First of all...
The DCRR Racing Media Books
Just A Kid From The Grandstands: My Time In Auto Racing
Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover
And
Don's California Racing Recollections: Best Of The Blog And Beyond
Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback
Disclaimer
For years
we've made a commitment to cover motorsports on the West Coast, and
we're very proud of our record. We always endeavor to give you the most
accurate information possible, but sometimes some details aren't
available to us when we go to press. Therefore, we want to remind you
that any finishes listed in the articles and stats posted on this page
are unofficial. As always, we refer you to each race track's webpage for
official results and point standings. Our goal is to cover racing to
the best of our ability, but we are an unofficial news source for the
tracks covered in each post. Thank you for reading and thank you for
your support.
If You Like Reading Our Articles
Support Us Via The Go Fund Me The Tip Jar HERE
Also...
DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting HERE
From the Grandstands By Ron Rodda HERE
Blakesley Sports Media HERE
Short Track Live HERE
DRC (Daren Ricks Campbell) Motorsports Media HERE
The DCRR Racing Radio Show
Backup Link HERE
We will do a Speedweek Special Show at the end of the series
This post will be updated after every race
Updated After Chico
April 30 Bakersfield Speedway
May 1 Tulare Thunderbowl
May 2 Keller Auto Speedway
May 3 Merced Speedway
May 4 Dark
May 5 Antioch Speedway
May 6 Petaluma Speedway
May 7 Placerville Speedway
May 8 Silver Dollar Speedway
Reichenbach Closes California IMCA Speedweek With Win
At Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico,
CA...May 8...Clint Reichenbach won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. This was the eighth and final
race of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes
Motorsports. Reichenbach won the first two races of the series, but bad
luck ended his title hopes. He made a late move around Troy Foulger to
score the $1,000 victory.
Reigning California
State champion Foulger had the Bowers Motorsports Modified on the pole
and raced into the lead at the start. Kellen Chadwick, Reichenbach and
Nick DeCarlo we're mixing it up in the battle for second with DeCarlo
holding down the position in the early laps. Reichenbach was running
third ahead of Chadwick, who had his hands full battling Buddy Kniss.
The race ran rapidly with only one yellow flag. Reichenbach made a high
pass in Turn 4 on Lap 17 to take second from DeCarlo. Kniss got around
Chadwick and began pressuring DeCarlo when the only yellow flag of the
race flew on Lap 21. Foulger led Reichenbach and Kniss on the restart,
but an outside pass on the frontstretch on Lap 24 gained Reichenbach the
lead. Foulger settled for second, and DeCarlo and Kniss had an intense
battle for third. DeCarlo pushed just a little bit on exit in the final
turn, and Kniss beat him by inches to the checkered flag for third. Past
Chico champion Ryan McDaniel settled for fifth, followed by Jim Pettit
II, Ryan Daves, Chadwick, Jerry Flippo and Jake Mayden.
There
were 28 IMCA Modifieds for the series finale, and they ran four 10 lap
heat races with the Top 16 point earners making it into the show.
Chadwick won the first heat race. McDaniel led early from the outside
front row, but a backstretch pass on Lap 4 put Chadwick into the lead.
Reichenbach went around McDaniel in Turn 4 four on Lap 6 for second as
Chadwick won ahead of Reichenbach. Anthony Slaney won the second heat
race from the pole. He led all the way in victory with Kniss using a low
pass in Turn 2 on Lap 3 to take second from Paul Guglielmoni, where he
would finish. Pettit won the third race. Front row starter Carl
Berendsen II led early with Pettit moving into second on Lap 2. A high
pass in Turn 2 on Lap 6 gained Pettit the lead. Pettit went on to
victory with DeCarlo grabbing second on a Lap 8 restart to gain that
finishing position. Daves used an outside front row starting position to
lead all the way in winning the final heat race. Foulger went past
Raymond Lindemann to claim second, but he was unable to reel in the big
Daves lead.
.
McDaniel won the 12 lap B Main. He
started on the front row and set the early pace ahead of Freddie Plourde
III and Lindemann. Chris Lewis settled into second behind McDaniel on a
Lap 7 restart, but Lindemann made a late move to take second as Lewis
settled for third ahead of final transfer Justin Yeager.
With
three wins and only five points shy of a perfect score for his best
seven races, Ethan Dotson elected to go back to Bakersfield and skip the
finale. He won the $1,000 prize from the Ryland Racing sponsored
championship point fund. Chadwick didn't miss a top 10 finish the entire
week and actually topped the field in total overall points. He finished
25 points behind Dotson for second when you factor in the one race
throwaway rule, beating Reichenbach by just five points. Foulger tied
Reichenbach for third as Flippo was five points behind them in fifth.
Bannister Wraps Up IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Title With Win At Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico,
CA...May 8...Tyler Bannister won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main
Event Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. This was the final round
of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes
Motorsports. Bannister passed series champion Jason Nation midway
through the race and went on to score his third $700 victory.
Nation
and past Marysville champion Philip Shelby shared the front row for the
feature race and settled into first and second early on. Tyler
Bannister was third and slipped past Shelby for second on Lap 7, just
before a yellow flag waved. Nation continued to lead Tyler Bannister and
Shelby on the restart. Bannister was pressuring Nation hard before
making a low pass in Turn 3 on Lap 13 to grab the lead. A low pass in
Turn 4 on Lap 16 put Jason Bannister into third, and Shelby saw his
fourth place effort end on Lap 21 when he spun in Turn 4 for a yellow
flag. Tyler Bannister led Nation and Jason Bannister on the restart, and
they would finish in that order. Andrew Peckham finished fourth,
followed by Tanner Thomas, Brian Cooper, Guy Ahlwardt, Chris Falkenberg,
Kenny Shrader and Andrew Pearce.
There were 28
IMCA Sport Modifieds for this show, and they ran four 10 lap qualifying
heat races. They took the Top 16 point earners into the feature race.
Peckham started on the pole in the first race and led Nation all the way
for the 1-2 finish. Ahlwardt won the second heat. The race had to be
restarted as polesitter Mike Merritt saw his effort come to an abrupt
end. Ahlwardt led the complete restart and went on to victory. Tyler
Bannister was a race-long second. Shrader started on the outside front
row of the next heat and led every lap in victory. Jacob Mallet Jr was
second until being overtaken late by KC Keller. Shelby won the final
heat. Josh Most started on the outside front row and led Chase Thomas
early. Shelby moved into second on Lap 2. A yellow flag waved for Most
on Lap 6, giving Shelby the lead over Chase Thomas on the restart. The
duo would finish in that order.
The Top 4
finishers from the 12 lap B Main would make it into the show. Most ended
up winning that race. Polsitter Tanner Thomas set the early pace ahead
of Cody Parker and Most. Most gained second on Lap 4. A Lap 6 yellow
flag waved for Emali Van Hoff and Scott Savell in Turn 2. Most took the
lead from Tanner Thomas on the restart and then held him off for the
win. Falkenberg and Parker were the final transfers.
Nation
ended up winning the $700 championship, sponsored by Ryland Racing.
After factoring in the throwaway rule, he was seven points shy of a
perfect score with 273 points. Jason Bannister finished 15 points behind
him in second, just one point in front of his son, Tyler Bannister.
Keller had 235 points to finish fourth, one point ahead of Falkenberg.
Sims Wins Crate Sprint Main Event At Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico,
CA...May 8...David Sims won the 20 lap Crate Sprint Main Event Saturday
night at Silver Dollar Speedway. The division is part of the roster at
Marysville Raceway, and Sims finished second in the standings last
season behind Brett Youngman. The Crate Sprints ran in support of the
California IMCA Speedweek Series.
Sims motored
into the early lead ahead of Dusty Barton and Jacob Ballantine, but a
yellow flag waved after just one lap. As Sims continued to lead the
restart, Jacob Ballantine and Youngman settled into second and third. A
Lap 4 yellow flag waved for Barton and Mike Ballantine. Sims continued
to lead the restart with Cameron Haney Jr and Youngman both getting
around Jacob Ballantine. As Sims pulled away just a little bit up front,
Haney and Youngman battled for second. A high pass in Turn 4 on Lap 13
gained Youngman the position. Haney kept it close with Youngman all the
way to the end. Sims was the happy winner ahead of Youngman, Haney, Mike
Ballantine, Kelly Hicks, Chad Thompson, Doug Froehlich, Jacob
Ballantine, Barton and Brandon Dozier.
The
Crate Sprints brought 10 cars for the special show. Sims won the first
eight lap heat race ahead of Jacob Ballantine. The second heat found
Haney leading most of the way before Barton made a last lap pass to
steal the victory away as Haney settled for second. The Crate Sprints
and Hobby Stocks will be part of a special Silver Dollar Fair race at
the end of the month. For further information, go to www.silverdollarspeedway.com.
Dotson Moves Closer To Speedweek Title With Third
IMCA Modified Win At Placerville
Placerville,
CA...May 7...Ethan Dotson won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Friday night at Placerville Speedway. This was the seventh round of the
eight race California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes
Motorsports. After suffering a broken brake caliper in his heat race,
Dotson had to win the B Main to make it into the show. He charged from
the ninth row in the feature race to score his third $1,000 Speedweek
win.
Jim Pettit II shared the front row with
Buddy Kniss in the Main Event, and the duo raced into the first and
second positions at the start. Nick DeCarlo and Jerry Flippo's spun in
Turn 3 for a Lap 1 yellow flag. Pettit led the restart with Clint
Reichenbach moving around Kniss for second, but a yellow flag waved once
again. Kniss moved back into second behind Pettit on the next restart.
Reichenbach was running third as Kellen Chadwick battled Tim Balding for
the fourth position. Chadwick grabbed that position with an inside pass
on the backstretch on lap 7. On the eighth lap, Kniss slowed exiting
Turn 4 and headed for the infield as his race came to an end. At that
point, Reichenbach and Chadwick were second and third behind Pettit.
Reichenbach made a high pass in Turn 2 on what would have been the 10th
lap to take the lead from Pettit, but Jeffrey Faulkner spun in Turn 4
for a yellow flag that negated the pass. Dotson had amazingly worked his
way into fourth at that point and settled into third on the restart
with a backstretch pass on Chadwick. An inside pass on the frontstretch
on Lap 13 gained Dotson second from Reichenbach. A yellow flag waved on
lap 14 for a Turn 2 Matthew Hagio spin. It just so happened that Dotson
made a pass on the frontstretch to grab the lead, but the yellow flag
negated the pass. Undaunted, Dotson came back strong on the restart and
made a backstretch pass on Pettit to grab the lead. Reichenbach made a
high pass in Turn 2 on Lap 17 to move into second. Dotson pulled away in
the closing laps for the well-earned victory. Reichenbach settled for
second, followed by Pettit, Chadwick, Cody Burke, Ryan Daves, Balding,
Flippo, DeCarlo and Troy Foulger.
There were 28
IMCA Modifieds for this occasion, and the format called for four 10 lap
qualifying heat races with the Top 16 point earners making it into the
show. In the first heat race, Kniss won from the pole with a flag to
flag drive to victory ahead of Foulger. DeCarlo also started on the pole
in the second heat and led Jake Mayden from the start. A low pass in
Turn 4 on Lap 3 put Dotson into second, but he had brake problems on the
last lap as Balding ended up finishing second behind DeCarlo. Troy
Morris III won the third heat race. Craig Cassell led much of the race,
but third row starter Morris made a low pass in Turn 4 on the final lap
to take the lead and victory away from second place finisher Cassell.
Pettit started on the outside front row in the fourth heat and led all
the way to win in front of Filippo.
Dotson won
the B Main. His heat race misfortune put him at the back of the race,
and John Pierce led early ahead of Dylan Schriner. Daves moved into the
lead on the third lap. Dotson was already in third and gained second on
Lap 4. A Lap 5 restart saw Bobby Motts Jr make an inside pass on a
pushing Dotson to briefly grab second, but Dotson went back around him a
lap later to regain the position. It was a Lap 9 restart that provided
Dotson his opportunity to take the lead away from Daves. They went on to
the 1-2 finish and Burke and Motts completed the Top 4 Main Event
transfers.
Dotson has pretty much locked up the
Speedweek championship. When you factor in the one-race throwaway, he
could skip the finale and is only five points away from a perfect score
in his best seven races. Nobody's going to be able to match that. With
overall points and not factoring in the throwaway rule, Dotson has 275
points and is 25 points ahead of Chadwick. Flippo and Foulger are tied
at 231 points, three ahead of Reichenbach and 20 over Pettit.
Pearce Adds Name To Winner's List In Placerville
IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Race
Placerville,
CA...May 7...Andrew Pearce won the 25 Lap IMCA Sport Modified Main
Event Friday night at Placerville Speedway. This was the seventh round
of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes
Motorsports. Young Pearce became the fifth different winner in the
series, and he had to hold off point leader Jason Nation to score the
$700 victory.
Pearce had a front row start and
jumped into the early lead ahead of Kenny Shrader and Nation. The
yellow flag waved on the third lap for Timothy Allerdings on the front
straightaway. Pearce continued to lead Shrader and Nation on the
restart. Emali Van Hoff spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 5 yellow flag. Pearce
continued to lead the restart as Nation moved around Shrader for second.
Les Friend, Andrew Peckham and KC Keller had a good battle going for
the fourth position at that point, and Fred Ryland saw his hopes of a
championship end as he retired on the 10th lap. Pearce and Nation had
pulled away from the pack in a good battle up front when Peckham spun
from Top 5 contention in Turn 4 for a Lap 16 yellow flag. Pearce led
Nation and Shrader on the restart. Friend got past Shrader on Lap 18
with Tyler Bannister following into fourth. A Turn 2 tangle involving KC
Keller, Kelly Campanile, Scott Foster and Van Hoff brought out a Lap 18
yellow flag. Pearce led Nation and Tyler Bannister on the restart. The
battle got intense at the front of the pack, but it was slowed by a Lap
21 yellow flag. Pearce again led Nation and Tyler Bannister on the
restart, and they finished in that order with Pearce a happy winner.
Shrader settled for fourth, followed by Josh Most, Chris Falkenberg, Guy
Ahlwardt, Peckham, Jason Bannister and Tanner Thomas.
There
were 33 IMCA Sport Modifieds for this show as several Marysville
drivers showed up to support the race. They ran five 10 lap qualifying
heat races with the Top 12 point earners making it into the show.
Peckham had an outside front row starting position and led Allerdings
from flag to flag for the first and second place finishes in the first
heat. Pearce also started on the outside front row to win the second
heat with Campanile in pursuit the entire distance for the runner-up
finish. Nation started in the second row inside but managed to lead the
third heat race all the way. Scott Savell was an early second, but he
surrendered the position to Falkenberg on a Lap 4 restart as Falkenberg
would finish there. Tyler Bannister started on the outside front row and
led Jim Reed all the way for the 1-2 finish. The final heat race found
Chase Thomas leading early. However, Thomas surrendered the lead on Lap 7
to an outside pass on the backstretch by Shrader.
They
ran two 12 lap B Mains with the Top 4 finishers making it into the
show. Guy Ahlwardt has had a rough week, but he won the first race from
an outside front row start. However, Ahlwardt had to battle with Jason
Bannister. Ahlwardt led the first two laps before Bannister took the
lead on a Lap 3 restart. Ahlwardt came roaring back to grab first on
the fifth lap and led through two more yellow flags to win the race.
Jacob Mallet Jr made a Lap 11 pass on Bannister to steal the runner up
finish as Bannister settled for third ahead of Van Hoff. Most won the
second race. He started on the outside front row and led from the
outset. Adriane Frost was an early second. However, Tanner Thomas made
an inside pass on Lap 9 to steal second from Frost, who settled for
third ahead of final transfer Ryland.
After
seven races, Nation is only 11 points shy of a perfect score. He has
pretty nearly locked up the championship at this point with 269 total
points. Without looking at the throwaways, Jason Bannister is second
with 243 points, 13 ahead of Ryland, 14 ahead of Keller and 15 ahead of
Tyler Bannister, who is the only other driver with a mathematical shot
at the title.
Morris Adds His Name To IMCA Speedweek
Winner's List At Petaluma Speedway
Petaluma,
CA...May 6...Troy Morris III won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Thursday night at Petaluma Speedway. The 16-year-old had his hands full
fighting off the late threat of series point leader Ethan Dotson in what
was the sixth round of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented
by Hoppes Motorsports. Morris collected $1,000 for his winning effort.
Ethan
Dotson and Buddy Kniss brought the field to the green flag, and Kniss
surprised Dotson by bolting into the lead. Morris was an early third,
and Clint Reichenbach spun in Turn 4 for a yellow flag on the fourth
lap. Kniss led the restart with Morris slipping past Dotson for second. A
lap later, Kniss got sideways in Turn 3 and nearly spun, allowing
Morris, Dotson and Troy Foulger to race into the Top 3 positions. The
final 21 laps went without another yellow flag. Morris was setting a
good pace, but Dotson and Foulger weren't running too far behind him.
Dotson started applying serious pressure in an effort to get past Morris
as the leaders started working traffic on Lap 15. A scary moment
lapping Carl Berendsen II in the second turn on Lap 23 saw Morris make
contact with him. However, Morris continued to maintain the lead. Dotson
dove deep into Turn 3 on the final lap as he tried to make a move on
Morris. Unfortunately, Dotson pushed high on exit, allowing Foulger to
slip past him. Morris brought it home a happy winner ahead of Foulger,
Dotson, Nick DeCarlo, Jim Pettit II, Kellen Chadwick, Jerry Flippo, Cody
Burke, Ryan Daves and Tim Balding.
The format
was adjusted slightly due to the fact that the IMCA Modified count
dropped to 30 cars. They still ran four 10 lap qualifying heat races,
but they took the Top 16 drivers in passing and finishing points. Flippo
won the first heat race. Tim Balding led two laps before Flippo went
low in Turn 2 to grab the lead. Flippo ended up winning ahead of
Balding. The second heat race had to be restarted after contact between
Foulger, Pettit and Raymond Lindemann on the backstretch left Pettit
with front end damage. After assessing things, Pettit determined that he
could still handle his car and ended up going from last starting to an
eventual fourth place finish to avoid having to run the B Main later.
Meanwhile, Chadwick led the race from the start ahead of Foulger for the
1-2 finish.
Reichenbach rode the pole
position start to the third heat race win by a wide margin. Anthony
Slaney had second for a lap before eventual second place finisher Dotson
went motoring by on the backstretch a lap later. Jeffrey Faulkner won
the fourth heat. Faulkner started on the outside front row and led
immediately. Freddie Plourde III had second until being passed by Kniss
on the sixth lap. Kniss pulled alongside Faulkner exiting the final turn
and lost by inches in a thrilling drag race to the checkered flag.
Cottage
Grove Speedway champion Jake Mayden won the 12 lap B Main. Mayden
started outside front row and led from the start with seven-time
Petaluma champion Michael Paul Jr an early second. A Lap 7 restart
provided Daves the opportunity to move into second behind Mayden. Mayden
took the checkered flag in front of Daves and Paul, but Paul was later
disqualified, elevating Lindemann into a third place finish ahead of
Matthew Hagio.
Bearing in mind that there is a
one-race throwaway rule that's not factored into these totals, Dotson
leads the IMCA Modified Speedweek Series after six races with 235
points. This gives him a 22 point lead over Chadwick. Foulger has 200
points in third, two ahead of Flippo, 11 ahead of Reichenbach and 22
over Morris.
Tyler Bannister Wins Second-straight
IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Race At Petaluma
Petaluma,
CA...May 6...Tyler Bannister won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main
Event Thursday night at Petaluma Speedway. This was the Bakersfield
teen's second-straight win in the IMCA California Speedweek Series,
Presented by Hoppes Motorsports. The win was worth $700. Bannister made a
late move on series point leader Jason Nation to secure the victory.
Fred
Ryland had an outside front row starting spot for the race and jumped
into the lead at the start ahead of point leader Nation and Trevor
Clymens. Josh Most spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 4 yellow flag. The restart
saw Scott Foster spin in Turn 2. The second restart attempt saw a Turn 4
crash that involved Jason Bannister and KC Keller, among others. The
third restart attempt saw Ryland continue leading Nation and Clymens.
From his third row starting position, Tyler Bannister was running fourth
when a Lap 6 yellow flag waved as third place Clymens spun, collecting
Guy Ahlwardt. Ryland led Nation and Tyler Bannister on the restart. A
yellow flag waved on Lap 8 when Jimmy Ford stalled on the front
straightaway with a flat tire. Ryland again led Nation on the restart.
The lead duo ran closely at the front of the pack, but the complexion of
the race was about ready to change dramatically. A crash in Turns 3 and
4 that involved Clymens, Foster and Jacob Mallet Jr forced a yellow
flag. Ryland spun to avoid contact. Officials determined that Ryland was
part of the yellow flag and elected to put him to the back of the pack
for the restart. Nation suddenly had the lead when the race resumed.
Tyler Bannister was in close pursuit as Josh Most had worked his way
back into third. Most briefly got around Tyler Bannister for second, but
Bannister made a low pass in Turn 4 on 20 to regain the position. The
leaders caught heavy traffic in the closing laps, and that assisted
Tyler Bannister in making a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 23 to grab the
lead. Bannister went on to take the checkered flag ahead of Nation and
Most. Most was later disqualified, moving Tanner Thomas into third,
followed by Jason Bannister, Kenny Shrader, Chris Falkenberg, Keller,
Trevor Tiffee, Ryland and Adriane Frost.
Car
count dipped down to 20 for this race, meaning that everybody would
automatically make it into the show regardless of their finishes in the
10 lap heat races. Nation started on the outside front row of the first
heat and led Jason Bannister from the start all the way to the checkered
flag for the victory. Most used his pole position start in the next
heat to win ahead of Tyler Bannister. Thomas ran second for four laps
before Bannister made an outside pass on the frontstretch to grab the
position for good. Ahlwardt won the final heat race. Mallet led early,
but Keller made a Lap 3 pass to take over. Ahlwardt made a low pass in
Turn 4 on Lap 6 to grab second, and that became first as apparent winner
Keller was later disqualified. Clymens would finish second.
After
six races and with a throwaway rule to still be factored into the
equation, Nation leads the standings with 230 points. Jason Bannister is
19 points back in third, three ahead of Ryland. Keller has 201 points
to rank fourth in the standings, 11 ahead of Tyler Bannister.
Hagemann Wins Super Stock Debut At Petaluma Speedway
Petaluma,
CA...May 6...Matt Hagemann won the 25 lap Jay's Mobile Welding Service
Super Stock Main Event Thursday night at Petaluma Speedway. Hagemann was
making his division debut in a car from the shop of Baker Motorsports,
and he withstood a last lap challenge from three-time Petaluma champion
Mitch Machado to get the win.
The race had a
bit of a rough start with yellow flags in each of the first four laps.
Multi-time champion Steve Studebaker led the opening lap in the Manny
Avila owned entry. Following a yellow flag for a tangle between Justin
Zwicker and Randy Miramontez in Turn 2, Hagemann took the lead from
Studebaker on the restart. The Lap 3 yellow flag waved for a Mike Learn
spin in Turn 4. Hagemann stayed with the outside on the restart, but
Studebaker got a run on the inside down the backstretch to grab the
lead. Zwicker spun for his second yellow flag on Lap 5 to end his race.
Studebaker led Hagemann and Machado on the restart. By the 10th lap,
Studebaker caught slower traffic, and Machado had his hands full
fighting off Orland star Jake Van Tol for the third spot. Van Tol made a
low pass entering Turn 3 to grab third from Machado, but Studebaker
spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 11 yellow flag. This put Hagemann into the
lead, and he paced Machado and Van Tol on the restart. However, Hagemann
had left front suspension problems and was nursing his car through the
turns. This kept Machado and Van Tol right behind him. On the 19th lap,
Hagemann had to take a different line than normal through Turns 1 and 2
to get past a slower car, but he managed to keep his car pointed in the
right direction despite the handling difficulties. Again, the leaders
caught a slower car on final lap. That car ran the outside as Machado
dove low inside of Hagemann to try to grab the lead. They pulled even
exiting Turn 4, but Hagemann beat Machado back to the line in a drag
race for the thrilling victory. Van Tol settled for third, followed by
Miramontez, Learn, Shawn McCoy, Dave Spindell, Studebaker, Zwicker and
Duane Croft.
There were 10 Super Stocks on
hand for this show. The first eight lap heat race saw Studebaker lead
Hagemann all the way for the victory. The second heat saw multiple lead
changes as Miramontez surrendered first to Machado on the fourth lap. A
lap five restart gave McCoy the opportunity to gain the lead, but
Machado came roaring back with an inside pass on the backstretch on Lap 6
to regain the lead for good. Zwicker made a late move to finish second.
For scheduling and other information concerning Petaluma Speedway, go
to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Hogge Holds Off Dotson For Historic Win In Antioch
IMCA Modified Speedweek Race
Antioch,
CA...May 5...Bobby Hogge IV won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Wednesday night at Antioch Speedway. The win was particularly special as
it was Hogge's 74th victory in Antioch and gave him sole possession of
the all-time win record. The win was also special as it came during
California IMCA Speedweek, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports. To get the
$1,000 victory aboard the Paul Guglielmoni owned car, Hogge had to hold
off the persistent threat of series point leader Ethan Dotson. Hogge is
also the 2020 Speedweek champion.
Hogge had a
front row start for this race, which was a foreshadowing of things to
come. He led the opening lap over Buddy Kniss and reigning track
champion Troy Foulger. Debris in Turn 4 forced the yellow flag after
just one lap. Hogge continued to lead the restart as Foulger went by
Kniss for second. A low pass in Turn 1 on the fourth lap gained Troy
Morris III the third position. A yellow flag waved for a John Pierce
spin in Turn 4 on Lap 5 . Hogge continued to lead the restart as Morris
made an inside pass on the backstretch to take second from Foulger.
Dotson bolted into fourth on Lap 7 and made a low pass in Turn 2 on Lap
10 to grab third from Foulger. Another yellow flag flew on Lap 10 for
debris on the racing surface. Hogge continued to lead the restart as
Dotson moved into second. The lead duo pulled away, leaving an intense
three-car battle between Morris, DeCarlo and Kellen Chadwick for third. A
final yellow flag waved on Lap 21 for debris on the track again. Hogge
led Dotson on the restart with Morris still holding onto third. Despite
serious pressure from Dotson, Hogge kept his focus and brought it home
to a satisfying win. Dotson gained valuable points in second as Morris
finished third, followed by Chadwick, DeCarlo, Foulger, Clint
Reichenbach, Jerry Flippo, Matthew Hagio and Jim Pettit II.
The
midweek race drew 33 IMCA Modifieds, and they went with four 10 lap
qualifying heat races. The format still called for the Top 12 point
earners based on passing and finishing points to earn feature starts.
Outside front row starter Anthony Slaney won the first heat. Freddie
Plourde III had his best heat of the week as he ran a race long second.
Hagio won the second heat race from his outside front row start. Raymond
Lindemann was an early second. However, Chadwick gained third with
Mitch Machado's spin on Lap 6 and took second from Lindemann on Lap 9 to
grab the runner-up finish. From the pole, DeCarlo won the third heat.
Pettit led the opening lap before spinning in Turn 2. This put DeCarlo
into the lead over Morris, and they finished 1-2 at the checkered flag.
Polesitter Kniss won the final heat race. Following a complete restart,
Kniss charged into the lead ahead of Tim Balding. Balding held second
until surrendering the position to an inside frontstretch pass by
Foulger on the ninth lap. Foulger would finish second behind Kniss.
Cody
Burke won the first of two 12 lap B Mains. Brent Curran got called on a
jump start. Pierce led the restart ahead of Burke and Curran. Burke
made a Turn 2 pass on Pierce on the third lap and would pull away from
there. They transferred four from each B Main, and Pierce had his best
showing yet as he held off the persistent Curran for second. Devon Reed
got the final transfer. Carl Berendsen II picked up the win in the
second race. Berendsen started on the pole and led every lap in victory.
Paul Guglielmoni wrestled second away from Lindemann on the second lap.
Pettit moved past Flippo for third on Lap 6. A low pass and Turn 2 on
Lap 10 gained Pettit second from Guglielmoni. Pettit was hounding
Berendsen all the way to the finish, but Berendsen prevailed.
Guglielmoni finished third ahead of Flippo.
Bearing
in mind that there is a one-race throwaway rule, the standings after
five races finds Dotson having a nearly perfect score with 197 points.
He leads Chadwick by 19 points. Jerry Flippo has 164 points to hold down
third, two ahead of Reichenbach and three in front of Foulger.
Bannister Leads The Way With Antioch
IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Win
Antioch,
CA...May 5...Tyler Bannister won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main
Event Wednesday night at Antioch Speedway. The win paid Bannister $700
and keeps him in contention for the championship in the California IMCA
Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports.
Tyler
Bannister had the outside front row starting spot for the Main Event
and raced into the early need ahead of Josh Most and Fred Ryland. A
yellow flag waved for debris on the track on Lap 2. Bannister continued
to lead Most and Ryland on the restart. Following a yellow flag for an
Anthony Doubledee spin in Turn 4 on Lap 3, Ryland made a low pass in
Turn 2 on the fourth lap to move into second behind Bannister. Yet
another yellow flag flew a lap later when Kelly Campanile and Trevor
Clymens tangled in Turn 2. Bannister led Ryland and Most on the restart.
Doubledee spun for the second time for a Lap 8 yellow flag. Most
regained second behind Bannister on the restart. The battle between Most
and Ryland was side by side during the second half of the race. A
yellow flag waved for Guy Ahlwardt on the backstretch on Lap 14. On this
restart, series point leader Jason Nation and Jason Bannister settled
into fourth and fifth behind the Top 3 of Tyler Bannister, Most and
Ryland. Ryland made an inside pass on the frontstretch on Lap 19 to grab
second, but Most came back strong on the outside down the backstretch
to regain the position. Ryland got the bite down low exiting Turn 4 on
Lap 21 to regain second for good. However, nobody was stopping Tyler
Bannister as he brought it home to victory ahead of Ryland, Most,
Nation, Jason Bannister, KC Keller, Andrew Pearce, Kenny Shrader,
Ahlwardt and Jimmy Ford.
There were 29 IMCA
Sport Modifieds for this occasion, and they kept the format at four heat
races for 10 laps. The Top 12 point earners based on finishing and
passing points automatically qualified for the feature. Kenny Shrader
won the first heat race. Shrader started on the outside second row, but
he charged into the early lead ahead of Emali Van Hoff. Pearce made a
high pass in Turn 4 on the second lap to grab second, and Schrader won
ahead of Pearce. Outside front row starter Chuck Golden won an eventful
second heat race. The race had numerous yellow flags with Golden leading
each restart. Jimmy Ford settled into second on a Lap 2 restart. Ford
tried to make a challenge late, but Golden managed to prevail at the
checkered flag. Most won the third heat race. He started on the second
row with a complete restart for a Tanner Thomas spin in Turn 2 putting
Most on the pole. Most led Jason Bannister from there to the checkered
flag. Tyler Bannister won the final heat race and did the most passing
of any heat winner as he started on the third row. Ryan Smith led early
ahead of Campanile, but a Lap 2 restart saw Campanile and Bannister
moving into the Top 2 positions. Tyler Bannister took the lead on a Lap 3
restart with Nation settling into second, and that's how they
finished.
They ran two 12 lap B Mains with the
Top 4 drivers transferring into the show. Ahlwardt won the first race
after starting in the third row inside. Ryan DeForest led early from his
outside front row starting spot with Campanile second. Ahlwardt used a
low pass in Turn 2 on the fifth lap to grab second and made a similar
move on Lap 9 to take the lead from DeForest. DeForest had problems late
and fell out of a transfer spot as Ahlwardt won ahead of Campanile,
Dwayne Short and Doubledee. Jim DiGiovanni won the second race from the
pole. DiGiovanni jumped into the lead immediately ahead of Yreka racer
Trevor Tiffee. They ran first and second the entire distance with a bit
of misfortune for both Tyler Thomas and Tanner Thomas in the second half
of the race vaulting Haley Gomez into a third place finish ahead of
Scott Foster.
Bearing in mind that there is a
one-race throwaway rule, Nation leads the standings after five events
with 191 points. This gives him a 15 point advantage over Ryland and a
17.point lead over Jason Bannister. KC Keller is third with 167 points,
17 in front of Tyler Bannister and 23 over Pearce.
Keldsen Wins Mid-week Hobby Stock Race
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch,
CA...May 5...DJ Keldsen won the 25 lap Jay's Mobile Welding Service
Hobby Stock Main Event Wednesday night at Antioch Speedway. This was a
special race for the class in support of the California IMCA Speedweek
Series, but they didn't run for points. Keldsen was coming off of a
strong second place finish on Saturday night.
From
the front row, Keldsen motored into the lead at the start ahead of Ken
Johns and Jeff Bentancourt. Bentancourt got sideways in Turn 2 on the
second lap as Trevor Clymens settled into third. Grayson Baca and Emilie
Bryant tangled in Turn 2 for a yellow flag after two laps. Keldsen led
Johns and Clymens on the restart, and another yellow flag waved on the
fourth lap for Jon Haney and Angela Brown in Turn 2. Keldsen led Johns
and Clymens on the next restart. Following a Lap 9 yellow flag for
debris. Clymens used a high pass in Turn 4 on Lap 10 to take second from
Johns. It was a side by side battle between Johns and Clymens as
Keldsen paced the field. However, Johns got sideways in Turn 2 on Lap
14. A lap later, Clymens also got sideways in the same turn with front
end suspension damage, and the yellow flag waved moments later for James
Graessle. Keldsen continued to lead Johns and Jeff Bentancourt on the
restart. From a back of the pack starting position, Logan Clay made an
inside pass in Turn 2 on Lap 19 to take third from Bentancourt, and the
yellow flag flew for Kenny Troen in Turn 4. Keldsen led Johns and Clay
on the restart. Clay made a Turn 2 pass on Johns on the final lap to
grab second, and Johns brushed the wall. Keldsen brought it home a happy
winner with Clay second, followed by point leader Larry McKinzie Jr,
Jeff Bentancourt, Kenneth Robles, Brown, Jon Haney, Albert Ballinger,
Anthony Vigna and Jared Baugh.
Even for a
mid-week race for no points, there were 21 Hobby Stocks for the
occasion. The eight lap heat race wins went to Keldsen, Jeff Bentancourt
and Johns. For information on Antioch Speedway, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Dotson Scores Second IMCA Speedweek Win
At Merced Speedway
Merced,
CA...May 3...Ethan Dotson won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Monday night at Merced Speedway. This was the fourth round of the
California IMCA Speedweek Series, presented by Hoppes Motorsports.
Dotson's second win in the series paid $1,000 and put him into the point
lead.
Cody Laney had the pole for the race and
bolted into the early lead ahead of Dotson and reigning Petaluma
champion Anthony Slaney. Laney and Dotson began to pull away from the
pack, leaving Slaney to fend off Jake Pike and Collen Winebarger in the
battle for third. Winebarger maneuvered past Slaney for third on Lap 13.
Laney and Dotson set a rapid pace and caught slower traffic by Lap 14. A
low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 15 gained Dotson the lead, and the yellow
flag waved moments later as Troy Foulger spun in Turn 2. Dotson led
Laney and Winebarger on the restart. A low pass in Turn 2 on lap 19
gained Winebarger second as Darrell Hughes II settled into fourth. The
second and final yellow flag waved for a Slaney spin in Turn 3 on Lap
21. Dotson resumed command on the restart and went on to victory ahead
of Winbarger. A low pass in Turn 4 on lap 23 gained Hughes third from
Laney. Laney settled for fourth, followed by Jake Pike, Kellen Chadwick,
Tim Balding, Jim Pettit II, Matthew Hagio and Trevor Fitzgibbon.
There
were 37 IMCA Modifieds in the pits, and they ran five 10 lap heat
races. Passing points and finishing points determined the Top 12
qualifiers that would automatically get into the show. The first heat
saw Nick DeCarlo get called on a jump start, moving Jake Pike up to the
second row outside for the restart. Pike bolted into the lead at the
start and led all the way to win ahead of Robby Sawyer. Slaney had the
outside front row in his heat race and led at the start ahead of Dalton
Houghton. Houghton surrendered second to Balding on the fifth lap, and
Slaney won ahead of Balding. Chadwick had the pole for the third heat
race and jumped into the lead at the start ahead of Tulare and
Bakersfield winner Clint Reichenbach. They went on to the 1-2 finish.
Winebarger continued the trend of front row winners as he used his
outside front row start to lead all the way in the fourth heat. Matthew
Hagio was second until being overtaken by Laney for the position on the
eighth lap, where Laney would finish. Hughes also had an outside front
row start in his heat race and led the distance. Dotson came from the
third row to second by the third lap, where he would finish.
Fitzgibbon
won the first of two 12 lap B Mains. Reichenbach got called on a jump
start infraction to surrender his pole position start, and Carl
Berendsen II exited to the pits with mechanical issues. Fitzgibbon led
the restart ahead of Reichenbach and Jerry Flippo. Following a yellow
flag for Justin Yeager and Clark Guglielmoni, Flippo moved into second
behind Fitzgibbon on the restart. DeCarlo would shuffle Reichenbach back
to the fourth and final transfer spot as Fitzgibbon won ahead of Flippo
and DeCarlo. Pettit won the other B Main. Pettit had a pole position
start and led from the outset. Foulger was an early second, but he was
overtaken by Hagio on a Lap 4 restart. Ryan Daves maneuvered past
Foulger on the final lap as Pettit won ahead of Hagio, Daves and
Foulger.
Keeping in mind that the drivers can
throw away their worst finish, Dotson leads the standings after four
events with 158 points, 17 in front of Chadwick. Laney is third with 137
points, one ahead of Jake Pike and six in front of the tied Winebarger
and Flippo.
Jason Bannister Victorious In Fourth
IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Race At Merced
Merced,
CA...May 3...Bakersfield's Jason Bannister won the 25 lap IMCA Sport
Modified Main Event Monday night at Merced Speedway. This was the fourth
round of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes
Motorsports. Bannister picked up a big $5,000 victory at Merced a few
weeks prior in the Al Miller Memorial race, and his win on this occasion
earned him $700 as he stays in the Speedweek championship chase.
Merced
regular Chuck Weir isn't chasing the series this year, but he used his
pole position start to jump into the early lead ahead of Hanford winner
Fred Ryland and KC Keller. An inside pass in Turn 4 on Lap 4 put Keller
into second, but Ryland came roaring back on the outside to regain the
position a lap later. Bakersfield and Tulare winner Jason Nation settled
into fourth, and a yellow flag waved for a Markus Frazier spin in Turn 4
on Lap 8. Tyler Bannister was put to the back of the pack for his part
in the incident. Weir led Ryland and Nation on the restart. A lap 10
yellow flag waved for a frontstretch crash involving Nathan Rolfe,
Frazier, Tanner Thomas, David Pearson, Jon McKinley and Tyler Bannister.
Thomas and McKinley were eliminated in the incident. As Weir continued
to lead the restart, Nation went high in Turn 2 to grab second from
Ryland. Jason Bannister followed him into third, and a yellow flag waved
a lap later for a crash that eliminated Tyler Thomas and Matt Mayo in
the fourth turn. The restart was botched when Keller spun in Turn 4 and
got stuck on the berm. Weir led Nation and Jason Bannister on the
restart, but Bannister got a big run on the outside in Turn 4 a lap
later to grab the lead. Nation beat Weir back to the line for second,
and Ryland made an outside pass on the backstretch on Lap 14 to gain
third. Despite two yellow flags in the final five laps, Jason Bannister
kept his cool, led each restart and brought it home to the satisfying
win. Nation was a strong second, followed by Ryland, Tyler Bannister,
Andrew Pearce, Frazier, Weir, Keller, Chris Falkenberg and Trevor
Clymens.
The IMCA Sport Modifieds produced a
solid 34 car field for this occasion and ran five 10 lap qualifying
heats. Passing and finishing points were calculated to determine the Top
12 qualifiers who wouldn't have to run a B Main. Much like the IMCA
Modifieds, drivers starting on the front row would get all of the heat
race wins. Tyler Thomas surprised Ryland by charging into the early lead
in the first heat, but Ryland took over by the third lap. Keller
settled into second on Lap 5, and Ryland would win ahead of Keller. Mayo
led every lap to win the second heat with Pearson a race long second.
Nation won the third heat in dominant fashion from his pole position
start with Tanner Thomas a race long second. Weir also used a pole
position start to lead every lap of the fourth heat. Cody Parker held
second, but he surrendered the position to Jason Bannister on the third
lap. Bannister chased Weir the rest of the way to claim the runner-up
finish. Pearce won the final heat from his outside front row start with
Chris Smith a race long second.
They ran two 12
lap B Mains with the Top 4 finishers making it into the show. Timothy
Allerdings won the first race. Tyler Thomas led early ahead of Trevor
Tiffee and Allerdings. Allerdings got past Tiffee for second on a Lap 3
restart. On the eighth lap, Allerdings slipped past Tyler Thomas to
claim the lead. Richard Ragsdale went by Tiffee on the outside on the
backstretch on Lap 10 with Clymens following him into the fourth and
final transfer spot. Allerdings won the race ahead of Tyler Thomas,
Ragsdale and Clymens. Nathan Rolfe won the second race. Rolfe started on
the outside front row and bolted into the lead over Jason Pugh at the
start. Pugh surrendered second to Tyler Bannister on the fourth lap.
McKinley gained third on Lap 10, and Rolfe won ahead of Tyler Bannister,
McKinley and Pugh.
Without factoring in the
throwaway finishes for the drivers, Nation leads the standings after
four events with 154 points. Jason Bannister is 16 points back in
second. Ryland has 137 points to rank third, five ahead of Keller and
six in front of Falkenberg.
Ethan Dotson Wins Again In IMCA Stock Cars
At Merced Speedway
Merced,
CA...May 3...Ethan Dotson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event
Monday night at Merced Speedway. Though the division wasn't officially a
part of the IMCA California Speedweek Series, they ran in support of
the first four events. Dotson picked up wins in all four of those races.
There
were only eight drivers for this outing, and the race got off to a
rocky start when contact between Dotson, State point leader Renn Bane
and Jeff Streeter left Bane and Streeter crashed on the back
straightaway. Garrett Corn jumped into the lead at the start ahead of
Nick Johnson and Dotson. The lead trio pulled away as Austin Van Hoff
and Cody Johnson battled for fourth. Cody Johnson took that position
from Van Hoff on the seventh lap, just as a low pass in Turn 2 of the
seventh lap gained Dotson second. Dotson made an inside pass on the
backstretch of the eighth lap to take the lead from Corn, and Nick
Johnson went low in Turn 2 a lap later to steal second. Cody Johnson
ended up in third on Lap 10 as Corn slowed and headed for the pits.
Dotson led the rest of the way to collect the victory ahead of Nick
Johnson, Cody Johnson, Van Hoff, Corn, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Bane and
Streeter.
Nick Johnson won the lone eight lap
heat race ahead of Dotson. The IMCA Stock Cars will be back at Merced
Speedway for their fourth point event on May 15th. For more information,
go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Dotson Dominates IMCA Modified Speedweek Race At Keller Auto Speedway
Hanford,
CA...May 2...Ethan Dotson won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Sunday evening at Keller Auto Speedway. This was the third round of the
California IMCA Speedweek Series, presented by Hoppes Motorsports, and
Dotson led all the way to win the non-stop race by a wide margin. After
posting back to back second place finishes at Bakersfield and Tulare, the
$1,000 win put Dotson into the point lead going into Monday night's
fourth round at Merced Speedway.
Luck of the
draw put Dotson on the front row for the feature race, and he bolted
into the lead at the start, followed by Kellen Chadwick and Cody Laney.
An outside pass on the front stretch on Lap 3 gained Laney second.
Reigning State champion Troy Foulger went low and Turn 2 on Lap 7 and
took third from Chadwick. By then, ninth starter and 2019 Western
Regional champion Bricen James was running sixth, and he slipped past
Jerry Flippo for fifth on Lap 10. Dotson built nearly a straightaway
lead by the 15th lap as Laney was running a solid second. Running well
on the outside groove, Dotson approached a group of cars to put them a
lap down. He could afford to take his time getting around those cars as
they were battling for position. Dotson lost a little bit of his lead
over Laney by the time the race ended, but he still had a comfortable
advantage at the checkered flag. Foulger brought it home third, and
James made a Lap 22 pass on Chadwick to claim the fourth place finish.
Chadwick settled for fifth, followed by Flippo, Troy Morris III, Collen
Winebarger, Jake Pike and Paul Stone.
There
were 41 IMCA Modifieds for this race, and they ran five eight lap heat
races. Passing and finishing points determined the Top 12 qualifiers
with the Top 8 redrawing for their starting order on the first four
rows. Oregon's Winebarger won the first race from his front row starting
position. Second row starter Morris moved into second on the fifth lap
and chased Winebarger the rest of the way. James used his front row
start to win the second heat. Carl Berendsen II lost laps at the start
as he had to pit due to leaking fluids on the track. Tim Balding held second
until surrendering the position to Clint Reichenbach on the third lap,
and James won ahead of Reichenbach. Nick DeCarlo had the pole for the
third heat and led three laps before third starter Dotson went low in
Turn 3 to grab the lead. Dotson went on to win with DeCarlo settling for
second. The fourth heat found Jim Pettit II leading three laps from
the outside front row starting position before third starter Laney took
over and won with Pettit settling for second. Cody Burke led all the
way to win the final heat with fourth row starter Stone grabbing second
on the fourth lap to finish there.
The Top 4
finishers in each of the two 12 lap B Mains made it into the show. Robby
Sawyer won the first race. Sawyer started in the third row and bolted
into the lead at the start ahead of Pettit and Anthony Slaney. Jake Pike
took third from Slaney on Lap 2 and made a backstretch pass on Lap 4 to
grab second from Pettit. Jake's father, Jason Pike, maneuvered past
Pettit on the backstretch on Lap 7 to steal the third position. A red
flag flew after eight laps when Justin Yeager crashed off the track in
Turn 2. Sawyer resumed command on the restart and won ahead of Jake
Pike, Jason Pike and Pettit. Gavyn Manning won the second race. DeCarlo
started on the pole and took the immediate lead ahead of Manning and
Balding. Buddy Kniss made an inside pass on the backstretch on Lap 3 to
take third from Balding. A low pass in Turn 2 on Lap 10 gained Manning
the lead. DeCarlo suddenly slowed on Lap 11 as Kniss and Ryan Davies
both got by. DeCarlo tried to hold on but lost the final transfer
spot to Balding on the last lap as Manning won ahead of Kniss, Daves and
Balding.
Bearing in mind that the drivers will
be able to throw away their worst finish, Dotson exited the night with
118 points, leading Flippo by 10 and Chadwick by 12. Reichenbach fell
back to fourth with 103 points, three ahead of Laney and Jake Pike.
Ryland Wins California IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Race At Keller Auto Speedway
Hanford,
CA...May 2...Fred Ryland won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event
Sunday evening at Keller Auto Speedway. This was the third round of the
California IMCA Speedweek Series, presented by Hoppes Motorsports. The
win will help the past State and two-time Merced champion get back into
the battle. He followed up a third place finish at Bakersfield with a
disappointing last place effort at Tulare a night later. He collected
$700 for the win.
2019 State champion Guy
Ahlwardt had the pole and charged into the early lead ahead of Matt
Mayo. Reigning Speedweek champion Garrett Jernagan and Ryland bumped
Mayo out of the Top 3 two laps later, and Mayo proceeded to drive over the
berm in Turn 2 as he fell back several positions. An outside pass on the
front stretch on Lap 4 gained Jernagan the lead, and Tyler Bannister
snatched third from Ryland a lap later. Tyler Bannister made an inside
pass on the backstretch on Lap 7 to grab second from Ahlwardt, and Scott
Foster spun in Turn 2 to bring out a yellow flag. Jernagan continued to
lead Tyler Bannister and Ryland on the restart. A low pass in Turn 2 on
Lap 9 gained Tyler Bannister the lead. Ryland made an inside move on
the backstretch on Lap 11 to pass Jernagan and then went low in Turn 4
on the same lap as he grabbed the lead from Tyler Bannister. A yellow
flag waved for Tanner Thomas in Turn 4 on Lap 13. Prior to the restart,
Tyler Bannister pitted, and Ryland led Jernagan and Ahlwardt when
the race resumed. A high pass in Turn 2 on Lap 15 gained Ahlwardt second, but Jernagan went low in the same turn a lap later to regain the
position. Jernagan pitted on Lap 17 as Ryland already built a
straightaway advantage. Ahlwardt was now second ahead of KC Keller, and
the final yellow flag waved on Lap 18 for Jimmy Ford's spin in Turn 2.
Timothy Allerdings pitted from fifth during the caution. Ryland led
Ahlwardt and Keller on the restart. A low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 21 put
Keller into second. However, Ryland pulled away in the remaining laps for
the impressive win. Keller managed a second place finish from 16th
starting. Ahlwardt settled for third, followed by Jason Bannister, Chris
Falkenberg, Jason Nation, Nick Spainhoward, Chase Thomas, Trevor
Clymens and Mayo.
35 IMCA Sport Modifieds
checked into the pits for the third round of California Speedweek. Once
again, they ran five eight lap heat races and used passing and finishing
points to determine the Top 12 qualifiers for the feature race. Tyler
Bannister won the first heat. Trevor Clymens led early ahead of Kelly
Campanile. A low pass in Turn 3 on Lap 2 gained Jernagan second.
Following a yellow flag for Emali Van Hoff in Turn 2 on Lap 6, Clymens
got sideways in Turn 2 and surrendered the lead to Jernagan. Jernagan
won with Scott Foster making a late move to finish second. Andrew Pearce
won the second heat. He started on the outside front row and proceeded
to lead all the way ahead of David Pearson. Likewise, Ryland won the
third heat from the front row with Ahlwardt a race long second.
Bakersfield and Tulare winner Jason Nation had the pole and went flag flag to flag to win the fourth heat with Jason Bannister following
him all the way in second. Tyler Bannister used his outside front row
start to lead every lap in winning the fifth heat. Jimmy Ford ran an
early second, but he surrendered the spot to Markus Frazier on the third
lap as Frazier would go on to finish there.
They
ran a pair of 12 lap B Mains with the Top 4 finishers going into the
show. Campanile had a front row start in the first race and led
early. In a three-wide move down the backstretch on Lap 2, Ford emerged
with the lead, and Ryan Smith made a low pass in Turn 2 a lap later to
grab second. However, Falkenberg gained second on Lap 5. An outside pass
on the frontstretch on lap 7 gained Falkenberg the lead, and he led
Ford the rest of the way for the victory. Chase Thomas had third by the
fifth lap, but Clymens passed him in Turn 2 on Lap 10. Chase Thomas
earned the fourth transfer spot. Past State champion Nick Spainhoward
charged from the sixth row to win the second race. KC Keller led early
ahead of Tanner Thomas. A low pass in Turn 2 gained the flying
Spainhoward third from Allerdings on Lap 3. The yellow flag waved for
Jason Pugh on Lap 4, and Spainhoward grabbed the lead on the restart.
Keller was still second at that point. Spainhoward led the rest of the
way to win ahead of Keller, Allerdings and Tanner Thomas.
Though
the throwaway rule will shake things up in the end, Nation exited the
night with 115 points, giving him a 16 point lead over the tied Ryland,
Keller and Falkenberg. With 98 points, Jason Bannister is in fifth, two
ahead of Tanner Thomas.
Dotson Continues To Roll In IMCA Stock Cars
At Keller Auto Speedway
Hanford,
CA...May 2...Ethan Dotson scored the victory in the 20 lap IMCA Stock
Car Main Event Sunday evening at Keller Auto Speedway. The IMCA Stock
Cars have been booked to run in support of the California IMCA Speedweek
Series for the first four races, and Dotson has turned in a dominant
performance in winning the first three races.
Dotson
drew a front row start for the Main Event, which was destined to go the
entire distance without a yellow flag. Dotson bolted into the lead at
the start ahead of Nick Johnson and Steven Johnson. An outside pass on
the frontstretch on the second lap gained Jeff Streeter fourth from
Larry Thompson. Streeter made a low pass in Turn 2 on Lap 5 to take
third from Steven Johnson. Dotson pulled away to about a straightaway
advantage over Nick Johnson by the seventh lap. The battle to watch was
for the fifth position between Brock Hamilton, Austin Van Hoff and Troy Patee. As those drivers fought for position, Dotson slowly gained on them
to put them on lap down. Hamilton held fifth on the sixth lap, only to
surrender it to Van Hoff a lap later. Patee used an inside pass on
the backstretch on Lap 14 to gain the position. Within the next few
laps, Dotson managed to lap all of them. Dotson won by a full
straightaway ahead of Nick Johnson at the checkered flag with Streeter
and Steven Johnson the final lead lap finishers. Patee finished fifth,
followed Hamilton, Van Hoff, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Thompson and Renn Bane.
There
were 11 IMCA Stock Cars for the Sunday race. Nick Johnson won his eight lap heat
race ahead of Steven Johnson, while Dotson outran Hamilton to win his heat.
Reichenbach Battles Dotson For Second-straight
IMCA Modified Speedweek Win At Tulare
Tulare,
CA...May 1... Clint Reichenbach won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event
Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway. This was the second win
for Reichenbach in the IMCA California Speedweek Series, presented by
Hoppes Motorsports. He collected the $1,000 paycheck after holding off
a late challenge from Ethan Dotson.
Reichenbach
started on the second row, but he grabbed the lead at the start ahead
of Robby Sawyer and 2019 IMCA Western Regional champion Bricen James.
Dotson was stuck in 12th starting as the final driver to make it in on
points, but he took the fourth position from Cody Laney on the second
lap. Dotson moved past James for third on Lap 4 and slipped past Sawyer
for second a lap later. He set his sights on Reichenbach, but that was
made easier when the yellow flag waved on Lap 6 for debris on the track.
Reichenbach led Dotson and Sawyer on the restart, but the lead duo
began a good battle at the front. A yellow flag waved for Laney on Lap
10. That proved to be the final slowdown of the race. Reichenbach
continued to lead Dotson and Sawyer on the restart. Collen Winebarger
and Ricky Childress Jr began battling Sawyer for third, and Winebarger
made a Turn 4 pass to grab the position on Lap 14. Reichenbach and
Dotson battled fiercely for the lead with Dotson trying to find a way
around the outside. However, Reichenbach would prevail at the checkered
flag, forcing Dotson to settle for second. Winebarger managed a third
place finish from 16th starting, followed by Sawyer, Jerry Flippo,
Kellen Chadwick, Troy Foulger, Childress, Cody Burke and Troy Morris
III.
There were 44 IMCA Modifieds on hand for
this race. The heat race format calculates finishing and passing points
to come up with the Top 12 qualifiers. The first heat saw Carl Berendsen
II collecting the win after contact from Winebarger sent Ryan Daves
spinning from the lead on Lap 8. Berendsen was followed by James. The
second heat saw Tim Balding use his front row start to lead all the way
to win ahead of Steve Noland. The third heat race found Sawyer taking
the lead from Dotson on the fifth lap and holding him off the rest of
the way to claim the win. Troy Foulger used his pole position start to
win the fourth heat. Laney started seventh and grabbed second by the
fourth lap to finish there. The final heat found Gavyn Manning leading
all the way from the pole. Reichenbach started in the fourth row and
found his way to second by the seventh lap, where he would finish.
They
ran two 12 lap B Mains, and those races would transfer the Top 4
finishers into the show. Troy Morris III and Buddy Kniss rode their
front row start to the 1-2 finish with Jake Pike a race long third and
Trevor Fitzgibbon finishing fourth. Flippo won the second race. He took
the lead on the opening lap ahead of Rick Diaz and Winebarger.
Winebarger managed to grab the second position on a Lap 5 restart and
finished there as Diaz settled for third ahead of Childress.
A look
at the standings after two races finds Reichenbach with 80 points and
Dotson with 78. Flippo is seven points out of the lead in third.
Chadwick holds fourth with 70 points, two in front of the tied Sawyer
and Pike.
Nation Continues Strong Speedweek Start With
Tulare Thunderbowl Win
Tulare,
CA...May 1...Jason Nation won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event
Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway. The Bakersfield driver
wasted little time getting the lead and would go on to score his second
win in the California IMCA Speedweek Series, presented by Hoppes
Motorsports. Nation pocketed $700 for his winning effort.
Tanner
Thomas drew the pole position with Nation lined up right behind him.
However, Nation led the opening lap ahead of Thomas and Tyler Bannister.
Bannister slipped past Thomas for second on the third lap, and reigning
Sport Modified Speedweek champion Garrett Jernagan had moved into fifth
behind Andrew Pearce by Lap 5. Nation began to pull away from the pack
as Tyler Bannister and Tanner Thomas battled for second. A low pass in
Turn 4 on Lap 10 gained Jernagan fourth from Pearce. Thomas regained
second on Lap 11, and a yellow flag waved moments later. Pearce pitted
from fifth, and Nation led Tanner Thomas and Jernagan on the restart.
Jernagan made a Turn 4 pass on Thomas to grab second on Lap 15, and a
yellow flag waved moments later for debris on the track. Nation led
Jernagan and Tanner Thomas on the restart, and a yellow flag waved on
Lap 17 for Timothy Allerdings on the front straightaway. Nation
continued to lead Jernagan on the restart as Tyler Bannister and Austin
Manzella dropped Tanner Thomas back to fifth. Another yellow flag slowed
the pace on Lap 20, and Jernagan retired from second at that point.
Nation led Tyler Bannister and Manzella on the restart. From 18th
starting, Jason Bannister moved into fifth behind Tanner Thomas, and a
yellow flag waved for a Chris Falkenberg spin in Turn 3 on Lap 23. The
first restart attempt was botched when Manzella spun. However, Manzella
didn't go to the back of the pack for the restart. Officials were coming
up on curfew and decided to let it go as Nation led Tyler Bannister and
Manzella on the restart. They finished in that order, but Manzella
would be put to the back of the lead lap for not going to the back for
the restart. Nation was the happy winner ahead of Tyler Bannister,
Jason Bannister, Tanner Thomas, KC Keller, Markus Frazier, Trevor
Clymens, Matt Mayo, Falkenberg and Scott Foster.
There
were 37 IMCA Sport Modifieds in the pits once again. They would run
five 10 lap heat races and calculate finishing and passing points to
determine the Top 12 point earners who automatically made the feature
race. Pearce had a front row start in the first heat and led all the way
to win. Adriane Frost settled into second on a Lap 4 restart and would
finish there. Nation led all the way in the second heat with Keller a
race long second. Jernagan won the third heat. Ryan Bledsaw led early
with Jimmy Ford getting by on the third lap. However, Bledsaw got by
Ford on the fourth lap. Jernagan made what proved to be his winning move
on the sixth lap as he grabbed the lead. Frazier settled into second
on a Lap 9 restart and would finish there. Tyler Bannister led all the
way from the front row to win the fourth heat with Falkenberg following
him all the way in second. Tanner Thomas won the final heat race. Tyler
Thomas led the early going, but Tanner used a frontstretch pass on the
eighth lap to get the win as brother Tyler settled for second.
The
two 12 lap B Mains would transfer the Top 4 into the feature race. John
Piker had a pole position start and led all the way in the first race.
Brian Baker took second from Scott Foster on the fourth lap with Fred
Ryland settling into third two laps later. Baker spun from second on the
seventh lap as Ryland and Foster were now second and third. Piker won
ahead of Ryland, Foster and Trevor Clymens. Reigning State champion
Allerdings won the second race. Ford had a front row start and led
early, only to surrender first to Allerdings on the third lap. Manzella
moved into second on Lap 6. Forced to start at the back after a bad heat
race performance, Jason Bannister moved into third on the ninth lap.
Allerdings won ahead of Manzella, Jason Bannister and Nathan Rolfe.
With
two wins, Nation leads the standings with 80 points. Tanner Thomas has
74 to give him second by nine markers in front of Falkenberg and Piker.
Manzella has 62 points to hold fifth, one ahead of Jason Bannister and
two in front of Keller.
Dotson Scores $1,300 IMCA Stock Car Win
At Tulare Thunderbowl
Tulare,
CA...May 1...Ethan Dotson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event
Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway. This was his second win on
the weekend after rolling to the victory at Bakersfield on Friday
night. This was also a special occasion as the race was held in memory
of Kris Mancebo, who was a big IMCA Stock Car supporter.
Dotson collected $1,300 for the win.
The Top 5
drivers in each of the eight lap heat races redrew for their starting
order at the front of the Main Event. Unlike last night, when he drew a
fifth row starting spot, Dotson drew the #2 pill and started on the
outside front row next to Brock Hamilton. The race had to be restarted
after Loren DeArmond made contact with the Turn 4 wall and rolled,
ending the night for the past Hanford champion. Dotson led Hamilton and reigning Hanford champion Chad Johnson on the restart. Dotson
began to pull away from Hamilton as he negotiated the bumpy racing
surface. Steven Johnson and Larry Thompson had a spirited duel for the
fourth position with Thompson making a low pass in Turn 4 on the ninth
lap to grab the spot. Moments later, however, Thompson spun exiting the
second turn for a yellow flag. Dotson continued to lead Hamilton and
Steven Johnson on the restart. Once again, Dotson pulled out to a huge
lead over Hamilton, who had his hands full with three Johnson's running
right behind him. A low pass exiting the final turn on the last lap
gained Steven Johnson second. Dotson won by a straightaway ahead of
Steven Johnson. Hamilton settled for third, followed by Nick Johnson,
Thompson, Troy Patee, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Renn Bane, Austin Van Hoff and
Chad Johnson.
A dozen competitors turned out
for the show as the IMCA Stock Cars are running in support of the first
four IMCA California Speedweek races. Ethan Dotson won the first heat
race ahead of Chad Johnson, while Nick Johnson outran Hamilton to claim
the second heat. Brandon Whitten scratched prior to the heat races.
Reichenbach Opens California IMCA Modified Speedweek
With Bakersfield Win
Bakersfield,
CA...April 30...Clint Reichenbach won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main
Event Friday night at Bakersfield Speedway. This was the opening race of
the California IMCA Modified Speedweek Series, presented by Hoppes
Motorsports, and the win paid Reichenbach $1,000. The Santa Maria driver
took full advantage of his front row starting position to lead all the
way in victory.
Reichenbach shared the front
row with Corbett, Oregon star Collen Winebarger, and they settled into
first and second at the start. Ryan Daves was an early third ahead of
reigning Bakersfield champion Jerry Flippo. Unfortunately for
Winebarger, he slowed for a Lap 4 yellow flag and ended up retiring from
the race. Reichenbach continued to lead Flippo and Pahrump, Nevada's
Jake Pike on the restart. Reichenbach pulled away to a decent lead as
the battle was for second. Pike used an outside pass on the frontstretch
on Lap 9 to take the position from Flippo as Ethan Dotson settled into
fourth. Dotson made a high pass in Turn 4 on Lap 13 to take third from
Flippo and made a similar maneuver to claim second from Pike three laps
later. Dotson reeled in Reichenbach in the next few laps. Despite some
pressure from Dotson in the waning laps, Reichenbach prevailed at the
checkered flag for the impressive victory. Pike settled for third,
followed by Flippo, Cody Laney, Kellen Chadwick, Bricen James, Darrell
Hughes II, Brad Pounds and Robby Sawyer.
A
strong field of 42 IMCA Modifieds checked in for the show. They ran five
10 lap qualifying heat races. Those races used finishing points and
passing points to determine a Top 12, and those drivers would
automatically qualify for the show. The Top 8 point earners redrew for
their spots at the front of the feature race. In all cases, the winners
of the heat races were drivers who started on the front row. Chadwick
won the first heat ahead of Pike, and Johnson picked up the second heat
win in front of Laney. Reichenbach outran Winebarger to win the third
heat race, while Flippo grabbed the fourth heat win in front of Troy
Morris III. Multi-time Bakersfield champion Pounds outran Daves to win
the final heat.
Heat race points also lined
drivers up for their B Main starting positions. They ran two of those 12
lap events, and the winners again came from the front row. The first B
Main saw James, Hughes and Anthony Slaney run 1-2-3 the entire distance
with Bryan Clark picking up a fourth place finish. From 12th starting,
Ricky Childress Jr found something on the outside and worked his way up
to challenge Clark before brushing the wall in Turn 2 to end his race
after eight laps. Cody Laney and Sawyer ran first and second throughout
the second 12 lap B Main to finish in those positions. Nick DeCarlo was
an early third, but a Turn 2 pass on the fifth lap put State point
leader Jim Pettit II into that position. Pettit would finish there as
DeCarlo settled for fourth.
Nation Nabs IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek Win
At Bakersfield Speedway
Bakersfield,
CA...April 30...Jason Nation won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main
Event Friday night at Bakersfield Speedway. The Bakersfield driver
started in the third row and only needed a couple of laps to get the
lead that he would take all the way to the $700 victory. This was the
opening round of the eight-race California IMCA Speedweek Series,
presented by Hoppes Motorsports.
The race had
to be restarted when outside front row starter Adam Jeffrey spun in the
second turn, collecting several other drivers in the process. Merced
racer Tanner Thomas jumped into the early lead ahead of Billy Simkins
and Nation. However, Nation got a good run on the outside and passed
both Thomas and Simkins by the time the third lap was completed. Driving
for Wayne Dotson, Levi Kiefer settled into second on the fourth lap,
and Brock Crawford brought out a lap six yellow flag in Turn 4 as his
race came to an end. Nation continued to lead Kiefer and Thomas on the
restart. Fred Ryland made an inside pass in Turn 3 on Lap 8 to take
fourth from Simkins, but he surrendered the position to Jason Bannister
on the 11th lap. Unfortunately, Jason Bannister's race ended as he
brought out a Lap 18 yellow flag with mechanical issues. Nation
continued to lead Kiefer on the restart, and Ryland made an inside pass
in Turn 4 to take third from Thomas as they came by to complete the lap.
Ryland, Thomas and Simkins had a good battle going for the next few
laps with Simkins making a Turn 4 pass on Lap 23 to briefly take fourth
from Thomas. However, Thomas came roaring back on the outside in Turn 4 a
lap later to regain the position. Nation drove a flawless race and
scored the well-earned victory ahead of Kiefer, Ryland, Thomas, Simkins,
John Piker, Tyler Blankenship, Jon McKinley, Austin Manzella and Chris
Falkenberg.
The IMCA Sport Modified portion of
the program produced an impressive 37 car field. They ran five 10 lap
qualifying heat races with the Top 12 in finishing and passing points
automatically making it into the feature race. The Top 8 point earners
redrew for their starting spots at the front of the pack. With the
exception of Nation, the heat race winners all won from front row
starting positions. Adam Jeffrey outran Antioch racer Andrew Pearce to
win the first heat with Kiefer picking up the second heat win in front
of Tanner Thomas. Nation picked up the third heat win ahead of 2019
State champion Guy Ahlwardt, and reigning Merced champion Ryland picked
up the fourth heat win over Falkenberg. Simkins won the final heat ahead
of Matt Mayo.
The heat race points lined up
the two 12 lap B Mains, and the Top 4 finishers made it into the show.
Tyler Bannister led the first B Main early with Pearce in pursuit.
Unfortunately, Tyler Bannister had problems as a yellow flag waved on
Lap 3. Pearce took over the lead at that point with Marckus Frazier and
Trevor Clymens in pursuit. Daniel West settled into second ahead of
Jason Bannister on the fifth lap. However, even a yellow flag on the
ninth lap couldn't stop Pearce as he won ahead of West, Jason Bannister
and McKinley. Blankenship won the second 12 Lap B Main. Falkenberg led
early ahead of KC Keller and Michael Black, but Blankenship was in third
on the second lap. Following a yellow flag on the third lap,
Blankenship moved into the lead ahead of Falkenberg and Keller. However,
Brock Crawford took third from Keller on the sixth lap, and Blankenship
won ahead of Falkenberg, Crawford and Keller.
Dotson Wins IMCA Stock Car Main Event
At Bakersfield Speedway
Bakersfield,
CA...April 30...Ethan Dotson won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event
Friday night at Bakersfield Speedway. This was the second win of the
season for Dotson, who currently leads the standings at the track.
Though they aren't officially getting any sort of series recognition,
the IMCA Stock Cars were booked as a support class for the first four
IMCA California Speedweek races.
The Top 5
finishers in each of the two eight lap heat races redrew for their
starting spots in the feature race. As luck would have it, heat race
winner Dotson drew a fifth row starting position. Polesitter Brock
Hamilton set the early pace ahead of past Hanford champion Troy Patee
and Justin Schweitzer. Steven Johnson made an inside pass on the
frontstretch on the third lap to take second from Patee, but Schweitzer
and Jeff Streeter both got by him on the fourth lap. A yellow flag flew
moments later for past Hanford champion Loren DeArmond and Austin Van
Hoff on the frontstretch. Crawford continued to lead Streeter and Justin
Schweitzer on the restart, but Dotson went by Schweitzer on the
frontstretch to grab third on the sixth lap. An inside pass on the
backstretch on Lap 7 gained Dotson the lead from Crawford, and Streeter
made an outside pass on the frontstretch a lap later to grab second.
Steven Johnson went low in Turn 4 on Lap 9 to take third from Crawford.
The red flag waved on Lap 15 as State point leader Renn Bane rolled in
the fourth turn. Dotson.led Streeter and Steven Johnson on the restart.
As Dotson motored ahead to a straightaway advantage in victory, Streeter
and Johnson had a side-by-side battle for second. It was Streeter who
would earn the runner-up finish, followed by Steven Johnson, Dakota
Schweitzer, Justin Schweitzer, Hamilton, Van Hoff, DeArmond, Bane and
Patee.
There were 13 IMCA Stock Cars for the
show, but Nick Johnson had mechanical issues in winning his heat race
ahead of Streeter. Dotson won the other heat ahead of Steven Johnson.
Chad Johnson and Terry DeCarlo Jr were other Main Event scratches.
Silver Dollar Speedway Unofficial Race Results May 8
IMCA Modified
A Main
Clint Reichenbach
Troy Foulger
Buddy Kniss
Nick DeCarlo
Ryan McDaniel
Jim Pettit II
Ryan Daves
Kellen Chadwick
Jerry Flippo
Jake Mayden
Troy Morris III
Tim Balding
Matthew Hagio
Carl Berendsen II
Anthony Slaney
Raymond Lindeman
Paul Guglielmoni
Devon Reed
Chris Lewis
Justin Yaeger
B Main
Ryan McDaniel
Raymond Lindeman
Chris Lewis
Justin Yaeger
Jake Dewsbury
Freddie Plourde III
Joey Olschowka Jr
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
Jeffrey Faulkner
Clay Daly
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Tyler Bannister
Jason Nation
Jason Bannister
Andrew Peckham
Tanner Thomas
Brian Cooper
Guy Ahlwardt
Chris Falkenberg
Kenny Shrader
Andrew Pearce
KC Keller
Trevor Tiffee
Buddy Olschowka
Cody Parker
Scott Foster
Zac Potts
Chase Thomas
Jacob Mallet Jr
Phillip Shelby
Josh Most
B Main
Josh Most
Tanner Thomas
Chris Falkenberg
Cody Parker
Adriane Frost
Jimmy Ford
Jim Reed
Sean Hulsey
Emali VanHoff
Nathan Rolfe
Ryan DeFores
Donnie Fortney
Scott Savell
Mike Merritt
Winged Crate Sprints
Results are not official
1 #101 David Sims
2 #XX Brett Youngman
3 #32 Cameron Haney Jr
4 #35 Michael Ballentine
5 #21 Kelly Hicks
6 #86N Chad Thompson
7 #10 Doug Froehlich
8 #17 Jacob Ballentine
9 #9 Dusty Barton
10 #97 Brandon Dozier
IMCA Modified
A Main
Clint Reichenbach
Troy Foulger
Buddy Kniss
Nick DeCarlo
Ryan McDaniel
Jim Pettit II
Ryan Daves
Kellen Chadwick
Jerry Flippo
Jake Mayden
Troy Morris III
Tim Balding
Matthew Hagio
Carl Berendsen II
Anthony Slaney
Raymond Lindeman
Paul Guglielmoni
Devon Reed
Chris Lewis
Justin Yaeger
B Main
Ryan McDaniel
Raymond Lindeman
Chris Lewis
Justin Yaeger
Jake Dewsbury
Freddie Plourde III
Joey Olschowka Jr
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
Jeffrey Faulkner
Clay Daly
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Tyler Bannister
Jason Nation
Jason Bannister
Andrew Peckham
Tanner Thomas
Brian Cooper
Guy Ahlwardt
Chris Falkenberg
Kenny Shrader
Andrew Pearce
KC Keller
Trevor Tiffee
Buddy Olschowka
Cody Parker
Scott Foster
Zac Potts
Chase Thomas
Jacob Mallet Jr
Phillip Shelby
Josh Most
B Main
Josh Most
Tanner Thomas
Chris Falkenberg
Cody Parker
Adriane Frost
Jimmy Ford
Jim Reed
Sean Hulsey
Emali VanHoff
Nathan Rolfe
Ryan DeFores
Donnie Fortney
Scott Savell
Mike Merritt
Winged Crate Sprints
Results are not official
1 #101 David Sims
2 #XX Brett Youngman
3 #32 Cameron Haney Jr
4 #35 Michael Ballentine
5 #21 Kelly Hicks
6 #86N Chad Thompson
7 #10 Doug Froehlich
8 #17 Jacob Ballentine
9 #9 Dusty Barton
10 #97 Brandon Dozier
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results May 7
IMCA Dirt Modifieds
A Main
Ethan Dotson
Clint Reichenbach
Jim Pettit II
Kellen Chadwick
Cody Burke
Ryan Daves
Tim Balding
Jerry Flippo
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Bobby Motts Jr
Craig Cassell
Jeffrey Faulkner
Justin Yaeger
Matthew Hagio
Mitch Machado
Anthony Slaney
Jake Mayden
Buddy Kniss
Troy Morris III
B Main
Ethan Dotson
Ryan Daves
Cody Burke
Bobby Motts
Raymond Lindeman
Carl Berendsen II
Devon Reed
Paul Guglielmoni
Tim Yaeger
Jake Dewsbury
John Pierce
Dylan Schriner
IMCA Dirt Modifieds
A Main
Ethan Dotson
Clint Reichenbach
Jim Pettit II
Kellen Chadwick
Cody Burke
Ryan Daves
Tim Balding
Jerry Flippo
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Bobby Motts Jr
Craig Cassell
Jeffrey Faulkner
Justin Yaeger
Matthew Hagio
Mitch Machado
Anthony Slaney
Jake Mayden
Buddy Kniss
Troy Morris III
B Main
Ethan Dotson
Ryan Daves
Cody Burke
Bobby Motts
Raymond Lindeman
Carl Berendsen II
Devon Reed
Paul Guglielmoni
Tim Yaeger
Jake Dewsbury
John Pierce
Dylan Schriner
IMCA Sport Modfieds
A MainAndrew Pearce
Jason Nation
Tyler Bannister
Kenny Shrader
Josh Most
Chris Falkenberg
Guy Ahlwardt
Andrew Peckham
Jason Bannister
Tanner Thomas
Kelly Campanile
Scott Foster
KC Keller
Les Friend
Jacob Mallet Jr
Adriane Frost
Emali VanHoff
Chase Thomas
Fred Ryland
Timothy Allerdings
B Main 1
Guy Ahlwardt
Jacob Mallet Jr
Jason Bannister
Emali VanHoff
Ryan DeForest
Jim Reed
Nick Caughman Jr
Jimmy Ford
Ryan Smith
Bryce Campbell
Phillip Shelby
B Main 2
Josh Most
Tanner Thomas
Adriane Frost
Fred Ryland
Trevor Tiffee
Buddy Olschowka
Darren Thomas
Scott Savell
Matt Pedroni
Clarence Holbrook
Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results May 6
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Troy Morris III
Troy Foulger
Ethan Dotson
Nick DeCarlo
Jim Pettit II
Kellen Chadwick
Jerry Flippo
Cody Burke
Ryan Daves
Tim Balding
Buddy Kniss
Jake Mayden
Anthony Slaney
Clint Reichenbach
Carl Berendsen II
Matthew Hagio
Jeffrey Faulkner
Justin Yaeger
Raymond Lindeman
Bobby Motts
B Main
Jake Mayden
Ryan Daves
Raymond Lindeman
Matthew Hagio
Mitch Machado
Freddie Plourde III
Jim Weiler
Michelle Paul
Devon Reed
Jerry Roy Jr
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
Bobby Montalvo
Michael Paul Jr DQ
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Tyler Bannister
Jason Nation
Tanner Thomas
Jason Bannister
Kenny Shrader
Chris Falkenberg
KC Keller
Trevor Tiffee
Fred Ryland
Adriane Frost
Kelly Campanile
Jimmy Ford
Emali VanHoff
Scott Foster
Jim Reed
Jacob Mallet Jr
Ryan DeForest
Trevor Clymens
Guy Ahlwardt
Josh Most DQ
Jay's Mobile Welding Super Stocks
Matt Hagemann
Mitch Machado
jake vantol
Randy Miramontez
Mike Learn
Shawn McCoy
David Spindell
Steve Studebaker
Justin Zwicker
Duane Croft
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Troy Morris III
Troy Foulger
Ethan Dotson
Nick DeCarlo
Jim Pettit II
Kellen Chadwick
Jerry Flippo
Cody Burke
Ryan Daves
Tim Balding
Buddy Kniss
Jake Mayden
Anthony Slaney
Clint Reichenbach
Carl Berendsen II
Matthew Hagio
Jeffrey Faulkner
Justin Yaeger
Raymond Lindeman
Bobby Motts
B Main
Jake Mayden
Ryan Daves
Raymond Lindeman
Matthew Hagio
Mitch Machado
Freddie Plourde III
Jim Weiler
Michelle Paul
Devon Reed
Jerry Roy Jr
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
Bobby Montalvo
Michael Paul Jr DQ
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Tyler Bannister
Jason Nation
Tanner Thomas
Jason Bannister
Kenny Shrader
Chris Falkenberg
KC Keller
Trevor Tiffee
Fred Ryland
Adriane Frost
Kelly Campanile
Jimmy Ford
Emali VanHoff
Scott Foster
Jim Reed
Jacob Mallet Jr
Ryan DeForest
Trevor Clymens
Guy Ahlwardt
Josh Most DQ
Jay's Mobile Welding Super Stocks
Matt Hagemann
Mitch Machado
jake vantol
Randy Miramontez
Mike Learn
Shawn McCoy
David Spindell
Steve Studebaker
Justin Zwicker
Duane Croft
Antioch Speedway Unofficial Race Results May 5
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Bobby Hogge IV
Ethan Dotson
Troy Morris III
Kellen Chadwick
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Clint Reichenbach
Jerry Flippo
Matthew Hagio
Jim Pettit II
Anthony Slaney
Tim Balding
Cody Burke
Carl Berendsen II
Paul Guglielmoni
Devon Reed
John Pierce
Brent Curran
Buddy Kniss
Freddie Plourde III
B Main 1
Cody Burke
John Pierce
Brent Curran
Devon Reed
Dylan Schriner
Tim Yaeger
Mickey Hill
Bobby Motts Jr
Danny Malfatti DNS
Mitch Machado DNS
B Main 2
Carl Berendsen II
Jim Pettit II
Paul Guglielmoni
Jerry Flippo
Ryan Daves
Jake Mayden
Raymond Lindeman
Jeffrey Faulkner
Justin Yaeger
Darrell Hughes II DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Bobby Hogge IV
Ethan Dotson
Troy Morris III
Kellen Chadwick
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Clint Reichenbach
Jerry Flippo
Matthew Hagio
Jim Pettit II
Anthony Slaney
Tim Balding
Cody Burke
Carl Berendsen II
Paul Guglielmoni
Devon Reed
John Pierce
Brent Curran
Buddy Kniss
Freddie Plourde III
B Main 1
Cody Burke
John Pierce
Brent Curran
Devon Reed
Dylan Schriner
Tim Yaeger
Mickey Hill
Bobby Motts Jr
Danny Malfatti DNS
Mitch Machado DNS
B Main 2
Carl Berendsen II
Jim Pettit II
Paul Guglielmoni
Jerry Flippo
Ryan Daves
Jake Mayden
Raymond Lindeman
Jeffrey Faulkner
Justin Yaeger
Darrell Hughes II DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Tyler Bannister
Fred Ryland
Josh Most
Jason Nation
Jason Bannister
KC Keller
Andrew Pearce
Kenny Shrader
Guy Ahlwardt
Jimmy Ford
Jim DiGiovanni
Kelly Campanile
Trevor Clymens
Haley Gomez
Scott Foster
Chuck Golden
Trevor Tiffee
Jacob Mallet Jr
Anthony Doubledee
Dwayne Short
B Main 1
Guy Ahlwardt
Kelly Campanile
Dwayne Short
Anthony Doubledee
Emali VanHoff
Nick Caughman
Ryan DeForest
Timothy Allerdings
Ryan Smith DNS
B Main 2
Jim DiGiovanni
Trevor Tiffee
Haley Gomez
Scott Foster
Jim Reed
Tyler Thomas
Tanner Thomas
Joe Salvi DNS
Hobby Stocks
DJ Keldsen
Logan Clay
Larry McKinzie Jr
Jeff Bentancourt
Kenneth Robles
Angela Brown
Jon Haney
Albert Ballinger
Vigna Anthony
Jared Baugh
Gene Haney
Misty Welborn
Jewell Crandall
Ken Johns
Aiden Ponciano
Kenny Troen
Trevor Clymens
Emilie Bryant
Grayson Baca
James Graessle
Colton Haney
Tyler Bannister
Fred Ryland
Josh Most
Jason Nation
Jason Bannister
KC Keller
Andrew Pearce
Kenny Shrader
Guy Ahlwardt
Jimmy Ford
Jim DiGiovanni
Kelly Campanile
Trevor Clymens
Haley Gomez
Scott Foster
Chuck Golden
Trevor Tiffee
Jacob Mallet Jr
Anthony Doubledee
Dwayne Short
B Main 1
Guy Ahlwardt
Kelly Campanile
Dwayne Short
Anthony Doubledee
Emali VanHoff
Nick Caughman
Ryan DeForest
Timothy Allerdings
Ryan Smith DNS
B Main 2
Jim DiGiovanni
Trevor Tiffee
Haley Gomez
Scott Foster
Jim Reed
Tyler Thomas
Tanner Thomas
Joe Salvi DNS
Hobby Stocks
DJ Keldsen
Logan Clay
Larry McKinzie Jr
Jeff Bentancourt
Kenneth Robles
Angela Brown
Jon Haney
Albert Ballinger
Vigna Anthony
Jared Baugh
Gene Haney
Misty Welborn
Jewell Crandall
Ken Johns
Aiden Ponciano
Kenny Troen
Trevor Clymens
Emilie Bryant
Grayson Baca
James Graessle
Colton Haney
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results May 3
IMCA Modified
A Main
Ethan Dotson
Collen Winebarger
Darrell Hughes II
Cody Laney
Jake Pike
Kellen Chadwick
Tim Balding
Jim Pettit II
Matthew Hagio
Trevor Fitz
Cody Burke
Troy Foulger
Ryan Daves
Bricen Jame
Anthony Slaney
Clint Reichenbach
Robby Sawyer
Jerry Flippo
Jake Mayden
Nick DeCarlo
B Main 1
Trevor Fitz
Jerry Flippo
Nick DeCarlo
Clint Reichenbach
Jason Pike
Dalton Houghton
Justin Yaeger
Ricky Thatcher
Mitch Machado
Tim Yaeger
Clark Guglielmoni
Carl Berendsen II
B Main 2
Jim Pettit II
Matthew Hagio
Ryan Daves
Troy Foulger
Rick Diaz
Devon Reed
Buddy Kniss
Freddie Plourde III
John Pierce
Troy Morris III
Bill Wilker
Chase Aue DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main IMCA Modified
A Main
Ethan Dotson
Collen Winebarger
Darrell Hughes II
Cody Laney
Jake Pike
Kellen Chadwick
Tim Balding
Jim Pettit II
Matthew Hagio
Trevor Fitz
Cody Burke
Troy Foulger
Ryan Daves
Bricen Jame
Anthony Slaney
Clint Reichenbach
Robby Sawyer
Jerry Flippo
Jake Mayden
Nick DeCarlo
B Main 1
Trevor Fitz
Jerry Flippo
Nick DeCarlo
Clint Reichenbach
Jason Pike
Dalton Houghton
Justin Yaeger
Ricky Thatcher
Mitch Machado
Tim Yaeger
Clark Guglielmoni
Carl Berendsen II
B Main 2
Jim Pettit II
Matthew Hagio
Ryan Daves
Troy Foulger
Rick Diaz
Devon Reed
Buddy Kniss
Freddie Plourde III
John Pierce
Troy Morris III
Bill Wilker
Chase Aue DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Jason Bannister
Jason Nation
Fred Ryland
Tyler Bannister
Andrew Pearce
Markus Frazier
Chuck Weir
KC Keller
Chris Falkenberg
Trevor Clymens
Dave Pearson
Richard Ragsdale
Jason Pugh
Timothy Allerdings
Nathan Rolfe
Ryan Smith
Matt Mayo
Tyler Thomas
Tanner Thomas
Jon McKinley
B Main 1
Timothy Allerdings
Tyler Thomas
Richard Ragsdale
Trevor Clymens
Trevor Tiffee
Riley Jeppesen
Jim Reed
Aaron Farrell
Ryan DeForest
Dwayne Short
B Main 2
Nathan Rolfe
Tyler Bannister
Jon McKinley
Jason Pugh
Cody Parker
Orion Messina
Emali VanHoff
Joe Salvi
Darren Thomas
Jimmy Ford
IMCA Stock Car
Ethan Dotson
Nicholas Johnson
Cody Johnson
Austin VanHoff
Garrett Corn
Terry Decarlo Jr
Renn Bane
Jeff Streeter
Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results May 2
IMCA Modified
A Main
Ethan Dotson
Cody Laney
Troy Foulger
Bricen James
Kellen Chadwick
Jerry Flippo
Troy Morris III
Collen Winebarger
Jake Pike
Paul Stone
Jim Pettit II
Bobby Hogge IV
Jason Pike
Gavyn Manning
Robby Sawyer
Cody Burke
Tim Balding
Clint Reichenbach
Ryan Daves
Buddy Kniss
B Main 1
Robby Sawyer
Jake Pike
Jason Pike
Jim Pettit II
Trevor Fitz
Bryan Clark
Mitch Machado
Devon Reed
Kyle Bryan
Anthony Slaney
Justin Yaeger
Jeff Browne
Jake Dewsbury
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
B Main 2
Gavyn Manning
Buddy Kniss
Ryan Daves
Tim Balding
Jake Mayden
Nick DeCarlo
Rick Diaz
Carl Berendsen II
Dalton Houghton
Matthew Hagio
Ricky Thatcher
Carla Laney
Bill Wilker
Freddie Plourde III
IMCA Sport Modifieds
IMCA Modified
A Main
Ethan Dotson
Cody Laney
Troy Foulger
Bricen James
Kellen Chadwick
Jerry Flippo
Troy Morris III
Collen Winebarger
Jake Pike
Paul Stone
Jim Pettit II
Bobby Hogge IV
Jason Pike
Gavyn Manning
Robby Sawyer
Cody Burke
Tim Balding
Clint Reichenbach
Ryan Daves
Buddy Kniss
B Main 1
Robby Sawyer
Jake Pike
Jason Pike
Jim Pettit II
Trevor Fitz
Bryan Clark
Mitch Machado
Devon Reed
Kyle Bryan
Anthony Slaney
Justin Yaeger
Jeff Browne
Jake Dewsbury
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
B Main 2
Gavyn Manning
Buddy Kniss
Ryan Daves
Tim Balding
Jake Mayden
Nick DeCarlo
Rick Diaz
Carl Berendsen II
Dalton Houghton
Matthew Hagio
Ricky Thatcher
Carla Laney
Bill Wilker
Freddie Plourde III
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Fred Ryland
KC Keller
Guy Ahlwardt
Jason Bannister
Chris Falkenberg
Jason Nation
Nick Spainhoward
Chase Thomas
Trevor Clymens
Matt Mayo
Dave Pearson
Markus Frazier
Dylan Potter
Scott Foster
Jimmy Ford
Timothy Allerdings
Garrett Jernagan
Tyler Bannister
Tanner Thomas
Andrew Pearce
B Main 1
Chris Falkenberg
Jimmy Ford
Trevor Clymens
Chase Thomas
Tyler Blankenship
Brandon Jennings
Kelly Campanile
Trevor Tiffee
Orion Messina
Jim Reed
Ryan Smith
Brian Baker
B Main 2
Nick Spainhoward
KC Keller
Timothy Allerdings
Tanner Thomas
Adriane Frost
Tyler Thomas
Ryan DeForest
Emali VanHoff
Austin Pugh
Aaron Farrell
Jason Pugh
IMCA Stock Cars
Ethan Dotson
Nicholas Johnson
Jeffrey Streeter
Steven Johnson
Troy Patee
Brock Hamilton
Austin VanHoff
Terry Decarlo Jr
Larry Thompson
Renn Bane
Brandon Whitten
Fred Ryland
KC Keller
Guy Ahlwardt
Jason Bannister
Chris Falkenberg
Jason Nation
Nick Spainhoward
Chase Thomas
Trevor Clymens
Matt Mayo
Dave Pearson
Markus Frazier
Dylan Potter
Scott Foster
Jimmy Ford
Timothy Allerdings
Garrett Jernagan
Tyler Bannister
Tanner Thomas
Andrew Pearce
B Main 1
Chris Falkenberg
Jimmy Ford
Trevor Clymens
Chase Thomas
Tyler Blankenship
Brandon Jennings
Kelly Campanile
Trevor Tiffee
Orion Messina
Jim Reed
Ryan Smith
Brian Baker
B Main 2
Nick Spainhoward
KC Keller
Timothy Allerdings
Tanner Thomas
Adriane Frost
Tyler Thomas
Ryan DeForest
Emali VanHoff
Austin Pugh
Aaron Farrell
Jason Pugh
IMCA Stock Cars
Ethan Dotson
Nicholas Johnson
Jeffrey Streeter
Steven Johnson
Troy Patee
Brock Hamilton
Austin VanHoff
Terry Decarlo Jr
Larry Thompson
Renn Bane
Brandon Whitten
Thunderbowl Raceway Unofficial Race Results May 1
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Clint Reichenbach
Ethan Dotson
Collen Winebarger
Robby Sawyer
Jerry Flippo
Kellen Chadwick
Troy Foulger
Ricky Childress Jr
Cody Burke
Troy Morris III
Jake Pike
Tim Balding
Buddy Kniss
Bricen James
Gavyn Manning
Cody Laney
Rick Diaz
Trevor Fitz
Steve Noland
Carl Berendsen II
B Main 1
Troy Morris III
Buddy Kniss
Jake Pike
Trevor Fitz
Ryan Daves
Anthony Slaney
Jim Pettit II
Matthew Hagi
Michael Scruggs
Nick DeCarlo
Mitch Machado
Devon Reed
Rob Sanders
Carla Laney DNS
Darrell Hughes II DNS
Jeff Browne DNS
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Clint Reichenbach
Ethan Dotson
Collen Winebarger
Robby Sawyer
Jerry Flippo
Kellen Chadwick
Troy Foulger
Ricky Childress Jr
Cody Burke
Troy Morris III
Jake Pike
Tim Balding
Buddy Kniss
Bricen James
Gavyn Manning
Cody Laney
Rick Diaz
Trevor Fitz
Steve Noland
Carl Berendsen II
B Main 1
Troy Morris III
Buddy Kniss
Jake Pike
Trevor Fitz
Ryan Daves
Anthony Slaney
Jim Pettit II
Matthew Hagi
Michael Scruggs
Nick DeCarlo
Mitch Machado
Devon Reed
Rob Sanders
Carla Laney DNS
Darrell Hughes II DNS
Jeff Browne DNS
B Main 2
Jerry Flippo
Collen Winebarger
Rick Diaz
Ricky Childress Jr
Bill Wilker
Freddie Plourde III
JC Elrod
Danny Lauer
Bryan Clark
Jake Dewsbury
Dalton Houghton
Kyle Bryan
Jack Aguiar
John Pierce
Tim Yaeger
Justin Yaeger DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Jason Nation
Tyler Bannister
Jason Bannister
Tanner Thomas
KC Keller
Markus Frazier
Trevor Clymens
Matt Mayo
Chris Falkenberg
Scott Foster
Austin Manzella
Garrett Jernagan
John Piker
Timothy Allerdings
Nathan Rolfe
Adriane Frost
Andrew Pearce
Tyler Thomas
Dave Pearson
Fred Ryland
B Main 1
John Piker
Fred Ryland
Scott Foster
Trevor Clymens
Brian Baker
Ryan Smith
Ryan DeForest
Kelly Campanile
Brock Crawford
Ryan Bledsaw
Jim Reed
Emali VanHoff
Mike Ficklin DNS
B Main 2
Timothy Allerdings
Austin Manzella
Jason Bannister
Nathan Rolfe
Jimmy Ford
Aaron Farrell
Orion Messina
Trevor Tiffee
Austin Pugh
Guy Ahlwardt
Chase Thomas
Todd Carlock DNS
IMCA Stock Cars
Ethan Dotson
Steven Johnson
Brock Hamilton
Nicholas Johnson
Larry Thompson
Troy Patee
Terry Decarlo Jr
Renn Bane
Austin VanHoff
Chad Johnson
Loren DeArmond
Brandon Whitten DNS
John Piker
Fred Ryland
Scott Foster
Trevor Clymens
Brian Baker
Ryan Smith
Ryan DeForest
Kelly Campanile
Brock Crawford
Ryan Bledsaw
Jim Reed
Emali VanHoff
Mike Ficklin DNS
B Main 2
Timothy Allerdings
Austin Manzella
Jason Bannister
Nathan Rolfe
Jimmy Ford
Aaron Farrell
Orion Messina
Trevor Tiffee
Austin Pugh
Guy Ahlwardt
Chase Thomas
Todd Carlock DNS
IMCA Stock Cars
Ethan Dotson
Steven Johnson
Brock Hamilton
Nicholas Johnson
Larry Thompson
Troy Patee
Terry Decarlo Jr
Renn Bane
Austin VanHoff
Chad Johnson
Loren DeArmond
Brandon Whitten DNS
Bakersfield Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 30
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Jason Nation
Levi Kiefer
Fred Ryland
Tanner Thomas
Billy Simkins
John Piker
Tyler Blankenship
Jon McKinley
Austin Manzella
Chris Falkenberg
Daniel West
Andrew Pearce
Timothy Allerdings
Dylan Potter
Guy Ahlwardt
Matt Mayo
KC Keller
Jason Bannister
Adam Jeffrey
Brock Crawford
B Main 1
Andrew Pearce
Daniel West
Jason Bannister
Jon McKinley
Emali VanHoff
Mike Ficklin
Trevor Clymens
D. J. Jeffery
Aaron Farrell
Markus Frazier
Trevor Tiffee
Tyler Bannister
Jimmy Ford
B Main 2
Tyler Blankenship
Chris Falkenberg
Brock Crawford
KC Keller
Dave Pearson
Cody Parker
Orion Messina
Scott Foster
Ryan DeForest
Michael Black
Jim Reed
Ryan Smith DNS
IMCA Modified
A Main
Clint Reichenbach
Ethan Dotson
Jake Pike
Jerry Flippo
Cody Laney
Kellen Chadwick
Bricen James
Darrell Hughes II
Brad Pounds
Robby Sawyer
Ryan Daves
Jim Pettit II
Anthony Slaney
Logan Drake
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Troy Morris III
Bryan Clark
Gavyn Manning
Collen Winebarger
B Main 1
Bricen James
Darrell Hughes II
Anthony Slaney
Bryan Clark
Rob Sanders
Tim Balding
Michael Scruggs
Matthew Hagio
Vinny Raucci Jr
John Pierce
icky Childress Jr
Bill Wilker
Rick Diaz
Justin Yaeger
Tim Yaeger DNS
B Main 2
Cody Laney
Robby Sawyer
Jim Pettit II
Nick DeCarlo
Cody Burke
Austin Kiefer
Danny Lauer
Trevor Fitz
Jack Aguiar
Carl Berendsen II
Dalton Houghton
Devon Reed
Freddie Plourde III
Mitch Machado
Jake Dewsbury
IMCA Stock Cars
Ethan Dotson
Jeff Streeter
Steven Johnson
Dakota Schweitzer
Justin Schweitzer
Brock Hamilton
Austin VanHoff
Loren DeArmond
Renn Bane
Troy Patee
Nicholas Johnson DNS
Terry Decarlo Jr DNS
Chad Johnson DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Jason Nation
Levi Kiefer
Fred Ryland
Tanner Thomas
Billy Simkins
John Piker
Tyler Blankenship
Jon McKinley
Austin Manzella
Chris Falkenberg
Daniel West
Andrew Pearce
Timothy Allerdings
Dylan Potter
Guy Ahlwardt
Matt Mayo
KC Keller
Jason Bannister
Adam Jeffrey
Brock Crawford
B Main 1
Andrew Pearce
Daniel West
Jason Bannister
Jon McKinley
Emali VanHoff
Mike Ficklin
Trevor Clymens
D. J. Jeffery
Aaron Farrell
Markus Frazier
Trevor Tiffee
Tyler Bannister
Jimmy Ford
B Main 2
Tyler Blankenship
Chris Falkenberg
Brock Crawford
KC Keller
Dave Pearson
Cody Parker
Orion Messina
Scott Foster
Ryan DeForest
Michael Black
Jim Reed
Ryan Smith DNS
IMCA Modified
A Main
Clint Reichenbach
Ethan Dotson
Jake Pike
Jerry Flippo
Cody Laney
Kellen Chadwick
Bricen James
Darrell Hughes II
Brad Pounds
Robby Sawyer
Ryan Daves
Jim Pettit II
Anthony Slaney
Logan Drake
Nick DeCarlo
Troy Foulger
Troy Morris III
Bryan Clark
Gavyn Manning
Collen Winebarger
B Main 1
Bricen James
Darrell Hughes II
Anthony Slaney
Bryan Clark
Rob Sanders
Tim Balding
Michael Scruggs
Matthew Hagio
Vinny Raucci Jr
John Pierce
icky Childress Jr
Bill Wilker
Rick Diaz
Justin Yaeger
Tim Yaeger DNS
B Main 2
Cody Laney
Robby Sawyer
Jim Pettit II
Nick DeCarlo
Cody Burke
Austin Kiefer
Danny Lauer
Trevor Fitz
Jack Aguiar
Carl Berendsen II
Dalton Houghton
Devon Reed
Freddie Plourde III
Mitch Machado
Jake Dewsbury
IMCA Stock Cars
Ethan Dotson
Jeff Streeter
Steven Johnson
Dakota Schweitzer
Justin Schweitzer
Brock Hamilton
Austin VanHoff
Loren DeArmond
Renn Bane
Troy Patee
Nicholas Johnson DNS
Terry Decarlo Jr DNS
Chad Johnson DNS
California IMCA Speedweek Notes
Bakersfield Speedway
Bakersfield
Speedway got the opener for the 2021 California IMCA Speedweek Series,
presented by Hoppes Motorsports. When Series Director Doug Lockwood
introduced this idea to California last season, it met with resounding
success. The six race series featured six different tracks and ran in
August with no fans allowed in attendance. What a difference a year
makes. Fans are being allowed in attendance at all eight participating
venues, and floracing.com
is still bringing the pay-per-view broadcast. This time around,
however, Chet Christner came to California to bring his entertaining
commentary to the show.
If there was any
question as to how much interest there would be this time around, they
had 42 IMCA Modifieds and 37 IMCA Sport Modifieds for the show. They
also had 13 IMCA Stock Cars in support. The IMCA Stock Cars are not
officially a part of the tour, but the first four participating tracks
decided to include them in a supporting role. They decided to start
south and work their way north this year as a way to shake things up and
make it more interesting. Last year, they started north and worked
their way south
It's interesting to note that
they decided not to run the two heat race format at Bakersfield. What
they did last year was had the drivers draw for their heat race lineups
and run an inverted lineup for their second heats. They would calculate
passing points and heat race finishing points to determine the drivers
who qualified for the show through the heats. They kept the passing
points and heat race points, but they decided to go with just one set of
heats. To me, I don't know how much sense it makes to have that format
if you're only running one set of heats. I get the fact that they were
probably trying to make the show go quicker, but I had thoughts on the
subject last year.
They went ahead and ran two
sets of heats for both the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds last year,
and I really didn't think they needed to do two sets of heats for the
IMCA Sport Modifieds. Though I get that this is an IMCA California
Speedweek Series, the Modifieds are still the headliners. They both run a
series, but you have a headliner and a support class. They probably
should have at least kept two sets of heat races for the IMCA Modifieds,
but that's just my opinion. I guess the idea of doing passing points is
to give the drivers who had a bad draw a chance if you have the winner
starting on the front row.
Depending on the
kind of conditions you get, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. The
track was a bit dry, and that meant that most of the heat race winners
were starting on the front row. In fact, I count Jason Nation in the
IMCA Sport Modifieds as the only driver who didn't win a heat race from
the front row. He started in the second row in his heat race. There was a
little bit of passing in the heat races, though not a tremendous
amount.
When you think about it, there's no
easy way to do the format when you get 40 plus race cars in the pits.
You can qualify them on the clock, but this is not something that IMCA
encourages. People would still complain that the surface changed so much
while the others were qualifying that they came out at the wrong time
for their lap. The other complaint is that if you were to do individual
time trials, you're negatively affecting the racing conditions on the
track for later in the evening.
Ultimately, I
have to advocate for two heat races. It is the tried and true best way
to ensure that everybody gets a fair shot. I'd be okay with them doing
that just for the IMCA Modifieds as they are the headliners in my
opinion, but you can do it for both classes. Start the show a little bit
earlier. Problem solved. I don't think they even put heat races on the
track until about 7:00 pm, but I wasn't obsessively monitoring the clock
at that point. Then again, some will say that running two sets of heat
races negatively impacts the track in the same way that qualifying on
the clock would. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
We
had a bit of controversy in the heats as they used the one and done
yellow flag rule. One driver didn't feel he should have to leave the
track as he was caught behind somebody else's spin. The one and done
rule doesn't define how you stopped on the track, just that you stopped
on the track. Seems pretty self-explanatory to me. I wasn't at the pit
meeting, but I would bet this was explained to the racers. In the heat
of the moment, you always have somebody who forgets and loses their
cool.
Listening to Chet Christner announce
added some to the enjoyment. He just has a style that's pleasant to the
ear. He mentioned that IMCA dignitaries Paul Vetter and Brett Root were
in attendance. Seeing Paul at most of the big IMCA events on the West
Coast isn't too much of a surprise. He is the IMCA Western Regional
Director. Plus, you're more apt to see him at a show in Bakersfield as
that's one of the easiest trips for him to make. For Root to come out
west is definitely noteworthy. It means this event has risen in stature
in the eyes of IMCA. I didn't hear who was teching the cars, but if it
was IMCA guru Super Dave, it wouldn't surprise me a bit.
When
they panned over to the grandstands, you could see they had a decent
attendance for a Friday night. Bakersfield Speedway was one of the
harder hit tracks with the pandemic last year, and they had to cancel
some signature events because they couldn't have fans. They did host the
final Speedweek race last year, so you know Scott Schweitzer wanted to
be involved this time around. I'm sure he was happy with the nearly 80
IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds in attendance.
Most
of the top names from last year were back, but there were a couple of
noticeable absences. We didn't see IMCA Modified Speedweek champion
Bobby Hogge IV. Bobby noted last year that he was working while he was
doing Speedweek, and it could be that he wasn't able to arrange things
as easily this time around. If he doesn't show up in Hanford, that's
good news for the competition.
Also missing
was IMCA Sport Modified Speedweek champion Garrett Jernagan and
runner-up Brent Curran. Curran is currently putting together a new car. I
didn't hear why Jernagan wasn't there, but it would make perfect sense
if he decided not to participate this year. The guy went out there and
had a career week with five wins in six days. How do you top that?
When
I say these people were missing, it did nothing to hurt the competition
level as the Modifieds still had noteworthy stars such as Ethan Dotson,
Clint Reichenbach, Jerry Flippo, Robby Sawyer and Brad Pounds. Some of
the northern stars such as Jim Pettit II, Troy Foulger and Nick DeCarlo
didn't run so strong, but it can be difficult for those drivers when
they tow down to Bakersfield.
The same holds
true for the IMCA Sport Modifieds, who boasted such noteworthy talent as
Jason Nation, Jason Bannister, Tyler Bannister, Fred Ryland and Guy
Ahlwardt. Ryland ended up making it to the podium, and he noted that he
has never won at Bakersfield. This is a guy who is the 2015 IMCA State
champion along with his championships at Antioch and Merced. He's won at
so many different venues, but Bakersfield Speedway is known as a tough
track to get a win. If you can come down and get the win here, you know
you've done something special.
I don't want to
get into track conditions too much until the end of this column. I will
say that the drivers handled that track very well. There was plenty of
good racing, and they seemed to like it up next to the wall. Jason
Nation only failed to lead the first two laps as he was working his way
into the lead, and he went on to claim the IMCA Sport Modified $700
prize for the victory. Fellow Bakersfield star Levi Kiefer got a ride in
one of the Dotson cars and stuck it on the podium in second ahead of
the aforementioned Ryland in third.
For the
Modifieds, they don't come much better than Dotson. He has won some big
races in his career, including the IMCA Nationals in Boone, Iowa. Once
he gets up to the front, it's hard to stop him. In this case, he got to
the front but couldn't make that final pass. The driver leading the way
was Clint Reichenbach. Like his father Chad Reichenbach, this guy is
tough to beat, and he wasn't relinquishing the IMCA Modified lead once
he got it. He was there to bag the $1,000 prize, and that mission was
accomplished. Jake Pike managed to wrestle third from reigning
Bakersfield champion Jerry Flippo by the time the race was over.
I
don't want to throw a wet blanket over things with this final thought,
but I have to talk about track conditions. I understand that Modified
racers like it dry. I also understand that there's an art to doing a dry
track that doesn't kick dirt in everybody's faces. Some places don't
understand the difference between the two. I'm not privy to how
Bakersfield Speedway normally is, so I couldn't say if a dust filled
environment is the norm. I do know it gets hot down there, and that
presents a challenge. Also, we are going to be dealing with a drought
according to the things I hear.
When I was
watching a little bit of dust filling the air during the heat races, I
was nervous. I knew that it was a foreboding for how the rest of the
evening might go. By the time the Main Events rolled onto the track, it
was bad. I was wondering if there might have been camera issues at
first, because those things do happen. We had Chet doing a stellar job
of announcing, but watching the screen and trying to make sense of it
was challenging. It doesn't make for a pleasant viewing experience at
home.
The fans in the stands had to be getting
dust blown in their faces. If this becomes the norm for race tracks,
they'll probably make a lot of money if they start selling goggles and
face masks. People have been complaining about the face mask situation
we're going through now, but I can see them coming in handy if you're at
a dust filled race track. I don't know how it was first hand at the
track, but judging from the way it appeared on the screen, it looked
pretty bad.
I do know that when you're sitting
at home watching a pay-per-view and you can't make sense of what you're
seeing on the screen, you have a problem. Even the announcing stylings
of Chet Christner couldn't completely save this situation. Yes, Chet was
a very noticeable improvement over the announcing that Speedweek
offered last year. I'll also point out that Doug Lockwood wanted him
there last year but was overruled by the promoters at the tracks.
Obviously, they realized that in order to improve the presentation, they
needed to have one of the best announcers in the game.
Sadly,
the broadcast itself was tainted by the poor visual quality. I decided
not to compose my thoughts last night so that I could think about this.
As an observer who has always offered my opinions on things, I didn't
want to come off as being negative. I like that they had a great turnout
of racers, fans in the stands and IMCA dignitaries there to witness the
event. There was so much positive going for this race that the fact
that the visual quality was so poor was a noticeable blemish. Things
like this do happen, and we learn from them and move onward. That's
about all I have to say. It's onward to Tulare from here.
Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway
The
California IMCA Speedweek Series, presented by Hoppes Motorsports, made
its first visit to Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway. I have to be honest
with you when I say I was pessimistic about this track being added to
the series. I've made no secret of the fact that I believe Ocean
Speedway in Watsonville should be included, and it almost felt like
Tulare was taking their spot. I know some of this had to do with the
Sprint Car connection that Race Director Doug Lockwood has with Tulare,
and I'm sure there were other factors. I'm not saying Tulare is a bad
race track when I say this.
When most people
think about this track, they think of Sprint Car racing. It's better
known for things like the King of the West Series and the Trophy Cup,
but they actually have run Stock Car programs there in the past. This
is includes things like IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks and Hobby Stocks.
Scott Woodhouse promoted this event and they did a good job of
organizing it. It also had a solemn occasion as they were remembering
Kris Mancebo with a special $1,300 to win IMCA Stock Car race. Mancebo
had been a good supporter of the class before he passed away.
The
track was admittedly a little bumpy. You have to give credit to the
track crew for getting out there multiple times to try to fix some of
the rough spots. However, it didn't seem to get much better as the night
went on. After winning his second IMCA Stock Car race of the weekend,
Ethan Dotson didn't hide his displeasure with the track conditions. This
forced drivers to try different lines to avoid some of the bumps, and
it led to some scary moments for some of them. All things considered,
the drivers still made the best of it and put on a good show.
I
think the track crew and the Speedweek officials did a good job of keeping
this show moving. Compared to Bakersfield a night earlier, this was a
much more pleasurable viewing experience. You didn't have to deal with
the dust issues on this occasion. That was certainly a positive, despite
the bumps the drivers were negotiating through. I'm still of the
opinion that if you're going to do dry tracks, you need to do them in
such a way where dust isn't a big factor. Bearing in mind that sometimes
those tracks get away from you, when at all possible, you don't want to
have it too dusty. It's not a good experience for fans in attendance,
and it can also upset the neighbors.
I like
being able to see the action, and floracing.com announcer Chet Christner is such a joy to
listen to. He has a good sense of humor and a quick wit. That's not
something you can say about every announcer. During the heat of the
moment, you have to know when to say this or that. You have to know
when there is a joke to be told or when you want to put a little bit of
information out to the people. Chet brings a good balance of interesting
facts about the racers and a sense of humor. Even when he might trip
over some of his own words, he has a good way of dealing with that.
Plus, I like the "Chet-isms" that he comes up with. You almost feel
disappointed if he doesn't slip those into the program at some point
during the night.
There were 44 IMCA Modifieds,
37 IMCA Sport Modifieds and 12 IMCA Stock Cars for this occasion. I
found it interesting that the officials were strictly enforcing the
proper start procedure, which was based on a cone they had in Turn 4. In
fact, they called back two heat race starts early on, and drivers were
penalized for forcing them to do so. They try to keep this show moving,
and you don't get a second chance if you botch the initial start.
Between that and their one yellow flag rule during the heat races and B
Mains, it does keep the show moving. Officials were forced to let a
restart happen late in the Sport Modified Main Event due to concerns
over the approaching curfew, but a driver was penalized afterwards. I
believe they did manage to get it all done before curfew.
One
frustration that I have in covering this series is I don't have enough
time and space in this blog to properly cover everything. There are so
many interesting stories that happen, and I can't get to all of them. I
try to do the best I can for a series like this. The drivers are just
trying to make these shows. I know some of the teams aren't as familiar
with the tracks the Speedweek Series is starting off with, so just
making the show and getting your points goes a long way as the series
comes to your home track. They do have a throwaway rule to get rid of a
bad finish, but you are trying not to have to use that too early if
possible.
One way to avoid the worry of
throwing away those bad finishes is to get out there and win from the
get-go. Both the IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified races have been
won by the same people. Clint Reichenbach has gotten the job done in
IMCA Modifieds at Bakersfield and Tulare, while Jason Nation has done
the same in the Sport Modified ranks. For Reichenbach, he had his hands
full trying to hold off the determined Ethan Dotson. Dotson has gone
beyond his Bakersfield roots and challenged himself by leaving the state
for big races. We mentioned yesterday he had a big win in the IMCA
Nationals in Boone, Iowa few years ago. This has made him a better racer.
Nation
has been unbeatable in the IMCA Stock Car so far with two wins. The IMCA
Stock Cars get to be a part of the first four races, and they have been
very entertaining to watch. It may be possible that they will be added
as a regular support class in the future. I'm unaware of any IMCA Stock
Car mini Speedweek Series, but Nation would be halfway home to getting
that title. He's out there trying to win the IMCA Modified California
Speedweek title, and Reichenbach has thwarted him twice now. With a pair
of second place finishes for Dotson, however, these two drivers seem to
be early favorites to win the honors.
Considering
where we are racing now, seeing Reichenbach, Dotson and Jerry Flippo
performing as well as they are is no surprise. Even past Bakersfield
champion Robby Sawyer is looking good in the points. Bay Area stars like
Kellen Chadwick and Troy Foulger are very much in the game. Chadwick
has picked up a pair of Top 10 finishes. He's no stranger to Speedweek
championships, having won a pair of those in the Pacific Northwest. He
didn't look so good last year, but he's doing better so far. Chadwick
managed a sixth place finish at Tulare as Corbett, Oregon's Collen
Winebarger, Sawyer and Flippo finished third through fifth, respectively.
Nick
DeCarlo managed to make it into the show, but current State point
leader Jim Pettit II and reigning Petaluma champion Anthony Slaney
weren't so lucky. The two drivers tangled in their heat race, which was
unfortunate as at least one of those drivers probably would have had the
points to avoid a B Main had they not crashed. They didn't make it into
the show. In the Sport Modifieds, Fred Ryland followed up his podium
finish in Bakersfield by having to come through the B Main. He was out
very early in the feature race.
While Jason
Nation was deservedly grabbing his headline for an impressive second Sport Modified
Speedweek win, we can't ignore the performance of Jason Bannister.
Bannister had to come from the back of the B Main after a terrible heat
race. He made the cut and then passed several cars for the third place
feature finish behind Nation and Tyler Bannister. The Bannister's have
both run strong so far in Sport Modifieds this year, and neither of them should be
counted out in this series. It will be interesting to see how they do
as we keep going further north.
Tanner Thomas
turned in a solid performance in fourth ahead of past Antioch champion
KC Keller. He and his brothers Tyler and Chase are the sons of
three-time Merced Speedway Street Stock champion Darren Thomas. I can
imagine how proud Darren is with how his boys were doing as he watched
Tyler and Tanner battle for a heat race win, won by Tanner. Tanner is
definitely in the championship hunt, but that could have not been the
case after the terrible start he's had to his season. He flipped his car
at Antioch earlier this year and then had a hard crash at the Al Miller
Memorial in Merced. Thanks to the work of Randy Brown in straightening out his
frame, Tanner avoided a bigger expense and got his car back into running
condition.
Surviving was the name of the game
in Tulare. For some drivers, this was their first trip to the track.
You learn what you have to learn and move on to the next show. Drivers
are finding themselves having to do more work on their cars as they head
to Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. The California IMCA Speedweek
Series is just getting interesting, and we're only a quarter of the way
through.
Keller Auto Speedway
The
third stop for the California IMCA Speedweek Series, presented by
Hoppes Motorsports, was at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. Peter Murphy
has excelled as the promoter of this race track. The crew had the track
in great condition for the show, but they continued to touch it up
throughout the evening. The weather was a bit on the warm side, and the
cars were on the track for packing before 4:00 pm. The goal was to run a
rapid program and get people out of there at a decent time. Therefore,
heat races rolled onto the track just before 5:00 pm.
When
you get into racing conditions in warm weather, sometimes the track can
get away from you. That didn't happen. The track held up very well.
Though it was a little dry, it didn't get overly dusty. That didn't even
start to become a possibility until the IMCA Modifieds came out for
their feature race. There was plenty of room to go racing on the top and
the bottom, and the drivers took advantage of those conditions during
the heat races.
Because they are only using one
set of heat races to determine passing and finishing points, the
drivers are definitely on the razors edge. Drivers want a track that
offers an opportunity to advance, because you can't afford to hesitate.
Announcer Chet Christner commented on how there is a sense of urgency at
one of these series races. One hesitation or one mistake can ruin your
whole night, and you might not be able to make it up. With two sets of
heat races, there is a little more opportunity, but just one heat race
for each driver means it's time to go immediately.
If
you draw the pole position for your heat race, that doesn't put you in a
very good position. Because of the passing point situation, a driver
who might come from eighth to a third place finish does better than
somebody who wins from the pole. A good example of that is IMCA Sport
Modified Tulare and Bakersfield winner Jason Nation, who won from the
pole. He barely made it into the redraw by ranking eighth in points. An
example of one mistake costing you was the leaky gas cap on the Carl
Berendsen II car prior to his heat race. Berendsen had to pit and missed
the first couple of laps, basically ruining his night.
This
is what the drivers sign on to when they decide to compete at
Speedweek. If you're going for the championship, you've got to be
focused the entire time. One mistake in preparation can cost you. One
mistake during a race can put you behind for the rest of the night.
Sometimes it's not just about being good, but having luck on your side
as well. There are countless drivers in each division who can claim at
least one championship in their career, so they know what it takes to
get the job done. As a racer, you want to rise to the occasion at an
event like this, and fans tune in to see the best of the best in the
spirit of great racing competition.
On a Sunday
night, this series attracted 41 IMCA Modifieds, 35 IMCA Sport Modifieds
and 12 IMCA Stock Cars. Though a good chunk of the rosters for both
Modified classes will try to stick it out for all eight races, you'll
notice a bit of a drop off. Some of the Bakersfield area crowd may not
head north beyond Merced Speedway, but others will come in to take their
place. There will be some fast drivers who may not be in points, but
they can certainly play spoiler for the others. It makes for an
interesting week.
We talk about not being able
to make mistakes, but the drivers and their crews keep a couple of
things in mind. There is a one-race throwaway rule. If you have a bad
night keep you out of the Main Event, you can get rid of it to keep you
in contention in the championship battle. It's not that there is a huge
prize at the end. The Ryland Racing championship funds pay just the Top 5
drivers in each class with the Modified champion picking up $1,000 and
the Sport Modified winner getting $700. It's more about bragging rights,
and the specially made championship trophies are also appealing.
The
other thing to keep in mind is that the drivers will get a break on
Tuesday. What happens at events like these is the cars end up on jack stands after the latest race. Body panels get removed and the
crews go to work on whatever needs to be fixed. You don't have a lot of
time to get ready for the next race, so you make this time count. Of
course, there's also the bit of socializing that always happens between
races. On Tuesday, drivers can either focus in on something big that
they think might be a problem on the car, or they can relax just a
little bit before the final four-race stretch.
I've
talked about the announcing of Chet Christner, and he continues to add
to the quality of the presentation. Keller Auto Speedway may be the
highlight of the series so far. As I said, Murphy has done an
exceptional job since taking over the track and has implemented several
improvements to the facility. I have to admit I like the touch that they
have for the post race ceremonies. There are a few tracks that have a
podium on the front straightaway for the winners to be interviewed. They
have added a nice touch here where the feature winners wear a specially
made Kings Speedway crown. It's not just a prop. The winners get to
keep the crown. I think it's a nice touch.
I
have thought about the fact that we have two strong divisions for the
IMCA Modified and Sport Modified Speedweek. Do we really need a third
division in support? When it comes to the debate over whether we should
have two sets of heat races for the Modified classes, I think the answer
is not necessarily. When you get two divisions delivering about 80
cars, I think there's a case to be made for not overdoing it. The fans
aren't coming out there to see the third division. This is why we call
it a Modified Speedweek. Tracks just choose to stick a third division in
there. The plus side is it gives the fans something to watch while the
Modified drivers are getting their cars ready and officials are setting
up the lineups for the next race.
Of course,
the other part of this debate is that if you're going to have a third
division for an IMCA Speedweek, why not make it an IMCA class? The IMCA
Stock Cars are going to be a growing class in California. More tracks
are getting involved, more drivers are building cars and the roster is
expanding. However, this doesn't mean it's going to explode overnight. I
think the dozen or so cars we've seen from the IMCA Stock Cars for the
three races so far is perfect for the show. You could have a third
division right now that ran all eight races, and the fact that it might
not deliver 25 or 30 cars wouldn't be a bad thing.
I
don't have my finger on the pulse and haven't seen the discussions as
to whether people are pushing for the inclusion of the IMCA Stock Cars
for the full series. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of people are
talking about it, but I'm not sure the roster is big enough to keep it
in double digits for all eight races. The Hanford and Bakersfield crowd
is supporting this thing so far. I'm not so sure how much those drivers
would want to travel further north and ultimately to Chico to finish
this thing off. Still, had Antioch been involved with putting this class
on their date on Wednesday, it could have been a five-race series. That
may be something to think about in 2022, but I'll leave that for the
promoters to decide.
I think they may dread
seeing Ethan Dotson at this point. Dotson has been the dominant factor
in the IMCA Stock Cars. It's all that experience that he brings from
driving his Modified all over the country. The Dotson family has
multiple cars, and they are all capable of winning. Ethan didn't waste
time getting the lead in the non-stop race on Sunday and left little
doubt who the winner was going to be. That's not too shabby considering
he had the always fast Nick Johnson running in second. Jeff Streeter may
be known more for being a Modified racer over the last decade or so,
but he's already won a Stock Car feature this year. Third wasn't too bad
for him on this occasion.
Dotson may be
enjoying his time behind the wheel of the Stock Car, but he came to make
a splash in the IMCA Modifieds. The past IMCA Nationals winner has racked up
a few impressive wins in his career, and he'd like to get it done for
Speedweek. Clint Reichenbach has provided a challenge by holding Ethan
off to win at Bakersfield and Tulare. On Sunday, the Modifieds did what
doesn't happen very often. They ran their whole race without a yellow
flag. That meant that there were no restarts for drivers to make big
moves, and there weren't too many drivers advancing far through the
pack. If it kept going at that pace, Dotson would have lapped at least
half the field. The checkered flag brought a merciful end of the race
for the competitors.
Cody Laney could provide
problems for the competition in this series. However, the Torrance
resident revealed after finishing second that he probably won't go any
further than Merced. Having won at Merced earlier this year, his team
feels pretty good about their chances of picking up a $1,000 victory. I
mentioned that drivers who aren't used to the tracks like Hanford and
south of it might be just trying to get out of there without hurting
their effort too much. Troy Foulger and Bowers Motorsports hasn't been
at the top of their game so far, but Troy managed to wheel his way to a
third place finish with Bricen James in pursuit.
There
aren't too many Oregon racers coming, and 2019 Western Regional
champion James has done a good job so far. It might be that the drivers
up James's way are waiting for the Wild West Speedweek Tour to kick off
in August. Some might say there are drivers from that area who might be a
little intimidated by the California competition, but James, Collen
Winebarger and Jake Mayden have all represented Oregon well. It should
be pointed out that Antioch area competitor Kellen Chadwick enjoys the
competition in California and Oregon as a two-time Wild West Speedweek
title winner. Kellen has quietly kept himself in contention after three
races, and his solid fifth place finish on Sunday didn't hurt that
effort at all.
That's the thing about really
nice track conditions. A race can go by quickly, and if you don't have
many yellows, the opportunities for advancement go away quickly. Hanford
is a big and fast race track. If you have your car hooked up, you can
put it anywhere on that track and move forward. In the IMCA Sport
Modified division, the drivers did have more opportunity to move ahead.
The race had three yellow flags. We lost some key competitors during
yellow flag periods, including Tyler Bannister and reigning State
champion Timothy Allerdings. Both drivers were in the Top 5 when it
happened. Reigning Speedweek champion Garrett Jernagan was in contention
for the win when his race ended. He had bad luck eliminate him at
Tulare as well.
Much like Clint Reichenbach in
the Modifieds, we saw Jason Nation come back to earth in the Sport
Modifieds. Nation has impressed with a pair of wins, but nights like
Sunday are what you go through when you're trying to when a
championship. You can't win them all, so you need to finish as far ahead
as you can. Nation was only able to get to sixth by the time the
checkered flag waved, but it's likely that nobody in the field had a
thing for the guy who got the job done.
It goes
without saying that Fred Ryland remains one of the top IMCA Sport
Modified racers on the West Coast. Drivers who want to win often do
business with him as he sells fast race cars and can help people find
the speed. Ryland has won a few championships in his career, including
the 2015 State title. He started in the third row, but it didn't take
him too long to get the lead. At that point, he started pulling away
from the competition. He was trying to get the bad taste of a last place
finish in Tulare out of his mouth. This win, coupled with his third at
Bakersfield, keeps Ryland in contention for the title as they head to
Merced.
People know the competition that comes
from Antioch Speedway, but it may be that KC Keller escapes their
attention. It may be that he doesn't mind it so much, because they don't
see him coming that way. Keller started back in the eighth row and
rapidly advanced his way forward. He made the move around 2019 State
champion Guy Ahlwardt for second, and that keeps him in title
contention. Ahlwardt had a disappointing race in Tulare but his third
place finish keeps him in the game. He knows that anything can happen in
these next five races.
When we talk about not
giving up, drivers can look back at key moments when they win a
championship and know that these are the moments that made the
difference. Jason Bannister could have been done after his dismal heat
race in Tulare, but he never gave up. Starting back in the pack in his B
Main, he advanced forward to earn a transfer spot. In the Main Event,
he had to start deep in the pack once again, but he took the checkered
flag in third. In Hanford, Bannister started back in the fifth row and
worked his way to a fourth place finish. Much like the guy he beat back
in fifth, Chris Falkenberg, Jason is also in the hunt.
Hanford
was a great setting for some exciting IMCA Modified and Sport Modified
racing. We are now three races deep in this series, and the cream is
starting to rise to the top. Drivers are starting to put themselves in
position for a good run at the points. Merced Speedway on Monday takes
us to the halfway point, and everybody will be looking for a little bit
of momentum as they hit the Tuesday break. It's going to be an exciting
night of racing at Merced Speedway. If you can't be there, you
definitely want to tune in for the broadcast at floracing.com.
Merced Speedway
The
California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports, came
to Merced Speedway on Monday night. It's already been a busy three days
of racing, and the battle is only going to heat up more from here as
the serious championship contenders are established. Merced Speedway is
the home track of series Race Director Doug Lockwood. He's also the
promoter there.
It's been a long journey for
Lockwood, who has established himself as one of the leading promoters in
the state. As a kid, he grew up watching the races at Merced. He
started officiating at Chowchilla Speedway and moved on to the SCRA,
USAC and World of Outlaw organizations, gaining valuable experience. By
the time he was tabbed to run Merced Speedway for S&S Promotions,
Doug had gained a wealth of knowledge that he has applied to the
continued growth of the racing program in Merced.
Last
year was not a very good year for motorsports in the country, and the
West Coast was hit hard. Tracks began opening without fans in the
grandstands, but Lockwood rightly realized that the racing community
needed something to get excited about. In June of 2020, he began to
hatch a plan to create the California IMCA Speedweek Series, which would
include both the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. Drawing on his
experience and the connections he already had, Doug worked with the
promoters at Bakersfield, Placerville, Antioch, Petaluma and Hanford to
launch the series by August of that year.
There
might have been a little bit of uncertainty about doing something this
ambitious during a pandemic when tracks couldn't open their grandstands
to spectators. It presented a challenge to Lockwood, but several good
sponsors came on board to help absorb some of the costs. One of the key
sponsors was Travis Hoppes of Hoppes Construction in Southern Oregon.
Thanks to Travis, the guaranteed purse for each race for the IMCA
Modifieds assured that the drivers would get $100 minimum to take the
green in the feature and $1,000 to win. Hoppes came back on board this
year, and Ryland Racing stepped up to sponsor the point funds.
Coming
up with the right combination of tracks can be a challenge. Lockwood
felt that the series could handle two more race tracks and added Chico
and Tulare this year. He instituted a night off between the first four
races and the next four and also added a throwaway rule for drivers to
get rid of their worst finishes. It's challenging to be the Race
Director of such a big series. You may know the time is right and the
driver support is strong, but you want to make sure you make it enticing
for people to want to come. Lockwood has done an exceptional job with
this.
The good news is the series hasn't lost
any momentum from last year. In fact, the IMCA Sport Modified numbers
are up slightly so far. Further good news is that the tracks have been
able to sell grandstand tickets, which means promoters have a shot at
making a few dollars to keep them in business. Depending on the county
you are in, however, there may be some restrictions put in place due to
the pandemic. Lockwood had to deal with the fact that the county
wouldn't allow him to open up his concessions stands, but at least he
was able to allow fans to attend.
Merced
Speedway was ready for its time in the spotlight. They haven't had as
many races as some of the other tracks, but they have hosted the big Al
Miller Memorial race and the Jerry Shannon Memorial, both of which had
increased purses. They are able to attract drivers from the Bakersfield
area and from the Bay Area when they do special shows. Despite this
being a Monday night, Merced Speedway still had 37 IMCA Modifieds, 34
IMCA Sport Modifieds and eight IMCA Stock Cars.
.
The
drivers who commit to support the entire Speedweek Series are tested on
so many levels. On race night, you have to be prepared for anything to
derail your night. Your ability to adapt and solve problems quickly may
be the difference between salvaging a disastrous night or loading up
early. Passing as many cars as you can is the name of the game. Even if
you're battling for ninth or tenth in the Main Event, gaining that one
point can make all the difference by the end of the series.
Your
temper can get the better of you, and you could see things starting to
boil over a little bit at Merced. In a Sport Modified heat race, Guy
Ahlwardt and Josh Most crashed on the back straightaway. Actually, it
seemed as if Most may have lost his temper and was using his car as a
battering ram against Ahlwardt's car. At a certain point, Ahlwardt had
enough and climbed out of his car, which could have resulted in a fight.
Officials stepped in, and unfortunately Ahlwardt saw the end of his
night along with Most. Guy's reaction may not have been appropriate, but
one can understand what drove him to it. Unfortunately, this may have
destroyed his point effort for the week.
This
is what the high pressure situation can do to you. With only one heat
race to get your passing points, there is no margin of error. If you
have a bad heat race, not only will you be in the B Main, but you can be
starting at the back of the pack. Depending on what sort of track
conditions you get, that could be the end of your night. As far as track
conditions are concerned, Merced Speedway was looking good once again.
The current track crew has been working at this for a couple of years
now, and they're getting it dialed in.
There is
a science to track preparation. People will tell you there is one thing
or the other that you have to do, but it's a combination of things.
Considering the fact that it gets hot in Merced, they have to figure out
how to keep the moisture in the track and keep it at multiple racing
grooves. They managed that once again on Monday. As is sure to continue
to be a trend during Speedweek, they did get out on the track to make
final preparations. Rather than doing that after the heat races, they
rolled the B Mains out as soon as they could and did the preparation
before the features instead.
The IMCA Stock
Cars saw their car count drop to eight cars, and even some of the Merced
and Antioch area drivers you might have thought would show up didn't
come out. This could also be the case of people having to work. The IMCA
Stock Cars were not having any sort of special series, but were the
support class. Five drivers did support all four of their races, and it
still could be the subject of discussion to have a mini series for the
Stock Cars in 2022.
If they had kept points for
the four races this year, Ethan Dotson would have earned a perfect
score. Ethan won all four races. It started a bit rough as Ethan made
contact with Renn Bane and Jeff Streeter as they went down the back
straightaway on the opening lap, resulting in Bane and Streeter crashing
and retiring. Bane entered the week as the California State point
leader, but his results in his four starts left a little bit to be
desired. Dotson didn't just cruise to the victory from the start.
Garrett
Corn is one of the first Merced area drivers to get on board with the
IMCA Stock Car class. The past Hobby Stock point runner-up led several
laps with Nick Johnson and Dotson shadowing his every move. When you
watch three of these cars going around the track and battling hard, you
are witnessing a thing of beauty. It's one of the things that highlights
this class. They really are neat to watch. Unfortunately, Corn had
issues and fell back, surrendering the lead to Dotson with Nick Johnson
and Cody Johnson following him all the way to the checkered flag.
It's
also interesting to note that Austin Van Hoff got on board with this
class. Corn and Van Hoff have had some good battles on the race track in
Hobby Stocks in recent years. He's had good results through the years
at both Merced and Chowchilla, and he's adapting well to the IMCA Stock
Car class so far. Nobody could really keep up with Dotson, but the fact
that Van Hoff managed to go 20 laps without being lapped is an
accomplishment.
Dotson has certainly hit his
stride. After picking up the IMCA Stock Car win, he had to go to the
pits and jump into his IMCA Modified. Merced decided to run the
Modifieds second and put the IMCA Sport Modifieds in the closer spot on
the card. Dotson may have thought he met his match during the first half
of the race. Cody Laney came to win. Laney said at Hanford that he
wasn't planning to run for points, but he had his eyes on his second
Merced victory. Unfortunately, the persistent Dotson was able to make
his way around Laney and steal his second series victory.
What's
interesting when you look at the throw away rule is the worst finish
Ethan has so far is a second. That means he is one point shy of a
perfect score when you count his best three finishes. Laney gave it a
valiant effort, but eventually he surrendered second to Corbett,
Oregon's Collen Winebarger. Collen is one of the very best drivers
Oregon has to offer when it comes to Modified racing, and he could be a
factor as the series goes forward. Last season, he picked up a pair of
victories at Antioch, where the series goes on Wednesday. 2018 Merced
champion Darrell Hughes II was also able to get around Laney before the
race concluded as Laney ended up settling for fourth.
We've
been talking about Kellen Chadwick quietly creeping his way up the
ladder. He's not doing quite as well as he would like to, but he's not
exactly having disastrous nights either. On this occasion, Chadwick was
able to grab a sixth place finish behind Nevada's Jake Pike. You can't
count him out with four races left. Everybody's trying to figure out how
to beat Ethan Dotson, and maybe that won't happen. On the other hand,
if there's somebody in the field who could get the job done, it may be
Chadwick.
Jason Bannister has certainly been
exciting to watch so far. We were remarking about his passing at least
20 cars on his way from the B Main to a third place feature finish at
Tulare. Following another strong performance in Hanford, Jason knew he
could get the win at Merced. A few weeks ago, he bagged the richest win
of his career in the Al Miller Memorial. The occasion paid $5,000,
making it the richest race for the division on the West Coast this year.
Jason wasn't the #51 car at the front of the pack at the start.
People
might have been surprised to see Chuck Weir leading the first half of
the race. Weir has won Sport Modified races at Merced in the past, but
none with this sort of pressure. When you have racers like Jason Nation,
Fred Ryland and Jason Bannister right behind you, the margin of error
is razor thin. Just past the halfway point, Bannister got around Weir
for the lead. Nation found his way into second immediately, and he had
his eyes on a third series win. However, Jason Bannister made no
mistakes and served notice to Nation that he's in this Speedweek
championship battle with him.
Likewise, Ryland
still had a positive night. There can only be one winner, but you can
also get a victory of sorts with a good finish. Ryland was on the podium
for most of the race and took the checkered flag in third. Coupled with
his third in Bakersfield and win at Hanford, Ryland is within a couple
of points of the lead himself. Considering he's won nearly 50 Main
Events in his career at Antioch Speedway alone, Fred will be hoping that
gives him home track advantage on Wednesday.
Jason
wasn't the only Bannister making his presence known. It seemed to be an
eventful night for Tyler Bannister. He made a couple of trips to the
back of the pack and to the pits during the evening, but much like Jason
on Saturday at Tulare, Tyler kept digging and never gave up. He
eventually found his way to a fourth place finish ahead of Andrew
Pearce. The one thing we're seeing here is drivers digging deep and
coming up with big finishes. This battle could go on all the way to
Chico and the final checkered flag.
All in all,
it was a good night at Merced Speedway. The track was in a good shape,
and the officials kept the show moving. There were a couple more heated
moments than we've seen at the first three races, but it's certain that
Lockwood and his crew are prepared to deal with it. They've kept an even
hand with the officiating, and the calls have been consistent. Some top
contenders have felt the sting of the jump start penalty at the start
of the races, and no matter who you are, if you bring out one yellow in
the B Main or heat race, you're done for that race. The fact that it's
been this consistent means a fair contest and a more challenging
situation for everybody involved.
It's easy to
see why Merced Speedway has big events. The track is conducive to that
sort of thing with their big grandstands and central location. The
racing surface is fast and racy, and it seems like everybody enjoys
coming here. For the drivers who came out with something good on Monday,
they have that to think about on the Tuesday break. For everybody else,
they may be going back to the drawing board and seeing if they can find
a little bit more speed that they can bring to Antioch Speedway on
Wednesday.
Antioch Speedway
Antioch
Speedway was the next stop for the California IMCA Speedweek Series,
Presented by Hoppes Motorsports. The drivers had the opportunity to take
a night off to repair their race cars. I know the drivers and crews
were very busy. I saw some pictures on social media, including the #22t
Sport Modified of Tanner Thomas, being completely torn down. Merced
Speedway, which happens to be his home track, was not kind to him. The
team has already had to deal with so much adversity that I hated to see
more problems come their way.
Unfortunately, we
saw some players duck out of contention. This was more evident in the
IMCA Modifieds. Both Bricen James and Collen Winebarger headed back to
Oregon. Though James wasn't really in the hunt, Winebarger most
certainly was. Jake Pike apparently headed back to Nevada, and we were
aware that Cody Laney was going back to Torrance despite the fact that
he was still a title contender. Maybe some of these teams had to get
back due to work, and maybe a few of them started to come to the
realization that Ethan Dotson may not be beatable this year.
The
other thing is that some drivers may enter the series with high hopes,
but plans do change. I think this is why it's important to feature the
series at tracks that have these divisions on their roster. There were
some Antioch Speedway locals who could take the place of the absent
Modified racers or the absent Sport Modified competitors, which included
Chris Falkenberg. The Merced area racer was also still in the hunt. He
could always rejoin in Petaluma, but I wouldn't expect that to happen.
Petaluma does have an IMCA Modified class, but they don't have Sport
Modifieds. Chico has Sport Modifieds, but they don't have Modifieds.
Placerville has neither.
An important
ingredient to the series is going to tracks that are going to have some
cars waiting to join the action. That is to say, you hope to have 20 or
more drivers in each division who are committed to running the full
series, but having 15 to 20 more drivers ready to join them at whatever
track they go to, who may not necessarily be in the points, is
important. At Antioch Speedway, they had 33 IMCA Modifieds, 29 IMCA
Sport Modified and 21 Hobby Stocks that ran in support. That's not
necessarily a bad total for a Wednesday night.
Track
conditions are most certainly going to be a discussion when this series
is done. Let's just say, we haven't seen the best in track conditions.
Bakersfield Speedway was just a bit on the dusty side, although very
racy. Tulare was, how shall I put this? It just wasn't quite up to
snuff. Hanford was a shining light among the other tracks. Merced was
adequate, which is better than not so good. Antioch at times tried to do
it's impersonation of the Bakersfield dust bowl. That happens more
often than you might think. The previous promoter would have considered
it a track preparation failure to let it get as dusty as Antioch is
known to be over the last couple of years. Again, that's not to say the
track isn't racy, just a bit on the dry side.
I
am not privy to the discussions that are going on out there concerning
racing conditions, but things do come across my desk. At Antioch, we had
the first case of a driver loading up their car and refusing to race
the rest of the night because of the track conditions. Faced with the
prospect of having to run the B Main, Darrell Hughes II loaded up his
equipment and headed out. He didn't have flattering things to say about
the track. Then again, I've seen Darrell comment on track conditions
before, and he's a racer with certain expectations when it comes to the
tracks he prefers to compete on.
If I seem a
little grumpy towards Antioch Speedway, I'm not. I've been wanting to
get a good look at things, and I certainly got it. The racing was good
at times, but it was also rough at times. People that go to Antioch
Speedway know that it can get a little bit bumpy out there in close and
competitive conditions, but there was some really good racing going on. I
was struck by the good race they had for the lead in the Modifieds. We
were looking at two of the best the division has to offer in Bobby Hogge
IV and Ethan Dotson. That three-car battle going on for third was also
fun to watch.
Promoter Chad Chadwick is putting
a lot of work and money into Antioch Speedway. I'd just as soon puke as
hear the term "Make Antioch Speedway great again." This has nothing to
do with my thoughts on any person who is in politics. I just prefer that
stuff stay out of my auto racing, thank you very much. The intent is to
make the track good, and I can sign on to that. There are lots of good
things happening at that track, and one of the things happening is
adding electronic scoring to catch up with the times. They are also
fine-tuning a new PA system.
They still have to
get everybody on the transponders and get that all dialed in. Antioch
isn't as reliable as other tracks when it comes to that, but this is
only the beginning. Give them a chance to dial it in, and you'll be able
to get an accurate reading of scoring in real time. As for the PA
system, it looked like there were some connection issues that carried
over to the Flo Racing broadcast. They did get that worked out by the
time the Main Events rolled onto the track. It's noticeable when you're
watching at home and enjoying the announcing stylings of Chet Christner.
He continues to be a highlight for me.
I got
another dose of the teaming of local announcers Wylie Wade and Joe
Peterson. Joe seems to be coming along pretty nicely, and there's
something about the guy. I like him and I think he's got potential. I
don't believe we've ever met, but maybe that will happen this year. When
you're doing a tandem team of announcers, however, you need chemistry.
I'm not really feeling the back and forth going on there. When you're
going to do that style, there is a certain chemistry and a certain feel
that you need. Maybe this will develop in time, but it does nothing for
me so far. I don't mind having two announcers up there, but if it's not
flowing, maybe it's better to have them announcing individually for
different races. I know doing the tandem thing isn't easy, and it's not
something I prefer to do either.
Chet usually
doesn't do the support classes when he comes to town, so this means that
you get to hear the local announcers. The Jay's Mobile Welding Service
Hobby Stocks were certainly entertaining, but there were maybe a few too
many yellow flags. It happens. Where it relates to IMCA is the rumor
people were spreading that the Hobby Stocks might fade out at Antioch or
be forced out because the track has started an IMCA Stock Car class.
This was never going to happen. People just like to spread rumors.
I
do wish Antioch had included the IMCA Stock Cars for this race and put
the Hobby Stocks on Saturday. Then again, the 21 cars delivered by the
Hobby Stocks on this occasion probably helped the show become better
rounded. It was also nice to see DJ Keldsen get a win after seeing some
of the struggles he's had.
I can say that I was
a bit disappointed in the drop off in car count. I thought Antioch
would do better or at least match what had happened before. To see it
drop off to less than 30 in the Sport Modifieds was surprising to me. It
will be interesting to see what the numbers look like for the next
three races. In the meantime, the show still goes on. We're here to see
champions get crowned and drivers rise to the occasion with big moments,
and Antioch had a few of those.
In the IMCA
Modifieds, there was a moment in a heat race that I found rather
interesting. You're not getting in through your heat race merely by
getting a Top 3 finish or whatever. It's about passing points, so
drivers know they have to go. You don't get two heat races to do this.
Speedweek title contender Clint Reichenbach knew he had to go, and both
he and Troy Foulger were trying to get ahead. Reichenbach and Foulger
got a little bit close, and an interesting call was made to dock
Reichenbach a couple of spots for his driving. I'm not sure I agree with
that, but it didn't keep him from starting the feature. It just made
his starting position worse.
Clint was one of
the drivers still in contention as a two-time winner so far, so that
kind of penalty was not something he needed. We're watching Ethan Dotson
hit his stride, and having too many cars between Clint and Ethan did
not bode well for him. However, Dotson started almost as far back as
Reichenbach, but he was on a mission. He eventually found the rear
bumper of Bobby Hogge IV. However, Bobby isn't always easy to pass. He
kept his cool and forced Dotson to settle for second.
At
this point, second is the worst Dotson has done so far. He's doing so
well that if he continues this pace, he would be able to use a throwaway
at Chico and skip the finale, knowing he still won the championship.
However, we can't get ahead of ourselves here. We've still got Petaluma
and Placerville to go to. This was Hogge's 74th career win at Antioch
Speedway. That particular milestone gave him sole possession of the
track's all time win record, which goes back to 1961. Hogge put the
legendary Scott Busby and JD Willis in his rear view mirror. Busby has
73 wins and Willis has 72.
Hogge decided not to
run for points, but he's still showing up for some of these races. On
this occasion, he wasn't using his own equipment. He was driving for
Paul Guglielmoni, which he does from time to time. Jerry Flippo is going
for points, and he had a busy night. The reigning Bakersfield champion
had to make his way through the B Main, and he started dead last in the
feature race. He gained 12 positions for an eventual eighth place
finish, keeping him third in the standings before factoring in
throwaways.
The battle between Troy Morris III,
Kellen Chadwick and Nick DeCarlo for the third position was as
entertaining as the one for the lead. Chadwick had a sense of urgency as
he's been hanging in the battle, but he hasn't really dazzled us yet.
He couldn't quite get around Morris and would settle for fourth on this
occasion. Morris has been doing open wheel racing in Micro Sprints and
Midgets and is drawing on that experience to make him an even better
Modified racer. Chadwick has to be wondering what he has to do to finish
on the podium. Unless he makes a major splash in these final three
races, second in the standings may be the best he can hope for. Just
getting into the Top 5 would be nice for DeCarlo, who's had some bad
luck to deal with. On this occasion, he finished fifth.
The
players we've been watching in the IMCA Sport Modified battle were
still with us in Antioch. Jason Nation, Jason Bannister and Tyler
Bannister were in town to continue their pursuit of the Speedweek crown.
Fellow Speedweek title contender Fred Ryland was back on his home turf,
hoping that this would lead to something big. I think all four players
left Antioch at least happy in the knowledge that they didn't mess up
their chances. The race had so many yellow flags that we really didn't
get to enjoy the kind of exciting racing that a longer green flag run
produces.
When you draw a front row in your
heat race, considering the point format being used, that's not
necessarily a good thing. There's a scenario by which you can win your
heat race and still not make the Top 8 draw for the feature. Being on
the front row of the Main Event is something you definitely want. On
this occasion, the Modified and Sport Modified winners both had front
row starts. Tyler Bannister is the son of Monday Merced winner Jason
Bannister. He needed to come up with something special to keep his
fledgling title hopes alive.
With a front row
start, Tyler was able to lead the race from the get-go, and nobody
really got up to him to present a serious challenge. It's not that he
built a huge advantage, but nobody moved up to do any side by side
racing with him. Ryland was preoccupied with trying to grab second from
Josh Most. Once Jason Nation and Jason Bannister moved into the Top 5,
there was more of a sense of urgency for Ryland. Ryland and Most went
side by side for several laps, and Most's performance on this occasion
was a far cry better than what he did at Merced.
In
the end, Ryland found the momentum exiting Turn 4 on the inside with
just a few laps to go and got past Most for his fourth podium finish in
five races. He already knows he's throwing out a last place finish at
this point, but his numbers compare very well with Nation when you
factor in his throwaways. Nation would have liked to make the move
around Most, but that didn't happen. He had to be content with the
fourth place finish he earned ahead of Jason Bannister. The Sport
Modified battle may be much closer in the end than the Modifieds.
Antioch
was a mixed bag. Some people left town very disappointed. That's the
nature of a championship race, especially when that race takes place
during a one week span. As we've been saying all along, there is very
little margin of error. Antioch is one of the smallest oval tracks the
drivers will deal with, so it may have been a case of just surviving it
to get to the next track. You have to strategize these things.
Petaluma
Speedway on Thursday night will give the racers more space and more
speed. That track is better known for being hooked up and fast, and
that's also a case for a driver being better off the further up front
they start. On the other hand, we shouldn't forget Paul Stone coming
from the back of the pack for a podium finish in the Modifieds there
last year. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Petaluma Speedway
The
sixth round of the California IMCA Speedweek Series, Presented by
Hoppes Motorsports, came to Petaluma Speedway. It looks like we pretty
much established who has committed to run this whole deal and who
hasn't. There is slightly better IMCA Modified support than there is for
the IMCA Sport Modifieds. The good news in this whole thing is that
even though the car count has dipped a little bit, there were still
enough cars for the show.
I'm not going to
pretend I'm not a little bit disappointed in the drop to 20 IMCA Sport
Modifieds. I thought the division could do a little bit better than
this. The 30 IMCA Modifieds that showed up were not as big as I was
hoping, but there was enough talent in that field to keep it
interesting. I have written about whether a third division needs to be
inserted into a deal like this, but I think tonight was a clear case for
why it should happen. If the numbers in the other two divisions don't
come in high enough, that third division helps take up the slack.
Petaluma
Speedway inserted their Jay's Mobile Welding Service Super Stocks into
under the card. They are using the Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series
rules to try to spark life into this thing. I thought there might just
be a half-dozen cars, but they delivered 10. It's just possible that
they delivered the most entertaining Main Event of the night after what
was admittedly a very rough start for the group. I'm not sure I should
be saying that when tonight is supposed to be about the IMCA sanctioned
classes, but you'll always get an honest opinion out of me. I have
things to say here, but I'm going to try to be nice about it.
There
might be a few people complaining about the track, but I rank tonight's
racing surface in the Top 3 of the tracks Speedweek has come to so far.
You didn't have to deal with severe dust issues, the track was racy and
there was plenty of passing. Much like the other tracks, the Petaluma
crew got out there during intermission and worked on the track a little
bit. I don't think there was a lot wrong with the track after the
preliminaries, but this seems to be standard these days. They always
want to get out there and do a little bit more.
Petaluma
has always been one of my favorite race tracks. The weather is nice
there, although it gets a little bit cooler at night. The 3/8 mile adobe
clay oval is usually very hooked up and has produced some really good
racing through the years. Promoter Rick Faeth does a stellar job, in my
opinion. Every promoter approaches things differently, and I like his
approach. He's a hustler when it comes to bringing in sponsorship for
the track and giving a little bit of something special to every division
on his roster. When he can add special attractions throughout the
season, he does.
I think Petaluma Speedway is a
good fit for the California Speedweek deal. I know they don't have an
IMCA Sport Modified class, which I sincerely think they should consider
adding. They do have Modifieds, and I do like to break out this little
bit of history every so often. Petaluma Speedway is where the IMCA
Modified movement began in California. It was Hall of Fame Promoter John
Pershing Soares who first brought the class out here in 1987, and
they've been running the class here every year since. Yeah, I know it
might hurt people to acknowledge this, but they can thank a Soares for
the Modified craze in California. It always brings a smile to my face to
say that, because I've always held the family in high regard.
If
there had to be somebody running this track after the Soares family, I
like that it's Rick. He clearly loves what he's doing. I don't think
everything is perfect here, and there's a few spots they can do better
with. Certain things that they have one person doing that would probably
be better if they had somebody else so that the other person can focus
on important details. I'll keep it cryptic here, but sometimes the fact
that this person is doing so much negatively impacts the job they are
supposed to be doing when the races are going on.
In
any case, I like to comment on the announcing, and Chet Christner was
his usual entertaining self. This time, they had Ron Lingron doing the
local stuff. Generally, I like Ron's delivery. He's not too overbearing
and he doesn't detract too much from the races. They could do a lot
worse than him. The other nice thing about Ron is that he imparts a
little bit of information about the drivers, which is a good thing in my
book. So basically, the announcing aided the quality of the show, and
the camera work was exceptional. Some of the best camera work I've seen
for the Speedweek Series so far.
Sometimes the
camera crews get locked on the leader when it's not really that
interesting. The battle for third or fourth may be the exciting thing to
watch. If you've got a good announcer, such as Chet, you can put the
camera on the battle. He's probably going to be talking about the
battle, but he'll also let you know what's going on in front of it.
If
you've got a cameraman who can actually hear the announcer, it helps.
They can move the camera to that battle if they don't realize it's
happening, based on the fact that they hear the announcer talking about
it. In any case, the camera was pretty much where it needed to be at
Petaluma, and the fans watching at home benefited from that.
Since
there were only 20 IMCA Sport Modifieds, that meant nobody had to worry
about running a B Main, and the points accumulated from the heat races
weren't as important. I'm sure that still determined starting spots at
the front of the pack, but nobody had to worry about earning points to
get into the show. However, the IMCA Modifieds were a different thing
entirely. Because there were 30 cars, they decided to take 16 from the
heat races using points and only ran one B Main instead of two of them. I
thought that was a good move. Theoretically, they could have stretched
it with two B Mains as they did with the 29 Sport Modifieds they had a
night earlier, but I'm glad they did it this way.
You're
out there trying to pass every car you can, and the whole idea of a
series like this is you don't give up. If there's a chance for you to
advance forward, you take it. The second heat race had Jim Pettit II
starting last on the grid. That meant fourth row outside. He drew the
worst pill possible. Jim was involved in a little bit of contact racing
with Troy Foulger and Raymond Lindemann, and it left him with front end
damage. After going to the pits, Jim determined that he could make the
car work well enough for 10 laps. He went back out there and immediately
beat the two cars that had retired.
Pettit
gained another two positions to end up fourth. By not giving up, not
only did he make the Main Event, he got himself a good starting spot. I
don't know if Jim has a shot at a Top 5 point position in the end, but I
do know that his determination to give it everything he had resulted in
a respectable fifth place finish in the Main Event.
I
haven't been commenting on preliminaries that much here, but what
happened with Jim was important to note. It highlights why you never
give up. The other thing that impressed me was the heat race won by
Jeffrey Faulkner. Faulkner and Buddy Kniss had a drag race to the line
in the fourth and final heat race, won by Faulkner.
That's
a good takeaway from tonight. The track conditions weren't too bad, and
there were some good races. There were some close finishes, and I'm
sure the fans were entertained. It's getting down to crunch time in this
series, so every moment matters. One bad moment can take you out of
contention completely, or a good moment can vault you up higher on the
ladder. This is why you never give up and always do your best. If you
make a mistake, you have to live with it. Unfortunately, if the
officials make a mistake, you have to live with the fact that it wasn't
really your fault.
I have to talk about what I
view as a bad call by the Speedweek officials, and I feel like they've
done a good job for the most part up until tonight. There was a
three-car tangle in Turn 3 during the IMCA Sport Modified Main Event.
That crash was established, and the yellow flag came out. It's as clear
as day. The leaders were coming back around to that crash. This meant
taking evasive action, and that ended up biting Fred Ryland in the ass.
Ryland spun to avoid them, but clearly the yellow flag had already come
out.
I don't know who made that call. It's
possible that they were just looking at the turn, and everything happens
at once. They aren't necessarily aware of the big picture if the call
is being made by somebody just monitoring the third turn. They see cars
spinning and relay the numbers up to the other officials. Fred Ryland
was assigned blame for a crash that he wasn't really a part of, and
suddenly he went from leading the race to being put to the back of the
pack. I am heartbroken for the officials, because you never want to be
an official who makes a bad call that affects the outcome of the
contest. However, I would be remiss if I didn't point out what I was
observing.
I know what it's like to make a
mistake. I've made them. I still make them. We're all human. Mistakes
happen. With Jason Nation doing as well as he is, the margin of error
for everybody else trying to compete with him is razor thin. Ryland had
already had a bad night at Tulare where he finished dead last. His
throwaway has already pretty much been used. Other than that, he had all
podium finishes, and there's every reason to expect that if he hadn't
been erroneously assigned the blame of this yellow flag, he would have
picked up a win. Therefore, he still would have been in strong
contention. The best he could manage here was a 10th place finish (9th
after a post race disqualification), and that's not going to help him in
the long run.
I don't want to say it's over
with two races left, but we have to be realistic here. Nation is having a
phenomenal run right now and is the consistently bringing it home on
the podium. He looked as though he might pick up the win tonight as he
assumed the lead after the Ryland penalty. However, young Tyler
Bannister surprised him with a few laps to go to make the move for his
second win. Tyler is trying to creep up on his father Jason Bannister
and Nation. This win will certainly help Tyler, but the fact that Nation
still brought it home in second has him sitting in a nice position.
Again,
the margin for error is razor thin right now, and anything can happen.
You also have some drivers playing the spoiler role. Josh Most may have
made some people unhappy with him after his performance in Merced, but
the way he's looked at Antioch and Petaluma, he could be a threat to win
one of the final two nights. He brought it home to an apparent third
place finish ahead of Tanner Thomas and Jason Bannister.
Thomas
has seen his luck go from good to bad, and the fourth place finish he
got was certainly a win for him when you think about it. The news got
better as he was elevated to third with the official decision on Most,
who was disqualified. Tanner is plenty talented, and if a couple of
breaks go his way, he could be a threat to win one of the final races.
Plus, he could still creep up for a Top 5 point position.
I
go back to that race early in the series where everything that could go
wrong seemed to go wrong for Jason Bannister. When you're down at that
point and at the back of the B Main, it's easy to lose your cool. You
put too much pressure on yourself or whatever the case may be. Jason's
rally to get to a Top 3 feature finish was very impressive, and I still
say if he wins this championship somehow, he can look back at that night
and know what a difference It ultimately made. I'm sure he'll take
fourth tonight, and I'm sure he'll be looking to see if he can do better
at Placerville.
After looking so good in his
heat race, Buddy Kniss was probably thinking about playing spoiler, but
he was starting the feature race next to Ethan Dotson. I will say this
for Buddy. Some racers might been intimidated with the guy on the front
row next to them, but Buddy's been running wheel to wheel with guys like
Troy Foulger, Bobby Hogge IV and Kellen Chadwick at Antioch and giving a
good accounting of himself. He bolted into the lead in the Main Event
and held that spot until unfortunately getting just a bit too sideways
on Lap 6.
At that point, Troy Morris III was
there to assume the lead. This talented teen has had lots of experience
in open wheel cars, and he's getting better with each start in this
class. He had to deal with the fact that Dotson was shadowing him from
the point he assumed the lead all the way to the checkered flag. While
Morris stayed cool all the way and bagged a well-earned victory, Dotson
was the one making a last turn mistake in his bid to overtake Morris. It
ended up costing him second to last year's Speedweek Petaluma winner,
Foulger. It might be a little too late for Foulger to use this to win
the championship, but a Top 5 money paying point position is still
possible.
For Dotson, however, there is good
news to take away from this third place finish. After six races, this is
the worst he's done at Speedweek. In other words, his throwaway right
now is a third place finish. If he does this well at Placerville, it's a
certainty that he will be the Speedweek champion. We mentioned Pettit
bringing it home fifth, but another driver who is competing for a Top 5
points position, Nick DeCarlo, finished fourth. DeCarlo hasn't quite
been able to put it together to get a win in this series the way he did
last year at Antioch. However, he's creeping up on them. Don't count him
out just yet. He can still get a win.
All in
all, even if the car count numbers weren't as good at Petaluma as I
might have hoped to see, the racing was exciting and interesting all
night. It held my attention. I really wish we didn't have the call
against Ryland in the Main Event, but that's part of the human equation.
I don't think it was personal. It was just a mistake. It'll be a point
of debate within the racing community, but we ultimately have to move
past it for now. There's more racing to be done, and that moment is in
the past. We'll look back afterwards and decide what it meant in the
end.
It's time to head to Placerville Speedway.
Scott Russell has an interest in IMCA Modified and Sport Modified
racing. Despite requests from some enthusiasts in the area, he hasn't
quite figured out how to put together the minimum four-race series under
IMCA sanctioning that is required for a track championship. He still
likes to run a race or two for these popular race cars, and Friday night
is it. The IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds are sure to put on a good
show when California IMCA Speedweek, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports,
invades Placerville on Friday.
Placerville Speedway
California
IMCA Speedweek, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports, rolled into
Placerville Speedway on Friday night. This is the smallest track that
the series will race on this year, but it's plenty fast and competitive.
It's interesting that Placerville has only held a few seasons through
the years for the IMCA Modifieds, and yet there's a persistent call
among the racers to find more dates for them at this track. There's a
good way to gauge the interest of the drivers when it comes to racing in
Placerville.
We witnessed a noticeable drop
off in IMCA Sport Modified count from Antioch to Petaluma. They had nine
less drivers and a series low at 20 cars at Petaluma, but it grew to 33
for Friday night. A little over a quarter of the competitors are
Marysville and Chico area racers who have a keen interest in doing more
Sport Modified racing at Placerville. Promoter Scott Russell is in a
unique position. He knows he could be successful in adding one or both
of these divisions for more dates in the future. He just has to figure
out a plan to make it happen.
As it is, Russell
has one of the better programs in the state with his mixture of Sprint
Car and Stock Car racing on any given Saturday night. In fact,
Placerville is held up as an example of how you do things right with a
dirt track. They were always a natural fit for the California IMCA
Speedweek Series, which is why they were given a date last year and
continue to be a part of the series. Russell gave the two Modified
divisions the entire stage and didn't add one of his local classes as a
filler. Originally, the Limited Late Models were going to be a part of
it before Russell changed his mind.
The track
was in tip top shape, and some people were calling it the best racing
surface they've seen for one of the series races this week. It meant the
driver's had optimum conditions to make their best moves in the
standings. Though it looks like the championships are pretty much
decided, there's still some maneuverability when it comes to who will
finish in the other four purse paying positions in the standings, so
those drivers still had to make it count.
The
track was in such great shape that the only prep equipment brought onto
the track during the night was the water truck and packing vehicles. It
was smooth and there was no reason to move the dirt around. The good
conditions meant that there weren't too many mishaps during the course
of the night. The program ran in rapid fashion and may have been the
quickest event for the series yet. It's hard to find a negative thing to
say about the night.
Even after seven nights
of exciting racing, Speedweek still finds a way to surprise us or give
us something cool to talk about. In the IMCA Sport Modifieds, rising
young star Andrew Pearce had a golden opportunity to pick up a win on
the big stage. With a front row start, he had his eyes on a $700
paycheck, but more importantly, a win over a stellar group of racers. To
get this win, however, Pearce would have to contend with series point
leader Jason Nation and the guy who's been winning the past couple of
nights, Tyler Bannister.
There were a few more
yellows in this race. During the final 10 laps, there were four of them,
and that meant that young Pearce had plenty of opportunity to think
about who was behind him. You talk about pressure situations. The more
yellow flags you have with somebody at the front of the pack who doesn't
have a bunch of wins, the more opportunity there is for that driver to
make mistakes. Andrew made no mistakes and scored a popular win. This
young driver is in line to win at least one track championship this year
as he's in the battle at both Antioch Speedway and the Stockton Dirt
Track.
Nation has been hitting his marks since
the series started. His back-to-back wins at Bakersfield and Tulare
really set the stage for what was to come. The only driver who was
legitimately keeping pace with him when you factor in the throwaway
rules was Fred Ryland. People will have plenty to say about the call
that was made against Ryland at Petaluma, but his luck nose dived on
this occasion. Ryland spun in his heat race to earn the black flag as
you only get one yellow flag. He managed to get out of the B Main with a
fourth place finish, but he never moved forward in the feature race. He
was the second driver out of the event, which ended any hopes he had of
winning the series title.
With a pair of wins,
Tyler Bannister is looking for at least a Top 5 point position and some
of the prize money that's offered. It could turn out that after his
third place finish tonight, he'll be fighting his dad, Jason Bannister,
for position. As announcer Chet Christner pointed out, Jason has been
passing more cars than just about anybody all week, but he couldn't
quite get very far through the pack, settling for a ninth place finish
on this occasion. With that, he still has a shot at runner-up status
this year, and that isn't bad at all.
If you're
not a player in the point battle, you can still have a big moment in
the Main Event. Following his DQ a night earlier, B Main winner Josh
Most rebounded by charging from 14th starting to finish fifth behind
Kenny Shrader. Neither one of these drivers has much chance in the
points, but they could still end up getting the win in the Chico finale.
With all of the people watching in the stands and on Flo Racing, it's
still a pretty big win to whoever can get it.
My
one regret is I can't spend enough time talking about every driver
who's supported this thing and the good moments they have. 15 year old
rookie Emali Van Hoff managed to make a Main Event transfer in fourth in
her B Main. This young lady has challenged herself by running this
entire series, and she doesn't have much seat time in a Sport Modified.
Talk about a trial by fire, she's done quite well for herself. Guy
Ahlwardt is a driver who probably had higher hopes, but he'd be the
leading candidate for the hard luck driver of the series. He made it out
of the B Main with a win, but his Main Event was more bad luck.
IMCA
Modified point leader Ethan Dotson was flirting with bad luck that
could have rocked his championship pace. He's done so well so far that
his throwaway finish was a third at Petaluma, and he came into this
night knowing that if he did that well again he pretty much locked this
thing up. While running strong in his heat race, Dotson broke a brake
caliper. His crew frantically worked to get it fixed, but they didn't
know how well it would hold up for the Main Event. They'd put many laps
on it, so they were definitely testing their repair work.
Dotson
had a night not unlike the night Jason Bannister had earlier in the
series. He started deep in the B Main, but he worked his way up quickly
and got the win in that. Come Main Event time, he wasted little time
working his way to the front of the pack, where he was met by West Coast
Stock Car Hall of Famer Jim Pettit II. Pettit's perseverance with his
own mechanical problems at Petaluma a night earlier served him well as
he ended up getting a solid Top 5 finish that night. This time around
saw things go better for the current IMCA State point leader.
Pettit
grabbed a heat race win, which put him in the draw and enabled him to
get a front row start for the feature race. This is exactly what he was
looking for. Buddy Kniss may not be in the point battle, but he's proven
himself to be somebody who can run with the leaders. He was doing a
good job running behind Pettit until mechanical problems sidelined him.
Not long after that, Pettit was dealing with two-time series feature
winner Clint Reichenbach and Dotson. Both drivers actually passed him at
one point, but yellow flags put him back up front.
The
second time it happened, it was Dotson making the move. That was just a
warning, because the next time, Dotson went motoring by for the lead
and brought it home to victory. It's remarkable to think that the past
IMCA Boone, Iowa Nationals winner is only five points shy of a perfect
score, which is an even better performance to this point than last
year's champion, Bobby Hogge IV. Dotson could decide to load his
equipment up and head back to Bakersfield early if he's so chose, secure
in the knowledge that he is the champion. That's not going to happen.
With his third win at Placerville in the books, Ethan will be heading to
Chico with the goal of getting his fourth win.
.
Pettit
watched Dotson move by to get the win, and Reichenbach would also get
around him for a second place finish. The previous two races hadn't gone
well for the second-generation racer, but Clint is working to salvage
something out of this deal. The guy who has been quietly creeping his
way up into points contention is Kellen Chadwick. Chadwick managed a
solid fourth place finish, which keeps him second in the standings.
He'll leave the series as one of the Top 5 drivers, but where is going
to be the question. For a guy like Kellen, there's the frustration of
having not gotten a win yet, and he'll be gunning for it in Chico.
Cody
Burke managed a fifth place finish, and he whacked the back wall and
got a little bit of air time late in the race. It's amazing he was able
to get his car to the checkered flag at that point. Even with the bad
luck he's had, he hasn't given up. He keeps coming back and has an
outside shot of breaking through to the Top 5 when everything is added
up. Watsonville regulars like Burke, Pettit and even Hogge have given a
good accounting of themselves this year, but there's something missing.
These drivers would love to see this series come to their home track in
2022.
Friday night at Placerville may have been
the smoothest night on the Speedweek Series this year. After Petaluma,
this is probably what series officials were hoping for. Get out there,
have a good race and put on a good show. Leave the people entertained.
Mission accomplished. It's been a really good series, and all of the
drivers who have stuck it out are to be commended. Whether they are
front runners or people who have sort of struggled along, every one of
these drivers has made this something to see.
Credit
goes to the Speedweek officials, Scott Russell and all of the good
people at Placerville for making Friday a pleasant experience, but now
it's time to put the exclamation point on the series. Chico Silver
Dollar Speedway awaits on Saturday night, and it's time to crown the
official champions. It will be interesting to see what excitement awaits
us there.
Silver Dollar Speedway
I've
been doing wrap up columns after each event during California IMCA
Speedweek, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports. I'm undecided as to whether
I'll do an overall wrap up column for the series itself, but there were
some things to talk about after the final race came to Silver Dollar
Speedway in Chico. It wasn't too many years ago that this track had an
IMCA Modified division of its own, and there are a few people in the
area who still believe it should be on the roster. I'll leave that
debate for another time.
When I do these
editorial type columns, you always get my honest opinion on things, and
I've critiqued a few things that went down during the week. In my time
covering the sport, I've learned more about what goes on behind the
scenes and all the hard work. It taught me to think about things and
understand more of the big picture before I start getting too nitpicky.
I'm somebody who believes in trying to help and being willing to back it
up with my own effort when need be. It's not lost on me that had I not
been talking about the potential for a California IMCA Speedweek Series
on this blog last year, this series might not have ever been created.
I
can see Series Director Doug Lockwood beating himself up a little bit
as he headed into Chico, and it makes me sad. Some people in the sport
these days are so hypercritical that they can't be happy if they don't
have 100% of what they want. If they get 80% and have 20% they either
hate or aren't fond of, they dwell on the 20%. There were a few mistakes
made during the course of the week, sure. Mistakes happen. I wish
people would stand back and take a look at the big picture before
throwing stones.
It's not lost on me that
Lockwood didn't simply say, "Hey everybody, let's do a Speedweek," and
it magically appeared. There are a lot of things that need to be done.
Doug surely spent hours on the phone making deals with sponsors and
securing the dates at the tracks. He had to assemble whatever crew he
was bringing into this thing. He had to think about all of this stuff,
and this is important. People don't understand that there's stress
associated with thinking about what you're going to do next, but you
know that you want to cover all of the necessary bases.
I
don't care if every call was perfect. There was intent to be fair
across the board with the rules, and anybody that couldn't see that is
not paying attention. We will talk about track conditions or whether one
track or another should be in the series, and I get that. That's part
of the game. All I am saying is we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that
some serious effort was put into bringing this into reality. Last year
was a good enough effort to do a six race series in six days, and the
tracks couldn't even have fans. That's a bigger investment than normal
for promoters.
Because there was so much
positive buzz concerning last year, as I knew there would be, there were
tracks wanting to get involved. Doug was looking at making it bigger
and better. There was just so much excitement. After going through this
year, I'm sure he'll have plenty to think about. I'm also sure that the
tracks should be happy with what took place this year. I really hope
Doug takes a moment to think about all of the positivity he brought to
the sport in doing what he did. I don't care if I agree 100% on
everything, because nobody does. I appreciate all the work Doug put into
this and greatly respect him. He's a good man doing good things for the
sport.
I have a few thoughts on where things
could go with this series in the future, but this should be about Silver
Dollar Speedway. There's been some talk in the racing community that
this track was on its last legs. I find that laughable. We've just been
through a pandemic, and there are people in the sport who don't
understand what that means. There's a lot more going on than just
opening the gates and letting everybody in. Promoter Dennis Gage had to
make his way through a bunch of BS last year, and he didn't get to have
as many races as he wanted. He knew he was going to try to do much more
this year.
When the possibility arose of Silver
Dollar Speedway getting one of these IMCA Speedweek dates, I know
Dennis jumped at the opportunity. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if
the discussions centered around the possibility of a date here or at
Dennis's other track, Marysville Raceway. I think they made the right
call, and Silver Dollar Speedway has already had some big events. They
are just getting started. Dennis had a race the night before with over
40 Winged 360 Sprint Cars, so people are seeing a dead race track
rocking the racing world right now. Yeah, dead my ass.
Track
preparation is key, and Silver Dollar Speedway has a good reputation. I
have to say I like the way the Speedweek Series ended with regards to
track preparation. Again, people will have their opinions, but on the
heels of nice Petaluma and Placerville racing surfaces, Silver Dollar
Speedway offered the racers a smooth surface with plenty of room to go
racing. The team made sure to take care of the track during
intermission, and the racers responded by giving the fans some really
good and competitive racing action.
We're
talking about eight races in nine days. When the teams who committed to
this whole deal hit Bakersfield on April 30th, there was undoubtedly a
spring in everybody's step. By Saturday night, a lot of those people
were dragging ass just a little bit. I think that for the most part they
were happy they went, but they were tired. You're not necessarily
resting the same way you would be if you were home in your own bed. 28
IMCA Modifieds and 28 IMCA Sport Modifieds signed in to go racing. The
numbers might have been down just a little bit, but it was still a good
turnout.
The track included the Crate Sprint
Car class that's part of the roster at Marysville Raceway. I don't get
into the non IMCA stuff in this column too much, but I wanted to give a
tip of the hat to this group. They've certainly struggled to get their
numbers up, but they delivered 10 cars and a decent show overall. I
think they looked good enough for the audience who was watching at the
track or at home, and they delivered exactly what Silver Dollar Speedway
needed. It wasn't necessary to have 30 of those cars. Two heats and a
Main Event was plenty, and the two biggest stars in the group, David
Sims and Brett Youngman, finished 1-2 in their race.
I
don't want to nitpick too much, but I'm not a big fan of the one race
throwaway rule. Lockwood did make sure people knew how that factored in
after every race, so it wasn't necessarily a problem as far as following
along with the battle. I also know that they do the same sort of thing
in the Wild West Speedweek Series up in the Pacific Northwest.
For
me, it's a question of whether you are in or out. If you're in, you're
making these races one way or the other. If not, then you show up when
you can. I get that the idea is to make it easier for people to commit.
You can miss a race due for whatever reason, which did happen in the
case of one of our high point drivers in the Sport Modifieds. You can
throw out a bad race, but that one night doesn't necessarily cost you if
you're doing well the rest of the time.
I
hinted at the possibility that Ethan Dotson could load up his stuff and
head back to Bakersfield after his performance in Placerville. I didn't
hear anything suggesting he'd do it. It was just an observation I made.
It turns out Dotson did just that. One way of looking at it is he did
the equivalent of a microphone drop. He went out there and handled his
business with no worse than a third place finish in any of his seven
starts, got the kind of point total needed to win the title and didn't
need to participate at Chico to make it official. There's a certain
level of badass in that, but I also can appreciate the fact that Kellen
Chadwick did the work and had more points for the whole week.
I
can't and won't find anything negative about Dotson. Not only was he
almost unbeatable in the IMCA Modifieds, he was unbeatable in the IMCA
Stock Cars. They ran in support at the first four races, and nobody beat
Ethan for a Main Event win. I'd suggest that if they have four or five
tracks willing to run IMCA Stock Cars as the third class in this deal
next year, they consider doing a mini series of some sort. I bet that
even if you weren't putting in a big point fund, drivers might show up
just to win a trophy as the top point guy, and there will surely be more
IMCA Stock Cars to be had next year than there has been this year.
In
any case, Dotson was on the road home, and Chadwick was there. This was
not a week that Kellen will brag about. He's used to winning or being
in the thick of the battle, and that wasn't really happening. The one
thing he did accomplish was being the only driver in the Modified
division to have Top 10 finishes in every race. That's still very
impressive in my book when you consider the competition out there. It
added up to him having more points for all eight races than anybody
else, and I think he can be proud of that accomplishment.
Car
owner Bill Bowers was hoping to celebrate his birthday with a victory,
and he certainly has the right driver to do it. Troy Foulger is the
reigning IMCA State and Antioch champion, and he looked like he would
win the race for most of the distance. What he didn't count on was a
move by Clint Reichenbach in the final five laps to steal that victory
away and force him to settle for second. Troy kept digging all week when
things weren't necessarily going his way, and it goes to show that this
team always gives their best. It may have only been a second, but it
was one hell of a second.
Reichenbach was left
to think about what could have been. It's a long trip back for him to
Santa Maria, and he could have gotten on the road back along with
Dotson. He decided to test himself at Silver Dollar Speedway, a place
he'd never been to before. He won the first two races of this series,
and if not for a couple of bad breaks, he could have forced Dotson to
stick around and protect his championship. As it was, Clint wrapped up
the week with his third win, which was good enough to earn him a share
of third place in the standings with Foulger.
I'm
starting to get a little bit more respect for third-generation racer
Buddy Kniss. He missed some of the early races and was therefore out of
point contention, but he managed to put himself up in the shuffle in the
Main Events these past few days. If not for a couple of bad breaks, he
could have even gotten a win. This time around, he surprised Nick
DeCarlo by stealing third from him late in the race. DeCarlo ended up
fourth ahead of past Marysville and reigning Susanville champion Ryan
McDaniel, who had to come into the feature race from a B Main win and
started 17th on the Main Event grid.
It comes
down to the fact that we still had some of the very best IMCA Modified
and IMCA Sport Modified drivers in the state all week long. The finale
for the Modifieds was definitely a case of them saving some of the best
racing for last, and one could say the same thing for the IMCA Sport
Modifieds. We do understand one thing very clearly about both divisions.
Some of the best drivers in these classes call Bakersfield Speedway
their home track. There's a reason the drivers from out of the area have
a difficult time winning when they go down there, and the Bakersfield
drivers make their presence known wherever they go.
Jason
Nation didn't have exactly the same kind of week that Dotson had.
However, Nation's worst Sport Modified finish all week was a sixth.
There wasn't really anybody keeping any sort of pace with him in the
championship quest other than Fred Ryland, before his luck took a severe
nosedive. Ryland didn't compete on Friday, but Nation and fellow
Bakersfield racers Tyler Bannister and Trevor Bannister did. Nation was
keen on collecting his third win of the week, but it didn't quite work
out the way he hoped.
Just at the midway point
of the race, Tyler Bannister found his opening down low and moved by
Nation to get the lead. Despite a late race yellow flag, Tyler Bannister
motored ahead once again and picked up his third win of the season. We
were talking about him challenging his father Jason Bannister for a
higher point position in the end. As it turns out, Jason Bannister ended
up second by a point over Tyler. Though Tyler finished second to Nation
in this race, his father finished third. This put Jason one point ahead
of Tyler for the runner-up ranking. As I said before, the one night
Jason Bannister never gave up and got a podium against the odds is the
night that made the difference here.
Andrew
Peckham wasn't at some of the races, and that's a real shame. People
don't talk a lot about the Grass Valley racer, but he's generally very
fast at the bigger events and surely could have presented a challenge in
this series. That's the one problem with a week-long series. I don't
believe Peckham could get off of work to make every race, so he raced
when he could. He managed to get the fourth place finish ahead of Tanner
Thomas. Thomas was hoping to bump his way into a Top 5 point position,
but it didn't quite work out for him.
It wasn't
the best night for KC Keller, but he managed an 11th place finish. It's
probably a good thing that he didn't give up on the night, though it
had to be frustrating for the past Antioch champion to be stuck in the
middle of the pack. Had he finished worse, he might have lost fourth in
the standings to Chris Falkenberg, who only trailed him by a point. We
thought Falkenberg was done after he missed Petaluma, but he returned
for the last two races and had a solid eighth place run at Chico. That
gave him fifth in standings, and I'm sure he was pleased with that.
The
Top 5 drivers in the standings all got to make a trip to the pay window
to collect some of that Ryland Racing championship point fund money.
Again, this is part of the deal. Lockwood is organizing all of this
stuff and doing an amazing job. Great sponsors like Ryland Racing and
Hoppes Motorsports can't be praised enough for doing their part to help
out the cause. Even Elliott Digital Designs put together some cool
championship trophies, which featured a map of all of the tracks the
series competed at this year.
There's nothing
quite like a Speedweek Series. The last time California had something
this big, it was done by the NARC Sprint Car group with seven races in
seven days. Anything can happen on a week like this, but you have to
keep digging and never give up. I'll repeat my sentiments from yesterday
before I wrap this up. Whether you were one of the drivers in the front
or somebody in the back, you are appreciated for the great effort you
gave us all. Fans were able to spectate in person or watch the
pay-per-view of the excitement, which was delivered with some great
commentary on Flo Racing by Chet Christner.
I
will sit back and reflect on things before putting any other thoughts
out there, and this installment of the column is really about the race
at Silver Dollar Speedway. The crew at the track did a good job, and
Dennis can be proud of what they did. It's not easy to keep a track
going in 2021, especially with what we've been through. Dennis runs two
of them. Lockwood will head back home and get some good rest. Hopefully,
he thinks about all the good that was accomplished and maybe what can
be done to make it better. The important thing is the California IMCA
Speedweek, Presented by Hoppes Motorsports, is a winner. I look forward
to what 2022 can bring this series.
