DON'S CALIFORNIA RACING RECOLLECTIONS: June 2021

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Clymens, Flowers, Steele Win Rod Barba Memorial

At Siskiyou Golden Speedway

Yreka, CA...June 19...Trevor Clymens won the 30 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event Saturday night at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. Clymens is the three-time reigning Antioch Speedway champion and currently has a good lead in the California State point race as he attempts to win that title for the first time. This was also the Rod Barba Memorial race, which honors the father of the current promoter. Rod served as track maintenance man in Yreka and other venues through the years.

The race had to be restarted, and Rich McCoy took the early lead ahead of past champion Trevor Tiffee and Jace Wright. Wright and Clymens both got past Tiffee on the fourth lap. It was a good battle at the front of the pack with Wright overtaking McCoy for the lead on Lap 9. The yellow flag waved for the final time moments later. Wright led Clymens and point leader Ryan Peery on the restart. Wright was doing a good job of leading the way with Clymens and Peery in pursuit. Clymens finally found his opening and made his pass for the lead on the Lap 23 with Peery following closely in second. As Clymens led the way, Tiffee took second from Peery on Lap 25. McCoy gained third a lap later, and Clymens would bring it home to victory ahead of Tiffee, McCoy, Peery, Ryder Boswell, Jesse Morton, Colt Boswell, Wright and Nick Berryhill. Tiffee and Clymens picked up the eight lap heat race wins, and Peery was the four lap Trophy Dash winner.

Scott Flowers won the 30 lap Outlaw Pro Stock Main Event. This was the first win of the season for the two-time association and track champion, and he had a bit of luck on his side. Cory Biggs moved the old Bryan Hammond car into the lead at the start ahead of Matt Harlow and Ginny Flowers. However, Harlow took the lead from Biggs on the third lap as point leader Johnny Cobb settled into third. Cobb slipped past Biggs for second on Lap 9. Harlow was doing an excellent job of leading the race and seemed to have things in hand when he encountered problems and headed for the pits on Lap 19. Cobb suddenly found himself leading Scott Flowers and Biggs. Flowers stayed hot on the trail of Cobb and got by on the 29th lap for the lead. Flowers went on to score the unlikely victory ahead of Cobb, Biggs, Denny Burtenhouse, Ginny Flowers, Taylor Buckley, Rick Lukins and Harlow.

The Pro Stocks got to qualify on the clock, and Biggs set the fast time of 16.419, beating the 16.822 of Flowers and the 16.886 of Burtenhouse. Cobb and Harlow won their respective eight lap heat races with Lukins claiming four lap Trophy Dash honors.

David Steele returned and scored the victory in the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Steele is the two-time reigning champion, and this was his third win in four visits. Steele and fellow Medford racer Kristopher Mix shared the front row, but it was Steele leading Ashtin Hedges and Mix at the start. The three ran closely with yellow flags waving on Laps 4 and 5. Mix surprised Steele on the Lap 6 restart and grabbed the lead. Steele was running with Mix as Hedges held third. Hedges brought out a Lap 7 yellow flag, and Mix continued to lead Steele and Quintyn Ericks on the restart. The battle was an intense, side by side contest between Steele and Mix for a few laps before Steele finally moved ahead for good on Lap 11. Connor Franklin gained third on Lap 11. Once he got the lead, Steele pulled away just a little bit with Mix a solid second at the finish line, followed by Franklin, Hunter Magnan, point leader Michael Knuckles, Hedges, Ericks, Logan McKnight and Marilyn Yawnick. Darek Alford was a Main Event scratch. Steele and Knuckles won the eight lap heat races with Mix the four lap Trophy Dash winner.

JJ Smith won the 15 lap Jefferson State Jalopy Main Event. Smith is the reigning champion and current point leader, and this was his second win of the season. Smith and Karl Bernstein are the ones who built and maintain the cars, and Marilyn Yawnick was debuting the new fifth car, which featured a Breast Cancer Awareness paint job.

Kade Bernstein kicked things off with a win in the eight lap heat race, and Smith scored the victory in the four lap Trophy Dash. Scott Billingsley scratched after the heat race, and Yawnick scratched after the Trophy Dash. This left just three starters, and Smith won the feature race ahead of Karl Bernstein and Kade Bernstein.

Racing continues this Saturday night with the IMCA Sport Modifieds back in action along with the Mini Stocks. The track will be running a Pro Stock race using Tri State Challenge Series rules and the Jefferson State Jalopies are also on the card. With a half-dozen drivers from the Eureka Roadrunner division coming to town, the track has also added a race for the Hornet division. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.

Alberding Wins Wingless Sprint Race

Rea, Bloom, Bryant Other Cottage Grove Winners

Cottage Grove, Oregon...June 19...Tim Alberding won the 30 lap Van Raden Industries Wingless Sprint Series Main Event Saturday night at Cottage Grove Speedway. Alberding is currently third in the close championship battle. It was a relatively quick race with only a couple of slowdowns. Lance Hallmark had the pole, but he fell back to sixth on the opening lap as Alberding sprinted into the lead ahead of Friday night Limited Sprint winner Kinzer Cox and Chad Lindsey. Hallmark recovered in fifth and was able to move past point leader Rob Lindsay for fourth on Lap 17. It was close at the front of the pack with Cox trying to take the lead from Alberding. However, Alberding prevailed ahead of Cox, Chad Lindsay, Hallmark, Jonathan Jorgenson, Rob Lindsey, Jason Thomas, Brent Rich, Nathan Schank and Mitch Hoffses.

Rob Lindsay was the quickest qualifier on the quarter-mile clay oval with a lap of 13.139, beating the 13.146 of Hallmark and the 13.232 of Alberding. They ran a pair of 10 lap heat races with Cox and Rob Lindsey winning those races. Hallmark picked up the eight lap Trophy Dash win.

Paul Rea won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main event. He is now the seventh winner in 10 races. Paul Culp shared the front row with Rea and took the lead over Rea and Friday night winner Derick Young when the green flag waved. Unfortunately, Culp saw his race come to an abrupt and for a Lap 7 yellow flag. At that point, Rea led Young and Chad Groves. A battle developed for second between Young and Groves. Groves took the position on Lap 14, only to watch Young regain it two laps later. On the 17th lap, Groves took second for good. Young held third until surrendering that position to reigning champion Jake Mayden on Lap 21. Rea went on to the satisfying win ahead of Groves, Mayden, point leader Curtis Towns, Young, Jeffrey Hudson, Matthew Drager, Aaron Sheelar, Brian Baker and Eric Ashley.

Mayden was the quickest qualifier with a Lap of 14.520, beating the 14.673 of Towns. Young and Ray picked up eight lap heat race wins, and Culp was the four lap Trophy Dash winner.

Aaron Bloom won the 20 lap Royalty Core IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This was his third win of the season. Trevor Points jumped into the lead at the start, followed by Matt Brown and Ray Comer. Comer took second from Brown on Lap 2, but Brown regained the position on Lap 5. Points saw his run at the front of the pack end moments later for a yellow flag. Brown led Ray Comer and Aaron Bloom on the restart, but Aaron Bloom slipped past Comer for second on Lap 7. Aaron Bloom pressured Brown for the lead before executing his winning maneuver on Lap 18. Sixth row starter Dustin Comer moved into fifth on Lap 13. Dustin Comer took fourth from Ray Comer on Lap 16 and grabbed third from Jantzen Knips on Lap 17. Aaron Bloom brought it home to the impressive win, followed by Brown, Dustin Comer, Knips, Ray Comer, Ray Bloom, Jordan Henry, Travis Pruitt, Garrett Craig and Chuck Carson.

Dustin Comer was the quickest of 20 drivers in qualifying with a lap of 15.812, beating the 15.889 of point leader Doug Coffman. The eight lap heat race wins went to Brown, Ray Bloom and Dalton Bloom. Gavin Ropchan was the four lap Trophy Dash winner.

Burnie Bryant won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Compact Main Event. This was the fifth win of the season for Bryant, who currently ranks second in the standings. Cole Trissell had the pole and led early ahead of Bryant and Kerry Cooper. Both Bryant and Cooper got past Trissell for first and second on Lap 3, and Trissell surrendered third to Tiffany Towns on Lap 6. Point leader Brad Martin gained fourth on Lap 8 and took third from Towns two laps later. Cooper saw his run in second end on Lap 17 as the yellow flag waved. Bryant led Martin and Towns on the restart. Martin kept it close, but Bryant would prevail at the checkered flag. Towns settled for third, followed by Andrew Langan, Jim Simmons, Bruce Miller, Cooper, Rex Eckley, Mike Green and Trissell.

Bryant was the quickest of 15 qualifiers with a lap of 18.124, easily beating the 18.620 of Langan. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Bryant and Eckley, and Cooper prevailed in the four lap Trophy Dash.

This Saturday night is Shriners night and the Ralph Bloom Memorial IMCA Sport Modified race. That race will pay $2,500. Also on the card will be the Late Models, Street Stocks and Northwest/SODCA Dwarf Cars. Go to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Hibbard Wins ISCS Race At Coos Bay Speedway,

Montgomery, Christian, Kellam, Parker Other Winners

Coos Bay, Oregon...June 19...Bailey Hibbard won the 30 lap Interstate Sprint Car Series Main Event Saturday night at Coos Bay Speedway. This was the second visit of the season for the group to the coastal track and also the first win for Hibbard in the series. His win came aboard the Dave's Home Supply sponsored Sprinter.

Bailey Hibbard started on the pole and grabbed the lead at the start ahead of Justin McConnville and RJ McGahuey. Shane Forte was an early fourth, but fourth row starter Camden Robustelli piloted the TJ Winningham owned entry into the position on Lap 9. A yellow flag bunched the field on Lap 15. Hibbard continued to lead McConnville on the restart as Robustelli motored past McGahuey. Robustelli set his sights on McConnville and finally made the move into second on Lap 24. However, Hibbard took the checkered flag for the satisfying win, followed by Robustelli, McConnville, McGahuey, Forte, Austin Sause, Tyrell Mead, Anissa Curtice, Dave Hubbard and Kyle Adams.

There were 11 Interstate Sprints for the occasion, and Robustelli set the fast time of 13.151, beating the 13.315 of Curtice. The eight lap heat race wins went to Bailey Hibbard and rookie Brionna Fuller.

Brody Montgomery won the 20 lap NASCAR America's Mattress Super Late Model Main Event. This was the fifth win of the season for the current point leader as he competes for his third championship in this class. Montgomery wasted little time taking the lead at the start ahead of Wayne Butler and past champion Preston Luckman. Luckman grabbed second on Lap 3 with Hannah Robison settling briefly into third on Lap 5. A yellow flag waved moments later, and Montgomery led Luckman and Fugate on the start restart. There was one final yellow flag on Lap 16, but that didn't stop Montgomery. He maintained command on the restart and brought it home to victory ahead of Luckman, Braden Fugate, Butler, Garrett Smith and Robison. The eight lap heat race win went to Luckman.

Seth Christian won the 20 lap Stock Main Event. This was the third win of the season for the current point leader. Christian bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Leroy Rockwell and Troy Chamberlain. Reigning champion Ken Fox took over the third position on Lap 2 and slipped past Rockwell for second on Lap 5. There was a yellow flag on Lap 8 for Chamberlain. Christian continued to lead Fox and Rockwell on the restart. Wayne Clink took third from Rockwell on Lap 11, but he brought a Lap 16 yellow flag as his race came to an end. Christian led Fox on the restart with past Late Model champion Toby McIntyre settling into third. Christian set a rapid pace and beat Fox by over a straightaway by the time the checkered flag flew. McIntyre settled for third, followed by Rockwell, Chamberlain, Eric Freeman, Myshkin Ferguson, Clink, Steve Dubisar and Joseph Wilson. Christian and Dubisar won the eight lap heat races.

Ryan Emry won the 20 lap Sportsman Late Model Main Event. This was the fifth win of the season for Emry, who leads the point standings. Emry and Dustin Hitner lined up in the third row with heat winner Josh Kraliceck and Tahlan Rogers sharing the front row. It didn't take long for Emry and Hitner to move into the first and second positions and that's where they would finish. Rogers settled for third, followed by Kraliceck, Jim Crabtree and Brad Dubisar.

Jason Kellam won the 20 lap Mini Outlaw Main Event. This was his first appearance of the season. Point leader Scott Beaudoin led a lap before Kellam took over. Jeff Thurman moved into third on Lap 3, and a yellow flag waved. Kellam led Thurman and Mike Beaudoin on the restart. Tristen Davidson took third from Mike Beaudoin on the sixth lap. Kellam led Thurman by more than a straightaway by the time the checkered flag waved. Davidson finished right behind Thurman in third, followed by Mike Beaudoin, Jamie Daniels, Nicole Emry, Jonathan Cardwell, Scott Beaudoin and Matthew Emry. Thurman won the eight lap heat race.

Kris Parker won his second 20 lap Hornets Main Event. Dan Briesacher led the opening lap ahead of Seth Christian and Dan Beaudoin. Christian gained the lead on the second lap, and third row starter Parker took third from Beaudoin on lap 4. Briesacher saw his run in second end on Lap 10 as Parker gained that position ahead of Dan Beaudoin. Parker grabbed the lead on the restart with Dan Beaudoin and Pam Beaudoin settling into second and third. Parker held off Dan Beaudoin for the victory. Pam Beaudoin had problems and fell from third on the last lap. Dylan Boyer finished third ahead of Christian, Alyssa Johnson, Alexis Baker, Jim Van Loon, Mike Reynolds, Dusty Shingleton and Lori Fuller. Christian and Briesacher won the eight lap heat races.

Griff Smith won the 15 lap Junior Stinger Main Event. Smith is the point leader, and he has won all seven of the point earning events this year. Smith bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Tallon Dubisar and Cameron Metzgus. Only one yellow flag waved early on Lap 3. Smith set a rapid pace when the race resumed and steadily pulled away from Dubisar and Metzgus. Heather Burton was holding onto the fourth position, but she was passed by both Eli Luckman and DJ Nelson on the final circuit. Smith took the checkered flag nearly half a lap ahead of Tallon Dubisar. Metzgus was a close third followed by Luckman, Nelson, Burton, Tanner Dubisar, Tucker Dubisar, Max Haga and Taylor Fuller.

The eight lap heat races.were won by Tanner Dubisar, Smith and Tallon Dubisar. Track officials elected to run a three-car B Main and transfer the Top 2 finishers. Haga won that race ahead of Fuller and Hailee Tilton.

This weekend will feature two exciting nights of racing. On Saturday, there is a full slate of NASCAR action, featuring the America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers. On Sunday, all of those divisions return for the Modified Gambler event, joined by the Dirt Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.

Montgomery wins Petaluma Speedway SCCT Race

Slaney Prevails In IMCA Modifieds

Petaluma, CA...June 19...Kaleb Montgomery won the 35 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. This was the second appearance of the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour Presented by Abreu Vineyards and Montgomery is the seventh-straight different winner on the tour. His win came aboard the Luxton Reality sponsored Maxim.

Andy Forsberg shared the front row with Colby Johnson, and they settled into first and second at the start. Montgomery was an early third until making a move past Johnson for second on Lap 10. However, Johnson came roaring back to reclaim the spot on Lap 13 before Montgomery made another pass on Lap 18 to put himself back into second. Montgomery turned his attention to Forsberg and was pressuring him as the race headed down the stretch. On Lap 32, Montgomery found his opening and took the lead from Forsberg. A yellow flag waved on Lap 33 as Johnson saw his run in third come to an unfortunate end. This moved Sean Becker into third. On the restart, Forsberg hit the wall for a red flag. Montgomery led the final restart and brought it home to victory ahead of Ryan Robinson. Becker still ended up third, followed by Tanner Carrick, Blake Carrick, Chase Majdic, point leader Justyn Cox, Colby Copeland, Dylan Bloomfield and Johnson.

There were just 22 Sprint Cars for the show, and they qualified in their particular heat race groups. Robinson set the overall fast time of 12.754 from the first group, beating the 12.759 of Montgomery from the second group. The eight lap heat race wins went to Robinson, Becker and Johnson. Johnson also picked up the win in the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Forsberg and Montgomery. The next race on the tour is on July 3rd at the Stockton Dirt Track. For further information, go to www.sprintcarchallengetour.com.

Anthony Slaney won the 25 lap Butler Auto Glass IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the reigning champion and current point leader. With a big event for the class canceled at another track due to the excessive heat, management scrambled to add a point race for this class and had several people donate money for an increased purse. The win for Slaney ended up netting him $1,000.

Tim Yaeger led the opening lap before the yellow flag waved with Mitch Machado out of the race. Slaney took the lead on the restart with Brent Curran settling into third. Curran took second from Yaeger on Lap 3 before another yellow flag waved. Slaney led Curran and Tim Yeager on the restart, but Buddy Kniss gained third on the fifth lap. A Lap 6 yellow flag waved as Frank Furtado saw his race come to an end. Slaney continued to lead on the restart as Kniss made a move past Curran for second. However, Curran retained the position a lap later. Many time champion Michael Paul Jr settled into fourth and managed to grab third from Kniss on Lap 16. A lap later, Paul put the moves on Curran to take second. However, Slaney had built a commanding straightaway lead by that point. Slaney went on to score the impressive victory with Michael Paul Jr collecting a $700 paycheck for second. Curran settled for the $500 price for third, followed by Justin Yaeger, Kniss, Tim Yeager, Michelle Paul, Kimo Oreta, Shawn DeForest and Furtado. After all the sponsorship money was added up, the drivers got at least $175 for starting, and Michael Paul Jr pocketed an additional $100 as the hard charger of the race.

Michael Paul Jr and Slaney picked up the eight lap heat race wins. Both Ron Palombino and Nick DeCarlo were Main Event scratches. Management thanks DMS Race Engines, Ryan Deforest Motorsports, Yaeger Dental Supply, Giovachinni Construction, Joe Carr Racing Chassis, Justin & Gary Zwicker, Junkyard Dog Hardtop Headquarters and Xtreme Scaffolding for sponsoring the purse and thanks to Justin Yaeger for organizing it all.

Mark Hanson returned and won the 20 lap Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. This was his first start of the season and he becomes the fourth different winner in as many races for the group. Jimmy Damron had the pole and led a lap before Hanson went motoring by. Past champion John "Scooter" Gomes was running third and took second from Damron on Lap 3. Another past champion, John Peters, settled into third on Lap 5, and a Lap 7 yellow flag waved. As Hanson continued to lead the restart, Peters briefly grabbed second from Gomes, only to surrender the position back to him on Lap 9. Peters again made a move around Gomes to take second on Lap 12 with Gomes losing third to Carroll Mendenhall on Lap 14. Gomes was back in third on Lap 15, and the final yellow flag waved on the 16th lap. Hanson continued to lead Peters and Gomes on the restart. As Hanson brought it home to victory ahead of Peters, both reigning champion Chad Mathias and Mendenhall got past Gomes on the final lap. Gomes settled for fifth, followed by Danny Marsh, Damron, Mike Dahle, Matt Hagemann and Shiloh Borland. The eight lap heat race wins went to Hanson, Damron and Gomes.

The track was initially planning to have a race this Sunday as part of the County Fair, but as the state hadn't completely reopened in time, that race was canceled. Next on the agenda will be a July 3rd Celebrate America event, featuring the return of the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Redwood Dwarf Cars, Butler Auto Glass IMCA Modified and Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.

Winters Wins NSMS Race At Shasta Speedway,

Carter, Miller Other Winners

Anderson, CA...June 19...Scott Winters won the 60 lap North State Modified Series "Protect The Harvest" Main Event Saturday night at Shasta Speedway. The win paid Winters $1,000 and was his second triumph of the season as he leads the standings after four races.

Cody Braund jumped into the early lead ahead of Keith Bloom and Winters. They ran in that order through two yellow flags during the first 10 laps. Bloom took the lead come Braund on Lap 9 as Rich Cobb settled into third. Winters took second from Braund on Lap 12 and set his sights on Bloom. Cobb found himself in third ahead of Dustin DeRosier and Kylei Keown on Lap 27. Winters put the moves on Bloom to grab the lead on Lap 30, and the lead duo held a straightaway advantage over Cobb at that point. Winters was starting to pull away from Bloom at the Lap 50 mark, but a final yellow flag waved on Lap 57 as Keown's race ended. Winters led Bloom and Cobb on the final restart, and they finished in that order, followed by Dustin DeRosier, Ian Elliott, Mike Nielson, Keown, Braund and Foryst Souza.

Winters was the quickest of nine qualifiers with a lap of 16.104, beating the 16.209 of Nielson and the 16.274 of Braund. Cobb won the seven lap Dash or Cash ahead of Braund. Up next for the series is All American Speedway in Roseville on July 10th. For further information, go to www.northstatemodifieds.com.

Austin Carter won the 25 lap NCMA Sprint Car Main Event. The group was unable to get any races on the track last year due to the covid-19 situation. They were hoping to attract a dozen cars and opened the rules with the enticement of $1,000 to win based on 12 cars. Carter was competing in a 360 Sprint Car. NCMA regular David Burchett jumped into the early lead ahead of Rob Hammond and Mark Amador. Matt Streeter piloted the Ted Finkenbinder car into third on Lap 2. Streeter led Carter past Hammond on Lap 4, and then Streeter took the lead from Burchett on the seventh lap. Carter settled into second on Lap 9. The lead duo built a huge advantage over Burchett. On the 23rd lap, Carter found his opening and motored past Streeter for the lead and eventual victory. Streeter settled for second with Burchett the top NCMA legal car, followed by Amador, Denny Burrell and Rob Hammond.

Carter was the quickest qualifier at 16.048, beating the 16.494 of Streeter. Carter won the six lap Trophy Dash. The group returns to action at Madera Speedway on July 17th. For further information, go to www.ncmasprints.com.

David Miller won the 30 lap Late Model Main Event. The track is hoping to get this division started once again as it used to be popular and well supported. Miller won by nearly a straightaway ahead of Eureka point leader Luke Hall. Randy Houston was a solid third, followed by Mike Sullivan and Mike Webb. Bryan Germone was a Main Event scratch. Miller set the fast time of 15.659 with Hall second quick at 15.890. Miller won the 9 lap heat race.

Joe Bratoli won the 15 lap Legend Car Main Event with Brandon Winters and Dalton Giles not too far behind in second and third, respectively. Mike Giles and Haden Giles completed the finishing order. Brotoli set the fast time of 18.115, beating the 18.592 of Dalton Giles. Dalton Giles claimed four lap Trophy Dash honors.

The track also had Bombers, Hornets and BCRA Vintage Midgets on hand, but information on how that went was unavailable at press time. The BCRA Midgets canceled due to lack of driver commitment for the show. Shasta Speedway will be running again this weekend. For further information, go to the Shasta Speedway Facebook page.

Riveira, Torgerson, Johnson, Stepps

Score Dixon Speedway Wins

Dixon, CA...June 19...Brandon Rivera won the 25 lap Wingless 600 Micro Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Dixon Speedway. This was the first win of the season for Riveira, who took full advantage of his pole position start. Riveira took the lead when the green flag waved, followed by reigning champion Kelvin Lewis and Travis Sullivan. The only two yellow flags of the race waved on Laps 4 and 7 with Riveira leading Lewis and Sullivan on the Lap 8 restart. Bryant Bell briefly took the third position from Sullivan on Lap 9, only to watch Sullivan go motoring by to reclaim the position a lap later. Sixth row starter Austin Wood moved into fourth on Lap 11 and set his sights on Sullivan, making the pass for third on Lap 21. Rivera managed to hold off Lewis for the win with Wood finishing third, followed by Sullivan, Broedy Graham, Bryant Bell, Colin Kirby, Austin Torgerson, Drew Laeber and Travis Labat.

There were 24 Wingless Micros in action, and Sullivan had the fast time on the 1/5 mile dirt oval at 11.641, beating the 11.659 of Riveira and the 11.663 of Torgerson. Laeber, Bell and Kirby picked up 10 lap heat race wins with Rivera grabbing the 10 lap Trophy Dash win ahead of Sullivan and Lewis. They skipped running a B Main and let everybody run the feature race.

Austin Torgerson won the Super 600 Micro Sprint Main Event. Point leader Brad Hannum had the pole. As Torgerson raced into the lead on the opening lap, Hannum would bring out a yellow flag. Torgerson led Jeffrey Pahule and Hailey Wood on the restart. Other than a Lap 4 yellow flag for Tallon Becker, there were no more yellow flag interruptions. Torgerson continued to lead Pahule and Wood on the Lap 5 restart. Torgerson took the checkered flag a straightaway ahead of Pahule as Wood, James Andrichuk, Rylee Whitehouse, Tony Alosi, Hannum, Tyler Chamorro and Becker completed the finishing order.

Torgerson topped the nine car field in qualifying with a lap of 10.635, beating the 10.915 of Andrichuk. Pahule won the 10 lap heat race with Torgerson winning the eight lap Trophy Dash.

Lucas Johnson won the 20 lap Restricted 600 Micro Sprint Main Event. Johnson started on the pole and was destined to lead all the way in victory. There were just two yellow flags on the first and second laps as Kaiden Cowan and Peyton Whitehouse were both eliminated. Taylor Mayhew settled into second on a the Lap 2 restart with Quinn Thurein running third. Jett Barnes made a move from seventh starting, taking the fifth position from Andrew Smith on Lap 6 and taking fourth from Lucas Mauldin on the 13th lap. Johnson won by nearly a straightaway ahead of Mayhew. Thurein settled for third, followed by Barnes, Mauldin, Smith, Kyle Fernandez, Adriana DeMartini, Caden Gotelli and Jackson Kohler.

Thurein was the quickest of 17 qualifiers with a lap of 11.734, beating the 11.742 of Johnson. Smith and Mayhew picked up 10 lap heat race wins with Johnson outrunning Thurein to win the six lap Trophy Dash.

Hayden Stepps won the 20 lap Junior Sprint Main Event. The current point leader has won all but one of the point earning events held this year. Brody Rubio had the pole and jumped into the lead at the start ahead of Hayden Stepps and Josiah Vega. Vito Cancilla took third from Vega on Lap 2 and this was the order for much of the race. A yellow flag waved on Lap 13 with Briggs Davis out of the race. Stepps put the moves on Rubio to grab the lead on the restart. Levi Osborne moved past Cancilla for third on Lap 16, and Cancilla saw his run end on Lap 18. Hayden Stepps went on to victory ahead of Rubio, Osborne, Bryson Roush, Blayden Graham, Vega, Jace Thurein, Jackson Tardiff, Dean Skrifvas and Cancilla.

The Junior Sprints had a strong turnout of 17 competitors with Rubio setting the fast time of 12.999, beating the 13.026 of Cancilla and the 13.031 of Hayden Stepps. Vega and Thurein won 10 lap heat races with Rubio outrunning Cancilla to win the six lap Trophy Dash.

After running for four-consecutive weekends, the track takes a bit of a break with racing scheduled to return on Friday, July 23rd with a full complement of Micro Sprint divisions. For further information, go to www.dixenspeedway.net.

Rutherford, Fitzgibbon, Piker, Horton

Win On Big Night At Ventura Raceway

Ventura, CA...June 19...Troy Rutherford won the 30 lap VRA Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Ventura Raceway. The track welcomed the IMCA Sport Modifieds for the first time and also had the premiere of the IMCA Sport Compacts as well as a big turnout of IMCA Modifieds.

Travis Buckley jumped into lead at the start of the Sprint Car race, followed by Troy Rutherford and Rick Hendrix. Rutherford took the lead on the second lap, and Brandon Thomson took third from Hendrix on lap 5. Rutherford held nearly a straightaway advantage over Buckley when a tangle between Hendrix and Chris Meredith brought on a Lap 11 yellow flag. Rutherford continued to lead the restart with Thompson taking second from Buckley. Thompson kept it close, but Rutherford would go on to the victory. Buckley settled for third, followed by James Herrera, Hendrix, Meredith and Charlie Butcher. Thompson won the 10 lap heat race.

Trevor Fitzgibbon won the 30 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the second-straight win for Fitzgibbon, who is the 2019 State champion. Fitzgibbon raced into the lead at the start ahead of Danny Lauer and Paris Auto Speedway star Tom Smith. Smith gained second on Lap 2, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 3 with Heath Morton out of the event. Fitzgibbon led Smith and Lauer on the restart, but Lauer surrendered third to Troy Morris III on Lap 10. Unfortunately, a yellow flag waved moments later with Morris and Jared Domingos both out of the event. Fitzgibbon led Tom Smith and Alyssa Smith on the restart, but Rob Sanders grabbed third on Lap 12. Fitzgibbon set a rapid pace and took the checkered flag about a half-straightaway ahead of Tom Smith in victory. Sanders settled for third, followed by Larry Wise, Randy Thornell, Alyssa Smith, Chris Crompe, Danny Lauer, Dalton Houghton and Ronnie Meyer Jr.

There were 21 IMCA Modifieds in action for this race, and Danny Lauer turned the 1/5 mile clay oval at 14.091 for the fast time, beating the 14.188 of Alyssa Smith. Eight lap heat race wins went to Jack Parker, Danny Lauer and Fitzgibbon.

John Piker won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This race was scheduled on Wednesday and given the IMCA blessing for State and National points, enabling them to draw a field of 11 competitors even with the late notice. Piker had a front row start and charged into the lead immediately ahead of Aaron Farrell and Tyler Bannister. Jason Bannister passed his son for third on Lap 2 and took second from Farrell on the fourth lap. Tyler Bannister followed closely into third. The only yellow flag of the race waved on Lap 13 with Austin Ruskauff out of the action. Piker led the restart and withstood the pressure of Jason Bannister the rest of the way for the win. Tyler Bannister ended up third, followed by Brian Baker, Matthew Mayo, Dylan Potter, Farrell, Christian Copley, Damian Merritt and Willy Oathout.

Tyler Bannister had the quick time of 13.776, beating the 13.869 of Jason Bannister and the 13.900 of Piker. Jason Bannister and Merritt won the eight lap heat races.

Jason Horton won the 20 lap VRA Dwarf Car Main Event. This was the second-straight win for the current point leader. Keith Calvo raced into the early lead ahead of Jeff Brink and Mike Lewis. A yellow flag waved on Lap 2, and Horton moved into second behind Calvo on the restart. Lewis was still running in the third position, but he surrendered the spot to Gage Cheek on Lap 5. A yellow flag waved moments later. Calvo led Horton and Cheek on the restart. A yellow flag waved on Lap 9 for Calvo. Horton led Cheek and Lewis on this restart and a Lap 12 restart. However, one last yellow flag waved on lap 16 for Cheek. Horton led Lewis and Jeff Hinz on this restart. Horton ran smooth in the closing laps to win ahead of Lewis, Hinz, Calvo, Dominic Maldonado, Evan Jonker, Tom Stephens Sr, Cheek, Tim Morse and Mike Long.

Gage Cheek was the quickest of 13 qualifiers with a lap of 14.074, beating the 14.179 of Horton and the 14.329 of Calvo. Cheek and Horton picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Wayne Heurung won the 20 lap VRA Hobby Stock Main Event. Russell Wagner led the opening lap over Heurung and Tom Stephens Jr before a yellow flag waved. Another yellow flag waved a lap later, and both Ryan Changus and Jeff Houghton were out of the race. Heurung moved into the lead on the restart ahead of Stephens and Wagner. They ran in that order through one yellow flag over the next 10 laps. Heurung held about a straightaway advantage by the time Wagner took second from Stephens on Lap 7, but a Lap 11 yellow flag bunched the field and ended the race for Zack Malone. Heurung led the next restart and pulled away to about a half-lap advantage over Wagner by the time the race ended. Stephens settled for third ahead of Malone, Changus and Houghton.

Stephens won the eight lap heat race, and Heurung set the fast time of 15.204, beating the 15.439 of Wagner. Cody Furr scratched prior to the heat race.

Andrew Schmitz won the debut 20 lap Main Event for the IMCA Sport Compact division. Schmitz led from the outset ahead of Ken McWilliams and David Hunt. By the time the checkered flag waved in the non-stop race, Schmitz was leading McWilliams by a straightaway with Hunt a distant third. Schmitz set the fast time of 16.145, beating the 16.369 of McWilliams. Eric Moore scratched prior to the eight lap heat race that was won by Schmitz.

Racing continues this Saturday night with the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars coming to town along with the WMR Midgets, VRA Dwarf Cars, IMCA Mod Lites and NMRA TQ Midgets. For further information, go to www.venturaraceway.com.

Winchel, Steeves, O'Ferrall, Martin Score

Redwood Acres Raceway Wins

Eureka, CA...June 19...Cody Winchel won the 35 lap Legend Car Main Event Saturday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. This was Bear River Casino night at the races. Winchel had intended to compete in a Legends of the Pacific race at another track, but a cancellation due to excessive heat saw him making the trip to Eureka.

Andrew Thornton raced into the early lead ahead of Tyler Krupa and Justin Johnson. Blake Borchers took third from Johnson on Lap 2 as Brandon White settled into fourth. White made a big move on the fourth lap to take the lead from Thornton as point leader Chris Lawrence settled into third. Lawrence and Tyler Krupa both got around Thornton on Lap 5 with a yellow flag waving. White led Winchel and Lawrence on the restart. White and Winchel began to pull away and battle for the lead. By the 20th lap, they were beginning to work slower traffic, and Winchel was able to make the pass for the lead on Lap 23. Winchel still had to deal with the pressure of White for the final 10 laps, but he would prevail in the end. Lawrence settled for a solid third, followed by Borchers, Krupa, Scott Taylor, Thornton, Johnson, Tom Summers and Emily Vest.

White was the fastest in qualifying with a lap of 17.739, beating the 17.742 of Winchel. They ran two 10 lap heat races with the wins going to Thornton and White.

Bridget Steeves won the 25 lap Bomber Main Event. This was her first win of the season, and she is the third different winner in four races. Raquel Krupa jumped into the early lead ahead of Jordan Krupa and Steeves. Steeves slipped past Jordan Krupa for second on Lap 7 and began pressuring Raquel Krupa for the lead. On the 12th lap, Steeves found her opening and grabbed the lead. Tyler Krupa moved into second on Lap 13. The battle got intense in the closing laps as Steeves fought to maintain her advantage. In the end, she would win ahead of Tyler Krupa. Raquel Krupa settled for third ahead of Jordan Krupa and Brandon Katri. Jordan Krupa set the fast time of 18.699, beating the 18.712 of Katri. Jordan Krupa won the 10 lap heat race.

Eric O'Ferrall won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was his second win of the season, and he may have taken the point lead from Colton Kinsey as a result. O'Ferrall took the lead at the start ahead of Kinsey and Sam Brown. A yellow flag waved on Lap 6 for Allison McCarty. That proved to be the only slow down of the race. O'Ferrall continued to lead Kinsey and Brown on the restart. O'Ferrall built a nearly straightaway advantage over second place by the time the checkered flag waved. Brown made a last lap pass on Kinsey for the runner-up position with Kinsey settling for third ahead of Cole Peterson, Dalton and McCarty. Sam Brown set the fast time of 19.327, beating the 19.330 O'Ferrall. O'Ferrall also won the 10 lap heat race.

Jeremiah Martin won the 25 lap Roadrunner Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the current point leader. Dylan Ford raced into the early lead ahead of Nick Ford and Tanisha Ratzlaff. Steve Kimberling moved into third on Lap 2 with Martin following into fourth. Martin moved past Nick Ford for second on Lap 4 and set his sights on Dylan Ford. The lead duo battled for a few laps before Martin took the lead on Lap 9. Shawn Wildman had settled into fourth by then and took third from Nick Ford on Lap 13. A yellow flag waved on Lap 14 with Ty Rose joining Brody Pinkelman on the sidelines. Martin led Dylan Ford and Bob Ratzlaff on the restart, but another yellow flag waved a lap later with Kimberling sidelined at that point. Once again, Martin maintained the lead on the restart ahead of Dylan Ford and Bob Ratzlaff. They ran in that order all the way to the checkered flag with Tanisha Ratzlaff finishing fourth, followed by Nick Ford, Wildman, Brian Hopkins, Wayne Marsh, Riley Honzik and Kimberling.

Martin was the quickest of 12 qualifiers with a lap of 20.096, beating the 20.642 of Kimberling. The 10 lap heat race wins went to Honzik and Martin.

Racing returns on July 10th with the Harper Motors Firecracker 100 for the Late Models. Also competing will be the Bombers, Mini Stocks, Legend Cars and Roadrunners. For further information, go to www.racintheacres.com.

Box Records First Career Spec Sprint Win,

McKinzie, Wagner, Van Hoff Other Antioch Winners

Antioch, CA...June 19...Kevin Box won the 30 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This division was a last-minute addition to the schedule for the night. This was the first career win for Box, who is the nephew of Petaluma Speedway racer Norm Johns.

Box had the pole for the Main Event, but Jacob Tuttle raced into the early lead ahead of Jacob Williams and Rick Panfili. Two-time champion Bob Newberry moved into third on Lap 2 and took second from Williams on the fourth lap. Cameron Martin settled into third on Lap 11, and a Lap 18 yellow flag waved. Turtle led Martin and Box on the restart, and the final 10 laps were destined to have some exciting racing. Martin briefly got past Tuttle for the lead on Lap 25, but he was dropped back to third by Tuttle and Box a lap later. Box was giving Tuttle all the pressure he could handle until making his exciting pass on the final lap to secure his first ever win. Turtle settled for second ahead of Martin, Tony Bernard, James East, Dylan Newberry, Roy Fisher, Panfili, Steve Maionchi and Bob Newberry.

Even though the race was a late addition to the schedule, 14 drivers still showed up to compete. Tuttle set the fast time of 14.931, beating the 15.084 of Newberry. Tuttle and Williams picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Larry McKinzie Jr won the 30 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. This was the second win of the season for the current point leader. Kenneth Robles had the pole for the race and jumped into the early lead ahead of McKinzie and Charlie Bryant. Past Merced and Chowchilla champion Kevin Joaquin took third from Bryant on the sixth lap, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 15. McKinzie took the lead on the restart ahead of Bryant. Gene Haney found his way up to third, and he gained second when Bryant saw his race come to an end for a Lap 17 yellow flag. Joaquin was also out at that point, and McKinzie led Haney and Anthony Vigna on the restart. A lap 25 yellow flag waved with a good run ending for Vigna. Robles took the lead from McKinzie on the restart. However, McKinzie was able to regain command two laps later. McKinzie went on to victory ahead of Robles, Gene Haney, James Graessle, Grayson Baca, Jared Baugh, Adam Kujala, Michaela Taylor, Gavin Griffiths and Jess Paladino. Robles, Bryant and McKinzie won the eight lap heat races as 21 drivers came to compete.

Danny Wagner won the 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. This was the third win of the season for the two-time track champion. Southern Oregon Dwarf Car competitor Steve Walker had the pole and raced into the early lead ahead of Chance Russell and 2019 champion Scott Dahlgren. Dahlgren surrendered third to Dennis Gilcrease on Lap 5, and a Lap 7 yellow flag proved to be the only slow down of the race. Russell took the lead from Walker on the restart. Dahlgren briefly regained third, only to surrender the position to Wagner on Lap 11. Wagner slipped past Walker for second a lap later. A battle developed between Russell and Wagner in the waning laps with Wagner grabbing the lead on Lap 19. Wagner went on to score the thrilling victory ahead of Russell, point leader Kevin Miraglio, Walker, Devan Kammermann, Dahlgren, reigning champion Travis Day, Gilcrease, Chuck Conover and Jack Haverty. There were 15 cars, and the eight lap heat race wins went to Wagner, Gilcrease and Miraglio.

Austin Van Hoff won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. This was his first win, and he becomes the sixth different winner in seven races. Looking for his second win, three-time Watsonville Hobby Stock champion Rob Gallaher had the pole and sprinted into the early lead ahead of Dan Gonderman and Travis Dutra. Dutra and Jason Robles shuffled Rob Gallaher out of the Top 3 on the ninth lap. Van Hoff gained fourth on Lap 10, and the only yellow flag flew on lap 18 for Robles and Dutra. Van Hoff made a big move on the restart and took the lead from Gonderman. Gonderman fought valiantly to regain the lead, but Van Hoff would hold him off for the well-earned triumph. Watsonville Hobby Stock point leader Joe Gallaher finished third, followed by Rob Gallaher, Robles, Dutra and State point leader Renn Bane. Gonderman was the eight lap heat race winner.

Don McLeister won the 10 lap 600 Micro Sprint Main Event. There were just four competitors, but Charlie Kight scratched prior to the heat race. McLeister won both the feature and the six lap heat race with Jack Clark and Sven Johnson trailing him in both races.

This Saturday night is the Sixth Annual Hetrick Memorial race, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Bay Area Hardtops. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Different Car Same Results For Sanders,

Bannister, Skleton, Gullo Get Ocean Speedway Wins

Watsonville, CA...June 18...Justin Sanders won the Ocean Sprint Car, Presented by Taco Bravo, 30 lap Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. On this occasion, Sanders was behind the wheel of the Larry Antaya owned Sprint Car, but it didn't stop him from scoring his impressive seventh win of the season at the speedway as he continues to lead the standings.

Michael Pombo made an appearance and put himself on the pole for the Main Event by holding off Sanders and Joey Ancona to win the six lap Trophy Dash. However, Sanders moved into the lead at the start ahead of Pombo and Ancona. Ancona and Pombo battled for second with Ancona grabbing the spot on Lap 3, only to be passed by Pombo on Lap 4. Ancona came back strong on the fifth lap to regain second, and a yellow flag waved for Nick Ringo on Lap 6. Sanders led Ancona and reigning champion Mitchell Faccinto on the restart. Faccinto moved in to challenge Ancona for second and grabbed the position on Lap 23. Unfortunately for Ancona, his race ended moments later for a yellow flag. Sanders led Faccinto and Jake Andreotti on the restart with Bud Kaeding settling into fourth. Kaeding took third from Andreotti on Lap 29. Faccinto kept it close, but he was no match for Sanders, who brought it home to victory. Kaeding ended up third, followed by Andreotti, Kurt Nelson, Pombo, Zane Blanchard, JJ Ringo, Travis Labat and Bryce Eames.

There were 27 Sprint Cars in action, and Ancona toured the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval at 11.350 for fast time, beating the 11.371 of Faccinto and the 11.386 of Sanders. The eight lap heat races would take the Top 5 finishers directly into the Main Event, and the wins went to Andreotti, Labat and Pombo. Jason Chisum won the 12 lap B Main. Chisum jumped into the lead at the start ahead of Eric Humphries and Dominic Gorden. However, Humphries took the lead from Chisum on the third lap, and Gordon surrendered third to Ashlyn Rodriguez on a Lap 5 restart. Humphries saw his race come to an end on Lap 10 with Chisum getting the lead and victory. Gorden had taken third from Rodriguez on Lap 10, and that became second with the departure of Humphries. Rodriguez settled for third ahead of Chris Nelson and Josh Chisum.

Bakersfield racer Tyler Bannister made a surprise appearance and won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The rapidly improving Kelly Campanile set the early pace from the pole ahead of Justin McPherson. Previous winner Randy Miller moved into third on Lap 2, but he lost the position to Bannister on the fourth lap as a yellow flag waved. Campanile led Bannister and McPherson on the restart, and Bannister put the moves on Campanile to grab the lead on the sixth lap. McPherson saw his run in third end for a lap 10 yellow flag. Bannister continued to lead the restart as Antioch star Brian Pearce made a big move into second. Campanile was still running third and feeling the pressure from Miller. Miller finally made the pass for third on Lap 17. With Pearce running not too far behind him, Tyler Bannister stayed smooth and scored the impressive win. Miller ended up third and used the finish to take over the point lead. Campanile settled for fourth, followed by, Jason Bannister, State point leader Trevor Clymens, Todd Gomez, Chuck Weir, Kenny Shrader and Chuck Golden. Miller, Fred Ryland and Tyler Bannister won the eight lap heat races.

Jerry Skelton was awarded his first 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event win of the season, which keeps him second in the standings and still very much in title contention. Merced racer Chad Ragsdale led the first two laps before Skelton took the lead. Point leader Joe Gallaher was running third at that point, but Ryan Muller briefly gained the position on Lap 5 before a yellow flag waved for the end of the race for Jarod Fast. TJ Etchison moved into second behind Skelton on the restart with Ragsdale still running. On the 10th lap, Etchison took the lead from Skelton, and a Lap 13 yellow flag waved as Bobby Gallaher saw his race come to an end. Skelton took the lead from Etchison on the restart with point leader Joe Gallaher running third. The lead trio ran closely, and an intense battle developed in the waning laps. Etchison beat Skelton back to the line on Lap 18, but Skelton nudged ahead a lap later. On the final lap, Etchison beat Skelton back to the checkered flag for the apparent victory. Unfortunately, he was later disqualified. This gave the win to Skelton ahead of Joe Gallaher, Ragsdale, Rob Gallaher, Norm Ayers, Ryan Muller, Mitch Lettunich, Sam Kennedy, Adriane Frost and Steve Remde. Rob Gallaher and Joe Gallaher picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Nate Graham won the 15 lap Police N Pursuit Main Event. Graham represents the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office, and this was his second win of the season. Graham had the pole of a race that would have no yellow flags. John Hohmann of the Scotts Valley Police Department and Pat Sullivan ran second and third. As Graham continued to pull away from Hohmann, Roy Iler took third from Sullivan on Lap 5. Hohmann trailed Graham by more than half a lap by the time the race ended, and third place Iler was lapped on the final circuit. Sullivan settled for fourth, followed by Eric Perez, Weir and Fernando Tellez. AJ Waltrip was a Main Event scratch. Graham also won the six lap heat race.

Tony Gullo won the 15 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was another race that went without a yellow flag, and it was also the fourth win of the season for the current point leader. Richard Mitchell had the pole and jumped into the early lead ahead of Gullo and Travis Van Gilder. By the seventh lap, the lead duo had pulled out to a straightway advantage as Kate Beardsley took third from Van Gilder. Gullo was pressuring Mitchell until making the pass on Lap 10 to take the lead. Gullo led the rest of the way to win ahead of Mitchell, Kate Beardsley, Van Gilder, Nicole Beardsley and Bill Beardsley. Mitchell also won the six lap heat race.

Racing resumes next Friday night with the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars back in action along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds, WMR Midgets, South Bay Dwarf Cars and Four Bangers. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.

Cox, Young Win Special Fast Friday Show

At Cottage Grove Speedway

Cottage Grove, Oregon...June 18...Kinzer Cox won the 25 lap Limited Sprint Main Event Friday night at Cottage Grove Speedway. Cox is the 2018 track champion. This was the first night of a two-race weekend for the Interstate Sprint Series, which heads to Coos Bay on Saturday. Furthermore, it was the first night of a two-race weekend at Cottage Grove. The track likes to do the occasional Fast Friday race, which gives the fans two good divisions of racing for just $5 admission.

Reigning champion Shane Forte had the pole and raced into the lead at the start ahead of Cox and 2018 Medford champion Dave Hibbard. Fourth row starter Camden Robustelli moved the TJ Winningham car into fourth on Lap 4 and grabbed the third position from Hibbard on the seventh lap. Cox closed in on Forte and put the moves on him for the lead on Lap 12. Robustelli slipped past Forte for second on Lap 15. Forte briefly lost third to Kyle Alberding on Lap 17, but he regained the position on Lap 20. Cox won with Robustelli a very close second, followed by Forte, Dave Hibbard, Alberding, Bailey Hibbard, Tyrell Mead, Justin McConnville, RJ McGahuey and Steven Snawder.

There were 21 Limited Sprints for the show, and the drivers qualified in their heat race groups. From the third group, Alberding had the fast time of 11.954, beating the 12.030 of Johnny Burke, who was also in the third group. The eight lap heat race wins went to Cox, Forte and Dave Hibbard

Derick Young won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. Young is now the sixth different winner in nine races. Paul Rea had the pole and led two laps before second row starter Young took over. Aaron Sheelar was an early third before being passed on the sixth lap by Matthew Drager. Drager gained second on the seventh lap, but he encountered problems as the yellow flag waved. Young led the restart with point leader Curtis Towns briefly gaining second, only to surrender the position to Jeffrey Hudson on Lap 9. Hudson began pressuring Young for the lead and slipped past him on Lap 14. However, Young came back strong and regained the lead for good on Lap 16. Towns had a battle on his hands for third with sixth row starter Bricen James grabbing the spot briefly on Lap 18. However, Towns regained the position a lap later and put the moves on Hudson for second on Lap 21. Young went on to victory ahead of Towns, Sheelar, James, Drager, Hudson, Rea, reigning champion Jake Mayden, Ryan Baker and Jeff Lovell.

Mayden was the quickest driver in qualifying with a lap of 14.410, beating the 14.440 of James and the 14.525 of Young. The three eight lap heat race wins went to Drager, Ray and Sheelar.

Racing was scheduled to continue the next day with the Wingless Sprint Series paying a visit along with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Sport Compacts. To keep up to date with what's happening at the track, go to www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Lemley, Resch, Hillier, Constance

Score Deming Speedway Wins

Bellingham, WA...June 18...Tyson Lemley won the 25 lap Shots 2 Go Espresso 1200 Mini Sprint Main Event Friday night at Deming Speedway. Lemley started on the pole and would lead all the way in victory. Northwest Focus Midget star Chance Crum settled into an early second ahead of Brock Lemley. Point leader Derek Holmwood was moving along in the fourth position when his race came to an unfortunate end on Lap 14. Steven Hendrickson assumed the position at that point, but his race ended early on Lap 18. At that point, Brock Lemley presented a serious challenge to Crum for second and made the pass on Lap 20. Tyson Lemley went on to win ahead of Brock Lemley, Crum, Jared Gunderson, Seth Hespe, Alex Lewis, Dakota Drake, Frosty Metcalfe, Tanner Schoonover and Dick Williams. Crum was the quickest of 19 qualifiers on the 1/6 mile clay oval at 10.561, beating a 10.651 of Tyson Lemley. Eight lap heat race wins went to Hendrickson, Brock Lemley and Holmwood.

Point leader Dylan Resch won the 25 lap Speed Mart Super 600 Micro Sprint Main Event. Resch started on the front row, but polesitter Jayden Whitney raced into the early lead. Tyler McCleod was an early third. The battle heated up at the front of the pack, and Resch finally got past Whitney for the lead on Lap 11. On the 14th lap, Kaitlyn Hammer and Parker Hadlock both got around McCleod for third and fourth. Those two drivers battled for the third position with Hadlock making the pass on Lap 21. Resch went on to win ahead of Whitney, a rapidly approaching Hadlock, Hammer, McCleod, Ryan Holz, Colin Mackey, Jesse Schlotfeldt, Dakota Drake and Levi Kuntz. Hammer was the fastest of 19 drivers with a lap of 10.594, beating the 10.645 of Whitney. The eight lap heat race victories went to McCleod, Jeremy Holz and Marcie Logsdon.

Point leader Levi Hillier won the 25 lap mytrafficman.net Restricted 600 Micro Sprint Main Event. Hillier had the pole and led from start to finish. Axel Oudman settled into second at the start ahead of Corbin Ramsey. Keira Zylstra worked her way from the sixth starting position. She took fourth from Carson Guffie on Lap 4 and set her sights on Ramsey, making the pass on Lap 20. However, Hillier would pull out to about a straightaway advantage over Oudman in victory. Zylstra ended up third, followed by Ramsey, Kane Van Sickle, Levi Kuntz, Peyton Drake, Guffie, Mallory Fisher and Kenneth Kentch. Hillier was the quickest of 19 qualifiers with a lap of 11.154, beating the 11.345 of Zlystra. Oudman, Destry Miller and Ramsey were the eight lap heat race winners.

Point leader Brooklyn Constance won the 20 lap Clean Crawls Junior Sprints Main Event. Constance had the pole, but Clayton Jalakas surprised her by racing into the lead at the start. McKenna Morgan settled into third and they ran that way until misfortune struck Jalakas on Lap 15 to end his race. Constance had the lead over Morgan and Avery Askvig on the restart, and Constance would pull away from the duo in victory. Morgan settled for second, followed by Askvig, Chase Whitney, Colton Knapp, Jayce Medcalf, Sawyer Baxter, Jalakas, Dustin Ramsey and Oliver Kairis. Constance set the fast time of 13 qualifiers with a lap of 13.504, beating the 13.520 of Ron Bright. The eight lap heat race wins went to Braeden Wager and Jalakas.

The track returns to action with the Mid-season Championship and fireworks show on July 2nd featuring the regular four-division lineup. For further information, go to www.demingspeedway.com.

Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 18
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo
A Main
Justin Sanders
Mitchell Faccinto
Bud Kaeding
Jake Andreotti
Kurt Nelson
Michael Pombo
Zane Blanchard
J.J. Ringo
Travis Labat
Bryce Eames
Dominic Gorden
Adam Kaeding
Koen Shaw
Jeremy Chisum
Burt Foland Jr
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Josh Chisum
Jerry Bonnema
Joey Ancona
Jason Chisum
Nick Ringo
Chris Nelson

B Main
Jason Chisum
Dominic Gorden
Ashlyn Rodriguez
Chris Nelson
Josh Chisum
Jerry Bonnema
Nick Ringo
Jimmy Christian
Bradley Dillard
Connor Danell
Richard Fajardo
Eric Humphries

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Tyler Bannister
Andrew Pearce
Randy Miller
Kelly Campanile
Jason Bannister
Trevor Clymens
Todd Gomez
Chuck Weir
Kenny Shrader
Chuck Golden
Justin McPherson
Riley Jeppesen
Adriane Frost
Richard Ragsdale
Kodie Dean
Scott Foster
Duane Bieser
Charlie Hunter
Dwayne Short
Fred Ryland
Emali VanHoff
Max Baggett
Cody Bryan
Frank Cefaliello Jr

Hobby Stocks
Jerry Skelton
Joe Gallaher
Chad Ragsdale
Rob Gallaher
Norm Ayers
Ryan Muller
Mitch Lettunich
Sam Kennedy
Adriane Frost
Steve Remde
Bobby Gallaher
Jarod Fast
T.J. Etchinson III DQ
Ken Winland DNS

Four Bangers
Tony Gullo
Richard Mitchell
Kate Beardsley
Travis VanGilder
Nicole Beardsley
Bill Beardsley

Police n Pursuit
Nate Graham     Santa Cruz, CA
John Hohmann Scotts Valley Police Departmen
Roy Iler San Benito SO
Pat Sullivan Gilroy Police Department
Eric Perez Scotts Valley Police Department
Tony Weir San Benito County SO
Fernando Tellez     Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office
A.J. Waltrip Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office DQ

Cottage Grove Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 18
ISCS SPRINTS
Kinzer Cox
Camden Robustelli
Shane Forte
Dave Hibbard
Kyle Alberding
Bailey Hibbard
Tyrell Mead
Justen McConnville
RJ McGahuey
Steven Snawder
Morgan Burks
Donny Waddell
Annissa Curtice
Brionna Fuller
Kyle Adams
Justin Lemon
Pat Desbiens
Brett McGhie
Johnny Burke
Tim Minter

IMCA Modifieds
Derick Young
Curtis Towns
Aaron Scheelar
Bricen James
Matthew Drager
Jeffrey Hudson
Paul Rea
Jake Mayden
Ryan Baker
Jeff Lovell
Paul Culp
Todd Shandy
Dwayne Klein
Roy Kirk Jr
Greg McDonald
Dick Wright
James Welshone DQ

Deming Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 18
1200 Mini Sprints
Tyson Lemley
Brock Lemley
Chance Crum
Jared Gundersen
Seth Hespe
Alex Lewis
Dakota Drake
Frosty Metcalfe
Tanner Schoonover
Dick Williams
Haylee Bloodgood
Steven Hendrickson
Nate Vaughn
Josh Monroe
Derek Holmwood
Bill McMeekin
Terry Lewis
Sidney McMeekin
Austin Edson

Super 600
Dylan Resch
Jayden Whitney
Parker Hadlock
Kaitlyn Hammer
Tyler McCleod
Ryan Holz
Colin Mackey
Jesse Schlotfeldt
Dakota Drake
Levi Kuntz
Ryley Mayer
Macie Logsdon
Haley Constance
Xan Miller
Blaine Granberg
Jeremy Holz
Rachel Westmoreland
Tyler Conley
Billy Coates

Restricted 600
Levi Hillier
Axel Oudman
Keira Zylstra
Corbin Ramsey
Kane VanSickle
Levi Kuntz
Peyton Drake
Carson Guffie
Mallory Fisher
Rylee Kentch
Ethan Lashley
Karma Fagerlie
Diane Knutzen
Dale Orcutt
Grace Matier
Destry Miller
Orn Biggs
Jeff Woolsey

Jr Sprints
Brooklyn Constance
McKenna Morgan
Avery Askvig
Chase Whitney
Colton Knapp
Jayce Medcalf
Sawyer Baxter
Clayton Jalakas
Dustin Ramsey
Oliver Kairis
Ryan Bright
Braeden Wager
Blake Skultety

Antioch Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
Delta Dwarf Cars
Danny Wagner
Chance Russell
Kevin Miraglio
Steve Walker
Devan Kammermann
Scott Dahlgren
Travis Day
Dennis Gilcrease
Chuck Conover
Jack Haverty
Ellie Russo
Tom VanTuyl
Roberto Monroy
David Michael Rosa
Charlie Correia DNS

Hobby Stocks
Larry McKinzie Jr
Kenneth Robles
Gene Haney
James Graessle
Grayson Baca
Jared Baugh
Adam Kujala
Michaela Taylor
Gavin Griffiths
Jess Paladino
Vigna Anthony
Misty Welborn
Jewell Crandall
Colton Haney
Jeff Bentancourt
Charlie Bryant
Kevin Joaquin
Tom Leopold
Logan Fernandez
Judy Arth DNS
Steve Torres DNS

Wingless Spec Sprint
Kevin Box
Jacob Tuttle
Cameron Martin
Tony Bernard
James East
Dylan Newberry
Roy Fisher
Richard Panfili
Steve Maionchi
Bob Newberry
Jacob WIlliams
Bob Davis
Jeff Scotto
Ryon Siverling

IMCA Stock Car
Austin VanHoff
Dan Gonderman
Joe Gallaher
Rob Gallaher
Jason Robles
Travis Dutra
Renn Bane

600 Micro Sprints
Don McLeister
Jack Clark
Sven Johnson
Charlie Kight DNS

Siskiyou Golden Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Trevor Clymens
Trevor Tiffee
Rich McCoy
Ryan Peery
Ryder Boswell
Jesse Morton
Colt Boswell
Jace Wright
Nick Berryhill

Mini Stock
David Steele
kristopher mix
Connor Franklin
Hunter Magnan
Michael Knuckles
Ashtin Hedges
Quintyn Ericks
Logan McKnight
Marilyn Yawnick
Darek Alford DNS

Outlaw Pro Stock
Scott Flowers
Johnny Cobb
Cory Biggs
Denny Burtenhouse
Ginny Flowers
Taylor Buckley
Rick Lukens
Matt Harlow

Jalopies
JJ Smith
Karl Bernstein
Kade Bernstein
Scotty Billingsley DNS
Marilyn Yawnick DNS

Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
America's Mattress Super Late Models
Brody Montgomery
Preston Luckman
Braden Fugate
Wayne Butler
Garret Smith
Hannah Robinson

Sportsman Late Models
Tahlan Rogers
Josh Kralicek
jim CRABTREE
Dustin Hitner
Brad Dubisar

Street Stocks
Seth Christian
Ken Fox
Toby McIntyre
Leroy Rockwell
Troy Chamberlain
eric freeman
Wayne Clink
Myshkin Ferguson

Mini Outlaws
Jason Kellam
Jeff Thurman
Tristen Davidson
mike beaudoin
Jamie Daniels
Nicole Emry
Jonathan Cardwell
Scott Beaudoin
Matthew Emry

Hornets
Kris Parker
Dan Beaudoin
Dylan Boyer
Seth Christian
Alyssa Johnson
alexis baker
Jim Van Loon
pam beaudoin
Mike Reynolds
Dusty Shingleton
Lori Fuller
Jonathan Cardwell
Dan Briesacher
Scott Gorman

JR Stingers
A Main
Griff Smith
Tallon Dubisar
Cameron Metzgus
Eli Luckman
DJ Nelson
Heather Burton
Tanner dubisar
Tucker dubisar
Max Haga
Taylor Fuller
Hailee Tilton

B Main
Max Haga
Taylor Fuller
Hailee Tilton

Interstate Sprint Cars
Bailey Hibbard
Camden Robustelli
Justen McConnville
RJ McGahney
Shane Forte
Austin Sause
Tyrell Mead
Anissa Curtice
Dave Hibbard
Kyle Adams
Tim Minter

Dixon Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
Jr. Sprints
Hayden Stepps
Brody Rubio
Levi Osborne
Brycen Roush
Blayden Graham
Josiah Vega
Jace Thurein
Jackson Tardiff
Dean Skrifvars
Vito Cancilla
Heston Stepps
Bradley Anderson
Mickelina Monico
Maya Mauldin
Edward Olvera
Briggs Davis
Nathan Fernandez

Super 600
Austin Torgerson
Jeffery Pahule
Hailey Wood
James Andrichuk
Rylee Whitehouse
Tony Alosi
Brad Hannum
Tyler Chamorro
Tallon Becker

Restricted
Lucas Johnson
Taylor Mayhew
Quinn Thurein
Jett Barnes
Lucas Mauldin
Andrew Smith
Kyle Fernandez
Adrianna DeMartini
Caden Gotelli
Jackson Kohler
Savannah Brown
AJ Neilson
Nicholas Leonard Jr
Cierra Wullenwaber
Kyle Cravotta
Peyton Whitehouse
Kaiden Gowen

Wingless
Brandon Riveira
Kelvin Lewis
Austin Wood
Travis Sullivan
Broedy Graham
Bryant Bell
Colin Kirby
Austin Torgerson
Drew Laeber
Travis Labat
Austin Taborski
Taylor DeCarlo
Tyson Davis
Ryan Holden
Chris Parmley
Cody Parmley
Justin Stretch
Steve Bettanini
Blake Parmley
Devin Osanna
Ray Neilson
Steve Alvarado
Jarrett Heimlich
James Andrichuk

Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
SCCT 360 Sprint Car
Kaleb Montgomery
Ryan Robinson
Sean Becker
Tanner Carrick
Blake Carrick
Chase Majdic
Justyn Cox
Colby Copeland
Dylan Bloomfield
Colby Johnson
Brad Bumgarner
Kyle Offill
Justin Henry
Bradley Terrell
Isaiah Vasquez
Bret Barney
Andy Forsberg
John Clark
Jason Toft
Angelo Cornet
Angelique Bell
D.J. Freitas DNS

Redwood Dwarf Cars
Mark Hanson
John Peters
Chad Matthias
Carroll Mendenhall
John Gomes
Danny Marsh
Jimmy Damron
Mike Dahle
Matt Hagemann
Shiloh Borland
Sam Borland
tim steger
Adam Freitas
Trevor Mendenhall
Shawn McCoy
Alysa Gallegos
Michael Williams
Kylee Johnson
Cody Bolles
Zach Whitacre DNS

IMCA Dirt Modifieds
Anthony Slaney
Michael Paul Jr
Brent Curran
Justin Yaeger
Buddy Kniss
Tim Yaeger
Michelle Paul
Kimo Oreta
Shawn DeForest
Frank Furtado
Mitch Machado
Ron Palombino DNS
Nick DeCarlo DNS

Cottage Grove Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
Wingless Sprint Series
Tim Alberding
Kinzer Cox
Chad Lindsey
Lance Hallmark
Jonathen Jorgenson
Rob Lindsey
Daysen Thomas
Brent Rich
Nate Schank
Mitch Hoffses
Tim Kennedy
Gene Cannon
Pat Desbiens

IMCA Modifieds
Paul Rea
Chad Groves
Jake Mayden
Curtis Towns
Derick Young
Jeffrey Hudson
Matthew Drager
Aaron Sheelar
Ryan Baker
Eric Ashley
Paul Culp
Jayson Nelson
James Welshone
Dwayne Klein

Royalty Core IMCA Sport Modifieds
Aaron Bloom
Matt Brown
Dustin Comer
Jantzen Knips
Ray Comer
Ray Bloom
Jordan Henry
Travis Pruitt
Garrett Craig
Chuck Carson
Gavin Ropchan
Doug Coffman
Dalton Bloom
John Player
Trevor Points
Hunter Bloom
KC Scott
Jason McClintock
Steve Hopkins
Shawn Hand DQ

IMCA Sport Compacts
Burnie Bryant
Brad Martin
Tiffany Towns
Andrew Langan
Jim Simmons
Bruce Miller
Kerry Cooper
Rex Eckley
Mike Green
Cole Trissell
Timothy Smith
Haven Smith
Madilyn Ashley
Michael Kennerly

Hermiston Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
NWSLM
Atomic 125
Results are not official
1     #55 Haeden Plybon
2     #64 Garrett Evans
3     #24 Tristan Haider
4     #3 Andy Beaman
5     #17 Max Schroeder
6     #83 Braeden Havens
7     #7 Bryce Bezanson
8     #88 Jeff Mullins
9     #93 Dave Garber
10     #70 Dale Wennerberg
11     #33 Christopher Kalsch
12     #33b Derek Ball
13     #37 Mike Longton
14     #3b Ken Bonney
15     #42 Kole Raz
16     #021 Todd Connell
17     #12 Rick Gerard
18     #8 Travis Sharpe

Bomber
Harrold Snyder
Jeremy Erb
Tracy Howell
Kedric Preston
Todd Nunn
Brandon Snyder
Cody MacDonald
Mel Leinbach
Michael McNeely
Kenny Michaels
Harley Josephson

Street Stocks
Bart Hector Jr
Terry Lydell
Justin Gage
Luke Klingenberg
Brian Calley
Rich Peters
Brandon Little

Mini Stock
Mike Savage
Meredith Thompson
Ron Wilbur
Kedric Preston

Hornet
Thomas Stevens
Jessica Hoffman
Tony Price
Alejandro Mendoza
Craig Jensen
Kris Marlow
Karin Pitzer
Sean Zieske
Jared Larson
Tristian Trijillo
Drew Decker

Redwood Acres Raceway Unofficial Race Results June 19
Bear River Casino Night
Legends
Results are not official
1     #12c Cody Winchel
2     #19 Brandon White
3     #49 Chris Lawrence
4     #65 Blake Borchers
5     #21 Tyler Krupa
6     #8 Scott Taylor
7     #3 Andrew Thronton
8     #55 Justin Johnson
9     #51 Tom Summers
10     #1 Emily Vest

Bomber
Results are not official
1     #50r Bridget Steeves
2     #44 Tyler Krupa
3     #24 Raquel Krupa
4     #00 Jordan Krupa
5     #10 Brandon Katri

Road Runner
Results are not official
1     #29 Jeremiah Martin
2     #20 Dylan Ford
3     #61 Bob Ratzlaff
4     #16 Tanisha Ratzlaff
5     #31 Nick Ford
6     #17 Shawn Wildman
7     #3 Brian Hopkins
8     #2 Wayne Marsh
9     #89 Riley Honzik
10     #48 Steve Kimberling
11     #55 Ty Rose
12     #77 Brody Pinkelman

Mini Stock
Results are not official
1     #16 Eric O'Ferrall
2     #11 Sam Brown
3     #33 Colton Kinsey
4     #07 Cole Peterson
5     #85 CJ Dalton
6     #7 Allison McCarty

Ventura Raceway Unofficial Race Results June 19
VRA Sprint Cars
Results are not official
1     #11 Troy Rutherford
2     #73X Brandon Thomson
3     #25K Travis Buckley
4     #5J James Herrera
5     #15 Rick Hendrix
6     #66 Chris Meredith
7     #96 Charlie Butcher

IMCA Modifieds
Results are not official
1     #28 Trevor Fitzgibbon
2     #31T Tom Smith
3     #10N Rob Sanders
4     #5w Larry Wise
5     #07t Randy Thornell
6     #31A Alyssa Smith
7     #7LC Chris Crompe
8     #41 Danny Lauer
9     #61 Dalton Houghton
10     #18m Ronnie Meyer Jr
11     #55JR Jack Parker
12     #38 Dennis Eckert
13     #34 Scott Olsen
14     #47C Tim Labrake
15     #3 Ryan Lauer
16     #14BT Blake Thornell
17     #07X Troy Morris III
18     #.08 Jared Domingos
19     #7 Mike Stanford
20     #08X Dave Phipps
21     #6 Heath Morton

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Results are not official
1     #28p John Piker
2     #51 Jason Bannister
3     #151 Tyler Bannister
4     #11B Brian Baker
5     #13m Matthew Mayo
6     #3 Dylan Potter
7     #8 Aaron Farrell
8     #4 Christian Copley
9     #22M Damian Merrit
10     #14w Willy Oathout
11     #88C Austin Ruskauff

VRA Pro Dwarf Cars
Results are not official
1     #93 Jason Horton
2     #5 Mike Lewis
3     #57 Jeff Hinz
4     #43 Kevin Calvo
5     #81 Dominic Maldonado
6     #13 Evan Jonker
7     #05 Tom Stephens Sr
8     #22 Gage Cheek
9     #58 Tim Morse
10     #555 Mike Long
11     #99 Shane Linenburger
12     #88 Jeff Brink
13     #22C Gary Cheek

VRA Hobby Stocks
Results are not official
1     #14 Wayne Heurung
2     #6 Russel Wagner
3     #16 Tom Stephens Jr
4     #15 Zack Malone
5     #18 Ryan Changus
6     #18H Jeff Houghton

IMCA Sport Compacts
Results are not official
1     #47 Andrew Schmitz
2     #52 Ken McWilliams
3     #92 David Hunt
DNS     #23 Eric Moore

Shasta Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
North State Modified Series
Results are not official
1     #24 Scott Winters
2     #96 Keith Bloom
3     #16 Rich Cobb
4     #12 Dustin DeRosier
5     #27 Ian Elliott
6     #14 Mike Neilson
7     #57k Kylei Keown
8     #02 Cody Braund
9     #02s Foryst Souza

NCMA Sprint Cars
Results are not official
1     #2 Fred Madole
2     #3f Matt Streeter
3     #77b David Burchett
4     #76 Mark Amador
5     #88 Denny Burrell
6     #2a Rob Hammond

Late Models
Results are not official
1     #22m Dave Miller
2     #36 Luke Hall
3     #9 Randy Houston
4     #99 Mike Sullivan
5     #25 Mike Webb

Legend Cars
Results are not official
1     #18 Joe Brattoli
2     #23 Brandon Winters
3     #7x Daulton Giles
4     #21 Mike Giles
5     #14 Haden Giles

Sunset Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
IMCA Modifieds
Craig Cassell
Greg Walters
John Gaynor
Kristi Somers
Rick Graham
Dan Smith
Kurt Lukins
Cody Jones

Adventist Health Street Stocks
Joey Tardio
Bernie Lujan
Terry King
Robert Summerhalder
Tanner Bridges
Rod Lowe
Kendall Lee
Mikey Long Jr
Jared Wright
Ron Prevost
Benny Sauter

IMCA Stock Cars
Jerry Schram
David Cronk
Brody Humphrey
Don Schott
Tim Jenner
Jeremy Brookshire
Brad Gentry

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Skyler Winebarger
Zach Riehl

IMCA Sport Compacts
Victoria Chandler
Brayden Brookshire
Barry Cannon
Mark Stavens
Marissa Gentry
Kimberly Cannon

Willamette Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 19
Super Late Models
JEREMY SHANK
JIMMY WHISLER
MCLAIN BEAUDOIN
ROB CAMPOS
DARREN COFFELL
BRYAN NORTON
BJ DONIFRIO
RANDY BARLEY
JAMES SLOVER
JORDAN WRIGHT
TODD SIEG
SONNY MODAFF
ALEX EMRY
KENT EMRY
JARRED SIMMONS
BRIAN SMITH
JOEY TANNER
JEFF RASH

IMCA MODIFIEDS
BRICEN JAMES
GREY FERRANDO
JEREMY SHANK
JOHN CAMPOS
ESTON WHISLER
DOUG DAVENPORT
BRIAN THOMPSON
MARK GAYLORD
TROY LENT
IAN WHISLER
JOSH SHELLER
DAN PHILPOTT
TRAVIS LILLARD
DICK WRIGHT
DUSTIN ASHER

SUPER SPORTS
STEVE MOORE
GREG H
TERRY SANDERS
CHAD SLOVER
BRAD LEHTO

STREET STOCKS
JUSTIN EVANS
DAKOTA GODARD
SAM POTTER
ROD MCCOMBS
RON SHINKLE
EDDIE FARNESS
MIKE SWAIM
PHIL LOVVORN
TANTON SWAIM

SPORTSMAN
CHAD SLOVER
DAVID SCHMIDT
KENT EMERY
DANIEL RAY
SANDY SANDERS
GREG SHELLHORN
STEVE PIEFER
TREVOR MACKEY
MICHAEL LAVERY
ROGER BELL
ALEX EMRY
MIKE DESILVA
DAVID BENNETT

IMCA SPORT COMPACTS
JACK VCARI
JERIMIAH JOHNSON

Weekend Calendar

There are a few big races happening this weekend that should keep the fans entertained. Antioch Speedway (www.antiochspeedway.com) will be running the Sixth Annual Hetrick Memorial race for the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds this Saturday. The Hobby Stocks and the Hardtops are also part of the show. Purse money hasn't been announced as we write this column. This race has traditionally been a bigger paying event. The big news from Antioch is that loads of clay are being dropped on the track as this is being written, and it will be interesting to see how the track conditions are.

The IMCA Modifieds have had eight races, and point leader Jim Pettit II and Kellen Chadwick have each won three of them. Pettit leads Chadwick by nine points and Aaron Crowell by 11. Quietly, Bobby Motts Jr has crept to within 14 points of the lead. Meanwhile, Guy Ahlwardt leads the IMCA Sport Modified point race by just four markers ahead of three-time winner Fred Ryland and nine ahead of one-time winner Tom Fraser. 20 points back is another one-time winner, Andrew Pearce. After his second win of the season last week, Larry McKinzie Jr maintains a 48 point lead over Jeff Bentancourt in the Hobby Stock race with Gene Haney 76 points out of the lead. Both Kenneth Robles and Michaela Taylor are 100 points out in fifth. Ken Johns is a three-time winner in this class with reiging champion James Thomson winning twice.

We're not exactly sure what to expect for the Bay Area Hardtops. The Merced Valley Sportsman group has been welcomed as part of the program, but some of the drivers have been entertaining the possibility of going to another race. Furthermore, those drivers are getting their cars ready for the second Sportsman race of the year at Merced. Doug Braudrick's Junkyard Dog was driven to victory by Joel Hannagan last time out and could be the car to beat. Antioch's all time Spec Sprint win leader, Jim Perry Jr may be piloting Dave Mackey's Dudley Brothers Tribute car this week. A few others who may possibly be there this weekend include Matt Dragoon, Ken Retzloff, Mikey Slaney and Clay Foster. Sportsman driver Eric Seely has said he is coming.

What's interesting is the Stockton Dirt Track has booked a race this weekend, and they appear to be all in. With some of the Stockton supporters also supporting other tracks, it will be interesting to see what happens. The track has generally paid better than most, though we haven't seen the pay scale for Saturday as this is being written. Unsanctioned Dirt Modifieds and Sport Modifieds will be there along with Tri State Pro Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Super Late Models. This will be the first Super Late Model race of the year in California.

They've had four stock car oriented programs at Stockton so far. The Dirt Modifieds are being led by Ryan McDaniel by 40 points ahead of Matthew Hagio. Anthony Slaney is six points behind Hagio, while Danny Malfatti is 20 points back. McDaniel is a two-time winner. Jeremy Hoff finds himself leading Andrew Pearce by 36 points in the Sport Modifieds. Pearce has grabbed two wins. Phillip Shelby is 18 points behind Pearce, and he also has a win. The Bomber division is being led by Dakota Keldsen with brother DJ Keldsen 14 points back and two-time winner Nick Baldwin trailing by 30 tallies. The two Pro Stock races have been won by Fred Ryland and recent Gordon Russell Sr Memorial winner Chris Smith. You can head over to www.stocktondirtrack.com for the details.

Further down south is the annual 32 lap Richie McGowan Memorial Hobby Stock race at Bakersfield Speedway (www.bakersfieldspeedway.com). We haven't seen a purse announcement for this race, but we do know that the track has generally paid better than your average race for this event. The guy with the bullseye on him in the Hobby Stocks is five-time winner Ricky Childress Jr, who has a 96 point lead over Steven Johnson in the point battle. The two wins that got away from Childress went to Nick Johnson. The Hobby Stocks will be joined by the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and American Stocks for what should be an entertaining show.

Cody Laney holds a four point lead over reigning champion Jerry Flippo in the IMCA Modified point race. Four-time winner Ethan Dotson has fallen seven points out of the lead after missing the most recent race. 14 points back is one-time winner Robby Sawyer. The IMCA Sport Modifieds are being led by two-time winner Jason Nation by four points ahead of Jason Bannister, six in front of Tyler Bannister and 15 over Tyler Blankenship. That trio has one win each. The consistent Josh Yadon has a an eight point lead over Cody Sly and a 28 point advantage over Antony Sly in the American Stocks. Anthony Sly is a one-time winner, while fifth ranked Dakota Brown has three wins.

Further south at Ventura Raceway (www.venturaaceway.com), they're getting ready for an open wheel themed show. The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars are there, joined by the WMR Midgets, VRA Dwarf Cars, IMCA Mod Lites and NMRA TQ Midgets. The WMR is busy this weekend as they will be running on Friday night at Ocean Speedway (www.racepmg.com). That show will include the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Four Bangers and South Bay Dwarf Cars.

It doesn't seem to matter what Sprint Car you put him in, Justin Sanders is in command of the Taco Bravo Sprint Car point lead at the moment. The seven-time winner and 2015 champion holds a 52 point lead over two-time winner Bud Kaeding. Almost 100 points behind Kaeding is JJ Ringo as the drivers spread out a little bit in the battle. A strong turnout of Sprint Cars is anticipated, complemented by the WMR Midgets for the open wheel-minded fans. We haven't seen the WMR Series point sheet, but David Prickett leads Watsonville with three wins. The track point page did not update after the most recent Watsonville race, won by Sage Bordenave, but it's likely that Prickett is still leading Blake Bower and Megan Moorehead.

The South Bay Dwarf Car Association has been lackadaisical when it comes to cluing people in on their point battle, but Camarillo driver Tommy Velasquez III has picked up a trio of victories. If he's in town, he will be tough to beat, and it's possible there could be a visit from past champion Shawn Jones to make it real interesting. SBDCA stars such as Gene "Punky" Pires, Mark Biscardi and Eric Weisler are among the others anticipated. After winning his fourth race last time out, Tony Gullo leads two-time winner Kate Beardsley by 22 markers in the Mini Stock battle. One time winner Travis Van Gilder is 32 points back. Following his Friday night win, Randy Miller now has a 12 point lead over three time-winner Fred Ryland and a 14 point advantage over State point leader Trevor Clymens in the competitive IMCA Sport Modified division.

Siskiyou Golden Speedway (www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com) might have been a little bit nervous heading into this weekend. Southern Oregon Speedway was back in action, but that race got canceled due to the heat in the forecast. It will be hot in Yreka as well, but management is going ahead as planned. The IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will be back along with a Pro Stock race using Tri State Challenge rules and the Hornet division. Also on the schedule will be the Jefferson State Jalopies, and reigning champion JJ Smith has won both races so far. He and Karl Bernstein have work to do to repair a couple of the Jalopies that didn't start last week.

The track got news of some Eureka Roadrunner competitors looking to come play on the dirt, led by reigning Eureka champion Bryan Brandt and JR Brandt. This is an opportunity for the Hornet drivers in the area to make a statement of why they should be included in the Yreka program in the future. With the Outlaw Pro Stock race heated out in Medford, it is possible some guys might come play in Yreka this Saturday, but we haven't heard. The IMCA Sport Modifieds are being led by three-time winner Ryan Peery by 37 markers ahead of Ryder Boswell and 45 over Colt Boswell. You never know who might pop in for a run at the money, though there is a big prize being offered at Cottage Grove for the class. Michael Knuckles has one win in the Mini Stocks and is currently leading three-time champion Marilyn Yawnick by 24 points with four-time winner Ashtin Hedges 46 points back. David Steele picked up his third win in this class last time out.

Cottage Grove Speedway (www.cottagegrovespeedway.com) will be running the Ralph Bloom Memorial IMCA Sport Modified race this Saturday, which pays $2,500 to win. Late Models, Street Stocks and Dwarf Cars will be there as well. The Northwest and Southern Oregon Dwarf Car groups will be converging on Cottage Grove, which should offer a huge count, including such standouts as Josh King, Brock Peters, Anthony Pope and Jake Van Ortwick, to name a few. Graig Osborne tops the Street Stock battle by 82 points over one-time winner Taunton Swaim. Osborne has picked up four victories so far, while Justin Evans has two.

The IMCA Sport Modifieds finds Dustin Comer and Doug Coffman tied at the top. Comer now has two wins to his credit. While Dalton Bloom is 15 points out of the lead, Aaron Bloom and Ray Bloom are tied for fourth, 16 points back. Aaron has three wins while Ray has one. You can count on some drivers coming in from out of town to try for the big bucks, including past Cottage Grove champion Jorddon Braaten. Mike Peters has a win to his credit and a 14 point advantage over Randy Barley in the Late Models. Rob Williams is 60 points back.

Late Models also get a pair of races at Coos Bay Speedway (www.coosbayspeedway.us) this weekend. The NASCAR lineup will include the America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets and Junior Stingers on both nights with the Modified Gambler and Sport Modified race on Sunday. We haven't heard what the purse money will be for the Modified classes on Sunday, but the track has offered good money in the past in the hopes of getting support. Because IMCA hasn't been willing to sanction Coos Bay, it will be interesting to see what happens on Sunday.

Brody Montgomery has five wins as he sets his sights on his third Super Late Model title. This gives him a 12 point lead over two-time winner Braden Fugate and a 30 point advantage over one-time winner Wayne Butler. Ryan Emry now has five Sportsman Late Model wins and a 26 point advantage over one-time winner Tahlan Rogers. Seth Christian has visited the Winner's Circle three times in Street Stock competition to hold a 42 point advantage over reigning champion Ken Fox. Two-time winner Steve Dubisar is in fourth, 64 points behind third ranked Charlie Withers. Scott Beaudoin has a 44 point lead over Mike Beaudoin in the Mini Outlaws. Scott has two wins, while Mike has one. Interestingly enough, there have been seven different winners in eight races in this class. Isaac Stere has a 64 point lead over Seth Christian in the Hornets class. Stere has one win, and Christian has picked up four of them. Jett Nelson is a distant third with one win to his credit. Not surprisingly, Griff Smith has won all seven Junior Stinger point races, giving him a 32 point lead over Alex Butler.

The weather will be hot at Orland Raceway and Marysville Raceway (www.marysvilleraceway.com), but both tracks are still planning to go on as scheduled. Orland Raceway has Hobby Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and 250 Micros, while Marysville has the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Hobby Stocks, Winged Crate Sprints and the BCRA Lightning Sprints. Billy Wallace leads the Winged 360 Sprint battle by 34 points over Kevin Lovell and 43 over Korey Lovell. Ageless Pat Harvey Jr is 44 points out of the lead, and RJ Baker trails by 45. Amazingly, there have been seven different winners in the seven point races, and that includes Wallace and Korey Lovell.

The Winged Crate Sprints finds reigning champion Brett Youngman leading Jason Ballantine after two point races by just seven points. Wyatt Van Lare is eight points back in third. Youngman has won both point races. Cameron Haney Jr won the non point race back in February as well as the County Fair race at Chico, and David Sims also has a Chico win. Meanwhile, Jacob Johnson has a 17 point advantage over reigning champion Jesse Van Roekel in the Hobby Stocks. 20 points back is Jerry Bartlett, while Howard Law is 25 points out of the lead. Law has a pair of wins, while Johnson and Bartlett each have one. Dakota Albright leads the BCRA Lightning Sprint battle by 48 points over Terry Bergstrom and 67 over Greg Dennett. Bergstrom is the only one of the three with a win at this point.

At Placerville Speedway (www.placervillespeedway.com), the Carnett Clash means extra money is on the line. The Limited Late Models will get $2,500 to win, while the Pure Stocks compete for $1,200. Also on the card will be the Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars and NorCal Dwarf Cars. Like most of the Dwarf Car groups, you'll have a hard time finding the point list for the NorCal group. However, Ryan Winter has won a majority of the races so far and could lead the charge on Saturday along with such other noteworthy drivers as reigning champion Michael "Spanky" Grenert, Shawn Whitney, Mike Reeder, Ben Wiesz, Kevin Bender and possibly Shawn Jones.

With seven races down, the consistent Joel Myers Jr finds himself as the surprise Winged 360 Sprint Car point leader by 28 points over highly decorated champion Andy Forsberg. Remarkably, none of the Top 5 drivers are winners yet this year as Andy Gregg, Tanner Carrick and Shane Hopkins run third through fifth. Justin Sanders has three wins, but he dropped out of the battle after the fifth race. Ray Trimble hopes to bag the big Limited Late Model money as the two-time winner carries a seven point advantage over Tyler Lightfoot into this race. Lightfoot has two wins to his credit as well. Dan Jinkerson is itching to get a win and is just 12 points out of the lead, 14 in front of Tom Tilford. Nick Baldwin has four wins as he looks for another Pure Stock championship. He is 16 points ahead of two-time winner Kevin Jinkerson with Johnny Walsh a distant third.

As if that's not enough, the California Hardtop Association is chomping at the bit to come to Placerville Speedway. Drivers like Jason Armstrong, Ron Ruiz, Ken Clifford, Jason Clifford, Joe Shenefield and Tom Grady are anticipated. There is another Hardtop show going in the Bay Area, but there is word of some out of the area drivers from the Sportsman class planning to come to Placerville and this should be interesting. This quarter-mile clay oval has become a popular destination point for the drivers with their vintage race cars, and the turnout could have been even bigger had the other race not been booked on the same night.

It's time for another MavTV Series taping at Madera Speedway (www.racemadera.com), and once again Promoter Kenny Shepherd is offering the entire broadcast for free on the track's YouTube page this Saturday night. The Nut Up Pro Late Model Series finds Austin Herzog leading Matt Erickson by 15 points, Tyler Herzog by 26, Eric Nascimento by 34 and Jason Aguirre by 35. There have been four different winners so far, including Austin Herzog, Erickson, Nascimiento and Carlos Vieira. The companion 51fifty Energy Drink Junior Late Models are being led by Jacob Smith by 11 tallies ahead of Barrett Polhemus. Ethan Nascimento is 27 points back, while Brody Armtrout trails by 28 points and Brody Moore trails by 33. Smith has won two races with Kale McClenny and Armtrout the other winners. This show will also include the Bandoleros/Mini Cups.

This is just a snapshot of some of the activity happening this weekend, but these are the events that we would like to cover on the blog this weekend. Shasta Speedway is having a race during the County Fair, but much like results from Orland Raceway, we don't expect to hear much from them. We will be monitoring. It'll be warm at some locations, but it is summer. You have to expect a little bit of heat. If things go according to plan, we hope to have another blog post covering what happens this weekend.

The Editor's Viewpoint

My good friend Don O'keefe Jr used to tell me all the time that I needed to take a week off. It was almost like he was speaking a foreign language to me. How are you going to tell me to take a week off when I made the commitment to cover the entire season? Don was only looking out for me, and he understood things better than I might have given him credit for. Don has a knack for that sort of thing. Great observational skills. All I could look at was I made the commitment to do the media effort, and there were still races to cover.

The funny thing about that was everybody else would take time off here or there if they needed it. Even just a week off. Not me. It didn't even matter if a family function was coming up, I was going to be at the track. Whatever it was I have become in this sport, I sacrificed a lot to get there. I will always debate whether I did the right thing. Anybody who's read my book understands the internal debate I've had. It's been a love/hate relationship. I don't want to rehash any of that, but I do have to admit I've been thinking about whether it would be a good idea to take a week or two off or maybe even pull the plug on the media effort.

Mentally, I'm not in a very good place right now. It's not been a fun month for me. In fact, it's probably been the worst month that I can recall in recent memory, although I am trying to make the best of it. Since moving into this little trailer, I've struggled to get comfortable. My sleeping conditions are just not going to work for me. I'll have to improve that, because I don't like feeling like I'm sleeping on concrete. I don't have a workstation set up exactly how I'd like it to be. Despite the negatives and little issues, it is nice to have my own space. It's also nice to know that I worked very hard to earn this, even though I'm not sure I would have made the purchase if I were the one making the choice. I understand why the choice was made, and I definitely have to look towards the future.

The bottom line is the reason I moved up to Oregon ended when my boss walked away from the race track. I understand why he made the decision he made. I understand one of the biggest reasons why I moved up here in the first place, and it had a lot to do with the security I thought I had in making the commitment. It's probably the biggest reason why I moved. I also understand that it's up to the individual the captain their own ship. In other words, it doesn't really matter if the situation lasted as long as it should have or not. It's up to me to make the next move.

What's my point here? I have said all along that this year would be a week to week effort with the media and that I could pull the plug at any time. One of the reasons I would want to pull the plug is what I've been experiencing during the last month, and yet I haven't missed an article yet. I may not have been on time over the last month, but I haven't missed any articles that I have wanted to write. I've covered a lot. I had a plan in my head about how I would move out to this trailer and just get it over with, get things situated and try not to miss a beat. That was delusional.

There are reasons for pulling the plug. First of all, I could put my mind to trying to figure out what it is I need to do with this place and make those things happen. Without having to give any thought to the next racing article, I could probably get that done easier. I need to make this place as comfortable as possible, because this will probably be my home for the immediate future. I'm not sure how long, but it will be a while. Having a comfortable sleeping spot and something set up where I can write comfortably and feel like I can be effective should be the goal. I am a writer after all.

The other harsh reality is the effort I've been making since the beginning of this year is generating absolutely zero revenue. I am not charging anybody to read the things I write. Everything I write is put up here in these posts for all to read for free. I'm not going to do a Patreon site or any of that. I have attempted to monetize the site, but that's such a cheap situation that it hasn't paid out since I made that move in November of 2014. It may not happen before this year is over either, and that's not good. Therefore, the motivating factor of doing this because I'm making money doesn't exist either.

Despite all of that, I've done my best to continue to practice an art that is becoming less and less important in motorsports. Let's face it, promoters don't give a damn about the written word, on printed paper or on a computer screen. Some promoters hire somebody who witnesses the races and cobbles out something pretty decent, and other promoters contract to somebody who isn't even there. They write something very basic, and the track is thrilled because at least they have a little article that just named a few names.

That brings me to the subject of bringing back the printed media. I can guarantee you that I will do my best to release at least one book, but probably more in the next couple of years. However, what I'm talking about is a racing newspaper. The offer is on the table, but I have serious questions that I'm trying to get answers to. I will have the discussion with the person who made the offer very soon, and I either move ahead or leave this in the past once and for all. In the back of my mind, I know that as stressful as trying to maintain this blog has been, it will be much worse trying to revive a printed newspaper. I know for sure I couldn't do that on my own without some sort of staff.

The other thing in my mind is looking at what decision is going to allow me to change locations. I'm not exactly being badgered to get out of here. In fact, he's been very good about making me feel welcome. However, I know that I should move on. I just don't know what the next move is. A change in location may go hand in hand with racing, but it doesn't have to. That much I do know. I just want to make the best decision for me. Most importantly, I want to make a decision that leads to a little bit of happiness in my life for a change. Is it that much to ask to be able to be happy in your life? I've been asking that question for some time now, and unfortunately the answer has been yes. It seems to be too much to ask.

I'm not trying to be depressing here, but I do want to give you some insight into how I'm feeling as I try to move forward. I'm still trying to maintain the media effort despite not feeling comfortable in my surroundings at the moment. I didn't have the easiest week, and part of that was because I got sick right when I was about to wrap up the post. I ended up losing the day I was hoping to gain to help me figure some things out. Now, I'm in the middle of another racing weekend as I write this. The Friday night stuff is done, but Friday is the easy day. There's a lot more going on with the Saturday stuff.

The good moments at the race track are things I will treasure. I wasn't really that delighted when I was asked to move to Oregon and work in Medford and not given the opportunity to announce at Southern Oregon Speedway. If I didn't tell you that I wanted to announce the races there, I'd just be lying to you. Unfortunately, as time wore on and opportunities were presented to me, I had to decline. There were a lot of things going on behind the scenes, and I needed to be able to move in and out of the booth. I feel like I could have done a good job announcing, but I also feel like what I was doing helped the show progress from 2016 through 2019. I'm proud of those efforts, and I'll talk more about that sort of thing when the book comes out. I really want to edit it, because I want people to gain some insight.

I was given the microphone at the little track. I tried to do the best I could there with the material I was given, and I'd like to think that I helped make things a little bit better. I could go a lot of ways with that, but I'll let the book speak for itself. I was never somebody who followed the Outlaw Kart scene. My late colleague Gary Jacob developed a passion for covering these young drivers. In fact, he had a few occasions where he came to Medford to cover the races at that track. My first day at Southern Oregon Speedway, I made a beeline to the Kart track and up to the old makeshift trailer/announcing booth. I wanted to get familiar with my new surroundings.

I have some fond memories of watching some of these younger drivers develope confidence and get better with each start, and I was just looking over the Yreka Outlaw Kart results from tonight. It dawned on me that four of the drivers who are now in the 250 Kart class were just starting out in the Beginners Box Stock division in Medford when I entered the picture. I announced some of their first races. It's like getting to announce Tanner Holmes the night he won the 250 and 500 Main Events and seeing him develop into a rising star in Sprint Car racing. I'm still very proud of these kids.

I'm still wrestling with a few things from the old Medford track, but I guess that's not too much of a surprise. The only thing I could do was hear the decision that Mike made to leave and help him move things. Mike is stubborn enough that he would have done everything by himself, and I didn't want him to overdo it. He's a guy that a lot of people don't understand, and some people just never gave him a chance.

I will readily admit the guy I heard about from Cottage Grove and Sunset Speedway wasn't the guy that I worked with in Medford in some respects. Still smart and committed to his game plan, but maybe not the fun-loving guy that would hoist back a few after the races. The racers in Medford didn't feel like he was accessible, but some understood that he was still a man of his word doing what he could to grow the actual racing program.

Mike had his reasons for walking away, and I'm not here to speak for him. Obviously, the covid-19 shut down didn't do us any favors. We had a game plan for 2020 that would have made that our best year yet. Every year we made progress, and things were lining up in a way they hadn't since we got there. More people were willing to sponsor the track, drivers wanted to be involved, more bigger races were planned, more help behind the scenes. Then, they shut everything down. Medford took a beating that year when the fires hit, and I really feel for the community. Mike had to read the tea leaves, and things weren't looking that much better going into this year.

The other thing to understand is he was approaching the end of his career anyways. Overseeing the improvement to the program itself and doing what he did was taking a toll on him, and I don't think he was particularly having fun. At that point, you ask yourself if it's worth potentially killing yourself to do what you do. These things factored into his decision to walk away, and I think Mike is pretty much retired. I wouldn't say that is 100% fact. There's that 1% chance that something too good to pass up happens, and suddenly he's back in the game. However, I very much doubt it. If I'm still up here and he makes such a decision, I will back him 100% and do what I can to help.

The sore spot for some people was the way he chose to walk away. Obviously, you have to give a certain amount of notice to terminate your contract. Nobody was expecting him to remove all of the equipment that he owned before doing that, but it was within his rights to do it that way. The perception of the place being abandoned is pretty much a lie as far as I'm concerned, but the narrative worked to build up negative thoughts towards him. Some of the people understood what was really going on, but others simply never liked Mike to begin with. Still others didn't know everything and assumed they knew what was going on. The thing about Mike is that when he makes the decision to move on, he does.

I realize something right now. Part of me is still stuck in Medford. I'm not suggesting that I want to go back. I don't really know that I would be happy in that situation. What I do know is I was sort of caught in the middle. I had people asking me questions that I couldn't answer. The reason being, I didn't want to say anything that affected Mike's business. Even though I might have had an opinion or an explanation regarding my involvement, I felt like it wasn't my place to say anything. The only thing I could do was shut everything down and avoid discussing it. I can assure you, this isn't how I wanted to end things.

I know Mike has seen his share of tracks and his share of successes and a few failures along the way. I've had my ups and downs, but I've never been as completely involved in a racing operation as I was in Medford. I never had so many responsibilities put on me. I've had promoters use ideas I suggested and put me in charge of things, but this was a whole new level. I was a part of what was going to either make this thing work or completely fail. I was mentally and emotionally invested in Southern Oregon Speedway. I wanted success. I think we had it, but I don't think I got to enjoy it nearly as much as I wish I could have. Now, all I have is things to look back on.

I did envision the day I would walk away, and there was the possibility that I would walk away prior to the end of what was to be a 10 year commitment. I would never do so in the middle of a season, because that's not my style. As I explained in my book, once I make a commitment to a track for the year, I'm going to see it through. Whether I'm burnt out and want to quit or not doesn't matter. I'm getting to the end of this deal and doing my best. There was the possibility of me returning to Antioch prior to the 2019 season, but things didn't materialize quickly enough. Once the season started, I pretty much knew that John could send plane tickets to Antioch, but I was sticking around in Medford. There was still work to be done. Talk about being emotionally conflicted.

I don't want to rehash the things that I did, the ideas I pitched that were used or any of that. What I do regret, however, is not being able to truly put a bow tie on this four-year run at the track. Sadly, I think a new narrative is being shaped that isn't so favorable. I used to do the Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion show every week. I'd do it twice a week. This was the show where I talked about what was going on at the track and give attention to all of the great drivers in all of the divisions, hype up the sponsors and do what I could to promote the track. I'm proud of the media effort I put forth. I don't think there was anything quite like it before I got there, and we'll see if there ever is something like that in the years to come.

The problem is, Mike never got to make the hand off I think he would have preferred. I think he would have liked to have sold to somebody else and allowed them to continue. Obviously, that would have meant that many of the things that we established would continue, but a new person would have brought their own flair to it. They would have bought Mike out, so all of the stuff he had would be there to work with, and it would have been a smoother transition. Unfortunately, anybody who sat down at the table with him understood that this wasn't cheap. It was less expensive than other opportunities, but it wasn't something you were going to get for free.

What ended up happening was his decision to terminate his contract and the narrative that was shaped around it. The place was abandoned. He took everything. He was never good for the track in the first place. He wasn't local. The place is run down. You've read the stuff. There was no opportunity to put a bow tie on anything. There was no real opportunity to look back at the good that was done for the track and the things that were left in place for the next regime to build upon. It was pretty much, the guy that was there for the last four years ruined everything, but the new people will fix it all. I can only tell you how much that bothers me. I'm not speaking for Mike here.

I've done my best to bite my tongue, and I will continue to do that. Things are going to come out in my book that will probably surprise a few people, but for now I'm trying to treat this track like I would any other place when I write about it in this column. I'm trying to be fair. It's just that I have invested so much of myself into the place in the four years I was there that it hurts a little bit that I couldn't say something to the community there in appreciation for their support, talk about what we were able to accomplish and just go out on a more positive note. All of that was out of my control, and I had to sit helplessly and watch it all unfold.

I knew during the covid-19 shut down that the track wasn't going to get open. I knew Mike was debating retiring, which he had been doing for quite some time. He was hoping to make a hand off to somebody who basically bought him out, and that never materialized. A promoter who was looking forward to the future and trying to build good faith might have at least opened it once or twice. Maybe not as much as some of the other tracks that basically took it in the shorts opening as much as they did last year, but at least a couple of times. When you're on your way out the gate and trying to figure out how you're going to make that move, the last thing you're thinking about is opening with no fans in attendance to send some sort of message to your racers. I hate to say it, but I understand Mike's position. I don't want to rehash things too much here.

We were trying to keep the grounds maintained, because there were a few people trying to stir the pot. These were the people who didn't like Mike and didn't give him credit for any of the positives he brought. Jim went out there and kicked the dirt around the track a little bit. We did some routine maintenance in the grandstand area and I rode the mower through the pits. This was in May of last year.

I hate to say it, but a part of me was hopeful that everything would be ready to go. I was hopeful that maybe we could open the gates once and have one of those sort of shows where the pits were packed, even if we couldn't have fans. I let myself think for a moment that I was getting things ready for a race, when in reality all I was doing was maintaining the area as the Park District expected of Mike.

Why am I bringing any of this up? The bottom line is I'm at another crossroads in my life. It's similar to the one in 2015 when I made the decision to return to racing in the first place. Or maybe it's more similar to the decision I made in February of 2016 to take Mike's offer and move to Oregon and work at Southern Oregon Speedway. That was a huge change for me. There were a lot of good things that came from it, and some things that I'm not necessarily happy about. I did maintain and make the best of the situation. I think I helped create positive memories when it came to that race track, and I'm proud of that. Now, I'm figuring out what the next move is going to be.

I've dealt with my share of loss. Too many people to name here, but always in my heart are my father, my sister and my cousin. Too many people that were important to me are no longer here, and I really don't have anyone to turn to at this point. I do envy the people who have not only gotten married, but they've had long lives together. At the end of the day, that's what truly matters in this existence. Having somebody close to you that you love, having that family and sharing those special moments together. This will move me to the next topic.

Keith Shipherd has passed away. I know he and his wife Debbie were married for quite some time, so I know she's grieving. I watched Keith race in the Street Stock division at Antioch Speedway back in 1979. It stuck out to me because that was the first year that racing was really making an impression on me. It was really becoming something that I had to see every week. I had to be at that track, and it would eventually become a desire to be involved. That was the year I was remembering names, nicknames, statistics. I'd been going there for a few years, but this was the first year that it was really resonating with me.

I know a lot of fans were those who would head for the exit once the headline division ran. At that time, you'd see the headliners run the first Main Event. Therefore, those fans didn't have to stick around to watch anything else if they didn't want to. They'd get to their car in the parking lot and get out quickly. We did have quite a few fans spectating back in those days. The Street Stock division was only in its second year at the track. They still didn't have a point race. However, the roster was growing, and I knew the names. Drivers like Scott Busby, Debbie Clymens, Chuck Carter, Joey Rodrigues, Julio Jones, Mike Pugh. Drivers like Keith Shepard.

I remember Keith won a Main Event that year. I remember just loving this class and feeling like they deserved more respect. So, even at that age, Keith had an impact on me and my eventual desire to get involved deeper in the sport. He moved on to the Sportsman division and I think he ran Super Stocks at Petaluma for a couple of years after that. Then, he got into open wheel racing with the Limited Sprints out at Baylands. That's actually the Winged 360 Sprint Car class, and he's one of the original drivers that started that craze back in 1986. It wasn't the last Sprint Car division he would be involved in helping get started.

It was Don O'Keefe Jr who recruited me to help create the Wingless Spec Sprint division. Promoter John Soares had a few ideas, but I don't think they were working too well. John and Don talked, and Don told him what would work. John basically put the ball in Don's hand and told him to go do it. Don said he didn't want to do it unless I was involved. He asked me. Don was the rules guy and the guy who the racers could talk to and I was the PR guy and the one who would be announcing them. That first year in 1999, the Wingless Spec Sprints never had less than 12 cars, and the rest is history.

Don and I have both talked about the importance of each and every driver who was on the roster that year. A few of the drivers didn't stick around. A few, like Dan Gonderman, Rick Panfili and Jim Perry Jr, never went away. Keith Shipherd was another who stuck with it up until around 2016. He was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the class. I think it eventually got to a point where he wasn't delighted with how Antioch was being run and tried other places. He and his wife created the Spec Sprint website, and eventually they returned and ran Antioch for a while longer.

It was in 2015 when I saw Keith again. He was one of the first people to reach out to me. He offered me a seat in his trailer and a drink and we just chatted. It wasn't really just about racing. It was about life and how things were going for us. He had genuine concern for how I was doing. We talked a couple of times, and that always stuck with me. I'm glad to have made that connection again, and now it becomes an even more fond memory of mine from that year.

I was made aware that he wasn't doing so well recently. With the move I've made to this trailer and my struggles, I kind of put it off. I knew Keith was on Facebook, so I thought briefly that I should send a message to him just offering my best wishes to him and just letting him know how I felt. These are moments you need to act upon when you think about it, because you don't get them back. They stick with me like a razor blade. They cut deep.

Mel Maupin wanted to talk to me the night before he died, and I basically brushed him off. My sister called me about something and it was almost like she was interrupting nothing important, but it seemed important at the time. I kind of dismissed her. The next day, she was gone. I don't even know if Keith would have been well enough to read my message. Maybe it would have been conveyed to him by Debbie, but, well, you know. I put it off.

This hurts. I've offered Debbie my condolences and let her know what I was thinking. She told me that Keith knows. We've lost another good person in our community. I guess I can treasure the memories that I have. This Wingless Spec Sprint division with the Hunt Series, such as it is now, owes a debt of gratitude to people like Keith, who believed in it from the start. Without that, it wouldn't be here now. My condolences go out to the Shipherd family in their time of mourning.

With Merced doing the heat out, I didn't have too much to monitor on Friday. The Cottage Grove Speedway data doesn't come out until after the show is done, and I'll comment on that in just a moment. I was monitoring Deming Speedway. I'm not sure I'm going to make it a habit of doing articles for them in these posts, but the little one-sixth mile clay oval in Washington did pretty well with nearly 20 cars in three of their Micro Sprint divisions and a little over a dozen in the other. Not bad. The Clay Cup is coming up in July, and that's always a big race for them. I'm still curious how Orland Raceway thinks they're going to do anything with the 600 Micro class on July 17th and get the cars, but we'll see.

Tom Sagmiller has been doing pretty well with his track preparation duties at the various venues he works at. Watsonville is his place on Friday, and the track has been record fast lately. The Friday night show had just about 80 cars across five divisions, including 27 Winged 360 Sprint Cars and 24 IMCA Sport Modifieds. Watsonville has had a couple of low turnouts this year, so I'm very happy that they were able to bounce back with a good number here. I haven't been to the place in too long, and I'd like to get back there again before I walk away from the sport. I'd like to do it when the Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout happens at the end of September, but who knows what will happen. I'm glad that John Prentice keeps those gates open.

I couldn't help but notice the thread that popped up regarding the IMCA Sport Modifieds at Watsonville. The first thing was the legitimate question of why they didn't run a B Main for the class. There were 24 cars, and anybody who watches this division knows it can be a little bit rough out there. When you get 22 or more cars, it's generally wise to run a B Main.

Back in the day, we ran an 18 car Main Event, but it seems like a 20 car Main Event is standard these days. I still prefer 18 cars, but that's me. People were complaining because they started all of the cars in the Main Event, and I can see the point there. This isn't something that really upsets me, but I admit I was also wondering why they didn't run a B Main. Thinning out the field a little bit will generally get the race running a little quicker.

Naturally, there were quite a few comments on the initial post, and there were people talking about the fact that the track only paid about $150 to win. I don't know what the official story is regarding the purse at Watsonville, but I know a few years back they were only paying about half the field, if even that. One of the reasons Fred Ryland abandoned a championship run in 2015 was because of his dislike of the payout there, or at least that was what he told me at the time. Nobody is going out to the race track because they are going to get rich at the pay window, but drivers will voice a concern when they don't think the pay is good enough.

The only thing I would say is if Watsonville is not paying as much as many of the other tracks in the area, I think John Prentice would have to be considered a smart man. In a day when people are lobbying for $500 to win for this class, if he can get 14-16 cars to show up for $200 to win or less, he may be on to something. Obviously, a smooth race track helps convince racers to come out to compete. Another thing is people won't be roasting their asses off at Watsonville. If anything, they better bring a jacket for after the sun goes down. The only other thing I can add here is paying more money doesn't always equate to getting the cars.

I mentioned above in my observation regarding the Limited Sprint division and the payout. In Medford, we were paying these guys entirely too much, in my opinion. Dave Hibbard insisted on increasing the purse, because he was convinced the Cottage Grove drivers would come down and support this race track, even skipping their own track to do so. I know that Mike and I never really believed that.

Those guys generally wouldn't even come when they didn't have to choose between their home track and Medford. Medford was paying $1,200 to win, and Cottage Grove was paying $500 to win. This was in 2019. Cottage Grove would get eight or more cars than we got on average, so I'd have to say Heather was smart to resist the call to raise the purse because of the increasing car count she was getting.

There's an art to it. If you are trying to prove a point or establish something, putting out a guaranteed purse with nice money involved can certainly help you. On the other hand, there's no guarantee that the drivers will support you for more money either. If you don't have it in your budget and are paying a little bit more out of desperation, that can be a recipe for disaster. There are other ways to entice the racers. Run a fair program, give them a smooth race track and get the show done in a timely manner. Racers appreciate that. Sometimes, they appreciate that more than a few more dollars at the pay window.

Cottage Grove Speedway does what they call Fast Fridays. This is something they've created over the last two or three years where they do a Friday night show with two of their regular divisions and let the fans come in for $5. I get the novelty of it, but as a promoter you'd have a hard time getting me to do too many of those. I think they do a half-dozen or more at Cottage Grove, and they're not just giving away some junk show. The Interstate Sprint Car Series is by default the premier Sprint Car Tour in Oregon, and they delivered 20 cars. They were supported by the IMCA Modifieds, so people got to see two full divisions at $5.

I can recall having this conversation with Mike about Medford. You weren't going to get him to bite on it, and I wasn't really trying to. The only point I made is that I could see us doing a Friday night like this once or twice, but only if we weren't giving away anything higher than Outlaw Pro Stocks or IMCA Sport Modifieds as the featured class and running the 4 cylinder divisions in support. That way, it wasn't too purse intensive. You need that gate money to help pay for the show. I still like the idea of doing shows that feature the midcard classes and give the headliners a week off occasionally, so the July race that we featured the Pro Stocks in 2019 remains a proud moment for me. I pitched that idea to Mike for a couple of years.

I kind of have to chuckle at the Interstate Sprint Car Series idea. Dave Hibbard has been an amazing supporter of Limited Sprints. He's of the opinion that we should pretty much let the Limited Sprints take over Oregon and give up on the Winged 360 Sprints. I'm can't say I agree with him on that. I'd still like to have flirted with a Wingless Spec Sprint division in Medford and seen how it developed, but just getting people to accept one Wingless 360 race in Medford per year was challenging enough. That's another thing I will regret walking away from, because with Mark Herz as a sponsor, that show we booked in August was developing into something really special.

But anyway, the Limited Sprints were always meant to be a feeder class into the Winged 360s. The Winged 360s have sort of faltered a bit. By the time Mike entered the picture in Medford, he knew he was going to put Sprint Cars on the schedule more often and build the class in a way that had never been done before at that track. I think he was looking more at Winged 360 Sprints, because that way Californians would feel more tempted to come visit. It was an open class in 2016, but the black mark given to the effort by the "godfather" of the Sprint Car movement in Oregon, Brian Crockett, damaged the effort. I'll leave it at that.

Dave Hibbard was the guy who suggested Limited Sprints, and he sponsored one race for the class in 2016 to show what it could do. His point was proven, and we went that way in 2017. Dave's Home Supply, and I'm going to plug him here. It's a good business in Medford that you should support if you need their services. Dave sponsored the purse during the first year and part of the second before Mike took on the responsibility of the entire purse. This helped build the Medford effort to where there were at least a dozen cars, but the Cottage Grove drivers rarely wanted to leave their precious mecca, even when there was not a race scheduled. Medford was beneath them, and the better purse didn't matter to them.

I would hear the stories about what Dave was thinking and what he was discussing with Crockett. I had a little joke that I would say about that. If anybody remembers the character Squeak Scolari from the movie Baseketball. I kind of pictured Brian Crockett BS'ing Hibbard another time. Dave would say something like, "You do this to me another 10 times and we're done." I never really felt like Dave needed the blessing of Brian to push the idea that he had in mind, but I thought he was premature with that idea. He wanted to create an Oregon Tour for the Limited Sprints.

What I think was conveyed to Dave at the start was Medford was trying to build up this class themselves. If Crockett really wanted to play ball and help Sprint Car racing, he would have allowed Medford to try to do something with 360 Sprints in 2016, even if the purse wasn't going to be as big as he wanted. As the count crew in the pits and more people came to the stands, the purse would have gotten bigger, and there would have been a bigger field of Winged 360 Sprint Cars in Oregon. However, Crockett fancies himself as the person who controls Sprint Cars in Oregon. I respect his on track accomplishments, but I don't have as much respect for his behind the scenes dealings.

Dave just had to pull the trigger on something. I think we needed another year of building the class in Medford before playing around with doing a series, but Dave had the money. As an influencer in the class, he figured he could make a difference. Where I think he made the error was in trying to deal with Crockett and bringing back the name Interstate Sprint Car Series. It already had a history, but by the time Dave was talking about it, the Interstate Sprint Series was a dead brand. It didn't mean that much, and there was too much BS attached to it. I don't know why Dave was so fixated on the name, but that's what he went with.

I'm not against the idea of the Limited Sprint Series. The Interstate Sprint Car Series is doing okay, but I feel Dave should have created a new brand and been the guy in control. He should have been a guy who didn't have to ask for any sort of approval from Crockett or any of that. It might have looked like a different series under Dave's leadership. You might have seen more involvement with Yreka or Coos Bay. Madras Speedway could have been a player as well. I think Dave felt he needed Crockett and the Interstate brand to do it, so that's the way he went.

Although I think sometimes Dave doesn't really put thought into some of the moves he makes, I still think he's very good for the sport. He came out and supported the Interstate Sprint Car race at Cottage Grove along with his son Bailey. He has come on to sponsor the purse in Medford to make sure the division still pays well and he'll do everything he can for Limited Sprint racing. There's nothing negative about that in my book. However, the Interstate Sprint Car Series isn't really controlled by Dave. It's Brian Crockett's baby. If Dave had chosen another name, it would be his baby.

In any case, the Interstate Sprint Series is still capable of getting a car count in the 20s. We've been through a rough year, so the numbers took a hit. They've had bigger numbers than what they just had. They were to head to Coos Bay Speedway on Saturday, and the show will continue from there. They're even going to visit Medford in August, which will be the first visit for the group there. I totally understand Mike's reluctance to deal with Crockett after 2016, and I would have taken the same stance. His solution was to run the Iron Head Nationals on the weekend of Week of Speed in August and pay $2,000 to win, and that worked quite well. Since Mike isn't there now, the series will get that Medford date.

A funny thing happened on Saturday afternoon. On Friday night, I dismissed the idea of trying to put a post together for Saturday morning. I had three race review articles and most of this Viewpoint column ready to go By 3:30 pm. I thought I might have been running a little bit later with it than I wanted, but I had another thought. Everything's been going so rough for me lately that this was kind of a head start for the big post. If I don't add too much to this particular column, it's possible I can get done with a couple of days to spare this week, and I need those days. I'm only going to add a few thoughts here.

Three tracks decided to add a division to their lineups for Saturday night and did so on late notice. The latest notice happened on Wednesday when Ventura Raceway added the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Petaluma added the IMCA Modifieds. I think it was a few days earlier when Antioch Speedway decided to give the Wingless Spec Sprint division a date. You know, some of the drivers were complaining because they didn't think Chad gave them enough dates, and he has added them a couple of times now. I think this was probably a smart move, but a promoter also has to keep in mind that racers look at the initial schedule and then plan out the year. When you go adding dates at the last minute, you screw up their personal schedules if they are in the point race.

I think Chad looked at the Hobby Stock division and the Dwarf Car division he had booked and realized something. The Dwarf Cars were coming off of the big Nationals event at Petaluma, and he might have thought he'd be light a couple of cars there. The Hobby Stocks were coming off of a $1,000 to win race at Antioch the week before, and he surely saw that he'd be down a few cars in that class as well. The only other classes he had on the schedule were the IMCA Stock Cars and the 600 Micro Sprint division. He wasn't going to get more than 10 cars in the IMCA Stock Car class, and I think he knew he wouldn't be seeing much in the Micro Sprint class. Adding the Spec Sprints was a good idea.

There was a bit of a discussion going on about the Micro Sprints even having any dates in Antioch. I joined that discussion, but my point was a criticism of Antioch scheduling. I don't believe the track should try to book this class if either Stockton or Dixon has a date that night, because those two tracks are committed to Micro Sprint racing. The racers will always choose either of those venues first. Furthermore, Chad said he would pay $300 to win at 15 cars, and I think he set the bar way too high. The drivers will look at that, see that they won't get that car count and just not show up.

Jeremy Prince raised safety concerns about Antioch, and I've heard that before. I could take a closer look at the idea, but I'm not stretching this column to discuss that here. I just believe that if you truly want to do something in Antioch, you either just make a guaranteed purse and give it time, which is how Mike did things in Medford. Or, set the bar a little lower. Eight cars might have been more realistic. If you want to still do a pay scale, which is something I don't like, tell them if they give you eight cars, they'll get $300 to win. You might get the count in that case, but it was never going to happen with 15. He got four cars. All in all, the track had a good night, and the decision to add Spec Sprints helped.

Jim Naylor probably looked at a couple of things when he threw the Sport Modifieds into the mix for Saturday. First of all, the extreme heat situation caused the cancellation of Merced's show. Bakersfield and Santa Maria didn't have Sport Modifieds booked anyway, so that meant Ventura could try to book its first ever show for this class. We could be looking at the beginning of the Sport Modified era at Ventura. Jim put up the money and got the IMCA blessing for a State and Regional point race. They had about a dozen cars show up in the IMCA Sport Modified class.

From what I could tell, it was a good night for Ventura. The IMCA Sport Compacts had their first race. Only four cars, but it's a start. The Hobby Stocks delivered seven cars, as did the VRA Sprint Cars. The Dwarf Cars had a dozen, and the IMCA Modifieds had 21, so that meant Ventura had one of its better nights in terms of overall car count for the season. This was probably the other reason Jim threw the division in. He was looking to bolster the numbers in the pits just a little bit more, and that mission was accomplished.

I'm thinking we're eventually going to have the IMCA Sport Modified discussion at Petaluma Speedway. They are getting left behind on this deal, and there are drivers who really want to support the track. As it is, the IMCA Modifieds aren't getting a lot of dates there, and I think Promoter Rick Faeth had the same concern that Antioch had when it came to the numbers for the classes he had booked. After the Dave Bradway Jr Memorial weekend in Placerville, he might have thought the Sprint Car Challenge Tour numbers would be down a little bit, and he'd have been right in thinking that. They only delivered 20 cars on Saturday. He also was wise enough to see that he wasn't going to get the big number he usually gets for his Dwarf Cars following the Nationals from last week.

I think the question might have been, was the addition of the IMCA Modifieds the right call for Saturday? They had the Mini Stocks booked, and it sounded like they could have had seven or eight cars, rather than the 13 Modifieds they got for the bigger money purse that was offered. Eight cars could have been stretched into two heat races, but even if it was only one heat, that's only one less heat than the Modifieds had. Furthermore, the drivers aren't so happy about losing a race date due to the last minute schedule shuffle. One driver had family and friends coming in from out of state to watch her race, only to hear the announcement on Wednesday.

As it turns out, some of the Slaney family had a vacation planned, and they had to change those plans due to the fact that they are running for points. The track decided this last minute schedule adjustment would be a point race, and they were hoping that all of the money being sponsored was going to get them a bunch of IMCA Modifieds. They figured some of the Bay Area teams who would have headed to Merced would go to Petaluma after the Merced cancellation. That didn't materialize. They had a few more cars than they've been getting, but was this last minute schedule decision the right one?

If I think about it a little bit, I'd have to say it wasn't bad necessarily. I don't think it's fair to force drivers to alter their plans. However, sometimes these changes happen. Sometimes tracks need to do this to make sure the fans get the kind of show they deserve. I'm not going to knock Petaluma for adding the IMCA Modifieds. If I were going to be critical about what they did, I would say they shouldn't have canceled the Mini Stocks. It's not like it would have taken that long for them to run a heat race and a Main Event. I know they have to be done by 10:00 pm there, but I'd have to believe that even adding the IMCA Modifieds to what was initially scheduled wouldn't have put that in jeopardy.

There was actually a little bit of buzz generated by Shasta Speedway. Can you believe it? It's hard to believe that a pavement track that has had the big races that this track has had through the years has gone so silent when it comes to getting any information from them. Just a day or so leading into Saturday's North State Modified Series race, the track actually had media coverage. One of the news reporters was out there at the track taking a ridealong in one of the Hobby Stocks. This was an opportunity for Promoter Dave Twyman to get some good exposure.

The bad part was that Shanta wasn't all that much cooler than any of the valley tracks that canceled due to the heat. They were in the triple digits, and those grandstands facing the sun certainly aren't comfortable on a day like that. Even though the state is open for business again with no restrictions, I think there were a lot of people deciding to take a pass on spectating. Furthermore, the North State Modified Series came in one car shy of double digits, making it the lowest turnout they've had in a while. They still put on a decent show with what they had.

The track fired up the Race Monitor, so we got a little bit of a sign of life out of them. I don't know how accurate the finishes are that were posted there. Five Late Models were listed along with six NCMA Sprint Cars and five Legend Cars. Only two Bombers showed up on the app, but there might have been more cars. I don't know if there were any BCRA Midgets, and I've seen pictures of at least eight or 10 Hornets. I guess they don't run those cars with transponders. All in all, it was a decent show for the track as at least they still have a show.

I found it interesting that one of the BCRA Vintage Midget guys did a little video clip that the track featured on their Facebook page. I didn't get his name, but I found it interesting that he was quite emotional about just being at the track. He'd been coming there with his car for the last 10 years. We're talking triple digit weather, and here's an old guy in an old race car who was plenty happy to be at the track. Are you taking notes John Philbert? Without question, the California Hardtop Association would have canceled the Shasta race.

Interestingly enough, the CHA will be part of the Carnett Clash at Placerville Speedway this weekend. This show will feature $2,300 to win for the Limited Late Models and $1,200 to win for the Pure Stocks. The money might actually be higher than that. I don't know. The Thompson's Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars and NorCal Dwarf Cars will be there, so this Saturday should be entertaining at Placerville. It's interesting that the Hardtops as well as the Valley Sportsman class will be at Antioch on the 26th for the Hetrick Memorial race.

I'm curious how the Sportsman drivers are going to play things this weekend. They delivered seven cars to Antioch last time, but I'm sure the guys want to race closer to home at Merced Speedway. Promoter Doug Lockwood hasn't been booking them a lot, and the July 3rd event that they will be a part of is the perfect opportunity for them to make a big statement. A 10 car field may be possible for them at this point. Mark Odgers has been preparing his car with a new body on it and intends to be there on July 3rd. Will some of the guys you might have been seeing at Antioch skip that race to be sure they are ready for Merced?

I think Jerry Hetrick would have gotten a kick out of seeing the Sportsman cars at Antioch on the night remembering he and his wife. Jerry was one of the last Sportsman drivers on the Antioch roster in 1981. As it is, the special race this Saturday will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and the Hobby Stocks. This event has become one of the signature shows for the track in recent years, and I'm glad to see that. I still believe that any track should be proud to honor some of their greats and the heritage of what makes the place so special.

Southern Oregon Speedway has brought back the Battle of the Borders Late Model show. This was an event originally created by John Skinner and used as a big end of the season show. The problem with John booking the race in October was that sometimes the rain wouldn't let it happen. In this case, the show will happen on July 3rd. In our last year at Southern Oregon Speedway, Mike introduced the Cottonwood Classic for $4,000 to win, and we got 24 cars that night. I'm glad to see a big race remains on the schedule, and this one will pay $2,500 to win, $1,500 for second, $800 for third and the minimum of $250 to start. That's good money.

This weekend at Southern Oregon Speedway was going to feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Outlaw Pro Stocks. Finally, they were going to have a Mini Stock race. I'm still not sure about the way they scheduled that class, and unfortunately they are going to have to wait a little bit longer to have their first race. Management took a good look at the weekend forecast and decided on Monday that they would cancel the show due to excessive heat. I'm still not sure how I feel about these heat outs, but it is something we deal with now.

It's bad enough that we have to worry about losing races to rain outs, now we get to worry about losing them to excessive heat. We haven't even started having to deal with fires and excessive smoke cancellations, and I shudder to think about what could be around the corner. I know a promoter has to think about public safety, and they say that's a big factor in canceling because of the heat in the forecast. I think they are also looking at the possibility that people won't come to the track if it's too hot. Interestingly enough, the little track at Southern Oregon Speedway will have an Outlaw Kart race on Friday. They say it isn't supposed to be as hot that night.

Siskiyou Golden Speedway in Yreka will be looking at triple digit temperatures on Saturday, but that's not going to stop Kevin Barba from going ahead and running the race. I'm not sure how they will do with car count, but they will obviously benefit from the cancellation in Medford. The Mini Stock program wasn't looking so good for this weekend until Medford canceled. Some of the drivers are talking about going back again. They could get some visitation from Medford IMCA Sport Modified drivers, but I think more of them will head to Cottage Grove.

I know that JJ Smith and Karl Bernstein will have work to do on the Jalopies if they are to race as scheduled. Two of the cars broke down before the Main Event last Saturday. I'm not sure what Pro Stocks will show up for this race. They wanted to go by Tri State rules, but they were sort of hurting themselves by booking against a race already scheduled at Medford. With the Outlaw Pro Stocks now available due to the Medford cancellation, maybe some of those guys will just go to Yreka.

For whatever reason, there was a group of about six drivers from Eureka who decided that they wanted to go racing on the dirt this Saturday night. They compete in the class that they call the Roadrunners on the pavement at Redwood Acres Raceway. They would call them Hornets at other tracks or IMCA Sport Compacts when sanctioned. I can't blame Yreka management for welcoming these guys since it looks like they've got enough cars for a heat race and a Main Event. Maybe some of the Medford Hornet drivers will come and maybe the track decides to start booking some Hornet races.

Getting back to Mini Stocks, they were certainly a highlight of the program in Yreka last Saturday with a 10 car field and a nice battle at the front of the pack between Medford stars David Steele and Kristopher Mix. Steele got the win on this occasion, but Mix definitely made him work for it. It's a bit surprising to say that the Mini Stocks had the highest car count of the night. The Outlaw Pro Stocks dropped down to eight cars for some reason, and there were only nine IMCA Sport Modifieds despite Medford being dark. We did see the debut of the fifth Jalopy, but that car and another one were broken prior to the Main Event. With over 30 total cars for the Rod Barba Memorial race, it still wasn't a bad night for the track all things considered.

Saturday racing happened in Oregon at most of the nine tracks. I know Sunset Speedway had their second event, which featured four IMCA sanctioned divisions. To my knowledge, they are the first track on the West Coast to do that as they have IMCA Modifieds, Sport Modifieds, Stock Cars and Sport Compacts.

By the way, they are offering $5,000 to win on July 4th for the IMCA Stock Cars. I'm very curious to see what the turnout will be. Jerry Schram still owns the place, and it's interesting to note that he has won both Stock Car races there so far. I have to admit I'm not crazy about the track renaming Street Stocks as American Classics. Street Stocks is a name that has worked well enough for over 40 years, so why change it?

Cottage Grove Speedway had their three IMCA sanctioned classes running on Saturday. I find it interesting that the Interstate Sprint Car Series is pretty much headed up by Cottage Grove people, and yet Heather Boyce had a Sprint Car division booked for Saturday night. Granted, it was the Wingless Sprint Series, but it was still an opportunity for racers to stay in the area, rather then towing to Coos Bay to support the ISCS race there. I'm not really insinuating anything here, although I do recall when she was booking Limited Sprints against the Western Sprint Tour Speedweek race we had in Medford back in 2016. She was okay with it, but the weather forced her to cancel it.

They had just 11 Interstate Sprint Cars at Coos Bay. I didn't necessarily think they were going to get 20 cars like they had at Cottage Grove, but I thought they would have a few more cars than this. One thing I found interesting was one of the drivers was Austin Sause. I believe he was driving a Chuck Prather owned car, unless he purchased it. This brings up the subject of the Winged Sprint Car class that Coos Bay had been promoting over the last half-dozen or so years. It was definitely Chuck Prather's project class, and he owned most of the cars.

I do understand that Chuck is in his 80s now and stepping away. That's why he sold the place to Drake Nelson. I'm not exactly sure what led to Drake dropping the class. They were only booked once every five or six weeks, for a season of maybe a half-dozen races. This gave the fans a taste of Sprint Car racing. I know the Prather cars weren't the greatest in the world, but having the class meant that visitors could come in from out of town, and sometimes the show was noticeably better. I heard early on that Nelson was not a fan of this class, but I'm fuzzy on what led to the decision not to keep the division on the schedule as it was originally booked this year.

What I heard was Chuck was having a hard time renting his cars. I believe he has or had a half-dozen of them. I find that hard to believe as there always seemed to be racers out there wanting to live their Sprint Car dream. This was an easier way for them to get in and not have to do all the work on the cars. Maybe that's the case, but I don't know. He had people that had been with him for a while, such as Brett Hulsey, driving cars. Maybe there were a few cars he was just financing to be out there. I could certainly understand if Chuck didn't want to be involved, and I know he put the fleet up for sale.

People slag on those cars. I've heard the term "rent-a-wreck" thrown around, but I always thought it was pretty cool that the man took money out of his own pocket and created a division. When Chuck promoted Medford for a couple of years, he's the reason the Sprint Cars got a reprieve as he created the Southern Oregon Sprint Tour between there and Coos Bay. I would suppose he wanted to see the class take off as other people built cars and joined up, but I don't think that really ever happened. There were always a few locals with cars, but nothing where it got into double digits on a regular basis.

You have to remember, Prather is definitely a man who puts his money where his mouth is. For instance, he was all in with the Hardtops back in the early 2000s. I think he owned a half-dozen of those cars as well, which he ended up selling. He tried to get the Northern California Hardtop effort going for a couple of years when he was trying to actually find a track that he could promote. The Hardtops went with him to Coos Bay when Chuck bought that track, and I think he even used them for a driving school. Love him or hate him, Chuck has done some interesting things in racing, and I think that he's overall made a positive difference in the sport. That's all anyone can ask for.

I know that Drake Nelson figured he found the formula. Make it NASCAR. I'm actually on board with that idea, and I think it has helped the track in some ways. I still feel they could have kept the Sprint Cars around a little while longer. The regular shows probably got a half a dozen or eight cars, so it wasn't big. Then again, some of those cars could have helped fill the field for Saturday's Interstate Sprint Car race. I'm not knocking the decision makers on this one. I'm just saying that a case could have been made for keeping it going a little while longer.

Nelson wasn't delighted when he couldn't get the date for the IMCA Modified Wild West Speedweek Series a few years back, so he created a race during the week called the Modified Gambler race. He offered the sort of purse money the drivers were getting on the tour, and it was an off night for them. The hope was that they would come support him and maybe he could talk some sense into Jerry Schram and get back on the tour the next year. They didn't get big numbers, but it was an entertaining race as I recall. They did get added to Speedweek for a year, but that was it. Jerry being Jerry, he decided he didn't like Yreka, Medford or Coos Bay anymore and dropped them

When this happened to Medford, the light bulb went off above Mike McCann's head. He still wanted to do something special for the Modifieds, and Jerry wasn't budging. He liked the Gambler idea that Nelson had created and decided he would contact him and speak with Kevin Barba in Yreka about creating a Gambler Weekend Series. The idea was that all three tracks would run the IMCA Modifieds and the IMCA Sport Modifieds, although the Modifieds would be the only division with a series. I was advocating to put both divisions in it, but I just wanted to see something new and cool get started.

I did have my concerns when I looked over the June schedule of 2020. It seemed to me that that weekend wasn't going to be a good one. I think Cottage Grove was booked on top of the Medford date, and as far as attracting anybody from California, there were things happening down there, plus a Sunday race at Petaluma. I thought it would be up to the Medford drivers to fully support this, and I just didn't know that we'd have enough cars. Maybe we could have kept it in double digits? The money was going to be okay. It was still going to be $1,000 to win, plus a point fund.

Mike was actually working on a couple of things that were going to be good. One of them was the big IMCA Sport Modified race (The Timber Cup), which I think was a reason why he didn't feel the need to include them as an official part of the series with a point fund. He was going to have a second IMCA Sport Modified race paying $2,000 to win, the first being the already established R Charles Snyder Salute. Thanks to the covid-19 shut down, we didn't get to see some cool things happen at Southern Oregon Speedway in 2020, and I think I'll always be a little bit bitter about that.

Getting back on topic, Nelson still has the Modified Gambler race. I don't know if he's going to get a sanctioning on that. IMCA brass has a stick up their rear ends when it comes to bringing Coos Bay into the fold. Drake has been trying to get the sanctioning, because he wants the Oregon racers to know that when they come to his track, they are going by IMCA rules. Plus, they get all of the points and perks associated with IMCA. IMCA's reason for denying him has something to do with not wanting to have too many races or other such nonsense.

I don't even think Drake was going to suddenly book a ton of races, but I could see him trying to book four Sport Modified and Modified races throughout the year, which would qualify them for an official IMCA championship. He would do it in a way where he wasn't booked on top of the established stuff. The real hope was that the guys running for State points would come to Coos Bay and a few guys would stick around and run for a little championship. It would give the fans in the area a little bit more to enjoy. I don't see anything wrong with having a track that has NASCAR and IMCA sanctioned stuff, but again I'm digressing.

What we learned as everything opened up again this year was that Jerry Schram was still going to stick to his guns. The IMCA Wild West Speedweek Series in August would just include Willamette, Cottage Grove, Sunset and Grays Harbor. The other three tracks were disinvited. Nelson didn't flinch on his Gambler idea. The end of June and on a Sunday would still be the time. I'm not sure if the pay is $1,000 to win or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. He's got both the Modifieds and Sport Modifieds on the card.

I think it could have been very easy to actually make the series that McCann, Barba and Nelson were creating take place this year. I just don't think the new management in Medford took a look at that. They are definitely showing some willingness to work with Yreka and optimism that they can work with Cottage Grove. I think they just experienced a missed opportunity. I'm looking at the Yreka schedule this weekend, and it's a mess. I feel bad for Yreka, because this race is either going to get changed or dropped all together. If it had been booked on Friday as part of the proposed weekend series, it would have been good for that track. It's Sunday as I write this, so I'm not sure what way it will go.

Medford has actually booked the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds, so you are 2/3 of the way through the Gambler weekend. Alas, no phone calls were made to put this in place. Yreka didn't book IMCA Modifieds this year until after the schedule was released and they returned the John Arnberg Memorial race to the schedule on August 28th. However, if you were asking Kevin to do it, I think he would have been all in for this. It could have been interesting to see what the three tracks could do together and how it could develop in the future. I don't think they need Jerry to do something big. This could lead me a lot of ways, but I need to keep this column moving.

I think I may have mentioned the Worden Speedway property has been sold. It went for a bit less than Carl Tresser was asking, but I think he wanted to get out of there. I know the name of the guy who bought it, but I don't know his intentions. He could be seeing an opportunity to build something else there. I don't know. What I do know is the racers in the Klamath Falls area ought to do a little investigating and speak to the people involved. Is there a possibility that this race track can reopen nearly 20 years after it's last race? It's not that Worden had a long history to it, but it was a second opportunity for Klamath Falls area racers to have something to run closer to home after their own track was closed.

Here's what I think about the idea. I think there is enough room in the state to get a 10th track up and running. I know there are hurdles and obstacles and all kinds of stuff that might prevent anybody from ever trying, but in this case you've already got the race track. You just have to work on some stuff. In my opinion, if the local area racers were willing to support a reopened Worden Speedway, it would be worth trying. They have a good group of Outlaw Pro Stocks and a half a dozen or so IMCA Modifieds and Mini Stocks at last check. There are probably some Street Stocks in the area as well. I don't know. I do believe the building blocks are there.

When Worden came into existence, I've heard stories of the lofty goals the builder had for the place. I don't know that he really knew what he was doing when he cut the race track in the first place. However, he clearly loved the sport and had the best of intentions. The track opened and they had three years of racing from what I've been able to find. They crowned champions at this place. When Carl took it over, it didn't take him long before he decided he didn't want to run it weekly. I like Carl and appreciate some of the good things he did for the sport back in the day, but why on Earth buy a race track and then not use it?

Okay, I can understand why the new owner might look at it that way. Maybe they aren't involved in the sport or interested. Maybe they have an idea on what to do with the property. Carl, on the other hand, was a racer. He effectively killed racing in Worden. I'm not taking a shot at the man, but he correctly earns the honor of being the guy who put an end to it. I don't know what the new person has planned, and all I'm suggesting is that person be approached by people who would be committed to helping get it going. I can only say from a personal standpoint, something like a reopened Worden Speedway would be an intriguing project. I'll leave it at that.

You face long odds when you are trying to create or establish a racing program. Tony Noceti bought the established Stockton 99 Speedway. That was pretty cool as the track could have been in danger. He looked over at the fairgrounds in Stockton and wondered what a lot of us did. Wouldn't it be cool if they could have racing on that track. Tony was the guy to make that happen, and I know there was a lot of work involved in making a race track that was safe and provided entertaining racing. Sprint Cars became the cornerstone division, but they do a lot more there these days.

Tony has faced his struggles with the county people, and I keep hearing little rumors about what he could do in the future. Let's just put it this way. If it didn't work out in this location, Tony could still be promoting dirt track racing at another location. I'll leave that little tidbit where it sits for now. He's been trying to establish a Stock Car program that features the Dirt Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks as cornerstone classes with Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks, Dwarf Cars and even Late Models thrown in here or there along with an occasional 360 Sprint Car race. I think the Stock Car program has potential, but there have been hurdles.

Tony had to cancel a race earlier this year that I think would have been good as far as car count was concerned. There was no show down the road that was going to pull anybody interested in another direction. I think he was looking at double digit turnout for the two Modified classes and Hobby Stocks, but he canceled. I never did get the official reason why, but it is what it is. It turns out that he's got another show scheduled for this weekend that features those three classes along with Super Late Models and Pro Stocks. There's just one problem. Over the three bridges and in Contra Costa County, Antioch Speedway has a big IMCA Modified show happening. Also, some of Tony's supporting drivers have a big show going on at Placerville that night.

I'm thinking Stockton might take a hit in car count if they try to do this. It looks like an easy one to cancel to me. On the other hand, you'll get a look at who would be willing to support your track when Antioch has a big show. I don't know what direction this thing's going to go. I definitely couldn't blame him for canceling, but I'd sure like to see what sort of Super Late Model and Pro Stock support he would get if he stays the course on this one. I was hoping somebody would at least try with Super Late Models, and it looks like Tony was the last one left after John Soares sold Antioch Speedway.

That last observation was meant to wrap up this week's column, but I'm sitting here on Sunday afternoon about ready to go over this article and make it ready for the next post. I figure, why not add a few more paragraphs. Sometimes when I get these thoughts, I'll scroll up in the column and see if I can fit them in with what was already written. I'm sure I could have made that happen somehow with this, but I'm going to do it here. I want to talk Winged 360 Sprint Cars.

As I mentioned above, Cottage Grove Speedway remains committed to running the 360 Sprint Cars, and I give Heather Boyce the credit. I know Brian Crockett is the supposed godfather of the Oregon Sprint Car movement, but Heather is the one paying the bills. She believes in this class, or it wouldn't be there. If you want to get technical, Cottage Grove Speedway only has the Winged 360 Sprint Car division to begin with because of Mike McCann. He knew the division would work there when he came up to Oregon, and there is an interesting story behind that. Maybe I'll tell it some other time, but I just wanted to make that acknowledgment here.

Every promoter who followed Mike at that venue kept this division, because it was popular with the fans. It's still popular with the fans. The more hardcore Sprint Car fan will always notice when it's Limited Sprints and not Winged 360 Sprint Cars, and they'll let you know in some cases. Is the racing really that much different? Not really, although the Winged 360 Sprint Cars go just a bit faster. Then again, the Limited Sprints have evolved a little bit from where they started, and that's made them faster. They aren't really that much cheaper than a Winged 360 Sprint Car if you want to get down to it.

That may be the case, but these young drivers coming in from the Outlaw Kart ranks are getting into Limited Sprints. It's a feeder division to the Winged 360 Sprint Car class when you think about it, but what Heather has done is pretty smart. While trying to get those numbers up, she will frequently throw extra money at the top Limited Sprint Car finishers if they support her Winged 360 Sprint Car shows. Sometimes she's able to book a race for the class and know that she's going to get drivers from Washington or even California, and other times she knows it will be dependent solely on the Oregon racers that are left in the class.

I have some respect for Heather when it comes to her determination to keep this class. I personally think that the Winged 360 Sprint Cars can come around in the long run and legitimately bring 14-16 drivers, and I'm not talking Limited Sprint field fillers there's either. It would probably be bigger when you factor those drivers in. It's just going to take a little bit of time and patience, and in the meantime you just have to be clever in the way you book. Frequently, Heather will do a Friday and Saturday show as an enticement to get people to make the long trip.

In July, the Western Sprint Tour Speedweek will be happening. I know this is pretty much Brian Crockett's baby. He's kept this thing alive when it was really not in good shape. It's still not in good shape. Somehow, Brian is able to convince at least some Californian's to come up and get a few drivers from further north, and they get enough cars for a show. Speedweek should really be something that has full fields and B Mains, but it's gotten to a point where they may be getting 16 or so cars. Fans still like that, because they're getting something at least, but it can be better.

Speedweek will take place at Coos Bay Speedway July 12th, Willamette Speedway July 13th, Sunset Speedway July 14th and Cottage Grove Speedway July 16th and 17th, and I can't help but think that they really need to do something further south of Cottage Grove. I'm surprised they haven't approached the new Medford management. Maybe they did, and the answer was no? I know Yreka is dealing with money issues, and there were certain Sprint Car enthusiasts in the area who were sponsoring them that I don't believe are sponsoring them now. To me, those two tracks are important as an enticement to get the Californian's to start making the trip up north. If you can get them up to Yreka to kick things off, then it's just a little further to Medford and you've got them.

This may be a crazy thought, but I wonder what would happen if they were able to get the opening date at Silver Dollar Speedway? It looks like they are kicking things off at Coos Bay Speedway on a Monday, so you could open it up at Silver Dollar Speedway on a Friday, head to Yreka on a Saturday, go to Southern Oregon Speedway on a Sunday. Now, you've got something. What drivers who compete at Chico and surrounding tracks might just go ahead and run the whole week if you were to do that? Would Chico management be interested? I'm basically spitballing ideas here.

Chico management is the same management as Marysville, and the one thing about Dennis Gage is he stayed in there with the Civil War Sprint Car Series as long as he could. I don't know what happened with John Prentice, but the empire he seemed to have amassed crumbled very quickly. At one time, John had the Hunt Wingless Sprint Series, the Civil War Winged 360 Sprint Car Series, the King of the West Winged 410 Sprint Car Series and made the foray into the All Star Modified Series. It made John very influential when it came to what other tracks booked and when. He was a power broker, but he started doing things that were not going over well with the racers.

Rather than deal with the stress of keeping it all afloat, John was able to deal away the King of the West Series and the Hunt Series. I think he fought to hold on to the Civil War Series, because it really did mean something. It was a little over 30 years ago when a few promoters got together and made that thing happen. I think you had John Padjen at Chico and Placerville, John Soares at Petaluma. Marysville was in it. I want to say Grass Valley might have been a part of that thing with Promoter Mel Hall, but the idea was simple. All of the participating tracks stayed dark to the class so that the show could be bigger, wherever it was booked.

For the longest time, the Civil War Series had 50-60 cars showing up. Yeah, it was the happening event for the class for well over a decade. I remember feeling honored when they came to Antioch Speedway in 1999. I even met John Padjen for the first time. I'm sure they could have brought in their own announcer, but I got the chance. Boy, was I nervous. However, I wanted this challenge, and I got an assist from Ron Albright. He sent me all of his notes, and I was informed when I took the microphone for that show. What a cool thing that was. I'm sure the series started to lose it's luster at the beginning of the last decade, and the numbers just dwindled from there.

As I said, Prentice had managed to upset some people, and that was that. A few tracks held out as long as they could, and John was still able to book Calistoga. He was also booking dates at Watsonville, and with Marysville and Chico still participating, he was able to cobble together enough of a schedule. The last race took place in Marysville and was successful. That was in October of 2019. I thought maybe that would give them enough incentive to at least put a little series together for the next year, but they pulled the plug.

Why am I bringing this up now? Everybody called the Sprint Car Challenge Tour the next best thing to sliced bread. When they opened, they were getting such big fields that they were having a difficult time getting done before curfew. We're talking 60 or more cars, and that's the way the first season went. The Civil War Series was still limping along, but nobody would make the commitment to actually try to win that championship. A championship used to mean something in that series, and it became sort of a consolation prize in the end.

When I look at the numbers, it's obvious the SCCT is leveling off. Don't misunderstand me. They've got good sponsors and good money behind it. The purses are good and all of that, but it's no longer a consistent show with 40 or more cars any time you book them. The thing dips down to the 20s, and that tells me that the newness and excitement of it has worn off. Could the Civil War Series have weathered the storm, kept the minimum dates and figured out a solution to come back strong again? I can't help but wonder.

Maybe it doesn't matter. There are still plenty of big events happening for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars in California, and there are enough cars that this will continue to be the trend for a while. However, the way I see it is It was a 30 year plus tradition. It meant something. The names on the champions and winners lists meant something, and it was a top ticket seller. I think it could have been that again with a little bit of effort, although it might have taken a few years to rehabilitate it. It is what it is, but the 20 car SCCT field at Petaluma last week made me think about that again. I believe there was room for both series.

That's enough with the observations. I'd rather wrap up this column as quickly as possible. It's generally the most time-consuming thing about any blog post that I put up here, and I'm trying to be quicker. It almost feels like I'm off to a faster start this week, and I don't want to squander that if I can avoid it. The later part of the week can be spent trying to situate things around here and allow me to start putting more thought into my plan for the future. I will say one thing, Saturday was rather pleasant with no technical glitches. That hasn't happened for a few weeks.

On that note, I will end this column. Until next time...

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Cottage Grove Speedway, Ocean Speedway, Ventura Raceway, More