bit of concern.

Petaluma Speedway has had a Mini Stock program in their regular rotation since 1989. They inherited this division from Baylands Raceway, and there was even a Super Mini Stock class. That division was a little bit more expensive, so it only ran a few years before it ended. The Mini Stocks used to do some solid numbers, and they also graduated drivers into the higher divisions. One of their biggest success stories was Victor Gonella, but there were several others. For whatever reason, the division has stumbled out of the gate and hasn't delivered more than six cars on any given race night this year. I'm not sure if this is related to the pandemic or if there are other issues at play, but I hope it gets better.

It's good to have a gateway division to get people into racing. As they hit the 2000s, the Pure Stock division the track had faded away. The Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks aren't exactly cheap, and their ranks aren't as big as they have been. The track never started a Sport Modified class which isn't exactly entry level. It still comes back to these Mini Stocks. If things don't start to improve a little bit, I hope management takes a closer look at the class to try to figure out if something can be doing done to stimulate the interest. Is this a question of certain drivers dominating and other people feeling they don't have a chance anymore? 

I know Antioch Speedway started their Four Banger division again this year, but that didn't lure anybody from Petaluma. Antioch had an on-again off-again relationship with its own entry-level class, but it's last regular point season was in 2014. I think management saw the need to put something out there to get new drivers. I'm curious to see what those numbers will be this week. Will they have enough cars to race? I think there will be a few cars at Petaluma on Saturday, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens. With the Sprint Cars and Dwarf Cars on the schedule, I don't think people will be too worried, but management should still be concerned about the class. 

Ocean Speedway is back with some Friday night racing. It appears as if Promoter John Prentice is loading the field again with several different classes. I anticipate the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars will deliver the goods as they have been. Seeing enough cars for a B Main has been a common occurrence with these guys this year, and it's been an exciting show. IMCA Sport Modifieds continue what will be a championship season in the eyes of the sanctioning body, joined by the Western Midgets, South Bay Dwarf Cars, Four Bangers and Police N Pursuit cars.

The Western Midgets division is an interesting deal. These Ecotec Midgets are getting some attention in California at a time when Midget racing, at least in Northern California, is on the decline. Group leader Mike McCluney has traveled along the West Coast, so he witnessed the successful Focus Midgets program in the Pacific Northwest. This is something he's trying to create for Northern California. Being as open-wheel minded as Prentice is, I don't think it took much convincing to get him to add the division last year. However, the division doesn't just occupy a position on the roster. It's growing and it has great potential. 

What McCluney, Prentice and BCRA/USAC veteran David Prickett see is a gateway to get Micro Sprint drivers up to the next level. Not every driver on the Micro Sprint level will be able to get a good ride with a car owner, and that means some people have to use their own budget to go racing. These cars are not exactly cheap, but they are easier on the budget than a Sprint Car. We're seeing drivers like Norman Harley Rose, Blake Blower and Theron Smith making appearances in this class, and I think that's just the beginning. 

The Western Midgets aren't there to put a few cars on the track. They are there to potentially offer the track a Main Event quality program, and I think Watsonville has gotten in on the ground floor of something good. Flo Racing will be the place to watch the Ocean Speedway program this Friday night, and other information can be grabbed from the Ocean Speedway Facebook page. 

Of course, when it comes to Midget racing in Northern California, the name synonymous with it is the Bay Cities Racing Association. They will be back in action this week on the pavement in Stockton. They were also to have a pavement race on August 15th at Shasta before they get down in the dirt, but that event was just canceled by the promoter. I don't like the idea that these guys are going back and forth between racing surfaces, because they never pop a car count on the pavement. There are dirt people who don't want to do the pavement, but there are more people willing to do the dirt. I almost feel as if the leadership of the oldest sanctioning body in California is in disarray and in need of vision to lead them in the right direction.

This weekend's show at Stockton 99 Speedway is about honoring chief steward Tom Manning. Tom and his wife Linda kept BCRA going by keeping things organized. We lost Tom a few years ago. Stockton has become the home track for this event as Promoter Tony Noceti likes to have open wheel themed events to give his Late Model headlined programs a break sometimes. Saturday's show will include the Gunslinger Sprint Cars, BCRA Midgets, Grand American Modifieds, Focus Midgets, Vintage Midgets and the Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds. I can just say that I hope things work out for the BCRA and they can start to rebound, but I fear that without focusing on a more reasonable schedule on the dirt, it may never happen. That opens the door for the Western Midgets to take over or the USAC Western Midgets to stake a claim on the territory. 

The Winged Sprint Car effort at Stockton is an interesting one. The Gunslinger division kind of burst on the scene, and you got the impression that this thing could take off. They got to 10 cars quickly, but they never really advanced from there. They also managed to grab some of the stars from the NCMA Sprint Car group. The numbers in the NCMA dwindled as a result, but they will be racing a couple of times this year with dates at Madera and Ukiah. There could be some Stockton and Shasta this year for them, but we'll have to wait and see. 

Getting back to the Gunslingers, I think they could be a hit at Stockton if they delivered enough cars. When we get back to the days with fans in the grandstands, they love Sprint Cars. They don't see much Sprint Car racing on the pavement either. If you were to deliver them 15 or 20 of these cars anytime the Gunslingers were on the schedule, I think you'd get more butts in the seats. If you're struggling just to get 10 of them, I don't know how that will work out. We'll see how many cars they bring this weekend, but I hope it goes well for them. I hope the Tom Manning Memorial goes well overall. I always liked Tom and had respect for how fair he was with the racers, even if he was a bit rough around the edges sometimes. Information on the race can be found at The New Stockton 99 Speedway Facebook page.

We get two opportunities to watch some pavement racing for free thanks to the good people at Madera Speedway and Ukiah Speedway. One of the leaders when it comes to opening tracks again during the pandemic has been Kenny Shepherd, and he's been insistent upon making sure his fans at home get included in on the action for free. I can tell you that it can't be cheap operating Madera Speedway with the Late Model program they have. Kenny has good relations with his community and good sponsors. One of them is nutup.com. These are the people that sponsor the Pro Late Models that will be running this Saturday night, and they also help sponsor the free stream on YouTube.

What you'll get is outback Andy and Steven Blakesley calling the lap by lap for those of us watching at home, and they are also recording footage for the MavTV broadcast. You're getting professional quality for free. You're getting a good Late Model program, and also the rising stars of the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models. The track believes in bringing new drivers into Late Models. There's also a Bandolero versus Mini Cup race with more potential future stars. There is the INEX Legends of the Pacific as well, which should have a good turnout. It'll be a good program at Madera, and you can find more information through the Madera Speedway Facebook page.

I like the idea of people being able to check out Ukiah Speedway. Under normal circumstances, I don't know how many people are even aware of this gem of a race track. I've been to a few pavement tracks in my time, but this banked oval still ranks at the top of my list. With the pandemic not allowing any fans in the grandstands, Furia Motorsports has decided to open the door to them by giving away a free broadcast on Facebook. For Saturday night, they're going to be running under the lights for a special program that will include the Limited Modifieds, Bombers, Jammers and Jalopies.

It'll be interesting to see how the track conditions change and affect the racing as the sun goes down. It's a science that maybe we don't think about. We look at dirt tracks and how the conditions change, but just having the temperatures cool will affect how the cars handle on the pavement. Ukiah has been running during daylight hours this year, but the extra laps they're going to be running necessitate their need to go later. Furia Motorsports has also brought in some sponsors to make sure there's some purse money available for the racers. The Bombers have been wild and exciting for sure, and the Limited Modifieds have also been very entertaining. I know I intend to watch this. You can find more information at the Ukiah Speedway Facebook page. 

When the Wild West IMCA Modified Speedweek was going to kick off this year, it was to take place with the Shipwreck Beads Nationals at Grays Harbor Raceway two weeks ago. Speedweek was canceled, and Promoter Bert Johnson moved the big race to this Saturday night. It's not as big a pay as this race has been in the past at $1,200 to win and $100 minimum to start, but it's attractive enough for the area racers to support. Dirt Oval TV has been doing streaming services there, but I'm guessing that they're going to have the camera at Cottage Grove Speedway this weekend instead.

Heather at Cottage Grove has booked the Limited Sprints, Late Models, Street Stocks in the IMCA sanctioned Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Sport Compacts for this race. Regular purses will be paid, and they were endeavoring to get half of that paid through sponsorship. They will also have an Outlaw Kart race on the little track in the infield on Friday. 

Heather already announced that she wasn't calculating points this year due to the whole pandemic deal. However, IMCA is calculating points in its divisions. With this being the fourth event for the three respective classes, champions will be acknowledged by the sanctioning body for them. As always, you can go to the Cottage Grove Speedway Facebook page for any additional information.

It's kind of interesting to watch the things that happen at Coos Bay Speedway. Drake Nelson isn't just content to quietly open things up with his bar and grill model. Yes, he can have fans in the grandstands, and yes he can sell them concessions. Coos Bay Speedway is the anomaly on the West Coast that is able to do it all, and Nelson is endeavoring to get everything he can out of the deal. He's been changing schedules and adjusting them to get more cars in the pits, and he's seen some of the best numbers there that he's ever had. He's also doing things to try to get butts in the seats. Hey, why open for fans if you don't try to get as many of them as you can?

So basically, Drake took it up a notch last month by having a fireworks display as part of his racing program. He had a very nice crowd that night, to say the least. When you're the only track that can do it the way he is in the state of Oregon, you've got people coming from all over the state to watch or to compete. In an effort to top himself, Drake made an adjustment to the schedule for August 13th and 14th. He's bringing in the McDonald's Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour for two days. This will be the first Monster Truck show in the state as all of the others have been canceled, so you can expect good attendance, even with one of those events happening on a Thursday

Everybody's feeling the pinch right now, and businesses are taking a hit. The way things have been going the past few years for the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour, they have become very popular on the West Coast as a way to get fans in the stands. Event by event, they've had a string of cancellations. However, they're bringing their big trucks to Coos Bay for two days of entertainment. I would imagine these vehicles are going to be in top working order as they haven't been doing anything else, and that means that the Coos Bay audience will probably see one of the best Monster Truck events that this group has put on it a long time. This has dollar signs written all over it, and it was too big of an opportunity for Nelson to pass up.

Monster Trucks also necessitate an inflated ticket price, but people will pay that in Oregon. The events at Medford and Roseburg earlier this season were cancelled, and this means that Coos Bay could be the only chance you have this year to see the group in the state. I find it hard to believe they won't pack the grandstands for this one. Social distancing? What do you think is going to happen? I think Drake Nelson is just going to keep moving ahead, throwing the dice and seeing where they land. The oval track will still have racing to come before the year's up, and there could be add-ons during the week. Last I heard, the Tidal Wave 50 for the America's Mattress NASCAR Super Late Models will happen on the 15th. You can find more information at the Coos Bay Speedway Facebook page.

It's interesting to watch how things keep developing as we enter our stretch run. I'm looking forward to how things go for the Speedweek Series. I do think it's exactly what we needed under the circumstances, but I'm also curious why the promoters haven't tried to do something similar with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars. We're already seeing weeks where there are four races in a five-day span, so the drivers seem to be up for it. I think September would have been a perfect opportunity to give something a try. Whatever happens there, we will be getting IMCA Speedweek, and it's going to be big.

We may be adjusting our schedule on the blog this week to accommodate Speedweek, and we may do things a little bit differently. We're going to do our best to keep track of everything that we can, even if our budget doesn't allow us to watch a streaming service. It gets going on Monday, so we'll debate whether we do an end of the week post or what will happen. All I know is that we're going to cover it as best we can and be watching to see who rises to the top of this deal. 

Other than that, I'm still hanging in there. I'm told that having handed the reigns of the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame over to Chris Briggs, there is a desire to do a Hall of Fame event as originally scheduled for October 10th. They also want to do a picnic. Well, good for them. I'd like for there to be fans in the grandstands, but they're going to do what they feel is right. It's not my call to make anymore, but this is my column to offer an opinion. When I hear if they're going to actually do this or not, I'll put my thoughts out there as to who I was looking at for induction into the Hall of Fame this year. 

I would do that and let people offer opinions. The list that I would put out there would get changed and made better from consensus. Somebody would always be unhappy that a person was not included, but that's the nature of this deal. Everybody can't get in every year. The idea is that this is a tradition, and you do one every year. I'm extremely proud that I got this ball rolling. We wouldn't be having this discussion if I didn't step in and do something. I'd like to see other tracks do the same thing, such as Petaluma Speedway and Ocean Speedway, which actually does have a Hall of Fame that hasn't been acknowledged in over 15 years.

For Antioch, this was going to be the year we started looking at people from the 1990s as that decade is over 20 years old now. It's time. It can become intimidating when you try to consider people from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. It's not an easy choice to be made for sure. I have my ideas. There were people who didn't get included last year that I thought were almost locks to get in this year. In any event, if they say they're going ahead with this deal, you know you can count on me to offer my two cents on the subject.

Sadly, I'm not going to be down there for this. I know that I'm going to probably be a little bit depressed when October comes around and I'm not down in Contra Costa County, but it's the way it has to be. If the Hall of Fame does continue with an event this year, it's not a bad thing. It's just not the ideal situation to have such an event if you don't have fans. Keeping it going this year keeps the continuity in play, and there are some who believe that is a must. I'm not going to argue against that. I support the Hall of Fame. Why wouldn't I? I'm the one that got it fired up in the first place. 

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