Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Ocean Speedway, Marysville Raceway, Keller Auto Speedway, Coos Bay Speedway, More

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Kaeding Collects First Ocean Speedway Win Since 2019

Watsonville, CA...April 9...Bud Kaeding scored the victory in the Taco Bravo Sprint Car 30 lap Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. The win for Bud came aboard his father Brent Kaeding's car and was his first Watsonville win since 2019 when he won four times. 

Tanner Carrick outran Tristan Guardino and Kaeding to win the six lap Trophy Dash and earned the pole position for the feature race. Guardino sprinted into the early lead ahead of Tanner Carrick, but Kaeding moved by Carrick to grab the second position on the third lap. A lap later, Kaeding put the moves on Guardino to assume the lead. The yellow flag waved on the sixth lap. On the restart, two-time winner Justin Sanders moved into third behind Kaeding and Guardino. Sanders motored by Guardino for second on the ninth lap, but Guardino regained the position a lap later in their spirited duel. Kaeding had built a decent lead over second place when Sanders again made the pass on Guardino to grab second on Lap 13. A yellow flag waved moments later. Kaeding remained in charge on the restart ahead of Sanders and Blake Carrick, and the final yellow flag flew on Lap 24. This didn't deter Kaeding as he sprinted ahead on the next restart and brought it home to a much-needed win ahead of Sanders, Blake Carrick, Tanner Carrick, Shane Golobic, Guardino, Chase Majdic, Colby Copeland, Kalib Henry and Sean Becker.

The Friday Night show attracted a strong field of 36 Taco Bravo Sprint Car competitors. Kaeding gave clear indication of what was to come as the ninth driver to go out for qualifying. He turned the quickest lap on the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval of 11.549, beating the 11.638 Sanders. They ran four eight lap heat races that would take the Top 4 finishers into the feature race. The wins went to Kaeding, DJ Netto, Keith Day Jr and Guardino. 

The rest of the drivers had to make their way through the 12 lap B Main. Kurt Nelson led early ahead of Jodie Robinson. Kalib Henry moved by Robinson for second on Lap 5, and a yellow flag flew a lap later. Nelson continued to lead Henry on the restart as Henry provided plenty of pressure. On the ninth lap, Henry gained the lead and went on to win. Joey Ancona gained third on Lap 9 and took second from Nelson a lap later to finish there. Nelson settled for third ahead of Oregon star Tanner Holmes and Koen Shaw.

Fred Ryland won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This was the second-straight win for the 2015 State champion. Ryland wasted little time in grabbing the lead on the opening lap ahead of Randy Miller and Dwayne Short. A yellow flag waved after one lap, and Billy Robertson gained third behind Ryland and Miller on the restart. Past champion Jim DiGiovanni settled into third behind Ryland and Miller on a Lap 8 restart. Despite two yellow flags during the final dozen laps, that order didn't change. Ryland pulled away to a comfortable margin of victory ahead of Miller and DiGiovanni. Reigning champion Adriane Frost finished fourth, followed by current State point leader Trevor Clymens, Justin McPherson, Robertson, Short, Duane Bieser and Dennis Simunovich. Simunovich and Miller won their respective eight lap heat races.

Reigning champion Joe Gallaher won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Outside front row starter Norm Ayers led early with Joe Gallaher settling into second on Lap 2. On the fifth lap, Joe Gallaher grabbed the lead with son and three-time champion Rob Gallaher quickly following into second. Adriane Frost settled into third on lap 12. Joe Gallaher and Rob Gallaher pulled away to their 1-2 finish as Frost was about a straightaway behind in third, followed by Ayers, Brady Muller, Scott Freeman, Tony Oliveira, Bobby Gallaher, Quinton Harris and Jerry Skelton. Skelton and Joe Gallaher were the eight lap heat race winners.

Richard Mitchell won the 15 lap Four Banger Main Event. This was his first win, and he started on the outside front row. Mitchell raced into the lead ahead of Nicole Beardsley and Tony Gullo. The only yellow flag of the race waved on the fifth lap. Mitchell led Gullo and Nicole Beardsley on the restart. They ran the rest of the race that way with Mitchell winning ahead of Gullo, Nicole Beardsley, Kate Beardsley, Travis Van Gilder, Jason Bookout, Bill Beardsley and Forest Movrich. Eddie Gallaher was a Main Event scratch, and Gullo won the six lap heat race. 

Roy Iler of the San Benito Sheriff's Office won the 15 lap Police N Pursuit Main Event. Jesse Mueller of the California Highway Patrol had the outside front row starting position and set the early pace ahead of Iler and Pat Sullivan of the Gilroy Police Department. John Hohmann of the Scotts Valley Police Department took the third position from Sullivan on the second lap. The battle between Iler and Mueller was intense in the final few laps with Iler making the move around Mueller to get the lead on Lap 14. Iler went on to victory with Mueller falling back a couple of spots on the final lap as Hohmann finished second. Jackie Yeung settled for third ahead of Mueller, Sullivan, Fernando Tellez, Tony Weir, Ryan Bockholt and Ryan Luke. Nate Graham and Kyle Dorris were Main Event scratches. Iler and Mueller won the six lap heat races.

Racing returns next Friday night with the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars being joined by the Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, Western Midgets and South Bay Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.

Hogge, Fraser IMCA Winners,

Brace Tri State Winner At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...April 10...Bobby Hogge IV won the 30 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The three-time Antioch champion made a late move around 2019 champion Buddy Kniss to steal what would be his 73rd career Antioch victory. 

Josh Combs set the early pace ahead of Kniss and Danny Malfatti. 2018 champion Nick DeCarlo settled into third on Lap 2. Kniss raced around Combs on the high side to grab the lead on Lap 3. DeCarlo and two-time Antioch champion Carl Berendsen II grabbed the second and third positions on Lap 5. DeCarlo was stalking Kniss in an effort to take the lead when Hogge raced past Berendsen for third on Lap 12. Moments later, a yellow flag waved. Hogge raced around DeCarlo for second on Lap 13. For the next 10 laps, Hogge was giving Kniss all the pressure he could handle. On Lap 28, Hogge finally found his opening and grabbed the lead. Hogge went on to score the well earned victory. Kniss settled for second ahead of DeCarlo, reigning champion Troy Foulger, Jim Pettit II, Kellen Chadwick, Bobby Motts Jr, Aaron Crowell, Combs and Mitch Machado. Jeff Browne, Foulger and DeCarlo won the eight lap heat races.

2019 IMCA Sport Modified champion Tommy Fraser won the time-shortened 16 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The race was slowed by five yellow flags, but the worst incident saw Tanner Thomas flip on the first lap. Tyler Browne set the early pace ahead of Jacob Mallet Jr and Kevin Brown. On the Lap 2 restart, Browne continued to lead Brown and reigning champion Trevor Clymens. The current California State point leader Clymens moved into second behind Browne on the Lap 4 restart, but he surrendered the position to Fraser on Lap 5. However, Clymens again regained the runner-up spot behind Browne on a Lap 8 restart. A Lap 9 yellow flag opened the door for Trevor Clymens, Fraser and Guy Ahlwardt to slip into the Top 3 positions on the restart. Ahlwardt grabbed second on Lap 11, and a yellow flag flew moments later. The drivers knew they were coming up on the time limit at that point. Clymens led Fraser and Ahlwardt on the restart, but Clymens fell back a few positions on Lap 15 as Fraser assumed the lead ahead of Kenny Shrader and Ahlwardt. At the Lap 16 checkered flag, Fraser got the win ahead of Shrader, Ahlwardt, Trevor Clymens, KC Keller, Andrew Pearce, Kevin Brown, Fred Ryland, Chuck Golden and Tyler Browne.

A solid turnout of 24 competitors ran four eight lap heat races with the Top 4 finishers making it into the show. The wins went to Mallet, Fraser, Browne and Trevor Clymens. Kelly Campanile got the win in the B Main ahead of Chuck Golden, Emali Van Hoff and Scott Foster.

Richard Brace Jr won the 25 lap Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series Main Event. The past Sprint Car competitor won the previous race for the group in Hanford and this win was worth $1,000.  Chris Smith led reigning series champion Mike Learn and Brace for a lap before the yellow flag waved. On the restart, Brace took the lead from Smith as Antioch point leader Jim Freethy moved into third. Freethy took the second position from Smith on a Lap 3 restart. Unfortunately, Freethy was involved in a tangle with third place Rich Denman for a Lap 6 yellow flag. Brace led reigning Western Pro Stock champion Justin Crockett and Randy Miller on the restart. Brace set a rapid pace and pulled away from everybody, leaving Crockett and Miller to battle for second. As Brace took the checkered flag about a half-lap ahead of second place, Miller made the last lap move around Crockett to finish second. Crockett settled for third, followed by Chris Smith, two-time Antioch champion Kimo Oreta, Denman, Freethy, Richard Vander Ploeg, Matt Kile and Jimmy Robbins. The eight lap heat race wins went to Freethy, Miller and Ryan Cherezian.

Kevin Miraglio won the 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the 2016 champion. Miraglio had the pole for the feature race, and he charged into the lead at the green flag, followed by Sean Catucci and two-time champion Danny Wagner. A Lap 7 yellow flag slowed the pace, and Miraglio continued to lead Catucci and Wagner on the restart. A Lap 9 restart saw Wagner and Devan Kammermann move into second and third behind Miraglio. As Miraglio led the way, Wagner and Kammermann were dueling fiercely for the second position. Unfortunately, Wagner saw his race come to an ugly end when he flipped hard in Turn 2 for a Lap 18 red flag. Miraglio resumed command on the restart and brought it home to victory with Kammermann a season best second. David Rosa was a solid third, followed by 2019 champion Scott Dahlgren, reigning champion Travis Day, Chance Russell, Toby Brown, Ellie Russo, Tom Van Tuyl and Dennis Gilcrease. Gilcrease, Brown and Kammermann were the eight lap heat race winners.

The track will feature the Winged 360 Sprint Cars this Saturday along with the Hobby Stocks, the West Coast Sport Compacts and the 600 Wingless Micro Sprints. For further information, go to www.antochspeedway.com.

Forsberg, Brace, Catucci, Broze Open 

Petaluma Speedway Season With Wins

Petaluma, CA...April 11...Andy Forsberg won the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Sunday night at Petaluma Speedway. Forsberg is the reigning Marysville and Placerville champion. He picked up his win with a thrilling last lap pass on race-long leader Jodie Robinson. Roughly 80 competitors among four divisions turned out for the Sunday night opener.

With a front row start, Robinson sprinted into the lead at the green flag, followed by Forsberg and Justin Henry. They ran seven laps before a yellow flag waved, and Robinson continued to lead Forsberg and Henry on the restart. However, Blake Carrick moved past Henry for third on Lap 11. Robinson caught slower traffic with Forsberg running closely behind her when the the final yellow flag waved on Lap 14. Robinson set the pace ahead of Forsberg and Blake Carrick on the restart. In the final few laps, Robinson and Forsberg came up on slower traffic. Forsberg closed in on her quickly and made his winning move on the final lap to steal the victory away. Robinson settled for second, followed by Blake Carrick, Colby Johnson, Billy Aton, Henry, Geoff Ensign, Jason Toft, Joel Myers Jr and Brent Bjork.

18 Sprint Car competitors showed up for the first race of the season, and young Max Mittry set the fast time of 12.673 on the 3/8 mile adobe oval. Jake Haulot was second quick with a lap of 12.683. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Tanner Carrick, Blake Carrick and Henry.

Richard Brace Jr won the 25 lap Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series Main Event. This was the second win of the weekend for Brace, who collected another $1,000 prize for his effort. Brace, who is a past King of the West Series Sprint Car competitor, picked up a pair of wins in his visits to Petaluma last season.

Two-time Antioch Speedway champion Kimo Oreta set the early pace ahead of reigning Western Pro Stock champion Justin Crockett and reigning Tri State Series champion Mike Learn. Brace was up to fourth when the yellow flag waved for the first time on Lap 7. Brace gained third behind Oreta and Crockett on the restart. Following a Lap 10 yellow flag, Brace slipped past Crockett for second and began to pressure Oreta for the lead. On the 19th lap, Brace motored past Oreta to assume the lead, and the final yellow flag waved moments later. Brace continued to lead the way on the restart and ran smoothly down the stretch to prevail ahead of Oreta. Crockett settled for third, followed by Robert Gilbertson, Matt Kile, Sid Hess, Randy Miramontez, Bill Hall, Justin Zwicker and Duane Croft. They ran two eight lap heat races with the wins going to Ryan Smith and Brace.

Sean Catucci made a late race move to win the 20 lap Redwood Dwarf Cars versus South Bay Dwarf Cars Main Event. Catucci is a regular with the Delta Dwarf Cars at Antioch Speedway. Danny Marsh raced into the early lead ahead of raining NorCal champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert and Corey Eaton. A yellow flag waved after just one lap, and Dennis Gilcrease settled into third behind Marsh and Eaton on the restart. However, another yellow flag waved after two laps. On this restart, Joey Lingron made a big move into second behind Marsh. A lap later, Lingron slipped past Marsh to grab the lead, and Catucci grabbed second on the fifth lap with Gilcrease following closely behind in third. Another yellow flag waved on Lap 7. Lingron continued to lead on the restart, but Catucci began giving him some serious pressure. During the final five laps, the lead duo engaged in a fierce side by side battle. On the 19th lap, Catucci nudged ahead and would go on to victory. Gilcrease made a last lap pass to finish second with Eaton following into third. Lingron settled for fourth, followed by Grenert, reigning champion Chad Matthias, Mark Biscardi, Jimmy Damron, John Peters and Travis Day.

An impressive turnout of 36 Dwarf Cars filled the pits for their season opener. They ran five eight lap heat races with the wins going to Gilcrease, Lingron, Catucci, Grenert and Eaton. They ran a 12 lap B Main. Matthias had a front row start and led the entire distance with past champion Peters a race long second as Trevor Mendenhall, Sam Borland and Michael Williams rounded out the Top 5.

Roberta Broze won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Tom Brown raced into the early lead ahead of Broze and Jake Barretta. The yellow flag waved on Lap 3 as the race ended for newcomer Maddie Ayers. Brown continued to lead the restart with Joe Silveria now second ahead of Barretta. A Lap 5 yellow flag waved for Sid Hess and Barretta with both drivers out of the race at that point. Brown led Broze on the restart with JB Hagemann moving into third. Broze was pressuring Brown for the lead before making the pass on Lap 10. Hagemann moved into second on Lap 12 with Sophie Shelley following into third. Brown brought out a Lap 12 yellow flag. Broze led Hagemann and Shelley on the restart, but Brown moved past Shelley for third on Lap 14. The final yellow flag waved on Lap 17. Broze continued to lead the way on the restart and would pull away to about a half-straightaway advantage over Hagemann in victory. Brown settled for third, followed by Shelley, Silveria, Barretta, Hess and Ayers. Broze won the eight lap heat race ahead of Brown. 

Racing returns next Saturday night with the Hunt Wingless Sprint Series headlining along with the IMCA Modifieds, Super Stocks and 600 Micro Sprints. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.

Ringo Fifth Different Sprint Car Winner In As Many Races 

At Marysville Raceway

Marysville, CA...April 10...Nick Ringo won the 25 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Marysville Raceway. This makes him the fifth different winner in as many races. 

The race had to be restarted as Nick Larsen spun in Turn 2. Kenny Wanderstadt brought out a yellow flag to force another restart. Nick Ringo led that restart ahead of incoming point leader Billy Wallace and Brad Bumgarner. A yellow flag flew on Lap 3 for a tangle between Nick Larsen and Jacob Tuttle in Turn 3. Ringo led Wallace and previous winner Jake Haulot on the restart. A yellow flag waved for Justin Henry in Turn 3 on Lap 11 as his race came to an end. Ringo led Wallace and Bumgarner on the next restart. Bumgarner slipped past Wallace for the second position, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 15 for Tuttle in Turn 1. Ringo led Bumgarner and Wallace on the restart, but Haulot slipped past Wallace for third on Lap 23. Moments later, Bumgarner's race came to an end in Turn 4 for the final yellow flag. Ringo led Haulot and Wallace on this restart, and that's how they finished. Korey Lovell finished fourth ahead of twin brother Kevin Lovell, past champion Mike Monahan, RJ Baker, Pat Harvey Jr, Jimmy Steward and Bumgarner. Haulot set the fast time on the quarter-mile clay oval at 12.816, beating the 13.128 of Ringo. The 15 car field ran two eight lap heat races with the wins going to Bumgarner and Henry.

Todd Cooper won the 20 lap Pepsi IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. As with the Sprint Car race, this event got off to a rough start with three yellow flags before one lap could even be completed. A tangle between Eric Phillips and Scott Savell in Turn 2 forced the first yellow flag with Philips seeing his race come to an abrupt end. The next restart was caused for a Willie Horn Jr spin in Turn 1. Yet another yellow flag waved on the next attempt for a Turn 1 tangle that involved Mike Merritt, Ryan DeForest and Brian Cooper. Cooper's race came to an end at that point. Todd Cooper led the opening lap ahead of Donnie Fortney and Shaun Merritt. Jimmy Ford settled into fourth on Lap 3 and took third from Shaun Merritt a lap later. On the sixth lap, Ford raced past Fortney to gain second. By then, Todd Cooper held a straightaway advantage over Ford. Todd Cooper set a rapid pace in scoring the victory ahead of Ford. Savell was a solid third, followed by Damian Merritt, Mike Merritt, Buddy Olschowka, Shaun Merritt, DeForest, Fortney and Phil Marino. The two eight lap heat race wins went to Brian Cooper and Savell.

Howard Law won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the second win for the 2015 IMCA Sport Modified champion. The rough and tumble event had 12 yellow flags. Jacob Johnson had the pole for the race and jumped into the early lead ahead of Kyle Cheney and Shannon Collins. A yellow flag waved on Lap 5 for Trevor Deadmond in Turn 1. The restart attempt saw David Cooper's race come to an end in Turn 4. Johnson led Cheney and Collins on the restart, but another yellow flag waved a lap later as Cheney saw his race come to an end in Turn 3. Johnson led Collins and Chris Van Roekel on the restart, but Law made a big move around Collins for second on Lap 8. Toby Merrifield brought out a Lap 9 yellow flag. Johnson led Law and Collins on this restart, but another yellow flag waved for a Jerry Bartlett spin in Turn 2 on Lap 10. Law took the lead from Johnson on this restart as Collins was still holding third. A Lap 14 yellow flag flew for debris on the track in Turn 4. The restart had a four-car pileup in Turn 4. Law continued to lead Johnson and Collins on the restart. Zach Lindgren settled into fourth and slipped past Collins for third on Lap 19. Law picked up the victory with Johnson settling for second ahead of Lindgren, Collins, Devin Koranda, Jim Brookshire, Deadmond, Jesse Van Roekel, Robert Warf and James Wooddell.

The Hobby Stocks produced a stellar field of 29 competitors. The eight lap heat race wins went to Law, Chris Van Roekel, Bartlett and Cody Rickard. Jason Clayton won the 12 lap B Main. Clayton started up front and led all the way for the win. Kyle Davey was an early second, but Warf grabbed the position on a Lap 5 restart. Clayton won ahead of Warf, Davey, Chris McGinnis and Matt Rivera.

Racing resumes next Saturday night with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars back an action along with the NorCal Dwarf Cars and the California Hardtops. For further information, go to www.marysvilleraceway.com.

Sanders Wins Tribute To Al Hinds At Placerville Speedway

Placerville, CA...April 10...Justin Sanders won the 25 lap Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. This was the 18th Annual Al Hinds Tribute race and the second-straight win in Placerville for Sanders aboard the Dale Miller Septic/Thompson's Auto and Truck Center sponsored Sprinter.

Sanders started on the second row outside, and polesitter Colby Copeland raced into the early lead ahead of Sanders and Tanner Carrick. The race ran rapidly with only one yellow flag to slowdown. Sanders began pressuring Copeland for the lead on Lap 15 and finally made his move on Lap 19 to take over. The yellow flag waved on Lap 21. As Sanders led the restart, Tanner Carrick got by Copeland for second. However, Sanders pulled away for the impressive win. Tanner Carrick was second, followed by Copeland, reigning champion Andy Forsberg, Ryan Robinson, Blake Carrick, Justyn Cox, Chase Johnson, Joel Myers Jr and Chase Majdic.

The Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars produced a solid 33 car field. Tanner Carrick came out 24th in qualifying and blistered the quarter-mile clay oval at 10.796 for the fast time. Forsberg was second quick at 10.827. Blake Carrick won his eight lap heat race with the other wins going to Ryan Robinson, Shane Hopkins and Copeland. The Top 4 finishers in each heat made it into the show. Outside front row starter Joel Myers Jr won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Joey Ancona, Andy Gregg, Landon Brooks and Kalib Henry.

Ray Trimble won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event. Trimble had the pole position for the feature race and charged into the lead at the green flag ahead of Tyler Lightfoot and Tom Tilford. Both Tilford and Dan Jinkerson got past Lightfoot for second and third on the third lap. Jinkerson made a move around Tilford for second on the eighth lap, but Trimble held a commanding lead at that point. Trimble went on to win by a straightaway ahead of Jinkerson.  Tilford settled for third, followed by Lightfoot, recent Marysville winner Jay Norton, Clark Guglielmoni, Paul Guglielmoni, Matt Davis, Kiely Ricardo and Dan Brown Jr. Jinkerson and Davis won their respective eight lap heat races.

Nick Baldwin won the 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event. Baldwin was involved in a close three-car battle down the stretch and made his winning move on the final circuit. Outside front row starter Orville Owens raced into the early lead ahead of Jason Palmer and Baldwin. Palmer and Baldwin both got past Owens on the third lap. A yellow flag waved on Lap 6, and that was the only slow down of the race. Palmer continued to lead Baldwin and Owens on the restart. Kevin Jinkerson and Dan Jinkerson moved up to challenge Owens for third with Dan Jinkerson getting by on Lap 14. The lead three cars ran closely down the stretch. Both Baldwin and Dan Jinkerson got around Palmer on the final lap for the Top 2 positions. Palmer settled for third ahead of Kevin Jinkerson, Owens, Ryan Peter, Jason Armstrong, Kenny Bernstein, Jonathan Walsh and Stephanie Hanson. Jinkerson and Peter won the eight lap heat races. 

Ryan Winter won the 20 lap NorCal Dwarf Car Main Event. Outside front row starter Mike Reeder was the early leader of a race that saw three yellow flags in the first five laps. On a Lap 3 restart, reigning champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert took the lead from Reeder as Ventura star Tommy Velasquez III settled into third. Velasquez and Shawn Whitney moved into second and third on Lap 4 before a yellow flag waved. As Grenert continued to lead Velasquez on the restart, Winter settled into third. Winter and Reeder moved back into second and third on a Lap 7 restart. Winter began pressuring Grenert and moved by to grab the lead on Lap 10. Winter led Grenert and Reeder on a Lap 14 restart. A lap later, Ben Wiesz took the third position from Reeder. A final yellow flag on Lap 16 gave Grenert one more opportunity to try to regain the lead. However, Winter was just too fast as he went on to collect the win. Wiesz began pressuring Grenert and made the pass for second on the final lap. Grenert settled for third ahead of Nick Velasquez, Cory Eaton, Dylan Shrum, Reeder, Kevin Bender, Dan Geil and Jeremy Blackshere. 

The 27 Dwarf Cars ran four eight lap heat races with the Top 4 finishers making it into the show. The wins went to Whitney, Shrum, Grenert and Tommy Velasquez III. Nick Velasquez won the 12 lap B Main. Austin Struthers led a lap before Brandon Shaw took over. Shaw led until being overtaken by Nick Velasquez on Lap 6. Velasquez went on to win with Shaw not far behind. Isaak Geil was a distant third ahead of Struthers and Fred Dickey.

Racing resumes next Saturday night with the Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars back in action along with the Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and the BCRA Lightning Sprints. For further information, go to www.placervillespeedway.com.

Netto, Bernal, Moles Share Keller Auto Speedway Glory

Hanford, CA...April 10...DJ Netto won the 30 lap King of Thunder Winged 410 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. This was a special occasion as the King of Thunder Sprinters were running 410 cubic inch motors, and it was the annual Dave Helm Classic. The win paid Netto $3,000 aboard the Netto Ag Sprinter. He is both the reigning King of Thunder and NARC/King of the West Sprint Car champion.

Netto set the stage by winning the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Puyallup, Washington's Trey Starks and Shane Golobic. This put him on the pole. Following a complete restart, Netto charged into lead ahead of Golobic and Starks. The yellow flag flew on Lap 12, erasing a good Netto lead. As Netto resumed command on the restart, Starks and Bud Kaeding settled into second and third. There was a final yellow flag on Lap 14, but Netto again sprinted out front ahead of Starks and Kaeding on the restart. Dom Scelzi took the third position from Kaeding on Lap 17. Netto pulled away to about a straightaway advantage as Scelzi took second from Starks on Lap 28. Netto scored the impressive win with Scelzi collecting $1,500 for second. Kaeding made a last lap maneuver around Starks for the $1,200 third as Starks settled for $1,000 fourth ahead of Jacksonville, Oregon's Tanner Holmes, Tony Gualda, Ryan Bernal, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic and Mitchel Moles.

In lieu of time trials, the 26 Winged 410 Sprint Car competitors ran two sets of eight lap heat races and used points to line up the show. The first round of heat races were won by Starks, Kaeding and Golobic. Corey Day, Hirst and Golobic were the winners of the second set of heat races.

Ryan Bernal won the 30 lap USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Bernal pocketed $1,500 for his win aboard the Matt Wood Racing Elk Grove Ford sponsored Sprinter. Bernal started in the third row and began his duel with Kaleb Montgomery and Jace Vanderweerd for the lead on the 11th lap before making his winning move on Lap 16.

Vanderweerd had the pole for the race and set the early pace ahead of Cody Fendley and Danny Faria Jr. A yellow flag flew on the third lap to slow the pace, but Vanderweerd continued to lead Fendley and Faria on the restart. Montgomery motored past Fendley for second on Lap 6, and Brody Roa gained third on Lap 8. Moments later, a red flag waved when Austin Liggett flipped. Montgomery took the lead from Vanderweerd on the restart as Roa held third. Bernal settled into third on Lap 11 and began to battle Montgomery and Vanderweerd for the lead. Bernal motored past Vanderweerd for second on Lap 15. The leaders caught slower traffic, and Bernal used that to his advantage to take the lead from Montgomery on the 16th lap. From there, Bernal pulled away during the final half of the race to about a straightaway advantage over Montgomery in victory. Roa finished third, followed by Vanderweerd, DJ Johnson, Tanner Boul, Brody Fuson, Fendley, Faria and Jarrett Soares.

Bernal was the quickest of 18 competitors in Woodland Auto Display qualifying with a lap of 16.468, beating the 16.504 of Ryan Timmons. Fuson won the Extreme Mufflers first heat, Roa picked up the win in the Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars second heat and Johnson won the Competition Suspension Incorporated third eight lap heat race.

Mitchel Moles won the 25 lap USAC/BCRA Western Midgets Main Event. This was the first win for Moles, and it came aboard the Matt Wood Racing Elk Grove Ford Spike chassis. Maria Cofer led a lap before Austin Liggett charged into the lead. The yellow flag waved after two laps, and Liggett led Ryan Bernal and Cofer on the restart. Moles settled into fourth and took third from Cofer on Lap 7 before a yellow flag waved. Liggett led Moles and Bernal on restarts on Lap 8 and Lap 9. However, Moles put the moves on Liggett to take the lead on the 10th lap. Bernal took the second spot from Liggett on Lap 16. The final 16 laps went all green. The persistent Bernal kept it close down the stretch, but Moles stayed smooth and scored the well-earned victory. Liggett settled for third, followed by Blake Bower, Shannon McQueen, Tony Gualda, Alex Schutte, David Prickett, Ben Worth and Cofer.

There were 20 Midgets, and Moles was the quickest in Woodland Auto Display qualifying with a lap of 15.935, beating the 15.964 of Worth. Bernal won the Extreme Mufflers first heat, Bower picked up the win in the Competition Suspension Incorporated second heat and Colby Johnson won the Ultra Shield Race Products eight lap heat.

Both the USAC Western States Midgets and West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will be at Tulare Thunderbowl this Saturday. For further information, go to www.usacracing.com. Keller Auto Speedway will host to the third round of the IMCA California Speedweek Series on Sunday, May 2nd, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.

Thorn Scores Southwest Tour Victory At Irwindale Speedway

Irwindale, CA...April 10...Derek Thorn won the 100 lap Southwest Tour race Saturday night at Irwindale Speedway. Thorn moved his Santa Maria Brewery sponsored racer into the lead just past the halfway point of the race and brought it home to victory. This was the second-straight win for the four-time series champion. 

There were 28 competitors, and reigning Nut Up Pro Late Model champion Buddy Shepherd set the early pace ahead of Preston Peltier and Christian McGhee. Thorn was riding along in fourth as the lead five cars ran closely, but Thorn made a big move around Peltier for second on Lap 8. McGhee followed him into third. Shepherd and Thorn had broken away from the pack, but a red flag stopped the action for a crash on Lap 16. Shepherd again lead Thorn and McGhee on the restart, but Kole Raz moved past McGhee for third on Lap 18. Thorn seemed content to ride closely behind Shepherd during the first half of the race. The duo had a 4-second lead over Raz by Lap 45 as Jacob Gomes had settled into fourth. Gomes took third from Raz on Lap 47, and the Lap 50 mark found Shepherd leading Thorn, Gomes, Raz and McGhee. Thorn passed Shepherd for the lead on Lap 57 moments before a yellow flag waved. This was the final slowdown of the race. Thorn continued to lead the restart with Gomes getting past Shepherd for second. Raz, fast timer Brandon Farrington (17.428) and McGhee shuffled Shepherd out of the Top 5 on Lap 60. As the laps winded down, Thorn pulled away from Gomes for the victory. Raz finished third, followed by McGhee, Cale Kanke, Peltier, Farrington, Shepherd, Carlos Vieira and Blaine Rocha.

Travis McCullough won the 75 lap Spears SRL Modified race. In the process, he snapped the two-race win streak of incoming point leader Jeremy Doss. The win for McCullough came aboard the California Tank and Pneumatics sponsored Modified. 

Travis Thirkettle set the early pace ahead of Sam Jacks and McCullough. McCullough raced by Jacks for second on Lap 8 before a yellow flag waved. On the restart, Doss settled into third behind the Thirkettle and McCullough. Another yellow flag fell on Lap 13. On the restart, McCullough slipped past Thirkettle to take the lead. Doss moved around Thirkettle for second on Lap 22, and a Lap 33 yellow flag waved. McCulloch led Doss, Thirkettle, Eddie Secord and Jacks on the restart. The race had five yellow flags during the second half, and McCullough kept Doss at bay on each restart to maintain the lead. Secord finally got around Thirkettle for third on Lap 74, and McCullough went on to victory ahead of Doss, Secord, Thirkettle, Jacks, Bill Sedgwick, Andrew Anderson, Jeff Longman, William Guevara and Jerry Toporek. Doss was the quickest of 16 qualifiers with a lap of 15.377 on the 1/3 mile paved oval.

Jeremy Doss won the 75 lap Spears SRL Pro Late Model race. This was the third-straight win for Doss aboard the Earnest Performance sponsored Late Model as he has taken the early lead in the standings.

Local star Tanner Reif jumped into the early lead ahead of Tyler Reif and Dylan Zampa. Tyler Reif moved his Vegas Fasteners Late Model into first on Lap 7. Kyle Meyer settled into fourth on Lap 9, and Dylan Zampa took second from Tanner Reif on Lap 10. Tyler Reif and Dylan Zampa ran closely at the front of the pack over the next 15 laps, and Doss took third from Meyer on Lap 22. The first yellow flag waved on Lap 27. Doss moved into second behind a Tyler Reif on the restart. Another yellow flag slowed things down on Lap 31, and Tyler Reif led Doss and Dylan Zampa on the restart. The lead trio ran closely, and Doss took the lead from Tyler Reif on Lap 45. Zampa motored past Tyler Reif for second on Lap 49. One last yellow flag on Lap 62 gave Dylan Zampa a shot at Doss. However, Doss resumed command on the restart and led the final 12 circuits for the victory. Dylan Zampa settled for second, followed by Tyler Reif, Seth Wise, Logan Zampa, Mike Weimann, Mike Lovell, Tanner Reif, Jake Bollman and Parker Malone. Jeffrey Peterson was the quickest of 19 qualifiers with a lap of 15.333 on the 1/3 mile paved oval.

The SRL Southwest Tour and Pro Late Models head to Stockton 99 Speedway on May 1st. You can find more information on the two groups at www.srlsouthwestour.com. The Spears SRL Modified Series will be going to All American Speedway in Roseville on May 22nd. You can find more information on them at www.spearsmodifiedseries.com.

Ashley Wins Easter Egg 200 At Douglas County Speedway

Roseburg, Oregon...April 10...Ricky Ashley won the Easter Egg 200 lap Enduro race Saturday afternoon at Douglas County Speedway. This is the event that usually kicks off the new season, and 26 competitors lined up to do battle. Ashley is a Limited Sprint star at Cottage Grove Speedway.

Bruce McMaster led the early laps as it was a mad scramble just to avoid the wrecks and keep going. Ashley quickly settled into second and took the lead from McMaster on the third lap. However, Ashley surrendered the lead to Chris Lemon on the fifth lap with McMaster back into second. McMaster gained the lead again on the ninth lap with Jeremy Simms following into second. Ashley again regained second on the 11th lap with Brandon Belt moving into third. On the 18th lap, Ashley regained the lead from McMaster. As McMaster began to fade, Tyler Organ gained second on the 24th lap. Organ and Art Lemon both passed Ashley on Lap 28. On the 30th lap, Art Lemon took the lead. Chris Lemon settled into second on Lap 40, and he took the lead from Art Lemon on Lap 42. At Lap 50, Chris Lemon led Art Lemon, Bart Pulse, Modified and Late Model veteran Tom Elam and Organ. 

Pulse gained second on Lap 51. Though Chris Lemon was turning quicker laps, Pulse seemed to be running very smooth and consistent laps. On Lap 66, Pulse took the lead from Chris Lemon as Art Lemon was still running third. Elam took the third position from Art Lemon on Lap 68. Chris Lemon regained the lead a lap later, but Pulse again surged in front on Lap 77. Chris Lemon took the lead from Pulse again on Lap 97. The Lap 100 mark saw Chris Lemon leading Pulse by a lap, Elam by three laps, Ashley by six laps and Art Lemon by seven laps. 

On lap 104, Pulse gained the lead from Chris Lemon. He wouldn't lose it again. Elam and Chris Lemon were on the same lap on Lap 106, and Elam moved into second on Lap 112. Art Lemon gained third on Lap 121 with Brandon Norton following into fourth. Norton took third from Art Lemon on Lap 124, but he surrendered third to Chris Lemon a lap later. Ricky Ashley had a bit of a resurgence and moved back into third on Lap 128. By then, third was 10 laps behind Pulse, while second place Elam was five laps back. Mini Stock and Super Stock star Dale Roth was making a charge towards the front and settled into third on Lap 132. He was gaining a little bit of ground on Pulse at that point, and Elam began having issues. Elam surrendered second to Roth on Lap 141, but Roth was eight laps back at that point. The Lap 150 mark found Pulse leading Roth, Elam, Ashley and Art Lemon. 

As Pulse was making steady laps out front, Roth and Elam were going back and forth in the battle for second. Roth had the spot on Lap 161 as Chris Lemon and Ashley both got past Elam for third and fourth. Ashley took third from Chris Lemon on Lap 169 and gained second on Lap 174. Pulse began having some issues as Ashley was rapidly gaining laps. By Lap 180, Ashley was just four laps behind Pulse. Ashley gained two more laps by Lap 190, and he overtook Pulse in the final 10 laps for the win. Elam ended up third ahead of Brandon Norton and Pete Lemon.

After back-to-back playdays to end April, the season kicks off with the double point PRA event that will feature the Hardtops, Sport Modifieds, Hornets, Mini Stocks, Super Stocks and a Mini Stock Figure 8. For further information, go to www.douglasscountyspeedway.com.

Butler, Emry, Koch, Beaudoin Open Coos Bay Season 

With Victories

Coos Bay, Oregon...April 10...Wayne Butler won the 25 lap NASCAR America's Mattress Super Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Coos Bay Speedway. This was the first win for Butler in this division, and he led all but the opening lap. 

The opening lap was led by polesitter Jordan Wright before the yellow flag waved. Butler led Richard Wallace and reigning champion Brody Montgomery on the restart. A Lap 3 yellow flag waved for Hannah Robison, who retired from the event. Butler continued to lead Wallace and Montgomery on the restart. Montgomery took second from Wallace on Lap 7, but he brought out a yellow flag moments later. Butler led Wallace and Mike Taylor on the restart. Taylor took second from Wallace a lap later, but he brought out a Lap 11 yellow flag. Butler continued to lead Wright and Wallace on the next restart. Butler pulled away to a decent lead over Wright by the time the checkered flag flew. Wallace was the final lead lap finisher. Montgomery came back three laps down to finish fourth, followed by Taylor, Braden Fugate, Robison and Dave Foote. Fugate was the 10 lap heat race winner.

Ryan Emery won the 20 lap Sportsman Late Model Main Event. A Lap 1 yellow flag eliminated both Tahlan Rogers and Jim Crabtree. Josh Kraliceck retired moments before the green flag waved again as Emry led 2019 champion Braden Fugate and Medford IMCA Sport Modified competitor Jesse Merriman. Merriman moved past Fugate for second on Lap 4. By the midway point of the race, the lead three competitors were running closely. Fugate briefly regained second on Lap 13, but he retired a lap later. Emry won ahead of Merriman, Fugate, Kraliceck, Rogers and Crabtree.  Merriman won the 10 lap heat race.

Seth Christian won the 25 lap Street Stock Main Event. Two-time reigning champion Ken Fox set the early pace ahead of Christian and Michael Bearden. Sunset Speedway competitor Joey Tardio slipped into third on the fourth lap. Moments later, a yellow flag waved. Fox continued to lead Christian and Tardio on the restart. On the fifth lap, both Christian and Tardio shuffled Fox back to third. Tardio saw his race come to an abrupt end on Lap 15 as Christian led Fox and Bearden. A yellow flag on Lap 18 signaled the end of the race for Bearden. Christian remained in command on the restart with Troy Chamberlain settling into second ahead of Fox. Christian stayed smooth down the stretch and scored the victory with Chamberlain a solid second, followed by Fox, final lead lap finisher Dyllan Siewell, Sam Taylor, Bearden, Tardio, Sam Talon, Peyton Reigard and Charlie Withers. Heat race wins went to Tardio and Bearden.

Travis Koch won the 20 lap Mini Outlaw Main Event. Koch had the pole and raced into lead immediately in front of Scott Beaudoin. The lead duo never changed from that point on. Matthew Emry ran third. Joey Duke retired a few laps from the end, and Matthew Emry was lapped late. Koch won by a half lap ahead of Scott Beaudoin, Matthew Emry, Joey Duke, Nicole Emry and Mike Beaudoin. Riley Hayes was a Main Event scratch, and Koch won the 10 lap heat race.

Seth Christian won the 20 lap Hornets Main Event.  The race would go without a yellow flag. Christian and reigning champion Isaac Stere shared the front row and would run first and second throughout the race. William Hitner was an early third, but he retired on the sixth lap as Jeff Nelson gained the position. By the 14th lap, Nelson was being challenged by Jeremy Mayfield, who passed him for third on Lap 17. Unfortunately for Mayfield, he saw his luck ran out on the 19th lap as Nelson got by for the third place finish. Christian held a comfortable advantage over Stere in victory. Mayfield settled for fourth, followed by Amy Hedgepetch, Trennon Folio, Jr Stinger graduate Alexis Baker, Jim Van Loon, Bid Van Loon and Hitner. The 10 lap heat races were won by Christian and Stere.

Griff Smith won the 16 lap Jr Stingers Main Event. Smith has won both championships for the division and won all 12 Main Events last season in dominant fashion. Smith shared the front row with Tallon Dubisar, and Dubisar paced the first four laps before Smith got by for the lead. Eli Luckman ran third ahead of Cameron Metzgus through the first eight laps. Alex Butler got by Metzgus for fourth on Lap 9 and took third from Luckman a lap later. Smith held a half-lap advantage over Tallon Dubisar by the checkered flag with Butler and Luckman the final lead lap finishers. Metzgus finished fifth, followed by Tanner Dubisar, Heather Burton, Tucker Dubisar, Anthony Hoggatt and DJ Nelson. Smith and Butler won the eight lap heat races.

The NASCAR championship season continues this Saturday night with the America's Mattress Super Late Models back in action along with the Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Jr Stingers. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.

Alberding, Towns, Comer,  Osbourne Score 

Cottage Grove Speedway Wins

Cottage Grove, Oregon...April 10...Tim Alberding won the 30 lap Wingless Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Cottage Grove Speedway. This was the first race of the season for the Wingless Sprint Series, which tours several tracks in Oregon and Washington. 

Alberding had the pole and took the lead at the start. Local star Kinzer Cox ran second for a lap before surrendering the position to Tyrell Mead. Cooper Desbiens grabbed third on the fourth lap and took up pursuit of Cox, making the pass for second on Lap 17. However, Cox came roaring back to reclaim second on Lap 20. Desbiens surrendered third to Chad Lindsay on the 26th lap. However, multi-time series champion Rob Lindsey grabbed third on lap 28. Alberding brought it home to a satisfying victory, followed by Cox, Rob Lindsay, Chad Lindsay, Lance Hallmark, Desbiens, Mead, Scotty Fox, Don Trent and Gene Cannon.

Cox was the quickest of 13 competitors with a lap of 12.902, beating the 13.124 of Rob Lindsay. Cox and Mead were the 10 lap heat race winners, and Cox also won the four lap Trophy Dash.

Curtis Towns won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. Towns started back in the fourth row. Polesitter Matthew Drager led a lap before surrendering first to Paul Rea. The battle continued between the duo with Drager regaining first on Lap 7, only to surrender it back to Rea on Lap 11. Steven Sturdevant was an early third, and he took second from Drager on Lap 13. Towns moved into third on Lap 16 and joined the close battle up front by the 20th lap. On lap 23, Towns took second from Sturdevant, and he made his winning pass on Rea one lap later. Towns went on to win with Rea settling for second, followed by Bricen James, Sturdevant, Drager, previous winner Jeffrey Hudson, Paul Culp, Jake Mayden, James Welshonse and Jayson Nelson. James set the fast time of 13.857, beating the 14.147 of Mayden. Sturdevant and Drager won the eight lap heat races, and Hudson claimed the four lap Trophy Dash.

Dustin Comer won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Comer started on the front row and had the lead at the start. Third row starter Isaac Sanders settled into second on Lap 2 with Ray Comer taking third from Justin Henry on Lap 5. On the 14th lap, Matt Sanders grabbed the third position from Ray Comer, and he took second from brother Isaac Sanders on the 15th lap. However, Dustin Comer would go on to victory ahead of Matt Sanders, Isaac Sanders, Ray Comer, Doug Coffman, Ray Bloom, Garrett Barth, Dalton Bloom, Steven Sanders and KC Scott. 

Matt Sanders was the quickest of 21 qualifiers with a lap of 15.328, beating the 15.706 of Dustin Comer. Eight lap heat race wins went to Gavin Ropchan, Dustin Comer, Jordan Henry and Matt Sanders. Isaac Sanders held off Dustin Comer to win the four lap Trophy Dash and prevent the clean sweep. KC Scott took the lead on the second lap and went on to win the 12 lap B Main. Dalton Bloom took second from Michael Lavery on the sixth lap and would finish there, followed by Ray Bloom, James Flowers and Lavery.

Graig Osborne won the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event. This was his second-straight win. Taunton Swaim jumped into the early lead with Don Schott settling into second on Lap 2. Schott took the lead from Swaim on the fifth lap, and Osborne settled into second on Lap 6. A lap later, Osborne took the lead from Schott. Dakota Goddard was a late arrival after practicing at Willamette, and he moved from the fifth row to take second on Lap 15. Schott regained second on Lap 17, but the persistent Goddard regained the position of lap later. Unfortunately, Goddard saw his race end one lap too soon. Schott ended up second behind Osborne. Taunton Swaim settled for third, followed by Andrew Mathers, Bob Bloom, Terry King, Bernie Lujan, Brad Korpela, Mike Swaim and Anthony Prather.

Mathers was the quickest of 12 qualifiers with a lap of 17.414, beating the 17.603 of Osborne. The two eight lap heat race wins went to Mathers and Osborne. King won the four lap Trophy Dash.

Michael Kennerly won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Compact Main Event. Kennerly started back in the third row, and polesitter Andrew Langan led the first five laps. Jack Vicari ran second until being passed by previous winner of Burnie Bryant on Lap 4. Bryant put the moves on Langan to take the lead on Lap 6, but his race came to an abrupt and on the 12th lap. This put Brad Moffett into the lead, but he surrendered first to Kennerly on Lap 14. Kennerly went on to victory with Moffett not too far behind in second, followed by Kerry Cooper, Brad Martin, Langan, Joe Maricle, Vicari, Barry Cannon, Jason Loucks and Tiffany Towns. 

Moffett was the quickest of 13 qualifiers with a lap of 19.010 just barely beating the 19.011 of Kerry Cooper. Brad Martin and Vicari won the eight lap heat races, and Langan picked up the four lap Trophy Dash victory.

Racing resumes this Friday night with the Limited Sprints and Late Models back in action along with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Street Stocks. For further information, go to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Sawyer, Michnowicz, Childress Score 

Bakersfield Speedway Wins

Bakersfield, CA...April 10...Robby Sawyer won the 30 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. The past division champion becomes the third different winner in as many races. Steve Noland had the pole and led the first four laps before being passed by Troy Morris III. Sawyer moved into second on the fifth lap. Sawyer motored past Morris to take the lead on Lap 8. Noland was running third before being passed by reigning champion Jerry Flippo on the 11th lap. Flippo held the position until point leader Ethan Dotson got by him on lap 19. On Lap 22, Dotson took second from Morris. However, he couldn't catch Sawyer, who scored the impressive win. Morris settled for third, followed by Flippo, Kyle Heckman, Gavyn Manning, Noland, Michael Scruggs, Austin Kiefer and Bryan Clark. Heckman, Morris and Sawyer won the eight lap heat races as 19 IMCA Modifieds came to compete.

Bobby Michnowicz won the 25 lap California Lightning Sprints Main Event. Michnowicz and Eric Greco shared the front row for the feature race, and Michnowicz set the early pace over Greco and David Gasper. Greco took the lead from Michnowicz on the seventh lap. Seventh row starter Aiden Lange had worked his way into fifth, but his race came to an end on a Lap 13 yellow flag. On the restart, Michnowicz took the lead from Greco. AJ Bender was challenging Gasper for the third position before making the pass on Lap 18. Brent Sexton also got by for fourth, and Gasper saw his race end on Lap 20. Michnowicz went on to victory ahead of Greco, Bender, Brent Sexton, Grant Sexton, Greg Dennett, James Turnbull, Dominic Del Monte, Jeremy Queener and Wyatt Boczankowski.

There were 24 Lightning Sprints, and Lange turned the 1/3 mile clay oval at 13.300 to beat the 13.308 of Del Monte for fast time. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Bender, Michnowicz and Greco.

West Evans won the 20 lap NMRA TQ Midget Main Event. Polesitter Kevin Kale led the opening lap before being passed by Evans. Kevin Kale held second until being overtaken by Bruce Hiroshima on Lap 6. As Hiroshima took up pursuit of Evans, Ace Kale took the third position from Kevin Kale on Lap 14. Kevin Kale surrendered fourth to Scott Niven on Lap 16, and Niven made a last lap pass on a Ace Kale to grab third. West Evans won by a comfortable margin ahead of Hiroshima, Niven, Ace Kale, Kevin Kale and the unnamed driver in the #70 car. Hiroshima won the eight lap heat race.

Ricky Childress Jr won his third-straight 25 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. After winning one of the three eight lap heat races, Childress lined up on the fifth row inside with Gary Dutton on the sixth row outside. This duo worked their way to the front of the pack. Childress would take the checkered flag ahead of Dutton. Kyle Wood and Johnny Wood came from the fourth row to finish third and fourth, respectfully. Marcus Wankum, Tina Johnson, Jeff Haughton, Rick Henderson, Nick Coffman and Steven Johnson rounded out the Top 10. The other heat race wins went to Tom Manzella and Kyle Wood as there were 18 Hobby Stocks in action.

Zach Forster won the 20 lap IMCA Mod Lites Main Event. This was his second-straight win. Cade Lewis had the pole and led one lap before the yellow flag waved, signaling the end of the race for Richard Granger. Third row starter Forster motored into the lead on the restart ahead of Late Model veteran Phil Barrow. Cade Lewis held third, but Tim Varney got by on the fourth lap. Lewis briefly got back around on Lap 5, but Varney regained the position of lap later. The battle was close for third with Cade Lewis again regaining the position for good on Lap 16. Forster won comfortably ahead of Barrow, Varney, Colby Lewis, Candi Varney and Granger. Cade Lewis crossed the line third, but he was later disqualified. Barrow and Forster won the eight lap heat races, but Roy Maynard was a Main Event scratch.

The regular action takes a break this weekend as the Outlaw Karts and Mini Dwarf Cars will run a full program. The big cars return on April 24th with the IMCA Modifieds back in action along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, American Stocks and Kern County Hardtops. For further information, go to www.bakersfieldspeedway.com.

Weekend Calendar

Who, What, Where, When, Why

Where: Antioch Speedway www.antiochspeedway.com, www.antiochspeedway.tv

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, West Coast Sport Compacts, 600 Micro Sprints

What: After having to cancel the previously scheduled Winged 360 Sprint Car race due to a scheduling conflict, Antioch will try again. They basically booked this class to not conflict with the dates at Petaluma. They had three Winged 360 Sprint Car races last year that were decently supported. The track is taking a look at doing more with the Micro Sprint class, but it will be interesting to see how it goes in the car count department this week. The West Coast Sport Compacts have a reputation of bringing some of the best Mini Stock drivers wherever they go. David Wolford Jr has a pair of wins with Greg Baronian snapping the win streak and forcing Wolford to settle for second at the most recent race in Hanford. Antioch Speedway is hoping to continue to grow this entry level class and bring new drivers into the fold. The Hobby Stock count at Antioch remains in the 20s, and wins so far have gone to reigning champion James Thomson and Larry McKinzie Jr. 

Why: McKinzie has a two-point lead over Gavin Griffiths and a six-point advantage over James Graessle after two Hobby Stock races. Some of the newer drivers are stepping things up, and the division is getting more interesting by the week. After three WCSC races, Wolford leads reigning champion Clinton Massey by two points and past champion Greg Baronian by 18. In local competition, Petaluma champion Tom Brown holds a four point lead over three-time Merced champion Chris Corder after winning his heat race and finishing second to Corder in the season opening feature. Last season saw the three Sprint Car wins go to Chase Majdic, Kaleb Montgomery and Justyn Cox, who won the final event over recent Marysville winner Nick Ringo. The lone 600 Micro Sprint race last year went to Dixon Speedway star Cody Gray ahead of Brandon Shaw.

Where: Orland Raceway

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: Wingless Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Mini Trucks, 600 Micros, 250 Micros

What: Rich Hood enters his sixth year as promoter of the 1/5th mile dirt oval at the Glenn County Fairgrounds. By sticking with the basics, he has brought stability back to this race track. He is also the second longest tenured promoter at the track and is starting to get the track a bit more recognition. Last season, they weren't able to have a championship point race, but they did open for several events without fans. This included the annual season ending Battle of the Axles, which is set to happen again this year in October.

Why: The Wingless Spec Sprints have had a bit of a resurgence since neighboring Chico dropped the class. The consistent Denny McNary won the 2019 championship despite the fact that Tony Richards won a majority of the races. Tony was never able to recover from a bad night that left him way behind at the start of the season. Phil Spencer outduled past Mini Truck champion Keith Ross by just two points to win the 2019 Hobby Stock title, while the ever present Steve Martin ranked third. Calvin Kvalvik was the Mini Truck champion ahead of William Fogle and past champion Dan Webster, who had more wins than anybody. It was Tyler Rockwell besting past champion Jeromie Crismon to win the 600 Micro title, while Mike McCarthy beat the steady Ronnie Heyer to win the 250 Micro championship.

Where: Merced Speedway www.mersedspeedway.com, www.imca.tv

When: Thursday-Saturday, April 15th-17th

Who: IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks

What: This is a special occasion for Merced Speedway. It's the Fourth Annual Al Miller Memorial which pays tribute to the father of Late Model and IMCA legend Robert Miller and IMCA Sport Modified racer Randy Miller. Al was a regular at San Jose Speedway and got his boys into the sport. This has been a Pro Stock event for the past three years, but the Miller brothers elected to move it to Merced this year and make it in big IMCA Sport Modified show. With a practice on Thursday, full slate of racing on Friday and the big money on the line on Saturday, this will be the place to be this weekend for IMCA racing fans.

Why: Most of the area tracks have tried to adjust their schedules so that their top teams can go to Merced for a run at the money. The purses all pay pretty well on down, but the IMCA Sport Modifieds will be competing for $5,000 to win, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third. The IMCA Modifieds get $2,000 for the victory with $1,000 for a second. The IMCA Stock Cars get one of their biggest paying events at $1,200 to win and $800 for second, while the Hobby Stocks get $750 to win and $400 for second. The track opened up it's point season with a big money race two weeks ago. Southern California racer Cody Laney won the IMCA Modified race ahead of Ethan Dotson, Tyler Bannister was the IMCA Sport Modified winner in front of two-time reigning champion Fred Ryland and Derek Ogden got his first Hobby Stocks win ahead of past Mini Stock champion Allen Neal.

Where: Siskiyou Golden Speedway www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: IMCA Sport Modifieds, Limited Sprints, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks

What: The track didn't get off to a very good start with the opener two weeks ago, but this weekend's lineup offers something that should be better. The track has booked the Medford Limited Sprints for four visits this year, and this is the first race. At 10 cars, they get $700 to win, and they're hoping to do okay here. As the season opener for the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars generally gets strong support, they could be seeing a car count in the high teens or even the 20s for this one. They had a dozen IMCA Sport Modifieds for the opener and hope to at least maintain that, while the Mini Stocks should be able to do better than the three cars they had two weeks ago.

Why: The track would like to host more Sprint Car racing in the future, and the Limited Sprint purse isn't as big a challenge to produce as the Winged 360s are. Last season, they had two races, won by Pat Desbiens and Camden Robustelli, who won the Halloween special ahead of Cottage Grove 360 Sprint champion Tyler Thompson. Robustelli will surely be racing with the Dwarf Cars, and he won one of the two races held last year with multi-time Southern Oregon Dwarf Car champion Josh King holding off Kalvin Morton to win the other one. Jorddon Braaten kicked off this season with an IMCA Sport Modified win ahead of Ryan Peery and Matt Sanders, while Michael Knuckles got the Mini Stock win ahead of three-time champion Marilyn Yawnick.

Where: Petaluma Speedway www.petaluma-speedway.com, www.norcalspeed.tv

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: The Hunt Wingless Sprint Car Series, IMCA Modifieds, Super Stocks, 600 Micro Sprints

What: The original date for the Hunt Series race was moved from March to this week, and optimism is high for a good turnout. The series was at Placerville two weeks ago with a 29 car field. That race was won by Jake Morgan in front of the surprising Braidon Moniz and Bradley Terrell. The IMCA Modifieds kick off their point season this week. It's noteworthy that Petaluma has featured this class longer than any track in California. Long time Promoter John P Soares brought the class out west back in 1987. The Super Stocks ran head to head with the Tri State Series last week. Richard Brace Jr got the win, and Sid Hess was the top local finisher in sixth with Randy Miramontez following in seventh, both on the lead lap. This is the first race of the season for the Wingless Micro Sprints as they begin their seventh season on the roster.

Why: This will be a head-to-head race for the local Wingless Spec Sprint drivers and the Hunt Series regulars. Despite not winning a race last year, Daniel Whitley topped the local point effort. Petaluma racers gave a good accounting of themselves in the Hunt Series as Terrell won twice last year, including the Johnny Soares Classic. Anthony Slaney was crowned IMCA Modified champion by the sanctioning body last season. He won four times to win the championship ahead of Justin Yeager and Gary Zwicker as multi-time champions Oreste Gonella and Michael Paul Jr took themselves out of the point battle early. Past champions Matt While and Steve Studebaker topped the Super Stock winner's list last year and the point leaderboard as well. Both drivers missed the race last week. The Micro Sprints ran several times last year with Koen Shaw, Jim Beck and George Nielson making it onto the winner's list. 

Where: Placerville Speedway www.placervillespeedway.com, www.floracing.com

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, BCRA Lightning Sprints, Mini Trucks

What: Placerville Speedway has certainly hit the ground running with a strong Winged 360 Sprint Car effort. No less than 30 competitors have been to each of the three races held so far. The first race was a Sprint Car Challenge Tour show, won by Tanner Carrick. Watsonville star Justin Sanders has claimed both of the regular point shows. The Pure Stocks are just as exciting as ever, and wins so far have been recorded by multi-time champion Nick Baldwin and Kevin Jinkerson. The Mini Trucks continue to turn in a solid effort, and Wyatt Lakin grabbed the glory in the first race two weeks ago over Howard Miller and Mike Miller. The BCRA Lightning Sprints were at the first race of the year, and California Lightning Sprint regular Eric Greco got the win that night ahead of BCRA regular Dakota Albright and Greg Dennett.

Why: So far, Justin Sanders is leading both the Watsonville and Placerville point races. At Placerville, he has an 11 point lead over Tanner Carrick and a 15 point advantage over Blake Carrick, but the season is very young. Following his win last week, Nick Baldwin leads Kevin Jinkerson by four points and Ryan Peter by 12. The Mini Trucks have only been on the roster for a few seasons, but they continue to grow their ranks and offer some exciting racing. For BCRA, Placerville is basically their home track with nine shows on the schedule. Often times, the Northern California competitors are joined buy some fast racers from down south.

Where: Marysville Raceway www.marysvilleraceway.com, www.norcalspeed.tv

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, NorCal Dwarf Cars, California Hardtops

What: The Winged 360 Sprint Car division has been entertaining. All five races have produced different winners. Following the win at the Sherm Toller Memorial for Tanner Carrick, other wins have been recorded by reigning champion Andy Forsberg, past Petaluma champion Jake Haulot, Kaleb Montgomery and most recently Nick Ringo. Could another new winner be in the cards this week? The NorCal Dwarf Cars always deliver the excitement to Marysville. They've been delivering solid car counts on the circuit so far with multiple B Mains having been needed. All systems appear to be go for the Vintage Coup and Sedan race cars of the California Hardtop Association. At least a half a dozen of these cars are anticipated, and there could be some Winged Sportsman visitors from Merced as well.

Why: Past Placerville champion Billy Wallace has been consistent this year with all Top 10 finishes in his four starts, giving him a slim seven point advantage over Haulot, while past Grass Valley Super Modified champion Pat Harvey Jr is 31 points back in third. The NorCal Dwarf Car Association rarely releases their point list to the public, but past champion Ryan Winter and reigning champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert have been doing most of the winning so far this year. Hard chargers such as Ben Wiesz, Shawn Whitney, Kevin Bender, Corey Eaton and Dylan Shrum hope to write their names in the win column this week. In the Hardtops lone appearance last year, the Sportsman of Gary Hildebrand made a late move around the Hardtop of Ron Ruiz to get the win. Ruiz, Ken Clifford, Roger MacShain and Joe Shenefield are among the Hardtop competitors who could be there this week.

Where: Coos Bay Speedway www.coosbayspeedway.us

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: NASCAR America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, Junior Stingers

What: There's only one place to catch genuine NASCAR sanctioned action on the dirt on the West Coast, and that's Coos Bay Speedway. The Super Late Model drivers are competing for up to $5,500 worth of championship money from the track and State, while also having a shot at some of the $35,000 in NASCAR Regional point money as well. The point fund numbers aren't so bad when compared to the other sanctioning body. For example, the Sportsman Late Model champion pockets $1,000, the Street Stock champion collects $750 and even the Hornet champion will get $500. The Top 5 point earners in all four of those classes will receive point fund money at season's end. The sanctioning is helping Promoter Drake Nelson as he tries to build momentum with the racing program.

Why: Brody Montgomery encountered problems during last week's Super Late Model feature race, costing the two-time reigning champion laps in the pits. A rival of Brody's going back to the Sportsman Late Models, Wayne Butler got his first Super Late Model victory last week ahead of Jordan Wright and Richard Wallace. Ryan Emry got the Sportsman Late Model win over the IMCA Sport Modified of Jesse Merriman. The Street Stocks delivered 10 cars, and Seth Christian picked up the win in that race ahead of Troy Chamberlain and reigning champion Ken Fox. Christian also held off reigning Hornet champion Isaac Stere to get the win in that class as well. The Mini Outlaws win went to Travis Koch. Having dominated the first two seasons of the Junior Stinger class, Griff Smith continued that trend with the win in the season opener. The division has several new drivers on its roster this year, getting more 11 to 14 year old kids into the sport.

Where: Ocean Speedway www.racepmg.com, www.floracing.com

When: Friday, April 16th

Who: Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, South Bay Dwarf Cars, Four Bangers, Western Midget Racing

What: Fans aren't able to attend in person until May 7th, but the fans watching on www.floracing.com have been treated to strong turnouts of no less than 28 competitors in the first three Taco Bravo Sprint Car races. 2015 champion Justin Sanders might have grabbed his third-straight win last week, but he was thwarted by Bud Kaeding, who was happy to get his first win at the track in over a year. Hobby Stock racing action continues to see the wins divided among reigning champion Joe Gallaher and his three-time champion son Rob Gallaher. Joe has two with Rob getting the other win, but will the two IMCA Stock Car competitors be on hand for Friday's show? Richard Mitchell collected his first ever Four Banger win ahead of Tony Gullo last time out, while two-time champion Kate Beardsley won the opener. The South Bay Dwarf Car drivers are anxious to finally get their season started after a rainout back in March. The Dwarf Cars have been a part of the racing program at Watsonville for well over 20 years. The Western Midgets had a track record a 12 competitors for their first race at the end of March, but a similar result found 2019 champion David Prickett getting the win ahead of Blake Bower and David Taft. Bower had a heat race win and Top 5 feature finish with USAC last week in Hanford.

Why: Because of the throwaway rule, Kaeding's absence from one race won't cost him. Currently, Sanders and Kaeding are tied for the point lead with Tanner Carrick seven points back and brother Blake Carrick and Corey Day 10 points out. It's a highly competitive field, and most of the drivers who earn a feature start have a legitimate shot at victory. The Gallaher family might be hard to beat in the Hobby Stocks, but hard chargers like Jerry Skelton, Tony Oliveira, Norm Ayers and Quentin Harris should be there to give it a shot this week. The Gallaher family, Rob and Joe, are tied for the lead with Ayers six points out and Adriane Frost seven points back. As drivers get more experience in the Mini Stocks, we are seeing the competition get even tougher. The point list hasn't been released, but in addition to feature winners Kate Beardsley and Richard Mitchell, Tony Gullo, Nicole Beardsley, Bill Beardsley, Roy Iler and reigning champion Ryan McClelland are other drivers to keep an eye on. David Prickett is the driver with the bullseye on him in the Western Midget group, but drivers like Cameron Beard, Tyler Slay, Antonia Boscacci, Darren Brent, David Taft and Blake Bower are threats to win. The South Bay Dwarf Cars have such notable champions as Shawn Jones, Gene "Punky" Pires and Mark Biscardi, along with Eric Weisler, Trafton Chandler, Eddy Claessen and Barry Waddell.

Where: Madera Speedway www.racemadera.com

When: Saturday, April 17th

Who: Madera Late Models, Hobby Stocks, MST/Sedans, Mini Stocks, Southwest Tour Trucks, Jr Late Model exhibition

What: Madera Speedway hosts it's third Club Race, and limited fan attendance is being allowed. The track will also offer a free streaming service, which you can find through the web page. The two Madera Late Model races held so far have been very competitive, and the wins have gone to Matt Erickson and Jason Aguirre. The MSTs have been quite entertaining so far. Reigning champion Shaun Reynolds and brother Ryan Reynolds both have wins. The Hobby Stock numbers have also been up slightly this year with wins going to Mike Nicks and Bakersfield's Lloyd Wren. The Southwest Tour Trucks had to cancel the March race, but they are back this week. The track is trying to establish a Mini Stock division using West Coast Sport Compact rules, and new cars are being built.

Why: The Madera Late Models aren't as intense as the Nut Up Pro Late Models, but they run the same rules. Kyle Keller holds a one.point lead on Jason Aguirre with Matt Erickson just two points back in third. The MST point battle finds Shaun Reynolds leading his brother Ryan by seven points. Meanwhile, Tim Kammerer, Patrick Geiger and Haley Bugg are tied for third, 20 points out of the lead. Bugg and Geiger each have a third place finish and appear to be the biggest threats to remove the Reynolds brothers from the winner's circle. The Hobby Stock battle is being led by Mike Nicks by nine points ahead of reigning champion Manny Gonzales Jr and 11 over Nick Rowe. The Southwest Tour Trucks ran back in February at Havasu, and Brandon Schilling got the win ahead of Ronnie Davis and Mike Kelperis.

Where: Kern County Dirt Track www.kernraceway.com

When: Friday, April 16th

Who: Wingless 360 Sprint Cars, BCRA Midgets, Mod Lites, Kern County Hardtops

What: The Kern County Raceway facility is maybe a little bit better known for the pavement track, but management has stepped up their game this year on the dirt track. In addition to some exciting Flat Track Bike races on the infield track, they also hosted a big AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car two-day show and a King Of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car two-day show already this year. This weekend, the track is paying $1,750 to win with $1,250 for a second and $1,000 for third for the unsanctioned Wingless 360 Sprint Cars. For that kind of money, they're hoping some of the USAC drivers who will support Tulare on Saturday will also support this show.

Why: The track last hosted a Wingless 360 Sprint Car program in November of 2019. This was the George Snider Classic, and the Wingless 360 Sprint Car win went to Kaleb Montgomery ahead of TJ Smith and Ricky Kirkbride. The BCRA Midget race that night went to Jesse Love IV ahead of Shannon McQueen and Terry Nichols. The BCRA also visited in May that year with the win going to Austin Liggett ahead of Robert Dalby and Corey Elliott. The last time the Mod Lites were at Kern County was October of 2018, and Ronnie Williams denied Zach Forster the win on that occasion. Forster has been tough to beat this year with two wins at Bakersfield Speedway. Richard Souza won the most recent Hardtop race at Kern County in 2020. He finished second more recently to Jason Denman at Bakersfield Speedway a few weeks ago.

Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 9, 2021
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo
A Main
Bud Kaeding
Justin Sanders
Blake Carrick
Tanner Carrick
Shane Golobic
Tristan Guardino
Chase Majdic
Colby Copeland
Kalib Henry
Sean Becker
Kyle Offill
Mitchell Faccinto
Kurt Nelson
Joel Myers
Trent Canales
Joey Ancona
D.J. Netto
Max Mittry
Keith Day Jr
Jeremy Chisum
Tanner Holmes
Koen Shaw

B Main
Kalib Henry
Joey Ancona
Kurt Nelson
Tanner Holmes
Koen Shaw
Mitchell Faccinto
Nick Ringo
Tim Estenson
John Clark
Ryon Nelson
Adam Kaeding
Bryce Eames
Brian Boswell
Jerry Bonnema
Josh Chisum
Jodie Robinson
Richard Fajardo
James Ringo
Jason Chisum

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Fred Ryland
Randy Miller
Jim DiGiovanni
Adriane Frost
Trevor Clymens
Justin McPherson
Billy Robertson
Dwayne Short
Duane Bieser
Dennis Simunovich
Kelly Campanile
Max Baggett
Charlie Hunter
Cody Bryan

Hobby Stocks
Joe Gallaher
Rob Gallaher
Adriane Frost
Norm Ayers
Brady Muller
Scott Freeman
Tony Oliveira
BOBBY GALLAHER
Quintin Harris
Jerry Skelton

Four Bangers
Richard Mitchell
Tony Gullo
Nicole Beardsley
Kate Beardsley
Travis VanGilder
Jason Bookout
Bill Beardsley
Forset Movrich
Eddie Gallaher DNS

Police n Pursuit
Roy Iler     San Benito SO, CA
John Hohmann     Scotts Valley Police Departmen, CA
Jackie Yeung     Capitola Police Department, CA
esse Mueller     California Highway Patrol, CA
Pat Sullivan     Gilroy Police Department, CA
Fernando Tellez     Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, CA    T
Tony Weir     San Benito County SO, CA
Ryan Bockholt     California Highway
Ryan Luke     Santa Cruz County
Nate Graham     Santa Cruz, CA DNS
Kyle Dorris     San Jose Police Department, CA DNS


Antioch Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Bobby Hogge IV
Buddy Kniss
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Jim Pettit II
Kellen Chadwick
Bobby Motts Jr
Aaron Crowell
Josh Combs
Mitch Machado
Danny Roe
Carl Berendsen II
Danny Malfatti
Jeff Browne
Dylan Schriner

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Tom Fraser
Kenny Shrader
Guy Ahlwardt
Trevor Clymens
KC Keller
Andrew Pearce
Kevin Brown
Fred Ryland
Chuck Golden
Tyler Browne
Joe Ferguson
Kelly Campanile
Jacob Mallet Jr
Todd Clymens
Scott Foster
Breanna Troen
Emali VanHoff
Tommy Clymens
Jacob Haas
Tanner Thomas

B Main
Kelly Campanile
Chuck Golden
Emali VanHoff
Scott Foster
Dylan Connelly
Chase Thomas
Clarence Holbrook III DNS
Jason Ryan Jr DNS

Delta Dwarf Car
Kevin Miraglio
Devan Kammermann
David Rosa
Scott Dahlgren
Travis Day
Chance Russell
Toby Brown
Ellie Russo
Tom VanTuyl
Dennis Gilcreas
Justin Bingman
Sean Catucci
Mario Marques
David Michael Rosa
Danny Wagner
Ricardo Rivera
Jack Haverty

Tri State Pro Stock
Richard Brace Jr
Randy Miller
Justin Crockett
Chris Smith
Kimo Oreta
Rich Denman
Jim Freethy
Richard Vander Ploeg
Matt Kile
Jimmy Robbins
Bill Hall
Terry Decarlo Jr
Mike Learn
Ryan Cherezian
Robert Gilbertson
Ryan Smith DNS


Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Results are not official
1     #92 Andy Forsberg    
2     #4 Jodie Robinson
3     #38b Blake Carrick
4     #38 Colby Johnson
5     #26 Billy Aton
6     #24 Justin Henry
7     #hr44 Geoff Ensign
8     #27t Jason Toft
9     #46jr Joel Myers Jr.
10     #7b Brent Bjork
11     #83sa Isaiah Vasquez
12     #78 Bret Barney
13     #7h Jake Haulot
14     #2xm Max Mittry
15     #43 Bradley Terrell
16     #83t Tanner Carrick
17     #2x Chase Majdic

Tri State Pro Stocks
Results are not official
1     #401k Richard Brace Jr.
2     #15 Kimo Oreta
3     #21jt Justin Crockett
4     #33 Robert Gilbertson
5     #55 Matt Kile
6     #51d Sid Hess
7     #81 Randy Miramontez
8     #17 Bill Hall
9     #17c Duane Croft
10     #2j Justin Zwicker
11     #11h Mike Learn
12     #250 Ryan Smith
13     #5 Lyle Hopper
14     #60 Shawn McCoy

Redwood Dwarf Cars/South Bay Dwarf Cars
A Main
Results are not official
1     #43dd Sean Catucci
2     #36dd Dennis Gilcrease
3     #29n Corey Eaton
4     #16r Joey Lingron
5     #12n Michael Grenert
6     #9r Chad Matthias
7     #66b Mark Biscardi
8     #25 Jimmy Damron
9     #71r John Peters
10     #88dd Travis Day
11     #11r Carroll Mendenhall
12     #66r Scooter Gomes
13     #27r Danny Marsh
14     #08r Mike Dahle
15     #64b Eric Weisler
16     #03r Mike Affonso
17     #10r Barry Waddell
18     #2r Kylee Johnson
19     #12r Sam Borland        
20     #69 Eddy Claessen
21     #15r Shiloh Borland
22     #26n Dan Zuger    
23     #88r Adam Freitas
24     #13r Trevor Mendenhall

B Main
Results are not official
1     #9r Chad Matthias
2     #71r John Peters
3     #13r Trevor Mendenhall
4     #12r Sam Borland
5     #43r Michael Williams
6     #8r Tim Steger
7     #42 Keith Costas
8     #57 Kieran Costas
9     #127r Alysa Gallegos
10     #2 Lonnie Teekat    
11     #11r Cody Bolles    
12     #79r Mark Hanson

Mini Stocks
Results are not official
1     #22r Roberta Broze
2     #23x JB Hagemann
3     #3r Tom Brown
4     #22z Sophie Shelley
5     #14 Joe Silveria
6     #5150 Jake Barretta
6     #51d Sid Hess
7     #m1a Maddy Ayers


Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Justin Sanders
Tanner Carrick
Colby Copeland
Andy Forsberg
Ryan Robinson
Blake Carrick
Justyn Cox
Chase Johnson
Joel Myers Jr
Chase Majdic
Jodie Robinson
Joey Ancona
Max Mittry
Andy Gregg
Justin Bradway
C.J. Humphreys
Greg Decaires V
Shane Hopkins
Kyle Offill
Landon Brooks

B Main
Joel Myers Jr
Joey Ancona
Andy Gregg
Landon Brooks
Kalib Henry
Michael Ing
D.J. Freitas
Chris Masters
Isaiah Vasquez
Colby Wiesz
Bobby Butler
Stephen Ingraham
Tyler Brown
Jake Morgan
Josh Wiesz
Lonny Alton
Brian Boswell

Ltd. Late Models
Ray Trimble
Dan Jinkerson
Tom Tilford
Tyler Lightfoot
Jay Norton
Clark Gougliomani
Paul Gugliomoni
Matt Davis
Kiely Ricardo
Dan Brown Jr

Pure Stocks
Nick Baldwin
Dan Jinkerson
Jason Palmer
Kevin Jinkerson
Oroville Owens
Ryan Peter
Jason Armstrong
Kenny Bernstein
Jonathan Walsh
Stephanie Hanson

NorCal Dwarf Cars
A Main
Ryan Winter
Ben Wiesz
Mike Grenert
Nick Velasquez
Corey Eaton
Dylan Shrum
Mike Reeder
Kevin Bender
Dan Geil
Jeremy Blackshere
Wade Ehrlich
Glenn Sciarani
gage meyers
Isaak Geil
Larry Bell
Tommy Velasquez III
Shawn Whitney
Brandon Shaw
Tyler Quilty
Austin Struthers

B Main
Nick Velasquez
Brandon Shaw
Isaak Geil
Austin Struthers
Fred Dickey
Jameson Sole
Jace Badecker
Robert Kozinski
Zach Armstrong
Hailey Wiesz
Katelin Eccles DNS


Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
IMCA Modifieds
Robby Sawyer
Ethan Dotson
Troy Morris III
Jerry Flippo
Kyle Heckman
Gavyn Manning
Steve Noland
Michael Scruggs
Austin Kiefer
Bryan Clark
Ryan Daves
Dakota Schweitzer
Jack Aguiar
Alyssa Smith
Dalton Houghton
Cody Laney
Danny Lauer
Rob Sanders
Ryan Lauer

Hobby Stocks
Ricky Childress Jr
Gary Dutton
Kyle Wood
Johnny Wood
marcus Wankum
Teena Johnson
Jeff Houghton
Rick Henderson
Nick Coffman
Stephen Johnson
Tom Manzella
Karl Noland
Jacob Hughes
Dana Richey
Trevor Baker
Brooke Cimental
Travis Avila DNS
John Flippen DNS

IMCA Mod Lites
Zack Forster
Phil Barrow
Tim Varney
Colby Lewis
Candi Varney
Richard Granger
Roy Maynard DNS
Cade Lewis DQ

NMRA TQ Midgets
West Evans
Bruce Hiroshima
Scott Niven
Ace Kale
Kevin Kale

California Lightning Sprints
Main Event
Results are not official
1     #21x Bobby Michnowicz
2     #8g Eric Greco
3     #41b A J Bender
4     #44 Brent Sexton
5     #3 Grant Sexton
6     #47 Greg Dennett 
7     #2j James Turnbull
8     #37 Dominic Del Monte
9     #0 Jeremy Queener
10     #36 Wyatt Boczanowski
11     #88b Trevor Ballou
12     #2r Robb Pelmear
13     #1 Pat Kelley
14     #17 Dale Gamer
15     #39 Mark Henry
16     #18 David Gasper
17     #13x Aiden Lange
18     #45 Cody Nigh
19     #42 Jon Robertson
20     #4 Jeff Dyer
21     #97 Leland Day
22     #24 Chase Gaal
23     #25 Scott Kinney


Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
America's Mattress Super Late Models
Wayne Butler
Jordan Wright
Richard Wallace
Brody Montgomery
Mike Taylor
Braden Fugate
Hannah Robinson
Dave Foote DNS

Sportsman Late Models
Ryan Emry
Jesse Merriman
Braden Fugate
Josh Kralicek
Tahlan Rogers DNS
jim CRABTREE DNS

Street Stocks
Seth Christian
Troy Chamberlain
Ken Fox
Dyllan Siewell
Sam Taylor
Michael Bearden
Joey Tardio
Sam Talon
Peyton Reigard
Charlie Withers

Mini Outlaws
Travis Koch
Scott Beaudoin
Matthew Emry
joey duke
Nicole Emry
mike beaudoin

Hornets
Seth Christian
Isaac Stere
Jett Nelson
Jeremy Mayfield
amy hedgepetch
trennon folio
alexis baker
Jim Van Loon
bid VanLoon
William Hitner
Steven Parker

JR Stingers
Griff Smith
Tallon Dubisar
Alex Butler
Eli Luckman
Cameron Metzgus
Tanner dubisar
Heather Burton
Tucker dubisar
Anthony Hoggatt


Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
Kings of Thunder 410 Sprint Cars
D.J. Netto
Dominic Scelzi
Bud Kaeding
Trey Starks
Tanner Holmes
Tony Gualda
Ryan Bernal
Kyle Hirst
Shane Golobic
Mitchel Moles
Sean Watts
Tucker Worth
Zane Blanchard
Craig Stidham
Corey Day
Sean Becker
JJ Ringo
Tim Estenson
Bryce Eames
Michael Pombo
Connor Danell
Brody Roa
Brendan Warmerdam
Willie Croft
Vaughn Schott
Mitchell Faccinto DNS

USAC/BCRA Western Midgets
Mitchel Moles
Ryan Bernal
Austin Liggett
Blake Bower
Shannon McQueen
Tony Gualda
Alex Schutte
David Prickett
Ben Worth
Maria Cofer
Colby Johnson
Colten Raudman
Dylan Ito
Jarrett Soares
Terry Nichols
Kyle Beilman
C.J. Sarna
Ron Hazelton
Brody Fuson
Jake Andreotti DNS

USAC West Coast 360 Sprints
Ryan Bernal
Kaleb Montgomery
Brody Roa
Jace VanderWeerd
D.J. Johnson
Tanner Boul
Brody Fuson
Cody Fendley
Danny Faria Jr
Jarrett Soares
Logan Calderwood
Nathan Schank
Jake Hodges
Tuesday Calderwood
Kyle Edwards
Ryan Timmons
Austin Liggett
Trent Carter


Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results April 10
Winged 360 Sprints
Nick Ringo
Jake Haulot
Billy Wallace
Korey Lovell
Kevin Lovell
Mike Monahan
R.J. Baker
Pat Harvey Jr
Jimmy Steward
Brad Bumgarner
Jacob Tuttle
Kyle Standley
Justin Henry
Nick Larsen
Kenny Wanderstadt

Pepsi IMCA Sport Modifieds
Todd Cooper
Jimmy Ford
Scott Savell
Damian Merritt
Mike Merritt
Buddy Olschowka
Shaun Merritt
Ryan DeForest
Donnie Fortney
Phill Marino
Brian Cooper
Willie Horn Jr
Eric Phillips

Hobby Stocks
A Main
Howard Law
Jacob Johnson
Zach Lindgren
Shannon Collins
Devin Koranda
Jim Brookshire
Trevor Deadmond
Jesse Van Roekel
Robert Warf
James Wooddell
Cody Rickard
Chris Van Roekel
Jerry Bartlett
Chris McGinnis
Kyle Davey
Jason Clayton
Maurice Merrill
Toby Merrifield
Kyle Cheney
David Cooper

B Main
Jason Clayton
Robert Warf
Kyle Davey
Chris McGinnis
Matt Rivera
Jay Bryant
Trevor Abella
Mario Davis
Matt Baxter
Bill Clark
Hollis Thackerey
Joe Gillock
Brandon Dozier


Cottage Grove Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10

Wingless Sprint Series
Tim Alberding
Kinzer Cox
Rob Lindsey
Chad Lindsey
Lance Hallmark
Cooper Desbiens
Tyrell Mead
Scotty Fox
Don Trent
Gene Cannon
Tim Kennedy
Daysen Thomas
Brent Rich

IMCA Modifieds
Curtis Towns
Paul Rea
Bricen James
Steven Sturdevant
Matthew Drager
Jeffrey Hudson
Paul Culp
Jake Mayden
James Welshonse
Jayson Nelson
Aaron Scheelar

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Main Event
Dustin Comer
Matt Sanders
Isaac Sanders
Ray Comer
Doug Coffman
Ray Bloom
Garrett Barth
Dalton Bloom
Steven Sanders
KC Scott
James Flowers
Jeff Titus
Jordan Henry
Chuck Carson

B Main
KC Scott
Dalton Bloom
Ray Bloom
James Flowers
Michael Lavery
Roger Bell
Aaron Bloom
Chuck Whitmore
Jake DeWalt
Shawn Hand

Street Stocks
Graig Osborne
Don Schott
Taunton Swaim
Andrew Mathers
Bob Bloom
Terry King
Bernie Lujan
Brad Korpela
Mike Swaim
Anthony Prather
Dakota Goddard
Brody Humphrey
PJ Humphrey
Adam Applebee
Sam Potter

IMCA Sport Compacts
Michael Kennerly
Brad Moffett
Kerry Cooper
Brad Martin
Andrew Langan
Joe Maricle
Jack Vicari
Barry Cannon
Jason Loucks
Tiffany Towns
Rex Eckley
Burnie Bryant
Kimberly Cannon


Irwindale Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series
Derek Thorn
Jacob Gomes
Kole Raz
Christian McGhee
Cale Kanke
Preston Peltier
Brandon Farrington
Buddy Shepherd
Carlos Vieira
Blaine Rocha
Jimmy Parker Jr
Andy Allen
Keith Spangler
Kyle Neveau
Ross Strmiska
Mark Neff
Austin Thom
John Moore
Dylan Lupton
Jeff Bischofberger
Tracy Bolin
Scott Sanchez
Corey Neveau
Sean Woodside
Dylan Garner
John Dillon
Trevor Huddleston
Dean Thompson

SPEARS SRL Manufacturing Modifieds
Travis McCullough
Jeremy Doss
Eddie Secord
Travis Thirkettle
Sam Jacks
Bill Sedgwick
Andrew Anderson
Jeff Longman
William Guevara
Jerry Toporek
Ed Coffey
Jim Petrie
Trenton Millard
Douglas Carpenter
Nathan Byrd
Holly Clark

SPEARS SRL Pro Late Models
Jeremy Doss
Dylan Zampa
Tyler Reif
Seth Wise
Logan Zampa
Mike Weimann
Mike Lovell
Tanner Reif
Jake Bollman
Parker Malone
Kyle Meyer
Cole Brown
Mike Beeler
Nathan Byrd
Ryan Pannone
Jeffrey Peterson
Robby Hornsby
Barry Karr
Anthony Mainella

Pick Your Part Pro Late Models
Main Event 1
Ryan Schartau
Dean Thompson
Lucas McNeil
Jake Drew
Dustin Vandermooren
Nick Joanides
Kevin Furden
John Serika
Rodney Peacher
Scott Youngren

Main Event 1
Jake Drew
Dean Thompson
Nick Joanides
Tanner Reif
Lucas McNeil
John Serika
Rodney Peacher
Scott Youngren
Dustin Vandermooren
Kevin Furden
Ryan Schartau

You Race LA Spec Racers
Andrew Porter
Andy Partridge
Dennis Arena
Niko Mongenel
L.J. Billings
Jacob McNeil
Troy Andersen
Will Browne
Dylan Interlicchia
Nash Youngren
Kenny Smith
Nevin Iwatsuru

Inex Legends
Christen Bazen
Evan Garvy
Jordan Holloway
Mike Vanderlip
Ethan Naciemento
Chad Schug
Tyler Hicks
Jovan Fox
Chad Hadlick
Skyler Meisenbach
James Smith
Jake Bollman

Street Stocks
Craig Rayburn
Robbie Harryman
Jay Verduzco
Jim Vermillion
Ken Michaelian
Tyler Gallup
Jerry Toporek
Kirk Kubik
Kevin James

Tucker Tire Enduros
Main Event 1
Rodney Argo
Ian Rotundo
Bory Molina
Chris Voight
Kirk Kubik
Bobby Ozman
Robert Rice
John Beard
Cheryl Hyland
James Bolinas
Robbie Salcido
Jason Woolcott
Joe Labrosciano
Rick Conti
Brad Stellman
Devyn Azzolina
Daniel Azzolina
Mike McIntyre

Main Event 2
Ian Rotundo
Rodney Argo
Rick Conti
Joe Labrosciano
Bobby Ozman
John Beard
Robert Rice
Chris Voight
Jason Woolcott
Robbie Salcido
Bory Molina
Brad Stellman
Cheryl Hyland
James Bolinas
Devyn Azzolina
Mike McIntyre
Daniel Azzolina
Kirk Kubik


All American Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
Modified
Main 1
Eric Price Jr
Ralph Bailey
Jason Philpot
Rick Andersen
Josh Blackwood
Tyler Wentworth
Tyler Mullican
Don Shalla
Jon Yourd
Timm Williams
Nathan Hickok
Sammy Nuno

Main 2
Josh Blackwood
Eric Price Jr
Ralph Bailey
Jason Philpot
Sammy Nuno
Tyler Mullican
Tyler Wentworth
Jon Yourd
Don Shalla
Timm Williams
Rick Andersen DNS
Nathan Hickok DNS

Super Stock
Andrew Peeler
Roy Smith
Blake Disomma
Chris Paulson
Jeremy Fritts
Garry Eisenhour
Josh Whitfiled
Andrew Kemp
Tim Walters

F4
Stephen Crook
Ray Molina
Matthew Cockrum
Brandon Frantz
Matthew Fuhs
Stephanie Ziebell
Vic Theberge
Nathan Cleaver
Dennis Crook
Dan Cherry
Brian Spencer

Mini Cup/Bancolero
Colten Nelson
Bella Thomsen
Anthony Bean
Joseph Elf

BMRDA  
Cole Moore
Amber Balcaen


Adobe Mountain Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 10
Western Midgets
Cory Brown
Megan Moorhead
Greg Jewitt
Kyle Kline
Darren Brent

Mini Late Models
Chris Rasta
Lyle Askren
Matt Malcomn
Nic Savaglio
KJ Goodwin
Gilbert Madrid
Bill Lemkuil
Terry Bridges

The Editor's Viewpoint 

It's been an interesting weekend, and I'm a bit surprised that I enter Monday morning with 10 race results articles written and in need of proofreading before publication. On Saturday, I thought I might have been in over my head with the coverage. Things lined up in such a way that I was able to monitor the 200 lap Enduro in Roseburg before anybody else got going. It was unintentional to cover the Southwest Tour and it's two support classes, but that lined up and I went for it. The other five tracks overlapped a little bit, but I managed to do it. Race Monitor and the free peak into My Race Pass that a friend sponsored me certainly helps. Live scoring can be glitchy at times, but usually it's pretty accurate. You just have to keep on your toes with it.

I have said that this media effort goes week to week. I don't intend to stress myself out over it. We get very little support, and while I'm not pleased by that, I have accepted it. What usually happens when I'm covering so many tracks is that by the time the last checkered flag falls I feel as if my brain is broken. I'm drained. I'm not sure how that happens when I'm sitting at a desk just keeping track of things and taking notes for the stories. It's not like I am running around, which is what I should be doing. I guess it's mental exhaustion.

We enter another busy weekend. This is the busiest racing weekend I can recall in over a year, and that's a good sign for the sport. I am planning to cover things again this week. It's interesting how we've created this one stop spot for racing news on the internet. On the West Coast, at least, there's really nothing like what we do here at DCRR Racing Media. I'm rather proud of that. A few years ago, we were sending all of our race recap  articles to local newspapers and getting them printed, but the stress of the deadlines and the fact that we weren't getting supported by any of those race tracks made it easy to stop doing that.

The printed media thing always seems to come back to my mind at some point, though my printed magazine and Racing Wheels Newspaper haven't been active in over 15 years. I don't want to get into that too much here, but opportunities are being presented to me to jump back into that mess again. I don't want to romanticize the idea and let that be the one thing that sways me. I have always approached my media effort with 110% effort, and it burns me out. I'm going to chew on this one for a while. In the meantime, the media effort on the blog remains week to week, and we are working on a few things that could be announced in the not too distant future.

I don't want to drag this column out too long, but I want to finish up a thought about people speaking up and saving racing in their area. Patrick Weger is hinting that the Vintage Duels Dwarf Car event inside the rodeo arena will again happen at the Grass Valley Fairgrounds. I'm unclear on the date, the format or the details just yet. I know he needs to make sure he can get as many fans as possible as this is not a season we're talking about. It's one event. If you can't generate revenue, you're not going to last. When Patrick did his first event 2 years ago, he had 14 Dwarf Car competitors, lots of good sponsors and good spectator attendance.

If I might go back to 2015 at about the same time as I was making plans to jump back into the racing media effort, I came across the Save Grass Valley Racing Facebook page. They had a good idea. The last promoter to run that race track had an attitude that the track was there first and basically anybody in the neighborhood could suck it if they didn't like it. Eventually, he was shown the gate and the horse people won the day. They killed a racing tradition that was 30 years old, and it didn't have to be that way. I don't want to speak ill of people who are no longer with us, but if the guy had just met the concerns halfway and shown that they were trying, racing didn't have to end at that track in the 1990s. It's possible at least.

If you've been to Ernie Purcell Memorial Speedway, it was really a unique facility. Trees surround the place, and the cars competed on red clay. It wasn't necessarily easy to clean that clay, but it made for a good visual. They had a solid racing program that mixed open wheel and stock car racing. Funny how most of the truly successful programs that I've seen don't favor open wheel over stock car or vice versa. They blend them and get fans who like both.

This Save Grass Valley Racing Page had a good idea. Get people together, approach the fair board and figure out how they could get racing back on that track again. The problem was these people were hung up on procedural stuff. They felt they needed to elect a board and do all of that stuff. As you can imagine, nothing ever really went forward, although they did create a Facebook page to have discussions. It took a fan to approach the Fair Manager and ask some questions to come to the conclusion that there might be a path back to racing.

In my opinion, that's all that needed to happen. You approach the Fair Board and find out if they would entertain bringing racing back again. You find out what sorts of concerns they have. You want to know what rules they would put in place, how much racing you could do and all of the other important details. Once you figure that out, you set about finding somebody who would want to promote the track. If it's you, more power to you. I was never clear on whether the people that wanted to save racing had the money to do it themselves or not. If that's not the case, and it probably wasn't, find out how it can be done and then go find the people to do it.

I jumped back into the sport in 2015 and spent various nights at Antioch, Merced and Chowchilla covering the action. Grass Valley kind of slipped into my rear view mirror. Fast forward a couple of years later, and I was having conversations with Promoter Mike McCann about that track. It's interesting how nothing seems to escape Mike's attention. He's constantly looking at different tracks and potential places to put tracks, and I suppose that he's going to continue doing that long into his retirement. He commented to me that it seemed like some of the horse stuff had died down in Grass Valley and they were entertaining different motorsports events. It seemed to Mike that the time was ripe to make a pitch.

Patrick Weger was that man, although he didn't do it in a way that made some of the Ernie Purcell Memorial Speedway people happy. Then again, those people had a chance and never even stepped up to the plate to try. Patrick is a Dwarf Car guy. He looked at the facility and reasoned that he could put something together that would be suitable for the smaller cars and make it happen. He would have to set up and tear down the track in short order. He had the game plan and the details, approached the board and was unanimously approved to do his Vintage Duels event.

I don't know if Patrick has a long-term goal of getting the bigger cars and the bigger track back. What I've heard suggests maybe not, although he has every intention to keep running this event and maybe multiple events of a similar nature each year in the future. I've written to him about other things he can do in the small confines, such as an arena Hornet Figure 8. I don't know if that's something that will happen or not. I get the frustration the fans of the old track feel, but look at it this way. At least the door may be open for something in the future.

The nature of a fairgrounds is people submit their bids to operate certain areas for whatever it is they are trying to do. You want to run the big track again? Find out what the contract is? Is Patrick contracted as the only guy to run motorsports there, or is it event by event? If it's the latter, this means you could come up with a proposal to do bigger things and approach the board. I'm not saying it's a slam dunk. It may not be. All I am saying is you never know unless you take a shot. At the very least, there should be a Vintage Duels Dwarf Car event happening there, and I suspect Patrick will be making some announcements soon.

Merced Speedway fans heard the sound of metal crashing against metal as the track had a Destruction Derby last Saturday. I don't know who won, and the Derby people are usually not very good about putting that information out. From the looks of things, they had a good crowd. The Merced Fairgrounds seized upon the idea of Derby's going hand in hand with the County Fair to make it a County Fair food night. As people made their way towards the grandstands, they were able to partake of a little bit of fair food. I must admit, I do enjoy the taste of a County Fair corn dog.

The Al Miller Memorial race, which pays tribute to the father of Robert Miller and Randy Miller, has been moved to Merced Speedway this weekend and will feature the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Initially, this race was created as a Pro Stock event. What is interesting is this race has been held at four different venues. The Miller Brothers have been working very hard to bring in sponsorship for this race, and in addition to $5,000 to win for the IMCA Sport Modifieds, it's $2,000 to win the IMCA Modifieds, $1,200 to win the IMCA Stock Cars and $750 to win the Hobby Stocks. The payout on down is pretty good as well.

I've used the term General Manager when speaking of Doug Lockwood as he works for S&S Promotions, but the bottom line is you can call Doug a promoter. In fact, I think I'll be using that term for him from this point, because he's done a fantastic job. This weekend's action calls for a practice on the 15th, a full program on the 16th and the big money program on the 17th. After that, Merced Speedway will be hosting one of the Speedweek races in early May. This eight race in nine day deal for the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds was also put together by Lockwood, and we will be previewing things in the next post.

IMCA Modified and Sport Modified racers will take note that they have two Speedweek Series in which they can compete. The California Speedweek begins at the end of April at Bakersfield Speedway and makes its way further north, concluding at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. In August, the Wild West Speedweek Series will begin at Willamette Speedway in Oregon and conclude at Grays Harbor in Washington. It's kind of interesting that when Lockwood put together the deal in California, he had the forthought to include the IMCA Sport Modifieds. The drivers in Oregon had been wanting to be included in the Modified Speedweek, and it looks like they finally got their wish this year. I'm just curious how many drivers will tow north from California to compete in the Wild West Speedweek Series this year.

The thing about doing a big event like the Al Miller Memorial is that you hope to have a little bit of cooperation between the tracks. It doesn't always happen that way, because other promoters need to schedule something to get fans to come watch their shows. If you give too much of your marquee stuff the week off, it can hurt your own bottom line. On the other hand, when you try to do that, other tracks might be more apt to return the favor when you have your own big show. Antioch Speedway will not be running either IMCA class this weekend. They are bringing in the West Coast Sport Compacts and keeping the Hobby Stocks on the schedule. Bakersfield Speedway will be dark this week to the big cars.

It seems to me like Watsonville Speedway Promoter John Prentice has been left out of some of the big stuff, and I will go on record as being disappointed to see that happen. John nonetheless has kept the two IMCA sanctioned classes off of his schedule on Friday night, which was a good move on his part. Dare I ask that Watsonville be considered for a Speedweek date in 2022, because they damn sure deserve to be included. Petaluma Speedway has gone ahead and booked the IMCA Modifieds, but I don't think it was necessarily meant to be a snub. Rick Faeth is simply trying to give his guys enough dates to make the season worthwhile, and people are complaining about there not being enough dates for the class as it is.

Inevitably, you're going to get this kind of thing happening, but here's the thing. Is it reasonable to expect that every IMCA Modified or Sport Modified racer is going to head to the big money show further down the road simply because they don't have a race at their home track? I'm not saying you should book on top of it, but I've noticed Petaluma racers don't tend to go to the big shows all the time. There are a few exceptions. My guess is the locals will stay local, and Bay Area racers wanting to stay in the Bay Area might just go to Petaluma, where they figure they have a better shot at a win, even if it is for a regular purse. Petaluma running their race won't impact Merced, where the car count will be huge. I know where the Modified and Sport Modified fans will be heading this week.

It didn't take long for Travis Hoppes to get the key to the gates and start kicking the dirt around at Southern Oregon Speedway. The news is going to come fast and furious, but for now they are trying to get things into shape. I'm hoping that people focus on the future and leave the negativity and finger pointing in the past. To build the better future that they want to have, this is the way to do it. They put the equipment on the track to get all of the grass off of the surface, which they hope will dry things out sooner. I know they want to get things in gear in May. If the weather cooperates, it's possible they could even have a practice sooner, if they are able to get the  clearance to do that.

Travis asked the racers in the community who wanted to go racing this year, and virtually every division that was included in the 2019 schedule spoke up. I am proud of the Late Model Lites guys for chiming in unison that they want to be there. They don't have a big car count, but the half-dozen to 10 guys still deserve to be on that schedule a little bit. I'm proud that we were able to revive that class under Mike McCann, while also building up Winged 360 Sprint Car and Late Model programs that we can be proud of. The Pro Stock drivers have an opportunity to create their own Medford effort, which would be independent of the Outlaw Pro Stock Association. I hope they do that, because truthfully, the track never should have dropped them from the schedule in favor of the Sport Modifieds. It never had to be either/or. It could have been both.

I don't want to comment any further than that until I hear more details, but I do wish them the best. I will reserve going negative as long as negativity isn't thrown at the previous management. I'd rather be positive and optimistic that Southern Oregon Speedway can grow even stronger than what it was in 2019. The 2020 shutdown didn't do racing any favors, and it's still going to be challenging to establish momentum. I say challenging, but not impossible. If you put the effort in, anything is possible.

I can add this last bit after having seen the schedule on Monday night. I have to give Travis a nod for using some good judgment. He tried to look around and see what everybody else was doing before releasing the new schedule. My first impression is he booked it pretty much in the same spirit that Mike booked his schedules. He tried to rotate the divisions, although there will be a little bit more back to back weekend action for some divisions, where Mike generally tried to give divisions the next week off when possible. However, this can't be helped when you're booking as late as Travis had to, while trying not to step on other tracks. 

Every division that was featured before is included here, although he didn't have as much to work with with the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars being forced to book a schedule without being able to negotiate with Travis first. Keep in mind that the schedule can be adjusted on the fly as needed. Some key moments that McCann had booked are still included. There is no Hall of Fame night, but again, the committee that included James McCleary, Dave Dusty Sr and Dane Smith can easily pick one of the August dates and make something happen. They do have the display boards with all of those old clippings.

I will just hit on some of the bigger moments. The Roger Haudenshild Tribute happens on June 12th, which is about when it would have been scheduled by Mike as per what the family prefers. They would prefer to have Pro Stocks that night, but they aren't there with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models and Hornets. They are there the week before. The Cottonwood Classic Late Model show will be replaced by the return of the Battle of the Borders. This will be on July 2nd and 3rd. The Late Model Lites will be there both nights. The Hornets will be there on the 2nd and the Pro Stocks will be there on the 3rd. The rumor we heard about the Lon Skinner Memorial race returning is true. Knowing that Travis and the association were putting everything together and getting financial support wherever possible, this doesn't surprise me.

The Skinner race has been built up as a name brand for 20 years, and that's a positive. Love John Skinner or hate him, he always did that race up as big as he could and promoted the hell out of it. I don't know what the details are on purse, but it's happening on July 23rd and 24th. IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds are featured, along with the Limited Sprints on the first night and the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars on the second night.

On September 3rd and 4th, the Fourth Annual R Charles Snyder Salute will happen. I am delighted that the race continues, and the IMCA Modifieds are featured on both nights. Interestingly enough, the IMCA Sport Modifieds are only there on the first night. I think that move is a mistake. IMCA Modified support on that weekend is waning, assisted by the fact that some racers now take off to Boone, Iowa instead. The IMCA Sport Modifieds get huge support, and it's part of what makes that event work as well as it does. The Limited Sprints will be there on the first night, and the Late Models, Late Model Lites and Pro Stocks are included on the second night. 

I get the whole idea of working with other tracks and kumbaya and all that, so even though I think it's a mistake to not run the IMCA Sport Modifieds on the second night, I understand. This is Travis's attempt to work with Kevin Barba down in Yreka. It's a decision that's going to cost Southern Oregon Speedway money, and in the long run, they don't gain a damn thing from Yreka. 

I realize I sound harsh when I say that, but Yreka has let its own program slip so far down that they really don't offer Medford anything significant to warrant a decision like this that will cost Medford money. Truthfully, Yreka has run their program so far down that they'd be wiser to move to a Friday night program on a regular basis to attempt to bump car count numbers up.

Travis is basically doing this because he's respecting the fact that every track has put their schedule out and he's the last guy doing it. I can assure you that when Willamette Speedway puts their schedule out, they'll book what they want. If one of their moves torpedoes a race in Medford, they'll give less than a damn about it. Yreka decided to book a Saturday and Sunday Labor Day weekend event, knowing full well that this weekend has belonged to their neighbors in the north for decades. Maybe he didn't think Medford would get going again, but I don't know about that.

Yreka will have IMCA Sport Modifieds on both September 4th and 5th. The fact is that they have grabbed the lion's share of Southern Oregon Dwarf Car races as highlighted by the fact that the division will be there on both nights as well, along with the Mini Stocks and Limited Sprints. Again, from a standpoint of showing respect, I understand Travis's motivation in doing this, and I won't fault him for that. From a business standpoint, it wasn't a smart move. Yreka is coming out a big winner in this one, so I hope they don't fumble the ball at the goal line the way they did on 4th of July weekend last year. They certainly need something as big as this could be.

On August 14th, the Rocky Nash Memorial for the Tri State Pro Stock Series will headline the show. I'm happy Rocky's race is coming to fruition. I was pitching the idea for over a year, and Tri State Series Director Roy Bain is the one who worked with Rocky's family and other sponsors to make it a reality. They wrap up the championship season in September with back-to-back championship nights, but I find it interesting that they are including something Mike instituted as promoter. I don't know that Mark Herz of Herz Precision Parts will sponsor this one, but they do have Wingless Sprint Cars featured on September 25th along with some novelty stuff. I'm curious in what context the Wingless Sprints have been booked. Is this a Wingless Sprint Series production?

I'm glad the Limited Sprints have a seven races. I don't think it would take too much arm twisting to get Dave Hibbard and Dave's Carpet and Vinyl on board as a sponsor, and it's possible they could consider one or two of the Yreka dates as part of the series if they wanted more dates. I guess we'll see what happens as more details come out. There are nine Pro Stock races, which means that the track is likely trying to restart the class itself. It's also likely that the Outlaw Pro Stock Association will make some of those races series races as well. I think it's win-win for both entities.

For starting so late, which couldn't be helped, this isn't a bad schedule. They leave open the possibility of some racing in October. That could be a bit problematic due to the way the weather changes and the fact that it's hunting season, but I guess we'll see. I think sometimes scheduling decisions at that point can be influenced by how things are looking when the point season ends and where the support is. Again, I like that every division included in 2019 is included here. They are using the building blocks that were left for them and seeing where it stands in 2021. I'm curious what the pay structure will be, but those details will be forthcoming.

I note that they are not included in IMCA Wild West Speedweek Series, but they tried not to book the IMCA Modifieds or IMCA Sport Modifieds on top of it. They actually have the opening weekend of that series on August 7th listed as to be announced. My first hope would be that Jerry Schram takes the opener from Willamette Speedway and gives it to them as Willamette will still get two dates. It wouldn't be difficult to do that. Alternatively, June 27th is a Sunday race at Coos Bay Speedway, and that's IMCA Modified Gambler weekend. This was the weekend I've mentioned before that Mike McCann tried to book a series between Coos Bay. Yreka and Medford. Medford is booked on the 26th. Yreka could easily throw down on the 25th of June, and you have your three-race weekend series. It's a thought.

You know how schedules go. They get adjusted on the fly as needed, and that's what could happen here. As it is, it looks pretty good. The weather is being kind so far, and that means lots of things are being done at the track. They have lots of things to buy to get ready to kick open those gates, but I have no doubt that if the weather lets them, they can keep on schedule. It all starts on May 29th with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models and Hornets. If that goes to plan, they are certainly coming out with both guns blazing. I'm thinking this Memorial Day weekend offering will be a winner with the fans.

I think every one of the nine outdoor oval tracks in Oregon will be roaring with the sound of motors. Cottage Grove Speedway is in full swing. While some of the numbers are a little bit down from where I thought they would be, the fans are still getting a good show there. Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg had 26 competitors for their 200 lap Enduro, and from the looks of the live scoring app that they were running, it looked like an eventful race.

Coos Bay Speedway is excited that they have apparently won the fan vote to get some new lighting sponsored for their pits. Drake Nelson is hoping to win the $50,000 being offered to the winner of a different vote. It's being done by NASCAR sponsor Advanced Auto Parts. I do wish them luck. I think Drake will put that money to good use. In my opinion, bringing the NASCAR sanctioning to that track has been a positive. They are gathering momentum and are in a better place now than they were five years ago. With the other tracks getting active, the numbers won't be as big as they were last year. They barely topped 50 total cars in the six division program last week, but it was still a decent turnout.

I do have to ask what the deal is with the Jr Stinger class. This is a Hornet division for kids 11 to 14 years old, and I get the idea that you want to put them in their own group. Some of the kids aren't going very fast. They can be a bit intimidated at first as they learn how to handle their cars. What bothers me is the kid who has dominated things for the last two years has evidently been allowed to return this year. Is he 14 years old by now? I get the fact that it would still make him technically qualified for this class, but these days a 14-year-old would be allowed to run with the adults in Sprint Cars, let alone Hornets. 

I'm not trying to signal him out and won't name him in this column. I just say he's going as fast as anybody in the Hornets and should have been bumped up. The problem is you're trying to bring in a new crop of racers, and I think it would be better for the health of the division overall if he was graduated and some of the other kids had a shot at the glory. As fast as he's going, I have no doubt he'd win Hornet races. Personally, I'd like to see that.

Willamette Speedway gleefully showed some of the practice on their Facebook page last week. I don't know if the grandstands will open when they finally have their season opener or not, but I know they're working towards that. I know they will be racing, just as Sunset Speedway, River City Speedway and Hermiston Raceway will. Hermiston opens this weekend. 

Sunset Speedway made a big splash by announcing a 100 lap, $5,000 to win IMCA Stock Car race set for July 4th. With that kind of money, I see drivers coming from California and other states for a shot at the glory. I like that things are starting to return to normal a little bit. Even Salem Indoors announced that they are working towards being able to open during the late fall and the winter months. Dare we be hopeful that things will still be looking good by then and the official narrative in this country won't change again?

I was given a little update on Marion Creek Speedway. This is the little Outlaw Kart track that Cory and Sandra Penfold built in their backyard. It has a beautiful setting, which includes a big, shady tree next to a creek. This is where they have their little concession trailer. Cory has been building this facility over the last couple of years. I know he has aspirations of eventually becoming a promoter at one of the bigger tracks, but I feel this is the perfect training ground for him. On multiple occasions last season, they had over 30 Karts. This is really pretty cool when you think about it.

There were no big plans this past weekend. Cory had groomed the track, and he simply wanted to get Karts on it to see how everything worked out. I'm told he had 17 of them and a pretty decent turnout of people. I'm also told that the way they are watering the track is tedious and time consuming, and Cory is about ready to purchase a little water truck. There are some other improvements that will be coming in the weeks ahead. The goal is to make this a destination point for Kart racers, and like I said, it's a good training ground for Cory as he keeps his eyes open for that big track opportunity in the future.

Siskiyou Golden Speedway will be back in business this weekend. They got off to a terrible start two weeks ago, but Promoter Kevin Barba was back to work at the track making more improvements. I fully expect the car count numbers to improve this weekend. They are bringing in the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, and those guys generally produce good numbers. The IMCA Sport Modifieds should still be solid, and I expect there will be more than three Mini Stocks this time. It will be interesting to see how it goes, especially since we've finally seen them release Limited Sprint purse numbers based on car count. I don't think the car count this week will be indicative of the way things are there, but I will say it should be a decent show for them. 

It's funny but I think the association might be waiting in the wings for another shot at the track, despite the fact that they are building an RC track in Montague and just recently broke ground. I tend to think that the Yreka track could be in play for a prospective promoter to come in there and try to take things up a notch. Granted, they don't have the building blocks of a solid racing program that other places have, but they do have potential. Somebody coming in there with realistic expectations and a long-term goal could help put this place back on the map. The racing program itself needs more than what they currently have on the roster. That's not always easy to do, but there is some potential here if it's done the right way.

Turning attention back to Antioch and Watsonville for a moment, both tracks had solid programs this past weekend. The Taco Bravo Sprint Cars produced another count into the 30s at Watsonville, and they were clearly the show once again. The Sport Modifieds are performing respectfully, but I'm a bit nervous at the car counts being produced for the Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks at the moment. You've got to keep those fendered cars going there, and I know the Hobby Stocks were on the chopping block about five years ago before management was talked out of it. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if management is hearing people suggesting the addition of the IMCA Stock Cars, especially since the track's two biggest Hobby Stock stars both have cars now.

If Watsonville is doing well, Antioch Speedway Promoter Chad Chadwick had to be smiling after another field of over 40 IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds combined last week. It was a bit bumpy in the Sport Modifieds, but when the IMCA Modifieds took to the track, they stole the show. I don't know what Buddy Kniss has to do to get a win, but I have a feeling the 2019 champion will accomplish the goal before the season is up. Considering the legends he had on his tail, he did well just to lead as long as he did. It was late in the race when Bobby Hogge IV made his move and got his 73rd career Antioch Speedway victory. This puts him in a tie at the top of the all-time win list with Scott Busby. It's ironic that the win total matches Busby's car number. Bobby will probably get that next win soon, but he might want to take a good look in his rear view mirror at the 7j car of Fred Ryland.

The Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series produced fields of 15 cars at both Antioch and Petaluma. Series Director Roy Bain set this deal up so that drivers traveling from longer distances could get a two-race weekend out of it. I don't know if this was a case of the economy catching up with people or what. The numbers in a few different divisions have me wondering. Last year, it was bit of scheduling genius that produced about two dozen cars each at Petaluma and Antioch for the big Pro Stock weekend, so the dip to 15 cars was noticeable. Nonetheless, Richard Brace Jr was the man to beat. He got the job done at both tracks, but he had to work a little harder to get around Kimo Oreta for that Petaluma win. I'm very much an advocate for the Tri State Pro Stock Series, but nobody said the road wouldn't be a bit bumpy here or there.

I mentioned above that Antioch is bringing in the West Coast Sport Compacts this weekend. Series Promoter Dan Myrick renamed them from the Central Valley Mini Stocks. Dan has done more to try to unite the Mini Stocks under a set of rules, and Antioch is keen on trying to grow this class. Since this is a WCSC point event, it means Antioch should see a car count at least in the mid to high teens, and maybe the twenties. Chadwick wants this class to get new drivers into the sport. I still get a little bit nervous as I like what Myrick is doing. People are such advocates of IMCA and now the Stock Cars are getting a foothold. I wonder how long it will take for the promoters to just put their Mini Stock class under IMCA Sport Compact sanctioning and have done with it?

Flo Racing was the place to watch your race track online last year. It was a banner year for the organization as they bought out Speed Shift TV. As people were having to pay $20 or so to watch an individual race, they finally figured out that $150 gets you a year's subscription at Flo. I know people were doing this in August or so last year, so California racing fans probably figured that they could go to Flo to watch their home track this year. However, the company has pulled back to just special series events and tracks who have contracts with them. The USAC stuff will get covered. Other than Placerville Speedway and Ocean Speedway, I don't believe any California track has made a deal with Flo, and that's led to coverage being dropped.

I don't blame fans for being cranky. As they were having to watch internet pay-per-view last year, they were paying $20 or $25 to watch races. When they figured out they could just subscribe to Flo Racing, many of them did. They could just tune in and watch the California stuff they wanted to see, while also checking out some of the big shows across the country. You're still going to get a little bit of California, but you'll notice several tracks are missing. I think it sucks, but it's also business. That's just the way it is right now. Fans looking forward to the California IMCA Speedweek will still be able to watch that at the end of the month and into early May, and the bonus is they will get Chet Chrisner as the announcer.

That still left tracks trying to figure out what they were going to do. Antioch Speedway already dealt with that mess last year. Because of Internet issues, Flo Racing moved on from the track. Antioch solved that through cooperation with Speedsport TV. They created Antioch Speedway TV to give the fans the pay-per-view option. Even with fans being able to attend again, these streaming options will be there to accommodate the fans who either can't make it or might still be reluctant because of the fear factor of the pandemic situation.

This still left some tracks trying to figure out what to do, and Saturday afternoon saw Chico and Marysville Promoter Dennis Gage and Petaluma Promoter Rick Faeth announcing the creation of NorCal Speed TV through cooperation with Speedsport TV. The first broadcasts happened at Marysville and Petaluma last weekend, and it seems they went well. They still had cranky fans complaining about not having Flo Racing, but that's going to happen. One fan said that Chico Silver Dollar Speedway might be in danger, and I don't know if I'd go that far. Dennis booked a lesser schedule this year, partly because of the hurdles he's had to clear to get racing going in that county. Another race will be happening there in a couple weeks.

Both Placerville and Marysville had Sprint Car shows last weekend. The Al Hinds Tribute race at Placerville drew 33 Winged 360 Sprint Cars and nearly 30 of the NorCal Dwarf Cars. For those two divisions alone, that was worth coming out to watch, but they also had Limited Late Models and Pure Stocks putting on a show. It seems Scott Russell and Placerville Speedway are hitting stride already, and the season has just gotten started. 

Marysville had 15 Sprint Cars, but it's rather interesting watching a race when so many drivers have a legitimate shot at getting their first win or a rare win. With 29 Hobby Stocks and over a dozen IMCA Sport Modifieds, Marysville was far from boring. I will be curious where the Winged 360 Sprint Cars go this weekend as both tracks and Antioch Speedway have them booked.

Because the schedule lined up so nicely, I was monitoring the SRL portion of the Irwindale Speedway show. Any fan who went out to watch the racing at Irwindale got one hell of a show. In addition to all three SRL sanctioned classes they also got a full slate of NASCAR sanctioned racing on the half-mile and 1/3 mile ovals. Racing started in the afternoon and went right up to curfew. I keep hearing that Irwindale Speedway's days may be numbered, but they are certainly making the most of the time they have. They also seem to be pretty well supported by the racing community, which is a good thing. Too many Southern California tracks have been taken from us, and the jerks down there would take them all away if they could.

The Southwest Tour is the banner division of the SRL. SRL took over when NASCAR dropped that deal inexplicably at the end of the 1990s. Then again, NASCAR was divesting of many things at the time. I'm happy to see that the nation's most well known racing association is looking at these weekly racing tracks and trying to return to their roots a little bit. As I mentioned earlier this year, in addition to the State point fund money for the Top 4 NASCAR sanctioned divisions at a track, they've also brought back a $35,000 Regional point fund for each of the four regions.

This still leaves the Southwest Tour delivering big fields. In fact, they had 28 competitors on Saturday. They got in to doing the Modifieds a few years back, and they have added a Pro Late Model class. I think the inspiration for that addition might be the success that Kenny Shepard has had with his Nut Up Pro Late Model Series that's featured at MavTV. Madera Speedway didn't run this past weekend, and several of its top stars were supporting the SRL. As I said, when you can work together, you do. I think the SRL is doing good things, and so is Madera Speedway. I've enjoyed keeping track of them, and I look forward to their Club Race this weekend, which will be featured on the track's YouTube page for free.

It seems the further north you go in California, the more a pain in the butt it can be to get results. We still have seen no results posted from Susanville. I don't think we've seen results posted from Quincy in a few years, although they just had a practice on Sunday. Hayfork can be hit or miss, Shasta doesn't seem to want to bother and Orland can be a struggle. That frustrates me as I do like to cover Orland Raceway and have to hunt for clues to do articles for them. How I was able to keep putting out newspaper articles for them, I don't know. The rumor is they have a MyLaps system in place, and I hope that's true. If we can get the information, we will cover Orland on this blog as one of our priority tracks.

If I may add a point, this is the sixth year that past Hobby Stock racer Rich Hood will be promoting Orland Raceway. The man stepped up because it looked like the track would be closed, and I know the whole community down there is grateful that he did. He's done a back to basics type of schedule with very few risks compared to what other tracks might do, but it has brought stability back to the track. In fact, Rich is the second longest tenured promoter in that track's history. I appreciate Rich and what he's done for racing in that town.

This Saturday night, the 1/5 mile dirt track at the Glenn County Fairgrounds kicks things into gear with their wild and crazy Hobby Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, the slam bang Mini Trucks, 250 Micros and 600 Micros. They ran some races last year, though we never saw results posted. We did see a video which illustrated just how good the racing still is there. I expect that Orland will have a good turnout this week, and I wish them well. Like I said, If we get the results, we'll do an article.

I'm a big advocate of the Valley Sportsman division at Merced Speedway. As a kid, the Sportsman division was the featured class at Antioch Speedway, and I will always have a special place in my heart for it. The fact that Chuck Griffin and Luis Miranda would put their heads together and create the revival of this division in 1999 still blows me away. It remains on the roster at Merced. Luis and I have had a debate about how many cars are still in existence since the class was brought back. He has counted 16, but I say there could be as many as 20. Granted, a few of those cars aren't race ready and might take a little bit of work. The bottom line is the division is still here, so I was a little bit concerned when I heard the news from Mark Odgers.

Mark is a collector of cars. He's a hardcore Destruction Derby and Enduro enthusiast, but he has Sport Modifieds and a Hobby Stock. I believe he has more than one Sportsman sitting on his property, but he made an announcement on Sunday night that he was cutting up his Vern Wilhoite Tribute Car. To my knowledge, that car competed at Merced two years ago. I don't think it got into a crash, so I'm sure somebody would love to take that car off of his hands if he is tired of looking at it. 

I put the word out to others that Mark was looking to cut the car up. Maybe he was pulling our legs? I don't want to see any car get cut up if it doesn't have to. We need every Sportsman we can get. Personally, I would like to see Merced add a couple of dates for this class during the second half of the season. Four races isn't enough, and there's plenty of room to fit this little division on the schedule some place else.

The Sportsman division is being welcomed to the California and Bay Area Hardtop races. Antioch Promoter Chad Chadwick said last year that the division was welcome, and he even indicated that he might book something for them. At the moment, that something is the five Hardtop dates Antioch has scheduled that they could be a part of. I don't think it would take too much persuasion to get Chadwick to do something with the Sportsman division if enough of the drivers would show up. My guess is a minimum of a half-dozen cars. If you get one or two guys in the Antioch area building cars, there's no telling what could happen with this class. Currently, the Bay Area Hardtop effort has at least a dozen cars in various states of preparation.

Last year, Sportsman racers headed to Marysville Raceway, and it was Gary Hildebrand taking the lead and win away from the Hardtop of Ron Ruiz. I don't know if any of the guys are going to Marysville this weekend, but we'll see. The thing about the California Hardtop Association or the Bay Area group, for that matter, is nobody is hyping anything up. It's a bit frustrating that it kind of goes along on its own without much promotion, but it still survives. I would expect at least half a dozen cars in Marysville, but maybe not much more than that. It seems that when the group decides they don't want to support a date on the schedule, Marysville and Chico are the tracks they skip. Not sure why that is. I hope it goes well for them this week.

Kern County Raceway hasn't been forthcoming with their schedule, but I did notice on Facebook that they are running on Friday night. We have three tracks going that night, including Watsonville and Merced. With Tulare Thunderhill bringing in the USAC West Coast 360 Sprints and Western States Midgets this Saturday, Kern is trying their luck at an unsanctioned Wingless 360 race with a nice purse and BCRA Midgets, joined by the Mod Lites and the Kern County Hardtops. I haven't a clue what the car count will be, but I am wondering why they didn't take a swing at an unsanctioned Modified or Sport Modified race. Bakersfield isn't running, and while I get Merced is having their big show, I bet Kern could have added one of the classes to the schedule and had a shot at a decent turnout without really hurting Merced. I don't know that they will do that well with what they have booked, but we'll see.

The Kern County Hardtops delivered a half-dozen cars to Bakersfield a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what they even have down there as some of the cars have been sold. I would assume there's at least a base of a dozen cars, if not more. I don't even know who's leading the charge these days as some of the key members have passed away or moved on from it. I hope they remain resolved in keeping Hardtop racing going in Bakersfield. Though it might be going through a bit of a lull right now, it can get back into double digits again. The one thing I've noticed is that Bakersfield Speedway and Kern County Raceway do like these old cars, and that's a positive.

The Hardtops sell themselves because of their look. The frustration I have in the Bay Area is lack of promotion and the idea that the rules aren't readily available. You will see people at the CHA Facebook page asking for rules or ideas on where to get cars, and most of the time those questions go unanswered. The leader of the group has even said these aren't Vallejo Speedway Hardtops and almost disassociates himself with that, despite the fact that this whole movement was created off of two cars that were built as replicas of cars from Vallejo Speedway in the 1960s. There is a connection, whether you want to admit it or not.

There are families who were connected with Vallejo Speedway Hardtops back in the day. Last time I heard, the Kaiser family still had a car or two. I've heard the Dudley family is building a car. Past Hardtop and Super Modified racer Skip Brown is currently working on a car as well. Some cool things can be done in the area of promoting Hardtops in the Bay Area and strengthening the connection to old Vallejo Speedway and even Contra Costa Stadium before that. You might get some families back in this class again. Maybe some of the old guys have passed away or don't want to do it anymore, but their children and grandchildren might still be a part of this.

I don't know if Brown will get behind the wheel of his car when he eventually brings it to the track. Even if he doesn't, the fact that he built a car and put somebody else behind the wheel is still immensely cool to me. I would like people like Brown to feel welcome, and I'd like to see more effort to define what a Bay Area Hardtop is. The rules should be easily accessible, the schedule should be easily accessible and people should be kept in the loop about what's going on. In short, Hardtop racing should be promoted more than it is so that we can ensure that it will continue on. We want to instill a love of these race cars to the next generation.

I clearly failed to keep this column brief, but it is what it is. At this point, I will wrap things up. Until next time...