Antioch Speedway, Ocean Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Silver Dollar Speedway, Siskiyou Golden Speeedway, More

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Mother's Day Mini Van Race, IMCA Sanctioned Racing On Tap At Antioch Speedway

Three-time IMCA Sport Modified champion Trevor Clymens #2c tops the IMCA Modified rookies this year and is closing in on his first career win in this division. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Antioch, CA...On the heels of the successful visit by the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour, racing resumes at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night. In celebration of Mother's Day, the track is offering the second annual Mother's Day Mini Van race. There is also a full slate of IMCA sanctioned competition, featuring the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars.

With a pair of victories to his credit, Nick DeCarlo leads the IMCA Modified battle by 10 tallies over 2016 champion Bobby Motts Jr and 15 over 2006 champion Kellen Chadwick. One of these drivers could very well win their second championship at the Speedway this year. Motts has finished as high as second this year and is still looking for his first win of the season, while Chadwick is in search of his second victory.

Rookies Trevor Clymens and Terry DeCarlo Jr are in pursuit of Chadwick, trailing by 7 and 9 points, respectfully. Both drivers have won Main Events at the track in the past, though it's been a few years since past Street Stock and Hobby Stock competitor DeCarlo got his win. Clymens has picked up 10 wins in the Hobby Stocks and an additional 26 in the IMCA Sport Modifieds, where he is a three-time champion. He's already led several Modified Main Event laps this year and is coming off of back-to-back Top 5 finishes as he gets closer to the win.

In the Sport Modified division, second-generation racer Andrew Pearce leads the way by four tallies over two-time reigning champion Fred Ryland and 11 over 2017 title winner KC Keller. The last couple of Main Events for this class have been highlighted by very close competition at the front of the pack. 

Three-car battles have left the win in doubt until the checkered flag. 2019 title winner Tommy Fraser snatched what could have been a first career win from Nicholas Zapatero with two laps to go last time out. Keller snatched a win from Jacob Mallet Jr the race before that.

The Antioch drivers are as fast as they come, and Mallet won the recent race at Watsonville last Friday. Mallet is currently third in the points, seven behind Pearce. Consistency has been the key for Pearce, who is still looking his first win of the season. He is getting closer with back-to-back Top 3 finishes in his most recent starts. 

The competition level is so fierce that a good portion of the field can win on any given occasion. Even racers like relative newcomer Dylan Connolly, Tyler Browne and past Super Stock champion Mark Garner are mixing it up at the front of the pack. Garner had his best finish of the season last time out in fourth.

The latest craze in racing at Antioch Speedway is the IMCA Stock Cars. With tracks down in Bakersfield and Hanford having success with this division, Promoter Chad Chadwick felt the time was right to add this division to the roster. There have already been over 30 different cars to compete a year into this division's existence at the track. It's a very competitive field that can be unpredictable. It's highlighted by some fierce, side-by-side racing for several laps and wins being earned by Jason Robles, Troy Foulger and Fred Ryland.

A look at the standings finds reigning champion Travis Dutra leading Robles by six markers and the tied Joe Gallaher by Anthony Giuliani by 10. Dutra has finished as high as second this year as he aims for his first win on Saturday.

The Mother's Day Mini Van race proved to be quite popular last year. Last year found five different drivers competing, and the win went to Kim Solis. The crowd was cheering their approval for the drivers as they ran down the straightaway on each lap, and the unicorn van of Breanna Hammer proved to be very popular.

For Saturday night, the grandstands open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.

For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Monster Trucks Delight The Crowd 

At Antioch Speedway 

 

Rock Star has a great run on Sunday afternoon to wrap up a great weekend for the Monster Trucks. Phptp by Katrina Kniss

Antioch, CA...The Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour is in high demand on the West Coast. On Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, the fans at Antioch Speedway were given an example as to why. From the moment the music plays at the start of the festivities to the final ride alongs for the fans at the conclusion of the program, they were entertained.

Antioch Speedway fans were given an induction to this exciting touring group last September. Promoters Chad and Tina Chadwick were so delighted by the response that they booked them on two weekend occasions this year. This was the first one, and they will be back in town in September. 

They bring two ride along trucks. One is named after one of their star attractions, Identity Theft The Ride. The other is Skeletor. Both proved to be very popular as rides were given prior to the start of the contest, during intermission and then at the conclusion of the show. Everybody who wanted one was able to get a ride and feel what it's like to be in one of these gargantuan machines.

Once Dallas, who expertly announces this program, got the fans on their feet, the five Monster Trucks went off in various directions at the same time to the delight of the crowd. Then, there was the introduction of the competitors on the front straightaway. 

There is the dragon themed Monster Truck called Spitfire. This truck actually shoots fire out it's nose and is piloted expertly by Nick Jones of Chimacum WA. There's also Weekend Warrior, driven by Myles Parker of Colfax, CA, the California Kid, driven by PJ Solorio of Paso Robles, CA and Identity Theft, piloted by Dwight Mathews.

Some will correctly say that they are all the stars, but there is a little more love generated from the fans by Spitfire, Identity Theft and immensely popular Rockstar. Rockstar is a unique truck in that it has two drivers, the husband and wife team of Bill and Lorna Payne of Port Orchard, WA. The duo are also the promoters of the tour itself. 

The fans see a series of competitions, and there are three judges giving them scores. Dallas serves as one of them, there is also another judge in the booth and one on the track itself. The competition ranges from freestyle to time trials to one-on-one racing. Spitfire is known for the fire shooting out of the truck's nose. Identity Theft does an impressive rear wheel stand, and Rockstar takes it up a notch as they stand it on its front wheels. That proves to be very popular with the fans as they roar their approval.

The Jet Car gave quite a performance during both shows. Photo by Katrina Kniss

Dallas will go through the grandstands and find the rowdiest fans. Everybody is up on their feet as he hands out t-shirts throughout the night. He pretty much has the fans in his hands and is an expert in presenting these gargantuan, high flying machines to the public. The fans are into it from the start as they pick their favorite trucks and cheer them on all night.

When it comes to freestyle, they hold nothing back. It takes a steady hand to pilot one of these big machines. One miscalculation, and you land improperly from a jump and risk doing damage. You can end up on your roof. They don't want that to happen as it means one less truck for the rest of the evening. They try to give the fans a little razzle dazzle while also exercising caution when necessary. By the time they get to freestyle, nobody holds anything back. 

The freestyle competition at the end of the night is what closes the competition. Therefore, if you put a little more into a jump at the conclusion of the night and land awkwardly, it's damage that can be repaired for the next night. Every truck seems to take it up a notch. 

Spitfire usually runs third and is raising the bar. Identity Theft takes it up even higher. Rockstar is probably the fan favorite. You see more pink colored "Breast Cancer Awareness" Rockstar shirts among the crowd in the stands. Bill and Lorna give it their all. They proved to be the winners on this occasion, but the real winners were the fans. 

Saturday was the bigger night in terms of attendance. Some would compare the numbers to what was seen on a weekly basis in the grandstands back in the 1980s and before. 

However, even the Sunday afternoon turn out was bigger than what you'd see on an average night. Management is doing things like this to create awareness and get more fans coming out to the show, and things are improving gradually.

While the show went well and the track looks forward to the September 10th and 11th visit, racing will return this Saturday night. On the Coco Farms Antioch Speedway Racing calendar for this Saturday night, we find a Mother's Day Mini Van race, and the other competing divisions will include IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com or go to the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions web page Facebook page.

 

 

CHASE JOHNSON GRABS SECOND 

OCEAN SPRINTS WIN OF 2022

 

Chase Johnson won his second Ocean Sprint Car Main Event at Ocean Speedway. Photo by Top Dawg Photos

By Steven Blakesley - Blakesley Sports Media

WATSONVILLE, CALIF. (April 30, 2022) – After an electrifying first win at Ocean Speedway on April 8, Chase Johnson of Penngrove had a more straightforward path to victory lane on Friday night as he led the final 23-laps for Friday’s Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo victory. Johnson’s win came aboard Sean Quinn’s No. 28 Our Heroes Dreams entry.

When asked how he’s been so good at Ocean this year, Johnson said “I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for that. We even switched over our tire program this week and I felt we were pretty dang good,” Johnson said. “It’s actually three in a row with one win at Tulare and two here – it’s pretty awesome. A big hats off to Sean Quinn and Tyler Silva. It’s just a great team together and I’m lucky to be a part of it. I’m happy to find my home here with them.”

Concord’s Joey Ancona paced Dirt.Travel time trials then won the dash to score the pole for the 22-car, 30-lap feature. Ancona started alongside Johnson and the duo went side-by-side over the first lap and a half before Ancona had solid possession of the lead on lap two.

Lapped traffic reared its ugly head by just the fifth lap. Ancona went high in traffic through turn one on lap seven with Johnson diving low to slide in front of him for the lead. A caution fell on the following lap for Adam Kaeding stopped in turn four.

Steel Powell of Yuba City spun to a stop on the inside of the backstretch for a caution on lap 13 while Keith Day, Jr. of Salinas stopped for a caution on lap 14. Rickey Sanders seized third from Castro Valley’s Jake Andreotti before the caution for Day but kept the position after a split yellow was determined by scoring.

Sanders and Andreotti continued to race hard for third after the restart. Lapped traffic entered the mix again by lap 20 but Johsnon received a reprieve when the caution fell for Mesa, Arizona’s Brandon Sampson slowing in turn one.

Johnson used the open race track ahead of him to fend off a challenge from Ancona through three and four on the restart. Andreotti and Sanders dueled once more before a caution waved on lap 28 for Gauge Garcia of Lemoore stopped in turn two.

Johnson drove away from Ancona over the final two laps for the win followed by Ancona, Andreotti, Sanders, and eighth-starting J.J. Ringo. Sampson struggled with engine issues throughout the night and was awarded the Beer Optics Hard Luck Award.

“I mean it was all driver there. I gave it up in lapped traffic,” Ancona said. “I should have stayed on the bottom longer and made him go around me. Glad to get rid of the bad luck and come home with a finish.”

Perhaps the show of the night came in the Hobby Stock feature where points leader Joe Gallaher earned the win but it came after 20-laps of excitement versus 2020 IMCA Sport Mod champion Adriane Frost of Watsonville.

Watsonville’s Steve Remde led the race after starting second while Gallaher was on the charge from his tenth starting position. Shane Freeman of Prunedale stopped in turn one for a caution on lap three. Frost took advantage on the restart, using the outside to roar into the lead. Gallaher ran down Remde then took over second on lap nine. Norm Ayers of Corralitos stopped in turn four to require a caution a lap later.

Frost held off Gallaher for numerous laps in a crowd-pleasing battle. Gallaher finally grabbed hold of the position in lapped traffic exiting turn four on lap 16. Gallaher won over Frost, Jerry Skelton of Watsonville, Remde, and Santa Cruz’ Brady Muller.

On his father’s birthday and a few days after his own, Jacob Mallet, Jr. won the IMCA Sport Modified main event. The event had a red flag on lap 15, when Mike Kofnovec, Jr. spun in turn three and was hit by Michaela Taylor of Oakley. Taylor was able to emerge from the vehicle after precautionary measures from officials.

Mallett paced the final five laps over Morgan Hill’s Jim DiGiovanni, Max Baggett of Prunedale, Jonathan Hagio of Prunedale, and double-duty racer Adriane Frost.

Salinas’ Bobby Hogge led all 20-laps for the IMCA Modified win. Hogge led multi-time track champion Cody Burke of Salinas at the finish. West Coast Stock Car Hall of Famer Jim Pettit II of Prunedale won a back-and-forth battle with JC Elrod of San Martin for third with Trevor Clymens of Brentwood finishing fifth.

Nicole Beardsley of Felton benefitted from some chaos to win the Four Banger feature. Fourth-starting Troy Moore of Santa Cruz seemed poised to win but surrendered the lead to Scotts Valley’s Ryan McClelland on lap 12. Moore then spun into turn one and was unable to continue.

On the restart, McClelland and Kenny Stragalinos of Boulder Creek battled for the lead. Contact and a spin in turn two for McClelland sparked a chain reaction crash, with heavy impacts for TJ Santos of Gilroy and Nick Scentani of Morgan Hill. When action resumed, Beardsley was placed into the lead which she never surrendered. Tony Gullo of Watsonville, Amaya Flowers of Watsonville, Stragalinos, and Jason Lazzerini of Moss Landing rounded out the top-five.

Ocean Speedway returns Friday May 13 for Modified Madness with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, and Western Midget Racing.

Ocean Sprints Presented by Taco Bravo Feature – April 29, 2022 (30 Laps)
1. 28-Chase Johnson[2]; 2. 88A-Joey Ancona[1]; 3. 7P-Jake Andreotti[4]; 4. 17-Rickey Sanders[3]; 5. 2K-JJ Ringo[8]; 6. 72W-Kurt Nelson[10]; 7. 50-Bryce Eames[5]; 8. 33-Dylan Bloomfield[13]; 9. 61-Travis Labat[15]; 10. 88-Koen Shaw[14]; 11. 12-Steel Powell[11]; 12. 8-Jeremy Chisum[9]; 13. 7H-Jake Haulot[16]; 14. 3M-Adam Kaeding[18]; 15. 72JR-Chris Nelson[6]; 16. 21X-Gauge Garcia[17]; 17. 72S-Bradley Dillard[19]; 18. 4-Tuesday Calderwood[21]; 19. 96S-Brandon Sampson[22]; 20. 22-Keith Day Jr[7]; 21. 25Z-Jason Chisum[20]; 22. 92-Kyler Shaw[12]

Holmwood, Mackey, Hillier, Morgan 

Win At Deming Speedway

Everson, Washington...April 29...Derek Holmwood won the 25 lap Shots 2 Go Espresso 1200 Mini Sprint Main Event Friday night at Deming Speedway. This was Max Higbee Center/Rallye Auto Sales/Best Western Plus night at the races  Dakota Drake led the first three laps before point leader Holmwood went motoring by. Terry Lewis ran third early on ahead of Jared Gunderson. Fourth row starter Steven Hendrickson settled inro fifth on the 10th lap and ran closely behind the third place battle. Gunderson overtook Lewis for third on Lap 16 with Hendrickson getting by Lewis for fourth on the 20th lap. A lap later, Hendrickson put the moves on Gundersen for third. Holmwood build a straightaway lead over Drake that he took to the checkered flag. Hendrickson was a solid third, followed by Gundersen, Jacob Buckenmeyer, Terry Lewis, Tyson Lemley, Tyson Cross, Alex Lewis and Jayden Thomas. 

Drake was the quickest of 16 qualifiers on the 1/6 mile clay oval at 10.668, beating the 10.720 of Holmwood. The eight lap heat race wins went to Terry Lewis and Tyson Lemley.

Colin Mackey won the 25 lap Speed Mart 600 Micro Sprints Main Event. Mackey bolted into the lead at the start ahead of Ryley Mayer and Jesse Schlotfeldt. Mayer was involved in a tangle that also eliminated fourth place Dylan Resch on the 15th lap. Mackey led Schlotfeldt and point leader Levi Kuntz on the restart, and they finished in that order with Jaden Whitney in fourth, followed by Jared Alseth, Spencer Constance, Parker Hadlock, Tank Chorney, Brandon Benson and Macie Logsdon.

Resch was the quickest of 17 qualifiers at 10.653, beating the 10.655 of Mackey and the 10.753 of Mayer. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Kuntz, Logsdon and Mackey.

Levi Hillier won the 25 lap mytrafficman.net Restricted 600 Sprint Main Event. Hillier had a pole position start and bolted into the immediate lead ahead of point leader Carson Guffie and Mallory Fisher. Unfortunately, Guffie and Fisher were involved in a Lap 5 mishap that eliminated Peyton Drake and David Greene. Hillier continued to lead Corbin Ramsey and Ryan Bright on the restart, and they would finish in that order. Grace Matier ended up fourth, followed by Riley Kentch, Guffie, Dean Lehmann, Cruz Kentch, Clayton Jalakas and Ryan Cowden.

Hillier was the quickest of 21 qualifiers at 11.331, beating the 11.460 of Guffie and the 11.494 of Fisher. Hillier, Karma Fagerlie and Avery Askvig picked up eight lap heat race wins. Hunter Cook went flag to flag in winning the 10 lap B Main ahead of Avery Touchette and Cruz Kentch.

McKenna Morgan won the 20 lap Clean Crawls Jr Sprint Car Main Event. She started on the pole and proceeded to lead every lap ahead of Cooper Anderson for the win. James Hayashi was an early third ahead of Colton Knapp, but Sawyer Baxter got past Knapp for fourth on Lap 4. When Hayashi's race came to an end on Lap 7, that moved Baxter into third ahead of Chase Whitney, but Whitney overtook Baxter for third on Lap 15. Sawyer Baxter settled for fourth, followed by Knapp, Oliver Baxter, Kole Campbell, Madi Hoppe, Aiden Stone and Hayden Cook.

Kinley Askvig set the fast time of 14 competitors at 13.438, beating the 13.445 of Anderson. The eight lap heat race wins went to Sawyer Baxter and Hayashi.

Racing resumes next Friday night with the Shots 2 Go Espresso 1200 Mini Sprints, Speed Mart 600 Micro Sprints, mytrafficman.net Restricted 600 Micro Sprints and Clean Crawl Juniors Sprints being joined by the Dwarf Cars on what will be Judd and Black Appliance/Pacific Coast Auto Center night at the races. For further information, go to www.demingspeedway.com.

Scelzi Wins Bill Brownell Memorial 

At Silver Dollar Speedway

Chico, CA...April 29...Dominic Scelzi won the 25 lap Winged 410 Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. This was the annual Bill Brownell Memorial race, and Scelzi led every lap in victory. A win in the four lap Trophy Dash ahead of Willie Croft gave Scelzi the pole position for the Main Event, and he bolted into the lead from the start. Croft was an early second ahead of Corey Day, but Day slipped past Croft for second on Lap 5. Justin Sanders had a back and forth battle with Croft for third before Sanders grabbed the position on the ninth lap. On Lap 16, Sanders put the moves on Day for second, and Day started battling Sean Becker for the third position.  Day held third on Lap 19, but Becker briefly grabbed the position on the 22nd lap. Day regained the spot a lap later. However, Scelzi got the win ahead of Sanders, Day, Ryan Bernal, Becker, Mitchell Faccinto, Max Mittry, Blake Carrick, Bud Kaeding and John Clark.

Sanders was the quickest of 25 competitors at 12.267, beating the 12.295 of Mittry and the 12.304 of Kalib Henry. Eight lap heat race wins went to Croft, Sanders and Scelzi.

Philip Shelby won the 20 lap B Modified Main Event. Shelby is a Modified and Stock Car champion at Marysville Raceway, and he started back in the third row as Antioch star Mark Garner jumped into the early lead ahead Justin Funkhouser. Shelby took second from Funkhouser on Lap 3, only to watch Funkhouser motor by two laps later. Funkhouser saw his run up front end on Lap 6 with Shelby back in the spot. Shelby raced around Garner for the lead on Lap 9 with Garner coming back strong a lap later. However, Shelby regained the lead for good on Lap 11. By then, Keith Foux was in third, and he gained second on Lap 19 as Garner fell back a few positions. Shelby won by a straightaway ahead of Foux with Matt Micheli third, followed by Brian Cooper, Garner, Scott Savell, Paul Stevens, Phil Marino, Shawn Smith and Jimmy Ford. Tyler Rodgers and Micheli picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Zach Lindgren won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. Reigning champion Kyle Allen took the early lead ahead of Brian Cooper and Bill Patterson, but Clinton Earl gained third on Lap 3. Cooper swept past Allen for the lead on Lap 6. On the 17th lap, Cooper and Allen tangled as Lindgren ended up with the lead ahead of Earl. They finished in that order with Allen settling for third, followed by Travis Moore, Maurice Merrill, Patterson, James Wooddell, James West, Trevor Abella and recent Orland winner Shannon Collins. Patterson, Scott Rogers and Lindgren won the eight lap heat races.

Keep up to date with what's happening at the track by going to www.silverdollarspeedway.com.

Trenchard, Peery, Morton Win On Bo Hittson Memorial Night At Siskiyou Golden Speedway

Yreka, CA...April 29...Nick Trenchard won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Siskiyou Golden Speedway. This was the annual Bo Hittson Memorial race, which pays tribute to the former racer and police officer who was killed in the line of duty. It was also the first round of the Nicky Biehn Memorial IMCA Modified series, and past Yreka champion Trenchard collected $1,000 for his winning effort.

Thanks to some great sponsorship, not only was the IMCA Modified series returned to the lineup at the track, but the drivers are racing for some of their biggest purses ever. This resulted in a 19 car field for the Friday night show. Past Yreka and Medford champion Albert Gill took the early lead ahead of Trenchard and James Welshonse. A yellow flag waved for separate spins in Turns 1 and 2, involving James Anderson and Brian Lewis. Trenchard took the lead on the restart with Gill running in second ahead of many-time Medford champion Mark Wauge. A spin in Turn 4 brought out a Lap 5 yellow flag. Trenchard continued to lead the restart with Wauge and reigning Medford champion Zach Fettinger settling into second hand third. Fettinger began pressuring Wauge and made a low pass in Turn 4 on Lap 19 to grab second. A final yellow flag waved moments later. This did nothing to slow Trenchard down. He maintained command on the restart and stretched his advantage to a straightaway over Fettinger in victory. Wauge settled for third, followed by John Gaynor, Gill, Jimmy Lipke, Welshonse, Ray Kniffin Jr, Kyle Casson and Ricky Ashley.

With 19 competitors in action, they still opted to run just two eight lap heat races. Trenchard and Wauge got those wins, and Trenchard wrapped up a clean sweep with his win in the four lap Trophy Dash.

Reigning champion Ryan Peery picked up the win in the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Past champion Ethan Killingsworth brought out a complete restart flag after spinning in Turn 1. He was restored to his front starting position and led the restart over Peery and Trevor Tiffee. A yellow flag waved for a Garrett Hamilton spin in Turn 4. Killingsworth continued to lead Peery and Trevor Points on the restart. During the 10 lap green flag run, Peery suffered front end damage and seemed to be slowing just a little bit, but Killingsworth surprised everybody when he spun exiting Turn 4 on Lap 15 for a yellow flag. This put Peery into the lead on the restart, and he went on to victory from there with Points a solid second. The resurgent Killingsworth made a late move to finish third as Tiffee settled for fourth, followed by Jace Wright, Chad Wormington, Gary Foster, Gabriel Armstrong, Hamilton and Vernon Allen. The eight lap heat race wins went to Peery and Killingsworth

Kalvin Morton won the 25 lap Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Main Event. There was a spirited battle at the front of the pack that went all the way to the end of the race. Devin LaHorgue jumped into the early lead. Northwest Dwarf Car competitor Chris Kress gained the lead on the fourth lap ahead of Outlaw Kart graduate Colby Bergquist. Bergquist made it a good battle at the front of the back pack as Camden Robustelli joined this duel. Bergquist put the moves on Kress to take the lead on Lap 13 with Robustelli following into second. Morton got past Bergquist for the lead on Lap 15 with Robustelli also getting around for second. It was a side-by-side battle for the lead with Robustelli taking the point on Lap 18. However, Morton came back strong a lap later to reclaim the lead and brought it home to a well-earned victory. Camden Robustelli settled for second, followed by Bergquist, Kress, Brenden McMaster, Chad Cardoza, Steve Walker, Trevor Davis, LaHorgue and ageless veteran Fred Hay. 

Robustelli, Morton and Kress picked up eight lap heat race wins. Brock Peters won the four lap A Dash with Morton the four lap B Dash winner.

Racing will resume on May 13th with the IMCA Sport Modifieds back in action along with the Mini Stocks, Sport Compacts and Jefferson State Jalopes. For further information, go to www.siskiyougoldenspeedway.com.

Ringo, Rasmussen, Thompson Score 

Tulare Thunderbowl Victories

Tulare, CA...April 30...JJ Ringo won the 30 lap King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl. Ringo is the nephew of Sprint Car/Super Modified legend Nick Ringo and is a past champion at Ocean Speedway.

Chase Majdic jumped into the early lead ahead of Ringo. Past NARC and King of Thunder champion DJ Netto started back in the sixth row, while rookie Caeden Steele started 18th. Unfortunately for Majdic, his race came to an abrupt end on Lap 22. This put Ringo into the lead over Mitchel Moles. Netto had already worked his way into third and took second from Moles on Lap 26. Steele gained third two laps later. Ringo held a half-straightaway advantage over Netto by the checkered flag with Steele third, followed by Grant Duinkerken, Moles, Michael Pombo, Brandan Warmerdam, Brooklyn Holland, Brody Fuson and Travis Coelho. 

There were 23 competitors, and Colby Thornhill had the fast time of 14.229 on the one-third mile clay oval, beating the 14.263 of Ringo and the 14.458 of Warmerdam. The eight lap race wins went to Majdic, Ringo and Moles. 

Kyle Rasmussen won the 25 lap IMCA Western RaceSaver 305 Sprint Car Main Event. George Tristao Jr set the pace for six laps before Rasmussen found his opening and motored around him for the lead. Ryan DeLisle ran third until Tristao saw his race come to an unfortunate end on Lap 18. At that point, Richard Weddle was third. Rasmussen was off in another time zone as he went on to win by a straightaway ahead of DeLisle. Weddle ended up third, followed by Davey Pombo Jr, Brandon Emmett, Tyler Stidham, Tyler Gray, Phil Heynen, Brad Holbauch and Kevin Barnes Sr.

DeLisle was the quickest of 11 qualifiers at 15.134, beating the 15.215 of Tristao. Rasmussen and Tristao picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Nick Thompson won the 20 lap West Coast Sport Compact Main Event. This was the first win with the series for Thompson. Randy Brown took the early lead ahead of past series champion Dan Myrick. Myrick put the moves on Brown to gain the lead on Lap 10. Thompson ran in third for most of the race, but Myrick broke a rear wheel to end his race on Lap 15. Brown regained the point on the restart ahead of Thompson and Joe Robinson. Thompson began pressuring Brown for the lead before making his winning move on lap 19. Brown had problems on the final lap as Thompson won ahead of Robinson, Jason Cook Sr, Shawn DePriest, Jason Cook Jr, Edwin Marvin, Ethan Griffioen, Patrick Kelley, Roy Atchison III and Helder Santos.

California's premier Mini Stock Tour delivered 19 competitors for the occasion. Gene Glover picked up the S-15 Tee's eight lap heat win. David Wolford Jr took home the TJ.Performance second heat victory and Robinson was the winner of the Handle It Grips third heat.

The West Coast Sport Compacts will be back in actin May 21st at Tulare Thunderbowl. For further information, go to www.wcscracing.com.

Racing resumes on May 13th with the Eighth Annual Peter Murphy Classic, featuring the NARC Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Series and the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Presented by Abreu Vineyards. For further information, go to www.thunderbowlraceway.com, www.narc410.com or www.sprintcarchallengetour.com.

Note that this story was done strictly through Race Monitor statistics and is unofficial as some drivers may not have had transponders

Butcher, Michnowicz, Bower, Morley, May 

Win At Ventura Raceway

Ventura, CA...April 30... Charlie Butcher won the 25 lap VRA Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Ventura Raceway. Once Butcher got into the lead, he set a rapid pace and was a full straightaway ahead of USAC Midget competitor Travis Buckley in the end. Dave Curran was a solid third, followed by Brian Whitley, James Herrera, Jeremy Strout and Elexa Herrera. Butcher also won the 10 lap heat race.

Past champion Bobby Michnowicz won the 25 lap California Lightning Sprint Main Event. Once Michnowicz got the lead, only Jeff Dyer was able to hang with him, but all Dyer could do was settle for second. David Gasper was just over half a straightaway behind the lead duo in third and just ahead of fourth place finisher Cody Nigh. Eric Greco ended up fifth, followed by Trevor Ballou, Gage Cheek, final lead lap finisher Dominic Del Monte, Mark Henry and Jacob Magallanes.

Gasper set the fast time of 12.240, beating the 12.360 of Dyer and the 12.436 of Will Browne. The eight lap heat race wins went to Del Monte and Brett Owens. To keep up with the group, go to www.racecls.com.

Blake Bower returned to action and won the 20 lap WMR Midget Main Event. He is the reigning and series champion as well as the reigning USAC Western States title winner. Bower got the win ahead of Drake Edwards in a close battle. Kyle Hawse ended up third, followed by AJ Hernandez, Nate Wait, Scott Hansen, Kyle Klein, Sage Bordenave, Chloe High and Paul Sanders. Edwards set the fast time of 13.340, beating the 13.616 of Bordenave. The eight lap heat race wins were earned by Edwards and Bordenave.

Chris Meredith won the 20 lap Senior Sprint Main Event. Meredith won by about half a straightaway ahead of Nate Robinson, who had about the same advantage over third place finisher Greg Andrews. Wally Pankratz and Steve Rowe completed the Top 5. Pankratz set the fast time of the 13.187, beating the 13.355 of Meredith. The eight lap heat race win went to Robinson.

Trent Morley collected the win in the 20 lap VRA Dwarf Car Main Event. He won ahead of Tom Morley, who kept it close. Reigning champion Jason Horton ended up third, followed by Jeff Brink, Evan Jonker, John Alonso, Shane Linenberger, Tyler Fulcher, Zack Floyd and Carey Jonker. Brink set the fast time of 14.305, beating the 14.311 of Trent Morley and the 14.370 of Carey Jonker. There were 12 competitors, and the eight lap heat race wins were earned by Horton and Trent Morley.

Samuel May won the NMRA TQ Midget Main Event. He won by a wide margin ahead of Scott Niven, who finished just ahead of David Perry. Kevin Kale and Bruce Hiroshima completed the Top 5. May set the fast time up 14.536 and Hiroshima picked up eight lap heat race honors.

Next Saturday night, the Flat Track Motorcycles are in town for the 6th Annual AJ Herrera Memorial race. The VRA Sprint Cars are back in action on May 14th along with the Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Mod Lites and IMCA Sport Compacts. For further information, go to www.venturaraceway.com. 

Robfogel, Pettit, Weisler, Brown 

Are Petaluma Speedway Winners

Petaluma, CA...April 30...Reigning champion Nick Robfogel won the 25 lap Red Hawk Glass Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. He was elevated to the win after apparent winner Daniel Whitley failed to make minimum weight in the post race weigh in.

Teammates Jacob Tuttle and Whitley shared the front row in the Ted Finkenbinder owned cars. Tuttle jumped into the early lead ahead of Whitley and previous winner Bradley Terrell. Whitley slipped past Tuttle for the lead on Lap 7. Tuttle's good run in second came to an end on lap 18 as he retired. Terrell briefly grabbed second, only to surrender the position to Robfogel on Lap 20. Whitley motored on to the apparent victory ahead of Robfogel. His disqualification gave Robfogel the win ahead of Terrell, Heath Holdsclaw, Marcus Hardina, Zack Albers, David Lindt II, Sparky Howard, George Nielson, Dan Younce and Clint Motta. 

Whitley was the quickest of 16 drivers in qualifying on the 3/8 mile adobe oval at 15.429, beating the 15.840 of Terrell and the 15.890 of Tuttle. The three eight lap heat race winners were Whitley, Terrell and Hardina.

Reigning IMCA Modified State champion Jim Pettit II won the 25 lap Butler Auto Glass IMCA Modified Main Event. Raymond Lindemann led the first five laps, and Pettit moved into second on Lap 3. Three laps later, Pettit put the moves on Lindeman to grab the lead. Jeffrey Faulkner was running third at that point. It was a smoothly run race, and Pettit stretched his advantage to a straightaway ahead of Lindeman in victory. Faulkner was a solid third, followed by reigning track champion Michelle Paul, multi time Petaluma champion Michael Paul Jr, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Trevor Brady, Garrett Brady, Kenneth Robles and Bill Lage.  Lindemann and Faulkner won the eight lap heat races. 

Marty Weisler won the 20 lap Redwood Dwarf Car Main Event. Young Joey Lingron returned to action after a hard crash last year put him on the sidelines. With his pole position start, Lingron charged into the early lead ahead of Weisler and Sean Catucci. Weisler led Catucci past Lindgren on the ninth circuit, and Lingron was out of the event three laps later. This moved reigning track champion Chad Mathias into third. Weisler drove a good race and prevailed at the checkered flag, followed by Catucci, Matthias, past Delta Dwarf Car champion Travis Day, Carroll Mendenhall, past Petaluma champions John Peters and John "Scooter" Gomes, Jimmy Damron, Danny Marsh and Mike Dahle. The eight lap heat race wins went to Day, Catucci, Lingron and Weisler.

Reigning Antioch and Petaluma champion Tom Brown won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Brown had suffered a rare DNF at the previous race after being involved in a crash that left him with front end damage. Brown had a pole position start and the led from the outset. Previous winner Austin Lodin and reigning Super Stock champion Randy Miramontez battled for second with Lodin coming out ahead on that one. Sophie Shelley ended up a solid fourth, followed by Shan Titman, Mike Lodin, Daisy Eszler, Roberta Broze, Benito Gomez and Dana Gardner. Austin Lodin and Miramontez picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Racing resumes this Saturday night with the Red Hawk Glass Wingless Spec Sprints back in action along with the Super Stocks, 600 Micro Sprints and Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.

Day Wins David Turner Memorial Race 

At Silver Dollar Speedway

Chico, CA...April 30...Corey Day won the 35 lap NARC Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. This was the 10th Annual David Tarter Memorial race and the third win for Day in this series.

Day put himself in a good position by winning the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Blake Carrick. With a pole position start, Day bolted into the immediate lead ahead of Landon Brooks and Carrick. Carrick had problems on the seventh lap as Justin Sanders moved around Brooks for second. Brooks regrouped and got back around Sanders for second on Lap 15. Meanwhile, seventh row starter and many-time Chico champion Sean Becker had moved into fourth by the eighth lap. Sanders motored past Brooks one more time on Lap 23 to gain second, and Becker briefly gained third on the 24th lap, only to lose the spot to Dominic Scelzi a lap later. Day won by over a straightaway ahead of Sanders. Scelzi was right behind Sanders in third, followed by Becker, Tanner Carrick, Shane Golobic, Ryan Bernal, Kalib Henry, Blake Carrick and Bud Kaeding. 

There was a solid 28 car turnout for the show, and young Max Mittry set the fast time on the quarter-mile clay oval at 12.525, beating the 12.565 of Sanders and the 12.673 of Willie Croft. They ran four 10 lap heat races with the wins being earned by Golobic, Scelzi, Becker and Ryan Bernal. Mittry had a bad heat race and had to win the 12 lap B Main to make it into the show. He bolted into the lead from the outset ahead of Oregon competitor Garen Linder. Linder surrendered second to Paul McMahon on the fourth lap and lost third to Chase Johnson two laps later. Mittry beat McMahon back to the checkered flag by about half a straightaway with Johnson, Steven Kent and Linder completing the Top 5. The group is coming up on their Pacific Northwest visit, billed as The Fastest Four Days In Racing. To find out more information on scheduling with the group, go to www.narc410.com. 

Phillip Shelby wrapped up a perfect weekend by winning the 20 lap B Modified Main Event. Keith Foux jumped into the early lead ahead of reigning track champion Matt Micheli and Shelby. Shelby took second from Micheli on Lap 3 and slipped past Foux for the lead two laps later. Micheli held third until surrendering the position to Mark Garner on Lap 17. Shelby barely held off Foux for the win. Garner was third, followed by Micheli, Shaun Merritt, Scott Savell, Mike Merritt, Donnie Fortney, Craig Swim and Mike Adams. The eight lap heat race wins went to Micheli and Shelby.

Racing returns on June 3rd and 4th. The Friday portion of the show is the Summer Nationals Winged 360 Sprint Car show with the B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks also competing. The Tyler Wolf Memorial show for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour happens a night later, joined by the BCRA Lightning Sprints. For further information, go to www.silverdollarspeedway.com or www.sprintcarchallengetour.com. 

 

 

Johnson, Hogge, Mallet, Gallaher, Beardsley 

Win At Ocean Speedway

Watsonville, CA...April 29...Chase Johnson won the 30 lap Ocean Sprint Car, presented by Taco Bravo, Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. Joey Ancona took the early lead ahead of Johnson, but Johnson got past Ancona for first on the seventh lap. Jake Andreotti was third from the start. Though Johnson led the rest of the way, Ancona kept it somewhat close in second as Andreotti settled for third, followed by championship contender Rickey Sanders, JJ Ringo, point leader Kurt Nelson, Bryce Eames, Dylan Bloomfield, Travis Labat and Koen Shaw

There were 24 drivers on hand, and Ancona turned the Tom Sagmiller prepared quarter-mile clay oval at 11.275 for fast time, beating the 11.355 of Johnson. The eight lap heat race wins went to Chris Nelson, Andreotti and Eames. Ancona got the pole for the Main Event by winning the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Johnson. Shaw picked up the win in the 12 lap B Main. He led from start to finish. Labat was a race-long second with Adam Kaeding ending up third.

Bobby Hogge IV won the 20 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the second win for the current point leader. Hogge had the pole and bolted into the lead at the start ahead of reigning champion Cody Burke, who ended up over a straightaway behind him by the time the race ended. Jim Pettit II settled for third, followed by JC Elrod, Trevor Clymens, Eric Van Hooser and Matthew Hagio. Hogge picked up the win in the eight lap heat race.

Antioch Speedway regular Jacob Mallet Jr won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. Mallet started on the front row and pursued Max Baggett for two laps before taking over. Baggett surrendered second to Mike Kofnovec Jr on the fourth lap. Past champion Jim DiGiovanni moved into fourth, and Kofnovic saw his run in second end on Lap 14. At this point, DiGiovanni was in second. However, Mallet stretched his advantage to nearly a straightaway over DiGiovanni in victory. Baggett ended up third, followed by Jonathan Hagio, past champion Adriane Frost, Duane Bieser, Billy Robertson, Jason Womack, Charlie Hunter and Justin Parr. Kofnovec and Mallet won their respective eight lap heat races.

Reigning champion Joe Gallaher won his fourth Hobby Stock 20 lap Main Event as he continues to lead in his bid for another division title. He had to work his way forward from the fifth row. Steve Remde took the early lead ahead of Jerry Skelton, but Adriane Frost gained first on the fourth circuit. Remde held second, and Gallaher gained third on Lap 5. Gallaher took second from Remde on the ninth lap. Gallaher put the moves on Frost for the lead on Lap 15 as Skelton continued to run third. Gallaher brought it home to victory ahead of Frost, Skelton, Remde, Brady Muller, Shane Freeman, Wally Kennedy, Dan Fassler, Norman Ayers and TJ Etchison III. Gallaher and Skelton won the eight lap heat races.

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Point leader Nicole Beardsley won the 15 lap Four Banger Main Event. Troy Moore took the early lead ahead of Ryan McClelland and Kenny Strangolinos. Beardsley moved into fourth on Lap 8. Moore had problems on Lap 12 and McClelland gained the lead ahead of Straggolinos and Beardsley. Unfortunately, McClelland saw his race end on Lap 13. Beardsley took the lead at that point, and reigning champion Tony Gullo moved into second on the 14th lap. It was a close battle at the front, but Nicole Beardsley prevailed ahead of Gullo, Amaya Flowers, Strangolinos, Jason Lazzerini, McClelland, TJ Santos, Nick Scentani, Travis Van Gilder and Peter Vannerus. Strangolinos and Charlie Hernandez picked up the eight lap heat race wins.

Racing resumes on May 13th with Modified Madness Night #2, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and WMR Midgets. For further information, go to www.oceanspeedway.com.

 

The Editor's Viewpoint

I'm doing my columns in reverse. I did the Antioch Speedway weekend preview article and a little bit about the Monster Truck show we just had, but my brain has been shut off for most of Tuesday. I guess I just don't want to look at the information and cobble together the review article Steven Blakesley has graciously offered up his Ocean Speedway story again, which is greatly appreciated. I'm thinking that if I do this column first, maybe my brain will get going. I also want to try to be succinct. 

We didn't race at Antioch Speedway. We delivered a very entertaining Monster Truck show, courtesy of the Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour. There is a reason that Bill and Lorna have such a popular tour. They present it in the right way. It's basically competition in the way that WWE is competition. However, it's also very entertaining from start to finish. They know exactly what to do, and they've spent the past few years really fine-tuning this deal. 

For starters, you're only as good as you're presenter. Dallas is a top-notch announcer. He could command a high salary announcing races for any track he wished to be a part of, but he's happy being a part of this traveling show. His job is to keep the crowd entertained all night. He calls the competition, during various breaks he's interacting with the crowd and he's also willing to help the track take care of their sponsors and plug anything that needs to be mentioned.

Bill and Lorna pilot the Rockstar Monster Truck. That is to say, both of them control it at various times. It is one of the most popular trucks in the group and clearly shines brightly when it's out on the track. Likewise, Identity Theft and Spitfire have their selling points. Rockstar does a very impressive front-wheel stand as it moves forward, while Identity Theft does a rear wheel stand. There is also the fan ride along truck with the name Identity Theft The Ride. Spitfire has the cool gimmick of spitting fire out of its nose.

I mentioned ride alongs, and the evening sort of gets kicked off with fans who want to being afforded the opportunity to buy rides on the Identity Theft ride or Skeletor. Many people take advantage of this, and they get another shot during intermission and one more shot after the final competition. From the moment things get going, there's not much down time. It's two solid hours of entertainment. Sometimes they have the dinosaur themed truck that picks up a car, but they also have the jet car that shoots fire out of its rear end and makes quite a scene. 

They have various competitions. The last time I saw these guys in Medford, it seemed like Dallas was making up scores as they went along. However, they had a lady up in the booth writing down scores, and I saw an official down in the infield who may have been offering his input. Dallas would be the other vote. Maybe they're actually voting on this and maybe it's predetermined. I didn't ask, and I really don't want to know. I don't want to take away from the magic. They present it like a competition, and it's plausible. People are entertained, and isn't that the point? 

They'll have competitions like the one-on-one races, time trials, free-style and the trucks making their opening moves. Each thing is scored, but usually you're going to hear that Identity Theft or Rockstar is leading. I think Rockstar might have won both competitions, but that truck didn't disappoint. The fans are clearly cheering for it, and the Rockstar shirts sell very well. That's another thing, they have a very nice souvenir booth. 

When you come through the gates for the Antioch show, the merchandise tent is there to greet you. They have all of these nice looking shirts, hats, flags with the blinking green lights, Monster Truck RC cars and so on. If the fans aren't going there and buying something when they enter the gates, they'll end up with a long line on the way out. The people are so entertained that they want to pick up a piece of memorabilia for the occasion. It's so popular that most of the venues that book these guys are now booking two nights. 

They are in the process of creating another Monster Truck named Sapphire. I don't know if this is going to be a competition truck or a ride truck as I didn't get the details. Then again, they are going to do different things like this to freshen up the show. When they come back to the venue next year, if they can offer the fans something different, they do thit. 

I can see the negative side to just coming back every year and giving the same show over and over again. Though it's a very good one, after a while people might not be so eager to throw their money down. I see no real signs of this show getting stale, and things like putting together a new truck are certainly going to help that. 

The Malicious Monster Truck Insanity team packed the stands on Saturday night, and I'm sure that night paid for the cost of bringing these guys in. I'm not privy to those details, but the numbers seemed very solid. Long lines at the concession stands and all of the things you want to see on a profitable evening. 

Sunday afternoon is a crapshoot, and though they still still had a bigger crowd than would have shown up on a normal night, it wasn't quite half the attendance they had on Saturday night. If they came out ahead on Saturday as I suspect was the case, Sunday was still a gravy afternoon. Hence, this is an important event to put on the Antioch Speedway schedule. The group heads to Marysville this weekend. 

Another thing you do is try to get the people interested in coming back to the races next week. Angela Brown has been an MVP racer, and part of that is because she wants to see if she can do something to help the track. She was the one who organized the autograph session we had the week before, and the numbers were certainly up that night. She made a banner, and she had her car on display along with Laina Bales, Chester Kniss and Roberto Monroy. There were hero cards being offered to the fans, and those cars were right next to them as they were standing in the ticket line. 

It gives the fans something else to see as they're waiting in line, but it also reminds them that we have races out here. For starters, a good portion of the fans that came out here probably were unaware that we do racing on a typical Saturday night. You're not going to get 2,000 fans to come out to the next show, but if you can convince 100-200 of these fans to give the races a shot, your numbers might improve at the next race.

Then, it comes down to offering a good enough show that they want to come back after that. Any opportunity you have to spread the word about racing, you do it. We are now in the process of planning to have the cars on display during the Contra Costa County Fair, which is four days of advertisement opportunity to a crowd who also may not know there's a track here. 

There are several ideas being bounced around and a few things in the works. It's all geared towards boosting the numbers in the grandstands. We're no longer guaranteed four digits in the grandstands at any race. Those days are gone as we compete for the same entertainment dollars that go to movie theaters, restaurants and other things. If we want these fans, we have to give them a reason to come. Some will say that management's decision to book what is on the card this Saturday night was maybe not smart, but I see it differently. I'll explain my position. 

The Central California Clash IMCA Modified, Sport Modified and Stock Car series is going strong as I write this. They're in Hanford, Tulare and Merced this week. They lost Bakersfield due to some issues with scheduling in Bakersfield, and I know people were disappointed about that. 

People are not happy with series Promoter Doug Lockwood for kicking the Bay Area and Northern California tracks to the curb. While I also didn't like it, I understood the business decision. You have to go with what you think is going to get you the cars, but I'm sure they're going to reassess things after this week. 

The numbers dipped hard, and the Bay Area pretty much shrugged their shoulders and ignored this series. Bakersfield doesn't have a date, and there probably weren't as many of their guys as I thought there would be. Hanford and Tulare don't have Modified or Sport Modified divisions, so the roster base was drawing from Bakersfield and Merced for the most part. 

Drivers did come in from elsewhere, but not in big numbers. I think that series organizers were not happy that Antioch Speedway booked the same three divisions for Saturday night opposite a race for the same three classes at Merced, but it's a business decision. 

I think they may have figured the Bay Area drivers would just want to come because it's a week-long series with extra money. I thought the same thing. I also thought maybe management in Antioch was shooting themselves in the foot by trying, especially given the fact that they picked all three divisions and not just one or two. From what I'm seeing from the numbers so far, I think Antioch is pretty much going to get the drivers they would have gotten if this series didn't exist. There may be one or two drivers missing, but I don't think the numbers are going to be too far off the mark. 

Series organizers can't complain about Antioch taking this date, and if anybody does complain, I think they're being unreasonable. The minute they told Antioch and the other tracks that they weren't part of this series, they lost the ability to request that they stay off their date. That's the bottom line. If they're part of your series, they should know better. If they are not, they have a right to book the kinds of things that they think can get people to come watch at their track. To expect them to do otherwise is not reasonable given the fact that you're going to book whatever you want at your track.

Now understand that I support Merced Speedway and I like their schedule. I like the fact that they try to do big things, and I think that's smart booking. Having said that, there comes a point when promoters are going to book what they need to at their own tracks. I think it's reasonable for each track when they sit down to say they have one or maybe even two dates. Please leave those dates alone and try to get your guys to support these dates. 

The real problem is Merced has many special events, and some people are claiming the track is getting greedy in what they book. I see the reason for the complaint, but I disagree. Here's the thing. A promoter has to promote. They have to book the kinds of things that are going to get fans to want to spend money to watch and racers to want to come down and race. 

This means that booking things that are bigger than your average race might actually get you better numbers. If you've got good sponsors, and a hustling promoter will go get those sponsors, you'll probably have big events that people will support. That's smart booking. That's Merced looking out for themselves. Furthermore, Merced management is smart to focus on quality of race versus quantity of total races.

The unfortunate reality is that when you book a Speedweek type series, you're looking to get a car count. The lure is that the racers will take that week off to support the whole series. The idea is that there's enough cars on the overall roster in the state that there should be B Mains for most of the races when it comes to Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. The Stock Cars still have to improve their numbers, although the 20 car field they had in Hanford for the series opener was a record for the track. The ranks are growing. They didn't have a B Main for either class on Monday, and Tuesday there was one scheduled for the Modifieds. 

A promoter has to assess what they booked and figure out what needs to be adjusted or if it's even worth trying. I think this series became the Central California Clash as a way to save a week-long series. Gas is expensive, and it was felt that drivers might not support in the numbers they needed if they were running further up north. Starting at Bakersfield and ending up at Placerville or Chico is a long trip and very demanding on the gas tank given fuel costs. One thing they'll be doing is watching the fuel prices during the off-season to see what might be possible for 2023. 

Ideally, they're going to have Bakersfield and Merced. I'd still debate having Tulare in this thing as I don't know that they need a date, but Hanford is acceptable. I'd throw in Antioch, Watsonville and Petaluma and call it good. The day Placerville gets involved with any IMCA sanctioned division of their own is the day I'd consider them, and Chico might just be a little too far up north. Some could make a case for Stockton, but Stockton doesn't have its own divisions. They do have a promoter who will pay money and honor that even when the car count isn't up.

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I'm not writing any of this to be critical. This is just observational on my part. The promoters are going to do the best they can and then they'll assess what worked and what didn't. They already go up to Reno with the intent to do business with who they want to do business with. Sometimes I think they're paying lip service to each other, but they have no intent to honor it. This isn't geared towards any promoter. Promoters are going to deal with the ones they think are going to put money in their pocket. That's as it's always been. 

One of the reasons promoters were working so well together back in the day is they were all working under a united front. The reason we had the series back in the day where Antioch, Watsonville, Merced and even Petaluma we're working together was because they were under the NASCAR banner of BBA.

Therefore, the head boss expected tracks to stay dark for each other during the season so that a certain track could get the numbers. It worked out beautifully. There were nights at Antioch where they Circle and M cars came to town and there were nights in Merced where the Circle and A cars came. Everybody got a piece of the pie. 

I heard a little interesting tidbit that former BBA honcho Ken Clapp has recently been touting the merits of tracks going back to NASCAR. Well I'll be darned. Ken and I agree on something. I already believe NASCAR has a better incentive for the racers to support them in terms of point fund and prestige. 

Everything I've heard suggests that NASCAR does want to return to its roots, and that might be why Ken is saying what he's reportedly saying.  He may be retired, but he's going to make the pitch for the association he was a part of for many years.

With me it's simple. People can tout the IMCA rules until the cows come home, but I believe promoters who sit down and agree to a set of rules can make anything happen. A sanctioning body also offers good insurance options and a point fund that makes the racers want to go for it. IMCA doesn't have the name NASCAR does, even if they are older as an organization. 

Right now there are better point funds for track championships for the fourth division under the NASCAR banner. In Coos Bay, the champion gets $500 for the Hornets. Tell me what the track champion in the Modifieds gets at many of these IMCA tracks? I rest my case.

Siskiyou Golden Speedway did the Nicky Biehn Memorial race. Nicky was the car owner for Nick Trenchard, who is a past Yreka champion and winner of several big races in the Pacific Northwest. It turns out Nick earned the $1,000 payday, but the bigger story was 19 IMCA Modifieds in Yreka. I know Kevin Barba had to be delighted, even if the fans were a little bit cold by night's end. They were in the 20s in the Dwarf Cars and had a good dozen for the Sport Modifieds, and I'd have to say that was a successful night for Yreka. 

I glanced over at Petaluma, and I haven't written the review yet on them. One thing I did like was they stayed at double digits in all four divisions. The Dwarf Cars had over two dozen, and even the IMCA Modifieds made out with over a dozen. All I'm hearing right now is good racing is taking place at Petaluma, and that has to make the fans happy. Things are on the upturn at Petaluma. I still say when it comes to alliances, Petaluma and Antioch ought to get together and make some real magic happen.

Watsonville is still faced with its challenges. The Sprint Cars are their strong suit. Despite the fact that Chico had a nice Winged 410 Sprint Car program that pulled some 360s out of Watsonville, there were still about two dozen Sprint Cars in Watsonville. The doubts and concerns have to be surrounding the IMCA Modifieds, which still haven't hit double digits for a show this year. I don't know what's going on there. The numbers are doing satisfactory in the Mini Stocks and the Sport Modifieds, so overall the Friday night show was a good one. 

 

I'm still getting information on something that's bothering me concerning Mountain Home Speedway in Idaho. Because I don't have all of the details, I'm going to measure what I say here. What I've heard is that Bob Brown was ousted as the promoter, and I find that disturbing. 

I think the track was originally brought up to me by Mike McCann. Mike is always finding these obscure tracks, and part of it is because he looks at places that aren't being run and assesses what he could do with them. Though he's retired, I suspect Mike will always do that. He has a record for turning tracks around. 

I probably didn't retain much when he told me about the track. There are other tracks he's brought up to me, such as Macomb Speedway in Illinois, that really intrigued me. This one didn't seem like it had much potential, but then I heard Bob Brown was there. Bob's daughter Angela Brown and Chris Long showed up there in October 2020 to help him clean things up and get it ready for racing. Last year, they had four Enduro races that Bob promoted.

This was significant to me for multiple reasons. First of all, it's a challenge to establish a racing program at a place that doesn't have much history to it. They did practices there, but I never heard much about them racing. Therefore, you take those basic bone stock race cars, the ones that don't take a lot of money to build.

They ran four cylinder cars with them, if I'm not mistaken. They had 200 lap Enduros, and what happened is the driver who ran the most laps out of those four races ultimately won the championship. Therefore, they had a champion in 2021.

Bob knew he didn't have a lot to work with, and yet he managed to cobble together some sort of season. He established something that they could build on, and in my estimation he deserved the opportunity to build something. Let's see where he could have taken things for a second season. 

What happens when you start to have success is somebody looks on and thinks they can do better. They take the momentum that you established and act like they did it and go from there.

That's the problem when it comes to working with any city or county on a race track. There's really no loyalty. You can come out there and put all the energy you want into it, but politics are such that somebody can back-door you. 

Suddenly, all the effort that you put into it doesn't mean squat, because they're not looking at it like they might not have had any racing at all if it wasn't for what you did. That's life I guess, but it still sucks.

I'm reluctant to point a finger of blame, and if I do, I want to make sure I have my facts straight. When I drop the hammer on somebody for screwing my friend over, I want to know who it is and be able to back it up if somebody comes asking me. 

At the very least, I will say I think it sucks. Bob deserved the opportunity to see where he could take things in his second year. He's a good man who's always had a history of getting the most out of less as a race car driver. I have much respect for him. That I can say without hesitation.

I probably shouldn't say too much more here, but I am delighted to have finally reached a payout for my blogging effort. There's a long story involved, and you know how I get with long stories. 

In November of 2014, I knew I had hit rock bottom and was in great danger of losing my home of 30 years. I decided I needed to try to do something with racing again. Maybe that could save my home. 

Though I failed to save my home, I still managed to keep a roof over my head. In that sense, did I really fail?

I made two decisions. I noticed that John got Chowchilla Speedway, and my thought was that he seemed to be empire building as he had Antioch Speedway and Merced Speedway. Could he use my services? I decided I would start writing race results articles and covering the modern effort again. 

I decided at that point that I would monetize my blog as well and just see if I could make anything out of it. I had been doing blog monetization on non-racing related stuff. Though I knew the bottom had fallen out on monetization of blogs, I had to try.

Because I thought I might lose everything I had, I also started putting together The Best Of The Blog And Beyond book and then decided I would start editing what became Just A Kid From The Grandstands. 80% of it had been written in 2013, and I added more through the editing process. 

From mid-November to about mid-January, I put two books together, and then we had the New Year's race taking place in Antioch with Chowchilla and Merced races following. The modern coverage began.

I will say that though the blog book is rough around the edges, I'm proud of it. It was meant to be a representation of my writing if I lost everything I had. At least I'd have that book. Just A Kid From The Grandstands is an honest assessment of how I felt about my career covering racing and the experiences I had been through up until the time I walked away in 2003. 

I'm very proud of that book, and I'm also proud of the follow-up book. I just need the time to edit it and smooth out the rough edges. Covering the modern era of racing saps my energy when it comes to doing books, because I'm already giving racing enough attention.

In any case, I realized that it was going to be a serious struggle to make any money from monetization. If not for the tips I've gotten through the years, I wouldn't be getting much of anything from the blog. After a few years, I was looking at about $30, but they make you earn $100 before they give you a payout. 

At that point I was determined that I would earn the money, because Google already got their cut. If I don't do enough to earn a payout, they'll keep what they don't pay me as well. I realized late last year that I was getting very close. I got to within $2, so I felt certain I'd get it this year.

With the blog articles that were posted last week, I reached payout level. I was notified as of Wednesday. They needed my information to get me the money. It becomes official when it gets transferred into my bank, and believe me, I'm excited about that. I worked very hard to earn this money. It's the hardest I've ever worked to generate money from my writing, and I'm pretty sure the money has already been spent.

I want to offer my sincerest thanks to everybody who's read my blog since I started covering weekly racing again in 2015. It's been over 7 seasons of coverage now. I can't believe it has actually been that long, and I was sincerely done with the weekly stuff as of last year. 

If you've read anything here, you generated something for me. Thank you for reading. If you tipped me any money, you have even more of my sincere thanks. Right now, The Tip Jar is broken, and that's why there's a PayPal link instead. I'm hoping to get that fixed soon.

In any case, I don't have a lot more to add to this. I'm not sure how brief I was here, but I am sure I've said enough. Until next time...