Ocean Speedway, Marysville Raceway, Redwood Acres Raceway, Plaza Park Raceway, More

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Hogge, Kanke, Nelson Kick Off Pat And Jim Pettit 

Memorial Weekend With Wins

Watsonville, CA...September 24.. Bobby Hogge IV won the 33 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night and Ocean Speedway. This was the opening night of the 11th Annual Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout, which attracted a field of over 120 competitors among the three divisions. The six-time Watsonville and two-time NASCAR Regional champion with piloting the Paul Guglielmoni owned car and pocketed $1,003 for his winning effort.

Tim Balding raced into the early lead ahead of Robby Jeppesen and JC Elrod. Paul Stone slipped past Elrod for third on Lap 3 and made a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 6 to take second from Jeppesen. Nick DeCarlo moved into third on Lap 9, and a tangle between Troy Foulger and Rick Diaz in Turn 2 brought out a Lap 9 yellow flag. Balding continued to lead Stone and DeCarlo on the restart as 10th starting Hogge had worked his way up to the fourth position. Hogge went by DeCarlo on the backstretch on Lap 13 to claim third, and Stone made a frontstretch pass on Balding for the lead. Hogge got by Balding for second a lap later and set his sights on Stone. Hogge slipped past Stone for the lead on Lap 20 as DeCarlo moved into third. Unfortunately, DeCarlo spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 20 yellow flag. DeCarlo was involved in another incident with Elrod for a Lap 21 yellow. Hogge continued to lead Stone and Balding on the restart as seventh row starter and track championship contender Jim Pettit II had maneuvered his way into fourth. Pettit made a Turn 4 pass on Balding to claim third on Lap 24. Once Hogge got the lead, nobody could challenge him as he brought it home to victory ahead of Stone, Pettit, Balding, Foulger, point leader Cody Burke, Carl Berendsen II, Shawn Natenstedt, Diaz and Mike Shepherd.

The 41 IMCA Modifieds took turns on the clock in qualifying, with Stone setting the fast time on the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval at 14.315, beating the 14.439 of Hogge and the 14.604 of Shepherd. They had six eight lap heat races, and a Top 3 finish put you into the Main Event. Wins went to Stone, Hogge, Cody Burke, Elrod, Balding and DeCarlo.

They ran a pair of 12 lap B Mains with only the Top 2 finishers in each making it into the show. Those races were won by Steve Pemberton and Danny Lauer. In the first race, Pemberton raced into the lead at the start ahead of many time Petaluma champion Michael Paul Jr and Diaz. They ran that way until Diaz got by Paul for second on Lap 6. Pemberton went on to win ahead of the Diaz, Paul, Austin Burke and Justin Yeager. In the second B Main, Lauer took the lead at the outset ahead of Robert Marsh and Fred Lind. Though Marsh kept it close for a while, he was no match for the flying Lauer and would settle for second. Lind finished third ahead of Mitch Machado and Raymond Keldsen Jr.

Cale Kanke picked up the win in the 23 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The second-generation competitor is following in his father's footsteps as a Southwest Tour racer, but he returned to his IMCA Sport Modified roots for the $503 victory.  

The Main Event had to be restarted after State champion Trevor Clymens spun in Turn 4, collecting Jim DiGiovanni and Todd Gomez. Nick Spainhoward led the restart ahead Kanke and Richard Ragsdale. New champion Randy Miller settled into third on Lap 5. The battle heated up between Spainhoward and Kanke as they hit slower traffic with Kanke finally making a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 13 to take the lead. Sixth row starter Fred Ryland had worked his way into fourth by then and was trying to find a way around Miller. Spainhoward went high in Turn 4 on Lap 14 to retake the lead briefly as Kanke was behind a slower car. However, Kanke made an inside move on the backstretch on Lap 16 to regain the lead for good. There was a yellow flag on Lap 17 as Mark Garner spun in Turn 2. Kanke continued to lead Spainhoward and Miller on the restart. Andrew Peckham spun in Turn 2 for a Lap 20 yellow flag. Once again, Kanke led Spainhoward and Miller on the restart. Kanke went on to victory ahead of Spainhoward. Ryland made a last lap pass on Randy Miller for third, and Andrew Pearce finished fifth, followed by Ragsdale, KC Keller, Vaughn Vondera, Dylan Potter and Robert Miller.

The 49 IMCA Sport Modifieds ran six eight lap heat races with the Top 3 advancing into the Main Event. Wins went to Gomez, Pearce, Spainhoward, Kanke, Randy Miller and Chuck Weir. They ran two 12 lap B Mains with just two drivers making it into the show. Peckham won the first race. Riley Jeppesen took the early lead ahead of Orion Messina, and Peckham was up to third on Lap 2. Peckham got by Messina for second a lap later. A yellow flag waved on Lap 7 for Cody Bryan in Turn 4. Peckham took the lead from Jeppesen on the restart, but Jeppesen saw his race end for a yellow flag a lap later. Peckham led Joe Antonetti and Robert Miller on the restart, and they ran that way to the last lap, when Miller passed Antonetti for second. Marcus Frazier and Messina rounded out the Top 5. Keller won the second race. Justin McPherson took the early lead ahead of Keller and Garner. Keller passed McPherson on the fourth lap with Garner moving into second two laps later. Adriane Frost moved into third on Lap 8 as Keller won ahead of Garner, Frost, Tommy Clymens Jr and McPherson.

Billy Nelson won the 23 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. The win paid the three-time champion $303 and it came in impressive fashion as he led from the outset. 

When the green flag waved, Nelson bolted ahead, followed by Jerry Skelton and Dexter Long. A low pass in Turn 3 gained Les Friend second on Lap 3 with Long still maintaining third. DJ Keldsen went by Long on the backstretch on Lap 4 to take third, and a yellow flag waved on Lap 5. Nelson continued to lead Friend and Keldsen on the restart. Soon, Nelson was pulling away from the field as Terry Campion took third from Keldsen on Lap 17. However, Keldsen came back strong to regain the spot on the frontstretch two laps later. Nelson built about a half-straightaway advantage. Despite a scary moment that saw him drive off the track in Turns 3 and 4 while lapping slower cars, Nelson brought it home to the impressive win, followed by Friend, DJ Keldsen, Campion, Joe Willoughby, six-time champion Sam Kennedy, Skelton, Ryan Hart, Dakota Keldsen and Bobby Motts Jr.

The 32 Hobby Stocks ran four eight lap heat races with the wins going to Nelson, Friend, Kennedy and Campion. Mitch Lettunich won the 12 lap B Main. He started on the pole and proceeded to lead every lap in victory. Following an eventful first two laps, Brady Muller moved into second ahead of Tony Oliveira. However, Oliveira was shuffled back to fifth by Hart and Norman Ayers on Lap 6. Lettunich won ahead of Muller, Hart, Ayers and Oliveira

Saturday's show is sure to be entertaining from start to finish. If you are unable to make it to the track, the internet pay-per-view is being broadcast by Flo Racing. For further information on the track, go to www.oceanspeedway.com.

Wagner, Mendenhall, Brune Win Opening Night Of 

Marysville Dwarf Car Nationals

Marysville, CA...September 24...Danny Wagner won the 20 lap Pro Dwarf Car Main Event Friday night at Marysville Raceway. This was the Preliminary Night of the WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals, presented by the NorCal Dwarf Car Association. This is the oldest Dwarf Car Nationals event on the West Coast, and it drew roughly 120 competitors among the three different classifications. Wagner is a two-time Antioch Speedway champion and a past NorCal Dwarf Car champ as well.

Incoming Nationals point leader Darren Brown had the pole and took the early lead ahead of Corey Eaton and South Bay champion Tommy Velasquez III. A yellow flag waved on Lap 3 for Vuki Wilson Jr in Turn 1. On the restart, Brown, Michael "Spanky" Grenert, Redwood Dwarf Car champion Chad Mathias and David Michael Rosa crashed in Turn 1. Wagner shot into the lead on the restart with Eaton still second ahead of Brandon Shaw. However, Eaton fell back on Lap 6 as Shaw moved into second ahead of Trent Morley. Velasquez got by Morley for third on Lap 10. A yellow flag waved on Lap 16 for Devan Kammermann on the back-straightaway, and Chance Russell brought out a Lap 18 yellow flag. Neither of things stopped Wagner as he led each restart and won ahead of Shaw, Tommy Velasquez III, Chris Kress, Ryan Winter, Trent Morley, Shawn Whitney, Gene "Punky" Pires, Nick Velasquez and Matthias. All 10 drivers are automatically in Saturday's show and will run a Fast Dash to determine the lineup at the front.

There were 43 Pro Dwarf Cars, and they ran four eight lap heat races that took the Top 4 directly into the Preliminary Feature. Wins went to Darren Brown, Eaton, Shawn Jones and Tommy Velasquez III. Winter won the 12 lap B Main that transferred the Top 8 finishers into the Preliminary Feature. Gage Myers led a lap before Grenert got by. A bad heat race left Winter in the sixth row at the start, but he moved into second on Lap 5. A lap later, he took the lead from Grenert and led the rest of the way for the win. Grenert had a nip and tuck battle with Whitney for second but claimed the position for good on Lap 11 as Whitney settled for third ahead of Pires and Rosa. Oregon racer Erin Morganstern won the eight lap C Main. She led the race from the start. The red flag waved after four laps for a crash involving Jimmy Damron and Jake Van Ortwick. Van Ortwick charged back into second on the restart ahead of Jeremy Blackshere, but Blackshere made the last lap pass to claim runner up honors behind Morgenstern. Van Ortwick settled for third.

Carroll Mendenhall won the 20 lap Veterans Dwarf Car Main Event. The Redwood Dwarf Car competitor jumped into the lead at the start ahead of Tom Morley and John Chrisman. The second and final yellow flag waved on Lap 3 for a Turn 1 tangle involving Veterans championship contender Tony Margott and Mario Marques. Chrisman briefly took second on the restart behind Mendenhall, but Tom Morley gained the position a lap later. Chrisman surrendered third to Dan Geil on Lap 7, but Geil lost the position to Mike Reeder a lap later. Reeder had started back in 14th, but his race ended on Lap 11. Mendenhall led Tom Morley and Geil at that point, but Geil was overtaken for third by Veterans point leader and Delta Dwarf Car champion Kevin Miraglio on Lap 17. Mendenhall went on to win ahead of Morley, Miraglio, Geil, Chrisman, Mark Biscardi, Steve Kapaun, Tim Fitzpatrick, Glenn Sciarani and Buddy Olschowka. All 10 of these drivers will run the Fast Dash on Saturday.

The 37 competitors ran four eight lap heat races with the wins going to Mendenhall, Geil, Morley and Fitzpatrick. Everybody who didn't make it into the Top 4 in a heat race ran the 12 lap B Main, which was won by Reeder. Gary Wagener started on the pole and led Tom Van Tuyl and Tommy Velasquez II on the opening lap. Marques moved into second on Lap 2 and briefly grabbed the lead on Lap 4 with Reeder moving into second. Reeder took the lead from Marques on the fifth lap and led the rest of the way for the win. Marques was passed by Wegener and Van Tuyl on Lap 11 with Van Tuyl taking second from Wegener on the final lap. Wagener settled for third ahead of Marques and David Rosa.

Oregon racer Dave Brune won an eventful 15 lap Sportsman Dwarf Car Main Event. The race was marred by 12 yellow flags that saw the drivers on the track for 38 minutes. Sportsman Nationals point leader Ellie Russo led a lap with championship rival Will Dykeman getting by on the second circuit. Russo regained the lead on Lap 3, and a yellow flag waved at that time for Nick Dianni and Zach Whitacre in Turn 2. Russo had problems at that point and Dykeman gained the lead ahead of Brune and Orey Woods. Oregon racer Colby Bergquist took third from Woods on Lap 9, but a yellow flag waved for a crash in Turn 3 involving Giorgio Dileonardo, Philip Rowland and Kieran Costas. After two botched restart attempts, Dykeman led Brune and Woods on the successful restart, but a yellow flag waved a lap later. Brune took the lead from Dykeman on the restart with Woods holding on to third. After the second lap 12 yellow flag, it was decided to end the race on Lap 15. Brune led the rest of the way to win ahead of Dykeman, Woods, Scotty Preast, Bergquist, Jameson Sole, Isaak Geil, Jace Badeker, Kenneth Smith and Gene Herndon.

There were 36 Sportsman Dwarf Car competitors, and the eight lap heat race wins went to Russo, Dykeman, Preast and Mack Aceves. Only the Top 4 in each heat made the show, and the rest had to run a crash-shortened seven lap B Main, won by Badeker. The Sportsman class is for the newer drivers, and it showed as they had eight yellow flags keeping them on the track for 23 minutes. Charles Jones led a lap before Bradley McNair took over, but McNair's race ended on a yellow flag a lap later. Cody Shrum led just one lap before Dan Varner found his way from the fifth row into the lead. Badeker had second at that point, but Jones took the position on Lap 4. Jones surrendered it back to Shrum a lap later, but Badeker gained second on Lap 6. Badeker made the lap seven pass on Varner for the lead, and that became the win when the race was ended early. Shrum ended up third ahead of Smith and Antonio Miramontez.

Tonight is the season finale for the WSDCA Nationals, and the championships will be decided. Keep up to date with the happenings at the track by going to www.marysvilleraceway.com.

Doss, Krupa, Murrell, Martin Win Opening Round 

Of Fall Spectacular At Redwood Acres

Eureka, CA...September 24...Jeremy Doss won the 40 lap Legend Car Main Event Friday night at Redwood Acres Raceway. This was the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Fall Spectacular, which brings a close to the 2021 season.  Doss is a big star with the Spears SRL Pro Late Model and Modified tours. He will be competing in the $5,000 to win North State Modified Series show on Saturday. Brandon White gained the point lead by virtue of his second place finish and the absence of Chris Lawrence.

Cody Winchel set the early pace ahead of Doss and White. A yellow flag on Lap 2 turned into a red flag as Trent Daniels was eliminated from competition. Winchel continued to lead Doss and White on the restart. A Lap 5 yellow flag signaled the end of the race for Andy Thorton. Winchel led Doss and White on the restart, but Doss put the moves on Winchel to take the lead on Lap 6 with White following closely into second. Doss continued to lead White and Winchel on the restart. By the 25th lap, Doss built a half-straightaway lead over White, but that was erased when a yellow flag waved on Lap 29. Doss didn't let that stop him as he continued to lead White and Winchel on the restart. They would finish in that order with Kylie Daniels a solid fourth, followed by Brian Murrell, Aidan Daniels, Tyler Krupa, Maleesa Miles, Scott Taylor and Justin Johnson. Doss set the fast time of 17.758, beating the 17.766 of White. Thorton and White picked up the 10 lap heat race wins.

Point leader Tyler Krupa won the 40 lap Bombers Main Event. This was his third win of the season as he closes in on the championship with Saturday's race remaining. Jordan Krupa set the early pace ahead of Tyler Krupa and Ed Rasmussen. A yellow flag waved on Lap 4 for Chris Naughton. Jordan Krupa continued to lead Tyler Krupa and Brian King on the restart. They ran very closely at the front of the pack with King taking second from Tyler Krupa before a Lap 11 yellow flag slowed the action. King moved into the lead ahead of Tyler Krupa and Jordan Krupa on the restart. Ukiah point leader Loren Powers Jr settled into fourth and took third from Jordan Krupa on Lap 15. Reigning champion Sam Brown had moved into fifth by then, and Tyler Krupa took the lead from King on Lap 18. Raquel Krupa made a big move around both King and Powers for second on Lap 19 with Powers moving back into third a lap later. It was close among the Top 4 competitors at that point, and Brown fell out on Lap 27. Tyler Krupa held off the challenges of his sister Raquel the rest of the way for the win with Powers a very close third, followed by King, Rasmussen, Donovan Cox, Jordan Krupa, Brandon Katri, Naughton and Kadence Toland. Powers set the fast time of 18.050, beating the 18.434 of King. The 10 lap heat race wins went to Rasmussen and Tyler Krupa.

Brian Murrell Sr won the 25 lap Mini Stock Main Event. This was the third win of the season for Murrell, but he failed to overtake new champion Eric O'Ferrall despite O'Ferrall encountering problems at the end of the race.

Cole Peterson set the early pace ahead of O'Ferrall and Jarrett Mayo. O'Ferrall took the lead on Lap 4 with Mayo and Murrell moving into second and third on Lap 7. There was a close battle for second between Mayo and Murrell, and they closed in on leader O'Ferrall. Mayo and Murrell both got by O'Ferrall on Lap 22. Murrell gained the lead on the last lap when O'Ferrall and Mayo tangled. Murrell won ahead of 2020 champion Gary Klinetobe, Peterson, Mayo, O'Ferrall, Colton Kinsey, CJ Dalton and Allison McCarty. Murrell set the fast time of 18.485, beating the 18.656 of Mayo. O'Farrell won the 10 lap heat race.

Jeremiah Martin won the 20 lap Roadrunners Main Event. Despite this being his sixth win of the season, he still lost the championship by just three points to Bob Ratzlaff. 

The Main Event had just six starters as Shawn Wildman and Tanisha Ratzlaff scratched after the heat race. Martin took the lead at the start ahead of Dylan Ford and Ryan David. David slipped past Ford for second on Lap 9. Martin started to pull away by Lap 15. Martin built a straightaway advantage in victory with David settling for second ahead of Dylan Ford, Nick Ford, Bob Ratzlaff and Ty Rose. Martin set the fast time of 19.828, beating the 19.912 of David. Martin also won the 10 lap heat race.

Both the Late Models and Modifieds ran practice sessions on Friday and will be featured Saturday along with the Bombers and Legend Cars. For further information, go to www.racintheacres.com.

Faccinto, Moles, Avidisian Winners On Opening Night 

Of The Mark Hagopian Memorial

Visalia, CA...September 24...Michael Faccinto and Mitchel Moles were winners of the 24 lap Preliminary Main Events for the Super 600 Micro Sprints Friday night at Plaza Park Speedway. This was the opening night of the Mark Hagopian Memorial race with bigger money scheduled to be on the line a night later. The unique format allowed for a pair of 24 lap Main Events for this class. 

In the first Main Event, Sprint Car and Midget racer Michael Faccinto started on the pole and led all the way for the victory. Stockton star Nikko Panella was an early second until being passed by fellow Stockton star Caden Sarale on the 12th circuit. Gage Garcia followed Sarale into third and took second on Lap 18. However, Faccinto went on to win the race ahead of Garcia, Sarale, Lachlan Caunt, Devon Courtnier, Panella, Avidisian, Caeden Steele, Dominic Gorden and Mattix Salmon.

Mitchel Moles won the second 24 lap race after starting back in 12th. Cody Key led seven laps before he had problems. Cody Christensen took over at that point ahead of Chris Martin and Moles. Moles gained second on Lap 14 and overtook Christiansen for the lead two laps later. Moles went on to win ahead of Christensen, Isaak Sharp, Mariah Ede, Jarrett Rogers, Colby Dubato, Martin, Jake Andreotti, JJ Loss and Broedy Graham.

The 45 drivers qualified in two different groups with the groups representing each Main Event that would be run later in the evening. Faccinto set the fast time in the first group at 10.571, beating the 10.586 of Hailey Wood. Key set the fast time in the second group at 10.523, beating the 10.593 of Christensen. The eight lap heat race wins went to Steele, Logan Trevino, Avidisian, Smith, Sharp and Panella.

Jade Avidisian won the 30 lap Wingless 600 Main Event. She started on the pole and proceeded to lead all the way for the win. Jeffrey Pahule was an early second until being passed by TJ Smith on Lap 4. Austin Torgerson got around Pahule on Lap 11. However, nobody was getting past Avidisian and she won ahead of Smith, Torgerson, Pahule, Dixon champion Dan Mognaga, Mitchell Moles, JJ Loss, Brody Graham, Caden Steele and Dominic Gorden.

Avidisian was the quickest of 39 qualifiers at 11.429, beating the 11.469 of Pahule and the 11.495 of Mognaga. The eight lap heat race wins went to Dawson Faria, Austin Stone, Ashton Torgerson and Moles. Gordon started on the pole and won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Katey Syra, Austin Wood, Mattix Salmon and Corbin Rauschenberg.

Cash Lovenburg won the 25 lap Restricted 600 Main Event. He started on the pole and led all the way. Jett Barnes was an early second ahead of Tegan Moles, but both Austin Wood and Moles got around Barnes on Lap 12. Lovenburg went on to win ahead of Wood, Moles, Colton Key, Elijah Gile, Taylor Mayhew, Dixon point leader Lucas Johnson, Deming Speedway champion Levi Hillier, Levi Kuntz and Andrew Smith.

Lovenberg was the quickest of 26 qualifiers with a lap of 11.555, beating the 11.626 of Moles and the 11.657 of Barnes. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Gile, Moles and Barnes.

Dixon Speedway star Vito Cancilla won the time limit shortened nine lap Jr Sprint Main Event. He led from start to finish ahead of Blayden Graham and Dixon champion Hayden Stepps. Brycen Rausch ended up fourth, followed by Briggs Davis, new champion Nathan Ward, Brody Rubio, Braxon Vasconcellos, Jace Thurein and Jackson Tardiff.

Cancila set the fast time of 23 competitors at 13.436, beating the 13.437 of Stepps and the 13.438 of Davis. Rubio, Vasconcellos and Quentin Hagopian were the eight lap heat race winners. Landon Jones won the 10 lap B Main ahead of Clayton Jalakas and Jackson Tardiff.

To get information on tonight's big money races, go to www.plazaparkraceway.com. Fast Four Media and will be offering the internet pay-per-view once again.

 

Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results September 24
11th Pettit Shootout Night # 1
IMCA Modifieds
A Main
Bobby Hogge IV
Paul Stone
Jim Pettit II
Tim Balding
Troy Foulger
Cody Burke
Carl Berendsen II
Shawn Natenstedt
Rick Diaz
Mike Shepherd
Josh Combs
Aaron Crowell
Anthony Copeland
Robert Marsh
Raymond Lindeman
JC Elrod
Dave Sciarroni
Anthony Slaney
Danny Lauer
Nick DeCarlo
Robby Jeppesen
Steve Pemberton

B Main 1
Steve Pemberton
Rick Diaz
Michael Paul Jr
Austin Burke
Justin Yaeger
Jeff Faulkner
Freddie Plourde III
Danny Malfatti
Tim Yaeger
Terry Decarlo Sr
Jim Weiler
Gary Marsh DNS

B Main 2
Danny Lauer
Robert Marsh
Fred Lind
Mitch Machado
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Sean Wilson
Garrett Brady
Jake Dewsbury
Ty Gamble
Kyle Bryan

IMCA Sport Modifieds
A Main
Cale Kanke
Nick Spainhoward
Fred Ryland
Randy Miller
Andrew Pearce
Richard Ragsdale
KC Keller
Vaughn Vondera
Dylan Potter
Robert Miller
Kenny Shrader
Austin Ruskauff
Todd Gomez
Ryan DeForest
Emali VanHoff
Trevor Clymens
Andrew Peckham
Billy Robertson
Jim DiGiovanni
Mark Garner
Scott Foster
Jeff Tuttle

B Main 1
Andrew Peckham
Robert Miller
Joe Antonetti
Markus Frazier
Orion Messina
Kodie Dean
Aaron Farrell
Nicolas Zapatero
Trevor Tiffee
Jacob Mallet Jr
Justin Parr
Riley Jeppesen
Mike Kofnovec Sr
Cody Bryan
Vaughn Vondera

B Main 2
KC Keller
Mark Garner
Adriane Frost
Tommy Clymens
Justin McPherson
Kelly Campanile
Breanna Troen
Mike Ficklin
Max Baggett
Haley Gomez
Bryce Campbell
Codie Hample
Dennis Souza
Frank Cefaliello Jr
Mike Kofnovec Jr

Hobby Stocks
A Main
Billy Nelson
Les Friend
DJ Keldsen
Terry Campion
Joe Willoughby
Sam Kennedy
Jerry Skelton
Ryan Hart
Dakota Keldsen
Bobby Motts Jr
Mitch Lettunich
Joe Gallaher
Kevin Lesch
Ken Winland
Brady Muller
Collin Lude
Bobby Huckaby Jr
Tony Oliveira
Steve Remde
Dexter Long
Norm Ayers
Chad Ragsdale

B Main
Mitch Lettunich
Brady Muller
Ryan Hart
Norm Ayers
Tony Oliveira
Steve Remde
Bobby Gallaher
Dwayne Short
Danny Aves
Scott Freeman
Vigna Anthony
Kenneth Robles
Aiden Ponciano
Chris Asher
John Tevis DNS


Marysville Raceway Unofficial Race Results September 24
WSDCA Dwarf Car Nationals Night #1
Sportsman Division
A Main
Dave Brune
Will Dykeman
Orey Woods
Scotty Preast
Colby Bergquist
Jameson Sole
Isaak Geil
Jace Badeker
Kenneth Smith
Gene Herndon
Ellie Russo
Cody Shrum
Nick Diani
Tony Bordessa
Dewey Myers
Kieran Costas
Antonio Miramontez
Tanner Curr
Giorgioo Dileonardo
Zach Whitacre
Philip Rowland
Dan Varner
Tyler Quilty
Mack Aceves

B Main
Jace Badeker
Dan Varner
Cody Shrum
Kenneth Smith
Antonio Miramontez
Gene Herndon
Tony Bordessa
Kieran Costas
Mike Aceves
Charles Jones
Leonard Osorio
Kylee Johnson
Wesley Dykeman
Bradley McNair
John Pipe
Travis Gergel
Larry Bell
Keith Costas
Alysa Gallegos
John Williams

Veteran Division
A Main
Carroll Mendenhall
Tom Morley
Kevin Miraglio
Dan Geil
John Chrisman
Mark Biscardi
Steve Kapaun
Tim Fitzpatrick
Glenn Sciarani
Buddy Olschowka
Gary Wegener
Tom VanTuyl
Rodney Cook
Henry Corbin III
Tony Margott
David Rosa
Tommy Velasquez II
Jake Grabow
Jimmy Hogue
Danny Mortenson
Eddy Claessen
Mario Marques
Mike Reeder
Stacy Woods

B Main
Mike Reeder
Tom VanTuyl
Gary Wegener
Mario Marques
David Rosa
Tommy Velasquez II
Danny Mortenson
Jake Grabow
Eddy Claessen
Tony Pellegrino
Thomas Moss
Eric Weisler
Austin Quilty
Chris Becker DNS
Brian Quilty DNS

Pro Division
A Main
Danny Wagner
Brandon Shaw
Tommy Velasquez III
Chris Kress
Ryan Winter
Trent Morley
Shawn Whitney
Punky Pires
Nick Velasquez
Chad Matthias
Mike Grenert
Corey Eaton
Josh Rodgers
Sean Catucci
Chance Russell
Brad Ernst
Kobe Kerns
Ridge Abbott
Kalvin Morton
David Michael Rosa
Devan Kammermann
Darren Brown
Shawn Jones
Vuki Wilson Jr

B Main
Ryan Winter
Mike Grenert
Shawn Whitney
Punky Pires
David Michael Rosa
Kalvin Morton
Chad Matthias
Vuki Wilson Jr
Rory Mortenson
Scooter Gomez
Sam Borland
gage meyers
Daniel Weger
Jake Van Ortwick
Travis Day
Bobby Johnson
Jeremy Blackshere
Erin Morgenstern
Anthony Pope
Race Shelton

C Main
Erin Morgenstern
Jeremy Blackshere
Jake Van Ortwick
Bobby Johnson
Dylan Shrum
Patrick Weger
Jimmy Damron
Shiloh Borland DNS
Dennis Liebig DNS
Roberto Monroy DNS
 

Redwood Acres Raceway Unofficial Race Results September 24
O'Reilly Auto Parts Fall Spectacular Night #1
Legends
Results are not official
1     #35 Jeremy Doss    
2     #19 Brandon White
3     #91 Cody Winchel
4     #7d Kylie Daniels
5     #11 Brian Murrell
6     #8d Aidan Daniels
7     #21 Tyler Krupa
8     #17 Malessa Miles
9     #8 Scott Taylor
10     #55 Justin Johnson
11     #5 Jordan Paiment    
12     #11x Dustin Meier
13     #62 Mac Collado
14     #3 Andy Thorton        
15     #3d Trent Daniels

Bomber
Results are not official
1     #44 Tyler Krupa        
2     #24 Raquel Krupa
3     #27 Loren Powers Jr
4     #9k Brian King
5     #50r Ed Rasmussen
6     #13 Donovan Cox
7     #00 Jordan Krupa
8     #10 Brandon Katri
9     #99 Chirs Naughton
10     #64 Kadence Toland
11     #88 Sam Brown

Mini Stock
Results are not official
1     #13 Brian Murrell Sr    
2     #39 Gary Klinetobe
3     #07 Cole Peterson
4     #14 Jarrett Mayo
5     #16 Eric O'Ferrall    
6     #33 Colton Kinsey
7     #85 CJ Dalton
8     #7 Allison McCarty

Road Runner
Results are not official
1     #29 Jeremiah Martin
2     #51 Ryan David
3     #20 Dylan Ford
4     #31 Nick Ford
5     #61 Bob Ratzlaff
6     #55 Ty Rose


Keller Auto Raceway Unofficial Race Results September 24
Mark Hagopian Memorial Night #1
600cc Non Winged Micros
A Main
Jade Avedisian
TJ Smith
Austin Torgerson
Jeffery Pahule
Dan Mognaga
Mitchel Moles
JJ Loss
Broedy Graham
Caden Sarale
Dominic Gorden
Dawson Faria
Cody Gray
Caeden Steele
Mattix Salmon
Tim Vaught
Katey Syra
Corbin Rueschenberg
Ashton Torgerson
Mason Keefer
Sage Bordenave
Austin Wood
Austin Stone
Joe Silva
Brandon Sutton

B Main
Dominic Gorden
Katey Syra
Austin Wood
Mattix Salmon
Corbin Rueschenberg
Joe Silva
Tim Vaught
Brandon Sutton
Robbie Lewis
Jimmy Leal
Austin Taborski
Xan Miller
Drew Laeber
Reilee Phillips
Hayden Lusk
Cody Samuels
David Taft
Nick Vanatta
Brody Wake
Justin Stretch
Brandt Twitty
Drake Edwards

600cc Winged Micros
A Main
Michael Faccinto
Gauge Garcia
Caden Saral
Lachlan Caun
Devon Courtnier
Nikko Panella
Jade Avedisian
Caeden Steele
Dominic Gorden
Mattix Salmon
Raio Salmon
Mason Keefer
Jeffery Pahule
Dominic Carter
Logan Trevino
Hailey Wood
Dawson Faria
James Andrichuk
Levi Kuntz
Corbin Rueschenberg
Colton Huelsmann
Dalton Parreira
KJ Snow

A Main 2
Mitchel Moles
Cody Christensen
Izaak Sharp
Mariah Ede
Jarrett Rogers
Colby Dubato
Chris Martin
Jake Andreotti
JJ Loss
Broedy Graham
Austin Torgerson
Josh Castro
Dan Mognaga
Cody Key
Jake Smith
Alex Panella
Paul Javaux
Caden Stoll
Ron Singh
Stefan Sidur
TJ Smith
Ashton Torgerson DNS

Junior Sprints
A Main
Vito Cancilla
Blayden Graham
Hayden Stepps
Brycen Roush
Briggs Davis
Nathan Ward
Brody Rubio
Braxon Vasconcellos
Jace Thurein
Jackson Tardiff
Clayton Jalakas
Jace Meyers
Landon Jones
Kollin Klein
Kasey Leal
Logan Wood
Quentin Hagoppian
Levi Osborne
Nathan McPhail
Heston Stepps

B Main
Landon Jones
Clayton Jalakas
Jackson Tardiff
Logan Wood
Kollin Klein
Heston Stepps
Kasey Leal
Nathan McPhail
Cooper Solf

Restricted Winged Micros
A Main
Cash Lovenburg
Austin Wood
Teagen Moles
Colton Key
Elijah Gile
Taylor Mayhew
Lucas Johnson
Levi Hillier
Levi Kuntz
Andrew Smith
Isabel Barnes
Quinn Thurein
Jayden Huppert
Kennzzie Brown
Jett Barnes
Lucas Mauldin
Adrianna DeMartini
Nathan Ward
Madelyn Gjerness
Destry Miller
Axton Romero
Talin Turner
TK O'Brien
Peyton Whitehouse

B Main
Lucas Mauldin
Levi Kuntz
Andrew Smith
Kennzzie Brown
Destry Miller
Quinn Thurein
Talin Turner
Jayden Huppert
TK O'Brien
Axton Romero
Peyton Whitehouse
Nathan Ward
Andi Jones
Drake Carter

The Editor's Viewpoint

To do a post on Saturday afternoon or not to do a post? That is the question, but I think you can guess the answer. Ocean Speedway, Marysville Raceway and Redwood Acres Raceway all had races on Friday night that I had intentions of covering, so I figured what the hell? The other thing is there was some stuff that came to my attention as I was wrapping up the previous post, and I couldn't resist commenting on it. The season is almost up here at the blog, so I figured what the hell.

There's news on the Petaluma Speedway front. As you may know, they've been having meetings to determine the future of the fairgrounds itself. This includes everything that goes on there, not just the long tradition of racing that takes place at the oval track. I've been a little bit confused about this situation, because I had been told that the track might close at the end of the 2022 season, but the fairgrounds itself is open until at least 2023. This changed on Wednesday night.

Promoter Rick Faeth has negotiated another year for the speedway. This is so important, and let me tell you a key reason why. It's been my contention that San Jose Speedway might still be here today had somebody opened the gates and kept racing going in 2000. All they needed to do was keep it going until the money turned up to actually build that mythical amphitheater that we all know never happened. This way the facility was being used for its intended purpose. As it sat idle, the people who just wanted to get rid of racing had the green light to go in there and destroy the grandstands within the next year or so. With a facility that is being used for its intended purpose, that doesn't happen so easily. 

I don't think that Rick Ferren was necessarily a bad guy. I can sort of look at it from his point of view with the things he'd been through as a promoter. I don't want to write about all of the things he had to deal with, but I know his heart wasn't in it. I still feel that if he didn't want to fight that battle, he should have supported somebody who did. Yes, there were people who wanted to fight for racing in San Jose. Once Rick took his stuff and went home, that was the green light to make sure racing never came back to San Jose Speedway again. Look at that fairgrounds now. Rick should have fought for it.

The Rick we have at Petaluma Speedway, Rick Faeth, is fighting for it. I'm aware of things going on behind the scenes as he looks to his future in the sport, and I'll leave it at that. To anybody thinking he's not going to fight for Petaluma Speedway, think again. This was the same spirit that his predecessor, Jim Soares, had. Jim wanted to keep that thing going. From about the day that Jim took over, they were talking about doing this or that at the fairgrounds, so the track has been threatened for almost 20 years now. Guess what? It still hasn't happened yet. 

What is important is that the fairgrounds continues to be used for its intended purpose. Anybody with a contract to do whatever it is they do at the fairgrounds needs to keep doing it. This includes the race track. If anything starts not being used, it becomes more ammunition for the people who want to get rid of everything. Do we want to see that happen? I know I don't. Petaluma Speedway must live on, and they must find some other location to build new homes, new stores or whatever other nonsense these people have in mind. I think they are starting to see that people, not just racing people, want to see the fairgrounds continue. 

My belief is that we must fight to keep it all going. This includes the race track. As long as they have a facility there to use, it must continue to be used. I still think there's merit in a Plan B where a location is sought after for another race track, but we have the race track we have now. They don't know what they are going to do with the fairgrounds location after 2023, and they may not know by then. Nobody may come in with the money. You can talk plans all you want, but if nobody comes in with the money and it's not agreed upon, nothing will happen. Therefore, nothing needs to change about what happens there now. 

This means that for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, we get racing at the 3/8 mile adobe oval. People can vote with their wallets. That means fans who enjoy motorsports entertainment should continue to support this facility if they truly want it to be there. Racers who want to continue to be able to race locally need to bring their cars out and be a part of the solution. If some frustration with the race track is keeping anybody home, be reasonable about it and see if it can be worked out. Support your race track. Doing this is an important key to how racing could still be a thing there in 2024 and beyond.

I am so happy that Rick has decided to stick this out. As I said, I've heard things about what he might do, and he might still do some of that. However, he'll also be at Petaluma Speedway for the next two years. He has been demonstrating his desire to make things better, and now he is fighting for not just a better sport but a sport that will continue at this location. The only other thing I can add to this is something I think should be considered by his closest neighbor in racing promotions. I'll see if I can be brief here. 

People talk about track unity, and I like the concept. However, it really works best when you have two tracks that can mutually benefit from working together. It is my contention that Antioch Speedway and Petaluma Speedway should do more to work with each other and share cars. We've seen numbers sag in certain divisions between the two venues, and we've also seen that each track has something that can help the other place. I think that aside from gathering with all of the other promoters, Rick needs to sit down with Chad Chadwick and start working out a deal, which I have dubbed a Benicia Bridge Series. 

I'm not signaling anybody out as to why it hasn't happened, but it really hasn't. Frankly, it's happened mostly in the past when John Pershing Soares promoted both tracks in the late 1960s and early 1970s and when the older Soares still had Petaluma and John Michael Soares had Antioch in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These two tracks are in close enough proximity that drivers are more willing to go back and forth. I think the two locations should use that to their advantage, because they are running enough classes that they can do this and still have things to offer the fans. Plus, it will enhance certain divisions on certain nights for either location.

Obviously, Petaluma has serious issues to deal with, and Antioch has the issue of having to fill so many race dates and are struggling at times to do it adequately. All I am suggesting is the two tracks can look at what they have in common and ask each other how they can make it better. They can do this, and the real winner will be the fans and the drivers. Fans will see some visitors coming to their track a little more often, and racers looking for a second option that isn't too far from home will have that option and know that they will get a fair deal.

We're not out of the woods yet. Petaluma Speedway and the fairgrounds itself are still being threatened, but there's hope for the next two years. One of the ways you fight for the cause is by keeping the business going for as long as you are able to. We don't know what will happen in the next two years. If everything just stopped at the track, that's more incentive to get rid of it. If it keeps going, the whole thing can change to a point where the powers that be give up this fight to do anything other than keep the fairgrounds as it's been. This is because they can clearly see that people are happy and there's no reason to take it away from them. Rick Faeth has just made an additional one year commitment to this fight.

We seem to be ahead of the curve here at DCRR Racing Media. I've been monitoring the Midget Racing scene in Northern California for a couple of years and I'm a bit concerned about the future of the BCRA Midgets. It's the oldest continuously active California based racing organization around, but they are a shadow of their former selves. It's interesting that they've added the Lightning Sprint class to their ranks through the years, but the only thing that's been accomplished is dwindling car counts in both groups. 

While I'm still waiting for any significant announcement from the BCRA regarding the future of their Midget division, I've been impressed with what the WMR Midgets have been doing. Mike McCluney definitely did his research before jumping in and starting his effort in California. Mike has been around for a while, and he fielded a car with the Northwest Focus Midgets in the years immediately prior to founding the WMR. He saw what was working and decided that the Ecotec Midget thing would work in California. All he needed was a track to give him that opportunity.

We all know what happened. Ocean Speedway Promoter John Prentice booked this division, and Ventura Raceway Promoter Jim Naylor followed suit. In the last couple of years, we've seen this division grow rapidly, and this included a 20 car field for the most recent Ventura race. Last year, they made their first appearance outside of those two tracks at Petaluma Speedway. They've continued that relationship with Petaluma this year, while also booking some races at Adobe Mountain Speedway in Arizona. I'm not delighted with the inclusion of Arizona so soon in the process, but they did have a 10 car field last weekend.

Prior to the announcement a few weeks ago that the WMR would be making their first visit to Antioch Speedway on Saturday, I was speculating that Mike might try to do this. There is an interest at other Northern California tracks in having Midget racing. If the BCRA can't get the job done, that leaves the WMR. There's so much demand that McCluney could literally book a race every weekend somewhere and have a track willing to have them, but I would advise against that. I still think they should tread lightly here as their roster grows. I agree with adding some additional Saturday night races at other tracks, but they shouldn't go overboard here. 

There is an interest among the racers in getting involved with this deal. You have a Micro Sprint community that is thriving at several venues in California, and not everybody is going to get a ride in a Winged 360 Sprint Car, nor can they afford to field a car themselves. The Ecotec Midgets of the WMR offer a more affordable solution, so some of those drivers might start building cars. We've seen some Micro Sprint drivers run with the WMR since it was founded. In any case, McCluney just made a big announcement as we were going live with our most recent blog post. 

The WMR will continue their relationship with Ocean Speedway and Ventura Raceway, which is something I said they should do. These two tracks got them into the game, so make sure they get what they want first. He announced that they will be booking races at a few other venues next year, including Petaluma, Antioch and Marysville Raceway. No dates were announced, but that's to be expected. They still have a few races left to go before this season is done, and they have to hash out the details during the off-season to come up with a schedule that works best for them. I'm hopeful that Mike is keeping his eyes on the prize here.

My main concern is that this group landed a point fund sponsorship this year from Masters Design And Construction. The championship will be worth $1,000, and I believe the Top 3 drivers will end up with some point fund money. This is all very cool. What isn't cool is the fact that no point listings have been released to the public all year. One of the keys to selling this division to racers and the fans in general is promotion. The cars are already attractive to the racers. Now, you've got to sell that battle that happens on the race track. Who are the stars and why should we care? Point standings help you with that. If they get that ironed out and keep moving in this positive direction, the future looks bright indeed. 

Long time BCRA fans couldn't be blamed if they are nervous right now. What's going on with the Midgets, and are the WMR Midgets going to start taking their spot on the schedule at certain venues? They are only going to get one shot at this. The Midget enthusiasts of the organization need to sit down and figure out how to deal with the car count problem. They need to figure out an intelligent solution to getting drivers to bring their cars out to the track again. The one advantage BCRA has over the WMR is these cars are faster and handle better. However, unless they are fielding a dozen or more cars at any given race, none of that matters.

I admit I'm curious about how many cars the BCRA will bring with their two classes versus what the WMR Midgets bring. Are the BCRA Midgets capable of delivering a double-digit count at Antioch? Absolutely. To me, they need to accomplish that goal to show that there's some life left in the group. It's almost a certainty that the WMR will have 10 cars and who knows how many more beyond that. I'm hoping we're looking at double digits in all three of those classes, because the Spec Sprints should reach that and beyond, meaning Antioch should have a pretty decent open wheel show tonight. When it comes to Midget racing in Northern California, there is absolutely no doubt that the WMR has the momentum.

Another note that came after I wrote the previous Viewpoint column was the schedule adjustment for Saturday's Coos Bay Speedway race. Had I seen it earlier, I would written something. They were going to have an Interstate Sprint Car Series race, which has been the annual Battle At The Bay for the last few seasons. The problem is the ISCS has struggled with car count. ISCS leadership got together with Drake Nelson and mutually agreed that they should cancel their visit. This was coupled with the announcement of no IMCA Modified or IMCA Sport Modified races for this Saturday as well. 

The Sprint Car announcement doesn't surprise me in the least. They have been struggling to deliver 10 cars at their races, so it makes sense to end the season and try again next year. I don't think this was going to be a point race for them anyways. The Modified and Sport Modified announcement isn't a surprise either, but it is disappointing. One racer posted his disapproval of the decision in the comment section of the Facebook announcement, saying that he'll think better of going to Coos Bay if they attempt to do something in the class he's running with in the future. I get the disappointment, but that's a little overboard.

If I had to point a finger of blame, I'd start with IMCA as a sanctioning body. Nelson has made it public that he wanted to be a sanctioned track so that he might offer the drivers an option for a place to go to for State points. Furthermore, there was no indication that he was looking to book either class against Cottage Grove or Southern Oregon Speedway when he has races for them. He simply wanted to know that he could get the cars when he booked the divisions. IMCA in their shortsightedness decided Coos Bay wasn't going to be included, and the drivers just didn't support Nelson.

I'm going to put a little bit of the blame with the drivers themselves. The IMCA Modified racers are one thing, but there's an organization that piggybacks off of IMCA by adding a little something extra to the pot for the drivers. That's the PSM, which represents the Sport Modifieds. They do have a voice, and drivers will frequently offer their opinions on things at the PSM Facebook page. What I am suggesting is these drivers could have written to IMCA in unison to suggest that Coos Bay be welcomed into the sanctioning body for at least some races in the future. They sat on their asses and said nothing.

Nelson could have attempted to keep these two divisions on the schedule this weekend as unsanctioned classes using the IMCA rule set, but he understood he wasn't going to get any support. Willamette Speedway is wrapping up their point season and Southern Oregon Speedway has extra money races for both classes that night. The only choice he had was to drop the classes. Actually, he could have chosen to just cancel the race altogether, which might have been a wiser move. Instead, he's running his regular divisions, with exception of the Super Late Models. The Street Stocks get the headlines status for $500 to win. The Battle At The Bay will be their race. 

I guess I don't blame him for keeping a race on the schedule. If the drag strip doesn't have anything scheduled and the oval track does, you've got to do something if the weather will let you. I was just thinking that with the big Prather family Lucas Oil Open show the following week, maybe it would be better to let the drivers recover and get ready for that race. I think some of these racers in the classes that are being booked might have had plans to go to Willamette Speedway, but we'll see. They'll probably get enough cars to have a decent race.

I've gone back and forth about whether I wanted to do a Saturday afternoon post. I had a few other things that I needed to do around here, and that made it challenging. However, I think Friday had too much important stuff going on to merge everything with the bigger post. I decided to push forward. Everything in this column that's above this paragraph has already been written and gone over, so everything from here on is new stuff I'm writing very early on Saturday morning. 

I actually started working on an Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame column and a special Viewpoint column to talk about the October 9th event. It was going to go in this post, but I decided against it. For one thing, I didn't want to have to spend another hour or so editing this post, and secondly I believe it should stand alone as a special post that I can put up within the next week or so. I want to be brief with my comments on Friday night racing, but first I want to acknowledge something that helped make my day a little bit easier and improved my situation a little bit.

I'm not looking for anything when I say this, but I've been struggling financially while still putting hours of writing every week into these posts. Nobody's obligated to support me, but the fact that I don't get a lot of support is one of the reasons why I'm cutting back on doing these posts after I wrap up the point season stuff. Michael Burch is the biggest reason why you are reading so many articles on this blog this year, because I absolutely wasn't going to do it. He tipped me earlier in the year and just recently, and his recent tip enabled me to do a couple of things to improve my situation here.

My Internet here is so frustrating that I'm dealing with internet shut offs multiple times on any given night. That's very annoying when I'm trying to monitor so many tracks in live time via the scoring apps, and I'm also unable to watch any live streaming and watch the scoring apps at the same time. That has forced me to watch any footage after race day, but I was able to make a couple of purchases with tip money to make things better. Tonight I was able to watch the Flo Racing stream from Ocean Speedway while also watching multiple scoring apps. I wouldn't have Flo Racing right now if not for Merced Speedway Promoter Doug Lockwood sponsoring it for me in August of last year.

I've always been somebody who's made do with less when it comes to my media effort or just living life in general. I will save here and there, but I stress on every purchase when it's bigger than just going to buy food. Do I need it? How much is it going to cost? Is it worth the investment? So, even the purchases I made thanks to Burch were made after a lengthy debate with myself. I'm glad I did what I did, and I want to point something out. When I get support from people via The Tip Jar, which happens rarely these days, that's going towards personal needs and also goes towards things to help the media effort when that's possible. 

I can't see a way in which I'll do big posts with a dozen articles every week if I'm not getting support and I have to put so many hours into it. It's just not feasible. It's a waste of time. I've spent many years of my life doing this, and my personal situation is where it is because of that. I've had good times and I do appreciate the people who have supported me through the years. If not for racing, I don't know where my life would have gone these last six years. I did it to keep a roof over my head, which I still have as of the end of September. I still have to make some very big decisions. 

The audio/video part of the media effort may undergo some changes. If it works the way I'm hoping, we'll be able to do weekly racing coverage that way, and do special feature articles on the blog. I'll also be editing books. If I take a certain offer, which has not really been hashed out, I might get pulled back into the weekly media effort with the project I've been hinting at for the last couple of years. It's going to require a lot of energy that I don't know if I have, but it's a move to be made that could change my location. I don't know what's going on when it comes to this, but the final decision hasn't been made yet. 

One of the purchases I made thanks to Burch will help me with the audio/video effort. I haven't been able to spend a day or two going over things to figure out if what I have in mind will work or not. I'm hopeful that it will. I'm aiming for something that won't take hours and hours to do but will give people enjoyable content. These days, many people don't want to sit down and read as much as I write, but they'll pay attention to audio or video. With audio, you can have it going in the background or even drive down the road and be listening to it. I think I can offer some stuff via that format that you're not seeing when it comes to covering West Coast Racing. You'll hear more on that when I figure it out.

In any case, all four of the tracks I was looking at were having the first night of a two-race weekend. In the case of Ocean Speedway, Marysville Raceway and Plaza Park Raceway, there were over 100 total cars in the pits at all locations. Marysville had the granddaddy of the Dwarf Car Nationals. This is where it started for them. Lemoore had the Mark Hagopian Memorial, which is one of the biggest Micro Sprint races of the year and had a huge purse on the line for Saturday. Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka was wrapping up their point season with the Fall Classic, which is a race that goes back many years. 

Shifting gears back to Ocean Speedway, this was the 11th running of the Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout. There are so many things happening here that it's more than just a race. It's an event. It's a gathering. It's almost becoming a reunion where some people only see each other at this race every year. What the Pettit family is going for is a George Steitz Dirt Track Nationals vibe. It isn't just about the money being offered, although that's nice. I don't even know all of the money that's being paid out. I've seen the purse, but there are other contingencies and incentives being offered that I am unable to mention in articles. I don't know all of that stuff. 

What I do know is they attracted over 40 cars in the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds. The Hobby Stocks even had over 30 cars. This was just Friday night. I think the Hobby Stock point battle is over, but they are still in the IMCA point window. Therefore, I think Friday and maybe even Saturday count towards the sanctioned point race. I'm not 100% clear on that, so I don't want to make a definitive statement. The IMCA Sport Modified title seems to be in the hands of Randy Miller, but there was a nice battle going on between brothers Cody and Austin Burke, Jim Pettit II and JC Elrod.

Something clicked in my mind as I was watching the IMCA Modifieds. Pettit was charging from deep in the pack to finish third. He's had a good season this year, and he commented when Joe Peterson interviewed him how he's had to travel up and down the road to other tracks in order to be competitive with the likes of racers like Bobby Hogge IV, Troy Foulger and Paul Stone. There's truth to that. These guys travel and get better because of it, so you do what they do if you want to win. Here's where it gets interesting with Pettit. 

He's already won the IMCA State championship. It was clinched a few weeks ago. He is the Antioch Speedway and Merced Speedway champion as well. He could win the Ocean Speedway title, although I'm not sure what is counting and what isn't this weekend. What I do know is he could be on the verge of history. Has there ever been a racer to win a division title at those three tracks in the same year, while also winning the State championship? I don't think so. It's interesting that these tracks used to be united under the NASCAR banner. When Antioch rejoined IMCA last year, it united these three tracks under the IMCA banner.

The track was a hammer down deal when it came to the preliminaries. I think one of the reasons it was prepared the way it was had to do with the idea of keeping the track decent on the second night. What people may not understand is the track maintenance people have a lot of work to do on two-race weekends to make something acceptable for the drivers. I think Tom Sagmiller might have had some help on this occasion, although I'm sure it was prepared the way he wanted it. Tom has worked real hard to become one of the best in the game when it comes to this stuff, and Watsonville benefits from him being their guy.

Bobby Hogge IV is already the all-time winner at Antioch Speedway. I want to say he has the same honor at Ocean Speedway, although I haven't seen those totals put out anywhere. As I do have the very nice book put together by Dennis Mattish, I may sit down and try to figure that out at some point. He's won a lot, and he got the job done on Friday. He makes it look easy out there, but it isn't. He is one heck of a driver. He has people like his dad preparing a good car, and in this case Paul Guglielmoni letting him drive one of his vehicles. When it comes to these big special shows, the Hogge family is all business. You know their record when it comes to winning. 

Billy Nelson has won three Hobby Stock championships at the track, so it's no wonder you don't see him running every week. He's already been there and done that. He does come out for the big Hobby Stock races every year, and frequently he's either contending for the victory or winning. He won this time. The IMCA Sport Modified win went to Cale Kanke, who these days is competing with the Southwest Tour, same as his father MK Kanke back in the day. The racing overall was very enjoyable. They ran a rapid program so that everybody could enjoy the post race party. That's the thing about this event. There is some partying going on, starting with the Thursday night car show. 

I like the way Watsonville runs their program. They do want to be done by 10:00 pm, which is the fairgrounds curfew. Usually, they get done between 9:00 and 9:30, which was the case this time. They knew they had a lot of heat races to run, so they got those started and wrapped up. They didn't take a long time between then and the B Mains, where some track grooming was taken care of. Then it was back to business. After the show, they even gave away some bikes to the kids. There was a lot of stuff happening. There wasn't a huge crowd in the stands, but it was respectable enough. Saturday will be better. 

Steven Blakesley handled the announcing duties. I've heard a little bit about the future of that gig. Actually, I've heard some things that were intriguing to me for sure. Maybe I'll comment on that at another time. Stephen handles the NASCAR stuff at Roseville and then the MavTV Series stuff at Madera. Joining him for this one were Antioch announcers Wylie Wade and Joe Peterson. Peterson is the new guy at Antioch, but he's already made many friends. I see a lot of love going his way, and I've been working on giving this guy the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his announcing.

We all start someplace when we pick up the microphone, and we hope to learn from there. Wylie Wade is about where he's going to be. He's an okay guy and does an adequate job. I don't believe announcing is a two person gig, but that's the philosophy that Antioch management has. I'm still iffy when it comes to these two working together, but I want to talk about Joe. He did the post race interviews on the track, and I must say I was impressed. He was on point the whole night. It's no wonder he's starting to get opportunities outside of Antioch. He isn't just looking at this as some cool thing to do, he wants to do it well. He's out there learning.

Hypothetical scenario in which I went through the gates at Antioch Speedway and was announcing again, I think I could work well with Joe. I'm happy to see he's getting the opportunity he is. I'm even happier that he's not getting it merely because he's a cool guy. He's getting these chances because he's pretty good at what he does and getting better. I think his presence in the infield added to the show, although I don't necessarily think the pre-race interviews that Wade was doing were all that necessary. However, that's just my opinion.

Watsonville had a good show, and I do wish I could have been there. I'd like to check out at least one of these Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial races before I stop focusing on the current racing product. Pat and Jim were special to me as I was making my foray into racing media. I dare say they helped point me in the right direction and encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. I do like the hardware they presented the racers after each Main Event. So much thought and planning has gone into this to make it what it is. This is just the opening night, but I want to salute the Pettit family for giving Watsonville what is probably their signature event of the year. 

I like to call the Dwarf Car Nationals the Dwarf Car Jamboree because it is such a party. With over 100 cars across the Pro, Veteran and Sportsman classes, this one could have gone all the way to midnight. They do have a tendency to lose focus, and the Main Events are usually going to take at least 25 or 30 minutes to get done. They kept the show moving, and the only real rough Main Event was the Sportsman class, which got yanked after 15 laps when they had been on the track for around 40 minutes. 

The format they use is tried and true. Everybody knows what they're going to get when they go to a Nationals, and that's one of the reasons they have people from multiple states wanting to be there. This goes double for Marysville, which is the premier Nationals event, but there are many racers who want to make every one of them if it's possible. This is the one that closes out the WSDCA points season, although there are some big events left on the schedule that some of these guys will participate in. 

I liked what I saw from Marysville, but I do generally like these Dwarf Car Nationals. I might be a critic of certain things, but I endorse the continuation of these amazing events. Every one of the four Micro Sprint tracks in California takes their turn at a big show. Plaza Park got this with the Mark Hagopian Memorial. They battled to get everything done with the car count they had, but they didn't drag it on past 11:00 this time. Much like the Pettit race, there are other contingencies and prizes being offered up in addition to the greatly increased Main Event purses for every class. I only took a glimpse at this one as the other races demanded more of my attention and I wanted to unplug for a few minutes after they were done.

Much like Marysville and Watsonville, the race at Redwood Acres Raceway was done before 10:00. This was the championship wrap up for the Mini Stock and Roadrunner classes, and numbers weren't spectacular there. They did get double digits with the Legend Cars and Bombers, which will be maintained on Saturday, I'm sure. The bigger money is being offered for the North State Modifieds and Late Models, so the fans only got to watch those drivers practice on Friday. Still, this took on the air of a big event for the track. It was a well-run show.

I might like to add a couple of observations, but I really need to shut up and edit this article. I'm looking to do an afternoon post on Saturday. I'd like to put it up in the morning, but it won't be ready. I'm not sure if we'll need another Saturday afternoon post after this. We won't need too many of the big ones after this either, but we still have a few more things to write before we're done. 

Thank you once again for reading. On that note, I'm going to wrap this up. Until next time...