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

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Tour, Collins, Philpot Put On A Show Under The Lights 
At Ukiah Speedway

Ukiah, CA...August 8...Charley Tour and Charlie Collins took turns winning the Bomber Main Events Saturday night at Ukiah Speedway. This was the first evening event where they ran under the lights this year, thanks to sponsorship from Hillcat Industries. They also paid $1,500 to win the 45 lap Main Event, which went to Tour. Collins won the 35 lap feature race earlier in the evening. Due to covid-19 guidelines, fans are still not allowed in the grandstands, but the race was streamed on the Ukiah Speedway Facebook page for free.

Tour had the outside front row for the start of the second Main Event, and he motored ahead to a decent lead as Andrew Peeler ran an early second ahead of Drew Smith. Loren Powers Jr started back in the fourth row and was up to fourth by Lap 7. A low pass in Turn 2 on Lap 10 gained Powers third from Smith, and he made an inside pass in Turn 4 on Lap 13 to take second from Peeler. Charlie Collins made a Turn 2 pass on Peeler for third on Lap 17. By that point, Tour held a straightaway advantage over Powers. The second place battle caught traffic, and Collins used it to grab the position from Powers just before a spin brought out the only yellow flag on Lap 37. Though this erased the big lead for Tour, he simply motored ahead of Collins on the restart and brought it home to the big victory. Loren Powers Jr settled for third, followed by Brenton Smith, Peeler, Erick Ray, Denny Cashada, Drew Smith, Peggy Tour and Brandon Powers.

Raymond Taylor had the outside front row for the first 35 lap Bomber Main Event and raced into the early lead ahead of Brandon Powers. Powers made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the second lap to take the lead, and Drew Smith went inside Taylor in Turn 4 on Lap 4 to gain second. An outside pass on the front stretch on Lap 9 gained Smith the lead from Powers as Charlie Collins settled into third. Collins made a high pass in Turn 2 on Lap 14 to take second from Taylor. Smith had Collins running right behind him, but he was doing a good job of leading the way when a yellow flag flew on Lap 24 for debris on the track. The yellow was assigned to Smith, who restarted at the back of the pack. Collins had the lead on the restart and led the rest of the way for the victory after he had started back in 11th. 15th starter Brenton Smith had settled into second on the final restart and finished there, followed by Loren Powers Jr, Erick Ray, Andrew Peeler, Denny Cashada, Brandon Powers, Raymond Taylor, Charley Tour and Drew Smith.

15 Bombers qualified with Smith setting the fast time of 14.720. Tour was second quick at 14.793. Collins and Tour won the 10 lap heat races, and Tour also won the four lap Trophy Dash.

Jason Philpot won The 45 lap Limited Modified Main Event. This was the fourth win in five starts for the current point leader. The last time out, Sierra Furia turned in an impressive flag-to-flag performance in victory. She sold that car that Codi Barba and debuted a new car for this race. Furia set the early pace with Barba running next to her for the first few laps. An inside pass in Turn 4 of the fourth lap gained Barba the lead. Philpot wrestled the third position away from Kylei Keown on lap 10, and a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 18 gained Furia the lead from Barba. Philpot went low in Turn 4 on Lap 19 to take second from Barba. Furia and Philpot began to pull away in their own battle, and Semi Tour spun in Turn 1 moments after taking third from Barba on Lap 34. The restart provided Philpot his opportunity as he went around the outside of Furia to take the lead. Philpot led the final 10 laps for the victory with Furia settling for second. Tyler Caturegli would finish third, followed by TJ Buzzard, Keown, Tour, Erick Ray, Sammy Nuno, Dennis Anderson and Barba.

Tour was the quickest of 11 qualifiers at 13.787 to beat the 13.873 of Caturegli. Barba and Tour won their respective 10 lap heat races with Philpot claiming the four lap Trophy Dash.

Trevor Abella won the 15 lap Street Stock Main Event. Jessie Frey led the early laps with Abella in close pursuit. Abella had an infield excursion off the back straightaway on Lap 8 as he tried to get by Frey. On the 10th lap, however, Abella gained the lead as Frey headed for the pits. Abella won by a wide margin ahead of Dave Land and Nate Hoben as Frey was scored fourth. Abella won the six lap heat race.

Christian Sanchez won his third 30 lap Junior Jammer Main Event. Hailey Glass led early ahead of Sanchez, but Sanchez made an inside pass in Turn 2 on Lap 8 to take the lead. Sanchez pulled away a little bit on Glass, who was running a solid second when she had problems and headed for the pits on Lap 17. A yellow flag waved for debris on the track. TJ Sorrels was second at that point, but Charles French surprised him by taking the position on the restart as Sanchez continued to lead. Sanchez cruised to victory ahead of French, Sorrels, Glass and John Parker. Sanchez also won the four lap Trophy Dash and 10 lap heat race for the clean sweep. Glass was the fastest Junior Jammer at 17.194. John Parker was the fastest Pro Jammer at 17.021, but he fell out of the Main Event early.

Jack Schlief won his third 20 lap Jalopy Main Event. The point leader charged into lead at the start. Jimmy Sorrels made an aggressive run on Schlief early on, but he seemed to get caught up in various incidents, one of which saw Robert Portlock Jr make contact with him with Sorrels spinning. Schlief won comfortably with Portlock a solid second ahead of Tia Everett, Richard Swing, Sorrels, Brooke Fallai and Sonny Li.

Racing returns on August 22nd with Limited Modifieds back in action along with the Bombers, Jammers and Jalopies. For further information, go to the Ukiah Speedway Facebook page.

Chadwick, Clymens, Dutra Win 
Antioch Speedway Main Events

Antioch, CA...August 8... Kellen Chadwick won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the second win of the season for Chadwick, who currently ranks third in the standings as he tunes up for the IMCA California Speedweek series. Covid-19 guidelines won't allow any fan attendance at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds track, but the track offered its own internet pay-per-view service via antiochspeedway.tv.

One of the lighter turnouts to the season for the IMCA Modifieds saw Chadwick and point leader Troy Foulger win their respective eight lap heat races. Reigning Limited Late Model champion Kimo Oreta set the early pace ahead of defending champion Buddy Kniss. Chadwick settled into third on Lap 2 and went low in Turn 2 a lap later to take second from Kniss. An inside pass in Turn 4 of the fourth lap gained Chadwick the lead from Oreta, and Foulger made an inside pass on the frontstretch on the same lap to grab third from Kniss. Foulger went low in Turn 4 on Lap 5 to take second from Oreta. Kniss and Oreta had a good battle going for third, and Kniss grabbed the position, only to head for the infield on Lap 13. Shane DeVolder was holding the third position until a Lap 22 yellow flag ended his race. Jim Pettit II made a move on Foulger on the restart as Chadwick led the way. However, Foulger came back strong to maintain the position. Chadwick went on to score the impressive win, followed by Foulger, Pettit, Shawn DeForest, Oreta, John MacDougall, DeVolder, Anthony Giuliani, Kniss and Nick DeCarlo.

Trevor Clymens won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This was the first win of the season for Clymens, who is the division's all-time Main Event win leader. The two-time champion also runs strong in the championship chase this season.

Matthew Elmore led a lap before an outside pass on the backstretch gained Jason Jennings the lead. Jennings began to pull away from the pack, only to loop his car by himself in Turn 4 for a Lap 5 yellow flag. This put Clymens in the lead on the restart ahead of Elmore, but Kevin Brown moved past Elmore for the second position. Andrew Pearce took over second on a Lap 8 restart as reigning champion Tommy Fraser moved into battle Pearce for that position. An inside pass in Turn 4 on Lap 12 gained Fraser second, but Pierce regained the position on Lap 16. Moments later, Brown, Chuck Golden and Fraser crashed in Turn 4 for a yellow flag. After spinning early in the race, championship contender Mark Garner found himself in third for the restart. Garner made a strong move on the inside of Pearce as they exited Turn 4 to take over second on the restart lap. Trevor Clymens made no mistakes and brought it home to a satisfying win. Pearce moved into a side-by-side battle with Garner on the final lap and managed to get by for a season-best second. Garner settled for third, followed by Jennings, Tommy Clymens Jr, Jacob Haas, Brown, Fraser, Golden and Tony Peffer. Fraser and Jennings won their respective eight lap heat races.

Travis Dutra won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. One of the top Dwarf Car competitors in the Bay Area in recent seasons, Dutra charged into lead at the start. The race ran 13 laps before a yellow flag waved, and Dutra was working slower traffic by the.sixth lap. James Thomson was having a solid run in second as Josh Leach battled Devan Vaughn for third. Leach grabbed the position on Lap 4. A yellow flag on Lap 13 erased a big lead for Dutra, but he maintained command on the restart. Thomson held second as Leach, Vaughn, Larry McKenzie and Breanna Troen all ran closely behind him. A final yellow flag on Lap 18 offered Thomson another shot at Dutra, but Dutra proved to be just too quick. Dutra won his second race of the year, followed by a season-best second for Thomson, Leach, Vaughn, Mackenzie, Troen, Nick Zapatero, Gene Haney, Jake Bentancourt and Gavin Griffitts.

There were 24 Hobby Stocks on hand for this show, giving them the biggest car count of the evening. Thomson, Vaughn, Dutra and Mackenzie won the eight lap heat races.

Antioch Speedway hosts the third round of the California IMCA Speedweek Series on Wednesday night, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. The race will be broadcast on internet pay-per-view via Flo Racing. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Shepherd, Erickson Win At Madera Speedway

Madera, CA...August 8...Buddy Shepherd won the 80 lap Nut Up Pro Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Madera Speedway. This was his third win of the season, and the Bakersfield driver led all the way as he continues to lead the championship standings in the series that is televised on MavTV. Covid-19 guidelines keep fans from being able to attend, but thanks to sponsorship from nutup.com, the event was broadcast for free on the track's YouTube page.

Shepherd led from the outset ahead of Dylan Zampa and Tyler Herzog. A yellow flag flew on Lap 2 as Mike Beeler spun. Shepherd continued to lead with Ross Strmiska settling into second ahead of Dylan Zampa. Another yellow flag flew when Dennis Rock spun on Lap 5. The restart was botched as a Turn 1 crash eliminated Tyler Herzog and Rick Thompson and left Austin Herzog and Joey Iest with damaged race cars. Shepherd continued to lead Strmiska with Ryan Philpott settling into third. The battle seemed to be for third at that point. A yellow flag waved on Lap 22 when Pete Soto stalled from sixth on the back straightaway. Shepherd continued to lead Strmiska as Dylan Zampa got around Philpott for third. Another yellow flag waved on Lap 35 when Beeler and Iest both spun in Turn 2. Austin Herzog broke a rear end on the first restart attempt. Shepherd led Strmiska and Ryan Philpott on the restart, and they finished the first 50 lap segment in that order with Dylan Zampa and brother Logan Zampa rounding out the Top 5. The final 30 lap segment ran a bit smoother with Shepherd leading the way when the green flag flew. Dylan Zampa and Strmiska had a spirited battle early on for the second position before Strmiska managed to get by. However, nobody really challenged Shepherd as he brought it home to the impressive victory. Strmiska was a solid second, followed by Dylan Zampa, Philpott, Logan Zampa, Sheldon Cooper, Iest, Beeler, Tim Skoglund and Blaine Rocha.

Bradley Erickson won the 70 lap 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Model Main Event. This was the second-straight win for the point leader. Cole Brown led the opening two laps before an inside pass on the frontstretch gained Jake Bollman the lead. Brown stayed on the outside and beat Bollman back to the line on Lap 4, but Bollman made a Turn 3 pass on the inside on Lap 7 to regain the lead. Erickson went low in Turn 4 on Lap 10 to take second from Brown. A lap 16 yellow flag flew when Kercie Jung spun, and Seth Wise was penalized to the back for his part in the incident. Erickson took the lead from Bollman on the restart with Brown still holding onto third. The lap 40 brake saw Erickson leading Bollman, Brown, Cody Kiemele and Cassidy Hinds. 

Erickson led the restart ahead of Bollman with Kiemele grabbing the third position. Hinds spun from fifth on the backstretch for a Lap 43 yellow flag. Erickson led the restart with Brown getting by Bollman for second. Wise stalled in Turn 2 for a Lap 44 yellow flag. Erickson led Brown and Kiemele on the restart. The battle for second got a little bit too close on Lap 52 with Brown spinning in Turn 2. Kiemele was put to the back of the pack for his part in the incident. Erickson led Bollman on the final restart as Brody Armtrout settled into third. Erickson went on to post the victory ahead of Bollman and Armtrout. Yung recovered from her earlier spin to finish fourth, followed by Kale McClenny, Brown, Kiemele, Hinds, Kabe McClenny and Robbie Kennealy.

Jeffrey Erickson won the 25 lap Bandolero versus Mini Cup Main Event. This was the fourth-straight win for the Bandolero point leader. Erickson led the first three laps of the race before a yellow flag flew for Joey Kennealy. Wyatt Sansom took the lead from Erickson on the restart, but Erickson found himself leading when the yellow flag flew on lap six for Sansom. Erickson led Nathaniel Edwards and Caden Cardova on the restart. Erickson was turning laps half a second quicker than everybody else and had a straightaway lead by the 10th lap. Cordova took second from Edwards on Lap 14, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 19 to bunch the field one more time. Erickson remained in command on the restart and pulled away to nearly a straightaway advantage by the checkered flag. Cardova pulled away a bit from Edwards to finish second as Edwards settled for third. Mini Cup point leader Rebecca Dubie led her group of drivers for the entire race with fellow Mini Cup racer Harley Kennealy very close behind her the entire distance. They finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Evan Laires finished sixth ahead of Molly Laires, Sansom and Julie Kennealy.

Nick Halen won the 35 lap Legends of the Pacific Main Event. Halen picked up the win with Cody Winchell and Eddie Garone not far behind in second and third. The early laps of the race were a battle between the brother and sister team of Cameron Austin and Carlee Austin. Cameron Austin finished fourth ahead of Braden Ruzbarsky, Kevin Travels, Carlee Austin, Dylan Washburn, Raymond Casey and Michael Stearns. Eight lap heat race wins were earned by Keith Clement, Rob Lathrop and Ruzbarsky. Cameron Austin was the quickest of 17 qualifiers with a lap of 16.295 beating the 16.342 of Halen.

Racing returns next Saturday night with a Club Race that will feature the 602 Modified Series, Madera Late Models, MST's, Toyota Sedans and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.racemadera.com or check out the Madera Speedway Facebook page.

Sanders, DiGiovanni, Slay, Jones, Grilli, 
Ocean Speedway Winners

Watsonville, CA...August 7...Justin Sanders won the 30 lap Ocean Sprint, presented by Taco Bravo, Main Event at Ocean Speedway Friday night. The race looked like it might go to reigning King of the West and King of Thunder Sprint Car champion DJ Netto, but it was Sanders making a late move to steal the win away. Sanders becomes the sixth different winner in as many races. No fans are allowed to attend due the covid-19 guidelines, so this event was broadcast on internet pay-per-view via Flo Racing.

Joey Ancona scored a surprise victory in the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Netto to grab the pole for the race. However, Netto took the lead at the start ahead of Ancona and Max Mittry. They ran that way through one yellow flag until Tristan Guardino moved past Mittry for third on Lap 4. Moments later another yellow flag waved. Netto remained the leader ahead of Ancona and Guardino on the restart and through another yellow flag on Lap 8. Guardino put the moves on Ancona to take over second on Lap 11, and a yellow flag flew on Lap 13. Netto again resumed command on the restart ahead of Guardino and Ancona, but Sanders was running in the fourth position. 

Sanders slipped past Ancona for third on Lap 15 and put the moves on Guardino for second on Lap 17. The final slowdown of the race occurred on Lap 20. Netto led Sanders and Guardino on the restart. Sanders was running closely with Netto, and he finally found his opening to take the lead on Lap 27. Moments later, Sean Becker slipped past Guardino for the third position. Sanders led the rest of the way for the win. Netto settled for second, followed by Becker, Guardino, Blake Carrick, Mittry, Jayson Bright, John Clark, Koen Shaw and Brad Furr.

There were 27 drivers for the show, and Netto turned the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval at 11.618 to beat the 11.628 of Chase Majdic for fast time. Eight lap heat race wins where earned by Bright, Ancona and Mittry. The 12 lap B Main was scratched after four drivers were unable to make the call.

Jim DiGiovanni won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This made the past division champion the fifth different winner in seven races. Max Baggett had the outside front row for the race and led polesitter Billy Robertson for the first six laps before Baggett, Robertson and Gavin Espino tangled for a yellow flag. Point leader Espino was eliminated in the incident. DiGiovanni had the lead at that point ahead of Randy Miller and Steven Allee, but Justin McPherson gained the third position on Lap 8. DiGiovanni and Miller ran close at the front of the pack when a Lap 14 yellow flag slowed the pace. That did nothing to stop that battle as DiGiovanni continued to lead Miller. McPherson briefly lost the third position to championship contender Adriane Frost on Lap 17. A final yellow flag on Lap 18 figured to give Miller one more shot at DiGiovanni. However, DiGiovanni led the rest of the way. McPherson made a late move to get into second with Miller settling for third, followed by Frost, Kelly Campanile, Robertson, Charlie Hunter, Mike Kofnovec Jr, Allee and Baggett. Allee.and Baggett won their eight lap heat races.

Tyler Slay won the 20 lap Western Midget Main Event. He snapped the three-race win streak of David Prickett in the process. Eric Greco led a pair of laps before Slay and Prickett went charging by. From that point on, Slay had Prickett not too far behind him in second. Norman Harley Rose settled into third on Lap 4, only to surrender the position to Tyler Dolacki on Lap 8. Dolacki moved in to make it a three-car battle up front by Lap 17. However, Slay was making no mistakes in the non-stop event as he scored the impressive win ahead of Prickett, Dolacki, reigning Ventura champion Randi Pankratz, Shayna Ensign, Rose, Greco, Sean Quinn, Nick Foster and Matt Perry. Ensign and Greco won the eight lap heat races.

Shawn Jones won the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Main Event. This was the third-straight win for the past Watsonville and NorCal Dwarf Car champion. Ventura Raceway champion Nick Velasquez led the opening three Iaps before a yellow flag slowed the pace. Jones was second at that point and pressured Velasquez on the restart. On the fifth lap, Jones slipped by Velasquez to take the lead. Ryan Winter found himself in third on Lap 5 and the yellow flag waved on Lap 7. Winter moved into second behind Jones on the restart. Despite three more yellow flags during the final 11 laps, Jones kept Winter behind him on each restart and went on to score the victory. Winter settled for second, followed by reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert, Tommy Velasquez III, Nick Velazquez, Joe Barket, reigning champion Mark Biscardi, Gene "Punky" Pires, Eric Weisler and Lonnie Tekaat. Winter, Jones and Darren Brown were the eight lap heat race winners as 20 Dwarf Car competitors showed up for this race.

John Grilli won the 20 lap Four Banger Main Event. The race was a non-stop affair, and he became the third different winner in four races. Grilli raced into the lead at the start ahead of Mark Fields, but Tony Gullo slipped past Fields for second on Lap 3. Nicole Beardsley settled into third, but she surrendered the position to point leader Ryan McClelland on Lap 7. By that point, Grilli held a straightaway advantage over Gullo. Unfortunately, McClelland fell out of the race on Lap 12. Grilli stretched his lead to nearly half a lap by the time the checkered flag waved as he cruised to the victory. Roy Iler moved into third on Lap 14, and he made a last-lap pass on Gullo to finish second. Gullo crossed the line third, followed by Nicole Beardsley, Kate Beardsley, Richard Mitchell, Bill Beardsley, McClelland, Jeff Kessinger and Fields. Jowever, Gullo was disqualified in post-race tech, moving everybody up a position behind him. Iler and McClelland were the eight lap heat race winners. 

Nate Graham won the 15 lap Police N Pursuit Main Event. This was the third win for the point leader, who represents the Santa Cruz Police Department. AJ Waltrip had the outside front row for the race, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office representative raced into the early lead. Graham took the second position from Task Force Racers representative Dan Anderson on Lap 5. Waltrip saw his race come to an end on Lap 8 as he had mechanical failures. This put Graham into the lead with Anderson running closely behind him in second. However, Graham held off Anderson for the win. Jackie Yeung finished third, followed by Steven Fernandes, John Hohmann, Kyle Dorris, Pat Sullivan and Waltrip. Holman won the six lap heat race.

Racing resumes next Friday night with the Ocean Sprints back in action along with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Four Bangers. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com or check out the Ocean Speedway Facebook page.

Liggett, Brown, Kinney Win At Petaluma Speedway

Petaluma, CA...August 8...Austin Liggett won the 30 lap USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. Liggett is the 2018 Series champion. Due to the covid-19 shut down of the race tracks, this was the first USAC West Coast 360 race of the season. Covid-19 guidelines still won't allow fans in the grandstands, but the race was broadcast on the internet at Flo Racing.

Liggett started in the front and set the early pace ahead of past Antioch Winged 360 Sprint Car champion Billy Aton and Danny Faria. They ran in that order through two yellow flags during the first eight laps. Multi-time Petaluma Winged 360 Sprint Car champion Bradley Terrell slipped past Faria for the third position on Lap 9. A yellow flag slowed the pace on Lap 12 and a lap later. Liggett led Aton and Terrell on the Lap 13 restart, but Terrell went motoring past Aton for second on a Lap 14 restart. The second half of the race went caution free, and Liggett maintained command. He pulled away in the waning laps to win ahead of Terrell. Fresh off of his win at Antioch in Winged 360 Sprint Car competition last week, Colby Johnson moved by Aton for third on Lap 26 and would finish there. Aton settled for fourth, followed by Faria, Shayna Ensign, Ryan Timmons, Matthew Haulot, Glen Bryan and Ricky Brophy. 

Johnson set the quickest time of 13 qualifiers with a lap of 14.458 on the 3/8 mile adobe oval. Terrell was second quick at 14.897. Aton outran Faria to win the first eight lap heat race, and Liggett picked up the second heat race win ahead of Terrell.

Darren Brown won the 20 lap General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. Reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert set the early pace with Ryan Winter moving into second on Lap 2. Shawn Jones moved into third on a Lap 3 restart. Both Winter and Jones moved past Grenert on Lap 5 before another yellow flag flew. Brown moved into third behind Winter and Jones on the restart, but Jones slipped past Winter for the lead on Lap 8. Jones led Winter and Brown through a pair of yellow flags, but Brown gained second on a Lap 11 restart. Jones looked like he might be able to hold on for the victory, but a Lap 16 yellow flag signaled the end of his race. Brown inherited the lead on the restart and pulled away from the rest of the pack for the victory. Winter settled for second, followed by Grenert, Zach Albers, Mark Hansen, reigning champion Chad Matthias, John Peters, Matt Damron, Mike Dahle and Corey Eaton.

There were 37 Dwarf Cars for the show, and the eight lap heat race wins were earned by Brown, Jones, Peters and Winters. Eaton won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Mike Affonso, Danny Marsh, Trevor Mendenhall and Damron.

Dakota Albright won the 20 lap BCRA Midget Lites Main Event. California Lightning Sprints visitor Aidan Lange raced into the early lead ahead of Albright and Eric Greco. Following a Lap 5 yellow flag, Scott Kinney moved into third behind Lange and Albright. Another yellow flag waved on Lap 6, and Albright took the lead on the restart with Hunter Kinney moving into second. Hunter Kinney took the lead from Albright on Lap 8, and a Lap 11 yellow flag slowed the pace once again. Hunter Kinney continued to lead Albright and Lange on the restart, but Albright moved by Kinney for the lead on Lap 14. Kinney regained the first position a lap later, but the battle remained close to the end. On the final lap, Albright got by for the lead with Lange following for a second place finish. Hunter Konney settled for third, followed by Greco, Terry Bergstrom, Scott Kinney, Dan Foster, Dominic Del Monte, Harlee Aguilera and Brandon Leedy. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Hunter Kinney and Bergstrom.

George Nielsen won the 20 lap Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micro Main Event. In the early goings, it looked like Koen Shaw might pick up his third-straight victory. The Ocean Speedway Sprint Car star set the early pace ahead of Brian Slubik and Kyle Grissom. Nielsen settled into third on Lap 4 before a yellow flag waved. Shaw continued to lead Slubik and Nielsen on the restart, but Nielsen slipped past Slubik for second on Lap 7. Shaw continued to lead the way, but the battle at the front got close after a Lap 13 restart with Nielsen and multi time champion Jim Beck in close pursuit. Nielsen got by Shaw for the lead on Lap 15, but he surrendered first to Beck on lap 17. Unfortunately for Beck, his race ended a lap later as he headed to the pits. This put Nielsen into the lead ahead of Shaw. Nielsen led the rest of the way with Shaw settling for second ahead of Slubik, Rob Brown, Trevor Mendenhall, Shiloh Borland, Amber Fields, Beck, Sam Borland and Grissom. Shaw and Slubik won their respective eight lap heat races.

Next up will be the special California IMCA Speedweek Series race on Tuesday. The IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds will be headlining along with the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com or check out the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page.

Kaeding, Holland, Johnson, Doglione Share 
The Keller Auto Speedway Winner's Circle

Hanford, CA...August 8...Bud Kaeding won the 30 lap King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. Kaeding is the current point leader at Ocean Speedway, and he was piloting the #69 car of his father, Brent Kaeding. Covid-19 guidelines meant no fans were allowed in attendance, but the race was broadcast on internet pay-per-view at Flo Racing.

Looking for his second win of the season, Mitchell Faccinto raced into the early lead ahead of Kaeding and reigning Chico champion Sean Becker. A yellow flag waved on Lap 7, and Faccinto continued to lead Kaeding and Becker on the restart. Reigning King of Thunder champion DJ Netto slipped past Becker for third before a Lap 10 yellow flag. Faccinto was still getting it done out front ahead of Kaeding and Netto, but Becker regained third on Lap 13. It was at that point when Faccinto saw his run end for a yellow flag. Kaeding had the lead, and he led Becker and Netto on the restart. Becker held second until a yellow flag on lap 19. Kaeding led Netto and Blake Carrick on the restart. As Kaeding pulled away just a little bit, the battle was for second. Both Carrick and Justin Sanders got by Netto on Lap 25. Kaeding went on to score the impressive win with Carrick second. Netto got by Sanders on the final lap to finish third. Zane Blanchard finished fifth, followed by Chase Majdic, Tucker Worth, Grant Duinkerken, Craig Stidham and Becker.

The 33 car field ran two sets of heat races to determine points for the Main Event starters. Wins in the seven lap races went to Kalib Henry, Mitchell Faccinto and Netto in the first round. Second round heat race wins went to Carrick, reigning Watsonville champion James Ringo and Sanders. Jared Faria won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Max Mittry, Brendan Warmadam, Jodie Robinson in Steven Kent.

Brooklyn Holland won the 25 lap IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car Main Event. Albert Pombo led the opening lap before surrendering the lead to Rob Solomon. Holland and Kyle Rasmussen settled into second and third on a Lap 3 restart. Solomon and Holland pulled away from the pack a little bit by Lap 10, and Holland put the moves on Solomon to grab the lead on Lap 12. A Lap 15 red flag waved as Solomon's strong run came to an end. Holland led Rasmussen and Michael Pombo on the restart. Despite one more slow down on Lap 20, nothing was stopping Holland from scoring the victory. Rasmussen settled for second, followed by Michael Pombo, Mike Schott, Tony Pombo, Blaine Fagundes, Rick Bray, Brandon Stidham, Ryan Delisle and Chris Stevens. Solomon, Albert Pombo and Raasmussen were are the seven lap heat race winners. 

Chad Johnson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. Johnson is the reigning division champion and won four Main Events last season in the process. Cody Johnson had the pole position and raced into the lead at the start ahead of past champion Troy Patee and Chad Johnson. Chad Johnson grabbed second on the third lap. A lap later, Chad slipped past Cody for the lead. Kris Broucaret took second from Cody Johnson on Lap 9. Nick Johnson was up to third by the Lap 11 restart, and he grabbed second from Broucaret on Lap 13. Chad Johnson and Nick Johnson battled closely at the front of the pack, but Broucaret wasn't far behind them. On lap 17, Broucaret moved by Nick Johnson for second. However, Chad Johnson was not going to get beat on this occasion as he brought it home to victory. Broucaret was a solid second. Eric Hamilton made a late move into third, followed by Patee, Renn Bane, Michael Shearer, Mark Morton, Nick Johnson, Garrett Corn and Larry Thompson. Cody Johnson and Eric Hamilton were the seven lap heat race winners.

Ryan Doglione won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Though this wasn't a Central Valley Mini Stock race, there were still 18 competitors for the show. Clint Massey set the early pace ahead of Petaluma visitor Bob Davis. Doglione grabbed third on Lap 2. After Massey and Davis tangled at the front of the pack, a Lap 4 yellow flag waved. Doglione led the restart ahead of 2018 CVMS champion Greg Baronian and Scott Durant. However, reigning CVMS champion Dan Myrick moved into third on Lap 6. The Lap 10 restart saw Doglione leading Baronian, Myrick, Matthew Herod and Steven Porter. The Top 4 remained the same from there all the way to the checkered flag as the final 10 laps went without interruption. Gene Glover made a late move into fifth with Porter settling for sixth, followed by current CVMS point leader Jeff Durant, Kenneth Marain, Hailey Marvin and Jason Cook. Davis, Massey and Greg Baronian were the six lap heat race winners.

Racing will return on Friday night with a California IMCA Speedweek Series event. The IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds will be joined by the Central Valley Mini Stocks and IMCA Stock Cars. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com or check out the Keller Auto Speedway Facebook page.

New Winners At The Yreka Outlaw Kart Track

Yreka, CA...August 7...Dryver Dothage won the 15 lap 500 Open Outlaw Main Event Friday night at the Yreka Outlaw Kart track at the fairgrounds. Dothage snapped the three-race win streak of point leader Merissa Henson in the process. Both Henson and Dothage won eight lap heat races to earn front-row starting spots in the Main Event. Dothage would hold off Henson for the win as Randy Simmons finished third ahead of Brant Phillipe. Taylor Fuller had mechanical problems in the first heat race to end his night early.

Jacob James wan the 20 lap 250 Kart Main Event. James was consistent in the eight lap heat races as he finished second both times. The wins in those events were earned by reigning champion Cale Cunial, Cole Cunial, Logan McKnight and Nicolas Perrin. Cale Cunial lined up next to James and figured to be the driver to beat in the Main Event. However, it was James looking good in his first win in the class. Perrin came from the second row to finish second, and Dryver Dothage earned passing honors by coming from the fourth row to finish a respectable third. McKnight finished fourth and Cale Cunial settled for fifth. Rounding out the Top 10 were Cole Cunial, Emma Rodgers, Faith McCullough, Drew Barry and Dallin Dagata. 

Trey Hornbrook won the 12 lap UAS Speedway Kart Main Event. Hornbrook and Brionna Fuller won their respective eight lap heat races, and Fuller was going for her third win of the season as she lined up on the outside front row for the feature race. However, Hornbrook, who was making his first start of the year, managed to pick up the win with Fuller settling for second. Point leader Ed Grubb finished third, followed by Steve Rambo and Lori Fuller. Larry Fuller was a feature scratch.

Carson Henson won the 12 lap Box Stock Main Event. The reigning champion became the fourth different winner in is many races. Henson and Bentleigh Chapman won the eight lap heat races. It was Henson winning the Main Event ahead of Chapman and Grant Proctor. Chapman and Proctor are tied for the point lead.

Elijah Humphrey won the 12 lap Beginners Box Stock Main Event. Humphrey scored a clean sweep as he won both eight lap heat races as well. Point leader Talia Colley had a good night as she finished second to Humphrey in each of those races. Willow Tesdale finished third in the feature race, followed by Liam Tesdale and Aiden Bartholomew.

A full slate of Outlaw Kart racing is scheduled to return on the 1/8 mile dirt oval next Friday night. For further information, go to the Yreka Outlaws Facebook page.


Ukiah Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
B Bombers
Dave Land
Nate Hoben
Tyler Long DNS

Junior Jammers
Christian Sanchez
Charles French
TJ Sorrels
Hailey Glass

Limited Modifieds
Jason Philpot
Sierra Furia
Tyler Caturegli
TJ Buzzard
Kylei Keown
Simi Tour
Erick Ray
Sammy Nuno
Dennis Anderson
Codi Barba
Bo Robertson

Bombers
Main Event 2
Charlie Collins
Brenton Smith
Loren Powers Jr
Erick Ray
Andrew Peeler
Denny Cashada
Brandon Powers
Raymond Taylor
Charley Tour
Drew Smith
Forrest Kuecker
Josh Smith
Todd Lands
Peggy Tour
Wade Coleman

Main Event 1
Charley Tour
Charlie Collins
Loren Powers Jr
Brenton Smith
Andrew Peeler
Erick Ray
Denny Cashada
Drew Smith
Peggy Tour
Brandon Powers
Raymond Taylor
Forrest Kuecker

Pro Jammers
John Parker

Street Stocks
Trever Abella
Jesse Frey
Jubal Koss DNS

Jalopies
Jack Schleif
Robert Portlock Jr
Tia Everett
Richard Swing
Jimmy Sorrels
Brooke Fallai


Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprints
Brooklyn Holland
Kyle Rasmussen
Michael Pombo
Mike Schott
Tony Pombo
Blaine Fagundes
Rick Bray
Brandon Stidham
Ryan Delisle
Chris Stevens
Connor Danell
Rob Soloman
Gordon Rodgers
Mauro Simone
Sean Quinn
Tyler Gray
Albert Pombo
Phil Heynen
Brandon Emmett

King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Main Event
Bud Kaeding
Blake Carrick
D.J. Netto
Justin Sanders
Zane Blanchard
Chase Majdic
Tucker Worth
Grant Duinkerken
Craig Stidham
Sean Becker
Kalib Henry
Jace VanderWeerd
Jake Hagopian
Jodie Robinson
James Ringo
Jake Andreotti
Grant Champlin
Ben Worth
Brooklyn Holland
John Clark
Brendan Warmerdam
Jared Faria
Max Mittry
Mitchell Faccinto

B Main
Jared Faria
Max Mittry
Brendan Warmerdam
Jodie Robinson
Steven Kent
Travis Coelho
Cole Danell
Vaughn Schott
Eric Humphries
Tanner Boul
Mark Barroso DNS
Justyn Cox DNS

Mini Stocks
Ryan Doglione
Greg Baronian
Dan Myrick
Matthew Herod
Gene Glover
Steven Porter
Jeff Durant
Kenneth Marain
Hailey Marvin
Jason Cook
Joe Robinson
Steve Durant
Helder Santos
Clinton Massey
Bob Davis
Jason Cook
Andy Boydstun
Edward Marvin DNS

IMCA Stock Cars
Chad Johnson
Kris Broucaret
Eric Hamilton
Troy Patee
Renn Bane
Michael Shearer
Mark Morton
Nicholas Johnson
Garrett Corn
Larry Thompson
Cody Johnson
Brock Hamilton DNS
Rod Bane DNS


Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 7, 2020
Taco Bravo Sprint Cars
Justin Sanders
D.J. Netto
Sean Becker
Tristan Guardino
Blake Carrick
Max Mittry
Jayson Bright
John Clark
Koen Shaw
Brad Furr
James Ringo
Burt Foland Jr
Eric Humphries
Landon Hurst
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Adam Kaeding
Vaughn Schott
Josh Chisum
Bud Kaeding
Joey Ancona
Joel Myers
Jason Chisum
Chase Majdic

IMCA Modifieds
Jim DiGiovanni
Justin McPherson
Randy Miller
Adriane Frost
Kelly Campanile
Billy Robertson
Charlie Hunter
Mike Kofnovec Jr
Steven Allee
Max Baggett
Gavin Espino
Justin Parr

SBDCA Dwarf Cars
Shawn Jones
Ryan Winter
Mike Grenert
Tommy Velasquez III
Nick Velasquez
Joe Barket
Mark Biscardi
Punky Pires
Eric Weisler
Lonnie Tekaat
Barry Waddell
Fred Dickey
Travis Day
Brian Barnhill
Eddy Claessen
Darren Brown
Mack Aceves
Danika Del Monte
Ryan Amlen
Mark Hanson DNS

Mini Stocks
John Grilli
Roy Iler
Nicole Beardsley
Kate Beardsley
Richard Mitchell
Bill Beardsley
Ryan McClelland
Jeff Kessinger
Mark Fields
Travis VanGilder DNS
Tony Gullo DQ

Western Midget Racing
Tyler Slay
David Prickett
Tyler Dolacki
Randi Pankratz
Shayna Sylvia
Harley Rose
Eric Greco Jr
Sean Quinn
Nick Foster Jr
Matt Perry DNS

Street Stocks
Nate Graham
Dan Anderson
Jackie Yeung
Steven Fernandes
John Hohmann
Kyle Dorris
Pat Sullivan
A.J. Waltrip


Madera Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
Nut Up Pro Late Models
Buddy Shepherd
Ross Strmiska
Dylan Zampa
Ryan Philpott
Logan Zampa
Shelden Cooper
Joey Iest
Hans Beeler
Tim Skoglund
Blaine Rocha
Glen Cook
Jay Juleson
Dennis Rock
Austin Herzog
Pete Soto
Tyler Herzog
Mike Beeler
Rick Thompson
Seth Wise DNS
Matt Erickson DNS

51Fifty Energy Drink Jr Late Models
Bradley Erickson
Jake Bollman
Brody Armtrout
Kercie Jung
Kale McClenny
Cole Brown
Cody Kiemele
Cassidy Hinds
Kabe McClenny
Robbie Kennealy
Kyle Keller
Seth Wise
Holly Clark
Kasey Kleyn

Legends of the Pacific
Nick Halen
Cody Winchel
Eddie Garone
Cameron Austin
Bredan Ruzbarsky
Kevin Travels
Carlee Austin
Dylan Washburn
Raymond Casey
Michael Stearns
Kimberly Rouse
Mike Soieth
Kayci Phillips
Rob Lathrop
Wyatt Sansom
Blake Borchers
Keith Clement

Mini Cups/Bandoleros
Jeffrey Erickson
Caden Cordova
Nathaniel Edwards
Rebecca Dubie
Harley Kennealy
Evan Laires
Molly Laires
Wyatt Sansom
Joey Kennealy


Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars
Austin Liggett
Colby Johnson
Bradley Terrell
Billy Aton
Danny Faria Jr
Shayna Ensign
Ryan Timmons
Matthew Haulot
Glenn Bryan
Ricky Brophy
Kenny Drew
Daniel Whitley
Jeremy Ellertson

General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars
A Main
Darren Brown
Ryan Winter
Michael Grenert
Zack Albers
Mark Hanson
Chad Matthias
John Peters
Jimmy Damron
MIke Dahle
Corey Eaton
Mike Affonso
Tom VanTuyl
Danny Marsh
Matt Hagermann
Shiloh Borland
Trevor Mendenhall
Travis Day
Shawn Jones
Garrett Brady
Chance Russell
Gage Meyers
Joey Lingron
Tim Fitzpatrick
Carroll Mendenhall
Sam Borland

B Main
Corey Eaton
Mike Affonso
Danny Marsh
Trevor Mendenhall
Jimmy Damron
Shiloh Borland
Tom VanTuyl
Sam Borland
Duke Shoemaker
Dylan Shrum
Randy Miramontez
Antonio Miramontez
Matthew Hagermann
April Halliday
Shawn McCoy

BCRA Midget Lites
Dakota Albright
Aiden Lange
Hunter Kinney
Eric Greco Jr
Terry Bergstrom
Scott Kinney
Dan Foster
Dominic Delmonte
Harlee Aguilera
Brandon Leedy
Jeff Griffin
Tyler Gerdes

Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros
George Nielson
Koen Shaw
Brian Slubik
Rob Brown
Trevor Mendenhall
Shiloh Borland
Amber Fields
Jim Beck
Sam Borland
Kyle Grissom
Savannah Brown
Carroll Mendenhall


Irwindale Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
NASCAR Whelen All American Series
Late Models
Main Event #1
Dean Thompson
Christian McGhee
Tanner Reif
Dylan Garner
Lucas McNeil
Lawless Alan
Nick Joanides
Dustin Vandermooren
Kevin Furden
Rodney Peacher
Glenn Schwanger
Brian Pannone

Main Event #2
Dean Thompson
Christian McGhee
Lawless Alan
Tanner Reif
Dylan Garner
Nick Joanides
Dustin Vandermooren
Lucas McNeil
Kevin Furden
Glenn Schwanger
Brian Pannone
Rodney Peacher

Race Trucks/Spec Late Models
Andy Partridge
Andrew Porter
Jake Drew
Kenny Smith
Troy Andersen
William Browne
Jacob McNeil
Dennis Arena
L.J. Billings
Steve Bruckner
Trenton Beechum
Steve Lozano
Bory Molina

Enduro
Main Event #1
Robert Rice
Ian Rotundo
James Bolinas
Bobby Ozman
Robbie Salcido
John Beard
Bory Molina
Kirk Kubik
Brad Stellman
Rodney Argo
Rick Conti
Joe Furlow
Brad Wintermantle
Sonya Klaus
Cheryl Hyland
Chris Voight
Jason Woolcott
Daniel Azzolina 

Main Event #2
Bobby Ozman
Rick Conti
Robbie Salcido
Robert Rice
Kirk Kubik
Brad Stellman
John Beard
Sonya Klaus
Joe Furlow
Cheryl Hyland
Daniel Azzolina
James Bolinas
Ian Rotundo
Brad Wintermantle
Rodney Argo
Jason Woolcott

Legends
Main Event #1
Lawless Alan
Tyler Reif
Tyler Hicks
Jimmy Hansen
Chad Schug
Christen Bazen
Mike Vanderlip
Skyler Meisenbach

Main Event #2
Lawless Alan
Tyler Hicks
Tyler Reif
Jimmy Hansen
Christen Bazen
Skyler Meisenbach
Chad Schug
Mike Vanderlip

Super Stocks
Robert Harryman
Jim Vermillion
Jason DeLong
Bridgette Shaw
Harry Michaelian
Bryan Harrell
Rich DeLong III


Cottage Grove Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
Limited Sprints
Tyler Thompson
Kinzer Cox
Jake Wheeler
Steven Snawder
Shane Forte
Orion Redmond
Jesse Schlotfeldt
Anissa Curtice
Justin Lemon
Camden Robustelli
Ian Bandey
Brian Crockett
Tim Minter
Mike Griffith
Kyle Adams
Dave Button
Trent Estes
Tyrell Mead

IMCA Modified
Curtis Towns
John Campos
Eston Whisler
Bricen James
Steven Sturdevant
Paul Culp
Jake Mayden
Ray Bloom
Jeff Lovell
BJ Wild
Doug Lockwood
Dave Duste
Don Schott
Paul Rea
Jeffrey Hudson
Aaron Scheelar
Jesse Bailey
Ryan Baker
Derick Young
Chad Groves

B Main
Chad Groves
Doug Lockwood
Dave Duste
Jake Mayden
Craig Cassell
Brody Sim
Brian Winkler
Wayne Sturdevant
Dick Wright
James Anderson
Jim VanLoon

IMCA Sport Modified
Main Event
Hunter Bloom
Austin Petray
Isaac Sanders
Steven Sanders
Travis Pruitt
Doug Coffman
David Schmidt
Shawn Hand
Chris Hallberg
KC Scott
Jim Smith
Aaron Bloom
Chris Hallberg
Brionna Fuller
Theran Trissell
Michael Lavery
Jeff Cluff
Dalton Bloom
Jordan Henry
Steve Hopkins

B Main
Shawn Hand
Jim Smith
Dalton Bloom
Brionna Fuller
Theran Trissell
Colt Boswell
Matt Brown
Roger Bell

Late Models
Eston Whistler
McLain Beaudoin
Preston Luckman
Brian Smith
Mike Peters
Nathan Augustine
Kye Frick
Doug Elkins
Chuck Christian
Chad Groves
Dustin Knight
John Dees
Darryl Blanchard
Steve Fuller
Greg Heinrichs
Dana Bowers
John Duffie
Mark Wauge
Randy Barley
Pete Ulam

Street Stock
Graig Osborne
Justin Evans
Mike Long
Mark Farrar
Joey Tardio
Don Schott
Jody Tanner
Troy Chamberlain
Bernie Lujah
Tim Jenner
Adam Applebee
Brad Korpela
Kyndal Irvine
David Butler
Anthony Prather
Eric Freeman
Terry King
Brad Gentry
Larry Owens
Eddie Farness

IMCA Sport Compacts
Burnie Bryant
Ryan Dickenson
Barry Cannon
Brad Moffett
Jason Loucks
Mike Cockerline
Jeremy DeGroot
Brad Martin
Rich Dickenson
Cole Trissell
Matthew VanGill
Scarlett Drake
Andrew Wright
Kimberly Cannon
Chloe VanSant


Diamomd Mountain Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Jimmy Lipke
Nick Trencherd
Chris Nieman
Justin McCreadie
Ryan McDaniel
Gene Kay
Robert Miller
Riley Simmons
Cory Sample
James Thibodeaux
Scott Foreman
Jeremy Richey
Larry McCracken
Nevin Kennemore
Royce Goetz
Wade kennemore
Wade Lumsden
Matt Murphy
Alec Childs
Trevor Fitz

B Main
Riley Simmons
Robert Miller
Cory Sample
Royce Goetz
Trevor Fitz
Wade kennemore
Scott Foreman
Wade Lumsden
Kevin Boles
Justin Saltel
8x
Boyd Murchison
Barry Stone
Jim Turner
34g
DAVE SCIARRONI

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Jordan Braaten
11
Timothy Allerdings
Craig Nieman
Colton Chew
5f
Jimmy Ford
Richard Longacre
Mike Merritt
28
Dennis Crook
Scott Savell
Scott Foster
BILL PEARSON
28w
Ryan Belli
7
Shawn Merrit
Jeremy Phillips
Braxton Possinger
Tyler Rogers DQ

Hobby Stock
Royce Goetz
Jesse Gonzalez
Robert Miller
Jeremy Langenderfer
Don Diettier
Jake Hutson
David Ausano
Randy Boyd
Jacob Dias
Paul Stevens
Ronnie Goetz
Robert Warf
Steven Buhr
Dave Flournay
Jimmy Burhorst
Joseph Conroy
Eddie Simmons
Zack Havel
Aaron Flounay
Shayna Nieman DNS

Mini Stock
Tom Davis
Katelynn Robertson
Tony Quinonez
Bob Feller
Jordan Riley
David Woods
Anthony Hovland
Johnny Moya
Johnny Dahlen
Doug Hast
Ainsleigh Evenson
Jason Emmot
Suzie Schmitt
Jack Turner
Salvador Saucedo

Sprint Cars
Jordan Garretson
Trey Walters
Bruce Ferrier
Steve Williams
Dallas Ott
Darren Boone
Nick Purdy
Bob Shank

Dwarf Cars
Joe Frock
Buddy Olschowka
Vernon Hubbard
Glen Sciarani
Billie Canham
Roy Petersen
Skip Hempler
Donald Petersen
Isaak Geil


Diamomd Mountain Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 7, 2020
I-80 Challenge
IMCA Modifieds
Main Event
Riley Simmons
Nick Trencherd
Cory Sample
Trevor Fitz
Ryan McDaniel
Gene Kay
Robert Miller
Jeremy Richey
Justin McCreadie
Matt Murphy
Wade kennemore
Alec Childs
Scott Foreman
Wade Lumsden
Nevin Kennemore
James Thibodeaux
Kevin Boles
Larry McCracken
Zane DeVillbiss
Mitch Murphy

B Main
Jeremy Richie
Zane DeVillbiss
Robert Miller
Matt Murphy
Mitch Murphy
Kevin Boles
Alec Childs
Justin McCreadie
Boyd Murchison
Chris Nieman
Jeff White
Jerry Crowley DNS
Chris Olexiewicz DNS

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Craig Nieman
Timothy Allerdings
7
Colton Chew
Ryan Belli
Tyler Rogers
Braxton Possinger
Dennis Crook
Shaun Merrit
Scott Foster
28
Jimmy Ray Huffmon
Jeremy Phillips
28w
Jordan Braaten

Hobby Stocks
Royce Goetz
Robert Miller
Randy Boyd
Jesse Gonzalez
Paul Stevens
Aaron Flounay
David Ausano
Joseph Conroy
Robert Warf
Dave Flournay
David Pierce
Jacob Dias
Doug Weeks
Jimmy Burhorst
Steven Buhr
Jake Hutson
Don Diettier
Shayna Nieman
Greg McCully
Zack Havel
Kyler Honea
Harold Sack DNS

Mini Stocks
Tom Davis
Suzie Schmitt
Nick Boucher
Tony Quinonez
Jason Emmot
Bob Feller
Salvador Saucedo
Katelynn Robertson
David Woods
Anthony Hovland
Johnny Moya
Ainsleigh Evenson
Bob Kelly
Doug Hast
Jack Turner DNS

Sprints
Trey Walters
Jordan Garretson
Nick Purdy
Steve Williams
Darren Boone
Dallas Ott
Bruce Ferrier
Bob Shank


Yreka Outlaw Karts Unofficial Race Results August 7, 2020
Beginner Box Stocks
Elijah Humphrey
Talia Colley
Willow Tesdale
Liam Tesdale
Aiden Bartholomew

Box Stocks
Carson Henson
Bentleigh Chapman
Grant Proctor

UAS Speedway Karts
Trey Hornbrook
Brionna Fuller
Ed Grubb
Steve Rambo
Lori Fuller
Larry Fuller DNS

250 Outlaw
Jacob James
Nicholas Perrin
Dryver Dothage
Logan McKnight
Cale Cunial
Cole Cunial
Emma Rodgers
Faith McCollough
Drew Berry
Dallin Dagata
Morgan Berry
Blake Peery
Austin Bartholomew

500 Outlaw
Dryver Dothage
Merissa Henson
Randy Simmons
Brant Phillipe


Stockton 99 Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 8, 2020
Tom Manning Memorial
BCRA Midgets
Chad Nichols
Cody Jessup
Dan Parker
Flyod Alves

Focus Midgets
Joseph Holiday
Nathan Byrd
Johnny Nichols
Dillon Tucker
Kyle Kline
Austin Edwards

Gun Slingers 
KJ Snow
Austin Carter
Dillon Tucker
Mark Pyle
Justin Kawahata
Allen Beck

Modifieds
Buzz Devore
Luke Kaper 

The Editor's Viewpoint

I'm sitting here on Sunday afternoon going over this column, which was pretty much done. I get a message from Merced Speedway General Manager Doug Lockwood, who has done a tremendous job of organizing California IMCA Speedweek for this week. I put it out there so that everybody knows that I can't watch live streaming via Flo Racing or any of the other subscription sites, because I simply don't have the money to do it. 

I'm basically using whatever free services are out there and I'm still able to get quite a bit of information to do articles. Doug asked me for my email address Sunday morning, and I didn't think much of it. I had quite a bit of stuff to do, and I'm trying to get things together so I'll be ready for Placerville and what I thought would be an evening of watching live scoring via Race Monitor. 

I checked in a few hours later to notice that Doug actually sponsored me a year's subscription to Flo Racing as a thank you for my efforts. It means a lot to get that support as I've certainly been struggling to do what I do this year. I've been watching the way he's been doing things in Merced since coming on as General Manager, and I like the things that I'm seeing. 

Of course, it's been challenging to do anything at Merced right now during covid-19 shut downs, but that didn't stop him from putting together an amazing Speedweek Series with the other promoters. I will now be able to watch the action, which will obviously help with the media effort I will be trying to make this week and going forward. I just want to thank Doug for the support. It really isn't often that I get support from the track promoters themselves, and I can count that on one hand over the past few years. Thank you Doug. It's appreciated.

The news seems to change daily, which is the nature of opening race tracks during the covid-19 pandemic. Under normal circumstances you'll see tracks make changes, but these aren't normal circumstances. Sometimes things are getting canceled, things are being added and information just breaks every day. On Thursday, I was trying to get a blog post up before the evening, but I got information that required me delaying just a bit. I've been waiting for any results from Antioch Speedway, and we finally had finishes posted from August 1st and July 25th.

If you know me when it comes to Antioch Speedway, then you know that I have to get an article together. I pride myself on having a blog where you can find history and results and information from that track. I didn't mind taking the extra hour or so to cobble together a couple of articles. I'm happy to see that the results have been posted. Antioch Speedway has been a leader when it comes to reopening the dirt tracks in California. There have been a few missteps along the way, but they're getting it done.

One thing I'm curious about is point standings. I never really heard a clear announcement from management regarding whether there would be point standings kept or not. They've been running weekly since Memorial Day weekend there, so they will have run quite a few races by the time the last checkered flag falls on what would likely have been the final point race at the end of September. We know that IMCA considers a point race official when you reach four events, and you can go to the www.imca.com website and find not only all the State, National and Regional totals but individual track totals as well.

I've been looking at the Hobby Stock division in Antioch, because it's just as busy as the IMCA Modifieds. I know there were certain drivers who were talking about running for a championship this year, and they're still showing up every race. I'd love to know what the official announcement is from the race track regarding this topic. I don't want to speculate much further than that, because I know they're busy making many different decisions. 

If something gets by them it's to be forgiven. On the other hand, if they make the announcement that the Hobby Stocks aren't running for points, I'd have no problem throwing together a point list for them and calling it the DCRR Antioch point race. I'd do the same for the Super Stocks, but I don't know if I'll ever see the finish from their race during the Dwarf Car Regionals.

The system I would consider would be the IMCA point system. On one hand, I've never been enamored with the idea that IMCA runs heat races and doesn't give points. Their heat races really don't have too much value to them, in my opinion. Yeah, I get that if you don't finish in a certain spot you lose the invert. Then again, if you're a high point runner, you're usually not going to start much further up than the fourth row. 

In any case, I think one of the reasons IMCA uses the Main Event only format is because the tracks are required to fax them Main Event finishes in their entirety and let them know who was in the B Main and didn't transfer and all of that stuff. It's easier for them to calculate these points back in Iowa without having to worry about heat races and Trophy Dashes and that sort of thing.

Anyway, California IMCA Speedweek is happening. If this post is on schedule, you're reading it a few hours before the first race will take place on Monday at Placerville Speedway. The Speedweek Series will affect the schedule and how we do things this week. I'm inclined to drop the weekend preview post that you might see on Thursday and instead put up a "living post" that covers Speedweek day to day with articles and other things. I'd also probably make use of the Twitter site for audio updates as I'm inclined to do. That's the thought process. For me, the week is all about Speedweek, although I know that we'll have other things happening on Friday and Saturday that need to be covered as well.

it still blows me away that we were talking about doing something like this in late May and into June, and Merced Speedway General Manager Doug Lockwood took the ball and ran with it. He is certainly the MVP of this deal. I still believe we needed something like this to get excited about given the lousy year were in. It's still not perfect. We can't have fans in the grandstands, but we can watch some of the best IMCA Modified and Sport Modified racers going at it all week. Flo Racing will be the place to check it all out on the internet.

I'm also come around to the way of thinking that IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds go together. I do see merit in having nights at a race track where one class or the other is there, but giving their fans both divisions is the one-two punch that really brings it home. Oregon should have added the Sport Modifieds to their Speedweek a few years ago, and I'm glad that this Speedweek will have both classes right out of the gate. I'm surprised at some of the names that haven't signed up, but I'm delighted to see some of the big names who have. We're going to see people showing up just for this race or that race, and each event from Placerville to Petaluma to Antioch to Merced to Hanford and ultimately Bakersfield should be good. 

On Friday we got confirmation of what I suspected was going to be true. There would be no fans at Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville for their weekend doubleheader. When management mentioned that they were still waiting to hear back from the Lassen County Health officials, I knew it didn't sound good. This is the problem with negotiating your way through this less-than-ideal situation. Just when you think there's some good news, bad news comes and takes away the good vibe. They had been having socially distanced fan attendance in the five previous races held, though they couldn't sell concessions. They had to go the whole weekend without fans.

I guess you could say it's part of the one-two punch that happened in the last two weeks, because Hermiston Raceway was shut down prior to another double header last Saturday. They were going to have two Main Event only events, and allow  250 people in the stands for each showing. Unfortunately, Umatilla County got dropped down to Phase 1 the day before, eliminating the possibility of anything happening there at all. Hermiston was the track that showed the way in Oregon, and Douglas County Speedway has followed their lead. 250 people in the pits and 250 people in the stands. As long as they don't get dropped down to Phase 1, they're good.

I can't believe I was as optimistic as I was heading into June. I naively believed that by late July, more tracks would have some kind of fan attendance in California. We still have several tracks in Southern California that can't open yet, and I'm doubtful that we're going to hear any good news on fan attendance in August or September. Then again, the nature of this deal is that we go week-to-week. Promoters are still trying to talk with health officials about the possibility of getting fans, and even when you're hearing bad news, good news could still be just around the corner.

Heather Boyce at Cottage Grove Speedway decided she would announce a few more dates prior to Saturday's show. They will take August 15th off to regroup and assess things, but they're back at it again on the 22nd and the 29th. In fact, they're doing a Labor Day weekend show on September 5th and 6th, featuring the same six divisions that ran this last weekend. What's interesting is Siskiyou Golden Speedway is running both IMCA Modified classes that weekend as well. Cottage Grove becomes a cut off point that takes cars that would have headed to Yreka and brings them there. Then again, I think Yreka is counting more on Southern Oregon support than the Central Oregon drivers coming to town.

It's interesting to watch Roy Bain work his magic with the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series. As I was going to press with the last blog post, Roy went live with a nine minute update and more good news. The Al Miller Memorial race, which I believe is in its third year, will be coming to Antioch Speedway on October 31st. That's the news that Roy broke. We already knew that they were going to pay $2,000 to win and $200 to start, but the winner's money got bumped up to $2,500. The first non transfer in the B Main gets $200, and they're going to try to make sure the B Main finishers all get paid something at the track. Everybody goes home with money.

Robert Miller was one of the top stars in Late Model racing at Antioch, Watsonville and San Jose. He was a champion in Late Models, and he has gone on to win more championships in Nevada in IMCA Modifieds. You put him behind the wheel, and he's going to be fast. Brother Randy Miller has been driving Sport Modifieds recently as well, and these two are behind the race to honor their father. Without Al Miller, we wouldn't be seeing all the great things that Robert has done on the track in his career. In fact, I believe his first-ever Main Event win may have happened at Antioch Speedway back in 1981.

Robert does weekend karaoke events in Nevada through his Miller Entertainment company. Actually, that looks like a lot of fun. So Miller Entertainment has come on board to sponsor this event. The Top 5 feature finishers will leave with trophies. We know that Lyle Hopper of Winning Attitude Motorsports in Paradise has sponsored some of the purse money and has been an MVP for the Pro Stock racers this year. Furthermore, Terrance Webster Realty and Jay's Mobile Welding are sponsoring the event. This will be the biggest Pro Stock race of the year on the West Coast, and Antioch Speedway will have it as part of a stacked program on October 31st.

To briefly recap some of the things Roy said, they go to Susanville's Diamond Mountain Speedway on August 15th for a show that will pay $1,500 to win and I'm not sure if it's $100 or $150 minimum to start. Travis Peterson and Rick Workman Communications are both helping sponsor this event. Workman is also sponsoring $300 for a special mini series championship between Antioch and Petaluma on August 29th and 30th. I believe Jay Bryant is sponsoring additional monies for the Antioch purse, and Joe Carr Racing will be sponsoring the Sunday race at Petaluma.

September will see them in Nevada for a race, and we'll get more details on that as we get closer. There's also talk of a race at Petaluma. Mike Learn is working on sponsorship for that one, and we'll get more details in the days ahead. I'm not sure if they will be participating in the Adobe Cup event that honors Bob McCoy or what Petaluma plans for that event. Both the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks and the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars get a big purse on that occasion, so Promoter Rick Faeth may have some work to do there.

Antioch Speedway management has let the Pro Stock Series drivers know that they can camp there on August 29th to make it easier to go to Petaluma the next night for those people who are towing longer distances. Furthermore, management is working on the purse details for the Fourth Annual Larry Damitz Memorial race that will happen on October 10th. 

This is the Larry Damitz/Donna Soares Memorial event, and it's also billed as Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame night. It's the Third Annual Hall of Fame event. I'm not sure exactly what the money will be to win, but I would suspect it will at least be on par with what the Tri State Series has been paying. Management seems very willing to work with Bain on keeping this thing going strong. The track is benefiting from it as well.

Unknown right now is what's going to happen at the Stockton Dirt Track. San Joaquin County has been a little bit more difficult for Tony Noceti to work with, and fairgrounds tracks can be more challenging to open. Most of the events they have on that track are big shows, and it's hard to pay that kind of money if you can't have fans. I don't know if we're talking about a situation where they could race without fans or the health officials won't let them race at all, but either scenario is probably not ideal for Noceti. Therefore, they keep busy with the Stockton 99 Speedway and the little track at the fairgrounds and will open the bigger track if they can.

The question is, can the Stockton Dirt Track open in November? November is when they have the annual Gary "The Preacher" Patterson race. This is a big show for the NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged Sprint Cars. I'm seeing the NARC group shed a few tears as their races get cancelled, and what I'm curious about is whether this is a race that they will rally behind like they did at Ocean Speedway. They have plenty of time to help bring in purse money, and if the track could open, will the group fight for this race? Bain is wondering because there are two Tri State Challenge Series races scheduled there for November that may or may not happen. He also says that the group has been invited for the New Year's race next year.

It's a fluid situation that's changing daily. We don't know what might break for the positive by then. I also have to admit that I can see why Tony might not want to do anything at the dirt track unless he can have fans. The kind of events he books there most of the time are NARC/King of the West, Sprint Car Challenge, Asparagus Cup, World of Outlaws and high-end things. I think this is one of the reasons he started looking at more Stock Car oriented nights this year, which I think will continue to be a trend there in the future. The best I can say is go to the Stockton Dirt Track Facebook page for announcements on when that track might get back into gear again.

The tradition and history thing in racing means a lot to me. One of the reasons why I wouldn't mind slowing down on my regular media effort is so I can start paying attention to putting some books together. I have a big desire to do some Antioch Speedway books, but there's other tracks that factor in as well. I also like the idea of the Hall of Fame, which is obvious. When I came to Southern Oregon, I lobbied for the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame. We had three of them before the pandemic shut the gates this year. I do hope that the community keeps that thing going in the future, and I might be willing to reach out to people to help make that happen if they want my help.

The Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame had been a labor of love of mine. It nearly happened 20 years ago, but management and I couldn't quite come to terms on it at the time. I had people in the community willing to help me do the things that would have made it a big success then. I wanted a picnic, because I attended the BCRA Hall of Fame picnic at the Antioch Fairgrounds in 1999. I loved the vibe there. I wanted that for the Antioch racing community, and I had people lined up to help me organize it. Sadly, it wasn't to be, but I kept speaking about the idea in the years that followed. I never gave up on it and eventually made it happen, but I'm disappointed in myself. Some good people who were going to be inducted passed away before they could be honored in person. That's what wasting time will get you.

I knew San Jose Speedway was doing a really nice Hall of Fame in the 1990s, and Rick Farren was also promoting Watsonville Speedway at the time. One night in the 1990s, and I forget what year it was, Watsonville inducted Ray Johnson into the Hall of Fame. I began making a pitch to Brynda Bockover about how it would be good to do something like this at Antioch Speedway. She said something like it was a good idea but not knowing where we would start. Nothing came of it. At the time, I was just doing my magazine and the only thing I could do was pitch ideas. I wasn't formally on the staff, although sometimes my ideas had a little bit of influence on what they did. 

At the end of the 1990s, Watsonville Speedway opened up their Hall of Fame. I have a post on the blog somewhere that lists most of the inductees, but I can't find the inductees for the last two years before they put the thing on hiatus. I think what happened to the track was Farren was getting out of it. When John Prentice stepped in, I don't think he had as big a connection with the history of Watsonville as he did the history of San Jose Speedway. Therefore, there was no real desire to keep it going, and the community didn't grab the reins and do something with it. I wonder if the people in Watsonville can revive it?

The history of Watsonville Speedway is as old as Antioch Speedway, and there are some people that should be honored. I believe there were people from the Morgan family that responded to my inquiries. This is what it would take. For some reason, a potential Hall of Fame night that jumps out at me is the Pat And Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout, but there are two other ideas for when it could happen. One of the ways to keep the Mike Cecil Memorial on the schedule would be to make that Hall of Fame night in early August, or you could be bold. Bring back the Tim Williamson Classic and make Hall of Fame night that occasion.

When it comes to honoring the Watsonville history, I don't think John Prentice would shut the door in your face. What I do think is John would be looking for somebody who would oversee it. If you're doing all the legwork, contacting the people, getting the awards and all of that, what is it costing the promoter? Therefore, I think the path to reviving the Watsonville Speedway Hall of Fame would be for long time racers down there to step up and make it happen. It's easy. Find the list of who's been inducted and start the vetting process for your new candidates. There are so many people deserving of the honor.

While I was pushing for an Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame, I was also simultaneously pushing for one at Merced Speedway. I'll admit there were two motivating factors for me establishing the Merced Speedway Days of old Facebook page back on 2015. Chris Briggs was one of them. What he did with his page for Antioch was phenomenal, and I actually think there's a bit more history on the Merced Speedway Days of Old page now. I wanted that page to be the place where we started having discussions in the hopes that the Hall of Fame could happen there. In an alternate universe, maybe it would have.

I was down in Merced for several races in 2015 as I was hoping to land a gig with Oval Motorsports and John M Soares. I just so happened to catch John as he was on his way out of Merced after saving the place. Ed Parker came in, and he was another guy with history on his mind. I began pitching the idea, and he seemed very interested. He actually wanted me to fly down to Merced to be a part of Merced Speedway Legends night. 

One of my favorite memories in racing was 2015, when I got to announce that show and I got to interview one of my heroes Johnny Sass, Dennis Moomjean and other greats of the past. Standing there with Johnny and Dennis, I knew that a Hall of Fame at Merced Speedway needed to happen, and it still does. I don't mind telling you I got a little misty-eyed when I saw a picture of Johnny doing interviews at Legends night the previous year. I was happy to see that the old guy was still around and they respected him enough to put a microphone in front of him. We had a really nice conversation on the microphone for the fans to hear in 2015.

The question is, who down in the community would pick this up and run with it? I've demonstrated the way to get it started, even if it's not a perfect solution. Somebody organizes it. One person can talk to many, come to a consensus and create a list of inductees. They can get the awards for those inductees. Display boards can be put together so fans can look at some of the history. This is the model I borrowed from Curt and Denny Deatherage at Cottage Grove Speedway, because it works pretty damn well. You can make it bigger from there, but one person getting it started is the way it can be improved upon in the future. You have to start somewhere. So who is that person down in Merced to do it, or could somebody from Oregon start the ball rolling there too?

We've lost George Steitz, Vern Wilhoite and Ted Stoffle. These three are first-year Hall of Famers at Merced for sure. I think Dennis Moomjean, Johnny Sass and Rod Poor or still with us. First-year inductees. Maybe Jack Oldenhage, Dwayne Noe, Doug Williams and Ray Morgan. There's a lot of people deserving of this honor. 

Hall of Fame night could be very special, especially at a place like Merced Speedway. You've got the perfect grandstand situation where lots of display boards could be shown underneath. You've got good racing and the time is right. The track is 70 years old. Once we have Speedweek there next week, I'm hopeful of one more IMCA Sport Modified race at least so that that division will have a championship in the eyes of the sanctioning body. For 70 consecutive years, they've crowned champions there.

Petaluma Speedway has a history that people don't realize. When I was doing some research, I uncovered Petaluma's participation in the old Redwood Empire Series between Ukiah, Lakeport and Santa Rosa. One of the best of the best was Rod Zanoline, but there were others. Rod would be somebody that people might not even remember, but he's a Hall of Famer for sure. People don't necessarily remember the history at Petaluma the way they do at some other tracks, which I find interesting. This is why I was happy when announcer Ron Lingron began putting together the champions list that was posted on the track's Facebook page recently.

There were some blanks that I was able to help him fill in. I was happy to do so, because I think people need to start learning a little bit more about the history of that track. We don't even know how much longer we're going to have Petaluma Speedway, and let me tell you something. One of the ways you can fight for that race track and its importance to that community is through honoring its history. The council members and supervisors or whomever is making these decisions needs to be educated on what this track really means to the community. Therefore, acknowledging history and starting a Hall of Fame there is a no-brainer.

I had been communicating back and forth with Ron when Rick Faeth let me know a few things. I got a better understanding of some history, which is always nice. It's always better to hear it from the horse's mouth than through second hand information. Rick also invited me to the track, which was very nice of him. I would like to go back for a visit to Petaluma Speedway same day as I always liked my visits there. 

For one thing, it was a special trip for me and my dad for a few years when Antioch Speedway had the rodeo during their fair. I always saw some of the best racing at that track, and my respect level for then Promoter John Pershing Soares got higher. I managed to get there several times during the 1990s, and I love the place. I have fond memories of many trips there with Gary Jacob as well.

Mike Chisholm should be in the Petaluma Speedway Hall of Fame. He may be the greatest Super Stock driver to her strap into a race car at that track, and I don't think anybody would argue against that. Jack Dempsey is another first-ballot Hall of Famer, in my opinion. John Butler makes a good case as one of the top Stock Car drivers of the 70s. Larry Schlee and Tom Abreu from the late 60s and early 70s. John Pershing Soares was the man who guided that track for many years. I think I'd do the induction for John and Gladys Soares as she was there every step of the way with him. Even John Michael Soares had some great moments. 

That's a place to start, but there's a long ways to go and many greats to honor. I don't think it's a difficult thought adding Larry Damitz to this list given his accomplishments through the years. Street Stock racers certainly belong in there, and Shawn McCoy definitely comes to mind for his legendary career in that division. Joe Carr, Dan Clary and Randy Larson come to mind when you start talking about IMCA Modified racers The point is, we know there's a list at least 100 people long that could be put together without too much thought, and that just scrapes the surface of the history of the greats at Petaluma Speedway.

Which brings me back to Antioch Speedway. I'm told that Hall of Fame night will happen, and management isn't worried whether they can have fans or not. It does disappoint me that they would do this. I want fans there. I just do. Without fans, some of the meaning is lost, but the show must go on, right? The other way to look at it is management seems keenly interested in having a picnic. I wanted this all along. Some of the fans can actually buy tickets to such an event and mingle with the inductees and other legends, so people who really wanted to be there probably could get a tickets. As I said, the BCRA showed the way to this.

Everybody gathers at the picnic area at the fairgrounds for a few hours of celebration, good food and conversation. Maybe you have your display boards up there for people to look at and remember those days. Then, you begin the induction ceremonies. There are some people who might be up for attending a picnic who might not want to go to the actual races themselves. I think the family member of one of our inductees last year probably would have done this if it was an option. So, there is merit in having a Hall of Fame picnic. It does promote community. If you were doing it at the race track, I'd worry about people who wanted to be there and couldn't if the stands aren't open by then.

After you've done that, you can still have a moment during intermission where you introduce the inductees. You can interview them or do whatever, but it's not a big ceremony in the infield that race officials worry is taking too much time. The two years I've done this, I've had people looking at their watches. It's like, "look guys, I know. I am on schedule, and we'll get the racing back out there again." But I get it. You'd rather not have the ceremony at the race track if you can do it beforehand. You could do a much smaller and manageable thing where you introduce the inductees to the crowd, and you still could have your display boards for the fans.

These are all decisions that are out of my hands now. I had to let go. To be honest with you, if I was able to make the decision I wanted to make, I wouldn't be gone. But, in life you have to deal with the cards you're dealt. I'm confident in Chris Briggs and management that they will do the things that need to be done to keep this thing moving forward. That's not going to stop me from offering my opinions, suggestions and just whatever I feel I need to say here on the blog. You can always count on that from me.

I only wanted 10 people to be inducted last year. 10 is still a high number, and I think under normal conditions 5-7 is where I'd like it to be. Then again, we're trying to make up for a little bit of lost time. I just don't want to get to the point where we put so many people into the Hall of Fame that we're inducting the ticket-taker and that sort of thing. It gets watered down when you do that. Last year, I felt we had a pretty darn good list at 10 people, but the suggestions started pouring in. Names got taken off the list, added and before you knew it we had 15 people.

The problem I had with that list was not being able to contact people who could have been there. I know certain people were aware of it that never responded back, and a few of the plaques didn't get claimed. I did the best I could, but I'm only one person. There was a limit to what I could do, and I think I exceeded it. Overall, I'm proud of the two years that I headed this thing up, but I'm happier with the way things went the first year than the second. When I was making the final determination on the second list, there were names that came very close to getting in. 

Everybody's going to have their opinions as to who should get in. That's what makes these things interesting. People will make good cases, and sometimes those names make it to the final list. Sometimes somebody just cares that much about that person, and they're going to nominate them based on that. Sometimes you don't get it right, and somebody who should have been on the list wasn't included. Believe me, you'll hear from family members if you miss somebody that they feel is a snub. It's not always going to be perfect, but there's one thought to remember. There's always next year. That's what gives me hope about this deal. It will be in the hands of people who will keep it going.

As I was putting things together last year, I was hearing the suggestions of some of the women in racing and why they deserve to be in. I felt that there were some names that had to be honored before we got to the ladies. In the back of my mind, however, I felt like this year could be the year to honor a few of them. Certain accomplishments need to be honored. I had Debbie Clymens's name on the list last year, although she didn't make it in. I also had Brynda Bockover's name on the list. In my mind, both deserve to get in this year, and I'll tell you why.

With Debbie you've got a woman who broke down the barriers. I know she wasn't the first. Gloria Johnson and Lesley Green were the first, and both ran well the year their husbands put them behind the wheel. Donna Walton was the first to win a Main Event and nearly won a championship. Debbie, however, made it okay to be a lady rubbing fenders with the guys. She wasn't timid, she wasn't meek. She wasn't afraid to put her foot to the floor. When she had her spectacular flip, it didn't scare her. She's a pioneer in my mind. She's the one who really broke down the barriers. I would put her in.

You can say so many things about Brynda Bockover. How many women were running race tracks back when she took over for her late husband? She had a trial by fire, and her critics were there. I was one of them. As I've moved further away from those days, my respect for her has grown for what she was able to do there. She gave the track 10 good years. Even though I think there were things that needed to happen there that didn't, not everything that didn't happen was because she didn't want to do it. She had ideas that the brass didn't let her try. However, there were some solid years under her guidance. I'd put her in as one of the people behind the scenes who made a difference.

I've heard it. Lesley Green and Gloria Johnson. Put them in. Gloria Johnson finished second in the points that year, and Lesley finished 10th. They weren't just occupying space on the track. Those were competitive fields, and ranking that high meant something. Gloria didn't have a long run, but she was the one getting the headlines. She was the first. Lesley did return in the 1980s. If we're talking about pioneers and being the first, I don't disagree with acknowledging these two. The impact they had was that suddenly women watching from the stands could see themselves racing with the guys, not just a Powder Puff race.

Snork Wilson came highly recommended. He was a Top 5 competitor in the 1960s, but he also built fast race cars. He won several Main Events, and he was one of the first top local drivers to cheer for. He's certainly on my list as is the first champion, Jimmy Stewart. He wasn't local, but he won the first two championships at the track. He was the first star of the speedway when it opened in 1961. The first local star that was winning the locals only championships was LD Maupin. Who could forget his red, white and blue race cars? I almost wonder if something for the Maupin family could be done. Something that honors both LD and Mel Maupin as these two were fixtures at the speedway for many years.  

Burt Jeffries is another person at large who deserves consideration. He came highly recommended by people who were there back in the 1960s and knew his skills with race cars. As a black man, Burt wasn't allowed in the pits at first, and racers would bring their cars out to the parking lot to have him work on them. He also won a mechanic's race. I had the honor of meeting him back in the 90s, and he was a nice guy for sure. 

I threw Tom Abreu's name out there last year, and there was resistance to that. Evidently, he was a bad boy and hurt NASCAR's feelings one year, but the guy won races. Of course, he had more glory out at Petaluma Speedway, but people still talked about "The Rabbit" at Antioch Speedway for years.

Marv Wilson and Buzz Enea were both on my list last year. Marv was definitely one of the best, and as a kid I was a fan. He won a championship at Antioch and won the title the next year at Petaluma before promptly selling his car to Sam Houston and retiring. He went out on top. Enea was definitely one of the best Sportsman drivers of the late 1970s and 1980. I have no doubt that the 1981 championship would have been his, but he stepped out of the driver's seat to work with his father-in-law Len Mello, who achieved his dream of winning his first championship in 20 years. To me, Enea and Wilson are two good representatives of the 1970's, and there's also Gene Dothage. You had to beat him to get the championship for three years as he was runner-up. Didn't win the championship, but he was as good as they came.

From the 1980s, Bobby Hogge III and Dave Byrd made my list. I know there are others that people are going to talk about. What about Ed Sans Jr, Jeff Silva? Both great, and both probably get in within the next few years. Dave Byrd should have gotten in with Jim Pettit II, in my opinion. I'm talking the impact he had in the early 1980s after we lost the Sportsman division. The Byrd, Pettit, JD Willis battles back then were legendary. As for Hogge? You're not going to tell me he doen't belong there. The minute you do, I turn my head and walk the other way. As great as his son is, where do you think he learned it from? Some say Bobby was the greatest Late Model racer in Antioch history. There's a reason they say that, and you had to be there to see.

People are going to say, what about the Street Stocks? Well of course they get into the Hall of Fame, but do we do it this year or start next year? To me, there is only one choice for the first Street Stock driver, and I know it might be controversial for some. John "Boom Boom" Bellando would be my first pick. Street Stocks were the division that got on the track as the fans made their way to the exit before Bellando came along. After a few races with him on the track, people sat in their seats and watched. What was this guy going to do next? He is a damn legend, and he's my first choice. If you're suggesting Duane Hodges, I'm listening. He was great in his own right. Every regular division at the track deserves consideration when the time comes. 

I know people are going to tell me Troy Shirk, and I'm listening to that. Bellando should get in first, but Shirk could get in with him. Want to tell me about John Keldsen and his Figure 8 prowess? I'm listening. If you're going to do that, tell me a little bit about Brian Holden too, because he was the greatest local in the Figure 8 division. It's a damn shame the competitors eliminated him so often to prevent him from winning the championship. but everybody still knew how good Brian was.

In the 1990s, you can't start adding those competitors without putting this guy in first. Two words for you, Scott Busby. He gets in immediately. People were saying he should get in the first year, but I felt like we needed to honor some people who came before him first. For the most part, that's been handled, and now it's Busby's turn. We're 20 years away from the 1990s, so this decade gets some love. While we're at it, we can talk about Keith Brown Sr and how consistently good he was. Also, car owner Rich Richards. That guy didn't build slow race cars. He came there to win, and he was also an advocate for the little guy. He helped a lot of people get to the track. Much respect to Rich. 

Somebody might want to mention the name Bart Reid, and I'm listening to that too. He was a champion in Street Stocks and Modifieds, and it happened in the 1990s. This is the place I'd start, but then the suggestions would come in. While am I rigid in my belief that certain people get in now, I do think discussions can sway the list a little bit. People have good suggestions, and obviously they'll make arguments that I wasn't looking at. 

Two names I would look at from the Stock Car ranks in the 1970s are Bob Meeker and Gary Ehrlich. Both drivers ranked high in the standings for several seasons, and Meeker was the 1978 champion. When he died, Antioch ran the Bob Meeker Classic in his honor for several seasons. From the early 70s, I think Mitch West, John Van Hooser and Don Robbins deserve consideration. I'd also look back at the 1960s and early 70s to Sportsman stars Lon Williams is another good candidate. From this list, I'd probably refine it to 8 to 10 drivers or people behind the scenes as final nominees after going over things with careful consideration. I'm kind of throwing this all out here right now as it is.

I tried to do my best for the last two years, and I think I did okay. Now it's up to other people. These are just my suggestions, but I know they'll do okay. Oh, by the way, I also have two other names as people behind the scenes who made a difference. Ted Ballard of Antioch Parts Depot and Mike Conley. Okay, Conley did some Figure 8 and Stock Car racing, but he helped a lot of people get out there as well.

That's about all I know on the Hall of Fame chatter. The other tracks may or may not do one in the near future, but it looks like Antioch will do it in October. I can't wait to see what is a decided and will offer this up as an opinion. Obviously I'm going to be a little bit sad as I sit here at my desk in October while that's happening down there, but my hands are tied. I'll get over it, and I certainly wish them the best. I'll just leave it at a simple, I'll see you guys sometime, but hopefully the next time I'm down there I won't have to head back up north again.

Ocean Speedway had most of their divisions on the card again for Friday night. I think one of the reasons they do this is because they can't have fans in the grandstands. Nobody's telling them that they can't have 400 or 500 people in the pits, so you can do that if you bring enough divisions that have cars. That's the little secret at several different tracks, so why shouldn't Watsonville take their shot at it? There were about 100 cars for this show. Getting that kind of a car count also presents another challenge.

If you're not careful, it can get away from you. The team of officials found that out early on when the track reopened, so they're not taking any chances at this point. Once they got the show started, I don't think they had any break that took longer than five minutes. That happened after the heat races were over. The track was in good shape, and it seems like Tom Sagmiller has been on a roll lately with what he's been doing. Some might say it was too good since a couple of those Main Events didn't have yellow flags. However, it's good news for drivers that weren't crashing as much and therefore don't have a lot of work to do on their cars. All in all, it seemed to be a good show, so I don't think anybody was complaining too much. 

A few of the top Winged 360 Sprint Car teams headed out of state to the Knoxville 360 Nationals, but there were still almost 30 drivers for this race. They do decent numbers under normal circumstances, but the pandemic has inflated the Sprint Car numbers at Watsonville a little bit. The other interesting thing going on here is we haven't had a repeat feature winner yet. Reigning King of the West/NARC and King of Thunder Sprint Car champion DJ Netto was three laps away from becoming the first repeat winner, but 2015 champion Justin Sanders thwarted that by taking the lead and victory. It was an entertaining way to end the show.

The IMCA Sport Modified battle is an interesting one. None of the big stars from out of the area decided to come to Watsonville, and I didn't notice any name other than State point leader Timothy Allerdings in Susanville. Some of the teams were saving their cars for Antioch on Saturday, and others were just getting ready for Speedweek. The championship has taken on a different flavor here because you've got a few drivers in the points who are not ones you would expect to be championship contenders. 

Gavin Espino was leading coming into the night, but he got eliminated in a crash. Max Baggett led some of the early laps, but he was involved in that crash. Past champion Jim DiGiovanni became the fifth different winner, and Adriane Frost cut into the Espino lead a little bit with her Top 5 performance. She missed a race, but she's only going to be a few points out of the lead. Watsonville will be having a race for this class and the IMCA Modifieds against the Speedweek race in Hanford Friday night, at least according to the schedule on their page.

It's worth noting that Dwarf Car star Shawn Jones is on a roll right now. This guy is doing impressive things these days. He's winning just about everywhere he goes, and Friday saw him winning for the third-straight time. He also won the Petaluma Dwarf Car Nationals this year. The field increased to 20 competitors in that class, which included top Southern California racers Nick Velasquez and Tommy Velasquez III as well as Darren Brown. The one thing I like about Watsonville is they have some good competition in all of their classes. Even the Mini Stocks and Police N Pursuit cars managed to be entertaining, and it was John Grilli becoming the latest new winner in the Mini Stocks on this occasion.

The Yreka Outlaws were back in action. I don't think there was anything holding back racing at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds. It just so happened that the big track's promoter, Kevin Barba, had a weekend planned with his family. The Outlaw Kart organizers were back at it on Friday. Despite the fact that the Cottage Grove Speedway Kart track was going to cut off a few drivers who might have towed south, there were still a little over 30 Karts for this one. The 250 Kart class continues to be the one with the bigger numbers, and Jacob James picked up his first win. If the name sounds familiar, he's the fourth generation of the famous James family from Southern Oregon. His grandfather Markey James was inducted into the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame last year.

They make the best of it when Kart count clearly isn't great. It's not really a profitable endeavor to run these shows with less than 40 Karts, but they are fighting the good fight. There are several other Southern Oregon teams that could be in Yreka as their track isn't likely to open, but those drivers don't appear to be interested in racing at this point. Yreka Outlaw Kart management just keeps plugging along, and there are still several events scheduled. If they're not running head-to-head with Cottage Grove, I would suspect the numbers might increase a little bit.

I do know how frustrating it gets to try to keep a Kart program going when you're not getting support. In our fourth year at the Southern Oregon Kart track, we had to resort to bringing in Flat Track Bikes and Three-Wheelers as a way to get the numbers up in the pits. It basically saved the program last year. Part of the problem is some of these vehicles are just too expensive, especially when you get to the 500 Open and 250 Kart classes. When there's only three or four Karts showing up in those classes, it's difficult to justify keeping the gates open. Therefore, I'm impressed with the double digit numbers Yreka is getting with the 250 Karts.

I was frustrated at the Medford Kart track sometimes, but interacting with the families and the kids who were involved with it made it worthwhile. There are moments that you have at tracks like these that are unique compared to the bigger tracks. Plus, some of these kids do go on to the bigger tracks. The people who do show up care enough about it, and you try to fight to keep it going for them. It's just that you need more people with that enthusiasm. If you go back about 10 years ago, the numbers weren't that bad. You could still make a go of it and have some pretty big events. Things seemed to change a little bit once Kyle Larson moved on from Kart racing to the big time. In any case, they're still fighting for it in Yreka.

It still wasn't as big of a racing weekend on the West Coast as we've had in recent weeks, but I managed to overload my brain keeping track of four tracks at the same time. Somehow I managed to do that, but my brain was fried by the time the checkered flag fell at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford on Saturday. It was a combination of viewing live scoring from Hanford and Petaluma and watching the free streams being offered by Ukiah Speedway and Madera Speedway.

Keller Auto Speedway made out pretty well, and this time they did have Flo Racing. They had a race a few weeks ago that offered no live streaming, so I know they found it important to make something happen this time. With both the King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars and the RaceSaver IMCA 305 Sprints, they definitely needed to have fans, even if only through internet streaming. The total car count for this race was very nice at over 80 between the four divisions they had. This included the IMCA Stock Cars and a Mini Stock division that was not CVMS sanctioned but was supported by several members of the group.  

I've been watching as Bud Kaeding has been leading the way in the Sprint Car point standings at Ocean Speedway this year, and it's not even close at the moment. However, Bud has managed just three Top 5 finishes in six starts there and has yet to win. He's been due for a victory for sure. Mitchell Faccinto has a win at Hanford, and he was looking to make it two. Unfortunately for Faccinto, things went wrong for him at 13 laps. At that point, Kaeding took over and kept some good drivers at bay to get his first win of the year in the #69 car made famous by his father Brent Kaeding. We've seen some bigger than average Winged 360 Sprint Car counts for regular shows at different venues this year, and Hanford had 33 of them.

Rather than run qualifying on the clock for the group, they ran two sets of heat races and had a point system that determined who was in the Main Event and who would have to run the B Main. If you've got time to do something like that, it's certainly the way to go. Somebody can have a bad heat race or a bad draw that puts them in the back, but running two heat races levels the playing field a little bit. They did get done just a few minutes after 11, but the show seemed to go pretty well for them.

The RaceSaver Sprints delivered 19 cars. Hanford is where this effort got started in California, the same as the IMCA Stock Cars. This division continues to grow, but it seems like it works better in the Southern end of California than the Northern end. That doesn't mean things can't change in the future. Rob Solomon and Brooklyn

Holland had a nice battle during the first half of the race, but Holland ended up getting the lead and scoring a popular victory. 

Though this was not a House of JuJu CVMS race, there were still 18 Mini Stocks. Since the track formed a relationship with the group, I've noticed the big upturn that Hanford has had with Mini Stocks. Before then, if they got 10 cars it was a good night. Dan Myrick won the CVMS race earlier this year, but he's had some bad luck in his last two starts. He rebounded a bit with a third-place finish, but it was Ryan Doglione holding off 2018 CVMS champion Greg Baronian to get the win. These three will surely be back on Friday night when Hanford hosts a CVMS race as part of the Speedweek event.

For the IMCA Stock Cars, I noticed a little bit of a Merced presence as three of the drivers came from the area. This included 2016 Hobby Stock champion Michael Shearer and Garrett Corn, who came within a few points of winning the Hobby Stock title a couple years ago. If your last name isn't Johnson, it seems like you don't end up winning there these days. All three of the Johnson family members who competed made their presence known at the front of the pack, but it was reigning champion Chad Johnson winning. It was a good showing for the group at 13 cars. Even the drivers down in Hanford, where this division got started in California, know that big things are on the way for this division. 

I'm somewhat puzzled as to where the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars were on Saturday night. Petaluma hosted them, but many of the top competitors from Southern California skipped the show. They only had 13 drivers start the Main Event with Austin Liggett picking up from where he left off there last October with another win. I can't help but be a bit disappointed at the lower than anticipated turnout, but I'm at a loss as to why. These racers haven't had a chance to run this year, so I thought they'd be busting down the gate. I keep hearing things about Petaluma that I prefer not to comment on at this point until I get more information.

The savior of the program was the General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car division, and they had several drivers from both the NorCal and Delta Dwarf car groups. There were 37 total cars in the field. NorCal was running at the front of the pack as usual, but it seems like the only thing that can stop Shawn Jones is mechanical issues. He was leading when it happened, and Southern California racer Darren Brown got the win with Ryan Winter and Michael "Spanky" Grenert in close pursuit. I don't know where all of the Dwarf Cars are coming from in Petaluma, but it seems like everybody is getting one these days. It makes for some interesting shows for sure. 

I mention how schedules change all the time, and one of the schedules for Petaluma that I noticed before race night listed the Mini Stocks on the card. It turns out they weren't there, but the track did host the BCRA Midget Lites. This actually made the show that much better as there were some cars with this group. Dakota Albright scored the victory. Usually, Merced Speedway hosts the Wayne Albright Memorial race around this time of year, but it looks like that event won't happen at this point unless BCRA is able to put it on the schedule someplace else. It was a positive showing for the group, and whatever is next on the agenda can be found over at bcraracing.com. 

I've heard some people suggest that the track is just a little bit too big for the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros, but you can't deny that they can be very entertaining at times. There was a nip-and-tuck battle going on at the front of the pack with three drivers hoping to get the victory. Koen Shaw was thinking he would get his third win, but the second half of the race belonged to the other drivers. Unfortunately, multi-time champion Jim Beck had his issues, but George Nielsen scored the win on this occasion. He's won there before, if I'm not mistaken, but it's been a few seasons. Definitely a good win for him. 

I wasn't watching the show at Stockton 99 Speedway, but then again there was nothing available out there to watch. I did see the Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds as somebody was putting footage out there of the nine competitors who showed up. It turns out they had the biggest car count for the Tom Manning Memorial race. Honestly, I do appreciate that they showed up with some enthusiasm, but it's disappointing that they didn't have much of a turnout with the Gunslingers at six cars. The BCRA Midgets couldn't even get as many cars as the Focus Midgets. They had four, while with Focus Midgets had six.

I can put it to you simply. The Western Midgets delivered 10 cars at Watsonville on Friday, and the BCRA delivered four at Stockton. When I talked about how things are changing for the Midgets last week, that's a good illustration. The thing is, I know BCRA is on hard times compared to where it was a few years back, but it isn't dead. There are more dirt cars out there, but the leadership needs to prioritize. Pavement is not working for this group. I know it's a bitter pill for some to swallow, but it's the truth. If they don't stop dilly-dallying with their schedule and get real about this, we could see an end to the organization as we know it. Do they really want to see that happen? 

The free streaming services were interesting on Saturday. Ukiah Speedway has somebody up in the grandstands with a camera and the announcer sitting in the stands. He's entertaining, enthusiastic and I don't mind listening to him as I'm watching the excitement on the quarter-mile paved oval. As I said, when it comes to pavement racing, I don't think it gets much better than this track. That's just my humble opinion. The Bombers were the show, and there were 20 cars for this one. They were scheduled to have a 35 lap Main Event earlier in the evening and a 45 lapper to close the evening. The first race would pay $500 and the second race would pay $1,500. Good sponsorship, such as Hillcat Industries, helped these guys. Not to mention, T And T Towing.

There are a few different classifications within the classifications in Ukiah. There's a B Bombers division and a Street Stock class. They're actually trying to get a pavement Street Stock division going, and those cars aren't quite as fast as the Bombers. Between the B Bombers and the Street Stocks, they had enough to run a six car heat race, although two cars broke before their Main Event. I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea to try to start this class, but it's challenging to start a division of this nature these days. Technology is changing and it's harder to get these types of cars together.

There was a Lakeport Speedway presence with the Bombers just as there were some fast locals. It made things interesting, but then Charley Tour had a front-row start for the second Main Event. Tour gets around that track pretty well, so he had a pretty darn good lead by the time opening feature winner Charlie Collins caught Loren Powers Jr in the battle for second. A yellow flag with eight laps to go wiped out a straightaway advantage, but Tour still got the win. The Bombers can get a little rambunctious on the track, but they did a pretty good job in both Main Events.

It's interesting that Sierra Furia sold her car to Codi Barba after winning the previous Limited Modified Main Event. I'm not sure if Codi is related to Yreka Promoter Kevin Barba or not, but I'm guessing he might be. Codi gave Sierra a really good battle during the first half of the race before she took over. The guy who's been very difficult to beat this year is Justin Philpot from the Sacramento area. He bided his time, and when a yellow flag waved with about 10 laps to go, he stole the lead from Furia on the restart. It looks like her new car is as fast as her old car, so she might get another win before this season ends. Overall, the Modifieds were fun to watch.

I will repeat what I said recently. Ukiah Speedway and Promoter David Furia is doing a good thing by giving away the stream for free on Facebook. What it offers is an opportunity to put the word out about a track that some people may not know much about. The Bombers and Limited Modifieds have both done a good job, and the shows have been pleasant to watch. I think it has put the track in a good light overall. With the Jammers and Jalopies, there's a lot to watch, although I'd like to see a few more vehicles in those two classes. I still plan to watch on August 22nd when they come back, and Ukiah Speedway on Facebook is the place to go to find out more information. 

With Madera Speedway, it's a production. Sponsorship from nutup.com has allowed Promoter Kenny Shepherd to offer the races for free on YouTube, but it's not without its hiccups. They have multiple camera angles, and professional quality commentary is offered. Unfortunately, the internet can be a funny thing sometimes. Right when the show was going live with the Legends of the Pacific Main Event, the internet got goofy. We weren't able to watch most of that race, and Race Monitor also malfunctioned. What are the odds of that happening? They had nearly 20 Legend Cars, so it was an entertaining little show.

Buddy Shepherd got back to the business of kicking a little butt in the Nut Up Pro Late Models. It's great exposure for him, because these races are the ones getting televised on MavTV. This was his third win, so I don't doubt that he'll get a little bit of national exposure that could even see him moving on to bigger things in the future. The Shepherd family out of Bakersfield are good racers. I can't say enough about how good of a racer his father Dick Shepherd was at Bakersfield Speedway back in the day. Certainly he was one of the best ever.

Buddy is carrying on the family tradition quite well. I was disappointed that mechanical issues took Matt Erickson out before the race started. Matt usually doesn't qualify well and does a lot of passing come Main Event time. However, the Zampa family represented well with Top 5 finishes for both Logan and Dylan. People who know that name will remember the potent combination of Ron Zampa and the late Mike Chisholm and how tough they were to beat in Super Stock racing at Petaluma and Vallejo. 

There is also the training ground that is the 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models and the Bandoleros vs Mini Cup cars. The Erickson family managed to take home the hardware in both races again. For Bradley Erickson, this was his second-straight Junior Late Model win, and it allowed him to move a little further ahead in the points as some of his rivals had a harder time of it. Two-time winner and championship rival Seth Wise didn't finish on this occasion.

I'm impressed by Mini Dwarf graduate Kercie Yung and how she salvaged a Top 5 finish after being spun out earlier in the race. She also handles herself pretty well on the microphone from the interviews I've seen. Maybe we'll see her getting an opportunity to run with the ARCA West Series in the future? The Bandoleros certainly have the advantage over the Mini Cups. While Rebecca Dubie led the Mini Cups again, she was no match for Bradley's brother Jeffrey Erickson, who won for the fourth time.

There's lots of excitement still on tap at Madera Speedway as they continue to run every week. They go from Club Racing to the big MavTV tapings, and there's some open-wheel stuff coming up as we get a little further on in the season. I have to say I like the fact that Kenny Shepherd continues to offer the broadcast for free and has made no plans of changing that. It's a tough situation, because we want fans at the race track. 

We don't want them to get used to sitting at home and watching. What he's doing by giving it for free is saying, "Hey people, we miss you. We can't wait until we can have you back, and here's what's been going on while you haven't been here." Kenny Shepherd is a class act and I like the announcing duo of Outback Andy and Steven Blakesley. They run a good program at Madera Speedway, and you can find out what's on tap for this Saturday by going to their Facebook page.

We actually got a little bit of Antioch Speedway information on Sunday. The numbers went down noticeably in both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds, though the Hobby Stocks maintained. I have to wonder if it might have been a better idea to pull the plug on this weekend once the Speedweek race was booked for Wednesday. Some of the drivers decided that they had to make a choice and picked later in the week to make their appearance. 

It was definitely a good decision not to have the Jerry Hetrick Memorial race on Saturday as that race deserves more support. I'm not going to say the numbers necessarily went down over racer fatigue, although that should be a concern. I think these numbers went down mainly because of the two races being scheduled too close together.

The track continues to build their streaming service infrastructure at www.antiochspeedway.tv, and it was interesting to see Bob Hernandez get recruited to run a camera. Bob is one of the super fans at the track, and he will go live on Facebook under normal circumstances. I think they recognized that he could work his camera phone pretty well, so they put a camera in his hands and turned him loose. It looks like they also had somebody else up in the booth announcing with Wade. I don't know much about the guy to offer any sort of observation, but I hope everything went well there.

As the door has been closed on my involvement down there, I can't help but be a little disappointed. Seeing some of the things that have happened and some of the issues they've had in making things happen, I know that my involvement on the scene would have had a positive impact on things. I tried not to take it too personally when people were actually recruited to go down there and announce who live within a few miles of me. I know what I can do to help, but again, nobody asked. The important thing is the show goes on, and I wish them well as always.

The track isn't listing point standings on their page, so I don't know if anybody at the track office is actually calculating them. We know that IMCA is keeping track of the Modified and Sport Modified points, and at this point it's an official race because they've run at least four events. However, I'm not sure who's paying attention to that in the IMCA Sport Modifieds as we've had multiple drivers step away while leading the points.

It's interesting to see how consistency is serving Mark Garner well as he tries to win his second Antioch Speedway championship, the first of which happened in Limited Late Models. It's also nice to see Trevor Clymens turn in a really good drive in winning his first Sport Modified feature of the year. Nobody has won more races in this class at the track than Trevor.

The IMCA Modifieds might have had a short field, but you still had three of the best drivers in the state on the track. Kellen Chadwick got the lead, and once that happens, you'll have a hard time getting it away from him. Even point leader Troy Foulger couldn't do anything about it as he chased Chadwick across the line in second. In fact, Foulger had his hands full trying to hold off Jim Pettit II for second. Both Chadwick and Pettit have signed up for the Speedweek Series, and these two drivers could do well. It's already been noted that Chadwick has won two IMCA Wild West Speedweek Series titles in the Pacific Northwest.

The Hobby Stocks are an interesting thing as some of the newer drivers are working on getting up to speed, rules have been opened up a little bit and the cars are faster. This meant that when Travis Dutra was leading the race, he found himself lapping slower cars fairly quickly. Even when the yellow flag bunched the field, James Thomson couldn't stop Dutra from getting the win. I have to believe that Thomson is going to get a win this year. He's certainly been knocking on the door. Overall, the Hobby Stocks are an enjoyable division to watch.

Management made the decision to go ahead and book races almost every week from now to the end of October. I see it as a gamble when you don't know when you can have fans and you're not sure how your car count will hold up. However, Chad Chadwick never said he was coming into this thing half-hearted. He's taking a big swing at things, and there is certainly enthusiasm behind this effort. Some big races are on the way at Antioch that will see the car counts surely do well across multiple divisions. Though they have their own streaming service now, the people who subscribe the Flo Racing will be able to enjoy the show that happens on Wednesday night.

I wonder sometimes if I'm just rambling on when I do this column. I'm just writing what comes to mind as I observe things. It was a good weekend overall for racing. I'm more than a little bit excited about the Speedweek Series, probably because I know I played a part in instigating the whole thing. But more than that, it's something really special at a time when we need it. There should be some excitement and maybe a little bit of drama as the series moves to each track, and having both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds involved will make it that much better in my view. 

I'm not expecting any big news when it comes to big announcements of a bunch of tracks finally letting fans in the grandstands. I'm not saying it can't happen, but nothing I'm hearing right now in either California or Oregon suggests that we're close. We seem to be getting warnings that things are still going to be problematic going into October. Frankly, I'm a little surprised at the tracks that want to race all the way through October knowing that they may not have fans. Then again, those tracks have crunched the numbers and figure they can make it work with what they get in the pits and whatever they get from streaming revenue. I hope it works out the way they are thinking it will.

I think at the end of the year, despite the good racing we may be watching on internet pay-per-view and all of that, we're going to look back and say that this was a crappy year. It just doesn't feel right to me. I'm disgusted by what I see going on in the world, but I'm happy to see that more people are waking up to what's really taking place here. People need to be paying attention to all of that, because I sure as heck don't want to see what we're going through right now continue throughout next year. I have a feeling that certain powers-that-be will force this on us if we just roll over and accept it. Right now, we're just making the best of a crappy situation. 

Documenting all of this seemed like the right thing to do, and I have to be honest with you. When they started talking about the shutdown back in March, I was almost ready to go ahead and pull the plug on the regular media effort for good at that point. It was the perfect excuse to do that. We're not having normalcy this year, so why bother? When tracks decided they were going to fight the good fight, I figured there was a story there to monitor. We've had some smart promoters, some promoters who thought they were being clever and some true leaders. We've had some good news, and some disappointing news.

For the fans, this is just a lousy situation. There's no two ways about it. When you say fans, you mean people who buy tickets so they can sit in the stands, buy food from the concession stands and buy souvenirs. They go to cheer for their favorite racers, visit their neighbors and maybe go back into the pits afterwards and say hi. Fans are not having that experience. I'm sorry, but sitting in front of your TV and watching your local race track sucks. There are people who refuse to do that, and you don't want them to get into the habit of doing something else on Saturday night. Believe me, habits can change at the drop of a hat, so this can't go on and not negatively affect fan attendance in the future.

From the racer's side of things, at least for the tracks that are opening on a somewhat regular basis, they have a semblance of normalcy. They have to wear that muzzle on their face in the pits in order to meet the guidelines, but they're still at the track. They still see the sights, sounds and smells. They get out on the track and do their thing, but they notice the big difference. When they look to the right as they go down the front straightaway, the stands are empty. They're making the best of it, and they're getting their racing fix but it isn't the same. They know it.

And the biggest unknown of this whole situation is how much financial damage this is going to do to people. That will affect the sport in ways that we may not understand just yet. People will have a difficult time paying the bills in some cases. That could mean racers that you don't see as much. That could mean fans that can't afford to go to the tracks. That could mean sponsors that can no longer afford to support the tracks. That can mean tracks that see the promoters walking away because their business has been destroyed. This can't go on much longer. It can go on for now for the tracks that are willing to risk the loss or willing to accept breaking even. It's about continuity, but at some point it has to be about business again.

What can we do about it as average people? Where do you turn to bring about change? Do you protest? What good is that doing? Right now some of these protesters for the other causes look completely ridiculous, and certainly they don't look like people who love this country or believe in what it truly stands for. Do you go to the ballot box and think that your vote is going to change things? If so, who do you vote for? If you think voting is going to make a difference, you better be there at the polls to cast your vote when the time comes. You better encourage others to do that, and you better be paying attention to what's being said and done to know where your vote really should go. That's up to you. 

In any case, I've said enough. I probably said too much. I'm going to end this column now. Until next time...