Weekend Preview - Pit Stops

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Pit Stops

We decided to go ahead and do another brief preview for this weekend's action. There are a few special occasions this weekend, and we're going to start with Antioch Speedway. Originally, this date was slated to be the Donna Soares/Larry Damitz Memorial Hall of Fame night. Thanks to covid-19, most of the tracks on the West Coast haven't been able to have fans at all. We're hearing rumblings that something could change in Antioch, but we've heard nothing officially as of yet. Because of the situation, Hall of Fame night has been postponed until next year, but Director Chris Briggs is organizing the Hall of Fame presence with a new www.antiochspeedwayhalloffame.com website and Facebook page.

Larry was an icon who spent several years racing at tracks like Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway and Vallejo Speedway. Some of his biggest highlights occurred when he was in his 80s. He won seven Limited Late Model championships during that time, five at Antioch and two at Merced. He won Hardtop championships, Super Stock championships and Late Model championships before that. When he passed away, the track added the race in his memory in 2017. Donna Soares was the wife of former Promoter John M Soares. They had been together for over 50 years. When she passed away, this race was created in her honor. Promoter Chad Chadwick decided to combine the two races into one event and settled on the October date.

Many people felt like the Super Stocks needed to be a featured division for this show, despite the fact that they didn't have the biggest numbers. It was Larry's division of choice. Here at The DCRR blog, we pointed out as much, which prompted car show Promoter Pete Paulsen to sponsor a big trophy for them in 2017 and 2018. On both occasions, the win went to Mark Garner. We were hoping to see the race continue last year, but the division was dropped from the show, which led to Garner parking his car as he had been looking forward to defending his race championship.

Chadwick knew that this division was a fit with Larry's race, but it still needed a little bit more. Fortunately, Roy Bain and the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series had the solution. They've been supporting certain races at Antioch Speedway this year, and the car count has swelled into the 20s on every occasion. This year, the group has competed nine times at six different venues, three of which have taken place at Antioch. Every time they compete, it's a minimum $1,000 to win. Three-time Petaluma champion and past Antioch title winner Mitch Machado won the first two Antioch races, and Richard Brace Jr won the most recent event. Brace also won the recent Bob McCoy Memorial at Petaluma as well as the group's August race there. We're not sure if two-time winners Jeff Olschowka or Jesse Gonzalez will be there, but there's a good chance that one-time winner Ryan Smith will be. Smith also has a regular Antioch Super Stock win this year, as does reigning Tri State champion Mike Learn.

We're not sure who will be in town, but there will be some fast cars coming. It's also possible that some Petaluma drivers, who also remember Damitz, could be there for this show. In the midst of all that, Antioch Speedway still has their own point race. Drivers in the area are working hard on their cars to represent the local honor. With five Top 5 efforts in six starts, Mike Walko has a 52 point lead over 2013 champion Jim Freethy  Freethy also has five Top 5 efforts, and his car has been driven to two Antioch wins by Fred Ryland. Jim finds himself in a tie with the steady John Evans, eight points ahead of Chris Long. These cars are anticipated along with such notables as one-time winner Ryan Cherezian, Chad Hammer, Jay Bryant, two-time champion Kimo Oreta and possibly the division's all-time Main Event win leader Mike Gustafson.

Also competing in Antioch on Saturday will be the Wingless Spec Sprint division. The numbers have been up slightly for the division this year, but that was particularly the case on September 26th when they brought 26 cars. On that occasion, point leader DJ Johnson sped to his third win of the season, increasing his point advantage to 48 tallies over 14-year-old sensation Dylan Bloomfield. Dylan had to run the B Main that night, but he still managed a Top 10 feature run. Past Petaluma champion Ryon Siverling moved into the third position in a tie with Tony Bernard, four points over ageless veteran Roy Fisher, and six ahead of Jarrett Soares. Most of those drivers could be there this week, and others to watch for include two-time champions Bob Newberry and Dan Gonderman, Jeff Scotto, Alan Miranda and Kevin Box.

The Hobby Stock division has been presenting big numbers at some of the recent point events. They've had a bit of a scheduling adjustment as their $1,000 to win race on the 24th has been moved to the 17th, allowing drivers to go to Merced on the 24th for $1,000 to win race there. With five second place finishes in a row, James Thomson has moved into the point lead by 30 tallies ahead of Brianna Troen. Troen has six Top 5 efforts, while Thomson, three-time winner Travis Dutra and Larry McKinzie all have seven. These four drivers along with Jake Bentancourt rank in the Top 5. The car count has grown significantly with several newcomers in the field along with a few veterans. Drivers to watch for include Gavin Griffitts, Gene Haney, Josh Leach, Jason Robles, Adrian Ponciano, Michaela Taylor, James Grassele, Angela Brown and Jewell Crandall.

In an effort to try to get more support in the Four Banger class, the track has offered a purse for the Top 5 drivers if they can get at least five competitors to show up. Thanks to support from the Central Valley Mini Stock group down in the Hanford area, they had over a dozen of them last time. That group will be competing elsewhere, but there's still potential that car count can meet the minimum this week. Three-time Merced champion Chris Corder won the prize money last time out in what was his third victory of the season. Rookie Jess Paladino leads the standings with two wins and an over 100 point advantage over one-time winner Trevor Jolley. These three along with announcer Wylie Wade could be there this week, but we're not sure who else might show beyond that.

The race will be available on internet pay-per-view at www.antiochspeedway.tv, and the website is www.antiochspeedway.com. You can get other announcements and possibly a prerace broadcast at the Antioch Speedway Facebook page. 

Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford will be hosting their second NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Series event. This is the 35th Cotton Classic, and it's also the first Morrie Williams Tribute race. Williams was the car owner for Bud Kaeding in recent years. It was just announced that the Gary Patterson Tribute race will happen at the Stockton Dirt Track on November 7th, which is good news to the group. The virus shutdown and decimated their shedule this year. Back in June, Spencer Bayston was in Hanford for the win ahead of Bud Kaeding and Tim Kaeding. They ran the annual Howard Kaeding Classic at Watsonville in July, won by Kyle Hirst ahead of Justin Sanders and Bayston.

They have a two 20 lap Main Event format planned for the Saturday show, and It will pay $2,800 to win each segment. Taking the green flag in each segment will get you $250 each time, making it slightly bigger purse money for only five more laps of racing and a break after 20 laps. It should be an enjoyable program with other hard chargers such as, Blake Carrick, Colby Copeland, reigning series champion DJ Netto, Sean Watts and Jodie Robinson anticipated. The Saturday show will also feature the beautiful Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds in a tribute to Hall of Fame announcer Kenny Takeuchi. We're not sure who will be there for that portion of the show, but a double digit turnout is anticipated.

The King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be there on Saturday. They will be headlining on Friday under 410 Sprint Car rules. Much like Petaluma, Hanford has points listed, but some of the results are not included. The 360 Sprint Cars have had five events. Reigning series champion DJ Netto is a winner along with Mitchell Faccinto, Chase Majdic, Watsonville point leader Bud Kaeding and rising young star Keith Day Jr. All five of those drivers could be slugging in out to see if they can be the first repeat winner on Saturday, and some of the drivers who might be out there trying to get their first wins include Kaleb Montgomery, Grant Duinkerken, Michael Faccinto, Jace Vander Weerd, Zane Blanchard, Tucker Worth and Kalib Henry. The Saturday night show should have a strong turnout with drivers coming in from Northern California, and Friday should have a mixture of 360 Sprint Car racers battling the 410 Sprint Car competitors.

In the RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car class, Michael Pombo won the last race in the IMCA point window. As the track ran four races for this class, the sanctioning body will recognize him as the champion at the track. He beat one-time winner Brooklyn Holland by just one point and Kyle Rasmussen by five markers. Blake Robertson and Brendan Warmerdam are also winners this season. Drivers who could be out there trying to get the glory this Friday night include Albert Pombo, Blaine Fagundes, Mauro Simone, Mike Schott and Rob Solomon.

Only four of the five races held for the Mini Stocks have been counted on the Hanford point list, which shows Jason Cook leading House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stock point leader Jeff Durant by three points and Gene Glover by five. Ryan Doglione picked up his first CVMS win last time in Hanford, and it was his second win at the track this year. Clinton Massey has a pair of Hanford wins, and one of those is a CVMS win. Reigning CVMS champion Dan Myrick won back in February. Myrick followed that up with a win at Kern Raceway, but he hasn't won since the virus shut down and slow reopening we're experiencing now.

The CVMS has cultivated a strong field of competitors, and it's not easy to win on this tour. Myrick and Durant have both managed to win twice, while Doglione, Rod Baronian, Massey and Stockton 99 Speedway point leader Joe Flowers also count themselves among the winners. The last time the group was in Hanford a few weeks ago, David Wolford was chasing Doglione across the line for his best finish in second as Jason Cook finished third. 

The CVMS point race got a little tighter as Myrick trails Durant by five points. Myrick looked like he might win the last race after taking the lead, but a concern over his motor saw him shut it down and head for the pits. Gene Glover has a six point lead over Massey in the race for third. Cook is 27 points ahead of 2018 series champion Greg Baronian in the battle for fifth. A field in the 20s is anticipated on Friday night.

The action should be broadcast on www.floracing.com. The Hanford track is actually letting people unattached to a race car buy pit passes, though they can't buy tickets to sit in the grandstands through the front entry. You can find out more information by going to www.racekingspeedway.com or by checking out the Keller Auto Speedway Facebook page.

Petaluma Speedway Promoter Rick Faeth hasn't had much luck getting races in lately. He's seen three of his last four events canceled. Last week was the second time the race was canceled due to poor air quality from the fires. The track is proceeding full speed ahead for Adobe Cup 2 this Saturday night, an event that will be broadcast on www.floracing.com. The General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars will be running twin 20 lap Main Events. The www.PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints and McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds will also be in action.

It might have been a good thing the race was canceled last week as some of the numbers might not have been good. The Dwarf Cars ran the huge Dwarf Car Nationals event at Marysville, and some driver fatigue might have set in at that point. The one week break could be an encouragement for drivers from the Delta Dwarf Cars, South Bay Dwarf Cars and NorCal Dwarf Cars to come take on the Redwood Dwarf Cars, which could increase the car count significantly. Plus, the big Dwarf Car show that was to happen at Antioch next week has been moved a week back due to scheduling conflicts. The signs are pointing to a good Dwarf Car show on Saturday night.

With two Main Events to run this Saturday, reigning champion and current point leader Chad Matthias will be hoping that this will be his chance to shine. Though he has three Top 5 efforts, he has yet to win. He finished a season high second last time out. As reigning NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert missed the race to compete at Placerville last time, he fell 33 points behind Matthias. Grenert leads the pack with six Top 5 efforts, including one win. Garrett Brady got his first win last time out, putting him within 22 points of Grenert in third in a tie with Matt Hagemann. Zach Albers is two points behind them in fifth, Jimmy Damron is four points out of third and Carroll Mendenhall is six points back. All of those drivers would like to get the glory. Ryan Winter, Petaluma Dwarf Car Nationals winner Shawn Jones, Danny Wagner and Darren Brown count themselves among the winners of the regular Petaluma shows, and Jones has won twice. The Dwarf Cars have been the strength of the Petaluma roster this year, and that figures to be the case this week as well.

We'll find out how many Spec Sprint competitors are running in the state as Petaluma goes head-to-head with Antioch and Orland this week. The track is hoping for a car count in the 20s for this show. It's very possible that Jones will bring both his Dwarf Car and Sprint Car to this event. Shawn has picked up a pair of Spec Sprint victories, but his absence from the recent race dropped him behind Daniel Whitley in the point battle. Bradley Terrell, DJ Johnson and past champion Shayna Ensign are other winners. Eden McCormick is currently 24 points behind Jones in third, one ahead of Keith Calvino and four in front of past Petaluma champion Ryon Siverling. In fact, this battle is very close with other drivers as Sylvia and past champion Sparky Howard trail McCormick by six points. Terrell is eight points back and Cody Fendley is 14 tallies in arrears.

The track may be keeping a point list, but the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modified championship has been won by Anthony Slaney as far as the sanctioning body is concerned. Slaney shot out of the gate like a cannonball this year with three-straight victories. He also won the Top Dog Nationals race after battling seven-time champion Michael Paul Jr for the lead. Antioch star Danny Wagner is a winner. Antioch champion Troy Foulger won the Speedweek race, which apparently wasn't counted towards Petaluma points. Slaney beat Justin Yaeger by 17 markers, while Gary's Zwicker was 12 behind Yaeger. We're not sure who might show up for the show, but those three are anticipated along with Michael Paul Jr, Michelle Paul, Top Dog Nationals runner-up Trevor Brady, Tim Yeager, Chris Sieweke and multi-time champion Oreste Gonella.

The place to get updates for the track is www.petaluma-speedway.com or the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page. It looks like things are a go, and the track is also looking forward to the USAC double bill the following Saturday, featuring the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars and the Western States Midgets, who are co-sectioning that portion of the program with the BCRA. Those two divisions along with the Wingless BCRA Midget Lites will be competing at Placerville Speedway this weekend. It's being billed as Prospector Pandemonium, and this is also the inaugural visit of the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars to Placerville.

Promoter Scott Russell was looking forward to the race with the two groups in July, but that event had to be canceled. After working with USAC officials, they found the perfect date for a makeup this weekend. The West Coast 360 Sprint Cars have only had two dates this year, both at Petaluma Speedway. In the Wingless injected 360 Sprints, usually Geoff Ensign teams up with Ted Finkenbinder, but he drove his own car to victory in the recent USAC race at Petaluma, followed closely by Antioch Wingless Spec Sprint point leader DJ Johnson. Billy Aton, 2019 point runner-up Ryan Timmons and Kalib Henry made up the balance of the Top 5 in that show. It was 2018 West Coast Sprint Car champion Austin Liggett winning the first Petaluma visit ahead of Colby Johnson, Bradley Terrell, Aton and Danny Faria Jr.

Unfortunately, some of the big stars from last season didn't make the trek up north. Placerville will be hoping to see more of them. Last season, Tristan Guardino won the championship by a wide margin. Though he's put the wing on his car and run Watsonville a few times, he didn't go to Petaluma. Another driver who's run Watsonville and ranks high there, but hasn't gone wingless this year is Koen Shaw, who ranked third last season over at TJ Smith and JJ Ringo. It's an important night for the West Coast 360 Sprints as new series co-owner Doug Lockwood is having a special meeting with the drivers before the races to discuss plans for next year.

Austin Liggett has also been running in a Midget. He made a recent start out at Antioch Speedway in a BCRA sanctioned event and brought it home to victory on that occasion. When the group was in Petaluma in July, Liggett finished about a half-lap behind the flying Alex Schuette. Cory Elliott wasn't too far behind Liggett in third as Ben Worth and CJ Sarna made up the balance of the Top 5. Last season, Robert Dalby captured the championship ahead of Cory Elliott, Shannon McQueen, David Prickett and Liggett.

The BCRA Midget Lites run with wings on a regular basis, so the Placerville show is an opportunity to change things up without the wings. They ran a winged show last weekend, won impressively by past champion Hunter Kinney over Erick Greco, Terry Bergstrom, Danika Jo Parker and Scott Kinney. We're not sure who might come out to compete with that group, but it should be interesting as the drivers challenge themselves in a different discipline.

For further information, you can go to the www.placervillespeedway.com website or check out the Placerville Speedway Facebook page. They still have the big USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget event, the Hangtown 100, slated for November 19-21.

As much as we might like to cover Orland Raceway here, the track has not made it easy. They don't seem to have too much of a desire to post results on the web. Other than photos being put up by photographer Christina Meeds to show who was there as well as pictures of the winners, we don't get much information. The track has been moving along under the difficult covid-19 situation that won't allow them to have fans. In fact, they've had a few really nice turnouts. This Friday and Saturday night will be a special occasion.

This is the Fifth Annual Battle of the Axles. The Friday portion will feature the Winged Crate Sprint Cars along with the Wingless 600 Micros, Mini Trucks and California Hardtops. We're not sure who might show up in the Crate Sprints, but there's usually four to six drivers willing to give the one-fifth mile dirt oval a shot. The Mini Trucks are certainly entertaining to watch, and both past champion Dan Webster and son Zach Webster have won along with and an identified driver in the #49 truck. They are sure to bring the excitement on Friday.

The California Hardtop racers usually show great enthusiasm about coming to Orland. Ken Clifford has already announced that he's ready to roll for this show with at least one of the cars in his three car stable. Ron Ruiz was pretty much the unofficial champion with the group last year and is the only driver with podium finishes in all four Hardtop races this year. He's hungry for victory this week. Some of the drivers we think could be there include Roger MacShain, Mario Romano and Jason Armstrong. There could be a Bay Area presence, but we haven't heard of the plans for Dave Mackey or car owner Doug Braudrick, who has picked up three wins in his three appearances with Joel Hannagan behind the wheel.

On Saturday night, the track is offering $500 to win in the Wingless Spec Sprints, Pure Stocks and B Modifieds. They will also have the Mini Stock division. Orland would seem to be in a good position to dip their toe in the IMCA water in the future. You can have a championship at four races, and they've been willing to book the B Modifieds a couple of times a year. If they were to sanction four races, they might be surprised at the support they could get. Tyler Rodgers was the winner of the most recent Orland race. He could be back to defend this week, and others to watch for include Jimmy Ford, Mike Merritt, Hunter Merritt and Scott Savell. With nothing else happening, this division could reach double digits if the drivers are motivated enough to support it.

There's now double the incentive in the Wingless Spec Sprint class. The drivers are all gunning for past Orland and Chico champion Tony Richards, who has won everything so far. The extra incentive is the $500 prize for the feature winner. The division has done pretty good numbers with the seven car turnout they had last time out being their lowest.

We know that reigning champion Phil Spencer and the Pendergrass car have won Pure Stock races. We're not sure if Kevin Pendergrass, Kyle Pendergrass or both of them have gotten the wins in that car this year. Without official posted finishes to go by, we are left to guess. We do know that young Jacob Johnson is also a winner this year, and past Orland and Marysville champion Jerry Bartlett could have his Hobby Stock there to try to get a win this week. Some of the usual suspects have been supporting this year, including past champions Jeremy Langenderfer, Paul Stephens and Steve Martin, Maurice Merrill, John Camper and Shannon Collins. It's possible that this division could reach 20 or more cars as they have done this year.

We would love to tell you where you could find a live stream or video replay of this show, but we've heard of nothing. We've heard rumblings that they are getting on the MyLaps electronic scoring system, but we have found no results posted anywhere yet. We're hearing that the scorekeepers are getting used to the new system. The one thing that we can tell you is that any information forthcoming will be posted over at the Orland Raceway Facebook page.

The Micro Sprint championship race at Dixon Speedway comes to an end this Saturday night with their 13th championship point earning event. After that, they've got the Eighth Annual Kaiser Memorial race on November 6th and 7th. The program this Saturday on the 1/5 mile dirt oval will feature the Super 600s, Wingless 600s, Restricted 600s and Junior Sprints.

Brad Hannum has left little doubt who the champion will be in the Super 600s. He collected his three wins in the first five races and has had three runnerup finishes in the last five events. He leads Hailey Wood by 111 points coming into the night. Wood picked up her best finish three races ago in third. She leads Devon Courtnier by 29 tallies. Courtnier has two wins this year and finished second last time out. Ricky Sanders has won three of the last five races. Ashton Torgerson, Corey Day, Izaak Sharp and Mitchell Moles are the other winners this year.

The Wingless 600 class is probably the most competitive group at the track. You have to earn your way into the Main Event as there's usually 30 or more cars. Kelvin Lewis carries a 169 point lead over Cody Gray into this race. Gray picked up his second win of the season last time out, thwarting Austin Stone's bid for a third-straight triumph. Stone has won three times this season and earned his third runnerup finish last time out. Lewis, meanwhile, is still looking for his first win as he has a pair of season high second place efforts. Other drivers in the win column this year are Brandon Shaw, Brandon Carey and Ashton Torgerson with two wins each and Lemoore star Mitchell Moles with one win.

Restricted star Isaac Sharp picked up a win last time out, but he did it in the Super 600 class. He is only 18 points behind Bryant Bell in the Restricted championship battle. Bell picked up his third win of the season last time out. Sharp does have one win in the class, but he needs to come up big this time. Trailing him by 16 points in the race for second is past champion Matthew Tatoole. Tatoole has been running strong lately with back-to-back third place efforts. He has four total this year along with a second, but he'd love to get his first win of the year. Winners this year include fifth ranked Austin Wood with four victories, fourth-ranked Brandon Riveira and Colin Kirby with two wins each and Dalton Parreira with one win.

Championship hopeful Kyle Fernandez was in the hunt for his fifth Junior Sprint win of the season last time out, but he was surprised by Briggs Davis, who collected his first win of the season ahead of a season best second place effort for fifth ranked Kellen Harper. Fernandez still used his third place effort to move to within seven points of leader and reigning champion Makayla Tatoole. Tatoole has one win this year and leads the group with six runnerup finishes. Third ranked Brody Rubio has a pair of wins this year, as does Nathan Ward. 2019 Stockton champion Lucas Mauldin and Braxon Vasconcellos are also winners. The closest championship battle at the track is in this division.

We are unaware of any live pay-per-view streams being offered, but the track usually runs the live scoring app on Race Monitor for every event. For further information, go to www.dixonspeedway.net or check out the Dixon Speedway Facebook page. 

 

The Editor's Viewpoint

It's midweek as I start composing a few thoughts, and I want to be brief. I've done better at that with this column for the past couple of posts. They're forecasting rain for the weekend in some places, but I'm not so sure that much racing is really going to be threatened. We do need to be mindful of the weather. It's going to change soon. We have some big events left on the calendar at a few places, so I know there are people in the racing community hoping they can get those races in.

As we were going live with our post on Tuesday, Tony Noceti at the Stockton Dirt Track made the announcement that the New Year's Day 2021 race would happen there, featuring The Dirt Modifieds, B Modifieds, Bombers and Basically Four Cylinders. I didn't see the Tri State Pro Stock Series mentioned there, but it's my understanding that they are included in that program as well. 

 

I've been speculating about whether one of the IMCA sanctioned tracks might make a play for a New Year's race as well. My prime three candidates are Antioch, Merced and Bakersfield. I would lean towards Antioch on that, but I would remind you that I'm speculating. Nothing's been announced other than Stockton, but the appeal to do it is be the first IMCA sanctioned race of the year, coupled with the possibility of actually being able to have fans.

The other question on my mind was what would come of the November 7th Gary "The Preacher" Patterson Tribute race. This is still a special race to some people nearly four decades later. Gary was an icon of open wheel racing and was well respected among his peers. Noceti has ended the speculation with the announcement that the race will happen, and the NARC/King of the West Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Series will indeed be running. I've been thinking for the last couple of months that this would be the bright spot to go out on for Sprint Car enthusiasts. It is welcomed news. Once again, floracing.com will cover the broadcast on internet pay-per-view.

 

While we wait for the official announcement from Stockton Dirt Track management themselves, the NARC media people made an announcement of the Patterson race on November 7th, being joined by the Winged 360 Sprint Cars. They are saying that November 6th will be a practice day. Furthermore, they're saying there will be a race on October 8th that will be Stock Car oriented, featuring the Dirt Modifieds, B Modifieds, Bombers, Pro Stocks and Basically Four Cylinder cars. This would seem to indicate that the race they were going to have on the 14th will be moved up to the 8th. We'll be monitoring the Stockton Dirt Track Facebook page for the official announcement, but this is what we know as we go live with this post on a Thursday afternoon.

Since reopening after Promoter Kenny Shepherd submitted his own plan to meet covid-19 guidelines, Madera Speedway has been keeping championship points this year. However, all of the covid-19 guidelines that are in place for indoor gatherings have meant that having the traditional banquet might not be possible yet. Shepherd has spoken of that in recent nutupindustries.com sponsored broadcasts on the track's YouTube page. However, Shepherd has figured out a solution.

The final MavTV Racing Series Pro Late Model, Junior Late Model and Bandolero/Mini Cup point race is taking place on October 17th, and the final Club Race will happen the following week. On November 14th, it's the Triple Turkey Open. They will be running an Open Late Model, 602 Crate Modified and Open Hobby Stock show. During the afternoon, they will also have a championship banquet at the track, which will be televised on the track's YouTube page.

Trying to plot out a championship season during these difficult times has been so challenging that several tracks haven't even tried to do a point race. A few of them have, and others have just run races to keep some sort of continuity going. Shepherd has managed to do championship point racing, keep the fans included with free broadcasts and will put a nice bow tie on what's been a difficult year on November 14th. To me, this is more great work from one of the leading promoters this year. More information will surely be available on the Madera Speedway Facebook page.

Though management of the Salem Indoors Series in Oregon knows that they have access to the building that hosts their wide range of racing classes during the winter months, it's still not a slam dunk. They have to submit their proposal to the county health officials and show that they can meet covid-19 guidelines in an acceptable manner. They were hoping that they could potentially begin racing in November, but they made the announcement that they may not have any approval until the beginning of December. They are urging the racers to have their cars ready for the season to start as they anticipate being approved and putting it all together very quickly.

After running the special Bill Bowers Memorial race, Antioch Speedway is preparing for the Larry Damitz/Donna Soares Memorial. I am happy to see the event still remains. I didn't think there was any reason for the race remembering Larry to be dropped in the first place, and it was Promoter Chad Chadwick who added Larry's name to the Donna Soares race. This was also to be the Hall of Fame night, but the covid-19 circumstances have killed that for the year. It will be back next year.

I'm happy to watch Chris Briggs approaching the Hall of Fame with such enthusiasm. I have tried to stand out of the way and be here if there are any questions or help is requested from me personally. I'm impressed with what's being done to create a web presence for this. It needed to happen, and this is only a glimpse of what's to come. Seeing all of the things that are happening online reminds me of why I picked Chris to take this thing over, because I knew he has what it takes to do this. I will do what I can to help if asked.

The Super Stocks take center stage at Antioch this weekend since it is Larry's race. When John added that race after Larry passed away in 2017, I was pushing for the Super Stocks to get some sort of recognition. This was Larry's division of choice, and many of his big highlights occurred here while he was in his 80s and still running fast. Larry won seven Super Stock championships between Antioch and Merced during that span, so it's really a no-brainer that this race would be about this division. When I started making noise, it was Pete Paulsen who jumped in and sponsored a trophy in 2017 and did so again in 2018.

My concern was that we needed to get cars, and we were in a position where that was possible. Across the Benicia bridge and down the road a bit, Petaluma Speedway has a similar class. John dropped the class from Larry's race in 2019, and many of us were a bit grumpy about that. I tried to beat the drum again from afar on social media. Pete was again interested in sponsoring a trophy, but I was also pushing for some cooperation between Antioch and Petaluma. I also managed to get the attention of some key Petaluma racers, who were up for the challenge.

All that needed to happen was John put a little bit more money into this race and make the offer where Petaluma cars were welcomed. Even $500 to win and $100 to start, the standard IMCA Modified purse, would have gotten the attention of the racers. Guys like Mitch Machado and Shawn McCoy were looking, because Larry was a part of Petaluma for many years as well. Unfortunately, John didn't budge. This decision helped facilitate Mark Garner's departure from the class as he wanted to defend his race championship. Yeah, Mark wanted to win again, but he wanted somebody to try to beat him if they could. I don't anticipate Mark showing up for this race, but it would be cool to see it happen.

The Super Stock division, as it was renamed this year, is on borrowed time. Chad was said to be considering dropping the class. A few racers asked him not to, and one of those was one of the division's longest supporters, Mike Gustafson. Chad relented, and the division got a reprieve for this year. One of the things that is giving the class a chance has been the emergence of the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series as a player at Antioch Speedway. They will be supporting this race, and I think a 20 car field is possible. It's fitting for a race remembering Larry.

I'd also remind everybody that this race remembers Donna Soares. I know there are people who are grumpy when you mention John's name, but I don't know many people who didn't like Donna. A lot of people made it a point to go into the office just to say hi to her. She helped keep things organized and was there with John throughout his storied racing career. I feel it's important that this race stay on the schedule, and it was my hope to make the race remembering her and Hall of Fame night synonymous

The Pro Stocks are going to have an issue going forward when it comes to scheduling. Director Roy Bain knows this. We've been dealing with covid-19, and that means that some tracks either have raced sparingly or not at all. There is a thriving Pro Stock movement down in Bakersfield and Santa Maria, but they've had no races there this year due to the shut down. Therefore, some drivers have been more willing to come up north to get their racing fix. When those two tracks open again, you're not going to be able to get those drivers as often as you'd like unless you schedule things in a way that they can support. I have told Roy that one of the things that needs to be looked into is a date at Bakersfield in 2021, if that's possible.

The problem with the Tri State Series is that one of the state's groups doesn't appear to want to travel. Other than Scott Flowers and son James, the Oregon racers don't tend to travel very far south. I think part of that is the racers don't feel they have a chance to compete as this group is a bit more conservative with their rules than the other groups. I endorse it only because you need to put together a set of rules that your guys can support. If the rules they have make it possible for a dozen or more cars to show up at an Oregon Outlaw Pro Stock race, then they're doing it right.

I'm not sure anything can be done to get more Oregon racers to a place like Antioch, and you have a better chance of getting Nevada guys to come to town. However, that could be different as this group is looking to organize and reform their association, which disbanded a year ago. They have tracks like Fernley and Fallon that are interested in booking them for dates, and I understand Fernley has booked a date for them this weekend. That may take a couple of cars out of the field, although I don't think it will hurt the show too badly. Larry's name being attached to this race could see multiple Petaluma cars, and the Antioch roster should be well represented.

I stand by my comments from last week when I spoke of the IMCA Stock Cars. I don't believe that division is a threat to the Hobby Stocks as there are several teams in that group that can't afford to run competitively with the IMCA class. It is a step up. However, the IMCA Stock Car division could be a threat to the Super Stocks in the future. I don't think it will take long before Antioch has a roster of IMCA Stock Cars that equals that of the Super Stocks, and then management will start asking questions about what should stay and what should go. I won't speculate any further than that, but I do see the Super Stocks' existence being threatened more.

Having the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series coming to town to support the show and other dates at Antioch gives more justification for keeping them around. In the meantime, the local drivers better get their cars together. Anybody with a car that is a work in progress, better make progress heading into 2021. I'll leave it at that. It should be a good show this weekend as I would suspect the Hobby Stocks will deliver a good car count. 

Antioch is running head to head with the Petaluma Wingless Spec Sprint show, but there should still be a double digit turnout at both places. I hope they can get a half dozen Four Bangers, but we'll see. We're back to www.antiochspeedway.tv for the streaming service, and the Antioch Speedway Facebook page will give you other important updates. In fact, you'll probably see a prerace show hosted by announcer Wylie Wade again.

Antioch moved their $1,000 to win Hobby Stock race from the 24th to the 17th. This was done because it looks as if Chadwick is trying to keep a good relationship with Merced Speedway. Merced is paying $1,000 to win on the 24th for their Hobby Stock class. That's just part of it as IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and the House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks are getting more purse money that night as well. We'll get a chance to talk a little bit more about Merced in a future post, but that show will be on floracing.com and takes place on October 23rd and 24th. It's the John Fore Jr/Bob Smith Memorial event.

In moving the race, I knew Antioch would conflict with somebody else. It was unavoidable. Marysville Raceway just announced that they are running the annual Gold Fever Taxi Cab Open as scheduled. This race actually has its roots back to the 1980s. I remember going to a couple of those Gold Fever races, promoted by Chuck Prather. There were 40 cars in the Late Models and the Street Stocks, and it was very entertaining to watch. The Taxi Cab Open has become a tradition as everything with a fender seems to be welcome. You can take your pick of Hobby Stocks or Pure Stocks. Yes, they run both, and the rules are different. You get Street Stocks, Super Stocks and Limited Late Models. In any case, it's happening on the 17th and will be a floracing.com broadcast. The Marysville Raceway Facebook page will have other details.

As I was looking at the scheduled event for Orland Raceway this weekend, a thought occurred to me on the Crate Sprint class. No, I'm not going to talk about how it hurt the Spec Sprint effort and was a waste of time. I see the division still lingering, and there's interest in it. What I'm wondering is if the drivers might want to get organized and do some more self-promotion. They already know that Marysville is the home track for them, but Orland and Hayfork are certainly interested in bringing them up for visits. Maybe even Yreka. They could have options if they had at least a half dozen drivers willing to travel.

I don't know who in their group would want to lead as this takes work. You're the guy who has to contact the racers to let them know when the next date is and that kind of thing. Some groups don't have leaders that do this type of thing. What I'm asking is are there people willing to fight for this type of Winged Sprint Car racing, which is supposed to be more budget oriented? It's been floundering for a while now, and I can see the merits of getting organized. I don't know how many cars will show up at Orland, but it seems like if they can bring them four or six cars, Orland is very happy to have them there. What happens next with the Crate Sprints is up to them, but they've been spinning their wheels for a while now.

Orland decided to go with a two day show. I'm not so sure the Battle Of The Axles needed to be two days, and I don't know how many racers want to run on Friday night. I guess we'll find out. Friday is when the Crate Sprints, Wingless 600 Micros and Mini Trucks get to race. The California Hardtops will be there for what is probably their last race of the year. When we speak of groups that don't put out much word on what they're doing, that's one of them. I think there are a few Hardtop racers who like going to Orland, so I suppose they'll do just fine.

Saturday, they bring out the big guns. This will include the exciting Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds and Mini Stocks. The former three divisions get $500 to win. I think the Pure Stocks could get a car count in the 20s for this. I still look at the B Modified class in genuine curiosity. I believe Promoter Rich Hood could book them four times in 2021, put an IMCA sanctioning on it, get bigger support and do the minimum required to crown a track champion. I see it as a winning idea. I don't know if we'll get results on this event or if we'll see any footage. Best I can say is go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page, but it would be nice if they stepped it up a little bit with more information.

Keller Auto Speedway should have floracing.com cameras going this weekend. The NARC/King of the West Sprint Cars have not had a bunch of opportunities to race this year. This is not just the Cotton Classic, it's the Morrie Williams Tribute race. They've hit on a formula that will run two 20 lap Main Events paying $2,800 to win each. It's $250 minimum to start each race. The purse adds up to slightly better than normal. They get a few more laps and a little bit more money, plus a break between each segment. My guess is there will be big support for the group. We now know that the Gary "The Preacher" Patterson Tribute race will happen at Stockton on the dirt on November 7th.

The King of Thunder Sprint Cars get to run on both nights, and they'll probably have a big turnout as nothing is happening with wings in the northern end of California. The Friday portion will actually be a 410 Sprint Car deal, rather than 360s, although 360s are welcome in the field. They moved the Legends of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds to Saturday for their Kenny Takeuchi Tribute race and put the House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks and RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars on Friday. It looks like two great nights of racing to me, and at least Saturday's race will streaming on floracing.com. I haven't been so crazy about the nights that they've run and there's been no media effort whatsoever.

Hanford is going to allow people to buy pit passes, even if they're not attached to a race car. Apparently, there's no limit to what they can get in the pits. As they are trying to maintain social distancing, I've heard they'll allow people to sit up in the grandstands. You just can't buy tickets at the front gate, and that means a more expensive ticket. See how creative they got here? At least the races will happen, and it's actually a cheaper proposition for a fan to order the pay-per-view at home. If you want to support the track even more, you can go to the races and buy a pit pass. Further information can be found at the Keller Auto Speedway Facebook page.

 

The USAC Western Midgets along with the BCRA Midgets and the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will be running a show at Placerville Speedway Saturday night. It's a wingless show for the BCRA Midget Lites as well. This is a makeup race for an event that was canceled at Placerville in July due to other circumstances. It's also the first of two-straight weeks that will have both USAC divisions running on the same evening as they head to Petaluma Speedway on the 17th. West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series co-owner Doug Lockwood has called a meeting of the racers to discuss 2021 plans. It will happen in the pit area. Good things are coming. As far as the Placerville show, it will be on floracing.com and you can get more information at the Placerville Speedway Facebook page.

Petaluma Speedway hasn't had a lot of luck when it comes to racing recently. Three of their last four races have been canceled. Two of those races were canceled due to poor air quality because of the fires. Promoter Rick Faeth is optimistic that this event, which is billed as Adobe Cup 2, will happen. He's doing the ASCS format for his PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprints, but I'm curious what the car count will be with Antioch running on the same night. 

It's kind of interesting how these booking deals seem to be happening between Antioch and Petaluma, but this was always on the schedule at both tracks. Throw in Orland Raceway, and there will be three tracks running Wingless Spec Sprints in California on Saturday. I'm curious what the overall car count will be, but the division still lives.

The General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Cars are on the schedule for twin 20 lap races, and I think they might have a big car count. Having the one week break between this event and the Marysville Dwarf Car Nationals is a good thing, and I suspect some South Bay, Delta and NorCal Dwarf Car support will be boosting the field for this one. Throw in the McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds, and that's your show. I'd like to say there will be a bunch of IMCA Modified visitors, but I don't know that that's going to be the case. They will be on floracing.com for the streaming service, and you can go to the Petaluma Speedway Facebook page for more info.

I'm starting to wonder if Promoter Rick Faeth might want to reach out to Chad Chadwick at Antioch. There needs to be a conversation between these two promoters. I don't think this is just my opinion. I think it's one of those deals that could be for the betterment of the sport at both tracks. The two tracks have too much in common, and I've noticed some glaring examples this year and in recent years where booking on top of each other has hurt both places. I understand that this will happen at times, but you have to try to avoid it whenever possible.

Why can't Antioch and Petaluma work together where one of the tracks might have a big show for the Wingless Spec Sprints, Super Stocks, IMCA Modifieds or Dwarf Cars? Yes, they have those four divisions in common. What would it hurt Antioch if they did something to help Petaluma or vice versa? I've been looking at this and wondering why Chadwick hasn't reached out, but why couldn't Faeth reach out? I don't think it would hurt either track to work together. They could do something to save the Super Stock effort. They also could have a Benicia Bridge Series of some sort where both tracks get big events.

When it comes to cooperation and track unity, which is a dream that sometimes we need to get a little more realistic about, it starts with the tracks that are closest to you. You can either be friends or you can do things that hurt each other. There's another thing Antioch has to look at. Stockton's dirt track is looking at divisions that Antioch runs, and there are Antioch racers who like going to that place. What does that mean to the future of car counts at Antioch? We never did get to see the first sign of that as March 28th was canceled due to the virus. The two tracks were running three of the same divisions that night, so what would have been the outcome?

Believe me, my eyes are open about track unity. It's not a slam dunk, black or white issue. There are times when a track has to look out for themselves first, because you're of no use to anybody else if you don't have a strong program. You don't stay in business. But there are times when you can work with others in a way that helps both tracks. To me, it starts with Antioch and Petaluma having a dialogue, but maybe Stockton gets included here. I don't know where it could lead. I'd just like to see them try something as there is a history between Antioch and Petaluma where both tracks have benefited through the years.

I was just enjoying a conversation with my good friend Don O'Keefe in Indiana. I did touch on the subject of certain promoters with tracks that are in danger and how they should be looking for alternative venues, just in case. I look over at John Prentice at Watsonville and Rick Faeth at Petaluma when I say this. What's the future looking like in those locations three years from now? What are the options? Where do you go beyond Watsonville? Is there something to be had in Hollister? Salinas? Prentice is a San Jose guy, so what are the odds of somebody making a pitch at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds to build a track there now? If he did that, I know John would have support. It's a reasonable question to ask. 

If you don't think about these things, you could be broadsided. Suddenly, there is no racing in the area. Rick Faeth doesn't strike me as a guy who's ready to throw in the towel, but what happens if they won't allow racing in Petaluma beyond 2022? Is there something to be had at Sears Point? Is there another area that might allow a track to be built? The Solano County Fairgrounds? What about the bid for Lakeport Speedway that's getting ready to happen? I still think there would be much potential at that quarter-mile oval if somebody came in there and put dirt on it. Again, when you know you're threatened, you should be looking for possible backup options, just in case. I know they say the racing climate has changed in 2020, but new tracks can be created. Fairgrounds are in a different position these days and are more receptive to the right pitch to build a race track there. They need money. Just a thought.

I wanted to get in and get out with this column as I'm still not certain I'm going to edit and publish it. I've written a little bit more for the book and I'm culling through content for another book that hasn't been officially announced yet. The most recent chapter I wrote was talking about divisions that we lost that make me a bit grumpy. It always comes back to the Sportsman division for me, but I spent a bit of time talking about the Street Stocks. I'm still not thrilled that Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway and Ocean Speedway don't have a Street Stock division. I get into that a little bit in that chapter of the book. I'm pleased with it so far, but we'll see how I feel about it as I get into editing.

I don't really understand how Watsonville, which was very much a Stock Car racing hub, could have nothing along the lines of Street Stocks or Limited Late Models. At one time, they had it all, but it dwindled down to nothing. You can point a finger at the promoter, who was clearly Sprint Car minded, but it goes deeper than that. Speaking of Sprint Cars at Watsonville, they'll have the Johnny Key Classic on October 17th for a floracing.com broadcast event. Hopefully, the weather will hold. We'll get another peak at the Western Midgets that night, along with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. The Ocean Speedway Facebook page is the place to get your updates.

I'm still looking at the finish line and hoping I get there soon. I'd like to close things down now, but there are certain events that I can't ignore. I have to cover them. There's things happening up here that make me kind of sad, and I wish I could comment on them publicly right now. I cannot. I have jotted down further notes for the book, but that's where they have to remain for now. More will come out in time. It's for the best, but I'm still sad about what could have been and hindsight is definitely weighing on my mind a lot these days. I get so tired of that.

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