Antioch Speedway, Southern Oregon Speedway, Hermiston Raceway, More

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Hagio, Clymens, DeArmond, Robles 

Win Round 2 Of Freedom Series At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...September 3...Matthew Hagio won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the second win at Antioch for the past Ocean Speedway IMCA Sport Modified champion. It was also the second round of the George Steitz Big Kahuna Freedom Series, which paid him $750 for his winning effort.

Hagio had a front row start and moved into the early lead ahead of Petaluma Speedway point leader Anthony Slaney and Eric Berendsen. A yellow flag waved on Lap 7, and Berendsen's good run was over at that point. Hagio continued to lead Slaney and Jeff Browne on the restart. By the 10th lap, Hagio held a half-straightaway lead over Slaney as back row starter Jim Pettit II settled into third. When Pettit got around Slaney for second on Lap 13, Hagio held a straightaway lead, but Slaney brought out a yellow flag moments later. Hagio led Pettit and Browne on the restart. Josh Combs and Browne engaged in a spirited battle for third for the next few laps with Combs finally grabbing the position on Lap 17. Hagio drove a great race and earned the win ahead of Pettit, Combs, Buddy Kniss, Browne, Bobby Motts Jr, Frank Furtado, Slaney, Berendsen and Jake Dewsbury. Kniss and Slaney picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Trevor Clymens won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. This was the first Antioch win of the season for Clymens, who finished runnerup in track points after winning his third championship the previous season. The win helped him wrap up the IMCA State championship and earned him a $500 payday.

Scott Foster set the early pace ahead of Trevor Clymens and Todd Gomez. A red flag waved on Lap 8 as Foster saw his race come to an abrupt end. Clymens found himself leading Todd Gomez and Jimmy Ford on the restart. After the Lap 8 slowdown, the race ran rapidly, and the Top 3 drivers kept it close. However, Clymens prevailed at the checkered flag ahead of previous winner Gomez, Ford, Jonathan Hagio, track champion Fred Ryland, KC Keller, Chuck Golden, Kevin Brown, Mike Merritt and Joe Salvi. Gomez, Ryland and Foster picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Lauren DeArmond won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. DeArmond was one of the originals in the class when it got started in California at Hanford 15 years ago and is a two-time State champion. The $500 win makes him the eighth different winner of the season in the competitive field. 

With a front row start, DeArmond bolted into the lead when the green flag waved, followed by Ryland and point leader Travis Dutra. Ryland was making only his second start in his new car. The race had no yellow flag delays. DeArmond had built about a half-straightaway lead over Ryland by Lap 12, but Ryland chipped away at that a little bit in the closing laps. However, DeArmond prevailed ahead of Ryland, Dutra, Dan Gonderman, Jason Robles, Rob Gallaher, Joe Gallaher, Jason Jennings, State point leader Renn Bane and Patti Ryland. DeArmond and Dutra picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Kenneth Robles got the win in the 20 lap Jay's Mobile Welding Service Hobby Stock Main Event. The division was added to the card during the week and offered $300 to win on this occasion. It was not a point race. This was the second win of the season for Robles.

Robles took the lead at the start ahead of championship contender Larry McKinzie Jr and Jared Baugh. A yellow flag waved on Lap 7 with Lori Brown eliminated at that point. Robles led McKinzie and Baugh on the restart, but Anthony Vigna took third from Baugh on Lap 10. It was a close battle at the front with Baugh regaining third on Lap 12. Vigna came back strong for third on Lap 14 and started pressuring McKinzie for second. McKinzie kept it close with Robles, and the checkered flag waved with Robles leading McKinzie and Vigna across the line. However, the order was shuffled behind McKinzie with both Vigna and Baugh disqualified, elevating Charlie Bryant to third ahead of Dan McCown, Jess Paladino, Jewell Crandall and Brown. Brown and McKinzie picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Saturday was to be the third round of the Freedom Series with increased purse money for all four divisions. On September 10th and 11th, the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour comes to town, and the next oval track race happens on September 18th, featuring the Jay's Mobile Welding Service Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks and Winged 360 Sprint Cars. For further information, go to www.antochspeedway.com.

Trenchard Kicks Off R Charles Snyder Salute

 With Preliminary Win At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...September 3...Nick Trenchard won the 20 lap Sweet Tea Express IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Southern Oregon Speedway. This was Preliminary Night for the 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute. The Preliminary Feature locked in the Top 10 finishers for the big money race on Saturday. The win for Trenchard was worth $1,000, and it came on the heels of his $1,538 triumph in the John Arnberg Memorial at Siskiyou Golden Speedway the previous week. 

Finishes in the two sets of heat races determined points for who would get to run the Preliminary Feature, and Trenchard ended up on the pole for the race. He swept into the lead at the start ahead of Jesse Williamson. Curtis Towns settled into third on Lap 2 with Derick Young running in fourth. A yellow flag waved on the third lap, and Trenchard continued to lead the way ahead of Williamson and Towns on the restart. This was the order on a Lap 6 restart as well. A Lap 11 yellow flag signaled the end of the race for Craig Cassell. Trenchard lead Towns and Williamson on the restart, but a yellow flag waved one lap later. All the restarts did nothing to deter Trenchard, who continued to lead when the green flag waved. Williamson was able to retake second from Towns, but Towns again moved into the runnerup spot on Lap 14. Troy Foulger got past Young at the same time, and Williamson again moved around Towns for second on Lap 15. A yellow flag on Lap 16 saw the end of the race for Paul Rea and Preston Jones. Trenchard led Williamson and Towns on what would be the final restart. Track officials elected to cut five laps from the race as midnight was approaching. Trenchard scored the win ahead of Williamson, Towns, Foulger, Collen Winebarger, Jesse Bailey, Jacob Hobscheidt, Young, B Main transfer Darrell Hughes II and Bricen James. All 10 drivers are locked into the show. Williamson collected $600 for his effort with Towns pocketing $400.

Everybody got to qualify during hot laps, and that helped determine the lineups for the heat races. Hobscheidt set the fast time of 15.836, beating the 16.061 of Jon DeBenedetti and the 16.080 of Bailey. There were 42 drivers, and they were put into six heat races of seven cars for each round. Points determined who made it into the Preliminary Feature and who had to run one of the two 15 lap B Mains. The first set of eight lap races saw Williamson, DeBenedetti, Bailey, Foulger, James and Albert Gill get the wins. The final round of heat wins went to Williamson, Trenchard, Mark Wauge, Foulger, Towns and Craig Cassell.

Bakersfield racer Rob Sanders won the first 15 lap B Main. Sanders had a pole position start and led from the outset ahead of Hughes. Only two drivers would get to transfer. Jeremy Ohlde battled his way into third by the sixth lap, but he couldn't advance any further. Chris Nieman and James Welshonse completed the Top 5. John Campos won the second 15 lap B Main. He started deep in the pack but was in second by Lap 3 as Duane Orsburn led early, but a Lap 3 restart allowed Campos to get past Orsburn. Rea finally got around Osborne for second on Lap 9. Orsburn settled for third ahead of Dave Duste Jr and Nevin Kennemore.

Tyler Rodgers won the 25 lap Dusty's Transmissions IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The Quincy champion took advantage of his front row start to secure the $750 payday, but not until after a good battle with Yreka point leader Travis Peery. 

Rodgers jumped into the lead at the start ahead of point leader Matt Sanders and Peery. A Lap 6 yellow flag signaled the end of the race for Jesse Merriman. As Rodgers continued to lead, Peery slipped past Sanders for second, but a yellow flag waved a lap later. Rodgers led Peery and Sanders on the restart with reigning track champion Jorddon Braaten running in fourth. Braaten got around Sanders for third on Lap 9, and the battle got close between the lead trio. A yellow flag again bunched the field on Lap 10 with Rodgers leading Peery and Braaten on the restart. Peery put the moves on Rodgers to get the lead on Lap 13 as Sanders got by Braaten for third. The thrilling battle at the front continued with Rodgers finding a way around Peery on Lap 20. A red flag stopped the action on Lap 21. Officials decided to do a one lap shootout when the race resumed, and Rodgers prevailed ahead of Peery, Sanders, Craig Nieman, Braaten, Isaac Sanders, Steven Sanders, Dwayne Melvin, Mike Medel and Cottage Grove point leader Dustin Comer.

There were 26 IMCA Sport Modifieds for the show, and Braaten had the fastest time of 15.779, beating the 16.116 of Rodgers and the 16.215 of Peery. The eight lap heat race wins went to Braaten, Rodgers, Peery and Matt Sanders. Billy Richey won the crash-shortened seven lap B Main. Merissa Henson led until the fifth lap when she encountered problems. Richey gained the lead at that point with Isaac Sanders and Jacob Hoppes following into second and third. That's the way they finished as Mike Jones and Henson rounded out the Top 5.

Jake Wheeler won the 25 lap World Famous Autos Limited Sprint Main Event. This was the fourth win of the year for Wheeler and his third in the championship series as he continues to lead in his quest to score his second track title.

Wheeler led when the green flag waved, followed by past champion Charlie Thompson and Cottage Grove racer Kinzer Cox. Cox got by Thompson for second on Lap 2 with Enrique Jaime settling into third a lap later. Wheeler held a straightaway advantage over Cox by the fourth lap as Week of Speed champion Camden Robustelli maneuvered into third. A yellow flag on Lap 6 bunched the field, but Wheeler resumed command on the restart ahead of Cox and Robustelli. Wheeler was beginning to stretch his advantage once again when a yellow flag waved on Lap 12. A yellow flag a lap later saw the race end for Johnny Burke. Wheeler led Cox and Thompson on the final restart. Wheeler pulled away to a straightaway advantage over Cox in victory with Thompson third ahead of Jaime, Robustelli, Tyrell Mead and Burke. Cox set the fast time of 13.120, beating the 13.149 of Wheeler and the 13.155 of Robustelli. Wheeler won the eight lap heat race.

The $7,007 is on the line on for the IMCA Modifieds on Saturday night. The first championship night on September 11th got a boost with the announcement of a $4,000 to win race for the CD Architects Late Models in memory of Cameron James. Also competing will be the World Famous Autos Limited Sprints, Mini Stocks and Rapp Racing Late Model Lites. For further information, go to www.southernorganmotorsports.com.

Dillon Huffines Doubles Up On Victory At Hermiston Raceway 

Hermiston, Oregon...September 3...Dillon Huffines won the 100 lap Pro Late Model Main Event Friday night at Hermiston Raceway. This was the Bettarel 100, and the win paid Huffines $2,000. Earlier in the evening, he scored the win in the 40 lap Hobby Stock Main Event, was paid him another $1,000.

Ashton Cristiani had the pole and set the early pace ahead of Dave Garber and Aubree Cristiani. The battle was close between the lead trio during the first quarter of the race with Garber making the pass on Ashton Cristiani for the lead on Lap 24 and Aubree Cristiani moving into second a lap later. Brandon Little moved into third on Lap 31, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 39. Garber continued to lead Aubree Cristiani and Little on the restart, but a yellow flag waved on Lap 42 for Ashton Cristiani. Garber continued to lead the restart with Huffines slipping past Aubree Cristiani for third. However, another yellow flag waved on Lap 43. Aubree Cristiani was able to regain second behind Garber on the restart as Huffines maintained a close third. There was no halfway break, but Garber led Aubree Cristiani, Huffines, Little and Jim Franklin after 50 laps.

Ashton Cristiani saw his race come to an end for a Lap 54 yellow flag. Garber continued to lead Aubree Cristiani and Huffines on the restart with Franklin and Brad Huwe both getting past Little. Huffines kept the pressure on Aubree Cristiani until taking second on Lap 77. However, the close battle at the front of the pack saw Garber and Aubree Cristiani bring out a yellow flag on Lap 83. At that point, Huffines led Huwe and Zachary Riehl, but another yellow flag flew on Lap 84. Aubree Cristiani made a big move back into third on the restart as Huffines continued to lead Huwe. A Lap 90 yellow flag saw the race end for Chance Overholt. Huffines continued to set the pace on the restart as Aubree Cristiani got past Huwe for second. Garber had made his way back into fourth by then with Jim Franklin fifth. The battle was close between the lead four competitors, but Huffines kept his poise and scored the well-earned victory. Aubree Cristiani settled for second, followed by Huwe, Garber, Franklin, Jeff Mullins, Brandon Little, Riehl, Chris Miner and Rick Gerard.

Franklin set the fast time of 16 qualifiers at 15.619, beating the 15.646 of Aubree Cristiani and the 15.861 of Overholt. Huffines was unable to qualify and ended up starting last in the big race. Mullins and Gerard won the eight lap heat races.

Dillon Huffines won the 40 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. The third win of the season for the point leader paid him $1,000. Mike Denton Jr had the pole and jumped into the early lead ahead of Jesse Vincent. Huffines moved into third on Lap 3 and took second from Vincent a lap later. Denton had problems moments later for a yellow flag. Huffines led the restart ahead Travis McKinney and Vincent, but Vincent regained second on Lap 7. Unfortunately for Vincent, he tangled with Brad Tidrick for a Lap 10 yellow flag. Huffines led the restart with Denton moving into second ahead of Josh Henne. Henne surrendered third to McKinney on Lap 13. McKinney briefly gained second from Denton on Lap 21, but his race ended moments later. Huffines led Jerry Miller and Denton on the next restart. During the second half of the race, Huffines built a straightaway advantage over Miller for the big win. Denton settled for third, followed by Billy Scribner, Randy Pearson, Chad Story, Joe Bettencourt, Henne, Jacob Anderson and Tidrick.

Huffines set the fast time of 16.774, beating the 16.929 of Tidrick. The eight lap heat race winners were Bettencourt and McKinney.

Kasey Kleyn won the shortened 10 lap Hornets Main Event. Kleyn is a competitor in the Junior Late Model division at Madera Speedway and makes the trip from Washington to run those shows. Linkin Zumudio had the pole and took the early lead ahead of Sarah Hodgson and Justus Zumudio. Justus Zumudio took the second spot from Hodgson on Lap 2 with Cody McDonald gaining third. A red flag waved on Lap 6 with point leader Thomas Stevens and Yavonne Day both out of the race at that point. Justus Zumudio took the lead from Lincoln Zumudio on the restart, but Kleyn and McDonald both got by on Lap 9. Kleyn got the win ahead of McDonald with Justus Zumudio winning a battle with Linkin Zumudio for third. However, Justus Zumudio was later disqualified, moving Linkin Zumudio into third ahead of Hodgson, Jared Larsen, Tristan Trujillo, Craig Jensen, Richard Strmiska, Jessica Hoffman and Travis Bonney. Stevens set the fast time of 25.632, beating the 25.637 of Kleyn. The eight lap heat race winners were Linkin Zumudio and Sean Zieske.

The Saturday Open Wheel Spectacular was to feature the Rick Brown Super Shoe for the NSRA Sprint Cars. The following day was to be another Stock Car event featuring the Super Late Models. Championship Night is on September 12th, featuring Late Models, Street Stocks, Bombers, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Hornets. For further information on the happenings at the track, go to www.hermistonraceway.com.

 

Southern Oregon Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 3
R Charles Snyder Salute Night 1
World Famous Autos Limited Sprints
Jake Wheeler
Kinzer Cox
Charlie Thompson
Enrique Jaime
Camden Robustelli
Tyrell Mead
Johnny Burke

Sweet Tea IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Nick Trenchard
Jesse Williamson
Curtis Towns
Troy Foulger
Collen Winebarger
Jesse Bailey
Jacob Hobscheidt
Derick Young
Darrell Hughes II
Bricen James
Chance Hyser
John Campos
Rob Sanders
Jon Debenedetti
Jeffrey Hudson
Albert Gill
Mark Wauge
Preston Jones
Paul Rea
Craig Cassell

B Main 1
Rob Sanders
Darrell Hughes II
Jrremy Ohlde
Chris Nieman
James Welshonse
Mark Gaylord
Mark Carrell
Steve Borror
Scott Foreman
Zach Fettinger
Steve Pemberton
James Anderson
Boyd Murchison

B Main 2
John Campos
Paul Rea
Duane Orsburn
Dave Duste Jr
Nevin Kennemore
Ray KNiffen Jr
Robert Robles
Todd Hermosillo
Jeremy Crebs
Jeff White
Kevin Hanson
Jeff Olschowka
Matt Duste

Dusty's Transmission IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Tyler Rodgers
Ryan Peery
Matt Sanders
Craig Nieman
Jordan Braaten
Isaac Sanders
Steven Sanders
Dwayne Melivin
Mike Medel
Dustin Comer
Austin Petray
Billy Richey
Merissa Henson
Byron Anderson
Jacob Hoppes
Branden Wilson
Doug Coffman
Jesse Merriman
Chance Gordan
Mike Jones
Joby Shields DNS

B Main
Billy Richey
Isaac Sanders
Jacob Hoppes
Mike Jones
Merissa Henson
Byron Anderson
Nick Berryhill
Steven Sanders
Joby Shields


Antioch Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 3
Freedom Series Round 2
IMCA Modified
Matthew Hagio
Jim Pettit II
Josh Combs
Buddy Kniss
Jeff Browne
Bobby Motts Jr
Frank Furtado
Anthony Slaney
Eric Berendsen
Jake Dewsbury

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Trevor Clymens
Todd Gomez
Jimmy Ford
Jonathan Hagio
Fred Ryland
KC Keller
Chuck Golden
Kevin Brown
Mike Merritt
Joe Salvi
Haley Gomez
Buddy Olschowka
Jacob Haas
Joseph Pato
Scott Foster
Jason Ryan Jr DNS

Jay's Mobile Welding Service Hobby Stocks
Kenneth Robles
Larry McKinzie Jr
Charlie Bryant
Dan McCown
Jess Paladino
Jewell Crandall
Lori Brown
Vigna Anthony DQ
Jared Baugh DQ

IMCA Stock Car
Loren DeArmond
Fred Ryland
Travis Dutra
Dan Gonderman
Jason Robles
Rob Gallaher
Joe Gallaher
Jason Jennings
Renn Bane
Patti Ryland


Hermiston Raceway Unofficial Race Results September 3
Pro Late Model Bettarel 100
Dilllion Huffines
Aubree Cristiani
Brad Huwe
Dave Garber
Jim Franklin
Jeff Mullins
Brandon Little
Zachary Riehl
Chris Miner
Rick Gerard
Chance Overholt
Kasey Kleyn
Ashton Cristiani
Kaidyn Moran
Danica Dart
Bud Rumsey

Hobby Stock
Dillon Huffines
Jerry Miller
Mike Denton Jr
Bily Scribner
Randy Pearson
Chad Story
Joe Betterncourt
Josh Henne
Jacob Anderson
Brad Tidrick
Travis McKinney
Jesse Vincent
Thomas Stevens
Luke Klingenberg
Jake Dudney

Hornets
Kasey Kleyn
Cody McDonald
Linkin Zumudio
Sarah Hodgson
Jerad Larsen
Tristan Trujilio
Craig Jensen
Richard Strmiska
Jessica Hoffman
Travis Bonney
Phillip Love
Danyel Love
Thomas Stevens
Yavonne Day
Kamery Welton
Karen Pitzer
Sean Zieske
Justus Zamudio DQ

The Editor's Viewpoint

It's Thursday as I'm writing this. I'm trying to get an early start. Nothing's coming to mind today, no topic that I feel the desire to jump into, and that's fine with me. We're in September now, so by the end of the month most of the point races we're covering will be done. I have other things on my mind right now, so the fact that I've been able to return to my desired schedule with the blog posts for the past two weeks is an accomplishment that has me feeling pretty good right now.

I'm sure we have a few people out there who might think I'm being too negative. Sometimes I think that myself. My first attempt to talk about this particular subject saw me run on and on about it, and I'm just not going to do that in the column that I release. I stand by my opinions, and if I was mean spirited or it seemed like I was personally attacking somebody, I'm sorry. If I feel the desire to attack somebody because I think they're really are hurting the sport or whatever, you'll know. Otherwise, it's merely me offering my opinions, observations and thoughts on how to proceed, based on my experience and observations in the sport through the years.

I'll restate what I said last week. I salute any promoter who's out there doing what they do. These people are all a part of the solution. Some may be doing it better than others. That can be a matter of opinion. However, if they are keeping the gates open and risking their money to do it, they are making a difference. Even if the guy running the track ain't so good, if he keeps it going for however long he is there and hands it off to the next guy, he wasn't so bad. This column has never been about attacking anybody, but it's never shied away from offering opinions on what's happening either. Otherwise, there's no point to this column. 

I am cranky. I admit that. I may not be the happiest person these days, but I also don't love the sport the way I used to. I don't like some of the trends these days, and I try not to let my crankiness show too much. I think I cover the races pretty well when it comes to the review articles, and I stand by the work I've done in that regard. However, I look back more finally on days gone by, probably from the early 1990s and before. What that really means is I should be putting more of an effort into writing posts that look back on things and putting the books together. That is the plan.

When I do write posts about current stuff in the future, I'd like to be more optimistic and upbeat. I don't want to be one of those people who finds nothing but negative in what's happening these days. First of all, that's not true. Secondly, what's the point in being bitter? People aren't seeing the same sport that I remember, but they are seeing the sport. Races are happening everywhere, and even if the crowds aren't as big or the car counts aren't as big at some places, at least it's still happening. People are still making happy memories at the race track, and that does matter. When you look around at the world these days, if there is something like this for you to enjoy for a little while and take your mind off of the negativity, it's a good thing.

Cottage Grove Speedway certainly had a scare, or you could call it a warning sign. They had several people test positive for covid-19. I don't know how many people constitute several, but we've certainly heard about Stephanie Deatherage and her fight to beat it. Things were serious enough that the two-day event for the end of August was canceled, and there was a real concern about whether they might do it again this weekend. In the end, Heather Boyce assessed the situation and believed it was safe to proceed with events as scheduled. It's a scary time right now, and there's so much uncertainty in the air.

I know Oregonians are bracing for impact. There were rumors surrounding a pair of tracks in Oregon ending the season early, and that's just not true. Where did this even come from? Part of it has to do with everybody hearing on the news how the cases are up and knowing that the governor will implement the strictest of measures when she sees fit. When that happens, race tracks may not be able to open, or at least they will do so under difficult conditions. It may be a good thing that there is not much racing planned at any outdoor venue in Oregon after September that I'm aware of, with the exception of the Prather Family Lucas Oil Open at Coos Bay Speedway or the Trash Car race at Cottage Grove.

The weather is changing a little bit. It's definitely feeling milder, but autumn is just a few weeks away. I expect a little bit more hot weather, and then things will change abruptly. The thing about Oregon is you don't get to do much racing after September. Hunting season comes, and people put away their race cars and grab their their rifles or their bows and go out to commune with nature. You might try to book stuff in October, but it's going to be hit or miss. It's nothing new, and the promoters have pretty much figured out that it's time to wrap things up. Oregon has a shorter window for racing season than California does.

In California, they could pretty much get away with booking races all year, and it's basically come to that. If a rainout happens here or there, so be it. If you book a race in December, chances are it's going to happen depending on your location. In fact, Kern County Raceway has a big Modified event happening on the first weekend of December. 

The unknown in California is what happens after the recall election. Do they replace the current governor, and what are they going to do? If the current governor survives this, is he going to turn around and put stricter measures in place? By the time October or November comes around, racing could get shut down or fan attendance could be eliminated or restricted by then. You never know.

Times have certainly changed from what they used to be. When you shut off your TV set and just take a walk outside, the world doesn't feel any different. Nature is still nature. The birds are out there, the trees are out there and so on. It's only when you pick up your smart device of choice or turn on your TV that you get bombarded with all of the fear and negativity. It's no wonder people are on edge these days and fighting amongst themselves about what to believe. We're being fed a steady dose of fear, and it didn't just start in the last couple of years. It seems like it's gotten ramped up a little bit, but it didn't start there.

In any case, I'm at a loss for words on what to say. We've seen some good things this year that show what can still happen on the race track. Some big events at various venues have delivered a lot of cars. The Winged 360 Sprint Cars have delivered, and there have been a few big IMCA Modified/Sport Modified races. I think the California IMCA Speedweek went well overall, though I know Doug Lockwood had to feel a little bit beat up by the end. Good things happened on the race track this year and will continue to happen for a few more weeks, so that's a positive takeaway.

I still believe the IMCA Nationals is harmful to tracks on the West Coast trying to do anything on Labor Day weekend. I know people love their sanctioning body, and it's something that's here to stay for the foreseeable future. The problem is you don't just have tracks stuck with no racing options for their IMCA stuff on the second weekend of September. You really can't do much on the first weekend either. If you've got drivers heading to Boone, Iowa you can still run a point race that week, but you're negatively affecting your point battle if one of those guys heading east is in championship contention.

When the Lon be Skinner Memorial race was created in Medford, yes we had the Boone Nationals. However, you didn't have this migration of Californian's and West Coast racers to Boone, Iowa. Gradually, some of the biggest names decided to go there. I don't blame them for wanting to be a part of something truly unique. It's a sea of cars in the pit area. To me personally, I don't find that prospect very enjoyable. It's overload for me, but it's dollar signs to IMCA. I get it. It's just not for me. The problem is you have so many tracks dark on the West Coast, and yet what you can do on Labor Day weekend is negatively impacted by the migration of drivers heading east who might have otherwise come your way.

Antioch Speedway had to make an adjustment this weekend because of the fact that they weren't sure what the three IMCA sanctioned divisions would deliver. Adding the Hobby Stocks to the show was a safe bet that will help with the dollars and cents. Southern Oregon Speedway was impacted by the fact that they got their schedule out late and then tried to tip toe around what Siskiyou Golden Speedway did. While it was nice that the Yreka track was willing to take a financial hit to let the Medford track have the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Medford won't see the car count they would have seen if they could have booked things that way from the start.

I'm amazed at the cooperation this year. Willamette didn't do a two-day event. It's just one day, and a special one of that. The Late Models are running the Clair Cup race that will pay $6,000 to win. Cottage Grove ended up booking on top of them with Late Models. Part of that had to do with Cottage Grove deciding they were going to work with Medford and not book the Modified classes. There weren't a lot of options for them, so the Late Models were it. Willamette realized the Late Models were their show and gave the IMCA Modifieds the night off. That's pretty cool, but it's a little bit frustrating that they waited this long.

The thing about the Oregon promoters is they aren't really known for working together with each other. The guy owning three tracks doesn't even work with himself very well, so that's what you deal with. Our last year for the R Charles Snyder Salute in 2019 found both Willamette and Cottage Grove running the Modifieds. What did that do for us? About 30 IMCA Modifieds for $5,000 to win. Willamette did not need to run the class as they were paying huge money for the Street Stocks and the Late Models as well. They did it anyway. 

There are a few ways to look at track unity, and I totally understand it. If you need that division to make the night worthwhile, you have to do what you have to do. If, on the other hand, you're only using that division to be a dick, well, I think I just made my statement. Track unity and working together only truly works if everybody gains something from the deal. Otherwise, it's lip service. It means nothing. People like to think about it being a good thing, holding hands and singing kumbaya, but sometimes it means nothing in the end. It depends on how it's done. If you don't concentrate on your own bottom line, you may not be in business.

To take it back to the looming threat that our country faces with things, you are starting to hear about more cases that are happening within the racing community beyond Cottage Grove Speedway. I'm just going to stick to what the individuals are saying and refrain from too much commentary here. The human equation is what really matters, and I've seen that this year's Jim's Thriftway 100 Street Stock winner at Sunset Speedway has covid-19. 

From when I gather, Justin Evans is going through a similar thing as Stephanie Deatherage is, but those details aren't being as openly shared. Ben Deatherage being somebody who likes to understand the facts of whatever he's involved with, I think it brings him comfort to share what's going on with Stephanie and understand the fight completely. Many others will just keep it close to the vest. I'm glad that we seem to be hearing better news on Stephanie, although the fight isn't over yet. Let's all keep praying for her.

These are Friday morning observations, and last night we heard that Kellen Chadwick will not be going to Southern Oregon Speedway for the R Charles Snyder Salute. If you were there in 2019, you saw the most unlikely of wins for Kellen, who started deep in the pack to get that win. His wife has covid-19. I don't know anything about her symptoms. It sounds like she's at home right now, and he's going to be there with her. I've seen Kellen and his wife at the races together, and I totally understand. Family comes first. There's no way he was making the trip to Oregon without her. We got another bit of sad news this morning. Travis Snyder can't be in Medford for his father's race. I know how disappointed he is about that. 

I'll never forget my conversation with him the first time we met in 2017 to discuss bringing his dad's race to Southern Oregon Speedway. I got to learn more about his dad and affirm why I knew this was going to be an important race for the community. I hate that Travis won't be there to drop the green flag on the IMCA Modified Main Event or be up in the booth with Bryce or whoever is announcing to say a few words. Regardless of what I think about what went down during the off-season, all Snyder tried to do this year was step in and be a positive for Southern Oregon Speedway going forward. I wish him and the Chadwick family good health and that they don't start getting bad symptoms.

I guess I like to do a little bit of fantasy booking on this blog, so we'll throw an idea out here. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the NASCAR dirt tracks in California did something called the Tri Track Series. This was done for Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, and I think they might have done it on the 4th of July weekend a time or two. Antioch, Merced and Watsonville were the tracks at the time, and the Late Models were the featured division. I don't think it ever became a Modified series. Merced was out of NASCAR by then and they put an end to the idea.

I wonder if the Bay Area tracks could rekindle this on one weekend. I get what Chad Chadwick is trying to do with the George Steitz Big Kahuna Freedom Series, but maybe this is a series that could be shared between Antioch, Watsonville and Merced for one holiday weekend. Mind you, I'm not saying all three holidays, just one. I have a hunch that even with just a little bit of purse incentive, better than average, you'd get some good support for this. Doing it one time during the year makes it more special than if you tried to do it two or three times a year, and there's no reason to get greedy. Make it something special. 

Alternatively, this could be something the Oregon tracks attempted if they so chose. A weekend where you ran races at Medford, Cottage Grove and Willamette. Again, you only do it one weekend out of the year. The flaw in the idea is you've got the R Charles Snyder Salute that's important to Medford in September, and the 4th of July weekend has become special at Cottage Grove with the Freedom Cup. Memorial Day weekend might be something to consider. It's only one weekend, although I don't know if it would work out in Oregon or not. It's just something that I think might be interesting.

In any case, this is what we were looking at as we headed into Labor Day weekend. Friday night was going to be an indicator of how things would be. Antioch Speedway and Southern Oregon Speedway had similar programs to offer the fans. They also had different things to deal with that presented a challenge, including excessive smoke in the air. It's really sad that Medford has had to deal with that over the last half-dozen years as fires burn in several locations. The die hards come out to watch, but the casual fans you need may not show up. In any case, you do the best you can.

There was a bit of bad news going into the night at Southern Oregon Speedway. The Outlaw Kart track was to be running simultaneously with the big track. All preparations had been taken care of, but there was just one problem. Enough people tested positive for covid-19 that they didn't have enough people to run the show for the weekend. That meant that the big plans for the weekend at the little track had to be scrapped. It's been a mixed bag for the little track this year. Though there has been progress, they've still only had four races so far this year. 

Of course, it was all about the R Charles Snyder Salute Preliminary night. With $7,007 to win and $707 just to take the green flag for the Saturday portion of the program, how many IMCA Modifieds would they get? The answer is 42. By my estimation, they needed at least 40 to justify the purse, and I still think that kind of money deserves a 60 car field. I also don't think that's possible given the current situation on the West Coast, and I further believe that at $5,000 to win and $250 to start, they probably could have had the same field. The difference maker this year was that Willamette Speedway and Cottage Grove Speedway did not book over this race as they did in 2019.

There were a few adjustments from the way the race had been originally created, but I know there were people saying we had it all wrong from the start. The adjustments didn't surprise me all that much. They use the format this year where they actually qualify the cars on the clock during hot laps. On a regular night, they only use it for Trophy Dash purposes, but in this case they used it to line up the first set of heat races straight up from qualifying. That's not a bad idea, although it gets the lineups on the board a little bit later than I'd like to see. The situation they have on the big weekends is that everything runs past 11:00 and up to or beyond midnight. 

I am glad they kept the two heat race format where they used passing and finishing points to come up with 16 drivers to make the Preliminary Feature. The difference from this year to the past is that those 16 drivers would automatically qualify for the show, and the Top 8 finishers would get to redraw for their lineup at the front of that race. In this case, the Top 16 were going directly into the Preliminary Feature, and the Top 10 drivers were automatically qualified for Saturday. Those drivers will get to redraw. The Preliminary Feature that we did the previous three years was more of a bonus race. We used finishing positions from the first set of heat races to determine who made it in, which meant we could have a lineup on the board quickly and keep things moving. 

I'm not married to the idea that we used before. It's not a bad idea to use the Preliminary Feature to get some starters for the bigger show. Since they were doing that, two B Mains were added for Friday night with the Top 2 finishers tagging the rear of the Preliminary Feature. This gave us 20 drivers competing for the Top 10 finishing positions and an automatic birth into the bigger money race. There was also some pretty good money on the line with $1,000 to win, which is what we paid our Preliminary Feature previously. As the night got away from them, they unfortunately ended up cutting some laps from that race as well as the IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. 

Given the fact that the IMCA Sport Modifieds were only added to this race a little over a week ago, the fact that they had 26 drivers show up wasn't so bad. They didn't really get that many visitors as 19 of the drivers in the field were from the area. You work with what you have, and these drivers competed for $750 to win on Friday. There were no stakes that went towards Saturday night as it will be a complete program of its own for $1,000 to win. The addition of the IMCA Sport Modifieds to this weekend was very important as it rounded out the show. They only had seven Limited Sprints, but I didn't expect much more than that.

I don't know what the answer is to making a big show at Southern Oregon Speedway move along. Lord knows I did everything I could, and Mike McCann hatched plans that he hoped would work. At times we did okay, but the Labor Day weekend is almost a losing battle. You just know it's going to go late, so you do your best to try not to be too late. There wasn't a lot of downtime, so I give the crew credit. They made it to midnight with Nick Trenchard picking up the Preliminary Feature win and the $1,000 prize to go with it. Everybody still has a shot to make it into the show, but we know who 10 of the drivers are now. All In all, I was expecting the worst, so I must say they did alright this year, even with the late finishing time.

While the race was happening, news broke that Massey Construction night at the races on September 11th will see the CD Architects Late Model race paying $4,000 to win, $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third among an increased purse. It will be the Cameron James Memorial race. I don't know many details, but scanning around Oregon, I see Cottage Grove isn't running the class, but Willamette and Coos Bay are. Therefore, I'm still not sure they'll get more than a dozen cars at best if all the stars align. It's a shame to say that when this is really good money. The other thing working against it is the late announcement.

They have a race on the schedule for September 25th, if the weather doesn't start raining by then. It's a Wingless Sprint Series show as the organization makes its first visit there. Former Promoter Mike McCann established the Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge race, and Mark Herz will continue to sponsor it, meaning $3,500 to win. They haven't announced any support classes as of yet, and I can't help thinking that the smart move would be to try to run this memorial race for Cameron on that date. You might have a better shot at getting some support, and you can certainly have a bit more time to put the word out. Just a thought.

I don't know any other way to put it. The Freedom Series idea at Antioch Speedway doesn't seem to be working. I think Chad Chadwick might have been on to something when he added this series last year, but it was a unique time. When Antioch had their track record 150 total cars in May of 2020, it was more because there was no other place to race than anything else. Things have changed, and the support just doesn't seem to be there. Management didn't break the bank coming up with purse money for the divisions competing on Friday, but it was still above average money. 

There were 45 total cars, and the addition of the Hobby Stocks only netted the track an additional nine cars from what was originally scheduled. There wasn't a lot of drama at the front of the pack, and they certainly didn't drag the show out too long. I'm sure there was some disappointment about the total turnout, and there might even be a little bit of concern heading into the October Bill Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals. There shouldn't be too much worry, because I think the numbers will be better for that. At least I hope so. 

These times are so uncertain, that I can't even guarantee a big turnout for that race. I can't find too much of a bright side as the attendance was abysmal, but I guess it could be that Matthew Hagio picked up the $750 for the IMCA Modifieds, and IMCA Sport Modified State champion Trevor Clymens and two-time IMCA Stock Car State champion Loren DeArmond picked up the $500 prize for their respective Main Event wins. 

I had a little bit of extra time on my hands, so I decided to monitor Hermiston Speedway, Oregon's almost forgotten track on the east side. Of course, my computer decided to have a meltdown and interrupted things briefly. They ran a 100 lap Pro late Model Race for $2,000 to win, which got them 17 drivers. The Hobby Stocks ended up with 15 for a $1,000 to win race. Hermiston has had some decent numbers this year, but the pavement track still remains somewhat obscure. I would bet people in Washington racing circles know more about what's happening there than people in Oregon do.

The other thing I noticed was the Saturday portion of the program would be a NSRA Sprint Car show. It's the Rick Brown Super Shoe race. This race has been a part of the Douglas County Speedway schedule for a number of years. I don't know what the story is as to why it's not happening there this year. I guess PRA and the traveling Sprint Car group couldn't come to terms, so they took it to Hermiston instead. In any case, Hermiston did okay for a Friday night. I generally scan the finishes every time they run, but that's about as much attention as I pay to the track. It was interesting to look in on them this evening.

I think I can understand why the movement began 20 years ago to stop running races at some tracks on the holiday weekends. You're fighting a battle to get fans to attend, and even getting driver support is a struggle. In May, it's the first opportunity for families to take vacations as school lets out, and school is about ready to go back in session when Labor Day weekend comes along. People want to take their vacations then. Plus, we have other factors going on in the world. It makes sense to me that so many tracks in California are not even bothering, although it seems like Oregon tracks are more inclined to double down and run two races on these weekends. Funny how that works out.

I don't know how many more of these columns I'm going to write this year unless I feel there's a topic that really needs to be discussed. I'm starting to think that writing the review articles and putting them out there as quickly as possible might be a way to go for the last few weeks. I want to honor the commitment I made to myself to cover the various point races, although I said from the start that this year would be a week to week deal. I like the idea of having a site that you can go to to find the articles for so many different places throughout the season. We covered at least a dozen tracks from start to finish this year along with other tracks that we covered when we could.

The blog itself was originally not created to cover the current racing scene. Yeah, I would comment on something I was observing, but it was made for talking about racing history. It was about making plans for the books. I wasn't going out to the race tracks at that time and had no desire to do so. Part of getting older is the fact that you look back on the old days with more fondness than what you witness these days. However, I also see that as a sign of getting old. You don't want to look at anything new and give it a chance. I don't like that idea much either, because I know there are good things happening these days.

I'm a writer in a digital world where many people are getting their point across to others via video and audio. I don't know how many people have the patience to sit down and read one of my big news posts. You're basically strapping in and reading for an hour or so if you read everything I post on any given week. However, when you put something on audio or video that people can listen to while they're doing something else, it's a different way to go that maybe even saves you time when it comes to putting the news out there. I need to explore that.

When I'm working on my books and occasionally putting a blog post up about whatever, there may be a way forward with the current product via audio and video. I don't see a lot of people doing it the way I have invisioned in my mind. A lot of what's out there is talk show format and interviewing a racer or two. It's not about covering the racing news. I'm also contemplating doing smaller audios or videos that cover some things and going in that sort of direction. I really don't know what will happen at this point, but I'm looking forward to figuring something out.

Finally, I wanted to send a thank you to Michael Burch for the recent tip. I said earlier this year that if you had somebody to thank for inspiring me to do as much as I've done this season, it's Burch. He tipped me back in January, and it motivated me to put up a post. Then came another, and another and so on. Michael has supported me from the moment I started mailing my magazine out back in 1989 to the final year that I did it. He's also been a good friend, and his support has been a big reason I have continued to do what I've done for so long on this blog. He's also the only person who has given me any support this year.

In any case, I made the decision to do another Friday night racing coverage post and felt it needed something of a Viewpoint column. Here it is. Sorry if I've let anybody down, but I'm feeling a bit let down myself these days. It is what it is. That's about all I have to say. Until next time...