DeCarlo, Ryland, Long Kick Of New Year With Antioch Speedway Victories

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DeCarlo, Ryland, Long Kick Of New Year With Antioch Speedway Victories

 

Nick DeCarlo #17 give the thumbs up after his $1000 A Modified victory at Antioch Speedway on Sunday.  Photo By Paul Gould Photography

Antioch, CA...January 1...The celebration of the 20th season of Oval Motorsports promoting Antioch Speedway began with the special New Years Bash Sunday night.  It a special three division All Star Series program.  Two time Petaluma champion Nick DeCarlo earned a $1000 payday with his win in a rough A Modified Main Event.  In the $500 to win B Modified feature, it was 2015 champion Fred Ryland picking up the victory.  Hobby Stock veteran Chris Long had the biggest win of his career with a $400 payday.

The A Modifieds produced an 18 car field for the special show, and they ran  three eight lap heat races.  2016 Late Model champion Richard Papenhausen won the first heat ahead of 2016 A Modified champion Carl Berendsen II.   Driving the old Aaron Crowell car, 2016 Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race winner Randy McDaniel won the second heat ahead of four time champion Troy Foulger.  Nick DeCarlo won the third heat ahead of Al Johnson.  Johnson had bumped up one of his B Modifieds for his division debut.

Papenhausen crashed on the opening lap of the A Modified Main Event to end his race in early disappointment.  McDaniel raced into the early lead.  Many time Petaluma champion Michael Paul Jr. moved up to challenge McDaniel for the lead, but contact sent McDaniel spinning.  Paul joined McDaniel in the back for the restart.  Moments later, McDaniel spun exiting Turn 2, and contact with Jake Dewsbury and Paul sent him rolling.  Foulger now set the pace with DeCarlo in pursuit.  Starting back in 14th, five time champion Scott Busby was on the move to the front.  As Busby moved underneath Johnson for position, there was contact that sent Johnson rolling three times in Turn 2.  He was not injured.  Busby pitted but returned for the restart.  Foulger was black flagged for loose body parts during a caution flag, giving DeCarlo the lead.  DeCarlo led the rest of the way for the big win with Bobby Motts Jr. second ahead of back of the pack starter Anthony Slaney, Foulger and Shawn DeForest.

 2015 IMCA State Champ Fred Ryland #7j picked up here he let off with a $500 win in the B Modified race.  Photo By Paul Gould Photography

The B Modifieds had a 22 car field, and Watsonville visitor Adriane Frost won the first eight lap heat race ahead of Brian Pearce.  Two time Marysville Mini Stock champion Jimmy Ford held off Les Friend to win the second heat, while Stock Car veteran Joel Hannagan won the final heat ahead of two time Limited Late Model champion Ron Brown.  Patti Ryland earned her Main Event starting spot with a B Main victory ahead of Danny Jones and Chuck Golden.

Ford had the front row for the B Modified feature and led a lap before Danny Jones spun onto a tractor tire coming out of Turn 4.  Ford continued to lead with Pearce and Fred Ryland racing into second and third.  Brown spun in Turn 4 for a lap five caution flag, and Pearce led F. Ryland into the top 2 positions on the restart.  Pearce led until about the mid point of the race when F. Ryland raced by.  Moments later, Pearce hit the wall to end his race up front.  Ryland led the restart and went on to victory ahead of Friend, Ford, Watsonville champion Jim DiGiovanni and Hannagan.

Chris Long's #99 $400 Hobby Stock win was the biggest of his career. Photo By Paul Gould Photography.

Danny Jones was back in the Ryan Thomason owned Hobby Stock, but his lead in the first eight lap heat race ended with a black flag as Cameron Swank collected the win.  Chris Long won the second heat ahead of Anthony Vigna.  Long had a front row start for the Main Event and raced into the lead.  A flat tire midway through the race sent Long from the lead and into the pits, but he was able to get it changed before the restart.  Haney led briefly while Long came back through the pack.  By the checkered flag, it was Long in front for the win.  Joe Salvi had his best Antioch finish in second as Swank, Haney and Vigna completed the Top 5.

The 2017 schedule should be released soon and will be available along with other important information at www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results January 1

A Modifieds

Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Randy McDaniel, Richard Papenhausen, Nick DeCarlo.  Main Event (30 Laps)-DeCarlo, Bobby Motts Jr., Anthony Slaney, Troy Foulger, Shawn DeForest, Norm Beck, Michelle Paul, Trent Wentworth, Scott Busby, Jake Dewsbury, Al Johnson, McDaniel, Michael Paul Jr., Carl Berendsen II.

B Modifieds

Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Adriane Frost, Jimmy Ford, Joel Hannagan.  B Main (12 Laps)-Patti Ryland, Danny Jones, Chuck Golden, Mike Smith, Kevin Brown, Bryant, Al Johnson, Todd Gomez.  Main Event (25 Laps)-Fred Ryland, Les Friend, Jimmy Ford, Jim DiGiovanni, Hannagan, Patti Ryland, Dylan Schriner, Trevor Clymens, Danny Jones, Mike Smith, Megan Ponciano, Golden, K. Brown, Ryan Svensson, Brian Pearce, Mark Garner, R. Brown, Bryant.

Hobby Stocks

Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Cameron Swank, Chris Long.  Main Event-Long, Joe Salvi, Cameron Swank, Gene Haney, Anthony Vigna, Danny Jones, Russell Shearer, Chris Bennett, Mark Weigel, Billy Garner.

Merced Speedway Schedule Released

Merced, CA...We had literally hit send with this post when Merced Speedway just released their 2017 season schedule.  We're just going to touch on it here, in lieu of a full detailed report.  In his second year as promoter of the 67 year old racing facility at the Merced County Fairgrounds, Ed Parker has put together an excellent schedule that runs from March through the first week of October.

After back to back playdays to get the cars tuned up on March 11 and 18, the green flag flies over the season on March 25 with the core four divisions on the schedule, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.  The Valley Sportsman division will again make several appearances as it begins it 19th season, and the track has also added the 600cc engine Mini Late Models.  But Sportsmans and Mini Late Models aren't the only classes giving the fans more variety and all of the divisions a chance to get a break here and there.

For starters, Merced Speedway has landed a pair of dates for the IMCA 305 RaceSaver Sprint Cars on April 1 and July 8.  The class is quickly growing into a power house in Hanford and Tulare with 18-20 cars showing up when they are competing there.  Open wheel fans can also take delight in the fact that the over 70 year old BCRA will be in town on multiple occasions.  The BCRA Midgets will race on April 22, while the BCRA Midget Lites make appearances on May 13 and August 12.  There is also an AMA Flat Track Motorcycle event on June 24.

The week before, on June 16-17, there will be a WCDCA Dwarf Car National Event.  Mini Late Models join them on Friday, while Hobby Stocks, Sportsmans and the lone Super 4 appearance will be a part of the Saturday night show.  You want big dates that are part of Merced Speedway tradition?  Parker has again booked some big races.  This starts on April 15 with the core four classes, headlined by a big All Star Modified Series race.

The Ted Stofle Classic is back in May 6 to honor future Hall Of Famer Ted Stofle.  This race will feature IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and a double point Hobby Stock race.  The Timmy Post Memorial Race opens July in a big way on the 1st with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  Legend's Night is back on August 12th with the Sportsman division running for double points.  Legends Of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds, BCRA Midget Lites and Hobby Stocks are also part of the big event.  This follows a dark night on August 5th to allow Merced racers to support the Mike Cecil Memorial Race at Watsonville that night.

Merced Speedway icon Matt Von Hoecke is remembered again with the Matt & Glass Cancer Fund Raiser season finale on September 23rd, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and a double point race Hobby Stocks.  The track goes dark September 30th to support Watsonville's Pat Pettit Memorial Shoot Out, but it comes back one more time on October 7th with the John Fore Jr. Memorial Race for Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  It is an exciting season that offers something for everybody.  For more information, go to www.racemerced.com or go directly to the schedule racemerced.com/2017/01/2017-merced-speedway-schedule/

The Editor's Viewpoint

Even from here, yesterday was a stressful day for me.  Understand that what happens at Antioch Speedway is not my problem.  I've already been told I was not wanted back because I made a move to Oregon to keep a roof over my head.  Moving so far away was never what I wanted, and I don't like being away from my home town area.  I don't much care for the idea of being homeless either, so I am grateful Mike made the offer.  Despite the move, I did what I could to help management out and take care of things there, while doing my thing to help the cause up here too.  No regrets in that, just a little hurt to hear that all the work I put in for free was met with such negativity from management.  I felt it was undeserved.

It's not an easy thing to sit here and watch them hold a race I felt was not a good idea to have in the first place.  I get why it happened.  It was meant to be a big deal.  I had a hunch it was gonna go bad.  Jim Thomson was gracious enough to keep me informed as it happened.  Once that was done and I saw the overwhelming negativity thrown at that race, the officials and management, it bummed me out.  I knew it was coning.  I ended up taking a nap after that and came back later to write an article.  What I heard later was not much better.

I've heard a subject brought up among the bashing that I will address at another time.  For now, its congratulations to Nick DeCarlo, Fred Ryland and Chris Long on their respective wins.  Thank you to all who made the race happen.  I look forward to seeing what scheduling reveals at Antioch, Petaluma, Watsonville, Merced and Chowchilla in the days ahead.

This marks the 20th season at Antioch for John and Donna.  I'm still sentimental about the early years and what we accomplished.  Being sentimental has it's good and bad traits.  One of the good ones is watching Danny Jones in a #66 car with colors reminiscent to the Stock Cars he drove in the 1970's.  I love stuff like that.  There's a reason Chris Long drives a black #99 car.  It's a salute to perhaps Antioch's best ever local Figure 8 racer, "Flyin" Brian Holden.  Plus, Chris picked up another win riding with Uncle Bob.  This is the last Hobby Stock of the late Bob Ackerman.

 Chris Bennett #6 made the first laps of his career in his Bob Hansen Tribute Car.  Photo By Paul Gould Photography.

Then, there's my traveling buddy back in the day, not to mention assistant announcer.  I was thrilled to find out last week that Chris Bennett would be making his racing debut.  I knew he wanted to race, but he's been kicking so much butt in life these days that now he's able to do it.  And, Chris had a sentimental reason for his number and paint job.  It's the same number and colors of past Street Stock State champion Bob "Hurricane" Hansen.  Bob was one of the nicest racers I ever met.  I know Bob was looking down and smiling at Chris.  Now that Chris has raced, he will have to sign his famous Bob Hansen shirt along with all of the other racers.  He is one of them now.  If he ever does the passenger thing, perhaps one day I will get into a race car with him.  Then afterwards, it's In N Out Burgers.

Merced Speedway made news today when Ed Parker announced that he has secured sponsorship for championship rings this season.  More information will come.  Ed has poured his heart into Merced Speedway, he cares and it shows.  He again extended an invitation for me to come to Legend's Night, which I think will be in August again when the schedule is announced.  Yes, if at all possible, I will go.  Antioch and Merced are my two home tracks.

Ed is looking at adding transponders this year.  Not too many tracks have avoided it to this point.  Hayfork, Orland, Antioch and Rocky Hill come to mind.  Perris?  I don't know.  It will be a cold day in hell before John adds it at Antioch, and I support him in this.  It saves the track and racers money.  Racing lived just fine for many years without this stuff.  It was better back then.  But, progress, as they call it, has won out.  Merced will dive in.  I support them in doing this.  It's just that it's not all rosy and perfect as some would have you believe.  Nonetheless, my Race Monitor will be focused on Merced Speedway when I'm in the booth at Southern Oregon Speedway.  I don't need it for here, because I'm perfectly capable of focusing on the track.

Speaking of Medford, a few surprises are in the works.  Race dates will include some different things along with the usual stuff.  The track is brining Rogue Valley Pro Stocks under the local banner.  This means more dates, and it's an attempt to correct a problem caused by old management about 6 years ago at a time when the track went IMCA.  By the way, IMCA will remain for Modifieds and Sport Modifieds.  The three 4 cylinder classes return, along with Late Models, Pennzoil Sprints Cars, SODCA Dwarf Cars and OTRO Hardtops.

The Open Stock experiment of 2016 revealed an interest in Late Models, so this is where the track is headed.  I'm bummed out about Street Stocks, but it turns out there may be some good news ahead.  Four Cylinder classes did well with Super 4's being restarted and Mini Stocks growing.  Hornets need a little help, but they'll all be back.  The Sprint Cars are going in the Limited Sprint direction, but with an eye towards making sure the local 360 guys can support in a fair environment.  Rules aren't out yet.

Here's the thing, we've been fighting a battle to establish this class, and there's a guy out there that has not made it easy on us.  Medford is a beautiful facility, but the program has suffered badly in recent years.  The 360's could have worked with us in establishing the program, but many chose not to because they didn't get everything they wanted.  So, we'd advertise Sprint Cars, 3 or 4 cars show up and fans want to know what the hell happened.  Frankly, they aren't interested in why.  They paid to watch and the cars need to be there.  The few who were there, along with the Limited Sprints, will have an affordable option to keep racing here.  Nobody is being kicked to the curb.

There are some 8-10 cars under the limited package now, many of them young up and coming drivers, and they want to go racing.  We want a Sprint Car program, and we want the fans to see cars when we do it.  Yes, we've already met opposition from the same person who has single handedly taken a giant dump on Oregon Sprint Car racing, but this new effort will succeed in Medford and grow to heights the track never saw for it's regular Sprint Car show of the past 20 years.  It will take time, but we're in this thing to make it better.

The schedule will come out soon, and I will be doing what I can to help make things pop.  Once my computer issues are resolved, I'm jumping in full board.  Every division, every driver matters.  Big track and small track.  My hope is that everybody who can race comes out and races, because the show depends on everybody.  Mike has been hard at work lining everything up, and year #2 of our effort is gonna be a good one.  Next up will be the Awards Banquet on January 14th.

I'm anxious to see what Yreka and Orland have planned for the new season.  I've heard Orland may try Figure 8 racing.  This would be cool.  The sooner dates are announced, the better.  I know there are Bay Area racers who want to run Figure 8's.  Yreka could use a new class or two, but as far as I've heard, it's both IMCA Modified classes, including the annual special races, and McDonald's Mini Stocks.  We'll see.  Orland is, or was, the last California track with its own Mini Truck class, along with Mini Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Micros.  Well, they aren't alone now.

I saw Placeville last season came down with a case of Divisionitis as they added IMCA Sport Mods.  They have a successful 360 Sprint Car show along with Pure Stocks and a growing Limited Late Model division.  Let's not forget the traveling classes.  Well, they are adding Mini Trucks.  Yeah, you heard right, Mini Trucks.  Fun class, if you can get the count.  But, Scott Russell had a major ace up his sleeve this off season.

Russell, got leaders from Stockton, Calistoga, Antioch and Reno-Fernley, along with great sponsorship from Abreu Vineyards and Elk Grove Ford, and the 12 race Winged 360 Sprint Car Challenge Series was born.  This was a direct shot at the established Civil War Series, currently promoted by Prentice Motorsports.  Prentice has announced two of his four series schedules so far, but the surprise was the Civil War.  Chico, Marysville, Tulare and Watsonville are on this 11 race schedule, but Petaluma reportedly pulled out on the day it was announced.  This has prompted more speculation, but the bottom line is the war is on over the Winged 360 class.  It gets more interesting from here.

Prentice announced a name change for his All Star Modified Series as an olive branch to work with John M. Soares at Antioch Speedway.   This could have led to a Modified date and was reportedly setting up Antioch to have a King Of The West and Civil War race.  However, Soares received an offer for two dates for the new Sprint Car Challenge.  Soares had been pushing for a series between Placerville, Stockton and Antioch just prior to Allan Handy's decision to retire from Placerville Speedway and sell to Russell.  So, the offer to join the new kid on the block was too good to pass up.

Prentice was understandably disappointed and went back to the All Star Series name.  The Modified series is not hurting for dates as there are 12 races between nine tracks.  Joining the two event tracks of Chico, Watsonville and Petaluma are Tulare, Merced, Hanford, Bakersfield, Marysville and Calistoga.  Actually, this schedule looks strong, and several top teams are already prepared to support it.

Getting back to the Sprint Cars, the answer to the question of whether there are enough drivers to support both series is yes.  Average car count just between Placerville, Petaluma, Watsonville and Marysville is about 80 cars.  The real moment of truth comes when race dates happen and we see where the cars are.

There's been some question about Petaluma.  I'm a bit surprised by the lack of a Civil War race.  I thought the track would be a part of all four Prentice promoted series and this alliance was strong.  I don't think this hurts Petaluma, because they have a great sponsor in PitStopUSA.com.  They will be fine.  But, it does surprise me that the Civil War won't be paying the three-eighth mile adobe oval a visit or two.  This would be the perfect time for something to develop between Petaluma and Antioch, though I'm not holding my breath.  My guess is Rick Faeth made this move because he's happy with what he has in house.  All will be revealed soon with the schedule.

Not to be forgotten in the mix is the new West Coast Sport Mod Tour.  Initially, there was word that the Pacific Sport Mod Series might expand to include a South Division in California.  But, Jerry Bartlett and the Cooper Racing Team rallied the troops to start a nine race series.  Last year, there were hints that this division could eventually be included along with the All Star Series as a suport class, but Cooper and Bartlett took the initiative.  The result was two races each at Chico, Marysville and Merced and a date each at Stockton, Petaluma and Calistoga.  It's not a heavy schedule, and they don't book on top of any of the supporting tracks.  This should be a very competitive series.

California Pro Stock fans will note the Nevada Pro Stocks are booked for two dates at Quincy's American Valley Speedway this season.  The bigger news is the Nevada group has scheduled the Gordon Russell Sr. Memorial Race for Pro Stocks at Cedarville Speedway on June 24th in a show that should be supported by the Oregon Outlaw Pro Stock group.  The Oregon club has dates booked in Yreka this year, including the Billy Geyer Memorial Race.  Pro Stocks will also continue at Hayfork Speedway, along with Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Enduros.  Pro Stock star Josh Smith was making practice laps at Marysville Sunday in a Hobby Stock car he purchase from the Kasper Racing Team.

The NCMA has been racing on pavement for the last decade as the Spec Sprint group has dates confirmed at Madera and Stockton for their 30th season.  Word is that Roseville is up for bid with Tony Noceti of Stockton's race tracks the leading bidder.  There are NCMA alumni pushing for a return to dirt, though leadership will only consider that as part of a discussion for next year.  However, Alan Clark has hinted that he is close to releasing a schedule for a new dirt track effort.  Roy Greer has indicated that there are at least a half dozen guys in the group looking for dirt dates.

The time is now for such a movement, and though it would make sense for the NCMA to restablish a dirt presence given the state of the division, they are more concerned with attracting dirt drivers to the pavement.  There were rumblings not too long ago about Sacramento Raceway and a Spec Sprint group, Orland has several parked racers waiting for races and now Chowchilla Speedway is back in the game.  In fact, Spec Sprints have already been mentioned as part of the track's revival under promoters Joe Diaz Jr. and Kris Koontz.  There should be more news on this front in the days ahead.
On a final note, Lemoore Speedway caught my eye with the announcement that they were working on a six race Mini Stock series.  They even have video footage of a couple of cars practicing there.  It will be the Central Valley Mini Stocks, and I love the idea.  Back in the day, Stockton Delta and Chico Cycleland Speedway had Mini Stocks.  Ryan McDaniel got his start at the little track near Chico in a Mini Stock.  Dixon Speedway has dabbled with this class as well.  I still haven't given up on the dream of a Hornet race at the Outlaw Kart track in Medford.  It will be interesting to see what happens at Lemoore.

There's more, but that's all for now...  The Editor

Antioch Speedway New Years Bash And 2016 Season Review

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Antioch Speedway 57th Season Opener 
Set For New Year's Day

Antioch, CA...The final checkered flag for the 2016 season flew in late October, but the 2017 season is set to kick off this Sunday at Antioch Speedway with the New Years Bash.  It is the 57th season opener for the three-eighth mile clay oval. It was 56 years ago when the $99 Claimer Cars first roared around the speedway.  John P. Soares opened the gates that season, and Jimmy Stewart won his first of two consecutive championships.

The elder Soares promoted the track as part of the Barkhimer family of speedways for 20 seasons before retiring from NASCAR at the end of the 1980 season.  Fast forward to 1998 when his son, John M. Soares, took the reigns of the Speedway and brought the track under his family's All Pro Series (now All Star Series) banner. During the first three seasons of John & Donna Soares, the track car count soared to record levels not seen before or since.

Fast forward again to this Sunday, the younger Soares is now matching his father with his 20th season as promoter of Contra Coast County's longest running speedway (The track basically picked up where Contra Costa Speedway left off when the Pacheco race tack closed in 1960).  Counting the Pacheco track, which opened in 1946, Contra Costa County has an impressive 70 year streak of racing.

Matching and then exceeding his legendary father's run may have been a goal for Soares, but the bigger goal is providing a first class venue for fans and racers to enjoy during the spring and summer months.  To that end, John has spent the off season keeping up to date on racing trends at various promoter's meetings, while also hosting the 19th Annual Oval Motorsports Antioch Speedway Awards Banquet and making sure the track is in shape for the big January 1st race.

Two years ago, Antioch Speedway hosted the first race of the season on January 1st, and it was only due to a few complications that arose that it didn't happen in 2016.  For this Sunday's big show, the All Star Series bannered event will feature A Modifieds headlining the action along with the B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. A Modified drivers will battle for $1000 to win, the B Modifieds will compete for $500 to win and the Hobby Stocks will race for a $400 first prize.

The buzz in the area has generally been positive as drivers get ready to go racing.  Four time A Modified champion "Tricky" Troy Foulger is ready to go as he pilots the always competitive Bowers Racing Modified.  Troy won the track's two biggest races in 2015, including January 2nd.  Two time defending champion Carl Berendsen II is another A Modified driver confirmed for the show.  Top 5 ranked Trent Wentworth has also confirmed that he will be racing.

A few B Modified drivers have already confirmed that they are planning to be there, and this includes reigning champion Trevor Clymens and 2015 Antioch and IMCA State champion Fred Ryland.  Joining Fred will be his wife Patti Ryland, who topped the 2015 rookie list.  Two time Limited Late Model champion Ron Brown confirmed that his team will be there with two cars, and word is that Marysvile ace Jerry Bartlett will be there as well.  Sacramento area racer Les Friend will be making his B Mod debut.  Also confirmed are back to back Top 3 Limited Late Model racer Mark Garner and cousin Jimmy Ford, who has racked up some impressive credentials himself, most recently in B Modifieds.

Hobby Stocks are also scheduled to compete in this well rounded three division show.  While competitors anxiously await the 2017 schedule, word is that the All Star Series roster of divisions will also include Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars.  In the meantime, the first race takes place this Sunday with A Modifieds, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  Look for official news and press releases and further race day information at www.antiochspeedway.com.

The 56th Season Of Racing Was An Exciting One At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway held it's 56th consecutive season of racing with a packed program that featured the track's eight All Star Series divisions as well as two visiting classes.  This was also the 19th season for the track under the promotion of John & Donna Soares of Oval Motorsports.  There was plenty of excitement on tap throughout the season that ran from March through October.  Among the stories for the season were the eight championships that were won by Billy Aton (Winged 360 Sprint Car), Richard Papenhausen (DIRTcar Late Model), Carl Berendsen II (A Modified), Jim Perry Jr. (Wingless Spec Sprint) Trevor Clymens (B Modified), Larry Damitz (Limited Late Model), Guy Ahlwardt (Hobby Stock) and Kevin Miraglio (Dwarf Car).  In this article, we'll take a glimpse at some of the past season's excitement.

The third straight year of championship racing for the Winged 360 Sprint Car division gave management reason to be optimistic going into the fourth season. Though progress in building up a local base of cars was slow, car count was generally ten or more cars per race.  There were ten different winners in 14 races. The only repeat winners were title contenders Billy Aton and Art McCarthy.

Aton and McCarthy were the only drivers to compete in every event, but McCarthy surrendered the point lead during the season when he failed to start the Main Event one night.  Despite that, McCarthy put the pressure on Aton with his three wins and a second and third place finish heading into the finale. Another third in the finale was not good enough for McCarthy to gain the lead as Aton won for the third time of the season that night go with a division leading four seconds and two thirds.  Aton is also a past Winless Spec Sprint champion.

With a nice purse being offered for each race, Antioch Speedway attracted many young up and coming drivers, and Kaleb Montgomery, Brayden McMahan, Riley Matson, Seth Nunes, Koen Shaw and Colby Johnson were among the winners. For McMahan, Montgomery and Johnson, it was their first wins.  Sprint Car veteran Bobby McMahan and Matt Barber also wrote their names onto the winner's list.

Despite a pair of flips causing him to miss a few races, Dan Gonderman used four Top 5 finishes to earn a career best third place point effort. Open Wheel veteran Burt Foland Jr. had a third place finish and three fourths to finish fourth in the standings ahead of 2015 champion Shawn Arriaga.  Arriaga had a second and third out of four Top 5's, enabling him to overtake Barber for fifth.  Notable second place finishes were earned by past Marysville champion Brent Dothage (twice) and Giovanni Scelzi, Jarrett Soares, Logan Seavy, Matt DiMartini, Roberto Kirby and Kenny Allen. Marissa Polizzi had a third place finish, and "Rookie Of The Year" Jenna Frazier had two fifths.

The UMP DIRTcar Late Models were back for their third straight championship points season, and the battle between reigning champion Jeff Decker and Richard Papenhausen continued.  Car count took a hit as a few drivers dropped out.  One race was canceled to allow for the drivers to attend the wedding of one of the competitors, David Newquist.  With the two October races being added, there were a total of ten races.

It turned out that the last two races made the difference.  At that point, it was close between Papenhausen and Decker, but Decker missed the first October race to concede the championship to Papenhausen.  Make no mistake, Papenhausen was the class of the field with three wins and four seconds.  Decker notched two wins, one second and three thirds in his runnerup season. Papenhausen's second Antioch title in three seasons was coupled with his DIRTcar West Region championship.

Two of the biggest supporters of the 2016 effort, Dennis Souza and Mike Hynes, battled for third in the standings.  Souza used two thirds and a fifth place finish to claim the spot, while Hynes settled for fourth and top rookie honors with two fifths.  With a win and three seconds, Troy Foulger moved past one time winner Andy Obertello on the final night to notch fifth in the final standings.

Two other Late Model heavy hitters to visit the speedway were Bobby Hogge IV and Clay Daly.  Hogge grabbed two wins, while Daly had a victory in his lone appearance.  Notable season best finishes included one second for Terry Kuntz and one third for both Newquist and Shawn DeForest.  Chester Kniss had a fourth and his first Late Model heat win before missing the last few races following a rollover.

The longest running division currently at Antioch Speedway is the A Modified division which just completed its 27th season.  Even after dropping IMCA sanctioning, the 17 race season was supported about as well as it had been the year before.  The season was marked by the fact that there were nine straight different winners before Brian Cass became the first of only three repeat winners.

The championship battle was close early on, but the fourth event saw many of the front runners skip Antioch for a bigger paying event.  This opened the door for division original and five time champion Scott Busby to battle Carl Berendsen II for the championship.  Two years earlier, Berendsen won the championship without winning a Main Event.  When Busby had motor problems, Berendsen pulled further ahead.

However, Berendsen was in danger of winning another championship without winning a race.  With four races remaining, Carl had one second and three thirds and had also rolled his car.  However, he came through with his first win that night and went on to his second track championship.  Busby, meanwhile inched closer to the track's all time win record.  He already leads all Modified drivers in the win category.  The 2016 runnerup notched three more wins one second and two thirds.

Busby showed he still has it as he beat NASCAR veteran Ken Shrader for one win and made a thrilling late pass on Randy McDaniel to win the John Soares Sr. Memorial Race.  McDaniel, however, won the $2500 Jerry Hetrick Memorial race after lapped traffic took Bobby Hogge IV out of the lead.  The $1000 season opener went to Aaron Crowell, who also had two late season seconds.

Back near the top of the standings were "Rookie Of The Year" Bobby Montalvo, Sean O'Gara and the much improved Trent Wentworth.  Montalvo won a heat race this season and used a fifth in the finale to secure third in the standings ahead of O'Gara.  O'Gara had a season high second out of three Top 5's. Wentworth was actually in the championship hunt before missing races. Wentworth had four thirds out of nine Top 5 finishes.

There was a long win list with only Busby and hard charger Brian Cass collecting three wins.  Frustration with his car settling for four second place finishes heading into late September prompted Bill Bowers to call his car a second place car.  His driver, Troy Foulger, responded by winning two of the last three races to bump him up to sixth in the final standings.

Other drivers on the win list included first time winner Josh Combs, Petaluma champion Oreste Gonella, Bobby Hogge IV, Darrell Hughes II, Jeff Decker and Duane Cleveland. Other noteworthy finishes include second place finishes for Kellen Chadwick, Nick Viscusi III, Ken Schrader, Cody Burke and Anthony Slaney.  Nick DeCarlo and Michelle Paul each had season high third place finishes.

The Wingless Spec Sprints competed in their 18th season at the speedway.  Car count rebounded a bit more from the season before, when it took a hit after rule changes were announced a little over a month before the season.  The division's all time win leader, Jim Perry Jr., came out of retirement to make a run at the championship, and he was challenged by second year competitor Marcus Smith.

Smith was driving for Richard Basden, which enabled him to put two time champion Dan Gonderman in the car he had been preparing for himself.  The battle was close heading into September, but it had a major shakeup when Smith blew a motor in the Basden car.  "Rookie Of The Year" Adam Teves was driving the the Smith owned car, but he stepped aside after his first heat race win to allow Smith to earn a second in the Main Event that night.  Unfortunately, track rules dictated that he not earn points since he did not run a qualifying heat race in that car.

Perry's numbers were impressive as he collected four wins and six thirds during the 13 race season.  Perry joined Gonderman, Billy Macedo and Darrell Hanestad as a two time champion.  Despite a late threat from Roy Fisher, Smith used his three wins, two seconds and three thirds to secure his second straight runnerup season.  Fisher had one win, one second and a third to take third from Rick Panfili.  Panfili enjoyed two career bests seconds, but he struggled during the late part of the season.

Gonderman was a two time Main Event winner as Jeremy Newberry, Jason McIntosh and newcomer Boy Moniz also won Main Events.  Shannon Newton doubled up with two seconds and two thirds.  Other notable finishes included two seconds for jimmy Perry III and one second each for Alan Miranda and Barry Pries Jr. 

The newest division on the Speedway roster, the B Modifieds, was also the hardest worked division.  Management made a double announcement that IMCA sanctioning would be dropped and the B Modifieds would run a marathon 23 race schedule.  Car count was expected to take a big hit, but thanks to several division newcomers, the average remained at around ten cars per race.

Reigning champion Fred Ryland took his efforts elsewhere for most of the season, though he won five times at Antioch.  The door was opened wide for 2015 runnerup Al Johnson to stake his claim on the championship after closest rival Trevor Clymens missed a race.  However, Clymens decided he wanted to win this championship and steadily erased the Johnson lead.

Despite Johnson winning his first race at the end of September and two races being added in October, Clymens would prevail.  Trevor led the division with seven wins, five seconds and two thirds.  In addition to his first career win, Johnson maintained runnerup status with four seconds and five thirds.  "Rookie Of The Year" Shane DeVolder led the pack with six second place finishes to go with his one win as he ranked third ahead of two time Main Event winner K.C. Keller and two time Main Event runnerup Danny Jones.

Also on the winner's list with two victories each were Modified veteran Aaron Crowell and Anthony Giuliani.  Nick DeCarlo, Phillip Shelby and Brian Pearce each had one feature win.  Other season best efforts included Patti Ryland and Joel Hannagan with one second each and one third each for brothers Ron and Kevin Brown, Alan Faruta, Paul Stone and Jim Waller.

The spiritual successor of the Late Model division that ended in 1993, the Limited Late Models ran their 17th season.  Car count still struggled as the lowest at the tack for the 15 race season, but the championship battle remained close for most of the season between 87 year old Larry Damitz, third generation racer Mark Garner and three time Hobby Stock champion Kimo Oreta.

Damitz was a model of consistency, while Garner and Oreta had their ups and downs.  With six wins, five seconds and one third, Damitz came home with his fifth championship in the last six seasons.  Garner was still fighting to hold onto second with five wins, one second and four thirds.  However, "Rookie Of The Year" Oreta used his first career win in the finale, along with two seconds and sixth thirds, to hold off Garner in a close second place point battle.

Two time champion Mike Gustafson remains the division's all time win leader. He added two more wins and three seconds to hold off past champion Lori Brown for fourth in the final rundown.  Brown had one second and three thirds. Past champion Jim Feethy also had a win.  Other notable finishes included career best seconds for Ryan Cherezian and Jeff Kendrick and a second for Petaluma champion Steve Studebaker. 

The second longest tenured division, the Hobby Stocks, completed their 22nd season.  Though their schedule wasn't quite as busy as a year earlier, they still had a busy 19 race schedule to make them the second most booked division at the track in 2016.  A few races into the season saw a battle up front materialize between rookie Guy Ahlwardt and Danny Jones.  Ahlwardt lost the lead when he was disqualified after a win in post race tech.  He nonetheless battled back and gained the lead when Jones was disqualified after a controversial post race tech decision.  Car owner Ryan Thomason elected to park the car at that point, conceding the championship to Ahlwardt.

Make no mistake, Ahlwardt was fast all season long as he had a division leading six wins and six seconds on his way to the championship and "Rookie Of The Year" honors.  Jones racked up four wins, two seconds and a third, but his late season departure dropped him out of the Top 5 in the standings.  Rookie Lindsey Buirch had a perfect attendance, and her season high third out of four Top 5's gained her second ahead of the rapidly closing Jordan Swank.  Swank had a terrible start, but he did earn a second and two third place finishes.  His brother in law, Michael Cooper, very well could have contended for the championship, but work forced him to miss some races.  However, he scored a popular first career win along with three seconds.

Past champion Chris Sorensen wasn't even planning to run full time, but he still managed to make a late move into fourth in the final standings ahead of Cooper.  Chris got one win along with three seconds and third thirds.  The steady Frank Furtado used his first career win and a second to move into sixth in points.  Other wins were recorded by Chris Long, Fred Ryland and two time winners Melissa Myers and Kimo Oreta.  Tony Jennings Sr. had a season best second as several drivers took the wheel of the #42 car during the season.  Rob Waldrop earned four season best third place finishes, while Cameron Swank had two.  Chris Brown, Calvin Louis Jr, and Anthony Vigna also had season high third place finishes  Vigna was on his way to victory when he blew a motor in a spectacular ball of fire, handing the win that night to Furtado.

The Dwarf Car division competed in their 19th championship season at the speedway.  The roster saw several changes as drivers raced elsewhere and new drivers stepped up.  The 13 race season included two controversial add ons that went head to head with WCDCA National and Regional events.  In the first instance, point leader Kevin Miraglio and third ranked Tim Reeder had already committed to run the big Medford Nationals event.  When the next add on bucked the Petaluma Regionals, title contender Mike Corsaro joined Miraglio in skipping Antioch for the bigger race.

Corsaso had a strong start with his one win on opening day.  However, Miraglio caught fire as the season wore on.  With two wins, a division leading five seconds and two thirds, Miraglio went on to a well earned championship.  Corsaro used his win, three seconds and two thirds to secure a career best second place ranking.  "Rookie Of The Year" Buddy Kniss had a third place finish and continued to get better throughout the season in a third place point earning effort.  Second generation racer David Michael Rosa and Reeder also had a third place finish each to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the point race.

Reigning champion David Teves opted for a successful SBDCA championship run, but he made occasional visits to Antioch and won twice.  Past Watsonville champion Mark Biscardi also notched two victories, while Jenna Frazier, Thomas Leiby, Buddy Olschowka, Josh Wiesz, David Rosa and Josh Miller each had one win.  Other season best performances included two seconds for Chuck Conover and one each for Travis Hensley and William Belfield.  Chuck Weir and Joey Dale each had one third.

The track also had four Hardtop races.  With Larry Damitz winning the first race in what some would deem a Modified Hardtop, both he and Jason Clifford were acknowledged as winners.  Dave Mackey picked up two wins in his Dudley Racing tribute car, while Jason Armstrong won the Chet Thomson Memorial Race ahead of Ken Retzloff and Dennis Armstrong.  J. Clifford ran second ahead of father Ken Clifford in Mackey's second win, while early leader Rob Waldrop finished second ahead of Ron Ruiz in Mackey's first win.  With Waldrop gone, car owner Bill McLaughlin had Retzloff take his first laps in what was the fourth event of the season  However, the Mackey car was the only other car there.

The BCRA Midget Lites again made two appearances with champion Criag Dillard winning ahead of second ranked Scott Males one night and Kyle Offill on the other night.

Antioch Speedway
All Star Series Points

Winged 360 Sprints
Billy Aton 698
Art McCarthy 683
Dan Gonderman 430
Burt Foland Jr. 390
Shawn Arriaga 283
Matt Barber 220
Marissa Polizi 206
Jenna Frazer 203
Matt DeMartini 202
Rick Brophy 174

DIRTcar Late Model
Richard Papenhausen 512
Jeff Decker 440
Dennis Souza 368
Mike Hynes 305
Troy Foulger 262
Andy Obertello 244
Rob Norris 242
Chester Kniss 182
Shawn DeForest 174
Terry Kuntz 170

A Modifieds
Carl Berendsen II 696
Scott Busby 604
Sean O'Gara 586
Bobby Montalvo 576
Trent Wentworth 514
Troy Foulger 489
Aaron Crowell 374
Norman Boeck 330
Brian Cass 306
Anthony Slaney 326

Wingless Spec Sprint
Jim Perry Jr. 624
Marcus Smith 554
Roy Fisher 548
Rick Panfili 534
Brandon Burd 468
Shannon Newton 354
Dan Gonderman 290
Jack Clark 286
Adam Teves 251
James East 244

B Modifieds
Trevor Clymens 1088
Al Johnson 1058
Shane DeVolder 874
K.C. Keller 712
Danny Jones 636
Chuck Golden 445
Randy Brown 442
Brian Pearce 388
Kevin Brown 327
Anthony Giuliani 321

Limited Late Model
Larry Damitz 776
Kimo Oreta 736
Mark Garner 722
Mike Gustafson 574
Lori Brown 505
John Evans 418
Jim Freethy 320
Billy Garner 204
Jeff Kendrick 132
Ryan Cherezian 99

Hobby Stock
Guy Ahlwardt 890
Lindsey Buirch 724
Jordan Swank 700
Chris Sorensen  679
Michael Cooper 672
Frank Furtado 607
Danny Jones 537
Anthony Vigna 490
Cameron Swank 456
Rob Waldrop 406

Dwarf Car
Kevin Miraglio 580
Mike Corsaro 508
Buddy Kniss 472
David Michael Rosa 434
Tim Reeder 412
David Rosa Sr. 408
Charlie Correia 398
Timmy Ryan 298
Josh Miller 288
Robert Coe 261

Antioch Speedway Top Five Feature Finishers At A Glance

Winged 360 Sprint Cars

1  Art McCarthy, Jarrett Soares, Billy Aton, Chris Magoon, Dan Gonderman.
2  Billy Aton, Giovanni Scelzi, Koen Shaw, Arriaga, Art McCarthy.
3  Koen Shaw, Logan Seavey, Colby Wiesz, Shawn Arriaga, Billy Aton.
4  Bobby McMahan, Art McCarthy, Adam McCarthy, Matt Barber, Jenna Frazier.
5  Kaleb Montgomery, Matt DeMartini, Giovanni Scelzi, Burt Foland Jr., Matt Barber.
6  Brayden McMahan, Billy Aton, Geoff Ensign, Burt Foland Jr., Dalton Hill.
7  Art McCarthy, Billy Aton, Marissa Polizzi, Shawn Arriaga, Dan Gonderman.
8  Seth Nunes, Roberto Kirby, Billy Aton, Dan Gonderman, McCarthy.
9  Art McCarthy, Billy Aton, Jake Haulot, Marissa Polizzi, Dan Gonderman.
10 Riley Matson, Brent Dothage, Art McCarthy, Jake Haulot, Marissa Polizzi.
11 Billy Aton, Shawn Arriaga, Burt Foland Jr., Art McCarthy, Dan Gonderman
12 Matt Barber, Kenny Allen, Shawn Arriaga, Brent Dothage, Shawn Conde.
13 Colby Johnson, Billy Aton, Cody Hodgson, Art McCarthy, Jenna Frazier.
14 Billy Aton, Brent Dothage, Art McCarthy, Burt Foland Jr., Ryan Timmons.

Late Models

1  Bobby Hogge IV, Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, Dave Newquist, Willy McMillen.
2  Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, David Newquist, Chester Kniss, Dennis Souza.
3  Clay Daly, Troy Foulger, Bobby Hogge IV, Andy Obertello, Jeff Decker.
4  Jeff Decker, Richard Papenhausen, Dennis Souza, Rob Norris, Mike Hynes.
5  Bobby Hogge IV, Richard Papenhausen, Andy Obertello, Paul Guglielmoni, Bill Egleston.
6  Andy Obertello, Troy Foulger, Jeff Decker, Richard Papenhausen, Rob Norris.
7  Richard Papenhausen, Andy Obertello, Jeff Decker, Paul Guglielmoni, Mike Hynes.
8  Jeff Decker, Troy Foulger, Shawn DeForest, Andy Obertello, Terry Kuntz.
9  Richard Papenhausen, Terry Kuntz, Dennis Souza, Danny Malfati, Shawn DeForest.
10 Troy Foulger, Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, Shawn DeForest, Michael Paul Jr.

A Modifieds

1  Aaron Crowell, Kellen Chadwick, Carl Berendsen II, Josh Combs, Chester Kniss.
2  Bobby Hogge IV, Troy Foulger, Nick DeCarlo, Aaron Crowell, Raymond Lindeman.
3  Josh Combs, Troy Foulger, Bobby Hogge IV, Chadwick, Aaron Crowell.
4  Jeff Decker, Scott Busby, Trent Wentworth, Carl Berendsen II, Norm Boeck.
5  Oreste Gonella, Nick Viscusi III, Trent Wentworth, Anthony Slaney, Carl Berendsen II.
6  Darrell Hughes II, Troy Foulger, Trent Wentworth, Raymond Lindeman, Brian Cass.
7  Scott Busby, Ken Schrader, Carl Berendsen II, Trent Wentworth, Michael Paul Jr.
8  Randy McDaniel, Cody Burke, Darrell Hughes II, Ryan McDaniel, Troy Foulger.
9  Brian Cass, Carl Berendsen II Josh Combs, Sean O'Gara, Norm Boeck.
10 Brian Cass, Troy Foulger, Aaron Crowell, Chester Kniss, Trent Wentworth.
11 Scott Busby, Nick Viscusi III, Trent Wentworth, Norm Boeck, Sean O'Gara.
12 Duane Cleveland, Sean O'Gara, Scott Busby, Trent Wentworth, Carl Berendsen II.
13 Brian Cass, Aaron Crowell, Carl Berendsen II, Trent Wentworth, Scott Busby.
14 Carl Berendsen II, Duane Cleveland, Troy Foulger, Nick DeCarlo, Trent Wentworth.
15 Troy Foulger, Aaron Crowell, Scott Busby, Nick DeCarlo, Josh Combs.
16 Scott Busby, Randy McDaniel,  Brian Cass, Michael Paul Jr, Bobby Motts Jr.
17 Troy Foulger, Anthony Slaney, Michelle Paul, Chester Kniss, Bobby Montalvo.

B Modifieds

1  Fred Ryland, Trevor Clymens, Patti Ryland, Brian Pearce, K.C. Keller.
2  Anthony Giuliani, Al Johnson, Brian Pearce, Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder.
3  Fred Ryland, Patti Ryland, K.C. Keller, Brian Pearce, Paul Mulder.
4  Anthony Giuliani, Shane DeVolder, Al Johnson, Ron Brown, Lonnie Leonard.
5  Trevor Clymens, Al Johnson, Ron Brown, Shane DeVolder, Danny Jones.
6  Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, Lloyd Cline, K.C. Keller, Danny Jones.
7  Fred Ryland, Al Johnson, Danny Jones, Lloyd Cline, K.C. Keller.
8  Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, Al Johnson, Danny Jones, Walter Harper.
9  K.C. Keller, Jim DiGiovani, Trevor Clymens, Al Johnson, Shane DeVolder.
10 Aaron Crowell, Trevor Clymens, Al Johnson, Joel Hannagan, Lloyd Cline.
11 Aaron Crowell, Joel Hannagan, Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, K.C. Keller.
12 K.C. Keller, Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, Igor Grandzuk, Al Johnson.
13 Trevor Clymens, Anthony Giuliani, Shane DeVolder, Joel Hannagan, Al Johnson.
14 Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, Brian Pearce, Danny Jones, Al Johnson.
15 Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, Alan Faruta, Al Johnson, K.C. Keller.
16 Shane DeVolder, Danny Jones, Brian Pearce, Trevor Clymens, Al Johnson.
17 Trevor Clymens, Danny Jones, Al Johnson, K.C. Keller, Chuck Golden.
18 Phillip Shelby, Trevor Clymens, Al Johnson, Shane DeVolder, Kevin Brown.
19 Brian Pearce, Shane DeVolder, Anthony Giuliani, Al Johnson, Kevin Brown.
20 Nick DeCarlo, Trevor Clymens, Phillip Shelby, K.C. Keller, Ron Brown.
21 Al Johnson, K.C.  Keller, Kevin Brown, Megan Ponciano, Chuck Golden
22 Fred Ryland, Brian Pearce, Paul Stone, Patti Ryland, Mitch Enos.
23 Fred Ryland, Al Johnson, Jim Waller, Mike Merritt, Trent Wentworth.

Wingless Spec Sprints

1  Dan Gonderman, Rick Panfili, Jim Perry Jr., Brandon Burd.
2  Marcus Smith, Alan Miranda, Jim Perry Jr., Rick Panfili, Roy Fisher.
3  Jim Perry Jr., Jimmy Perry III, Roy Fisher, Kyle Bakkie, James East.
4  Jason McIntosh, Shannon Newton, Jim Perry Jr., Jimmy Perry III, James East.
5  Jim Perry Jr., Barry Pries Jr., Marcus Smith, Alan Miranda, Brandon Burd.
6  Jeremy Newberry, Rick Panfili, Marcus Smith, Brandon Burd, James East.
7  Roy Fisher, Dan Gonderman, Marcus Smith, Steven Grier, Adam Teves.
8  Marcus Smith, Dan Gonderman, Roy Fisher, Jim Perry Jr., Bandon Burd.
9  Dan Gonderman, Marcus Smith, Jim Perry Jr., Brandon Burd, Jeremy Newberry.
10 Marcus Smith, Jimmy Perry III, Perry Jr., Brian Grier, Rick Panfili.
11 Jim Perry Jr., Marcus Smith, Shannon Newton, Roy Fisher, Brandon Burd.
12 Jim Perry Jr., Roy Fisher, Shannon Newton, Marcus Smith, Peter Carlotto.
13 Boy Moniz, Shannon Newton, Jim Perry Jr., Brandon Burd, Roy Fisher.

Limited Late Models

1  Larry Damitz, Lori Brown, Kimo Oreta, Jim Freethy, Mark Garner.
2  Mike Gustafson, Kimo Oreta, Mark Garner, Larry Damitz, John Evans.
3  Jim Freethy, Larry Damitz, Mark Garner, John Evans, Kimo Oreta.
4  Mark Garner, Larry Damitz, Kimo Oreta, Jim Freethy, John Evans.
5  Mark Garner, Steve Studebaker, Lori Brown, Kimo Oreta, John Evans.
6  Larry Damitz, Mike Gustafson, Jim Freethy, Lori Brown, Kimo Oreta.
7  Larry Damitz, Mike Gustafson, Kimo Oreta, Lori Brown, Jim Freethy.
8  Mark Garner, Larry Damitz, Kimo Oreta, John Evans, Mike Gustafson.
9  Larry Damitz, Mark Garner, Kimo Oreta, John Evans, Billy Garner.
10 Mike Gustafson, Larry Damitz, Kimo Orta, Jeff Kendrick, John Evans.
11 Mark Garner, Larry Damitz, Lori Brown, Kimo Oreta, Paul Hanley.
12 Larry Damitz, Jeff Kendrick, Mike Gustafson, Lori Brown, Oreta.
13 Mark Garner, Ryan Cherezian, Larry Damitz, Kimo Oreta, Mike Gustafson.
14 Larry Damitz, Kimo Oreta, Mark Garner, Mike Gustafson, Jay Bryant.
15 Kimo Oreta, Mike Gustafson, Lori Brown, Larry Damitz, Jim Freethy.

Hobby Stocks

1  Danny Jones, Michael Cooper, Jordan Swank, Guy Ahlwardt, Chris Sorenson.
2  Guy Ahlwardt, Michael Cooper, Danny Jones, Calvin Louis Jr., Cameron Swank.
3  Chris Long, Chris Sorensen, Calvin Louis Jr., Natalie Perry, Russell Shearer.
4  Melissa Myers, Guy Ahlwardt, Rob Waldrop, Cameron Swank, Natalie Perry.
5  Kimo Oreta, Guy Ahlwardt, Cameron Swank, Chris Sorensen, Natalie Perry.
6  Guy Ahlwardt, Danny Jones, Rob Waldrop, Michael Cooper, Robert Niven.
7  Chris Sorensen, Tony Jennings Sr., Chris Brown, Micheal Cooper, Danny Jones.
8  Guy Ahlwardt, Danny Jones, Chris Sorensen, Rob Waldrop, Jordan Swank.
9  Danny Jones, Guy Ahlwardt, Rob Waldrop, Chris Sorensen, Michael Cooper.
10 Danny Jones, Chris Long, Chris Sorensen, Gene Haney, Rob Waldrop.
11 Michael Cooper, Jordan Swank, Anthony Vigna, Lindsey Buirch, Danny Jones.
12 Danny Jones, Guy Ahlwardt, Rob Waldrop, Calvin Louis Jr., Micheal Cooper.
13 Guy Ahlwardt, Michael Cooper, Frank Furtado, Syd Smith, Jordan Swank.
14 Frank Furtado, Cameron Swank, Guy Ahlwardt, Lindsey Buirch, Chris Sorensen.
15 Fred Ryland, Guy Ahlwardt, Lindsey Buirch, Syd Smyth, Frank Furtado.
16 Guy Ahlwardt, Frank Furtado, Chris Sorensen, Lindsey Buirch, Jordan Swank.
17 Melissa Myers, Chris Sorensen, Chris Long, Frank Furtado, Rob Waldrop.
18 Kimo Oreta, Guy Ahlwardt, Melissa Myers, Bob Brown, Fred Ryland.
19 Guy Ahlwardt, Chris Sorensen, Cameron Swank, Michael Cooper, Jordan Swank.

Dwarf Cars

1  Mike Corsaro, Kevin Miraglio, Josh Miller, Miranda Chappa, Brian Gray.
2  David Teves, Mike Corsaro, Kevin Miraglio, Jack Haverty, Josh Miller.
3  Mark Biscardi, Travis Hensley, Kevin Miraglio, Brain Gray, Wade Humphrey.
4  Mark Biscardi, Kevin Miraglio, Tim Reeder, Chuck Weir, Mike Corsaro.
5  Thomas Leiby, Kevin Miraglio, Chuck Weir, Danny Wagner, Mike Corsaro.
6  Kevin Miraglio, Mike Corsaro, Josh Miller, David Rosa, Tim Reeder.
7  David Teves, Kevin Miraglio, Joey Dale, Frazier, Toby Brown.
8  Kevin Miraglio, Mike Corsaro, David Rosa, Joey Dale, David Michael Rosa.
9  Jenna Frazier, David Rosa, Buddy Kniss, Mike Corsaro, David Michael Rosa.
10 Buddy Olschowka, Chuck Connover, Mike Corsaro, David Rosa, Kevin Miraglio.
11 David Rosa, William Belfield, David Michael Rosa, Tim Reeder, Timmy Ryan.
12 Josh Miller, Chuck Connover, Kevin Miraglio, Preston Humphrey, Buddy Kniss.
13 Ben Wiesz, Kevin Miraglio, Mike Corsaro, Josh Miller, Preston Humphrey.

Hardtops

Larry Damitz, Jason Clifford, Dennis Armstrong, Dan Williams, John Phibert.
Dave Mackey, Rob Waldrop, Ron Ruiz, Ken Clifford, Jason Clifford.
Dave Mackey, Jason Clifford, Ken Clifford, Steve Cloyes, Rob Waldrop.
Jason Armstrong, Ken Retzloff, Dennis Armstrong, Dan Williams, Jason Clifford.

BCRA Midget Lites

Craig Dillard, Scott Males, Dakota Albright, Roy Moody.
Craig Dillard, Kyle Offill, Scott Males, Roy Moody, Dave Dufa.

Foulger A Double Winner At Antioch, McDaniel Wins At Marysville

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Foulger A Double Winner In 

Antioch Speedway Season Finale

Antioch, CA...October 22...Troy Foulger wrapped up an impressive double win night with his 20 lap DIRTcar Late Model feature win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway.  Driving the Bowers Racing Late Model, Foulger won his heat race and raced into the early Main Event lead.  Heat winner Rob Norris and Petaluma Modified star Michael Paul Jr. were in the hunt early.  With six laps remaining, however, Norris got into the front wall and rolled in front of the flag stand.  New track champion Richard Papenhausen took up the chase of Foulger, but Foulger stayed smooth and collected the victory.  Jeff Decker finished third ahead of Shawn DeForest and Paul.

The four time A Modified champion Foulger wasn't done there.  He drove the Bowers Racing Modified to his second 20 lap A Modified win of the season.  The team had work to do following his bout with the wall two weeks ago, but the car was ready for a run at the $1000 prize.  Foulger made all the right moves as he joined track legends Keith Brown Sr. and Bobby Hogge IV in being able to win A Modified and Late Model Main Events on the same night.  Anthony Slaney enjoyed a great night of his own with a season best second place finish ahead of Michelle Paul, Chester Kniss and Bobby Montalvo.  Carl Berendsen II wrapped up his second championship season in three years.

Newcomer Boy Moniz scored a surprise 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint feature win.  Moniz led all the way in a Main Event that was destined to go without a yellow flag.  An open wheel racing competitor in Hawaii, Moniz drove a great race and pulled away to a comfortable margin of victory.  Shannon Newton won a close battle with new track champion Jim Perry Jr. for second, while Brandon Burd outdueled Roy Fisher for fourth.

2015 champion Fred Ryland scored his fifth 20 lap B Modified Main Event win in thrilling fashion.  Al Johnson raced out to the early lead ahead of Jim Waller and Alan Furuta.  Rookie Mike Mates spun for his second yellow flag on lap seven.  New track champion Trevor Clymens pitted from the Top 5 on lap 14. Johnson continued to lead, but Ryland was on the move and slipped past Ferguson for second.  Ryland made a last turn pass and beat Johnson back to the checkered flag.  Waller finished third ahead of Mike Merritt, Trent Wentworth and heat winner Megan Ponciano.

Kimo Oreta wrapped up a "Rookie Of The Year" and point runnerup season with his first career 20 lap Limited Late Model feature victory.  Oreta charged into the early lead ahead of Lori Brown and Jim Freethy.  After winning his heat race, five time winner Mark Garner had his sights set on second in the standings, but his race ended in a lap seven tangle with track champion Larry Damitz.  Oreta continued to lead the restart.  Two time champion Mike Gustafson managed to get past Brown for second and was in hot pursuit of the leader.  However, nothing was going to stop Oreta from getting the well earned victory.  Gustafson settled for second ahead of Brown, Damitz, Freethy and Shawn McCoy.

Guy Ahlwardt wrapped up his championship and "Rookie Of The Year" winning season with his sixth 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event triumph.  Ahlwardt jumped out to the early lead ahead of fellow heat race winner Chris Sorensen.  He led on a lap six restart following a fire under the hood of the Frank Furtado car and following a red flag on lap 11 for a lost wheel from the Lindsey Buirch car.  Furtado was running fourth at the time of his mishap.  Bob Brown stalled for a yellow flag on lap 13.  The slowdowns didn't matter to Ahlwardt as he continued to lead each restart with Sorensen in pursuit on his way to another win.  Cameron Swank finished third ahead of Michael Cooper and Jordan Swank.

Rising second generation star Ben Wiesz scored the victory in the 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event.  The teen leadfoot started his night off strong with a heat race victory.  Earlier this year, Wisez scored an impressive victory in a Dwarf Car Nationals Event up in Medford, Oregon.  On this occasion, he had to contend with newly crowned Antioch champion Kevin Miraglio and Mike Corsaro, who won the other heat race.  With Miraglio leading the chase, Wiesz stayed smooth and grabbed his first Antioch feature victory.  Miraglio settled for second ahead of point runnerup Corsaro, recent Antioch winner Josh Miller and Preston Humphrey.

The Antioch Speedway 2016 Awards Banquet is set for November 19th, and the January 1, 2017 New Years Bash will feature A Modifieds, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results

DIRTcar Late Model

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Troy Foulger, Rob Norris.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Foulger, Richard Papenhausen, Jeff Decker, Shawn DeForest, Michael Paul Jr.

A Modified

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Shawn DeForest, Jake Dewsbury.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Troy Foulger, Anthony Slaney, Michelle Paul, Chester Kniss, Bobby Montalvo.

B Modified

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Trevor Clymens, Megan Ponciano.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Fred Ryland, Al Johnson, Jim Waller, Mike Merritt, Trent Wentworth.

Wingless Spec Sprint

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Roy Fisher, Shannon Newton.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Boy Moniz, Newton, Jim Perry Jr., Brandon Burd, Fisher.

Limited Late Model

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Mark Garner, Jim Freethy. Main Event (20 Laps)-Kimo Oreta, Mike Gustafson, Lori Brown, Larry Damitz, Freethy.

Hobby Stock

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Guy Ahlwardt, Chris Sorensen.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Ahlwardt, Sorensen, Cameron Swank, Michael Cooper, Jordan Swank.

Dwarf Car

Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Mike Corsaro, Ben Wiesz.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Wiesz, Kevin Miraglio, Cosaro, Josh Miller, Preston Humphrey.

Antioch Speedway Pit Stops

With the season done at Antioch Speedway, the next order of business for the track will be the awards banquet on November 19th.  The fact that speedway management decided to do an awards banquet and get it done so early is a good thing.  For many years, the awards banquet used to happen in November.  One of the big reasons it changed was because open comp season usually went all the way through November and some racers wanted to go racing rather than receive a trophy.  This season's accomplishments will be honored at the traditional time in November.

Congratulations goes out to all of the champions at Antioch Speedway, Billy Aton (Winged 360 Sprint Cars), Carl Berendsen II (A Modifieds), Richard Papenhausen (DIRTcar Late Models), Jim Perry Jr. (Wingless Spec Sprints), Trevor Clymens (B Modifieds), Larry Damitz (Limited Late Models), Guy Ahlwardt (Hobby Stocks) and Kevin Miraglio (Dwarf Cars).  Though winning a championship in 2016 is a bit different than it was back in the 1990's, it still takes dedication to do it.  It is difficult to juggle a day to day schedule in life and still have the time to run every race, more so when you're booked for every racing weekend as the B Modifieds were.  Despite missing one race during the season, Trevor Clymens managed to come back and beat Al Johnson for the championship

There was still some reason for Clymens to be nervous when the two rained out races were made up at the end of the season.  The seven time Main Event winner had a bad night on September 24th, while Al Johnson won his first Main Event. Johnson nearly won the season finale before being passed on the last lap by 2015 champion Fred Ryland.  Clymens had fallen out of the race before the finish, but Johnson could not gain enough points to pass him for the championship.

This was certainly a proud moment for the entire Clymens family.  From his father Tom, who raced Stock Cars and Sportsmans in a 1970's, to mother Debbie, who competed in several divisions in her "Hall Of Fame" worthy career, and continuing with his brothers, Todd and Tommy, Trevor proudly carries on the family tradition.  The championship was well earned, and he was unbeatable at times this year. While Trevor has established himself as one of the stars of the B Modifieds, the competition needs to be ready for the next generation as his nieces, Madison and Scarlett Clymens, are getting valuable experience in  Outlaw Karts and could be stars at Antioch Speedway in he future.

We will do a season review in a future article, but we wanted to give some praise to Al Johnson and his efforts this year.  Al ranked second last season to Fred Ryland.  This season saw him lead the points for several weeks.  Johnson had four seconds and five thirds.  He debuted a new car during the second half of the season and got his first career win.  He nearly won the finale before Ryland made his last lap pass.  Overall, however, Johnson did well this year and can be proud of his accomplishments.

On championship night, Troy Foulger put on such a driving clinic with his Late Model and A Modified Main Event wins that it was a reminder of the championship credentials he carries.  Bowers Racing has a reputation when it comes to winning championships, and Foulger won four of them in a row.  The team hasn't been chasing points in recent seasons as they focus on trying to win bigger races, such as their All Star Seres Tour victory at Tulare this year.  The DIRTcar Late Model win came ahead of new track champion Richard Papenhausen.

Papenhausen chased Foulger for his third second place finish of the season.  His $1500 win in the John Soares Sr. Memorial two weeks ago was his third victory of the season.  Richard was leading the battle going into the October 8th race when reigning champion Jeff Decker skipped the race.  Interestingly enough, a look at the UMP DIRTcar West Regional point list as of today (October 24) shows Decker still leading as the October races weren't factored in.  Last season, Decker's championship was worth $2000.

Decker and Bobby Hogge IV were two time winners this year, while Clay Daly and past Antioch champion Andy Obertello join Foulger as one time winners.  Car count took a hit in both the Antioch and Southern California efforts, but Antioch still had 21 different cars during the course of the season,  Ten cars competed in the tenth and final race of the season, and it is anticipated that the division will be back for its fourth straight championship season.

The A Modified division was marked by the fact that there were 12 different winners in 17 races, and Foulger, Scott Busby and Brian Cass were the only multiple time winners this year.  Carl Berendsen II was on his way to his second championship in two years without a feature win, but he did finally get that win.  Berendsen battled one of the greatest drivers in division history, Busby, to win this championship.  Even a rollover couldn't stop him.  His championship is well earned.  Busby's efforts were marred by motor problems during the summer, but he added three more wins to his total, giving him 71 in his Antioch career.  He is one win behind J.D. Willis.

Bobby Montalvo might have passed Sean O'Gara for third in the standings after finishing fifth in the finale, but enough cars between the two received no points due to not being regulars that O'Gara will still hold onto that position.  O'Gara, like Anthony Slaney in the season finale, has finished as high as second in the Main Event this season and was also second in points in 2012.  Montalvo will still be "Rookie Of The Year" this season.

Guy Alhwardt had hopes of winning the Hobby Stock "Rookie Of The Year" honors this year, but he exceeded that goal with the track championship.  Alhwardt had the lead, lost it and regained it before his closest rival and five time winner Danny Jones parked in protest of an official decision  The Alhwardt team earned this by battling through all of the obstacles and never giving up.  With six wins and six seconds, it was difficult for anybody to keep up with him.  Meanwhile, Lindsey Buirch ranked second in her rookie season, and she was the youngest competitor at the track at 16 years old.  Buirch withstood the late season surge of Jordan Swank to earn second. This was also the season in which division veterans Frank Furtado and Michael Cooper got their first feature wins.

This will come as a surprise to nobody, but 87 year old Larry Damitz is the Limited Late Model champion for the for fifth time in seven seasons.  He finished second the other two seasons.  You have to be consistent to beat Damitz when he is out there winning six races and finishing second another five times.  Mark Garner gave it a great effort, but the five time winner was out early in the season finale.  Meanwhile, Kimo Oreta already knew he was "Rookie Of The Year" this season, but his first career win in this division in the season finale kept him second in the standings behind Damitz.  Damitz has been somewhat of a mentor to Oreta this year.  Oreta's win came ahead of one of the division's best ever, Mike Gustafson, who won twice this year.

Speaking of one of the best ever, Jim Perry Jr. is the Wingless Spec Sprint champion for the second time in his career.  The open wheel veteran had four wins this season to add to his total of over 40 Antioch wins.  Second year racer Marcus Smith won the battle with Roy Fisher for second in the standings.  Fisher had one win this year to three for Smith, but the field was shocked in the finale by a little known racer from Hawaii named Boy Moniz.  Moniz won impressively while Shannon Newton held off Perry in a good battle for second.  It was Newton's second runnerup finish, matching the total of fourth ranked Rick Panfili.

With his fifth second place finish in the finale, Kevin Miraglio wrapped up his Dwarf Car championship season.  Kevin's impressive numbers included two seconds and three third place finishes.  Mike Corsaro started the year off with a win, but his mid season luck was so bad that he couldn't challenge the consistent Miraglio.  His second place ranking ahead of rookie Buddy Kniss made this a career best season for Corsaso.  The season also included first time Antioch wins for Ben Wiesz, Jenna Frazier and Josh Miller, while Stock Car veteran David Rosa got his fist Dwarf Car win.  As with all of the divisions, the Dwarf Cars at Antioch were very competitive with ten different feature winners.

Speaking of a long list of winners, the Winged 360 Sprint Cars also had a list of feature winners in double digits.  Originally, the final race of the season was going to include this division until it was realized that Tulare was running the Trophy Cup.  When past Spec Sprint champion Billy Aton scored his third win in the September 24th finale, he held off three time winner Art McCarthy to win the closest championship battle at the track.  These two drivers were the only ones to win more than one race, and the win list included such young up and coming drivers as Colby Johnson, Kaleb Montgomery and Brayden McMahan.  The racing was good and usually had at least ten cars as management stepped up its commitment to establishing this division with more races.

Promoter John M. Soares won't have much of an off season with a November 19th banquet to prepare for and the big January 1, 2017 race that will feature A Modifieds, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  He will assess the numbers this year and could even have a 2017 schedule to announce as soon as the banquet.  All divisions that competed this year should be back next year, along with visits from the Hardtops and BCRA Midget Lites.  Unknown at this time is if there might be any new divisions or if there is any truth to the rumors that any Prentice Motorsports promoted Sprint Car or Modified series dates might be booked, though rumors are that it is possible.  We can say that the October 22nd finale did end the season on a positive note and brings optimism of good things to come in 2017.


Note:  This article is based on live scoring and subject to computer error and official decisions.  It is therefore unofficial.

McDaniel, Bartlett, Marino Win

Marysville Raceway Taxi Cab Open

Marysville, CA...October 22...Ryan McDaniel won the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Marysville Raceway.  The Limited Late Models headlined the Annual Gold Fever Taxi Cab Open, and third generation racer McDaniel started the night with an eight lap heat race win ahead of Matt Micheli.  Wayne Trimble set the early pace, and a lap five yellow flag for Eddie Garnder in Turn 2 opened the door for McDaniel.  McDaniel took the lead on the restart.  Trimble began to fall off the pace, and M. Micheli grabbed second on lap 15.  By then, McDaniel held a half lap lead.  Ray Trimble took third from W. Trimble on lap 18, and W. Trimble was lapped late as McDaniel won ahead of Micheli, R. Trimble, W. Trimble, Gardner, Marysville legend Leroy Perry, Ken Micheli and Jason Palmer.

Past Stock Car champion Jerry Bartlett won the 20 lap Super Stock Main Event.  New champion James Castleberry held off three time champion Phillip Shelby to win his eight lap heat race.  Mike Walko won the other heat in front of Rod Oliver.  Driving the championship car of the late Billy Knoop, Shelby set the early pace ahead of Castleberry, but a yellow flag for past Petaluma champion Steve Studebaker slowed the pace on lap four.  The restart saw Shelby spin in Turn 1, putting Castleberry into the lead ahead of Bartlett and Walko,  Shelby brought out a lap six yellow flag and retired from the race.  Castleberry continued to lead with Bartlett in close pursuit.  Bartlett made his winning move late and scored the victory ahead of Castleberry, Walko, Studebaker, Oliver, Kyle Cheney and Shelby.

Two time Chico champion Phil Marino won the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event.  The Street Stocks had the biggest turnout of the night, and defending race champion Brent Lawrence was a heat race winner ahead of recent Petaluma Adobe Cup winner Mitch Machado.  Marino grabbed the second heat win ahead of Mickey Owens, and Kevin Lesch won the final heat in front of Phillip Shelby.  Marino set the pace from the start in front of Lawrence and Machado.  A lap three caution flag flew for Ted Ahart in Turn 1, ending the race for Ahart.  Petaluma champion Matt While brought out a lap four caution flag.  Marino continued to lead through this and three other restarts.  Following the final caution flag on lap 17 for While and Kyle Cheney, Machado made a move around Lawrence for second on the restart.  However, Marino drove a flawless race and scored the victory ahead of Machado.  Lawrence pitted late as Shelby finished third ahead of Lesch, Studebaker, Shawn Smith, Owens, Cameron Hammett, Clinton Earl and Ryan Cherezian.

Orville Owens led all the way to win the 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event.  Owens also won his eight lap heat race ahead of Russ Murphy.  Ryan Compton won the other heat ahead of Les Friend.  Owens had the lead from the start in front of Murphy and Jason Palmer.  Murphy's run up front ended in Turn 4 for a lap four caution flag.  Owens led Palmer and Compton on the restart.  Placerville champion Nick Baldwin moved into fourth and started battling Compton for third before making the pass.  A lap 18 yellow flag wiped out a straightaway lead for Owens.  Owens still led the restart and the final two laps ahead of Palmer, Baldwin, Compton, Friend, Rick Grunert, Ryan Peter, Robert Mull, Ted Ahart and Travis Emery.

Ryan Compton dominated the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event in victory.  Compton also win his eight lap heat race ahead of Shayna Robertson.  Kyle Allen won the other heat ahead of Shannon Collins.  Jimmy Ray Huffman and past Placerville champion Scott Grunert scratched from the Main Event.  Collins led Compton early, but Compton gained the lead on lap 11 as Collins retired.  Allen gained second at that point, but he surrendered the position to Robertson.  Robertson trailed Compton by a half lap by lap 15.  Compton cruised to victory as Todd Hemman made a late pass on Robertson for second.  Allen, Josh Gish and Collins rounded out the finishing order.