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Faccinto Wins NARC/KWS Race At Ocean Speedway,
Pettit, Velasquez, Ragsdale Other Winners
Watsonville,
CA...August 27...Mitchell Faccinto won the 30 lap NARC/King of the West
Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Series Main Event Friday night at Ocean
Speedway. This race was the second round of the Fastest Four Days In
Motorsports series. Faccinto is the 2020 Watsonville Winged 360 Sprint
Car champion.
Faccinto set the stage for good
things to come after winning the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Tanner
Carrick and Ryan Robinson. The race was restarted after Sean Watts
stalled. Faccinto led Carrick and reigning series champion DJ Netto on
the restart, but a yellow flag waved after two laps when Sean Becker
stopped with wing damage. Faccinto led Carrick and Robinson on the
restart. The battle got close between the lead trio, but a yellow flag
waved on Lap 9 with Carrick and Robbie Price both out of the race.
Faccinto led the restart with Robinson now second ahead of series point
leader Dom Scelzi. This was a good green flag run with things heating up
between the Top 3 competitors as they hit the Lap 20 mark. Contact with
Landon Brooks saw Netto flipping into the fence for a Lap 24 red flag.
Track officials repaired some front fence damage before the race was
allowed to continue. Faccinto led Robinson and Scelzi on the restart,
and that would be the way they would finish. New Watsonville champion
Bud Kaeding ended up fourth, followed by Shane Golobic, Rico Abreu, Kurt
Nelson, Colby Copeland, Tim Kaeding and Mitchel Moles.
24
Winged 410 Sprint Car competitors took their turns on the Tom Sagmiller
prepared quarter-mile clay oval, and Robinson set a new track record at
10.734, beating the 10.744 of Netto and the 10.803 of Faccinto. The 10
lap heat race wins went to Carrick, Nelson and Tim Kaeding. The series
runs 24 cars in their Main Events, so no B Main was run.
Jim
Pettit II won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the fourth
win of the season for Pettit, who continues to lead the State
championship and is battling for the track championship, where he trails
Cody Burke by just five points.
Fred Lind took
advantage of his front row start to lead early ahead of Raymond Keldsen
Jr and Pettit. JC Elrod slipped past Pettit for third on the second
lap, and both Elrod and Pettit got past Keldsen on Lap 7. Keldsen
briefly took third from Pettit on Lap 8, only to surrender the position
back to him a lap later. It was a close battle between Lind and Elrod
for first as Cody Burke slipped past Pettit for third on Lap 16. The
only yellow flag slowed the race on Lap 18, as Lind saw his run up front
end prematurely. This set up an exciting finish with Elrod leading
Pettit and Burke on the restart. On the final lap, Pettit slipped past
Elrod to steal the victory. Cody Burke ended up third ahead of Lind,
Steve Pemberton, Clay Daly and Keldsen. Lind won the eight lap heat
race, and Austin Burke was eliminated prior to the Main Event in a heat
race crash.
Richard Ragsdale won the 20 lap
IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Ragsdale motored into the lead at the
start and Max Baggett and Mike Kofnovec Jr. Baggett was getting all
kinds of pressure from Kofnovec with Justin McPherson closing in on the
duo in the second place battle. McPherson took third from Kofnovec on
Lap 9. Two laps later, Baggett put the moves on Ragsdale to get the lead
before a yellow flag waved. On the restart, Ragsdale slipped by Baggett
to regain the lead. Ragsdale would go on to lead the rest of the way
for the satisfying win, followed by Baggett, Kofnovec Jr, Kelly
Campanile, Markus Frazier, Justin McPherson, point leader Randy Miller,
Adriane Frost, Willie Oathout and Nicholas Zapatero. There were 24 IMCA
Sport Modifieds, and Campanile, Trevor Clymens and Kofnovec Jr were the
eight lap heat race winners.
Tommy Velasquez III
won the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Main Event. This was his sixth win of
the season as he wrapped up the championship. Velasquez started on the
front row and bolted into the lead when the green flag waved, followed
by past champion Terre Rothweiler and Brandon Wiley. The only yellow
flag of the race flew on Lap 3 for Ryan Amlen. Velasquez continued to
set the pace on the restart ahead of Rothweiler and Wiley. Past champion
Gene "Punky" Pires settled into fourth as the lead trio battled
closely. Rottweiler was giving Tommy Velasquez III all the pressure he
could handle as the race headed down the stretch, and Nick Velasquez
took fourth from Pires on Lap 15. Wiley closed in quickly on Rothweiler
and passed him for second on Lap 19. However, Tommy Velasquez III got
the win ahead of Wiley, Rothweiler, Nick Velasquez, Pires, Trent Morley,
Eric Weisler, Joe Barket, Travis Day and Tom Morley. Rothweiler, Tommy
Velasquez III and Tony Margot won the eight lap heat races.
Chad
Ragsdale won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. He is the 10th
different winner of this season in only his third visit. The race was
run rapidly with no yellow flag interruptions, and Ragsdale led from the
outset ahead of point leader Joe Gallaher and Norm Ayers. As Ragsdale
began to pull away, Gallaher and Ayers had a close battle for second.
Ragsdale continued to stretch his advantage until he won by just over
half a lap ahead of Gallaher. Ayers was a close third, followed by Ryan
Muller, Jerry Skelton, Tony Oliveira and Mitch Lettunich. Gallaher was
the eight lap heat race winner.
Racing takes a
break for a while before the 11th annual Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial
Dirt Track Shootout closes the season on September 24th and 25th. The
extra money affair will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds
and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.oceanspeedway.com.
Sanders Fast And Lucky At Merced Speedway
Merced,
CA...August 26...Justin Sanders won the 30 lap NARC/King of the West
Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Main Event Thursday Night at Merced
Speedway. This was the opening night of The Fastest Four Days In
Motorsports Series, which boasts an $8,000 point fund. Sanders was fast,
but it seemed like he caught breaks every time he was seriously
challenged as a yellow flag would wave. The Ocean Speedway star was
driving the Paul Silva owned Sprinter, and this was his second win with
the group this year.
After Sanders won the six
lap Trophy Dash ahead of Corey Day, he had the pole for the feature
race. He motored into the lead at the start ahead of Day and point
leader Dom Scelzi. A yellow flag waved for Mitchel Moles on the
frontstretch on Lap 3, and Sanders continued to lead Day and Scelzi on
the ensuing restart. Brian Boswell spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 6 yellow
flag. Reigning series champion DJ Netto moved into third behind Sanders
and Day on the restart, but Scelzi got past Netto on Lap 8 to reclaim
third. Scelzi put the moves on Day for second on lap 12. Scelzi found an
opening and slipped past Sanders for the lead as they worked what would
have been Lap 14, but a tangle between the lapped car of Boswell,
Tanner Carrick and Jesse Attard negated the pass as the yellow flag
waved. Sanders led Scelzi and Day on the next restart. A yellow flag
waved on Lap 18 when Mark Barroso spun and collected Netto. Sanders led
Scelzi and Colby Copeland on the restart. Scelzi began to pressure
Sanders and made what appeared to be a pass for the lead on Lap 24, but a
red flag waved as Day flipped in Turn 1 to end his race. Sanders led
Scelzi and Copeland on the next restart. Though the leaders ran closely,
there was no change in the order from there as Sanders scored the win
ahead of Scelzi, Copeland, Tim Kaeding, 16th starter Shane Golobic, Bud
Kaeding, Robbie Price, Blake Carrick, Sean Becker and Netto.
23
NARC/KWS Sprint Car competitors made the trip. Rico Abreu set a new
track record for fast time on the quarter-mile clay oval at 10.354,
beating the 10.576 of Scelzi and the 10.605 of Copeland. Netto, Scelzi
and Copeland won the eight lap heat races. The NARC/KWS tour starts 24
cars in the Main Event, so no B Main was run.
Jarrod
Mounce won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Mounce is the
2019 Ocean Speedway Sport Modified champion. Monty Tomlinson jumped into
the early lead ahead of Riley Jeppesen and Mounce, but a yellow flag
waved a lap later. Mounce took the lead from Tomlinson on the restart as
Jeppesen continued to run third, but Jason Bannister and point leader
Tyler Bannister both got past Jeppesen on the third lap. A yellow flag
waved on Lap 8. Mounce continued to lead the way over Jason Bannister
and Tyler Bannister as championship contender Fred Ryland moved into
fourth. Tyler Bannister took second from his father on Lap 14, and
Ryland slipped past Jason Bannister for third a lap later. As Mounce
brought it home to victory, Ryland made a last lap pass on Tyler
Bannister to claim second. Jason Bannister settled for fourth, followed
by Tomlinson, Chuck Weir, Richard Ragsdale, Jeppesen, Jason Pugh and
Gavin Espino. Jeppesen and Tomlinson won the eight lap heat races.
Shawn
DePriest won the 15 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was the third win
of the season for DePriest, who is a regular with the West Coast Sport
Compact tour. Point leader Brian Post jumped into the lead at the start
ahead of Leo Lotz and DePriest. DePriest slipped past Lotz for second on
Lap 2 and made it a close battle with Post for the lead. On Lap 7,
DePriest put the moves on Post to grab the lead. Lotz moved into second
on Lap 12, but DePriest had more than a straightaway advantage by then.
DePriest cruised to victory ahead of Lotz, Post, Shelby Neal, Russell
Myers and Synthia Tremble. Post win the six lap heat race.
Carson
Guthrie won the 15 lap California Sharp Mini Late Model Main Event.
This was the second win of the season for Guthrie as he's in a close
battle with Tyler Tucker for the championship. Guthrie moved into the
lead at the start ahead of Mason Morton and Tucker. The race rant
smoothly until Tucker brought out a Lap 13 yellow flag to end his race.
Guthrie led Mason Morton and Brayden Morton on the restart, and they
finished in that order with Ryder Jeppesen finishing fourth ahead of
Tucker. Guthrie also won the six lap heat race.
Next
on the schedule will be Championship Night on September 18th, featuring
the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and
California Sharp Mini Late Models. For further information, go to www.mercedspeedway.net.
Whitney, Holmwood, Evans, Guffie, Jalakas
Win At Deming Speedway
Everson,
Washington...August 27...Jayden Whitney won the Speed Mart Super 600
Micro Sprint Main Event Friday night at Deming Speedway. Whitney started
up front and set the pace when the green flag waved, followed by Jesse
Schlotfeldt and Jared Peterson. A yellow flag waved on Lap 3, and
Whitney continued to lead Schlotfeldt and Peterson on the restart. The
battle got close between second and third, and a Lap 12 yellow flag
bunched the field. Whitney continued to lead Schlotfeldt and Peterson on
the restart, but Peterson slipped past Schlotfeldt for second on Lap
15. A yellow flag waved on Lap 18 with Tristin Thomas out of the race.
Whitney resumed command over Peterson and Schlotfeldt, but a red flag
waved on Lap 20 as Haley Constance flipped. Whitney led Peterson and
Schlotfeldt on the restart. Peterson kept it close, but Whitney would
prevail in the end as Schlotfeldt ended up third. Point leader Dylan
Resch finished fourth, followed by Blaine Granberg, Kaitlyn Hammer,
Colin Mackey, Spencer Constance, Parker Hadlock and Dakota Drake.
Hadlock
set the fast time of 21 competitors on the 1/6 mile clay oval at
10.339, beating the 10.392 of Hammer and the 10.416 of Peterson. Eight
lap heat race wins went to Spencer Constance, Drake and Granberg.
Point
leader Derek Holmwood won the 25 lap Shots 2 Go Espresso 1200 Mini
Sprint Main Event. Holmwood jumped into the lead at the start ahead of
Dustin O'Brien and Dakota Drake. That was the order through a yellow
flag on Lap 5. A lap 10 yellow flag saw the race end for Haylee
Bloodgood. Holmwood led O'Brien and Drake on the restart. Holmwood set a
good pace and pulled away a little bit on O'Brien, who ended up second,
followed by Drake, Jared Gunderson, Alex Lewis, Brock Lemley, Seth
Hespe, Dick Williams, California star Bobby Michnowicz and Frosty
Metcalfe. Gunderson was the quickest of 15 qualifiers with a lap of
10.348, beating the 10.391 of Brock Lemley. Drake and Terry Lewis won
the eight lap heat races.
Nick Evans clinched
the Northwest Focus Midget championship with his 25 lap Main Event win.
Jesse Munn jumped into the early lead ahead of Jake Munn and Shane
Smith. Smith and Evans both got past Jake Munn on Lap 3 before a yellow
flag waved. Jesse Munn continued to lead Smith and Evans on the restart,
and another yellow flag waved a lap later. Jesse Munn led the restart
as Evans slipped past Smith for second. The battle was close between the
Top 3 competitors, and Evans finally made a move around Jesse Munn for
the lead on Lap 11. Jared Peterson had found his way into fourth, and he
made a move into third on Lap 18. As Peterson started challenging Jesse
Munn for second, Evans pulled away by about a straightaway by the time
the race ended. Jesse Munn held off Peterson for second with Smith
fourth, followed by Levi Harless, Jake Munn, Chris Foster and Brian
Holmkvist. Smith and Harless won the eight lap heat races.
Carson Guffie won the 20 lap mytrafficman.net
Restricted 600 Micro Sprint Main Event. Guffie jumped into the lead at
the start ahead of Rylee Kentch and Corbin Ramsey. A yellow flag waved
on Lap 4 with Grace Matier out at that point. Guffie continued to lead
Kentch and Ramsey on the restart. Guffie set a rapid pace and held a
straightaway advantage over Kentch by the 10th lap. A red flag waved on
Lap 22 when fourth place Zoey Tupper flipped. Guffie led the restart and
pulled away to victory ahead of Kentch, Ramsey, Levi Kuntz, point
leader Levi Hillier, Peyton Drake, Destry Miller, Mallory Fisher, Axel
Oudman and Kane Van Sickle.
Hillier was the
quickest of 19 qualifiers with a Lap of 11.074, beating the 11.209 of
Kuntz and the 11.229 of Miller. The eight lap heat race wins went to
Oudman, Tupper and Kentch. Grace Matier won the 10 lap B Main. Dale
Orcutt led the early laps ahead of Matier and Diane Knutzen. Matier put
the moves on Orcutt for the lead on Lap 4, and Cruz Kentch took third
from Knutzen on Lap 6. Matier went on to win ahead of Orcutt, Kentch and
final transfer Knutzen.
Clayton Jalakas won
the 20 lap Clean Crawls Junior Sprint Main Event. Jalakas had led all
the way until the last lap last week, but this time he led every lap in
victory. Jalakas charged into lead when the green flag waved, followed
by Oliver Kairis and Chase Whitney. The battle was close between the
lead trio until Kairis encountered problems on Lap 14 with Whitney and
Dustin Ramsey moving into second and third. McKenna Morgan settled into
fourth and took third from Ramsey on Lap 17. Despite pressure from
Whitney, Jalakas kept his cool and brought it home to a well-earned
victory. Morgan ended up third, followed by point leader Brooklyn
Constance, Ramsey, Jayce Medcalf, Avery Askvig, Karis and Sawyer Baxter.
Whitney set the fast time of 13.210, beating the 13.255 of Constance.
Medcalf and Constance were the eight lap heat race winners.
Racing
takes a week off, but the Speed Mart Super 600 Micros, Shots 2 Go
Espresso 1200 Mini Sprints, mytrafficman.net Restricted Micros and Clean
Crawls Junior Sprints will all be in action on September 10th. For
further information, go to www.demingspeedway.com.
Fugate, McIntyre, Beaudoin, Smith Win
Final Wednesday Night Throwdown Races At Coos Bay
Coos
Bay, Oregon...August 25...Braden Fugate won the 30 lap NASCAR America's
Mattress Super Late Model Main Event Wednesday night at Coos Bay
Speedway. This was his seventh win of the season as he keeps it very
close behind Brody Montgomery in the championship battle.
Fugate
started on the pole and led from the outset. Only four drivers came to
compete, and the race would have no yellow flags. Mike Taylor was second
until being overtaken by Montgomery on the 16th lap. Fugate had built
nearly a straightaway lead, and though Montgomery chipped away at it in
the closing laps, Fugate still prevailed. Taylor settled for third ahead
of Wayne Butler. Montgomery won the 10 lap heat race.
Toby
McIntyre won the 25 lap Street Stock Main Event. This was the third win
of the season for the 2015 Late Model champion as he tuned up for the
Battle At The Beach race the following Saturday.
McIntyre
started on the pole and jumped into the lead over Vince Christian and
Loren McIntyre. Christian was subbing for his son Seth as the point
leader was out of the state. Loren McIntyre took second from Christian
on Lap 4, but he had problems on Lap 6 and faded to the back. Christian
was second ahead of Steve Dubisar, but Dubisar moved into the position
on Lap 10. Christian came roaring back on Lap 14, but Dubisar again
regained the position on lap 17. A yellow flag slowed the action on Lap
19. The race was close at the front of the pack as Toby McIntyre led
Dubisar and Christian on the restart. Dubisar was getting a good run on
McIntyre in the closing laps, but he slipped up on the final lap as
Christian got by. Toby McIntyre was the happy winner ahead of Christian,
Dubisar, Ken Fox and Loren McIntyre. Toby McIntyre won the 10 lap heat
race. Josh Bearden and Jesse McIntyre were both Main Event scratches.
Scott
Beaudoin won the 25 lap Mini Outlaws Main Event. This was the seventh
win of the season for Beaudoin as he holds a commanding lead in the
championship battle. Despite this race being added during the week, they
still managed to draw nine competitors for the show. Hornet star Kris
Parker had the pole and led two laps before Beaudoin went motoring by.
Tristen Davison took second from Parker on Lap 4. Unfortunately, Davison
had mechanical issues on Lap 12, allowing Parker and Hannah Robison to
move by for second and third in the non-stop event. On the 18th lap,
Robison took second from Parker, and only the lead three competitors
were on the lead lap at that point. Beaudoin held 2/3 of a lap advantage
over Robison by the time the race ended with Parker third ahead of Jim
Van Loon, Jamie Daniels, Steve Nichols, Michelle Cardwell, Davison and
Stephanie Nix. Parker and Davison won the 10 lap heat races.
Griff
Smith won the 20 lap Jr Stingers Main Event. This was the 15th win of
the season for the point leader as the attempts to wrap up his fourth
championship. Smith drew the pole position and motored ahead at the
start of what was destined to be a non-stop race. Eli Luckman was an
early second ahead of Cameron Metzgus. Second ranked Tallon Dubisar
settled into fourth early on and took third from Metzgus on Lap 12.
Dubisar overtook Luckman for second on Lap 15. However, Smith held a
nearly half-lap lead over Tallon Dubisar by the time the race ended.
Luckman settled for third ahead of Alex Butler, Metzgus, Max Haga,
Tucker Dubisar, Tanner Dubisar and Payton Ashley. Smith and Tallon
Dubisar picked up the eight lap heat race wins.
This
was the final Wednesday Night Throwdown event, which was originally
booked to showcase special Modified or Sport Modified races. However,
due to IMCA not wanting to sanction Coos Bay there was limited support
for either of those classes, and they were dropped with the Mini Outlaws
added in their place for this final special race.
The
August 28th event was to be another full slate of NASCAR racing action
with an emphasis on the big Street Stock Battle At The Beach race. This
will be followed by another round of NASCAR racing on September 4th,
featuring the America's Mattress Super Late Models, Sportsman Late
Models, Street Stocks, Mini Outlaws, Hornets, Juniors Stingers and OTRO
Hardtops. For further information, go to www.coosbayspeedway.us.
Ross, Webster, Baker Win At Orland Raceway
Orland,
CA...August 21...Keith Ross won the Pure Stock Main Event Saturday
night at Orland Raceway. Ross has won the lions share of the races held
on the 1/5 mile dirt oval this year, and that has him maintaining a 108
point lead over Scott Camper in the championship race. Full finishes
were not made available at press time. Because of preliminary efforts,
Maurice Merrill earned a total of 51 points for the night, while Ross
had 50 points, past champion Paul Stephens had 48, Davis Etchieson had
47 and Mini Truck graduate Beau Miller was the fifth highest earner of
the night with 45 tallies. There were 10 Pure Stocks for the show.
RJ
Baker topped the field in the Wingless Spec Sprint class. Baker is a
past runnerup in points, but he's been running with the Winged 360
Sprint Cars this year. He earned 55 points for the night, while point
leader Denny McNary picked up 53 points, the Michelet Racing Team car
earned 48 points in a tie with current point runnerup Nathan Johnson.
Cassie Amore was the fifth highest earner for the night with 45 points
as eight drivers competed. McNary leads Johnson 473-285 in the point
battle.
Dan Webster won the Mini Truck Main
Event. Webster is well on his way to the championship with a 105 point
advantage over Jason Libbee. Webster earned the most points for the
night with 55, beating the 50 point total for Levi Tune, 49 points for
Matt Kvalvik, 48 for Libbee and 46 for Zachary Baker as six drivers
competed.
Point leader Randy Hensley won the
250 Micro Sprint Main Event, meaning he's won six of the seven races
held this year. Hensley had 55 points on the night as Ronnie Heyer had
52, Trason Taylor had 48 and Lester Elsey had 47. Hensley has a 49 point
lead over Heyer in the point race.
Multi time
champion Tom Davis won the Mini Stock Main Event. Davis has missed two
races, effectively taking him out of the championship chase. He earned
55 points for the night, beating the 52 point total for Sean Perry and
the 49 point effort of point leader Clayton Croman. Croman leads Perry
by 42 points in the championship race.
To keep up to date with what's happening at the track, go to the Orland Raceway Facebook page.
Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 27
IMCA Modifieds
Jim Pettit II
JC Elrod
Cody Burke
Fred Lind
Steve Pemberton
Clay Daly
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Austin Burke DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Richard Ragsdale
Max Baggett
Mike Kofnovec Jr
Kelly Campanile
Markus Frazier
Justin McPherson
Randy Miller
Adriane Frost
Willy Oathout
Nicolas Zapatero
Robert Miller
Jim DiGiovanni
Trevor Clymens
John Ferro
Tommy Clymens Jr
Scott Foster
Cody Bryan
Charlie Hunter
Codie Hample
Duane Bieser
Justin Parr
Ryan Foss
Jarrod Mounce
Mike Kofnovec Sr DNS
Hobby Stocks
Chad Ragsdale
Joe Gallaher
Norm Ayers
Ryan Muller
Jerry Skelton
Tony Oliveira
Mitch Lettunich
South Bay Dwarf Cars
Tommy Velasquez III
Brandon Wiley
Terre Rothweiler
Nick Velasquez
Punky Pires
Trent Morley
Eric Weisler
Joe Barket
Travis Day
Tom Morley
Tony Margott
Ryan Amlen
Eddy Claessen
Roberto Monroy
Barry Waddell
Keith Costas
Kieran Costas
Mack Aceves
Tommy Velasquez II
King of the West Sprints
Mitchell Faccinto
Ryan Robinson
Dominic Scelzi
Bud Kaeding
Shane Golobic
Rico Abreu
Kurt Nelson
Colby Copeland
Tim Kaeding
Mitchel Moles
Keith Day Jr
Justin Sanders
Billy Aton
Jessie Attard
Sean Becker
Brad Dillard
Brian Boswell
Richard Fajardo
Landon Brooks
D.J. Netto
Blake Carrick
Tanner Carrick
Robbie Price
Sean Watts
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 26
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Jarrod Mounce
Fred Ryland
Tyler Bannister
Jason Bannister
Monty Tomlinson
Chuck Weir
Richard Ragsdale
Riley Jeppesen
Jason Pugh
Gavin Espino
Tanner Thomas
Mark Squadrito
Jim DiGiovanni
Kodie Dean
Glen Cook
Jim Reed
Mini Stocks
Shawn DePriest
Leo Lotz
Brain Post
Shelby Neal
Russell Myers
Synthya Tremble
Mini Late Models
Carson Guthrie
Mason Morton
Brayden Morton
Ryder Jeppesen
Tyler Tucker
NARC/KWS Winged 410 Sprints
Justin Sanders
Dominic Scelzi
Colby Copeland
Tim Kaeding
Shane Golobic
Bud Kaeding
Robbie Price
Blake Carrick
Sean Becker
D.J. Netto
Mitchell Faccinto
Joel Myers Jr
Billy Aton
Landon Brooks
Sean Watts
Kurt Nelson
Corey Day
Mark Barroso
Jesse Attard
Rico Abreu
Tanner Carrick
Brian Boswell
Mitchel Moles
Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 25
America's Mattress Super Late Models
Braden Fugate
Brody Montgomery
Mike Taylor
Wayne Butler
Street Stocks
Toby McIntyre
Vince Christian
Steve Dubisar
Ken Fox
Loren McIntyre
Josh Bearden DNS
Jesse McIntyre DNS
Mini Outlaws
Scott Beaudoin
Hannah Robison
Kris Parker
Jim Van Loon
Jamie Daniels
Steve Nichols
Michelle Cardwell
Tristen Davison
Stephanie Nix
Jr Stingers
IMCA Modifieds
Jim Pettit II
JC Elrod
Cody Burke
Fred Lind
Steve Pemberton
Clay Daly
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Austin Burke DNS
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Richard Ragsdale
Max Baggett
Mike Kofnovec Jr
Kelly Campanile
Markus Frazier
Justin McPherson
Randy Miller
Adriane Frost
Willy Oathout
Nicolas Zapatero
Robert Miller
Jim DiGiovanni
Trevor Clymens
John Ferro
Tommy Clymens Jr
Scott Foster
Cody Bryan
Charlie Hunter
Codie Hample
Duane Bieser
Justin Parr
Ryan Foss
Jarrod Mounce
Mike Kofnovec Sr DNS
Hobby Stocks
Chad Ragsdale
Joe Gallaher
Norm Ayers
Ryan Muller
Jerry Skelton
Tony Oliveira
Mitch Lettunich
South Bay Dwarf Cars
Tommy Velasquez III
Brandon Wiley
Terre Rothweiler
Nick Velasquez
Punky Pires
Trent Morley
Eric Weisler
Joe Barket
Travis Day
Tom Morley
Tony Margott
Ryan Amlen
Eddy Claessen
Roberto Monroy
Barry Waddell
Keith Costas
Kieran Costas
Mack Aceves
Tommy Velasquez II
King of the West Sprints
Mitchell Faccinto
Ryan Robinson
Dominic Scelzi
Bud Kaeding
Shane Golobic
Rico Abreu
Kurt Nelson
Colby Copeland
Tim Kaeding
Mitchel Moles
Keith Day Jr
Justin Sanders
Billy Aton
Jessie Attard
Sean Becker
Brad Dillard
Brian Boswell
Richard Fajardo
Landon Brooks
D.J. Netto
Blake Carrick
Tanner Carrick
Robbie Price
Sean Watts
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 26
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Jarrod Mounce
Fred Ryland
Tyler Bannister
Jason Bannister
Monty Tomlinson
Chuck Weir
Richard Ragsdale
Riley Jeppesen
Jason Pugh
Gavin Espino
Tanner Thomas
Mark Squadrito
Jim DiGiovanni
Kodie Dean
Glen Cook
Jim Reed
Mini Stocks
Shawn DePriest
Leo Lotz
Brain Post
Shelby Neal
Russell Myers
Synthya Tremble
Mini Late Models
Carson Guthrie
Mason Morton
Brayden Morton
Ryder Jeppesen
Tyler Tucker
NARC/KWS Winged 410 Sprints
Justin Sanders
Dominic Scelzi
Colby Copeland
Tim Kaeding
Shane Golobic
Bud Kaeding
Robbie Price
Blake Carrick
Sean Becker
D.J. Netto
Mitchell Faccinto
Joel Myers Jr
Billy Aton
Landon Brooks
Sean Watts
Kurt Nelson
Corey Day
Mark Barroso
Jesse Attard
Rico Abreu
Tanner Carrick
Brian Boswell
Mitchel Moles
Coos Bay Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 25
America's Mattress Super Late Models
Braden Fugate
Brody Montgomery
Mike Taylor
Wayne Butler
Street Stocks
Toby McIntyre
Vince Christian
Steve Dubisar
Ken Fox
Loren McIntyre
Josh Bearden DNS
Jesse McIntyre DNS
Mini Outlaws
Scott Beaudoin
Hannah Robison
Kris Parker
Jim Van Loon
Jamie Daniels
Steve Nichols
Michelle Cardwell
Tristen Davison
Stephanie Nix
Jr Stingers
Griff Smith
Tallon Dubisar
Eli Luckman
Alex Butler
Cameron Metzgus
Max Haga
Tucker dubisar
Tanner dubisar
Payton Ashley
Deming Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 27
Speed Mart Super 600s
1 #88w Jayden Whitney
2 #91 Jared Peterson
3 #22 Jesse Schlotfeldt
4 #23R Dylan Resch
5 #28B Blaine Granberg
6 #39K Kaitlyn Hammer
7 #11c Colin Mackey
8 #78P Spencer Constance
9 #11h Parker Hadlock
10 #22D Dakota Drake
11 #21 Jeremy Holz
12 #22R Ryley Mayer
13 #70 Macie Logsdon
14 #29 Levi Kuntz
15 #13c Tyler Conley
16 #54 Billy Coates
17 #23x Xan Miller
18 #11J Dylan Ault
19 #78 Haley Constance
20 #9t Tristin Thomas
21 #21Z Keira Zylstra
Tallon Dubisar
Eli Luckman
Alex Butler
Cameron Metzgus
Max Haga
Tucker dubisar
Tanner dubisar
Payton Ashley
Deming Speedway Unofficial Race Results August 27
Speed Mart Super 600s
1 #88w Jayden Whitney
2 #91 Jared Peterson
3 #22 Jesse Schlotfeldt
4 #23R Dylan Resch
5 #28B Blaine Granberg
6 #39K Kaitlyn Hammer
7 #11c Colin Mackey
8 #78P Spencer Constance
9 #11h Parker Hadlock
10 #22D Dakota Drake
11 #21 Jeremy Holz
12 #22R Ryley Mayer
13 #70 Macie Logsdon
14 #29 Levi Kuntz
15 #13c Tyler Conley
16 #54 Billy Coates
17 #23x Xan Miller
18 #11J Dylan Ault
19 #78 Haley Constance
20 #9t Tristin Thomas
21 #21Z Keira Zylstra
1200 Mini Sprints
A Main
Results are not official
1 #17 Derek Holmwood
2 #71 Dustin O'Brien
3 #10D Dakota Drake
4 #6 Jared Gundersen
5 #5 Alex Lewis
6 #10L Brock Lemley
7 #92 Seth Hespe
8 #7 Dick Williams
9 #21k Bobby Michnowicz
10 #10S Frosty Metcalfe
11 #30 Terry Lewis
12 #10J Tyson Lemley
13 #89 Josh Monroe
14 #12 Tanner Schoonover
15 #76e Austin Edson
16 #6H Haylee Bloodgood
mytrafficman.net Restricted 600s
A Main
Results are not official
1 #14c Carson Guffie
2 #40J Rylee Kentch
3 #21c Corbin Ramsey
4 #29 Levi Kuntz
5 #24L Levi Hillier
6 #22 Peyton Drake
7 #3D Destry Miller
8 #59M Mallory Fisher
9 #7o Axel Oudman
10 #71 Kane VanSickle
11 #54 Ryan Bright
12 #4D Diane Knutzen
13 #40 Cruz Kentch
14 #38B Dale Orcutt
15 #48z Zoey Tupper
16 #91 Grace Matier
B Main
Results are not official
1 #91 Grace Matier
2 #38B Dale Orcutt
3 #40 Cruz Kentch
4 #4D Diane Knutzen
5 #52w Jeff Woolsey
6 #15H Hunter Cook
7 #12 Samantha Fraser
Northwest Focus Midgets
Results are not official
1 #24 Nick Evans
2 #95 Jesse Munn
3 #32 Jared Peterson
4 #7s Shane Smith
5 #09 Levi Harless
6 #32m Jake Munn
7 #5C Chris Foster
8 #90H Brian Holmkvist
Clean Crawls Jr Sprints
A Main
Results are not official
1 #21c Clayton Jalakas
2 #5W Chase Whitney
3 #68 McKenna Morgan
4 #78 Brooklyn Constance
5 #20d Dustin Ramsey
6 #23 Jayce Medcalf
7 #3 Avery Askvig
8 #67 Oliver Kairis
9 #88 Sawyer Baxter
The Editor's Viewpoint
Lately,
I've gotten into the habit of doing Saturday afternoon posts covering
Friday night racing. One of the reasons I've done this is because I'm
focused enough to get all of the work done in a short amount of time and
get it posted. Another reason for it is because the big posts I put out
there during the week seem to be getting bigger and bigger. This is a
way to make them smaller. Plus, it's another way to generate a few more
views for the site.
It's kind of an interesting
time for me as I'm coming up on some big decisions with some big
announcements possibly forthcoming very soon. I've struggled mightily to
maintain my blog just for the sake of putting articles out there. It's
more about spreading the word than it is about generating anything my
way, but I've struggled to keep a schedule. Needless to say, I was
pleased when I was able to put up the Saturday night racing coverage
post on Tuesday night. I haven't been that early with it in a long time,
and most of the time I've been running late. I'll take that victory as I
come close to wrapping up this phase of the media effort on the blog.
I
wanted to talk about how lucky we are to have our race tracks open
right now, and yet I want to catch myself. You see, I probably have an
opinion on what we've been going through in the last year and a half
that will annoy some people. It has found its way into this column in
the past. I do wish people would think for themselves and not follow
blindly. I wish people would go beyond watching one channel and just
believing what they hear, but that's up to the individual. As I say on
another show I do that isn't racing related, God give you a brain, use
it.
Businesses in general have been negatively
affected by what we've been through. Some have closed down for good.
It's been that bad. Others are struggling, because people don't want to
go there. The fear is real, even if the narrative may not be so real. It
is if you believe it is. Therefore, people are deciding how much they
want to go out for entertainment purposes. People are debating whether
they want to go out for dinner or just stay home. Do they want to go to a
movie or just stay home. Racing is part of that. It's entertainment,
and people are debating whether they want to go to the race track or
not.
I cautioned everybody last year about the
effects we would feel from all of this. I wasn't going to do anything
that I've done on this blog this year or last year. Last year it was my
curiosity regarding how tracks could possibly open on any kind of a
regular basis and not have fans in attendance. I think there was a major
financial loss for several promoters. I think they kept the gates open
to maintain some sort of continuity. At the end of the year, they
couldn't have been happy with the bottom line, and many tracks were
either paying a regular purse or offering more. Very few ran for 50%
purse, as I think they probably should have in more instances.
People
got comfortable with it. The racers still had the money to go racing.
We weren't feeling the financial pinch yet, because the effects of
shutting everything down wouldn't be fully felt until we were further
down the road. Therefore, racers went racing. If their a home track was
still not allowed to open, they were taking trips down the road. There
were some shows with lots of cars in the pits because only some tracks
could open. My warning back then was that when we could open the
grandstands in the future, we were still not going to see what we had
been seeing prior to 2020. The numbers were going to go down.
Sure,
I knew there would be a pop once people were initially allowed back.
You might see big crowds at first, but then people would debate whether
they wanted to spend the money or not. Not only were the numbers in the
stands going to go down at some places, the numbers in the pits were as
well. Obviously, promoters are having a better year this year than they
did last year. Some places couldn't open at all. The places that opened
certainly weren't making that much money. You'd have to compare 2021 to
2019 when it comes to the business model, and I'm sure most honest
promoters would tell you that they aren't making the money they did
then. There may be a few bucking that trend, but that's not going to be
the majority.
I'm not going to get into the
idea people have that there's a war against race tracks in California. I
think there are other circumstances at work, although I'm not naive. I
know there are people out there who want to see racing go away
completely. That's not what's happening now. What I say to that idea
before I move on is that you'll know when there's a coordinated attack
against racing. You'll see several tracks in the crosshairs being
attacked at the same time. Do I think that's going to happen? No. I
guess you never know. These are interesting times we're living in.
Promoters
believe they need to keep the continuity going. They need to keep the
gates open and keep people used to coming. Even if your attendance is
only 300 or 400 people who are just die hards or are connected with one
of the race cars, you want to keep them engaged. You want to keep your
local racers out there. If you've only got 30 or 40 drivers who you know
will be there every time, you've got to give them a reason to be there.
If you give fans or drivers a reason not to come out or just don't open
for a while, they get out of the habit. Suddenly, you don't see them
when you are open. Continuity is important.
This
is where I will give the people down in Medford a pass when they were
running around like Chicken Little talking about the sky falling after
Mike McCann left. It was about the continuity. Mike looked around and
didn't see any good financial reason to open the gates at all in 2020,
and it didn't matter if people said he could do it without fans. They
looked at the fact that the track was dormant for a year and figured if
it happened again they'd be in deep trouble. The idea that nobody was
going to open that place is still laughable to me. There was going to be
a bidding process, and somebody was going to win. Some sort of season
was going to happen this year, and it is happening.
The
bottom line to keeping things going right now is you need to keep the
continuity going. You need to do the best you can and at least attempt
to generate revenue. If you don't feel you can do it, then you need to
turn the keys of the gates over to somebody else willing to give it a
try. You better hope there's somebody out there trying. That's why I
think that people who consider themselves race fans who aren't happy
with their home track are better served going somewhere else rather than
attacking their home track. True, you can do it and hope something
changes, but right now we have bigger issues to deal with.
Everything
has opened up. There isn't a track out there on the West Coast that
hasn't had a race this year. A couple of places have issues going on
right now, but racing is happening. However, some things have started to
emerge in recent weeks. We've been warned that there could be shutdowns
around the corner in October, and I'm not ruling that out. It's not
that I expect it to happen, but I'm not ruling it out. I don't know
which way the wind is going to blow here. Some states are standing up
against the ideas of shutdowns and other topics that I don't want to get
into here. Others are embracing them.
The
caution light went off above my head a few weeks ago when it was
announced in Eureka that they could only have 50% attendance in the
grandstands due to higher cases. I knew that wouldn't put the track in
danger, because they're not filling 50% of the grandstands these days.
Very few tracks on the West Coast are, other than when they have special
races. Tell them 50% is allowed, and it's still business as usual for
most of them. However, that is a restriction. It might not be a
restriction that hurts the track, but it is the first step towards
something that could ultimately hurt them.
In
Oregon, the governor is very conservative when it comes to all of this.
She is looking at higher cases, and she has decided to put the mask
mandate back into place. This takes effect as of Friday. I am one of
those people who doesn't like to wear the muzzle on my face. However, a
clever person who doesn't want to be tracked might take advantage of the
situation. Wear a hoodie, sunglasses and a bandana around your face,
and let's see how well you're identified at that point. I'm surprised
this trend hasn't begun, but I bet it will if masks become the norm.
It'll go hand in hand with the tracking they want to put on us.
In
saying that, I don't see it as a body autonomy issue. It's not really
infringing upon me to put a mask on. I don't know if I want to hang
around at any outdoor venue in the heat with a mask on my face, so I'd
probably go against that and just stay home. I'm not going much of
anywhere these days, so it's not an issue. I'm also not going to muzzle
my face when I take walks by myself, although putting a mask on when I
go into a store isn't that much of an inconvenience. It can be
suffocating at times, but it's only for a short while. I'm not a person
who likes large groups, so I don't worry about it.
That's
just me, but it's going to be interesting to see how Oregonians react
to this. It depends on what area you are from in the state. Race tracks
will be required to make sure their patrons have masks on their faces
now, and I'm curious how the people down in Medford and Coos Bay are
going to be towards that. We saw the well documented case when it came
to Drake Nelson at Coos Bay and what he felt about the mandates and
everything else last year. He fought that with his middle fingers in the
air all the way to the end. In any case, mask mandates are back as we
end August. Is this a sign?
Here's another
good one. I haven't heard of any race track on the West Coast closing
because of covid-19. Let me rephrase that. I know that tracks were
closed because of the covid-19 situation last year, but a track closing
because some of their staff members had tested positive is something
different. Cottage Grove Speedway has canceled this weekend's races
because some people tested positive. It was to be a two-day Wingless
Sprint Car Series event, and now that's not happening. As they put
people into quarantine for a couple of weeks, that might put the
following week in jeopardy unless Heather has a plan to put people who
haven't tested positive in charge that week.
That's
the problem with me talking about these things on this site when I want
to talk about racing. You can see a few of my feelings breaking through
in my comments. What I will say is this is just a warning that we
aren't completely through the other end of this thing yet. Could there
be more shutdowns on the horizon? Could there be more restrictions put
on tracks as far as how many people can be there? These are all very
real possibilities. In the state of Oregon, almost all of the tracks
will be done by the end of September, so it won't be as big a deal
there. In California, you have tracks wanting to race all the way to the
end of November.
A lot of people have
speculated that California isn't being stricter right now because the
governor is going through a recall effort. That election will take place
in mid September, and then you might see things change. That will all
depend on the outcome of the vote I suppose, but you can expect anything
after that. Whatever you might feel about that, pro or con, auto racing
still has to deal with it the same as any other business. We get our
entertainment from this and it's a place to go on any given weekend.
It's a source of revenue for the people who operate these racing
facilities.
Promoters are navigating through
this as best they can. I know last year I might have been inclined to
reduce the purses, but I understand why most of the promoters didn't. I
don't quite understand why tracks are raising the purse money as often
as they are. At a time when money is tight, you don't want your track to
be losing money. Even if you're not making a bunch of money promoting a
race, breaking even ought to be the immediate goal. Therefore, you need
to be looking more at your bottom line. That's the way I would look at
it. You entice people to come out there in other ways that have more to
do with treating your customers with respect.
In
any case, I just wanted to put my appreciation of the promoters on
record here. They're not navigating through normal times right now. This
is not the new normal and shouldn't be accepted as such in my opinion.
However, these are the times we are living in, and you make the best of
it. One of the reasons these tracks are open is because I think the
people in charge of them want to give people some sense of normalcy.
Being out at the track has a way of easing the stress levels of the
people. For that night, they get away from the day-to-day stress they
deal with during the week. It's so important to them.
Never
take these race tracks for granted. Don't assume that they're going to
be here forever. They depend on the business they get. Not everybody can
afford to be there every week, but the true racing enthusiasts should
be there when they can be. They should encourage others to be there when
they can and do their part to support the business if they truly love
it.
You're not obligated to do so, just as
promoters aren't obligated to keep the gates open. It's not an easy time
for the racing promoters, but one thing really amazes me. There weren't
too many of them who walked away from the sport during 2020 because of
the shutdowns. Most of the ones who were running the tracks in 2019 are
still fighting for them now.
When Placerville
Speedway canceled the Wednesday show, The Fastest Five Days In
Motorsports became the fastest four days for the NARC/King of the West
Winged 410 Sprint Cars. Placerville later announced that Championship
Night on Saturday was also canceled and announced who the champions are.
Up next is the Placerville Posse race on Labor Day weekend, which
features a big show for the Winged 360 Sprint Cars and the Hunt Wingless
Sprint Series. It's interesting that this event was booked on top of
the Louie Vermeil Memorial in Chico, but will it happen? I think there's
a chance it gets canceled due to the fires as well.
Promoter
Doug Lockwood is committed to not only having bigger races for his
regular stock car classes. He also wants to give the fans a variety of
different open wheel divisions to enjoy. When he had an opportunity to
host the NARC/KWS Sprint Cars, he jumped at the chance. They kicked off
the four race series on Thursday night at Merced Speedway, and there
were 23 Winged 410 Sprint Cars on hand for the occasion. 16 IMCA Sport
Modifieds showed up in support along with about a half-dozen Mini Late
Models and Mini Stocks. Just enough to give the fans a good taste of
racing and get the show done rapidly.
The track
was in good shape, as illustrated by the 14.3 time turned in by Rico
Abreu. That's a new track record for the group. I find it interesting
that the series likes to run 24 cars in the Main Event. Merced is a
quarter-mile oval and can be a little cramped out there. If there were a
track where they could reduce the field a little bit, this would be it.
Reducing it to 20 cars might help make the show go quicker and promote
better racing at the front of the pack. It seemed there were yellow
flags right when things were getting interesting, and they were usually
caused by people who would have been in the B Main and probably wouldn't
have made it into the show.
This is an
observation that I'm making, not an attack on the slower drivers. You
need every driver in the field that you can get. I've seen some people
say that such and such should be banned after what happened, and I
disagree with that. The leaders know they're going to come up on slower
cars and that it's part of the reality of the race. However, I do wonder
if NARC should adjust their Main Event fields based on the tracks they
are at. I think the show might have been just a little bit better had
they started 20 cars instead of 23. Other than that, it was a good show
and a nice way to kick off the series.
A night
earlier, Coos Bay Speedway had the Wednesday Night Throwdown. To me,
this is an exercise in futility by Promoter Drake Nelson. I believe he
created this series as a way to try to get the Sport Modifieds and
Modifieds to come to his track, but he was rejected by IMCA. He wanted
the sanctioning and was told no. He attempted to make an appeal to the
PSM to get them to support the first race for the Sport Modifieds
earlier this year, but he was pretty much rejected. At that point, I
think he should have taken the hint and stopped trying to cater to these
guys.
He was doing mid-week stuff a year ago
during the pandemic. It was a different deal as Coos Bay was able to
open more often than other Oregon tracks, and he was trying to take as
much advantage of the situation as possible. My thought on IMCA
sanctioning at this track is that the organization ought to make it
happen, and it's pretty much a boneheaded move on their part not adding
another option for drivers. I don't think Drake would want to do it with
these classes on nights when other places are running them. We're
talking different nights. If people can't make the trip to the coast to
run for IMCA points, you're not likely to get them.
The
other thing is it's just not a smart move running during the week.
People have work to deal with, and it becomes a chore making a trip out
to the coast. Tracks have been experimenting with Friday night races
since all of the Oregon tracks usually run on Saturday nights. Cottage
Grove started the trend with their Fast Fridays, and we've seen
Willamette dabble with this. They're not doing it every week, and Drake
could take note of that. If he really wanted a second night at the dirt
track, all he'd need to do would be to pick four Friday nights during
the year and give it a shot. He might get more visitors that way.
He
made the commitment to run this Wednesday race, so he replaced the
Modifieds with the Mini Outlaws, which had a combination of division
regulars and Hornets. They matched the Junior Stingers with nine total
cars, while the Street Stocks had seven in the America's Mattress Super
Late Models had four.
I don't think the Late
Model drivers are crazy about going out there as much as they are, but
they're pursuing that NASCAR money at the end of the season. They know
they have to be there every time the track books a race. There might
even be a race they'd like to go to out of town, but they can't go there
when Coos Bay books a date. If there's a Wednesday date, they have to
be there too.
I think Nelson is damaging his
Late Model effort by booking them the way he does. He needs to be aware
that there are other places that run Late Models, and sometimes it's a
big show. Some of his guys are going to go there, and he does lose cars
on those occasions. Coos Bay is capable of delivering double-digit
turnouts, but the schedule holds it back. I think that's unfortunate,
but I don't know if Nelson is going to take notes and learn from the way
this year has gone or not. In any case, the Wednesday show ran rapidly
and was done before you knew it.
Drake is also
fortunate to have Daren Ricks Campbell step up to the plate and help him
promote the Street Stock Battle At The Beach for this Saturday night.
Had it gone the way it was looking a few weeks ago, he might have had a
dozen or 14 cars. What Campbell did was jump in and get a few thousand
dollars worth of sponsorship and get the commitments of over 20 drivers
to come to Coos Bay this Saturday night.
This
will be the biggest Street Stock race of the year in Oregon now that the
Iron Giant race at Willamette Speedway is in the past. You'll have some
of the best drivers from throughout Oregon participating in this show.
Coos Bay Speedway has had some positives this year, and this is one of
them. Nelson might want to note that he can emphasize other divisions on
his roster and get big turnouts, allowing him to give some of his
divisions a night off here or there. In this way, he could even work
with other tracks and gain more that way as well.
It's
Friday night and I'm composing a few final thoughts for this column. I
actually have a few ideas on things I'd like to say, but not this week.
Everything above this has already been gone over, so I'm not going to
update what was written there. I'm going to point out that my
speculation in regards to Placerville Speedway concerning Labor Day
weekend was spot on. The Winged 360 Sprint Car and Hunt Wingless Sprint
Series event has been canceled due to the fire crews still at the
fairgrounds. The Hunt Series entertained going to Chico that weekend
instead but decided against it.
One of the
tracks I might be covering in this particular post would be Cottage
Grove Speedway, which was to host races tonight and tomorrow for the
Wingless Sprint Series along with the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport
Modifieds. Track management had to cancel this weekend due to the fact
that some of the staff members had tested positive for covid-19. I know
that Heather Boyce takes all of the procedures and regulations seriously
when it comes to covid-19, so it doesn't surprise me that they have
testing going on and would make this move if necessary.
Track
announcer Ben Deatherage has given us an update on himself and his wife
and their newborn baby. It sounds like he and his wife have tested
positive, and she's struggling in the hospital as of the last report I
got. Ben hasn't reported that he was showing any symptoms. In any case,
any prayers and positive thoughts towards the Deatherage family and
other staff members at Cottage Grove Speedway are appreciated. As I
mentioned above, I don't know if they will be able to have next week's
races as scheduled. At a time like this, there are more important things
to worry about anyway.
I noticed that there
were some Gunslinger Sprint Cars at Roseville practicing tonight and
they will be running on Saturday along with the BCRA Vintage Midgets.
They'll be doing qualifying to attempt to set a Gunslinger Sprint Car
record, and then they will have a 15 lap exhibition. The Vintage Midgets
will also be having an exhibition heat and Main. I understand they are
doing this in part two test the sound issues and the viability of
perhaps doing more Sprint Car stuff there in the future. These two
divisions are joining the program the track would regularly book this
Saturday. Having Promoter Bill MacAnally as an ally to try to help
promote Sprint Car racing on the pavement in Northern California is a
good thing.
On the dirt you know that you have
John Prentice as an ally to promote Sprint Car racing at Ocean
Speedway. They had a really good night scheduled with five divisions of
racing, headlined by the second round of the Fastest Four Days In
Motorsports series for the NARC/King of the West Sprint Cars. There were
24 Winged 410 Sprint Cars for this race and the same amount of cars for
the IMCA Sport Modifieds. They had about 20 South Bay Dwarf Cars, but
neither the IMCA Modifieds nor the Hobby Stocks checked in with 10 cars.
The IMCA Modifieds probably had the most exciting finish of the evening
as State point leader Jim Pettit II stole the glory from JC Elrod on
the last lap.
Long time Stock Car fans at
Watsonville and Merced will know the name Ragsdale. Tim Ragsdale kicked a
few butts through the years in Stock Cars and Street Stocks at both
tracks and is a past Merced champion. These days, his sons Richard
Ragsdale and Chad Ragsdale are both racing. It just so happens that both
of them were down at Watsonville, and it turned out to be a good thing
that they were. First, Richard Ragsdale won a good battle with Max
Baggett to claim the IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Then, Chad Ragsdale
turned in a rather dominant performance in getting Hobby Stock win. It
was the first career win for both drivers.
It
looks like Tommy Velasquez III has wrapped up the South Bay Dwarf Car
title after his sixth win. Tommy has been making the trip north from
Camarillo to race at Watsonville along with several visits to Antioch. I
believe his family is involved in trying to spark some new life in the
southern end of California for the Dwarf Cars using Western States Dwarf
Car rules. If I am hearing correctly, they are involved in the Dwarf
Car show that is being put on at Kern Raceway on September 11th. That
night will also feature bigger money races for both the Dirt Modifieds
and the Sport Modifieds as it's a Motor City Throwdown race. Even bigger
money will be on the line for both of those divisions in December as
the track honors the memory of Jerm "The Worm" Smith.
Tom
Sagmiller had the track prepped well once again, and this led to a new
Sprint Car track record in qualifying with a lap of 10.734. Usually when
you see somebody win the Trophy Dash in the Sprint Cars, it bodes well
for them doing the same in the Main Event. Mitchell Faccinto picked up
the Dash win and turned around and led all the way to win the Main
Event. It was actually a close race at the front of the pack, but it
seemed like anytime something got really interesting there was a yellow
or a red flag. This was similar to what happened at Merced the night
before, but I don't think it was the back markers bringing up the issues
this time.
Regardless, it was a good show to
go out on. There won't be any racing at Watsonville for another month.
They called this Championship Night, although I don't know if any
championship other than that of the South Bay Dwarf Cars was decided. Do
they end the Hobby Stock point race here, or does it end at the Pat and
Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout at the end of September? Since that big
event is IMCA sanctioned and it's within the IMCA point window, that's
when the championships will be decided for the Sport Modifieds and
Modifieds. Given the fact that there will be bigger car counts than
normal, both division titles will definitely be up for grabs then in
addition to the extra money.
Deming Speedway
had a nice five division lineup on the 1/6 mile clay oval. This time,
the Super 600 Micro Sprint class was a bit rough and took a while to get
done. It's interesting that they were struggling to get their race
completed just as the NARC/KWS race was having similar issues at
Watsonville. However, everything else seemed to go very smoothly. They
had just over 70 total cars competing in the program, and the Restricted
Sprints again needed a B Main. One of the things interesting to me was
they only ran 16 cars in the Restricted feature, while they started 21
in the Super 600s. I'm not sure how that works, but that's the way they
did it.
Again, the kids of the Junior Sprints
were the ones that caught my attention. Last week I was monitoring young
Clayton Jalakas as he seemed to be headed for the victory, only to be
passed by Brooklyn Constance on the last lap. Clayton led all the way
this time, and nobody would make a late pass and steal anything from
him. I can just imagine he had to be a happy young man this time. Deming
Speedway has a reputation of being one of the best facilities on the
West Coast for Micro Sprint and Mini Sprint racing, and it doesn't look
like they disappointed this time either.
I'm
slowing my mind down here as I wrap up this column. I'm half tempted to
do a new audio show to accompany this post, but I don't think it's a
wise decision on my part. I need to go over the remainder of this column
and then do the Deming Speedway article. I'm earlier for the special
Friday night racing recap post than I've been this year. I'm not sure
why things are going as smoothly as they are lately, but maybe it has
something to do with me being in a better mood at the moment. I guess I
better finish editing and put this one out.
On that note, I'll end this column. Until next time...
