Kelly Campanile had
a front row start and bolted into the lead when the green flag waved
ahead of Jimmy Ford. 2019 champion Tommy Fraser moved into second on Lap
3. On a third restart attempt on Lap 9, contact on the backstretch
between Jacob Mallet Jr and Campanile resulted in a tangle between the
two. Ryland took over on the restart. Despite some serious pressure from
Andrew Pearce during the second half of the race, Ryland prevailed in
the end. Pearce settled for second ahead of Chester Kniss, Tom Clymens
Jr and Tyler Browne.
In the IMCA Stock Car
race, Ryland bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Jason Jennings.
Jennings had a side-by-side battle going behind him between Kellen
Chadwick and Anthony Giuliani. Ryland held a half-lap lead by the
seventh circuit. Troy Foulger moved into fourth behind Chadwick and made
it a side by side battle for third. Some close quarters racing on Lap
14 saw Foulger and Chadwick shuffle Jennings back. Even a late yellow
flag wouldn't stop Ryland as he maintained his lead from there to the
impressive win. Foulger finished second ahead of Chadwick, Anthony
Giuliani and Travis Dutra.
Racing will resume
this Saturday night with the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport
Modifieds and Delta Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to
www.antiochspeedway.com.
Antioch Speedway
Unofficial Race Results
IMCA Modifieds
Heat
Winners (8 laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Bobby Hogge IV. Main Event (25
laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Bobby Hogge IV, Troy Foulger, Kellen Chadwick, Jim
Pettit II, Trevor Clymens, Chris Lewis, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Kenneth
Robles, Terry DeCarlo Sr.
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat
Winners (8 laps)-Tommy Fraser, Fred Ryland, Andrew Pearce. Main Event
(21 laps)-Fred Ryland, Andrew Pearce, Chester Kniss, Tommy Clymens Jr,
Tyler Browne, Mark Garner, Jacob Mallet Jr, Shayna Nieman, Jimmy Ford,
Jake Bentancourt.
Hobby Stocks
Heat
Winners (8 laps)-Danny Aves, Les Friend, Larry McKinzie Jr, Misty
Welborn. Main Event (25 laps)-Misty Welborn, Les Friend, Bobby Gallaher,
Jared Baugh, Jewell Crandall, Angela Brown, Jess Paladino, Larry
McKinzie Jr, James Graessle, Colton Haney.
IMCA Stock Cars
Heat
Winners (8 laps)-Jason Robles, Fred Ryland. Main Event (20 laps)-Fred
Ryland, Troy Foulger, Kellen Chadwick, Anthony Giuliani, Travis Dutra,
Jason Jennings, Rob Gallaher, Andrew Pearce, Joe Gallaher, Scott Foster.
Antioch Speedway Prepares For 62nd Season Of Racing
Antioch,
CA...The first race of the 2022 season is about ready to happen at
Antioch Speedway. This year, the track has welcomed Pacific Coast
General Engineering as the title sponsor for all of the action
throughout the season. Chad and Tina Chadwick of PROmotions are
returning for their third season, and they've introduced an exciting
lineup once again.
Since 1990, the IMCA
Modifieds have been a regular part of the program, and this is their
third season with the IMCA sanctioning body. Likewise, the Sport
Modifieds and the Stock Cars are being governed by the oldest
sanctioning body in the United States. This is the 10th Anniversary
season for Sport Modifieds at the track, and they continue to produce
one of the strongest fields. The Stock Cars are in their second season
and already growing by leaps and bounds.
The
popular Hobby Stock division returns for their 26th year at the track,
and the Wingless Spec Sprints are back for their 23rd season. Both
divisions continue to produce solid car counts and frequently needed B
Mains last season. The Dwarf Cars have been a regular feature at the
track since 1998 and are in their third season under the Delta Dwarf Car
Association banner. They also produce strong fields. The Mini Stocks
are in their third season as the entry level class and continue to grow
rapidly.
The track will welcome the Xtreme
Limited Late Model Series on several occasions as the Super Stocks end a
more than 20-year run at the track. Management is also looking to the
Bay Area Hardtops for some appearances. The growing WMR Ecotec Midgets
will visit the track on multiple occasions, and there are special events
lined up throughout the year, which will go through the end of
November. This will include the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour,
which will be booked for the last weekend of April and September 10th
and 11th.
It all gets kicked into high gear on
March 12th with the season opener, which will feature IMCA Modifieds,
IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. The Hobby Stocks
will be replaced by the Delta Dwarf Cars the following week as the fast
little cars kick off their season. On many occasions, you'll see at
least two of the three IMCA sanctioned divisions on the same bill.
Noteworthy
on the schedule will be the Sixth Annual Hetrick Memorial race, which
will include all three IMCA classes and Hobby Stocks. The three
divisions will also have their championship Night on September 17th and
will return for the Bill Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals on
September 29th-October 1st
The first of the
Xtreme Limited Late Model events at Antioch coincides with the opener
for both the Wingless Spec Sprints and Mini Stocks on March 26th. Delta
Dwarf Cars will be a part of that occasion. Late Models return on April
9th, May 28th, June 18th, July 23rd, August 13th and September 24th.
The
Limited Late Models also get to compete on November 25th along with the
Wingless Spec Sprints, 600 Wingless Micros and Mini Stocks. That's the
opening night of the final weekend of the year, and the following
evening will see the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock
Cars on the bill along with Hobby Stocks. On October 8th, it's the
Donna Soares Memorial Hall of Fame event. The Wingless Spec Sprints will
be there along with the Delta Dwarf Cars and the BCRA Lightning
Sprints.
Special events will dot the season. On
April 16th, there will be a special Easter Egg Hunt in the infield for
the kids. WMR Midgets, Wingless Spec Sprints, Delta Dwarf Cars and Mini
Stocks will also share the spotlight on the night's racing card. WMR
Midgets will return for more excitement on June 11th, August 20th and
September 24th. Also noteworthy about the June 11th appearance is the
Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints. The popular Wingless tour will also be
joined by Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.
The
aforementioned Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour has been booked,
and the first dates will either be April 29th and 30th or April 30th and
May 1st. Keep track of the Antioch Speedway Facebook page and website
for specifics. They return on September 10th and 11th.
Mother's
Day on May 9th will see the return of the popular Mini Van race for
mothers. The IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars
will be there as well. A Destruction Derby is being planned for during
the Contra Costa County Fair on May 14th.
The
Delta Dwarf Cars get to shine in the spotlight on July 15th and 16th as
they host the annual Western States Dwarf Car Association Nationals
event on both nights. Hobby Stocks will join the fun on the 15th with
IMCA Stock Cars there a night later. The point window is scheduled to
close on September 24th for Championship Night #2, featuring Wingless
Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Limited Late Models and the WMR Midgets.
However,
racing is far from over at that point. The aforementioned Bill Bower
Memorial race happens at the end of September and early October with the
Donna Soares Memorial/Hall of Fame night happening on October 8th.
October 15th is scheduled to be a 200 lap Enduro, paying $2,000 to win.
Dwarf Car Mania returns on October 22nd. The Delta Dwarf Cars are going
to be joined by the Mini Stocks and the the Bay Area Hardtops.
The
October 22nd date for the Hardtops is the 20th Annual Chet Thomson
Memorial event, which has its roots at Vallejo Speedway in the 1960s.
Chet is a BCRA Hall of Famer and the father of current Hardtop
competitor Tommy Thomson. In addition to the Bay Area drivers, visitors
come from the Sacramento area, and the Merced Sportsman drivers also
like to come to Antioch to have fun. Other Hardtop dates on the schedule
include April 2nd, May 28th and August 20th.
Last
season, the speedway introduced The Hobby Stock Nationals. This event
paid $5,000 to win and attracted over 50 of the best Hobby Stock drivers
in the state. This event is currently being scheduled for October 28th
and 29th with the aforementioned final races of the season taking place
on November 25th and 26th.
Any Saturday night
at Antioch Speedway is a fun occasion to bring the family and be
entertained. This has been a tradition at the fairgrounds going back to
1961. The excitement continues. You want to be there to see all of the
action as the drama unfolds and the championship battles get decided.
To
keep up to date with all of the happenings, go to
www.antiochspeedway.com or follow the speedway at the Antioch Speedway
Facebook page.
potato
If for some reason you can't make it to the track,
www.antiochpeedway.tv will be providing pay-per-view coverage.
61st Season Of Racing At Antioch Speedway
Offered Plenty Of Excitement
2021 IMCA Modified champion Jim Pettit II and wife Veronica collected their championship trophy at the season opener. Photo by DCRR Racing Media
Antioch,
CA....The second season for PROmotions at the helm of Antioch Speedway
and 61st overall saw more opportunities to go racing for the drivers and
a return of the fans. 2020 was one of the most difficult seasons in
racing history, but Promoters Chad and Tina Chadwick managed to make
most of that season happen despite the fact that they couldn't have a
crowd. Very early on in the 2021 season, fans were allowed back into the
grandstands.
The season had over 40 events
from March through the end of November, and that meant sometimes
scrambling to fill spots in the lineup. The track had eight championship
earning divisions and several others that competed at least once
throughout the season. It assured the fans that they would have
something exciting to watch on any given Saturday night.
The
IMCA Modifieds returned for their 32nd season of racing as one of the
headline classes in the lineup. They had some strong moments throughout
the season, but some of the biggest turnouts were provided by the IMCA
Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Wingless Spec Sprints. The track also
hosted several big events, including the hugely successful Malicious
Monster Truck Insanity Tour show, the Hetrick Memorial race, the Bill
Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals, the Hobby Stock Nationals, Donna
Soares Memorial/Hall of Fame night and the Freedom Series races.
A
check of the standings finds that Jim Pettit II was IMCA Modified
champion. Fred Ryland (IMCA Sport Modifieds), Kevin Miraglio (Delta
Dwarf Cars), Larry McKinzie Jr (Hobby Stocks), Jim Freethy (Super
Stocks), Ryon Siverling (Wingless Spec Sprints), Tom Brown (Mini Stocks)
and Travis Dutra (IMCA Stock Cars) were the other champions for the
2021 season.
Because the neighboring Stockton
Dirt Track got the New Year's date, Antioch went ahead and ran on the
second of January. Jim Pettit II picked up the IMCA Modified portion of
the show ahead of Nick DeCarlo and Troy Foulger. The IMCA Sport Modified
win went to Todd Gomez ahead of Trevor Clymens and Guy Ahlwardt. In the
Hobby Stock class, Jason Robles got the win ahead of Tim Elias and
Travis Dutra. The IMCA Stock Cars ran their first point race with Cody
Johnson getting the glory ahead of Joe Gallaher and Michael Shearer.
Jim Pettit II Gets It Done In IMCA Modifieds
Already
in the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame and inducted into the West Coast
Stock Car Hall of Fame during the year, Jim Pettit II has nothing left
to prove. However, he has enjoyed racing IMCA Modifieds at Watsonville
and is a champion there. To improve his game, Pettit decided to take his
car to every event he could, and the result was him winning the
California State championship and the title at Merced Speedway as well
as the Antioch honors. If not for the decision to not count the final
race of the season, Pettit likely would have won the Watsonville title
as well.
In 16 starts, Pettit managed to win
four times and score a division leading 13 Top 5 finishes. Despite that
fact, he still had 2019 track champion Buddy Kniss just 29 points behind
him. Kniss was the only other driver with 16 starts, and nine of those
were Top 5s with one being a victory.
The
battle for the final podium position was close with only 21 points
separating three drivers. 2004 titlist Aaron Crowell managed to garner
the honors with six Top 5 finishes, while 2016 champion Bobby Motts Jr
was six points behind him with three Top 5 finishes. Another past
champion, Kellen Chadwick, was in the hunt until missing some races. He
had 10 Top 5 finishes, including three wins.
Driving
for Bowers Motorsports once again, previous champion Troy Foulger
missed some shows. He was a force when he was there and had eight Top 5
finishes and three of those were wins. He beat two-time champion Carl
Berendsen II, who managed seventh in the standings with three Top 5s.
Matthew Hagio had a pair of wins out of four Top 5 finishes, and Jeff
Browne had one Top 5 finish to hold down ninth in the standings. Nick
DeCarlo had five Top 5 finishes to secure 10th in points.
Bobby
Hogge IV scored three additional feature wins, while Ryan McDaniel and
Terry DeCarlo Sr each had a win to their credit. There were some notable
moments during the season that made winning extra special. The
Speedweek race in early May went to Hogge ahead of eventual Speedweek
champion Ethan Dotson and Troy Morris III. Foulger got the win in the
Hetrick Memorial in late June ahead of Pettit and Chadwick.
With
bigger money on the line in the Bill Bowers Memorial, it was Ryan
McDaniel coming to town to claim the win ahead of Paul Stone and Darrell
Hughes II. Foulger brought the curtain down on the season on
Thanksgiving weekend by winning ahead of Raymond Lindeman and Brent
Curran. Curran, who's made the move up from the Sport Modifieds, came
within a whisker of beating Terry DeCarlo Sr in the previous race, which
proved to be a popular occasion for DeCarlo.
Ryland Back In Charge In Sport Modifieds
The
IMCA Sport Modifieds delivered a solid car count, and needed B Mains
quite often. Because of that, the track would often run them last on the
grid even when the Modifieds were there. Fred Ryland was able to
dethrone champion Trevor Clymens when it was all said and done. Ryland
was also able to recapture his lead as the division's all-time Main
Event winner, and this was his second championship in the division.
Ryland
didn't leave a lot of doubt as he collected 15 Top 5 finishes in his 17
starts, and that included six wins. He beat Trevor Clymens by 34
points. Clymens spent the year traveling up and down the road and won
the IMCA State championship, which has prompted him to take a look at
the IMCA Modified class. Clymens is a three-time champion at Antioch,
and he had nine Top 5 finishes, including one win. 51 points out of the
lead in third was past division champion KC Keller. Keller had 12 Top 5
finishes and four wins, but he only made 14 starts.
Andrew
Pearce was only seven points behind Keller in what turned out to be a
good year for the new driver. He picked up seven Top 5 finishes and one
victory, keeping fifth place driver and past State champion Guy Ahlwardt
at bay. Ahlwardt had seven Top 5 finishes and stayed seven points ahead
of past division runner-up Kevin Brown, who had five Top 5 efforts.
Newcomer
Tyler Browne was seven points behind Kevin Brown in seventh. Much like
eighth place Chuck Golden, Browne had two Top 5 efforts. Past track
champion Tom Fraser ended up ninth with three Top 5s and a win, while
newcomer Emali Van Hoff ended up 10th with two Top 10 finishes.
Other
drivers to write their names in the win column during the season were
Todd Gomez and Kenny Shrader with two each and Jacob Mallet Jr and Tyler
Bannister with one each. Bannister grabbed his win during the Speedweek
series visit in early May. He was chased across the line by Ryland and
Josh Most.
The win at the Hetrick Memorial
race in late June went to Shrader ahead of Ahlwardt and Trevor Clymens.
The Sport Modified portion of the Bill Blowers Memorial race in October
went to Ryland ahead of Pearce and Keller. the curtain was brought down
on the season at the end of November with the win going to Mallet ahead
of Ryland and Gomez.
Dutra First Ever IMCA Stock Car Champion At Antioch
The
track added IMCA Stock Cars to the roster for their first championship
season. At the Bill Bowers Memorial race a year earlier, Troy Foulger
picked up the wins on both nights in what turned out to be an impressive
field of competitors. Foulger has finally joined this class with the
Bowers Motorsports team car.
However, the 2021
season championship honors went to Travis Dutra. The points remained
somewhat close all season between Dutra, Watsonville Hobby Stock
champion Joe Gallaher and two-time Wingless Spec Sprint title winner Dan
Gonderman. Only 23 points separated the three by season's end.
Dutra
scored a division-leading 13 Top 5 finishes out of his 15 starts, and
that included three Main Event triumphs. He beat Gallaher by 19 tallies.
Gallaher was one of two competitors who made 16 starts, and like
third-ranked Gonderman, he had nine Top 5 finishes. Gonderman only
trailed him by three points. 19 points behind Gonderman in fourth was
Jason Robles. Robles looked impressive with 11 Top 5 finishes and three
victories, beating Austin Van Hoff by just four points for the fourth
position. Van Hoff had four Top 5 finishes and one win.
State
champion Renn Bane made the trips from Fresno to compete at Antioch,
and he had one Top 5 finish as he ended up sixth in the standings.
Three-time Watsonville Hobby Stocks champion Rob Gallaher had three wins
out of his seven Top 5 finishes to secure seventh in the standings
ahead of Jay Bryant. Bryant had three Top 5 finishes and beat Kellen
Chadwick by 23 points. Chadwick had four Top 5 finishes. In 10th was
Garrett Corn, who had two Top 5 finishes and one win.
Bakersfield
racers Nick Johnson and Cody Johnson each had two victories with other
wins during the season going to Brock Hamilton, Loren DeArmond, Fred
Ryland and Foulger. Nick Johnson got the win at the Bowers Memorial race
ahead of Rick Diaz and Ryland. In the final race at the end of
November, the win went to Foulger ahead of Ryland and Chadwick.
McKinzie Perseveres For Jay's Mobile Welding Service Hobby Stock Title Win
The closest championship battle of the season was found in the Hobby Stock division, which was sponsored by Jay's Mobile Welding Service for the season. Jeff Bentancourt and Larry McKinzie Jr battled back and forth for the honors. However, Mckinzie prevailed in the end.
Only Mckinzie and Kenneth Robles had 22 starts for the season, and Mckinzie had a division leading 13 Top 5 finishes and three wins. Jeff Bentancourt ended up 40 points behind McKenzie in second with 10 Top 5 finishes and one win. Robles ended up a solid third with 10 Top 5 finishes of his own and three victories. Misty Welborn held fourth by 20 points ahead of Jared Baugh. Welborn had six Top 5 finishes while Baugh had four, including one win.
Michaela Taylor had her first season behind the wheel of the iconic #71a made famous by Debbie Clymens. She ended up sixth in the standings with one Top 5 finish and 11 Top 10s in her 18 starts. Returning Street Stock veteran Charlie Bryant was just six points behind Taylor in seventh with six Top 5 finishes. He tied James Graessle for the position as Graessle had two Top 5s. Past Super Hobby Stock champion Gene Haney finished ninth with three Top 5 finishes, and Gavin Griffiths matched that total as he ended up 10th in the standings.
Modified veteran Brad Coelho returned to his fendered Stock Car roots in big way with six wins in his nine starts. Ken Johns managed to visit the winner's circle on three different occasions. Bakersfield star Dylan Wilson picked up a pair of wins, matching the total of incoming champion James Thomson. Other wins were recorded by DJ Keldsen, Steven Johnson, Joe Gallaher and Jason Robles.
The highlight of the season was the $5,000 to win Hobby Stock Nationals event in October, won by Dylan Wilson ahead of Nick Johnson and Brian Cooper. The Hobby Stocks also got to compete during the Hetrick Memorial race with Kenneth Robles getting the win ahead of Jeff Bentancourt and Brad Coelho. It was Coelho bringing the curtain down with the win in the the final race of the year in November, followed by Misty Welborn and Jared Baugh.
Siverling Uses Consistency To Win Wingless Spec Sprint Championship
The Wingless Spec Sprints entered their 23rd campaign and Ryon Siverling got the opportunity to return to his home track as the rule changes made it possible. Siverling had won a championship at Petaluma previously. The grandson of NCMA driver Burt Siverling, Ryon Siveling won the championship with a consistent performance.
Siverling made 11 starts and picked up eight Top 5 finishes, which led the division. He beat two-time champion Bob Newberry by 52 points. Newberry had five Top 5 efforts and two wins, keeping him six points ahead of Petaluma Modified graduate Tony Bernard, who ended up third with three Top 5 finishes. James East matched Bernard in Top 5 finishes to secure fourth in the standings and missed third by just four tallies. Kevin Box picked up a pair of victories as only Top 5 finishes, giving him fifth in the final rundown.
Ageless veteran Roy Fisher ended up sixth with one Top 5 finish, matching the total of seventh place finisher Jeff Scotto. Steve Maionchi was eighth in the standings with just one Top 10 finish. Ninth went to past Watsonville champion Jimmy Christian, who had four top five finishes and one win. Past Antioch and Petaluma 360 Sprint Car championship Shawn Arriaga ended up 10th with four Top 5 efforts.
Past Petaluma 360 Sprint Car champion Geoff Ensign drove the Ted Finkenbinder car to three wins, and Hunt Wingless Sprint Car champion Shawn Jones had two wins. Incoming champion DJ Johnson and Josh Young each had a win of their own.
Miraglio Claims Second Dwarf Car Championship At Antioch Speedway
Kevin Miraglio returned to the Delta Dwarf Cars and turned in an impressive performance throughout the season. Miraglio had won the championship in 2016 and made this his second title as he fended off two-time division champion Danny Wagner. Wagner played an important role in bringing the Dwarf Cars into the Delta Dwarf Car Association under the bigger WSDCA umbrella a year earlier.
Miraglio, Wagner and Devan Kammermann each had a dozen starts, but Miraglio topped the season with 11 Top 5 finishes and one win. Wagner led the division with six victories out of his nine Top 5 finishes. Kammermann continues to chase his first win but notched five Top 5 efforts to grab a solid hold of third in the final standings.
Dennis Gilcrease had four Top 5 efforts to end up fourth in the standings ahead of Chance Russell by just six tallies. Russell had five Top 5 finishes and beat newcomer Ellie Russo by just two points for fifth. Russo had one Top 5 finish, but that turned out to be a win for her.
2019 Antioch champion Scott Dahlgren and incoming champion Travis Day each had three Top 5 finishes to finish seventh and eighth in the standings, respectively. Jack Haverty ended up ninth ahead of Sean Catucci. Haverty had one Top 5 effort with Catucci getting four of them. Camarillo long tow Tommy Velasquez III, who won the Watsonville South Bay Dwarf Car title, had three wins to his credit, with Nick Velasquez and Shawn Jones each getting one win.
The the fact that the Delta Dwarf Cars are under the WSDCA banner now affords Antioch the opportunity to have and a Dwarf Car Nationals race. This is broken down into Pro, Veteran and Sportsman divisions, the latter of which is for the new drivers. The Nationals also has its own point race. On Main Event night, Petaluma champion Chad Matthias got the Pro win ahead of Darren Brown and Adam Teves. Miraglio got the Veteran win ahead of Eric Weisler and Brian Quilty. Santa Maria long tow Scotty Preast got the win in the Sportsman class ahead of Ellie Russo and Orey Woods. The win on Dwarf Car Mania Main Event night in October went to Nick Velasquez ahead of Dylan Shrum and Travis Dutra.
Brown Adds Antioch Championship To His Credentials
The Mini Stocks were in their second full season of their revival, and car count continued to grow. It his fast Ford Pinto, Tom Brown made it a banner season as he notched the championships at both Antioch and Petaluma, where he is now a two-time champion. However, Brown had to play catch up with Eddie Humphrey III for most of the season before finally prevailing.
Brown led the division with six wins in his eight starts, all of which were Top 5 efforts. Humphrey had no wins but had seven Top 5 finishes in his nine starts. He trailed by 14 points and was two ahead of third ranked Dan Abitz. Abitz had six Top 5 finishes. Dana Gardner was a distant fourth with five Top 5 efforts, and Laina Bales ended up fifth with two Top 5s.
Three-time Merced Speedway champion Chris Corder had one win out of his two starts, beating West Coast Sport Compact competitor Jeff Durant by just four points. Durant also had a win. West Coast Sport Compact competitor Shawn DePriest had one Top 5 finish to end up eighth in the points ahead of the tied Dan Myrick and Gene Glover, who each had a win. Both of those drivers were also part of the West Coast Sport Compact Tour.
The West Coast Sport Compacts competed in The Valley, but they made two trips to the Bay Area. It was Dan Myrick winning the April visit ahead of Chris Corder and Eddie Humphrey III. May 15th race saw 15 competitors with Glover getting the win over Ryan Doglione and West Coast Sport Compact champion Greg Baronian.
Jim Feeethy Brings Curtain Down On Super Stocks Run At Antioch Speedway
Jim Feeethy won what could turn out to be the final Super Stock championship in track history. For Freethy, it was his second title. He picked up five wins out of six Top 5 efforts and was never really threatened by Joey Ridgeway, who had a solid hold on second. Ridgeway had five Top 5 finishes, while third ranked Chad Hammer had three. Hammer held off two-time champion Kimo Oreta by just 20 points for third. Oreta had four Top 5 efforts and one win. Jason Robles was a solid fifth with three Top 5s.
The Tri State Pro Stock Challenge Series paid Antioch a visit in April and delivered the high car count of the season with 16 cars. Richard Brace Jr got the win ahead of Randy Miller and Justin Crockett. It was Jim Freethy getting the win at the Larry Damitz Memorial race in October ahead of Joey Ridgeway and Michael Burch.
In Other Season Highlights
There were several special attractions throughout the course of the season, including the Malicious Monster Truck Tour in September, the Flat Track Motorcycles and the Mother's Day Mini Van race in May, which proved to be very popular. Kim Solis won the Mini Van race ahead of Tracy Paladins and Jen Thomson.
Some of the notable occurrences included a win by BCRA Midgets champion Colby Johnson in their first visit. Unfortunately, the next race they appeared at saw the night ended early after Tyler Slay flipped hard in the WMR Midgets feature and was airlifted from the track. Slay has been on the road to recovery ever since. The BCRA Lightning Sprints race that night went to Hunter Kinney.
The Limited Late Models, using the Placerville Crate Late Model rules, made three late season visits with wins going to Jay Norton, Anthony Slaney and Dan Brown Jr. The division will make several appearances next season as the new Xtreme Limited Late Model Series has been formed. The track also had four 600 Micro Sprint races with the wins going to Jack Clark, Don McLeister and Rob Brown. McLeister won twice.
The Bay Area Hardtops made several appearances during the season. In early June, Doug Braudrick's Junkyard Dog was driven by Joel Hannagan to victory ahead of Jim Perry Jr and Watsonville Sportsman Hall of Famer Jerry Cecil, who is also a Merced Sportsman champion. The Hardtops with their Sportsman visitors also got to compete at the Hetrick Memorial with Hannagan getting the win ahead of Rick Elliott and Ken Retzloff. Scheduling conflicts affected the car count on that occasion.
The July show saw Hannagan winning ahead of Retzloff and Kevin Joaquin, who was subbing for two-time Merced Sportsman champion Mike Friesen. The 19th Annual Chet Thomson Memorial, which has its roots at Vallejo Speedway dating back to the 1960s, went Hannagan with an impressive drive. There were 14 competitors for the October race, and the Sportsman of Dwayne Short finished second ahead of Chet's son Tommy Thomson, Jimmy Perry III and the Sportsman of Rick Elliott.
The track has been trying for the last 2 years to get a Winged 360 Sprint Car effort going, but unfortunately the drivers haven't really gotten on board with it. The wins in the three races held went to Dylan Bloomfield, Brad Bumgarner and Daniel Whitley.
With over 40 races booked for the season, it proved challenging sometimes to fill the roster, but the track managed to consistently deliver an exciting show for the fans as a great season was put into the record books. To keep up to date on what's happening at the track, go to the website at www.antiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.
