Ocean Speedway, Madera Speedway, Antioch Speedway, Dixon Speedway, Coos Bay Speedway, More

First of all...

The DCRR Racing Media Books

Just A Kid From The Grandstands:  My Time In Auto Racing

Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003 Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

And

Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback

Disclaimer 

For years we've made a commitment to cover motorsports on the West Coast, and we're very proud of our record. We always endeavor to give you the most accurate information possible, but sometimes some details aren't available to us when we go to press. Therefore, we want to remind you that any finishes listed in the articles and stats posted on this page are unofficial. As always, we refer you to each race track's webpage for official results and point standings. Our goal is to cover racing to the best of our ability, but we are an unofficial news source for the tracks covered in each post. Thank you for reading and thank you for your support.

If You Like Reading Our Articles

Support Us Via The Go Fund Me The Tip Jar HERE

Also...

DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting  HERE

From the Grandstands By Ron Rodda HERE 

Blakesley Sports Media HERE

Short Track Live HERE

DRC (Daren Ricks Campbell) Motorsports Media HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Backup Link HERE

The California IMCA Speedweek Report

HERE

Sanders, Pettit, Miller, Gallaher, McClelland 
Ocean Speedway Winners Friday Night

Watsonville, CA...August 14...Justin Sanders won the 30 lap Ocean Sprint Car, presented by Taco Bravo, Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. In the process, he became the first two-time winner in the division in seven races. Sanders is the 2015 division champion, and his win came aboard the North County Plastering Sprinter.

Joey Ancona appeared to lead the first lap, but it was negated when Adam Kaeding rolled on the backstretch for a red flag. On the restart, Tanner Carrick led the pack over Ancona and Mitchell Faccinto. A low pass in Turn 4 of the second lap gained Faccinto second, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 3 for point leader Bud Kaeding in Turn 3. Kaeding had to change a flat tire. Tanner Carrick led Faccinto on the restart as an outside pass on the backstretch gained Sanders third. Ancona pitted shortly thereafter. It was a close three-car battle at the front of the pack, and Sanders made a low pass in Turn 4 as they went three-wide on Lap 9. He emerged with the lead as Carrick held second. A yellow flag flew for Kaleb Montgomery in Turn 4 on Lap 13. Sanders continued to lead Carrick and Faccinto, and a final yellow flag flew when Tristan Guardino spun from fifth in Turn 4 for a Lap 22 yellow flag. Sanders continued to lead the way. He caught traffic with a couple laps to go, but it didn't stop him from holding off Tanner Carrick for the victory. Faccinto settled for third, followed by Nelson, Ryan Bernal, Kaeding, Koen Shaw, Chase Johnson, Blake Carrick and Zane Blanchard.

There were 33 cars for the show, and Tanner Carrick toured the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval with a Lap of 11.634 to set the fast time. Montgomery was second quick at 11.707. The eight lap heat race wins went to Nelson, Sanders, Shaw and Blanchard. Front row starters Kaleb Montgomery and Max Mittry scored a 1-2 finish in the non-stop 12 lap B Main. Ben Worth finished third, followed by Colby Johnson and reigning champion James Ringo. Guardino earned the pole for the Main Event by winning the six Lap Trophy Dash ahead of Tanner Carrick.

Jim Pettit II won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the second win of the season for Pettit. Stephen Hopf led the opening lap before an outside pass on the backstretch of the second lap put Pettit into the lead. A low pass in Turn 2 on Lap 3 three gained Anthony Copeland third from past champion Robert Marsh. Kyle Bryan spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 7 yellow flag. Pettit continued to lead the restart as Copeland went past Hopf on the backstretch on Lap 8 to take second. An inside pass on the backstretch on lap 11 put Robert Marsh into third. Meanwhile, Pettit built a pretty good lead and set a good pace on his way to the victory. Copeland was a season-best second, followed by Robert Marsh, JC Elrod, Hopf, Bryan, Gary Marsh, Steve Streeter and Todd Hermosillo. Pettit won the eight lap heat race.

Randy Miller won the 15 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The race had three yellow flags before one lap was recorded. The worst incident occurred on the second restart when contact between Stephen Allee and Max Baggett saw Baggett spin on the front straightaway. This resulted in past Modified champion Alex Wilson rolling on the front straightaway in his season debut. Fortunately, he was not injured. The fourth restart attempt saw Mike Kofnovec Jr lead Miller and Kelly Campanile. Adrienne Frost made an inside pass in Turn 2 as they worked the third lap to take the third position, but Frank Cefaliello Jr spun in Turn 1 to negate the pass. On the restart, Miller made a move on the inside down the backstretch to take the lead from Kofnovec. Moments later, Kofnovec spun in Turn 3. Miller led Campanile and Frost on the restart. There was a spirited dual going on between Frost and Campanile, and Frost saw another pass for second get negated when Jim DiGiovanni spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 6 yellow flag. Miller continued to lead Campanile, and a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 9 gained KC Keller third from Frost. Keller went low in Turn 1 on Lap 11 to take second from Campanile and set his sights on Miller. However, Miller stayed smooth down the stretch and brought it home to victory. Keller settled for second, followed by Frost, Campanile, incoming point leader Gavin Espino, Charlie Hunter, DiGiovanni, Cefaliello, Kofnovec and Justin McPherson. Allee and Keller won their respective eight lap heat races.

Joe Gallaher won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the current point leader. Gallaher had the lead from the start ahead of Ken Winland and Steve Remde. However, a yellow flag waved on Lap 2 for a tangle between Thomas Summers and Bobby Huckaby Sr in Turn 4 and Winland, Remde and Terry Campion in Turn 4. Gallaher led Jerry Skelton and past champion Wally Kennedy on the restart. Multi-time champion Campion made a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 6 to grab fourth from Winland. Campion began pressuring Kennedy before making a low pass in Turn 2 on Lap 12 to grab the third spot. Campion then closed in on Skelton and went low in Turn 4 on Lap 16 to grab second. However, Joe Gallaher held a good lead by then and took it to the checkered flag. Campion was a strong second, followed by Skelton, Kennedy, Huckaby, Jack Roberts, Winland, Remde, Norm Ayers and Randy Miller. Joe Gallaher won his eight lap heat race, and Winland gained the win in the second heat when runaway leader and a three-time reigning champion Rob Gallaher had mechanical failure on the last lap to end his night.

Ryan McClelland won the 20 lap Four Banger Main Event. This was the third win of the season for the current point leader. McClelland raced into the early lead ahead of Richard Mitchell and reigning champion Kate Beardsley. They ran in that order until Mitchell pitted on Lap 8. Travis VanGilder and Mark Fields both pitted a lap later as Tony Gullo, Roy Iler and Jesse Gullings were having a spirited duel for third. An outside pass on the frontstretch of the 14th lap gained Gullings third from Gullo, and he began pressuring Kate Beardsley for second. At that point, McClelland had a straightaway advantage over the rest of the pack. McClelland brought it home to a satisfying win, followed by Kate Beardsley, Gullings, Gullo, Iler, Nicole Beardsley, Bill Beardsley, Eddie Gallaher, Chuck Kessinger and Mitchell. Kate Beardsley and McClelland won the eight heat races.

Racing returns next Saturday night with the annual Johnny Key Classic for the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars. Also competing will be the Western Midgets and the Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com or the Ocean Speedway Facebook page.

Giannini Wins 602 Spec Modified Race At Madera Speedway

Madera, CA...August 15...Jaron Giannini won the 75 lap 602 Spec Modified Main Event Saturday night at Madera Speedway. This race was part of the nine-race Tri Track Series for the group, and Giannini collected $1,000 for his winning effort aboard his Versatile Stone/Phil's Fabrication sponsored Pathfinder chassis. The race featured a good battle at the front of the pack throughout the entire distance between Giannini and Eddie Secord.  

Secord had a front row start for the race and moved into the early lead ahead of Giannini and Justin Johnson. Sam Jacks settled into fourth and began battling Johnson. Jimmy Petrie spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 12 yellow flag. Secord continued to lead Giannini, who made a run on the outside. Jacks was also pressuring Johnson for the third position, and a Lap 14 yellow flag waved when Rylee Massey crashed in Turn 4. Secord continued to choose the inside on each restart and Giannini kept getting good runs on the outside when the green flag waved. By the time they exited Turn 4, however, Secord still led with Giannini falling in line behind him. Jacks briefly grabbed the third position from Johnson on Lap 20, but Johnson went back by on the inside on Lap 21 as they went down the front straightaway. Petrie spun for a Lap 40 yellow flag. Giannini continued to pressure leader Secord on the restart, and Jacks again went by Johnson on the outside to briefly take third. Johnson made Turn 4 pass a lap later to regain third, and the final yellow flag flew on Lap 43 for Ethan DeGuevarra in Turn 2. 

Secord continued to get serious pressure from Giannini on the restart, while Johnson and Jacks battled fiercely for third. Jacks went high in Turn 4 on lap 44 to take third, but an inside pass down the backstretch on Lap 54 regained Johnson the position. As the race wore on during the final 10 laps, Secord begin to drift a little bit more on exit, and Giannini was taking bigger looks to the inside. Secord got a little bit loose exiting Turn 2 on lap 71, and that's all Giannini needed to move by on the inside to take the lead. Meanwhile, Jacks was again getting by Johnson for the third position. Giannini led the rest of the way to win ahead of Secord, Jacks, Johnson and Kayli Barker.

Sheldon Cooper won the 40 lap Madera Late Model Main Event to become the sixth different winner in as many races. In the last Madera Late Model race, Junior Late Model racer Kyle Keller held off Cooper to win. This time around, Cooper turned the tables on the young racer. Cooper raced into the early lead ahead of Keller. Championship contender Trevor Schlundt settled into third ahead of Del McIntosh and Howard Holden. There was a good battle going at the front of the pack as Keller kept taking looks to the inside of Cooper, who was running smooth laps in his groove. Schlundt pulled away in third, leaving McIntosh, Holden and point leader Lily Mead to battle for fourth. Just as the battle at the front of the pack was heating up, Holden spun in Turn 4 from the fifth position for the only yellow flag of the race on Lap 25. Cooper took control on the restart and pulled away from Keller down the stretch for the well-earned victory. On the last restart, McIntosh took the third position from Schlundt, and Holden moved in to challenge Schlundt for fourth. An inside pass on the frontstretch on Lap 39 gained Holden fourth, and Cooper won ahead of Keller, McIntosh, Holden, Trevor Schlundt, Mead, Jon Schlundt and Daytona Spicola.

Manny Gonzalez Jr won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the first win for the current point leader, who also won the heat race. Gonzalez led from the outset with Noah Morris spinning on the frontstretch for a Lap 1 yellow flag. Gonzalez continued to lead Bakersfield racer Don Mead on the restart. Bakersfield Bakersfield racer Brian Childress got lapped on the 11th lap. Gonzalez led the entire distance with Mead not too far behind in second as Childress took a checkered flag and third. Tyler Rogers scratched following the heat race.

Shaun Reynolds won the 20 lap MST Main Event. This was his second win of the season. Throughout the first half of the race, Shaun and his brother Ryan Reynolds went side-by-side with rookie Haley Bugg a close third. Bugg spun on Lap 8 for a yellow flag and again on Lap 12. When Bugg spun in Turn 2 on Lap 15, she kept going without a yellow flag and was lapped by the leaders. During the second half of the race, Shaun Reynolds led Ryan Reynolds for the 1-2 finish as Bugg settled for third.

Racing resumes next Saturday night with the Nut Up Pro Late Models and 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models running a MavTV taped event. Also competing will be the Legends of the Pacific and the Bandoleros vs the Mini Cups. Once again, the track will be streaming this event live online for people to watch for free thanks to sponsorship from nutup.com. For further information, go to www.racemadera.com or the Madera Speedway Facebook page.

Bloomfield Wins First Spec Sprint Race

Catucci, Cherezian Also First Time Winners

Antioch, CA...August 15...Dylan Bloomfield won the 25 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. Bloomfield is a 14 year old rookie in the class who raced Micro Sprints prior to making the move up. In his previous starts at Antioch, he has finished no worse than fifth, and he finished second in a good battle with DJ Johnson at the previous race. Due to covid-19 guidelines, the grandstands are still not open, but people are able to watch it all through the www.antiochspeedway.tv pay-per-view streaming service.

Johnson looked like he could be a threat to win another Main Event as he won his eight lap heat race ahead of Petaluma Speedway championship contender Daniel Whitley. Tony Bernard outran Jarrett Soares to win the other heat. In the Main Event, Bloomfield had Sprint Car veteran Soares to contend with, but he continues to show that he is a future star in Sprint Car racing as he held him off for the victory. In doing so, Bloomfield becomes the fifth different winner in as many races at Antioch. Whitley ended up third with Johnson fourth. Two-time Antioch champion Dan Gonderman rounded out the Top 5 ahead of ageless veteran Roy Fisher, two-time champion Bob Newberry, Bernard and Jeff Scotto.

Sean Catucci won his first career 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. Catucci came close earlier this season with a second place finish. He had two other drivers on his heels looking for their first win as well. Following Catucci was Travis Day in a career-best effort in second, followed by rookie Chance Russell. Two-time champion Mike Corsaro ended up fourth, followed by Gage Myers. Devan Kammermann outran Catucci to win the first eight lap heat race. Day scored the second heat race win in front of sixth place feature finisher Mario Marquez.

Ryan Cherezian won the 20 lap Super Stock Main Event. This was the first career win for Cherezian, who has scored several second place finishes in the last two seasons. Coming off of a second place finish last time out, Chris Long was piloting the John Keith car. He gave it a good run in a close battle with Mike Walko for second. By the time Long grabbed the position, Cherezian had checked out on the field.  Walko crossed the line in third, followed by two-time champion Mike Gustafson, 2013 champion Jim Freethy, Chad Hammer and John Evans. However, Walko was disqualified in post race tech. Freethy won the eight lap heat race ahead of Long.

Next Saturday night, it's the Fourth Annual Hetrick Memorial race. The IMCA Modifieds are back In action along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and the Four Bangers. Management has already announced that the Four Bangers will receive a purse with at least five cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com. Also, you can watch all the action live at on internet pay-per-view at www.antiochspeedway.tv.

Simmons, Olschowka, Shelby, Goetz, Davis Win 
At Diamond Mountain Speedway 

Susanville, CA...August 15...Riley Simmons won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Diamond Mountain Speedway. This was the season finale for the speedway, and Simmons was earning his second $1,000 victory of the season. However, with a third place finish, Ryan McDaniel was able to wrap up the championship. Simmons and Nevin Kennemore were both racing hard for their second win of the year, but Simmons beat Kennemore back to the line in a near photo finish to claim the victory. Kennemore settled for second, followed by McDaniel, 2019 champion Chris Nieman, Shawn Natenstedt, Jeffrey Hudson, Scott Furman, Royce Goetz, Malen Gonzalez and Matt Murphy. The 17 car field ran three eight lap heat races with wins going to Neiman, Goetz and Simmons.

Jeff Olschowka won the 20 lap Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series race. The Susanville promoter turned in an impressive drive in pocketing the $1,500 first prize, sponsored by Travis Peterson and Rick Workman Communications. He won by a straightaway over Jay Sears with Chris Smith finishing third. Oregon Pro Stock champion Scott Flowers finished fourth, followed by Jesse Gonzalez, Royce Goetz, Matt Micheli, Richard Workman, recent Antioch Tri State Pro Stock winner Mitch Machado and Danneeka Gerretson. The 13 competitors ran two eight lap heat races with wins going to Olschowka and Goetz.

Philip Shelby won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Shelby is a past Sport Modified and Stock Car champion at Marysville Raceway. He won the race by just under a straightaway ahead of Joe Olschowka. Craig Nieman clinched the championship with a third place finish, followed by previous champion Richard Longacre, Colton Chew, Jimmy Ray Huffmon, Jesse Ray Morring, Jeremy Phillips, Jimmy Ford and Kelly Kennemore. Olschowka and Nieman won their respective eight lap heat races as there were 12 cars for the show.

Royce Goetz won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was his fourth win of the season as he has been dominant when he's made has appearances. Goetz got the win over past Chico and Orland champion Jeremy Langenderfer. Langenderfer won a close battle with Carl Barlow, who settled for third, followed by Richard Italiano, past Orland champion Paul Stephens, Robert Warf, Aaron Flournoy, Joseph Conroy, new champion Randy Boyd and JT Willis. The 19 competitors ran three eight lap heat races with wins going to Barlow, Boyd and Don Dietter

Tom Davis won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was the third-straight win for the multi-time Orland Raceway champion. Davis got the win with Nick Boucher not too far behind him in second. Kate Robertson was a solid third, and this finish enabled her to clinch the division championship. Past Sport Modified champion Jason Emmot ended up fourth, followed by Tony Quinonez, Susie Schmitt, Fred Kresge, Anthony Hovland, Jack Turner and Michael McDonald. There were 14 cars in action, and eight lap heat race wins were earned by Davis and Boucher.

For further information on future scheduling and other news, go to www.dmspeedway.com or the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.

Thornhill Wins ISCS Race At Coos Bay Speedway

Coos Bay, Oregon...August 17...Colby Thornhill won the 25 lap ISCS Sprint Car Main Event Monday night at Coos Bay Speedway. Despite the fact that the Week of Speed Series had been canceled, Coos Bay decided to keep the race on the schedule and paid $700 to the winner, who came from Enumclaw, Washington to compete. Thornhill started on the pole next to Cottage Grove Speedway star Kinzer Cox, and the two battled at the front of the pack the entire race. It was Thornhill holding off Cox for the win. Cottage Grove champion Shane Forte ended up third, followed by Jared Hood, Steven Snawder, Austin Sause, Anissa Curtice, Laurence Van Hoof, Mike Colby and RJ McGahuey. Snawder and McGahuey won their respective 10 lap heat races.

Preston Luckman won the 25 lap Dirt Modified Main Event. Luckman is the reigning Super Late Model champion and won the Tidal Wave 50 on Saturday. After winning his heat race, Luckman battled early-season feature winner Jon DeBenedetti before picking up the win. With his third place finish behind DeBenedetti, Raymond Bloom gained the point lead. Paul Rea, David Schmidt and Dick Wright completed the finishing order as Jim Van Loon was a Main Event scratch.

Aaron Bloom won the 25 lap B Modified Main Event. This was the first win of the season for the current point leader. Heat race winner David Schmidt held off 14 year old Brionna Fuller to win the 10 lap heat race. Schmidt started on the outside front row for the Main Event and battled Bloom for the lead before Bloom took over for the victory. Schmidt settled for second, followed by Mitch Henson, KC Scott, Mike Lavery, Fuller and Roger Bell.

Jeff Thurman won the 25 lap NASCAR Hornet Main Event. Thurman started in the second row and had to hold off fourth row starter and reigning Street Stock champion Steve Dubisar for the win. Point leader Isaac Stere finished third, followed by Kevin Rockwell, Scarlett Drake, 10 lap heat race winners William Hitner and John Henry, Zach Hickman and Dusty Shingleton.

Next on the schedule will be this Saturday night's NASCAR Whelen All American Series Sponsorship Appreciation Night. The America's Mattress Super Late Models will be there along with the Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us or go to the Coos Bay speedway Facebook page.

Luckman Wins Tidal Wave 50 At Coos Bay Speedway

Coos Bay, Oregon...August 15...Preston Luckman won the Tidal Wave 50 for the NASCAR America's Mattress Super Late Models Saturday night at Coos Bay Speedway. This was the third win of the season for the reigning division champion, and he collected $1,000 for his effort. The Late Models had an impressive 14 car turnout with nearly 90 total cars in the pits for the action-packed show. Coos Bay continues to be able to have fans and sell concessions during this covid-19 pandemic, while no other track on the West Coast has been able to accomplish the same feat.

Luckman had the pole for the Main Event and led the pack to the green flag. Front row starter Steve Fuller was quickly shuffled out of the picture as rookie and championship contender Braden Fugate and Willamette Speedway champion Joey Tanner made their move. Tanner was piloting the Doug Elkins car, and he quickly settled into second. However, Luckman drove a smooth race for perhaps the biggest win of his career. Tanner settled for second ahead of Fugate. With his fourth place finish, 2018 champion Brody Montgomery moved into a tie with Jason Johnson for the point lead. Reigning Southern Oregon Speedway champion Trent Elliott finished fifth, followed by Nathan Augustine, Johnson, Wayne Butler, Chris Kristensen and Deven Brown. Tanner and Fugate won their respective eight lap heat races.

Graig Osborne won the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event. This was the fourth win for Osborne, who currently ranks third in the standings. He started in the third row and had to battle Andrew Mathers and point leader Ken Fox before moving into the lead. Mathers drove to a second place finish, while Fox settled for third. Reigning champion Steve Dubisar, Troy Chamberlain, Melissa Adams and Michael Hollingsworth completed the finishing order. There were 14 cars on hand, but half the field was eliminated through the heat races. Mathers and Osborne won their respective eight lap heats.

Camden Robustelli won the 25 lap Dwarf Car Main Event. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and Northwest Dwarf Cars both competed in this event, and they produced an 18 can field. Robustelli had the pole position, and his closest competition down the stretch came from two-time Southern Oregon Dwarf Car champion Brock Peters. Peters started in the second row, and the battle was on. However, Robustelli forced Peters to settle for second. Northwest Dwarf Car competitor Shane Youngren turned in a solid performance in third, followed by Southern Oregon racer Steve Walker, Chris Kress, James Brinster, Jake Grabow, Cody Peters, Dave Brune and Chad Cardoza. The eight lap heat race wins went to Bret James, Brock Peters and Ryan Smith. 

Trace Fugate won the 20 lap Sportsman Late Model Main Event. Fugate is the current point leader, and this was his second win of the season. He shared the front row with IMCA Sport Modified rookie Brionna Fuller, and the duo earned a 1-2 finish in both the Main Event and their eight lap heat race. Jared Simmons settled for third in the feature, followed by Jim Van Loon and Zach Nelson.

Tahlen Rogers won the 20 lap Mini Outlaw Main Event. This was the second win for Rogers. Rogers started on the pole for the race, but 10 lap heat race winner Scott Beaudoin moved from the third row in a quest for his fourth win of the season. However, Rogers was up to the task and held off Beaudoin for the win. Heat race winner Jason Kellam finished third, followed by John Henry, Jordan Beaudoin, Darrel Nelson Jr, Pam Beaudoin, Doug Pirtle and point leader Brad Hicks.

Leroy Rockwell won the 20 lap Hornets Main Event. This was the first win of the season for Rockwell. Following an eight lap heat race win, Rockwell had the pole for the Main Event next to Kris Parker. The duo battled for the lead early on, but Rockwell would prevail at the checkered flag. Roseburg star Rich Dickinson came from the sixth row to a strong third place finish, followed by Jeff Thurman. Point leader Isaac Stere finished fifth ahead of Dan Beaudoin, Scarlett Drake, Burnie Bryant, William Hitner and Kevin Rockwell. Dan Beaudoin won the other eight lap heat race.

Griff Smith won the 12 lap Junior Stinger Main Event. This was the seventh win of the season for the point leader. Smith and second-ranked Alex Butler won their respective eight lap heat races and started back in the fifth row. They rapidly worked their way to the front of the pack with Smith holding off Butler for the 1-2 finish. Cameron Metzgus finished third, followed by James Shingleton, Alexus Baker, Drake Vincent, Heather Burton, Eli Luckman, Lily Metzgus and Teagan Montgomery.

Coos Bay Speedway was hosting an ISCS Limited Sprint race the following Monday, and this coming Saturday night will feature a race including the NASCAR Whelen All American Series America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stock, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us or check out the Facebook page.

Knight, Cox Win At Lakeport Speedway

Lakeport, CA...August 15...Darrin Knight won the 30 lap NCRA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Lakeport Speedway. He becomes the third different winner in the  four races held so far. Richard Knight charged into the lead at the start in his quest for a second win as Darrin Knight and Robert Schmidt took up pursuit. Jeremy Nowlin moved past Schmidt for the third position on Lap 6. A yellow flag waved for Richard Knight on Lap 7. Darren Knight had the lead at that point with point leader Mike Sullivan settling into second over Ian Elliott. Nowlin and Elliott battled for the third position throughout the rest of the race. Meanwhile, Darrin Knight set a good pace upfront and earned the victory ahead of Sullivan, Elliott, Nowlin, Schmidt, Richard Knight and Donovan Cox, who exited the race early. 

Sullivan turned the quarter-mile paved over with the quickest lap of 12.845, beating the 12.903 of Nowlin. Darrin Knight outran Nowlin to win the four lap Trophy Dash and also held off Nowlin to win the 10 lap heat race to complete the clean sweep.

Donovan Cox won the 30 lap Taco Bell Bombers Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the current point leader. Seth Chew led the opening five laps ahead of Mikey Collins, but Collins slipped past Chew to take the lead on Lap 6. A lap later, Cox moved by Chew to take over the second position. Collins was looking like he might be on his way to his fourth win of the season, but his race ended with mechanical issues on Lap 17. This put Cox into the lead ahead of Chew and Klinton Waite. Waite and Jim Kollenborn both got past Chew on Lap 19 and had a battle for the second position. At the checkered flag, it was Cox winning with Kollenborn getting around Waite for the second spot. Waite settled for third, followed by Trevor Abella, Chew, Casey Horat, Amber Portlock and Collins.

Collins was the quickest of eight qualifiers with a lap of 14.020, being a 14.093 of Cox. Cox won the four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Kollenborn and held off Collins to win the second 10 lap heat race. The first heat race had a near photo finish at the line with Chew winning ahead of Abella.

Ron Portlock won the 15 lap Pro 4 Modified Main Event. Portlock led the entire distance to beat rock Rick Jelton by a straightaway. Will Robertson was the fastest qualifier at 13.228, but his night ended in the four lap Trophy Dash, which was won by Portlock ahead of Johnny Barker. Barker's night came to an end after the Trophy Dash as well. Portlock won the 10 lap heat race comfortably ahead of Jelton. Mechanical issues also claimed Chris Straka during the hot lap session, reducing the six car field to two competitors by the time the Main Event came around.

The NCRA Limited Modified, Taco Bell Bombers and Pro 4 Modifieds are back in action this Saturday night along with an appearance by the Late Models. Legend Cars and Four Bangers. For further information, go to the NCRA Lakeport Speedway Facebook page.

Stone, Sanders, Wood, Fernandez Win At Dixon Speedway

Dixon, CA...August 15...Austin Stone won the 20 lap Wingless Micro Main Event Saturday night at Dixon Speedway. This was the second win of the season for Stone. Stone raced into the early lead ahead of Brandon Shaw and Matthew Sargent. Unfortunately, Shaw saw his race come to an end for a Lap 3 yellow flag. Stone continued to lead as point leader Kelvin Lewis worked his way towards the front of the pack. Sargent was running second until Lewis moved by to grab the position on lap 21. A Lap 22 yellow flag bunched the field and gave Lewis a shot at Stone. However, Stone was not to be denied as he continued to lead on the restart and brought it home to a satisfying win. Lewis settled for his second-straight runner-up finish, followed by Sargent, past Petaluma Dwarf Car champion Dave Mosier, Travis Sullivan, two-time Super 600 champion Kyle Mentch, Brandon Alvarado, Austin Taborski, Joe Silva and Izak Johnson.

Shaw was the quickest a 27 qualifiers on the one-fifth mile dirt oval with a lap of 11.570, beating the 11.610 of Cody Gray. Stone put himself in a good position to win by holding off Shaw and Mentch to win the eight lap Trophy Dash. 10 lap heat race wins were earned by Shaw, Mentch and Sargent. Don McLeister won the 12 lap B Main with Ryan Holden not too far behind in second. Taylor DeCarlo finished third.

Ricky Sanders won the 25 lap Super 600 Main Event. This was his second win in the last three races.  Sanders raced into the lead at the start ahead of point leader Brad Hannum and Brett McCullough. A yellow flag waved on Lap 9, but Sanders continued to set the pace on the restart. James Andrichuck settled into fourth on the restart and began challenging the McCullough. There were two yellow flags during the next four laps. Sanders led Hannum on the Lap 16 restart as Andrichuck slipped past McCullough for the third position. However, Hailey Wood moved by Andrichuck for third on Lap 19. Sanders didn't pull too far away from Hannum, but he still made no mistakes on his way to victory. Wood finished third, followed by Andrichuck, McCulloch, Jarrett Heimlich, Hayden Saich, Todd Job, Tony Alosi and BCRA Midget Lites star Hunter Kinney.

Wood had the fast time of 10.466 to beat the 10.539 of Sanders. Hannum won the 10 lap heat race ahead of Sanders, and Hannum also held off Sanders to win the four lap Trophy Dash.

Austin Wood won the 20 lap Restricted Main Event. This was his third win of the season. He also was the fourth different winner in the last four races. Wood raced into the lead at the start ahead of point leader Bryant Bell and Matthew Tatoole. Following yellow flags on Laps 3 and 4, Wood continued to lead the way. Tatoole slipped past Bell on the Lap 5 restart to grab the second position. Tatoole was pressuring Wood for the lead when he bobbled just a little bit and gathered it back up on Lap 15. Unfortunately, Tatoole saw his race come to an end on Lap 18 for a yellow flag. Wood led Bell and Kirby on the final restart, and they finished in that order. AJ Nielsen finished fourth, followed by Tallon Becker, Izaak Sharp, Tatoole, Kyle Cravotta, Cierra Wullenwaber and Brandon Rivera.

Tatoole set the fast time of 11.179, just beating the 11.187 of Wood. Bell and Rylee Whitehouse won their respective eight lap heat races with Wood winning the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Bell.

Kyle Fernandez won the 20 lap Junior Sprint Main Event. This was his third win of the season. Fernandez won the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Brody Rubio to put the duo on the front row for the Main Event. Fernandez led at the start ahead of Rubio and Peyton Whitehouse. Point leader Makayla Tatoole moved past Whitehouse for the third position on Lap 6. The red flag waved for Jacob Battle on Lap 7. On the restart, Fernandez continued to lead Rubio, but Tatoole moved around Rubio for second on Lap 17. However, Fernandez was not to be denied as he sped home to the victory. Tatoole settled for her fifth second place finish, followed by Rubio in his fourth third place finish, Whitehouse, Briggs Davis, Ryder Johnson and Battle. Kellen Harper was a Main Event scratch. Rubio set the fast time of 12.776, beating the 12.826 of Fernandez. Fernandez and Davis won their respective 10 lap heat races.

Micro Sprint racing will continue at Dixon Speedway on August 29th for their 11th event of the season. For further information, go to www.dixonspeedway.net or check out the Dixon Speedway Facebook page.

Lipke, Simmons Win Double Header Weekend 
At Diamond Mountain Speedway

Susanville, CA...August 7-8...Diamond Mountain Speedway opened August with a doubleheader weekend, but they did so without fans in attendance. County Health officials did not approve fan attendance, but the races went on as scheduled. Both nights included the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Sprint Cars as part of the I-80 Series. The Mini Stocks and Stock Cars also competed on both the nights with the Dwarf Cars running on Saturday only.

On Saturday night, Yreka racer Jimmy Lipke managed to snatch the victory from Nick Trenchard on the final lap. Trenchard had been leading the way with Lipke and Chris Nieman in close pursuit, and Lipke managed to take advantage of a Trenchard mistake to beat him back to the line for the $1,000 win. Trenchard settled for second, followed by Nieman, Justin McCreadie, point leader Ryan McDaniel, Gene Kay, Robert Miller, Riley Simmons, Corey Sample and James Thibodeaux. The four eight lap heat race wins went to Thibodeaux, Gene Kay, Nevin Kennemore and McCreadie. With 28 cars in action, they also needed a 15 lap B Main, and Simmons won that race ahead of Miller, Sample, Royce Goetz and reigning State champion Trevor Fitzgibbon.

.

On Friday night, Nick Trenchard was in the hunt to get the win, but it was Riley Simmons staying in championship contention by picking up the $1,000 victory with Trenchard a close second. Two-time Western Regional champion Corey Sample finished third, followed by Trevor Fitzgibbon, Ryan McDaniel, Gene Kay, Robert Miller, Jeremy Richey, Justin McCreadie and Matt Murphy. Simmons, Wade Kennemore, Scott Foreman and Trenchard won their respective eight lap heat races. The 15 lap B Main win went to Richey in a photo finish with Zane DeVilbiss. Miller finished third ahead of Matt Murphy and Mitch Murphy.

Jorddon Braaten won the 15 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event on Saturday. The win paid $400 to the three-time reigning Southern Oregon Speedway champion. Braaten got the win with Brian Baker not too far behind in second. State point leader Timothy Allerdings won a close battle with track point leader Craig Nieman to finish third as Colton Chew, Justin Funkhouser, Jimmy Ford, reigning champion Richard Longacre, Mike Merritt and Randy Wright rounded out the Top 10. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Nieman, Tyler Rodgers and Braaten.

On Friday night, Craig Nieman kept his championship hopes going strong with a $400 feature win. State point leader Timothy Allerdings wasn't too far behind him in second. About a straightaway behind them in third was Mike Ficklin, just ahead of Colton Chew. Ryan Belli was a solid fifth, followed by Tyler Rodgers, Braxton Possinger, Dennis Crook, Shaun Merritt and Scott Foster. Nieman and Allerdings won their respective eight lap heat races.

The Nevada Sprint Car Tour made their first appearance at Susanville for the doubleheader weekend. The Saturday night race saw Jordan Garretson winning the 15 lap Main Event with Trey Walters not far behind in second. Bruce Ferrier was a solid third, followed by Steve Williams, Dallas Ott, Darren Boone, Nick Purdy and Bob Shank. The eight lap heat race wins went to Garretson and Walters.

On Friday night, Trey Walters managed to beat Jordan Garretson to the line in a photo finish for the thrilling win. Nick Purdy was a close third, followed by Steve Williams, Darren Boone, Dallas Ott and Bob Shank. Bruce Ferrier and Garretson were the eight lap heat race winners.

In Stock Car competition, Royce Goetz turned in a rather dominant performance in winning the Main Events on both Saturday and Friday. The Saturday show saw Goetz holding off Nevada Pro Stock star Jesse Gonzalez for the win. Robert Miller was a close third in the second Goetz car. Past Orland and Chico champion Jeremy Langenderfer was a solid fourth, followed by Don Dietter, reigning track champion Jake Hutson, David Ausano, point leader Randy Boyd, Jacob Dias and Paul Stephens. There were 21 cars in action, and the eight lap wins went to Dave Flournoy, Miller and Robert Warf.

On Friday night, Royce Goetz won the 15 lap Main Event with teammate Robert Miller a close second. Randy Boyd maintained his solid point lead with a third place finish ahead of Jesse Gonzalez, past Orland champion Paul Stephens, Aaron Flournoy, David Ausano, Joseph Conroy, Robert Warf and Dave Flournoy. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Gonzales, Flournoy and Boyd.

In Mini Stock competition, multi-time Orland Raceway champion Tom Davis enjoyed a double win weekend. On Saturday night, Davis won the 15 lap Main Event as Kate Robertson maintained her point lead with a strong second place finish. Tony Quinonez ended up third, followed by Bob Feller, Jordan Riley, David Woods, Anthony Hovland, Johnny Moya, Johnny Dahlen and Doug Hast. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Davis and Suzi Schmitt.

On Friday night, Tom Davis won the 15 lap Mini Stock Main Event with Suzi Schmitt in close pursuit. Nick Boucher finished third, followed by Tony Quinonez, Jason Emmot, Bob Feller, Salvador Saucedo, point leader Kate Robertson, David Woods and Anthony Hovland. Schmitt and Quinonez won their respective eight lap heat races.

Dwarf Cars joined the action on Saturday night with a 15 lap Main Event. Joe Frock won that race with Buddy Olschowka finishing a solid second. Vernon Hubbard placed third with Glenn Sciarani about a straightaway behind him in fourth, followed by Billy Canham, Roy Peterson, Skip Hempler, Donald Peterson and Isaak Geil. The eight lap heat race wins went to Olschowka and Hubbard.

For further news on what's going on at the track and other important information, go to www.dmspeedway.com or the Diamond Mountain Speedway Facebook page.


Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 14, 2020
Taco Bravo Sprints
Main Event
Justin Sanders
Tanner Carrick
Mitchell Faccinto
Kurt Nelson
Ryan Bernal
Bud Kaeding
Koen Shaw
Chase Johnson
Blake Carrick
Zane Blanchard
Jason Chisum
Colby Johnson
Max Mittry
John Clark
James Ringo
Jake Andreotti
Ben Worth
Tristan Guardino
Kaleb Montgomery
Chris Nelson
Joey Ancona
Adam Kaeding

B Main
Kaleb Montgomery
Max Mittry
Ben Worth
Colby Johnson
James Ringo
Jason Chisum
Jerry Bonnema
Sean Becker
Grant Champlin
Jeremy Chisum
Burt Foland Jr
Travis Labat
Eric Humphries
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Mark Barroso
Jayson Bright DNS
Josh Chisum DNS

IMCA Modifieds
Jim Pettit II
Anthony Copeland
Robert Marsh
JC Elrod
Stephen Hopf
Kyle Bryan
Gary Marsh
Stephen Streeter
Todd Hermosillo

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Randy Miller
KC Keller
Adriane Frost
Kelly Campanile
Gavin Espino
Charlie Hunter
Jim DiGiovanni
Frank Cefaliello Jr
Mike Kofnovec Jr
Justin McPherson
Kaylin Lopez
Scott Savell
Steven Allee
Alex Wilson
Max Baggett
Dwayne Short
Samuel Mason

Mini Stocks
Ryan McClelland
Kate Beardsley
Jesse Gullings
Tony Gullo
Roy Iler
Nicole Beardsley
Bill Beardsley
Eddie Gallaher
Chuck Kessinger
Richard Mitchell
Travis VanGilder
Joseph Marsh
Mark Fields
John Grilli DNS

Hobby Stocks
Joe Gallaher
Terry Campion
Jerry Skelton
Wally Kennedy
Bobby Huckaby Sr
Jack Roberts
Ken Winland
Steve Remde
Norm Ayers
Randy Miller
Thomas Summers
Rob Gallaher DNS
Cody Bryan DNS
Brady Muller DNS


Diamond Mountain Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 15, 2020
Tri State Pro Stock Series Challenge Series
Jeff Olschowka
Jay Sears
Chris Smith
Scott Flowers
Jesse Gonzalez
Royce Goetz
Matt Macheli
Richard Workman
Mitch Machado
Danneeka Garretson
Ryan Smith
Bill Pearson
Blane Hill

IMCA Modifieds
Riley Simmons
Nevin Kennemore
Ryan McDaniel
Chris Nieman
Shawn Natenstedt
Jeffrey Hudson
Scott Foreman
Royce Goetz
Malen Gonzalez
Matt Murphy
Dave Sciarroni
Jeff Chew
Larry McCracken
Rob Robles
Robert Mull
Jeff White
Boyd Murchison

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Phillip Shelby
Joe Olschowka
Craig Nieman
Richard Longacre
Colton Chew
Jimmy Ray Huffmon
13:50.684
Jesse Ray Morring
Jeremy Phillips
Jimmy Ford
Kelly Kennemore
Dennis Crook
Joey Pearson

Hobby Stocks
Royce Goetz
Jeremy Langenderfer
Carl Barlow
Richard Italiano
Paul Stevens
Robert Warf
Aaron Flounay
Joseph Conroy
Randy Boyd
JT Willis
Dave Flournay
Jimmy Burhorst
James Wooddell
Jacob Dias
Zach Lindgren
Doug Weeks
Bryan Lloyd
Steven Buhr
Don Diettier

Mini Stocks
Tom Davis
Nick Boucher
Katelynn Robertson
Jason Emmot
Tony Quinonez
Suzie Schmitt
Fred Kresge
Anthony Hovland
Jack Turner
Michael MacDonald
Andi Hart
Anthony Esquaville
Bob Feller
Johnathen Dahlen


Dixon Speedway Unofficial Results August 15, 2020
Wingless
Austin Stone
Kelvin Lewis
Matthew Sargent
Dave Mosier
Travis Sullivan
Kyle Mentch
Brandon Alvarado
Austin Taborski
Joe Silva
Izak Johnson
Ryan Holden
Derrick Patterson
Rob Brown
Matt Santana
Chuck Patterson
Chris Parmley
Jarrett Heimlich
Savannah Brown
Don McLeister
Taylor DeCarlo
Norman Harley Rose
Brandon Shaw

Semi Main
Don McLeister
Ryan Holden
Taylor DeCarlo
Savannah Brown
Norman Harley Rose
Jeff Eklund
Charlie Kight
Cody Gray DNS
Josh Hurley DNS

Super 600
Ricky Sanders
Brad Hannum
Hailey Wood
James Andrichuck
Brett McColloch
Jarrett Heimlich
Hayden Saich
Todd Job
Tony Alosi
Hunter Kinney

Restricted
Austin Wood
Bryant Bell
Colin Kirby
AJ Neilson
Tallon Becker
Izaak Sharp
Matthew Tatoole
Kyle Cravotta
Cierra Wullenwaber
Brandon Riveira
JJ Loss
Rylee Whitehouse

Jr Sprint
Kyle Fernandez
Makayla Tatoole
Brody Rubio
Peyton Whitehouse
Briggs Davis
Ryder Johnson
Jacob Battle
Kellen Harper DNS


All American Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 15, 2020
Southwest Tour
Derek Thorn
John Moore
Jacob Gomes
Dean Thompson
Tracy Bolin
Cole Moore
Kyle Neveau
Bobby Hodges
Eric Schmidt
Zach Telford
Carlos Vieira
Andy Allen
Linny White
Tyler Fabozzi
Jonathan Mawhinney
Joey Iest
Buddy Shepherd
Brandon Farrington
Scott Sanchez
Blaine Rocha
Michael Hite
Trevor Huddleston 

NASCAR Late Model
Main Event 1
Cole Moore
Randy Hedrick
Shannon Mansch
Matthew Wendt
Chris Scribner
Rick Scribner
Aidan Daniels
Kylie Daniels
Angelina Dempsey
Matt Erickson DQ

Main Event 2
Matt Erickson
Randy Hedrick
Cole Moore
Aidan Daniels
Kylie Daniels
Shannon Mansch
Kenna Mitchell
Angelina Dempsey
Matthew Wendt
Chris Scribner
Rick Scribner

Limited Modified
Jason Philpot
Josh Blackwood
Jon Yourd

Super Stock
Josh Whitfiled
Jill Schmidt
Tim Walters
Andrew Peeler
Phil Wilkins
Tim Williams
Andrew Kemp
Blake Disomma
Brandon Diede

F4
Main Event 1
Ray Molina
Richard Innis
Jerry Nunes
Vic Theberge
Brian Spencer
John Sproule
Dan Cherry
Matthew Fuhs
Mario Novelli

Main Event 2
Ray Molina
Richard Innis
Vic Theberge
Jerry Nunes
Brian Spencer
Mario Novelli
John Sproule
Dan Cherry

Jr Late Model 
Kenna Mitchell
Lane Anderson
Aidan Daniels
Trey Daniels


Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 17, 2020
ISCS Winged Sprint Cars
Colby Thornhill
Kinzer Cox
Shane Forte
Jared Hood
Steven Snawder
Austin Sause
Anissa Curtice
Lawrence VanHoof
Mike Colby
RJ McGahney

Hornets
Jeff Thurman
Steve Dubisar
Isaac Stere
Kevin Rockwell
Scarlett Drake
William Hitner
John Henry
Zach Hickman
Dusty Shingleton

B Modifieds
Aaron Bloom
David Schmidt
Mitchell Henson
K.C. Scott
Mike Lavery
Brionna Fuller
Roger Bell

Dirt Modified
Preston Luckman
Jon Debenedetti
Raymond Bloom
Paul Rea
dave schmidt
Dick Wright


Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 15, 2020
America's Mattress Super Late Models
Preston Luckman
Joey Tanner
Braden Fugate
Brody Montgomery
Trent Elliott
Nathan Augustine
Jason Johnson
Wayne Butler
Chris Kristensen
Deven Brown
Steve Fuller
Larry Fuller
Mike Taylor
Bruce Rayburn Jr.

Sportsman Late Models
Trace Fugate
Brionna Fuller
Jared Simmons
Jim Van Loon
Zach Nelson

Street Stocks
Graig Osborne
Andrew Mathers
Ken Fox
Steve Dubisar
Troy Chamberlain
Melissa Adams
Michael Hollingsworth

Mini Outlaws
Tahlan Rogers
Scott Beaudoin
Jason Kellam
John Henry
jordan beaudoin
daryl nelson
pam beaudoin
Doug Pirtle
Brad Hicks

Hornets
Leroy Rockwell
Kris Parker
rich dickson
Jeff Thurman
Isaac Stere
Dan Beaudoin
Scarlett Drake
Burnie Bryant
William Hitner
Kevin Rockwell
Dusty Shingleton
Dan Briesacher
rylie stonelake

JR Stingers
Griff Smith
Alex Butler
Cameron Metzgus
James Shingleton
Alexus Baker
Drake Vincent
Heather Burton
Eli Luckman
Lily Metzgus
Teagan Montgomery
Morgan Mayfield

Southern Oregon/Northwest Dwarf Cars Dwarf Cars
Camden Robustelli
Brock Peters
Shane Youngren
Steve Walker
Chris Kress
James Brinster
Jake Grabow
Cody Peters
Dave Brune
Chad Cardoza
Trevor Davis
Jason Robustelli
Dustin Reynolds
Anthony Pope
Teagan Fischer
Philip Rowland
Ryan Smith
Crystal Flath
Dennis Liebig
Brett James
Randy Slater
Josh King


Lakeport Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 15, 2020
NCRA Modifieds
Main Event
Results are not official
1     #20 Darrin Knight        
2     #5 Mike Sullivan
3     #27 Ian Elliott
4     #77 Jeremy Nowlin
5     #37 Robert Schmidt
6     #15 Richard Knight            
7     #13 Donovan Cox    

NCRA Bombers
Results are not official
1     #13 Donovan Cox        
2     #17 Jim Kollenborn
3     #18 Klinton Waite
4     #51 Trevor Abella
5     #8 Seth Chew    
6     #77kc Kasey Horat
7     #75x Amber Portlock        
8     #79 Mike Collins

Pro 4
Results are not official
1     #29 Ron Portlock            
2     #07 Rick Jelton


Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results August 12, 2020
360 Sprints
A Main
Blake Carrick
Colby Wiesz
Tanner Carrick
Michael Ing
Brad Bumgarner
Nick Larsen
Billy Wallace
Andy Forsberg
Bobby Butler
Alec Justeson
Michael Wasina
Brent Bjork
Kevin Lovell
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Josh Wiesz
Mike Monahan
Darren Johnson
Jimmy Steward
Sean Becker
Steele Powell

B Main
Colby Wiesz
Mike Monahan
Darren Johnson
Jimmy Steward
Koa Crane
Pat Harvey Jr
Jayce Steinberg
John Sullivan

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Timothy Allerdings
Mike Merritt
Justin Funkhouser
Scott Savell
Shaun Merritt
Jimmy Ford
Jeramiah Zeiter
Shawn Smith
Phillip Shelby
Jason Ferguson
Phil Shelby
Bryce Campbell

Hobby Stocks
Jacob Johnson
Kyle Cheney
Zach Lindgren
Jim Brookshire
Maurice Merrill
Jesse Van Roekel
Paul Stephens
James Wooddell
Shannon Collins
Zac Bullock
Devin Koranda
Chris Van Roekel
Matt Rivera
Mike Stoeckle
David Caluya
Zack Thornton
Jason Clayton
William Merritt
Marcus Smith
Rick Etchieson

Crate Sprints
Drake Standley
Brett Youngman
David Sims
Dusty Barton
Cameron Haney Jr
Spencer Slocum
Mike Ballantine
Cameron Haney 

 

The Editor's Viewpoint

Since Monday, it's been a non-stop racing week for me, and I've been enjoying it. When I put the idea out there about doing a California IMCA Speedweek Series a few months ago, I had a feeling it could be big. I knew the racing community would rally around it. The only thing I had hoped for was that fans could attend by the time something like this happened, but I realize now that's unrealistic given the situation we're negotiating through. That didn't mean good racing couldn't be offered to people to watch online at Flo Racing. 

I've known Doug Lockwood for a while. Actually, when I walked away from the sport in 2003, it was a year later when he and I ran a simulated dirt track racing league together. Doug has been up and down the road as an official in a couple of big open-wheel associations. When Paul Stone and Chris Shannon formed S And S Promotions and picked him to be the General Manager at Merced Speedway, I felt pretty good about it. He was definitely the right man for the job. A Merced guy who cares about racing in his community.

Doug was having a difficult time getting anything going at Merced after the covid-19 shut down. Every time he gave us an update, it didn't sound so promising. When it looked like he was getting closer to finally having that first race, he also grabbed ahold of the Speedweek idea, and the rest is history. Well, he didn't just grab the idea and make it happen. It took work. I'm not going to belittle or diminish that effort in the least, because it took an amazing effort to put this thing together. I also salute the other promoters, Scott Schweitzer, Peter Murphy, Chad Chadwick, Rick Faeth and Scott Russell for getting on board and giving us something we could get excited about.

I'm making a general statement on Speedweek right now, because I'm adding commentary on the events themselves on the blog post I have created specifically for the series. I'll put up a link right HERE for you to go directly to it. In general, the racing was good, track conditions were good, coverage on Flo Racing was good, racer's enthusiasm was good. There were far more positives than negatives to take away from this, and there is one more positive. This happened during a pandemic and look how big it was. This is only the beginning of the Speedweek Series. I know I'm not alone in saying I can't wait until Speedweek 2021.

I also want to mention that we had some great sponsors for that. I'll mention that in the other post, but Travis Hoppes deserves a pat on the back for what he did. During the time of the pandemic, he opened his wallet to help Yreka have a big show on Fourth of July weekend. He did the same for Speedweek when it was needed. Making sure the drivers in the IMCA Modifieds could get $100 to start the Main Event was big, and that wasn't just a few bucks for him to do. Likewise, Flo Racing gave back to the community by helping put the start money in the IMCA Sport Modifieds to $75. They are benefiting right now as more people are subscribing to their service during this time of the pandemic, but it's nice to see them giving back. 

We all saw the race at Merced Speedway, and specifically I want to talk about the IMCA Stock Cars. There's something going on in California with this class. It's been held together for about 15 years now, mainly due to support from Keller Auto Speedway where it started and Bakersfield Speedway. I also want to note two people who aren't racing these days, but they supported this class when it needed a little bump in momentum. Pat Biggs and Dave Bauer stepped up big-time when they started fielding multiple cars. These guys were a big reason that it went to a double-digit car count when it did.

Merced Speedway had 18 cars on Thursday night, which I want to say could be a California record for this particular division. Merced was going to have four races for this division this year. What was nice was a half a dozen of the cars in the field were Merced area racers. There are still others who probably could have been there, so I have a hunch that when they have their first race for this class in 2021, the numbers will be good. With Antioch Speedway jumping into the class in 2021, the car count for IMCA Stock Cars in the state of California will more than double, and other promoters are going to be forced to take a look at this thing.

We know that fendered Stock Car racing is having its ups and downs right now, but there's nothing out there that truly captures the imagination of the racers. We have some very good efforts being made, such as the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series being headed up by Roy Bain. Some tracks are doing good Hobby Stock numbers. The thing about IMCA Stock Cars is that you're talking sanctioning body and universal rules. Your IMCA Stock Car will be legal at every IMCA track. When other tracks start getting involved in this, it's going to happen. It's going to get bigger.

Doug could have very easily made the local Hobby Stock division the third division he featured at the show, I think he was curious what the IMCA Stock Cars could do. What they did was put on one hell of a race with some great side by side racing, and we saw the difference between an IMCA Stock Car and a Hobby Stock. It's a little bit of a step up in divisions. It's not there to replace Hobby Stocks, it's there to enhance Stock Car racing in California with something that has universal rules and a sanctioning body behind it. Doug had to be pleased with 18 cars.

I could go on about this, but I'll just leave it here. The Bill Bowers Memorial IMCA Modified/IMCA Sport Modified race will happen at Antioch Speedway on October 1-3. Management floated the idea of having IMCA Stock Cars, but I haven't seen anything listed officially on their page yet. Let me just urge them to go ahead and pull the switch on this. Add the division. I have a hunch that car count could get into the 20s for this class on that particular weekend as there are Antioch cars and Watsonville cars that could be legal, drivers would come in from Bakersfield and Hanford and we could even see some Oregonians for that event. This would be the perfect statement for Antioch Speedway to make heading into the 2021 season for this class.

Speaking of statements, I noticed Antioch Speedway announcer Wylie Wade made a clarification on his weekly video cast. This was a rumor that got started when Antioch Speedway announced IMCA Stock Cars for 2021, and I knew it was a ridiculous rumor. He wanted to reiterate that management at the track said the IMCA Stock Cars were not replacing Hobby Stocks. They are simply a new class on the roster, and Hobby Stocks will be there as well. Some might argue that the IMCA Stock Cars weren't necessarily needed on the roster and the Hobby Stocks were fine, and I'm not here to debate that. I always knew it was a ridiculous rumor that Hobby Stocks were being replaced, and Antioch Speedway management has since clarified that as well.

Since I'm talking about Antioch Speedway, I'm hearing encouraging news heading into the Chet Thomson Memorial race on September 26th. The only thing I wish was going on right now is the two groups would make better use of their Facebook pages. Unless there's some secret Facebook page that I'm aware of, there is not much on the Bay Area Hardtop or California Hardtop pages. The Chet Thomson Memorial race I believe is in its 18th season, the fifth of which is happening at Antioch. It started as a Vallejo Speedway race honoring the late Chet Thomson after he died. Chet was a champion in the 1960s, and that race continued at Vallejo until it closed at the end of the 1979 season.

There were a couple of cars missing in action at their previous Antioch race, which still had 10 cars. What I'm hearing is repairs are being made on some of them, so we could be looking at 13 or 14 cars at least. I'm hopeful of that being the case. To my knowledge, the record turnout for a Hardtop race in the modern era at Antioch Speedway is 14 cars, and I'd love to see it get to 15. They're capable of achieving that, but I don't know if that will happen on this occasion. We've have a big Bay Area show for this class, but I'd love to see somebody put something special together for Hardtops at either Placerville or Orland. It seems to me that the Tilford Tribute at Placerville would be a natural fit, but who knows?

I just want to see Hardtops thrive. I'm a big fan of Hardtop racing and Sportsman racing, and there's not enough chatter going around on at Facebook. I've considered the possibility of creating another Facebook page that would largely talk about the modern movement in both classes to encourage new cars, while also talking about things from the past. I don't know whether I will jump into that or not, but it's been on my mind. I grew up watching the Sportsman division at Antioch Speedway back in the day, so I didn't get to enjoy any Hardtop racing until its California revival in 2002. That's when Mike McCann and Chuck Prather brought the guys from Oregon to Sacramento Raceway on the night of my birthday. 

I kept hearing rumors last October of the new management at Antioch being interested in having a Sportsman race. I'm pretty sure that Chad Chadwick remembers Sportsman racing at Antioch in the 1970s, but he happened to actually have two Sportsman cars in the field at the last Hardtop race. Another one could have been there, but he was running a Camaro body. Basically, it could have been possible to plant the seed of having a Sportsman visit sometime before the end of the year, maybe even on Hall of Fame night.

I thought for sure Mike Friesen and Jeff West would head to Madera that night for the Legends of Kearney Bowl race, but that group was in Stockton the next week. They decided to go to Antioch to support that show and head to Stockton the next week. Friesen is actually a leader in establishing the Sportsman division at Merced back in 1999. He was one of the first drivers in the class, and he was also involved early in the Cal Mod class that Merced had. He's a nostalgia minded kind of guy. Even with the team now having multiple Super Modifieds, they continue their involvement with the Sportsman division.

I don't want to say Merced Speedway won't have a Sportsman race before the end of the year, but that could be the case. Once Doug relaxes for a little bit and assesses how Speedweek went, he may turn his attention to trying to book something at Merced Speedway in September. I hope so, but that's only speculation. Even if he does this, there may not be enough room to include the Sportsman division. Therefore, there might be more of a willingness from the drivers in the Merced area to take a trip to Antioch to support a show for them there. Last season there were 10 total race cars that took to the track at least once, and I believe there are as many as another 10 cars sitting in various states of repair in the Merced area. 

What I'd like to create is a Vintage Night on the dirt. For that matter, I wish all American Speedway would continue to have the Vintage Classic there, but the management change put an the end of that. Unless the people involved have a willingness to go to Stockton 99 Speedway, which is the next logical location, I think that era may have come to an end. I'm sure promoters look at this whole idea and think there's not enough money in it, and maybe they're right. I just like the old race cars, because they damn sure have more personality than the newer cars these days. That's just my opinion, and you're welcome to disagree with that. 

A Vintage Classic race, at least if I booked it, would include Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds, BCRA Vintage Midgets, the Sportsman division and of course the Hardtops. Maybe we throw in another division to get some interest. Perhaps Wingless Spec Sprints or Dwarf Cars. It's what I'd do if I had the power to make something like that happen, but I don't. Sadly, we don't have the man I'd like to have on the microphone with us anymore. I would love to have Kenny Takeuchi announce something like that. On the other hand, I would enjoy grabbing the microphone myself on an occasion like that. That's just wishful thinking for now.

In any case, the Hardtops will be having the Chet Thompson Memorial race at Antioch Speedway in September. Given the fact that they haven't had a lot of racing opportunities anywhere in the state this year, I hope that they can boost the numbers a little bit more for the Antioch show. As of now, it looks like both groups are on decent terms, so that would suggest that a better turnout for this big Antioch show than we've seen since the first year it was brought back is possible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Last season, the Siskiyou County Motorsports Association floated an idea on their Facebook page about creating a lawn mower track. I liked the idea, so I reached out to John Dunn and threw a few ideas at him. You create a lawn mower track, and it might be a big enough venue to do Arena Racing as highlighted by the Rodeo Arena Figure 8 race at the Alameda County Fair. There's also the oval Agra Race at Salinas. That's what I told him. Basic Hornet cars, which don't go around too fast. I still believe that running some sort of program on an arena track like that can work. 

John invited me down to the SCMA meeting to make the pitch to the group, citing that he felt new blood was needed to help the cause. While I was receptive to that idea, I also thought I might be on my way back down to Antioch at the time. I made the trip down there for my visit, which ended up lasting for about a month-and-a-half. At that point, the talk of the lawn mower track ended. I still think that venue could have worked, and they could have looked into Outlaw Karts, Flat Track Bikes and that sort of thing.

The SCMA went live with a meeting for about an hour on Thursday night, which I noticed after I was wrapping up my media effort for the night. I listened, and it looks like what they're trying to do is build a track for RC Racing, maybe even a couple of tracks for them. There's plenty of hobbyists with remote control cars, so I don't think they'd have a problem getting people involved. Many people just play around with these cars on the street or out in some field. If you're telling them there's a venue in Yreka at which they can play in racing conditions, they'd be up for it. That's not something I'm into, but I know enough people in the racing community who love that sort of thing.

They had people involved with other groups watching live and offering their suggestions, and it seemed to be a productive meeting. I'm not sure where the property is for this, but it might be the same location that they were using when they were entertaining the lawn mower track idea. I don't know. I never asked John the details on where they were talking about putting the lawn mower track when we communicated briefly last year. I merely made the pitch on an idea that I believe would work. In fact, I might create a Facebook page talking about Arena Racing, illustrating where it's happening in California and at other places and put my ideas out there. Maybe something can come of it, and maybe it's wishful thinking.

The SCMA is committed to keeping the dream alive. They had been involved at the Siskiyou Golden Speedway for over two decades prior to the current management moving in. I know there are maybe a little bit of hard feelings going on between everybody, and that's not something I really care to get into here. When you're the new guy coming in, you want to cut ties. When you're the president of the SCMA organization as you're making a separate bid for the track, I can see where a few people are going to cite conflict of interest and learning about the inner workings of the situation at the fairgrounds through them. I'm not saying that's what happened, but I bet there are people within the SCMA who feel like they were being used. Side issue.

The Arena Racing idea could work. It's all about getting vehicles for the venue. One of the things I told John was that you would need to start getting access to cars. Maybe you talk to people at wrecking yards or whatever and try to get a deal. If they donate some cars, you give them the title sponsor of the division for the show or what have you. When you're talking Rodeo Arena, you're not talking huge race track. You put six of those cars on an 8 or oval that small, and it's going to be tight. It's still very entertaining to the people that come to watch. The other thing I like about a small venue this size is it's intimate. You get three or four hundred people to spectate something like that, and it looks like a packed house. 

If you're putting something like that together, you need to know that you've got cars to put on the track. Once you get the venue, you might have to demonstrate that you can put the track up and take it down afterwards if you're not using your own property. I say this because there are at least two locations I know in Siskiyou County that can do this outside of the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds. Actually, there may be one or two others that fit the bill as well. In most of those locations, I think the property owners would want you to take everything down and leave the venue the way you found it within 24 or 48 hours of your show.

Putting your track up and taking it down is very doable. When Promoter Mike McCann was creating the Roseburg Indoor Outlaw Kart program years back, he had to put that track up and take it down after every race. Once the final checkered flag waved, he'd get out there on the track to move the dirt and put it back so that the horse people could do their horse trotting or whatever it is they did inside there. Another example of this is Patrick Weger, who runs the Vintage Duels. When he got the deal to run the show he did at Grass Valley, he had to show them that he could put the track up and take it down immediately afterward. 

In his case, the board voted unanimously to allow this motorsports event at a venue that hadn't had racing for 20 years. It might have been during the fair, but he had to go out there and put the track up as he envisioned it and then show them that he could remove it. He did that, and they came on board. Patrick actually landed a bunch of sponsors, and when he had that first Dwarf Car event in that little venue back in October of last year, he hit a homerun. Lots of fans came to watch. 

When I talk about the SCMA, they do have experience as promoters now. Yeah, building a lawn mower track on their own property would have been the ideal way to go. This way, you own the place and you're not answering to the property owners. On the other hand, they were answering to the fairgrounds when they ran Siskiyou Golden Speedway for all those years. It would be no different going into any of those other venues. In fact, it might be easier. Those venues have grandstands, concession stands, restrooms and all of that. All you've got to do is go in there and demonstrate that you can leave it the way you found it, and you can work your way in.

I am probably just engaging in speculation at this point. It seems like they are settled on the remote control racing idea, and I think it can actually work out for them. It's a way for the association to stay alive at a time when they've lost Siskiyou Golden Speedway. I know that they were in a bad way a couple of years ago as a board member ended up leaving with a sizable chunk of money. This left them in debt, but to president Ken White's credit, he's made sure they have continued to work on paying the debt down. I know they continue to do that and have paid a sizable chunk of it if not all of it by now. If they can find another way to generate revenue, such as this remote control car track, it'll be a snap to take care of the rest.

Really, you have to admire that. It's the association that's on the hook for the debt. The person who left with the money got in trouble with the law, but the other board members were not obligated to do anything. They could have held a meeting and disbanded the group. In that way, the people owed the money aren't paid, but these guys can walk away with their hands clean. On the other hand, it's honorable that they want to make things even. 

It's another location thing for me, and I can admit this. If I were a little bit closer to Yreka, I probably would have gone down there for a meeting and spoke with John, Susan, Ken and the others about how they could still promote motorsports and move ahead. I really believe the idea could have worked, and it wouldn't have really crossed over to what the bigger track was doing in any significant way. It would been two different types of racing venues.

While we await what else may come of this idea, there is the big track at the fairgrounds to consider. They will be having a practice day on Friday night, while the Yreka Outlaws will run another full program on the smaller Kart track. Saturday, Siskiyou Golden Speedway will be hosting the Outlaw Pro Stock Association along with the Mini Stocks and the Jefferson State Jalopies. These were the only three divisions when the date was initially announced, but the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds have been added. It has the potential to produce a big car count.

The following Saturday, the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars are on the schedule along with the Mini Stocks and the Jefferson State Jalopies again. This is what the last report said. I'm hoping that the Dwarf Cars deliver a good turnout as they haven't had too many racing opportunities. As Southern Oregon Speedway isn't likely to have a race this year, this may be their opportunity to have a  race with a lot of cars close to home. I might add I'm happy to see the Mini Stocks getting more races after being left out when the track first started having races after the covid-19 shutdown. 

On September 5th and 6th, the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Outlaw Pro Stocks will be racing. The Saturday portion of the program will also include the Mini Stocks. This is supposed to be a little bit bigger than your average race, but details are forthcoming. I think the track was looking across the border and seeing that Southern Oregon Speedway won't be having their big race, so they figured why not go for it. It could be big, but I'll wait and see what's announced.

As it's not likely that they're going to have fan attendance, I know they'll have a hard time trying to plan anything really special. The money is just not there. To do a big race, they'll need some good sponsorship, and I don't know who in the area might be willing to get behind something like this. They also would be helped by having a reliable streaming service to have a pay-per-view broadcast. If they make the race attractive enough, I think they'll have a decent turnout even with Cottage Grove running their show. I won't speculate any further than to refer you to the Siskiyou Golden Speedway Facebook page for any announcements.

This observation is a little bit of an annoyance. We now have six different tracks in Oregon that have had at least one race with Willamette Speedway having a show last Saturday night. Coos Bay Speedway is leading the way on the West Coast as they can have as many fans as they want and sell them concessions. This has left Drake Nelson updating his schedule and booking new races on the fly. You can't blame a guy for doing what he's doing when he can get away with it. 

A lot of people believe as he does that what's going on with this virus thing is BS. On the other hand, if the wrong official saw what he was doing, it could go badly for him. He's in a county that seems to be turning their heads the other way, and if you believe the numbers they keep telling us, the numbers of cases in Coos County are relatively low compared to everybody else.

He could have canceled Monday's Limited Sprint race since the ISCS Week of Speed had been canceled. Nobody would have blamed him for doing that. Under normal circumstances, I believe this race pays at least $1,000 to win and has a good purse. Drake didn't do that. He spoke with ISCS Director Brian Crockett and got the endorsement of the group for a $700 to win race. 

He did this because he wanted to put something on the track on Monday, knowing that with Cottage Grove Speedway doing what they're doing, he's not going to get big numbers for the Limited Sprints on Saturdays. He kept the Dwarf Cars on the schedule and added Hornets and both Dirt Modifieds and B Modifieds, though the latter two divisions are not sanctioned by IMCA as they should be.

Here's the thing that really kind of pisses me off. Back win Mike McCann got Southern Oregon Speedway and brought me up here in 2016, there was a meeting of Sprint Car drivers in Medford. Mike had made the announcement that he intended to establish a Sprint Car division at Southern Oregon Speedway. The track has had an off again on again relationship as John Skinner was never really that enamored with Sprint Cars, unless it was the World of Outlaws. The local drivers kind of languished down there for many years and championship racing there was almost an afterthought.

Everybody who knows Mike, including Crockett, knows his record when it comes to Sprint Car racing. You know that Marysville Raceway Sprint Car show that people enjoy? Mike was the guy who brought it there at a time when Grass Valley was having Sprint Cars and Placerville and Chico were as well. People might have thought he was crazy, but that division lives on there to this day. He brought the Sprint Cars to Cottage Grove Speedway as well, so he's got a record. Those are just two examples. He intended to make that happen at the Medford track.

Mike also looked at the numbers that were there and realized that the money wasn't there to pay $1,000 to win. Attendance was lousy, and he knew it might take a couple of years to build something up with the money that was there. Therefore, he could only offer $700. This was a no-go for Crockett, whom I might add had a place for his son Roger to race when he was 11 years old and no other track would let him do that. That place was Eugene Speedway, which was promoted by Mike. That was Brian's way of saying, '"Thank you, but you need to know I control the Sprint Cars around here, and you will do as I say." I'm happy to say, Mike never did as Crockett said, and yet Sprint Cars persevered and grew at Southern Oregon Speedway until this damn virus hit.

The hypocritical thing I want to point out is that Crockett is okay with the Limited Sprints getting $700 to win at Coos Bay, but he was not okay with 360 Sprints getting the same at Southern Oregon Speedway. By him telling people not to come out and race, we were lucky to get four cars in those days. If not for David Hibbard showing us the way to go with Limited Sprints and ponying up a little bit of money for the purses, we would have had a hard time establishing a Winged 360 class. Mike would have continued to do that, because that's in his DNA, but it would have been challenging. I remember making phone calls and sending emails for that final race in September 2016 just so we could get eight cars. We were literally recruiting racers one driver at a time.

I should point out the people who are complaining about the sad state of Winged 360 Sprint Car racing in Oregon. Cottage Grove only has a few races during the year, but Southern Oregon Speedway was willing to establish this class. Drivers just had to be willing to take a little bit less in the purse while the attendance built up. A few people towed down the road and spent more money doing it when they could have helped establish the division in Medford. Like I said, if you know Mike, he would have committed to it. Hibbard just gave him an easier path to put some sort of Sprint Car show on the track, and those cars were pretty entertaining.

I started seeing some people online complaining Friday about the fact that Ocean Speedway happened to be running both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. First of all, I'm 100% behind Speedweek. I'd better be since I'm the one that pitched the idea that Doug Lockwood made happen. That series has been absolutely incredible. However, one of the tracks that was not involved in that series was Ocean Speedway. I don't know anything beyond the fact that the track wasn't involved this year, but it is my hope that the Watsonville facility will be included in 2021.

When you're trying to open during a pandemic, you're trying to get cars in your pits. This race was scheduled when Promoter John Prentice was trying to figure out a way forward with no fans. I understand that maybe you can adjust your schedule around a little bit, but the reality of the situation is that 98% of the drivers who were in Watsonville with their IMCA Modifieds or Sport Modifieds would not have been in Hanford if Watsonville wasn't an option. The two who showed up apparently bowed out of the Speedweek point deal anyways. Can we all just be happy that there was racing in Hanford and Watsonville and leave it at that? 

I wasn't thinking the car count was going to be all that good at Watsonville. For one thing, I thought both Modified classes would take a hit. Though the IMCA Modifieds did with just nine cars, it was business as usual for the Sport Modifieds. Car count didn't really drop off. Of course, they ended up with 33 Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, and the overall total was somewhere in the 90 car range. Since they did that well, I don't think management was too disappointed. There were plenty of cars for a race, Flo Racing was broadcasting the event, Tom Sagmiller had the quarter-mile clay oval in decent shape and the show went on.

Evidently, they're going to have the Johnny Key Classic this next Saturday. I had been wondering whether that race was going to happen. Unlike the Howard Kaeding Classic that they ran last month, there's been absolutely no chatter regarding the Key race. This is an event that's steeped in history at the old San Jose Speedway. I'm talking about the paved track. Johnny Key was a legend and a San Jose Speedway Hall of Famer. When that track closed, they moved it to the dirt track in San Jose. When San Jose Speedway closed, the race disappeared for a while, but Sprint Car boosters talked Prentice into bringing the race to Watsonville.

In recent years, they've been paying $5,000 to win. I don't know if that's going to be the case this time. I don't know much of anything about it, because nothing's been said regarding the date. Stephen Blakesley was doing his usual good job of announcing the program from start to finish, and he mentioned that the Key race was coming this week. That's what we know. The Western Midgets and the Hobby Stocks will be a part of that show. Interestingly enough, the weekend after that involves the NARC/King of the West Winged 410 Sprint Cars. We know that the group just lost a date at Stockton, but I don't know if the 410 Sprint Cars will lose the date at Watsonville as well. 

Regarding the Stockton date, Tony Noceti had been working on tractor pulls and tuff trucks and Sprint Cars for a special Labor Day weekend event. This became a possibility because the Louie Vermeil Memorial race at Calistoga that weekend had already been canceled. Tony was working diligently with the San Joaquin County Health officials, but unfortunately they didn't work with him. Noceti released a press release on Facebook on Friday detailing the headaches he got from the county for trying. The Stockton Dirt Track will not be opening on Labor Day weekend after all. I don't have too much hope that the NARC Sprint Car race will happen in Watsonville on the final weekend of August, but nothing's been said. We just heard that the Key race is happening, and we await purse details.

Getting back to last Friday's show, The Taco Bravo Sprint Cars were once again delivering the goods. There are some top teams who have headed back east to try their luck in Knoxville, Iowa and other places. However, there are plenty of Sprint Cars in the Bay Area and California in general. The 33 car turnout was more than enough to put on an entertaining show. How tough was the competition, you ask? Many-time Silver Dollar Speedway champion Sean Becker was unable to make it out of the B Main as he started back in the pack and the race had no yellow flags.

I watch Bud Kaeding continue to struggle in trying to get a win at what's basically his home track. He had to make a pit stop with another flat tire, but he did make a good late charge to at least get a sixth place finish out of it. Koen Shaw had hopes of erasing that big Kaeding lead, but that didn't happen. Justin Sanders has the 2015 championship to his credit, but these days he basically shows up to Watsonville to try to get a win. Tanner Carrick give it a valiant effort, but even he was no match for Sanders, who became the first two-time winner in the class this year. Overall, it was an enjoyable race to watch as the Sprint Cars are doing some great racing there. 

The covid-19 situation has cut the heart out of the Sprint Car schedule this year. So many big races have been lost, and I think it's a shame that a Sprint Car Speedweek couldn't have been put together the way the IMCA Speedweek Series has. September would have been a perfect time for it, and there would be at least a half-dozen tracks that could host races. I don't even think you have to go that much bigger than a regular purse to get them to come race. Keep it at $1,500 to win and good start money, and you'd have 35 to 40 cars in the pits at every show. That's my two cents on the matter. 

The two drivers who abandoned the Speedweek Series were Jim Pettit II in the IMCA Modifieds and KC Keller in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Keller had dropped out prior to Merced, but Pettit had run the first four races. I'm not exactly sure why Jim decided not to go to Hanford. His championship hope was no longer there, so maybe that was the big reason? Also, the Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout will happen in Watsonville at the end of September, so maybe he was doing the political thing, so to speak, and supporting his home track? That's only speculation. I don't think it would have had a bearing on that race, because Prentice knows it's a winner. 

In any event, Cody Burke and Brian Cass continued to support Speedweek. Austin Burke apparently took the weekend off. I thought he might show up at Watsonville, but he chose not to. Pettit enjoyed a pleasant night at Ocean Speedway as he won both the Main Event and his heat race. The points are going to stack up in his favor, and this could mean he has a good shot at winning his second Ocean Speedway IMCA Modified crown. I don't even think that was a motivating factor for Jim going to Watsonville. It was just an easier trip for him to make.

Keller would love to have followed suit with Pettit, and he was certainly fast. He got caught up in a tangle early in the Sport Modified race. By the time he caught up with Randy Miller, it was just too late. They had a rollover involving past Modified champion Alex Wilson on the front straightaway. The race took three starts before finally getting a lap in, and they cut it to 15 laps. The point battle should get closer as Adriane Frost grabbed a podium finish. She's missed a race, but I believe she'll be tied with Gavin Espino for the lead.

There's a crankiness among the IMCA Sport Modified racers towards Watsonville. It centers around the purse being paid. Last I heard, they're not getting a full purse payout. At a certain point, drivers are just racing to race and not going to the pay window. I'm baffled as to why management does that when there's not a track that I'm aware of in California that doesn't pay you something to at least start the race. Regardless, they don't seem to have any shortage of local competitors who want to support this class. 

The IMCA Stock Car buzz is all over the place right now. I don't notice that many cars in the field at Watsonville that run with the Hobby Stocks that are close to IMCA legal other than the father and son team of Joe Gallaher and Rob Gallaher. Rob made it very public about a month ago that he has an IMCA license, and it could be that both of these drivers start running IMCA Stock Car races next year. They can lobby for the division to happen at Watsonville, but I have a feeling that management will watch and see how things go at Antioch and Merced before making a determination for 2022.

.

Both Joe and Rob are very fast, but then again, Rob is a three-time champion in this division. Joe has done very well in recent years, but he's having his time to shine. I think Rob is getting more of a kick out of watching his dad go out there and do what he does at this point. Rob blew a motor while dominating his heat race, but he got to watch his father lead all the way to win his second Main Event of the year. The track is keeping points on the website, so I'm assuming they will crown a champion. It's looking more and more like Joe Gallaher could win this deal, but it isn't over yet. Nobody wants to get too comfortable. 

For whatever reason, the numbers spiked in the Four Banger division on this occasion. I'm not sure what brought that on, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise. Watsonville at times in recent years has struggled just to get 10 cars, and there were 14 for this show. They ran without a yellow flag, and point leader Ryan McClelland picked up his third win as he marches towards another title. As is expected in the Four Bangers at Watsonville these days, you have to get through a Beardsley family member to win it. They've won the last three championships with Kate Beardsley a two-time champion. She tied Nicole Beardsley for the honors last year. Kate finished second as she turned in a solid performance. She's currently second in the standings as well.

Overall, it was a good show. I was able to catch all of the Main Event action through Flo Racing after the Speedweek event was done. There was a part of me that wanted to tune out of Speedweek to watch Watsonville, because the pull of that track is strong to me. I'm committed to Speedweek, so I had to stay there. However, Watsonville is one of the core four tracks to me. 

I was offered the opportunity to announce there a few times this year, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was tempted if it hadn't been such a struggle to get down there. There's another offer potentially on the table, but we'll have to wait and see before we say much more than that. It's just a one-shot deal if it does come to pass. I have no expectations, but I think I could help the cause if the opportunity does come to pass.

Contrary to rumors, Speedweek wasn't the only event happening on Saturday night. It was interesting to note that some of the car count numbers were down a little bit compared to what tracks might have hoped for. The NASCAR portion of the race at all American Speedway didn't do great numbers, though that was made up for with 22 Southwest Tour cars. Antioch Speedway didn't do the best numbers, and I have to wonder if maybe the wise move would have been to cancel that race in light of the Speedweek race they hosted during the week that was successful. They didn't have big numbers at Lakeport or Madera, but I don't think that was expected at either place.

The NCRA had been making sure people could watch the broadcast at Lakeport Speedway for free. Unfortunately, their announcer wasn't there. People weren't able to tune in through Facebook and watch the usual broadcast, though somebody, possibly Nadine Strauss, ran a camera off of Turn 2 so people could at least see something. They also had the Race Monitor scoring app going. It wasn't a big car count, but they still managed to have a little bit of excitement in their races anyway. The racers in the area got a chance to do what they love to do. Though the broadcast didn't go as hoped, I'm betting that they'll try to have something situated again for this coming Saturday's race.

The man I refer to as the leader in opening these tracks under this covid-19 situation is Kenny Shepherd at Madera. Kenny continues to take things up to a ridiculous level. He actually invested more money into equipment to broadcast the Club Race this Saturday. I'm not sure if this was just to give the equipment used for the MavTV tapings a break or what the situation was. When they're able to open the grandstands again, Shepherd will continue to make use of the camera equipment. He'll probably give people a live look at qualifying and hot laps and that sort of thing going forward, because he was doing that before this year anyway. Therefore, the investment in new equipment was worth it in the long run.

He continues to sing the praises of nutup.com, and they deserve it. These people have sponsored the broadcast on the internet so that the track doesn't just hold races that nobody can see or charge people for it. I get the feeling Kenny really didn't want to go down the pay-per-view path, although he was in a position to do it from the start. Showing the fans what happens every week while they can't attend is a better way to keep them included and get them to come back once the gates open for them again. I think Kenny mentioned that they are using satellite internet service as there's not a good internet connection at the track otherwise. This would explain the issues they have. Sometimes the broadcast goes away, but they always work to put it back up quickly when that happens.

They introduced the 602 Crate Modifieds to the program. They will make three appearances in Madera before the season is up, three at Irwindale and three at Havasu, Arizona. Occasionally, they offer a Modified race, but this is a brand new deal that they are hoping will grow. They ran the final Main Event of the day, and I must say they had some good battles at the front of the pack, particularly the one between Jaron Giannini and race long leader Eddie Secord. Giannini was able to make the move late as Secord had been fighting a tight handling car for most of the race.  It was certainly an enjoyable race, and I think it's a good thing Madera is getting involved with this new series. It has great potential, in my opinion.

For the local racers, it was a somber occasion. Bert Stephens lost his wife during the week. The MST division, which is his class, ran with just three cars. The Reynolds brothers finished first and second, and both Shaun and Ryan mentioned Bert after the race. This was also the case with Late Model winner Sheldon Cooper. Cooper has come up through different classes out there, but he earned his first Madera Late Model win. The Madera Late Model series has had six different winners in six races. It was an emotional win for Cooper, who also dedicated the victory to Stephens.

Madera Late Models are an opportunity for the newer drivers to get a little bit more comfortable behind the wheel before running the MavTV races. A few of the Junior Late Model drivers get more seat time doing this, which was the case for second place finisher Kyle Keller. Keller won the previous race. I think I've mentioned before that I like the vibe with this series. You've got drivers out there that want to win, but it's not as high stakes as what you'll see at a MavTV taping. There's also a nice little battle going on between Trevor Schlundt and Lily Mead in the standings, currently being led by Mead.

The Late Models certainly takes center stage at Madera. When you've got a TV deal through MavTV, you want to make sure you've got a good product to present. At different times, Kenny is actually able to showcase bigger races for other classes, but the Pro Late Models and Junior Late Models get most of the TV time. Coming up on Labor Day weekend, the track is going to be hosting a Late Model show that will pay $5,000 for the Main Event winner. What really got people talking was the $3,000 to win prize being offered to the B Main winner. This is only a guess, but I would assume this is the biggest paying B Main happening in the United States.

The struggle continues with the Toyota class, which didn't present any cars, and the Hobby Stocks. I think there were five cars for this occasion, and four started the Main Event. What I'd like to see is an effort to work on the undercard a little bit more. When you're running a MavTV taping, you're fine with Pro Late Models and Junior Late Models when you have the car count that they have. When the grandstands can open and fans can attend, you want a little bit more punch for your regular shows. Not all of the top Late Model teams come to a Madera Late Model show, but enough cars are there to run the race. The lower card needs a boost.

Weather this is done by trying to get more Hobby Stocks out there, working on the Toyota class, creating a Hornet class or whatever the case, I think it's in the track's best interest to do something. One way of bringing the new talent that the track is hitting out of the ballpark is the programs that encourage the younger drivers, such as Bandoleros and Junior Late Models. Let's not forget the average person who is in their 20s or 30s or even older. They're not kids, but they might want to go racing. Usually, you get them into the sport through the lower classes, but some of those racers can progress to Late Models. Figuring out a way to promote these lower classes to become bigger needs to become more of a priority. 

That's just a small nitpick, but overall, I enjoy the Madera program. Next week will be one of those MavTV tapings that is sure to be big, and you can keep track of things at the Madera Speedway Facebook page. As always during this pandemic, they'll be giving away the broadcast for free online.

Coos Bay Speedway managed to have a good car count once again. They had just shy of 90 total cars for the big NASCAR Whelen All American Series event. 14 of those drivers were in the NASCAR Super Late Models for the Tidal Wave 50. This will probably end up being the biggest Late Model race of the year in Oregon since the Cottonwood Classic and all the other big events have been canceled at Southern Oregon Speedway. Coos Bay has been taking advantage of the fact that other tracks haven't been able to open, but Willamette Speedway opened for a show without fans on Saturday. They had Dirt Oval TV giving internet pay-per-view. The biggest effect it had on Coos Bay was a lower count in the Sportsman Late Model class. When they don't get out of town support, Coos Bay is lucky to get four cars in this division.

Overall, I would guess that Drake Nelson has to be pleased with what he's been able to get away with. There isn't that much racing left to be done, and even if he were to be shut down tomorrow, he still made money by being able to have fans and sell concessions. This is why he keeps adjusting things on the fly and added Monster Trucks last week and Monday's Limited Sprint Car show. He said when they shut him down back in May that he just had to find another loophole. He didn't hide that as it was a public statement. Congratulations to Nelson. He found that loophole.

I wanted to touch on Antioch Speedway briefly just to mention the fact that the second announcer's name is Joe Peterson. Since I referred to another guy in the booth, I wanted to make sure I got his name. Joe, to my knowledge, is coming in as a newbie, and it looks like Wade has taken him under his wing. I noticed him doing a bit of a preview before the races with a headset on Saturday. I'm guessing that's the new headset that Larry Adams managed to secure for the track prior to last season. The community seems to be welcoming Joe wholeheartedly, which is a cool thing to see. Hopefully he learns and his announcing skills develop in the weeks ahead.

The headset was originally brought by Larry with the intentions that I would be using it last year. Larry had been hustling different deals, and he and I talked about the importance of social media. It's nice to see the track carrying on in that direction. There were a few other opportunities for the race track that Larry was looking into, so it's possible you could see some very interesting announcements that are designed to get the track more exposure in the weeks ahead.  In the meantime, the racing action can be watched on internet pay-per-view at www.antiochspeedway.tv. 

The numbers took a dip on Saturday, and management might be bracing for impact in the next few weeks. When we were trying to get race tracks open, everybody was crashing through the gates. While we are having big numbers at some races, numbers are also dropping off. People have been able to race, and some drivers now weigh the options of going back to the track next week or waiting a couple of weeks. When they put the Speedweek Series on the schedule for last Wednesday, they knew it was going to impact the IMCA Modified and Sport Modified show the previous Saturday. Car count dropped at that event. 

As for Saturday's show, it didn't produce the kind of numbers I'm sure they would have liked. You can do okay with those numbers when you're opening the grandstands for fan attendance, but under these circumstances, it's almost a loser. I'm not privy to that information, but it's speculation on my part. The biggest disappointment of that program had nothing to do with the track but rather the Bay Cities Racing Association. This was an opportunity for the BCRA Midgets to make a big statement, and they fumbled the ball at the one yard line.

During the week, I realized that BCRA wasn't even officially acknowledging this race on their own web page. There was no hype, and I privately wondered if anybody was going to show up at all. On Friday, there was a Facebook post talking about this not being a BCRA point race but an open show. I noticed some people saying some interesting things in that thread, and I just shook my head. BCRA completely blew this deal, and I can only guess at how management might feel about it. If they're still on the schedule for the other race in September, they'd better get their act together.

They've got a great tradition with this organization that goes back many decades, but you can't rest on your laurels. Running as many pavement races as they do has divided the interest, and dirt track numbers have stagnated. Sometimes they're not able to get dirt races unless they piggyback off of the USAC Western Midgets. The gates opening to them in Antioch was the best thing that could have happened. Previous management wasn't necessarily listening when it came to booking this class, but new management was interested. They're interested in anything that can get them a car count, and a driver supported BCRA Midget group would be a winner. When I say supported, I'm talking at least 12 to 16 cars, which they are fully capable of doing.

On Saturday, they delivered three cars. They completely laid an egg. Given the fact that the numbers weren't going to be very good in the other classes, this was a failure. If management had been aware of what was going on with Mike McCluney and the Western Midgets, they might have given him a call. Given a little bit of time, like even a couple of weeks, there could have been 10 Ecotec Midgets at Antioch Speedway. What sounds more appealing? 3 BCRA Midgets or 10 Western Midgets? BCRA has a bigger roster of available cars, but available cars don't mean anything if those cars aren't showing up. Right now, the Western Midgets are delivering 10 cars to the race track at their events. If BCRA has another shot in September, it's in their best interest to support this with everything they have. 

I can't comment on the racing action itself as I didn't witness it. Just saying anything in that regard would not be right. I can comment on the winners and the fact that the three people taking the checkered flag in the other class were first-time winners. Sean Catucci got it done in the Dwarf Cars and 14 year old Dylan Bloomfield won the Spec Sprint race. If you've been watching Bloomfield since he debuted this year, you probably saw it coming. The kid is doing a great job, and from what I've seen, he's being very respectful of the other drivers. There's another rookie who races at Petaluma who isn't being quite as respectful, and he might upset the wrong person if he doesn't start paying attention. One of the things I hear down in Petaluma is that racers are concerned about the black flag not being waived enough, but that's Petaluma.

At Antioch, we watch the truck, El Camino or whatever it is that Ryan Cherezian is driving. Ryan has made that thing faster and faster every year. He's been knocking on the door with several second place finishes, but he finally got his first win in Antioch. Everybody who knows how hard he's been working at it was happy to see him win. The numbers haven't been spectacular in the Super Stock division, and there were eight cars on this occasion. They are welcoming the Tri State Pro Stock racers, but they were in Susanville on Saturday. 

It's a great idea to welcome out-of-town drivers to support your show, but it still comes down to building your local base. You need more cars from the area, and there's a few drivers who haven't been so active this year. I'm not sure what the reasoning is for that, so I won't comment. The other thing that I think could help the track is picking up the phone and talking to the promoter at Petaluma. If the right things are done, you could do some stuff together that would benefit both tracks. The Super Stock division could be a place to start, in my humble opinion.

They've kept the Hetrick Memorial race on the schedule, and that happens this week. What I'm hoping is IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified racer fatigue doesn't set in. Six days in a row of racing is rough on the pocketbook, and some drivers may not be ready to go even after a week of recovery. If that's the case, then we could be looking at numbers similar to what happened the previous Saturday. I'm going to be optimistic that the car count will be good here, because there were a lot of people in the area who knew Jerry. He helped a lot of people. I hope it gets good support. 

The purse details were finally released on Monday evening. The IMCA Modifieds will be paying $1,000 to win, while the IMCA Sport Modifieds will get $600 to win. The Hobby Stocks will get $300 to win their race. We've mentioned that the Four Bangers will have a purse if they get five cars. I complained for a while about how Antioch didn't have special races with meaning, but it's good to see some of them coming back. I'm glad to see they're keeping this race alive, even during a time when it is challenging to pay a bigger than usual purse. It's challenging to pay a regular purse at this point. The Antioch Speedway Facebook page is the best place to look for additional information on this as well as other news from the track.

Way back when the schedules were booked, this weekend was going to be the Johnny Soares Classic at Petaluma Speedway. In addition to being the big race for the Hunt Series/PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints, The McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds were always going have the Top Dog Race on this night. Earlier on Monday afternoon, Promoter Rick Faeth announced that this race will be $1,000 to win and $500 for second with the start money set at $100 minimum. Again, it's pretty challenging to try to pay these purses when you can't sell tickets and open your grandstands. Kudos to Petaluma Speedway for keeping this race.

After witnessing about 30 IMCA Sport Modifieds compete at Petaluma Speedway on Tuesday, I'm hoping that management takes notes. As they're looking for other divisions that could potentially get them a car count, I think they might want to look at this class. Before Jim Soares handed the reins of this track over to Faeth, he was looking at them and actually had a race. It was unsanctioned, and there might have been four or five cars for that one. I'm not critical of the track for not having the class. I just find it interesting that they chose not to make it a regular division. In any event, the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page is the place you want to go to check out scheduling updates and other news.

I see other people have floated the same thought that I have about having two heat races and doing heat points for IMCA Speedweek in the future. This is a discussion that will probably grow. I hear people talk about time limits, but what I witnessed last week suggests that the time is there. Doug Lockwood and his team kept that show moving at every track last week. Lineups were ready and the next race got on the track quickly. The biggest challenge you have in the heat race point system is getting lineups sent down for the B Mains after the heat races, but I think that can be done in short order. Hire a scorer up in the booth specifically there to go over heat race points and get lineups ready.

You don't necessarily have to have twin heat races for both the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. You can do it for just the Modifieds. I don't think you need a third division at the shows with the volume of cars coming in both Modified classes. Nobody's going to worry if there's no Mini Stocks or Super Stocks at a Speedweek race. They're there for the Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. As I said, Lockwood is going to be thinking about a lot of things, and he has time. You don't have to make the 2021 announcement yet, even though I'm sure he's talking with tracks to confirm who's in.

Lockwood is concerned about time, and I don't blame him in the least. Some tracks are dealing with a 10 pm curfew, others are dealing with an 11 pm curfew and one track on the tour I don't believe technically has a curfew. There are a few ways you can do this, but it really isn't a pretty sight when you've got 10 cars lining up for a Modified heat race and there are only two transfer spots. If you have a bad heat race, you're in the B Main. Something has to be done to increase a driver's chances of making the show.

One thing that could be done is to increase the Main Event starters from 20 to 24 cars. If you're running six heat races, transfer the Top 3 from the heat races. If you're averaging 50 or so cars every race, that gives you enough cars to run three B Mains and transfer the Top 2 from that. There is your 24 car field. At least you've increased their chances of making it out of the heat race by one car. I think we should take a moment to breathe and relax. Just having Speedweek under these difficult conditions was big enough as it is. I'd add more, but there's plenty of Speedweek discussion in the post that I put up specifically for that.

For now, we're going to wrap up a lengthy blog post. I'm not exactly sure why I've written as much as I have this week, other than the fact that I see the season almost done. Once the IMCA sanctioned point races wrap up in September, I'll make decisions on blog posts on a week-to-week basis until the schedule tapers off completely. Then, I'm going to try to stay motivated for some book editing. If I have the kind of off-season I'm looking for, there will be two books in the offering, but the follow-up to Just A Kid From The Grandstands is my biggest priority. I just have to motivate myself to edit.

I pushed myself pretty hard last week, but I was very excited to cover Speedweek. I'm looking forward to a more relaxed week. I'm very proud of the media effort that we put forth this week, and I still believe that DCRR Racing News is one of the top racing media sources going today. It's a labor of love more than anything. It's still a struggle, but I take a lot of pride in knowing how much we cover. All that history will remain on this blog for as long as we're able to maintain it.

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