Racing resumed on the one-fifth mile clay oval at Orland Speedway Saturday night. When the checkered flag flew on the Main Events, it was Brian Compton (Hobby Stock), Richard Gale (Mini Truck) and Don Runkle (Mini Stock) collecting the victories. After the Mini Stock and Mini Trucks ran, a combined feature was run with Dan Webster picking up the win in that race. All four drivers collected their first feature wins of the season.
Brian Compton has had a fast car lately and won a Pure Stock Trophy Dash not too many weeks ago. In the heat race, Compton finished second to Earl Adams. Adams was looking for a win after placing second in last week's feature, but it was Compton grabbing his first win of the season, forcing Adams to again settle for second. A #3 car(possibly Bob Bennett?) was third ahead of a #4 car (driver's name not abailable). Last week's winner, Rich Hood, ended up fifth.
In Mini Truck action, Tyler Pebley was looking to repeat his feature winning performance of last week and got things started off with a heat race win ahead of Ross Vige. However, the Main Event produced another new winner as Richard Gale held off Pebley for the win. Vige brought it home third ahead of Dan Webster, Wendy Miller and Steven Woods.
A feature winner earlier this year, Eric Hammond won the Mini Stock heat race ahead of Don Runkle. Runkle is a heat winner this year and has finished as high as second in the Main Event, but he finally grabbed a feature win on this night ahead of Preston Irvin, Jess Garland and Hammond.
The track gave all of the Mini Trucks and Mini Stocks a chance to race in a combined Main Event, but though all of the trucks chose to compete, only Runkle entered from the Mini Stocks. Like Runkle, Dan Webster has won a heat race and finished as high as second in the Main Event, but Webster would collect the victory in this special feature with Runkle wrapping up a good night in second. Gale finished third ahead of Vige, Miller, Pebley and Woods.
Wingless Spec Sprints were on the card, but it appears as if nobody came out to race. For next Saturday, the track hosts Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, 4 Cylinder Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thoughts On Merced Speedway Season Opener
Merced Speedway is back, and so far most of what's being said about things is pretty positive. I'm happy to hear that. I'm not going to be doing a race review of this event. Why? Mike Adaskaveg is handling publicity for the track, and I, for one, think that's a good thing. Since that is the case and he has released a press release from the season opener, I will let him do what he's paid to do. I'm happy to see the track has a publicity director who seems to know what he's doing. Every track should have one.
For those curious about the finishes. here are some results:
Dirt Modified
Main Event: Alex Stanford, Randy McDaniel, Chris Shannon, Ryan Porter, Derek Colvin. Heat Winners: Randy McDaniel, Ryan McDaniel.
Super Stock
Main Event: Mike Shepherd, Bob Williamson, Larry Damitz, Mitch Enos, Roy Hart Jr. Heat Winners: Larry Damitz, George Lefler Jr.
Valley Sportsman
Main Event: Tim Prothero, Mike Shearer, Mike Hauseman, Mike Henault, Donny Shearer.
Hobby Stock
Main Event: Shane Hauseman, Raul Rodriguez, Ryan Hart, Shannon Porter, Danny Van Tassel. Heat Winners; Shane Hauseman, Ryan Larimer.
Four Banger
Main Event: Dan McCabe, Mike Pickering, Dustin Donathan, Greg Mead, Ashlee Cole.
It wasn't the 80 cars John predicted, but it wasn't the 40-50 I predicted either. From what I'm hearing, there were 16 Dirt Modifieds, 16 Super Stocks, 12 Hobby Stocks 11 Four Bangers and 6 Valley Sportsman. That's at least 61 cars and a nice opener for the track. I'm one who wants every car you can get, but this was probably about right for an opener in which they needed to put the new quarter-mile through it's paces. Too many cars and it could be a mess, but this gave four of your divisions two heats and a main with enough time for track prep to handle things without taking up too much time.
I'm hearing the racing was good. The track needs some tweaking, but that's to be expected. That will be handled in the weeks ahead. What was important was the show went on, and people have racing in Merced once again. There is a 2010 season after all, and who thought that would happen a few months ago?
There were some names I thought or hoped to see in the field that weren't. Much of the field has been racing at Chowchilla this season with some surprise visitors thrown in there. The reason this is important is because you want to know who will be there after the novelty of a track reopened wears off and it's back to business as usual. Chowchilla will be running their main classes next Saturday (they didn't last week), so who will be coming to Merced on Sunday?
Next week was originally scheduled as the Timmy Post Memorial race, but now I see that has been removed. I'm not surprised to see that. Some things will NEVER change, but the intentions were honorable in my opinion. I said it before and will say it again, they should have contacted the Stofle family about bringing THE race of races back to Merced. Maybe we will see a Ted Stofle Classic at Merced next year?
So, who will be racing in the next few weeks? That is the question, and I hope there's not a big drop off of racers. That is why I felt it was important for certain drivers to be back in the pits again. Maybe they will begin appearing. I certainly hope so. I also hope the lack of IMCA on the Modifieds doesn't hurt things in the long run. Up until last year, IMCA worked well with Merced. Time will tell, but I'm hoping for the best. From what I've heard, there was a good turnout of fans looking for some good racing.
It appears the Tom Sagmiller question has been quietly answered. He's helping with the track prep and answering questions on the internet for John Soares Jr., who doesn't like to do much talking on the net. But believe me, he is looking, and I hope he's pleased that the racers have been behind him so far. This is sort of how it was when John stepped into Antioch. Though there were critics (there always are), there were a lot of people pulling for him to be successful. I hope he can inspire people the way he did back then. The first couple of years at Antioch were pretty amazing.
And I will again give credit to John and Donna Soares for stepping in and reviving Merced Speedway. I highly doubt there would be racing there otherwise, at least this year. I hope people remember that, and I also hope it's not forgotten that racers are pulling for John. There WILL be critics and people who are just negative in attitude, but most will be pulling for John and Merced Speedway. I also know how a few very vocal negative people can get to a person and effect their attitude. What is needed now is positivity on ALL sides.
Merced Speedway has more potential than some may realize, and John knows this. Somebody asked on one of the forums about Late Models coming to Merced again in the future. Knowing John, I believe that is one of the intentions. In addition to Late Models, I believe he will also pursue Sprint Cars. So, yes, there is a lot of potential here. It will be interesting to see how things go this year, but I will say I am pulling for Merced Speedway. I remain a fan of that race track and it's drivers.
In closing, I read the comment in the latest release about the Sportsman division. I just want to say there is NOTHING wrong with being a nostalgia division. Yes you can be a nostalgia division AND race hard. It is possible. The Hardtops do it at Antioch. I guarantee you when Terry DeCarlo, Tom Thompson and Dan Williams are out there, they are racing. I love the Sportsman division and the Hardtop division. The first division I ever saw race was the Sportsman class, and I have loved it ever since. I was bummed for a few years after it was dropped at Antioch.
I say, embrace the nostalgic past and be proud of it, while being a division that races hard. I'd also love to see more cars come out. I believe there are probably somewhere between 16-20 cars in the area, so let's get them out there.
But, you know, if the track were looking for Hardtops, I'm sure the Okie Bowl guys could deliver the cars if the Nor Cal guys didn't want to come out and play. Better yet, maybe a clash between the two groups?
Anyway, next race for Merced Speedway is Sunday, July 25th. Dirt Modifieds, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, 4 Bangers and IMCA Stock Cars. I'm assuming it's the IMCA Stock Car drivers from Hanford, where Loren DeArmond has been winning. They have 12 or so cars, so it will be interesting so see who comes out to play. I'll be looking forward to Make's press releases as the season moves along.
For those curious about the finishes. here are some results:
Dirt Modified
Main Event: Alex Stanford, Randy McDaniel, Chris Shannon, Ryan Porter, Derek Colvin. Heat Winners: Randy McDaniel, Ryan McDaniel.
Super Stock
Main Event: Mike Shepherd, Bob Williamson, Larry Damitz, Mitch Enos, Roy Hart Jr. Heat Winners: Larry Damitz, George Lefler Jr.
Valley Sportsman
Main Event: Tim Prothero, Mike Shearer, Mike Hauseman, Mike Henault, Donny Shearer.
Hobby Stock
Main Event: Shane Hauseman, Raul Rodriguez, Ryan Hart, Shannon Porter, Danny Van Tassel. Heat Winners; Shane Hauseman, Ryan Larimer.
Four Banger
Main Event: Dan McCabe, Mike Pickering, Dustin Donathan, Greg Mead, Ashlee Cole.
It wasn't the 80 cars John predicted, but it wasn't the 40-50 I predicted either. From what I'm hearing, there were 16 Dirt Modifieds, 16 Super Stocks, 12 Hobby Stocks 11 Four Bangers and 6 Valley Sportsman. That's at least 61 cars and a nice opener for the track. I'm one who wants every car you can get, but this was probably about right for an opener in which they needed to put the new quarter-mile through it's paces. Too many cars and it could be a mess, but this gave four of your divisions two heats and a main with enough time for track prep to handle things without taking up too much time.
I'm hearing the racing was good. The track needs some tweaking, but that's to be expected. That will be handled in the weeks ahead. What was important was the show went on, and people have racing in Merced once again. There is a 2010 season after all, and who thought that would happen a few months ago?
There were some names I thought or hoped to see in the field that weren't. Much of the field has been racing at Chowchilla this season with some surprise visitors thrown in there. The reason this is important is because you want to know who will be there after the novelty of a track reopened wears off and it's back to business as usual. Chowchilla will be running their main classes next Saturday (they didn't last week), so who will be coming to Merced on Sunday?
Next week was originally scheduled as the Timmy Post Memorial race, but now I see that has been removed. I'm not surprised to see that. Some things will NEVER change, but the intentions were honorable in my opinion. I said it before and will say it again, they should have contacted the Stofle family about bringing THE race of races back to Merced. Maybe we will see a Ted Stofle Classic at Merced next year?
So, who will be racing in the next few weeks? That is the question, and I hope there's not a big drop off of racers. That is why I felt it was important for certain drivers to be back in the pits again. Maybe they will begin appearing. I certainly hope so. I also hope the lack of IMCA on the Modifieds doesn't hurt things in the long run. Up until last year, IMCA worked well with Merced. Time will tell, but I'm hoping for the best. From what I've heard, there was a good turnout of fans looking for some good racing.
It appears the Tom Sagmiller question has been quietly answered. He's helping with the track prep and answering questions on the internet for John Soares Jr., who doesn't like to do much talking on the net. But believe me, he is looking, and I hope he's pleased that the racers have been behind him so far. This is sort of how it was when John stepped into Antioch. Though there were critics (there always are), there were a lot of people pulling for him to be successful. I hope he can inspire people the way he did back then. The first couple of years at Antioch were pretty amazing.
And I will again give credit to John and Donna Soares for stepping in and reviving Merced Speedway. I highly doubt there would be racing there otherwise, at least this year. I hope people remember that, and I also hope it's not forgotten that racers are pulling for John. There WILL be critics and people who are just negative in attitude, but most will be pulling for John and Merced Speedway. I also know how a few very vocal negative people can get to a person and effect their attitude. What is needed now is positivity on ALL sides.
Merced Speedway has more potential than some may realize, and John knows this. Somebody asked on one of the forums about Late Models coming to Merced again in the future. Knowing John, I believe that is one of the intentions. In addition to Late Models, I believe he will also pursue Sprint Cars. So, yes, there is a lot of potential here. It will be interesting to see how things go this year, but I will say I am pulling for Merced Speedway. I remain a fan of that race track and it's drivers.
In closing, I read the comment in the latest release about the Sportsman division. I just want to say there is NOTHING wrong with being a nostalgia division. Yes you can be a nostalgia division AND race hard. It is possible. The Hardtops do it at Antioch. I guarantee you when Terry DeCarlo, Tom Thompson and Dan Williams are out there, they are racing. I love the Sportsman division and the Hardtop division. The first division I ever saw race was the Sportsman class, and I have loved it ever since. I was bummed for a few years after it was dropped at Antioch.
I say, embrace the nostalgic past and be proud of it, while being a division that races hard. I'd also love to see more cars come out. I believe there are probably somewhere between 16-20 cars in the area, so let's get them out there.
But, you know, if the track were looking for Hardtops, I'm sure the Okie Bowl guys could deliver the cars if the Nor Cal guys didn't want to come out and play. Better yet, maybe a clash between the two groups?
Anyway, next race for Merced Speedway is Sunday, July 25th. Dirt Modifieds, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, 4 Bangers and IMCA Stock Cars. I'm assuming it's the IMCA Stock Car drivers from Hanford, where Loren DeArmond has been winning. They have 12 or so cars, so it will be interesting so see who comes out to play. I'll be looking forward to Make's press releases as the season moves along.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Merced Speedway Ready For Season Opener On Sunday
SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY
Come One, Come All
To Merced Speedway
Where Action Is The Attraction.
Gates Open Again On Sunday, July 18
A few photos I took They are actually from my vintage collection of pictures from 1983-1986.
Come One, Come All
To Merced Speedway
Where Action Is The Attraction.
Gates Open Again On Sunday, July 18
A few photos I took They are actually from my vintage collection of pictures from 1983-1986.
Some of the Merced racers who came to Antioch. From the top, though based in the Watsonville area, Doug McCoun #(54) called Merced his home track on Saturdays. Doug was the 1983 Merced Stock Car champion and would win back to back NASCAR Regional titles in 1985-1986. The #23m car of Billy Corn from the famed Corn family that has long supported racing at Merced. Billy was 14th in Stock Car points in 1983 and 7th in 1984. The #47m of Merced Street Stock star Gary Larimer. Gary was runner up in points in 1982 and fifth in 1983.
Keith Van Hounten #35m was third in Merced Stock Car points in 1983 after being the Street Stock point runnerup in 1981. He went on to race with the Southwest Tour, became one of the top car builders in the area and won a Sportsman championship. Another driver based in the Watsonville area who proudly called Merced his Saturday night home track was Ray Morgan #(20). Ray won the 1984 Stock Car championship, the same year he was second in NASCAR Regional points. A champion in Stock Cars in the 70's, George Steitz #7x was fifth in Stock Ca points in 1985 and would be a champion at Hanford later in the decade.
Andy Ferris #33m was 7th in Stock Car points in 1985 and sixth a year later. He won the Antioch season opener in 1986 and later went on to become a top Sprint Car competitor from the area. Doug Williams #1m won back to back Stock Car titles in 1981 and 1982, winning the 1982 NASCAR Regional title. He later went on to become a champion in Mini Sprints and Dwarf Cars. Larry Folkner #7m was 4th in Stock Car points in 1983 and 6th in 1984. He went on to become a many time champion in IMCA Modifieds.
Welcome Back Merced Speedway
Back in the day, I used to look forward to the days when the big Stock Car shows came to Antioch. The 100 lappers or double point races sometimes brought more (circle) cars from Watsonville, m cars from Merced and the guys who didn't have to run a letter after their number from San Jose. The good old days. That was the way for years. It really didn't even require a "special" race to bring in the out of towners. If a track didn't have a race that night, some of the drivers would just load up and come for a visit. The rules were such that it happened every year, plus you had those "State" point races.
Yes, Watsonville drivers won a lot, but those drivers from Merced would come to Antioch and win as well. Grant Ford came to town in his Street Stock in 1980 and won. About 1986 or 87, Jeanette Gomes collected a win. At the 1986 season opener, a future Sprint Car star named Andy Ferris got a win. Watsonville based racers Doug McCoun and Ray Morgan raced regularly at Merced, but they came to Antioch on occasion and left town with the winner's purse. Some people don't realize how good some of the Merced racers were. The fist NASCAR Regional champion was Merced star Doug Williams.
It remains true to this day that the Merced area has some of the best drivers in the state. Drivers like Ramie Stone, a champion in three divisions at Merced, Randy Brewer, Tim Ragsdale, Darren Thomas and Ricky Thatcher (All four Street Stock champions), Marshall Weaver and Raul Rodriguez Sr. (two more champions who came up from the Hobby Stock ranks), Mark Odgers and his daughter Marissa Odgers (both champions at the track). And that's only a small sampling of the top drivers at the track in the last ten years. There's more where they came from.
When last we left Merced Speedway, Randy Brewer won the last Street Stock Main Event with questions as to whether or not that would be the final race ever at the beloved race track. The good news is, the speedway will celebrate 60 years of racing when the 14 race schedule kicks off Sunday with a program featuring Dirt Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, Valley Sportsman and Mini Trucks. They will compete on a newly reshaped and resurfaced quarter-mile clay oval. It's the first time they have raced on the quarter-mile track in nearly two decades. New track records will be set.
Last season, things sort of unraveled for the track by the end of July, and it was all down hill from there. That July race, which I believe was the night of the Timmy Post Memorial race, was the final time of the year that IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks and Hobby Stock each reached double digits on the same night. Ramie Stone won the IMCA Modified race over Randy Brown and Mike Villanueva. Michael Baballe won the Street Stock race over the father-son duo of Buddy Thatcher and Ricky Thatcher. The Hobby Stock race went to Tommy Bostic over Marshall Weaver and Rich Altamirano. Other wins that night went to Marissa Odgers (IMCA Sport Mod), Greg Evans (Valley Sportsman) and Shawn Bryant (Limited Modified). By the way, the Timmy Post Memorial race is slated for July 25th this year.
Though the previous management's era ended on a low note, they did have a good run of 25 years with plenty of positives to look back on. As Chuck & Marylee Griffin walk away, they can take heart that the show will go on under new management.
John & Donna Soares enter the picture with 12 years of experience running Antioch Speedway, and many accomplishments achieved there with an eye towards revamping things at Merced to take that track to the next level. No major changes have been made as far as divisions being run. The big change is switching the track from the 1/3 mile clay oval back to the inside quarter-mile clay oval. More clay has been brought in and more banking in the turns. For most in the field on Sunday, July 18th, this will be their first experience racing on the smaller track.
The other change is the track will no longer be IMCA sanctioned after spending over 15 seasons with that sanctioning. The Modifieds and Sport Compacts (Four Bangers) were the two classes running under the IMCA banner, which helped provide incentive for many top drivers from out of town to visit through the years. While it's not expected to have any effect on the Four Bangers, some will wonder what effect it may have on the Modifieds. One of the area's biggest boosters for IMCA, past IMCA State champion Johnnie Baptista, didn't compete last season but remains a vocal supporter of IMCA.
The championship last season went to Jim DiGiovanni, who actually didn't compete that much as the season made it's stretch run. The three who did race the most down the stretch in the slim fields were Mark Odgers and the Bay Area based duo Willie Frychman and Rick Rogers. Odgers ended up third in points behind William Egleston, while Rogers and Frychman completed the top five in the standings. Ramie Stone, Bob Williamson and Jimmy Lust, all of whom have won championships at the track in the last ten seasons, were top ten ranked, and they are three of the biggest local names in the field. While we have seen Williamson in action down the road at Chowchilla this season, we haven't seen much of Stone or Lust. Support from these drivers, and others who have been part of things in recent years will be important to the success of the track.
Ricky Thatcher closed the 2009 season with another championship, and it's anticipated that the Mariposa based racer will be in action again this season. Ricky won the title by a wide margin ahead of Jeremy Hoff as George Lefler Jr. was a close third. Lefler and Thatcher both have raced down the road a bit this season as did fourth ranked Bob Williamson, who drove the #00 car of Bob Terry. Buddy Thatcher was fifth, and I don't believe he has raced this year.
Two families who have been a big part of things at Merced in the last decade are the Shelton family and the Rodriguez family. Ty Shelton wrapped up one of his better seasons in sixth and was a feature winner last season. His brother Chris Shelton also raced and was 11th. Though the Shelton's are far from a high dollar team, they managed to field at least one car throughout the last decade, if not three or four cars. If they have raced this year, they haven't raced much, but hopefully that changes when the gates open at Merced. There were 21 point earners last season, including veterans Tim Ragsfdale, Darren Thomas and Randy Brewer, all of whom haven't raced much this year if at all. Tee Street Stock class at Merced has had a respectable run over the last decade, and it will be interesting to see who gets on board this season.
Rich Altamirano, who raced at Watsonville for several years, went down with the ship at Merced, and his continued support of the cause earned him the points to win championships in two divisions. Rich won the Hobby Stock crown by nearly 100 points over Ray Christensen as Tommy Bostic was a distant third ahead of Brandon Owens and Brandon McCollum. Most of these drivers haven't raced much this season. As with the Street Stocks, 21 Hobby Stocks earned points last season. While some of these drivers have raced elsewhere this year, many have not. Past Hobby Stock and Pure Stock champion Raul Rodriguez and his son Raul Jr. were among the field last year, and both would be welcome additions this year. Who will be racing this year is the question, but there are plenty of cars out there.
On the schedule for their fifth season will be the Four Bangers. Last season, 17 drivers earned points, and second generation racer Marissa Odgers captured the division championship. Marissa has been racing in this division at Chowchilla, but she also recently made her first start in a Sport Mod. Curtis Thornhill, Steve Johnson, Alysan Widick and Opie Donaldson made up the balance of the top five in the standings, but they haven't raced much, if at all, at Chowchilla this year. Donaldson has moved out of the area.
Last season was the best year yet for this class at Merced in terns of total cars competing, and judging from the fact that some two dozen cars have competed at Chowchilla this season so far, it looks like there are even more cars in the area. The economy entry level class is actually a good fit for the area and could turn out to be a big car count at the track. Just who will be racing is anybody's guess, but there should be a decent car count to get things going.
In 1999, Merced Speedway reintroduced the Valley Sportsman division to the area, and 12 seasons later, people are still racing. The championship battle in this division last year was close until drivers stopped coming at the end of July. It looked at that point as if Tim Prothero or Mike Hanault might have a good shot at the title, but both stopped racing to fall to second and third, respectively. Rich Altamirano continued to show up and earn points, becoming the division champion at season's end. Don Epps and Mike Shearer completed the top five as 12 drivers earned points. Altamirano and Epps haven't raced this year, but the other top five point earners have been racing at Chowchilla. The drivers have a chance to come back to the track that gave this division it's second chance, and their first opportunity is Sunday.
Booked for some races this season will be the Sport Mod division, meaning this will be their fifth season at Merced Speedway. I believe Merced may have been the first track in California to start this class, and Shawn Bryant won his second straight championship last season, not too far ahead of Mike Medrano. John DiGiovanni and Duane Short made up the top four as the only point earners in the class. Bryant continues to race at Chowchilla this year, DiGiovanni has moved up to IMCA Modifieds at Watsonville and the other 2 haven't raced too much this season. Chowchilla has now seen ten different cars compete. There has been talk that some Victorville area racers are considering a trip to run Chowchilla and Merced on the last weekend in September as this class continues to try and earn some respectability in it's fifth season.
Merced will also try some new things for the track this season, including Mini Trucks, which race Sunday, Dwarf Cars, IMCA Stock Cars and Wingless Spec Sprints. I don't now who in the area has a truck these days, but Merced ran this division for several years and it brought several new drivers into racing. Dwarf Cars actually raced for a few seasons in the early 90's, and Merced helped launch the oldest Dwarf Car organization in California, NCDCA. It's likely that the track will see cars from Antioch, the Bay Area Dwarf Cars and perhaps a few drivers from NCDCA when this class comes to town. The IMCA Stock Cars run at Hanford, which I believe was the first track to bring in the IMCA sanctioned class to California. They have about 10-12 cars, and I'm guessing those will be the drivers who come for the first race July 25. As for the Wingless Spec Sprints, there are probably 6-10 cars in the area, though the racers seem to be getting discouraged with Chowchilla. This will be their chance to make a statement for the class, but I'm also guessing the track is hoping to see visitors from Antioch, Watsonville and possibly tracks like Petaluma and Marysville as well.
Sunday will be the time to get it all going again when Merced Speedway reopens as a quarter-mile clay oval. Dirt Modifieds, StreetStocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, Valley Sportsman and Mini Truck are in action. I would anticipate 40-50 cars will be there, and if they are in that ball park, it's not bad for a mid season opener. On the 25th of July, the track runs the Timmy Post Memorial Race.
So, the good news is Merced Speedway is back. People thought it was over, but the powers that be would not let it end that way. Lots of work has been done by John Soatres Jr. and his staff to get things ready, and the show will go on. The fans and racers have another opportunity to go out there and have fun at Merced Speedway. It opened in 1950 and 60 years later, it's still going strong. How many other dirt tracks in California can make that claim?
Final 2009 Merced Speedway Points
| |||||
| Pos | Driver | Car # | City, State | Points | Behind |
| 1 | James DiGiovani | 75X | Morgon Hill Ca | 329.00 | Leader |
| 2 | William Egleston | 15 | Atwater CA | 241.00 | -88 |
| 3 | Mark Odgers | 57MO | Mariposa CA | 190.00 | -139 |
| 4 | Rick Rogers | 52G | San Pablo Ca | 168.00 | -161 |
| 5 | Will Frychaman | 25F | Oakland Ca | 159.00 | -170 |
| 6 | Robert Williamson | 19 | Merced CA | 106.00 | -223 |
| 7 | Ramie Stone | 06 | Winton CA | 105.00 | -224 |
| - | Jimmy Lust | 77 | Mariposa CA | 105.00 | -224 |
| 9 | Hank Silva | 57R | Atwater CA | 98.00 | -231 |
| 10 | Ray Mayer | 81 | North Fork CA | 66.00 | -263 |
| 11 | Andrew Odgers | 57 | Mariposa Ca | 65.00 | -264 |
| 12 | Chris Harrell | 105 | 64.00 | -265 | |
| 13 | Karl Rose | 5R | Merced ` | 63.00 | -266 |
| 14 | John DiGiovani | 75 | Morgan Hill CA | 62.00 | -267 |
| - | Ivan Scorsur | 29 | Raymond Ca | 62.00 | -267 |
| 16 | Randy Brown | 16B | Chowchilla CA | 39.00 | -290 |
| 17 | Mike Villanueva | 69M | Atwater Ca | 38.00 | -291 |
| 18 | Ryan Larimer | 47M | Merced CA | 37.00 | -292 |
| 19 | Cody Burke | 20 | Salinas CA | 35.00 | -294 |
| 20 | Jeremiah Vanscoy | 12 | Typman Ca | 33.00 | -296 |
| - | Evan Craig | 17K | CA | 33.00 | -296 |
| 22 | Derek Colvin | 21C | Merced Ca | 32.00 | -297 |
| 23 | Tony Hornyak | 11 | Merced Ca | 31.00 | -298 |
| |||||
| Pos | Driver | Car # | City, State | Points | Behind |
| 1 | Ricky Thatcher | 61 | Mariposa Ca | 664.00 | Leader |
| 2 | Jeremy Hoff | 5 | Copperopolis c | 523.00 | -141 |
| 3 | Geoge Lefler Jr. | 71X | Waterford Ca | 507.00 | -157 |
| 4 | Robert Williamson | 00 | Merced CA | 466.00 | -198 |
| 5 | Buddy Thatcher | 88 | Marisposa CA | 357.00 | -307 |
| 6 | Ty Shelton | 4M | Merced Ca | 338.00 | -326 |
| 7 | John Murrieta | 46 | Merced Ca | 197.00 | -467 |
| 8 | Michael Baballe | 3M | Hilmar CA | 163.00 | -501 |
| 9 | Sandra Sandoval | 3 | Merced Ca | 151.00 | -513 |
| 10 | David Affonso | 9 | Los Banos CA | 133.00 | -531 |
| 11 | Chris Shelton | 8,3,46S | Merced CA | 102.00 | -562 |
| - | Robert Dias | 07 | Stevinson Ca | 102.00 | -562 |
| 13 | Darren Thomas | 14T | Atwater Ca | 86.00 | -578 |
| 14 | Wes Kanawyer | 1 | Los Banos CA | 83.00 | -581 |
| 15 | Jimmy Lust | 77 | Mariposa CA | 50.00 | -614 |
| 16 | Michael Shearer | 67 | Los Banos Ca | 47.00 | -617 |
| 17 | Tim Ragsdale | 28,28 | Merced CA | 44.00 | -620 |
| 18 | Ed Parker | 28 | Merced CA | 23.00 | -641 |
| 19 | Randy Brewer | 87 | Hilmar CA | 21.00 | -643 |
| 20 | Matt Pedroni | 32,12P | Sonora Ca | 16.00 | -648 |
| 21 | Ramon Neilson | 23 | Merced CA | 14.00 | -650 |
| |||||
| Pos | Driver | Car # | City, State | Points | Behind |
| 1 | Richard Altamirano | 07 | Morgan Hill CA | 560.00 | Leader |
| 2 | Ray Christensen | 39 | Merced CA | 484.00 | -76 |
| 3 | Tommy Bostic | 18T | Turlock Ca | 331.00 | -229 |
| 4 | Jacob Owens | 77X | Merced Ca | 280.00 | -280 |
| 5 | Brandon McCollum | 23 | Watsonville Ca | 242.00 | -318 |
| 6 | Christy Shearer | 56 | Los Banos Ca | 208.00 | -352 |
| 7 | Shannon Marlow | 4B | Turlock Ca | 178.00 | -382 |
| 8 | David Soares | 7 | Merced Ca | 124.00 | -436 |
| 9 | Roy Stephens | 27 | Escolon Ca | 104.00 | -456 |
| 10 | Jason Fisher | 72 | Ripon Ca | 91.00 | -469 |
| 11 | Aaron Widick | 78,87 | Merced CA | 87.00 | -473 |
| 12 | George Silva | 8 | Merced CA | 82.00 | -478 |
| 13 | Randall Hoppe | 68 | Chowchilla Ca | 59.00 | -501 |
| 14 | Chris Parrigon | 1X | Atwater Ca | 47.00 | -513 |
| 15 | Raul Rodriquez | 10M | Merced Ca | 28.00 | -532 |
| 16 | Danny Roe | 03 | Turlock CA | 21.00 | -539 |
| 17 | Brandon Speck | 87 | Merced Ca | 18.00 | -542 |
| 18 | Mark Odgers | 57 M | Mariposa CA | 15.00 | -545 |
| 19 | Danny Richardson | 21R | CA | 2.00 | -558 |
| - | Raul Rodriquez Jr. | 0 | Merced Ca | 2.00 | -558 |
| 21 | Brad Stowell | 10S | CA | 1.00 | -559 |
| |||||
| Pos | Driver | Car # | City, State | Points | Behind |
| 1 | Marisa Odgers | 57 | Mariposa CA | 617.00 | Leader |
| 2 | Steven Johnson | 7J | Merced Ca | 493.00 | -124 |
| 3 | Curtis Thornhill | A1 | Merced Ca | 425.00 | -192 |
| 4 | Alysan Widick | 83 | Merced ca | 296.00 | -321 |
| 5 | James Donaldson | 0 | Madera Ca | 293.00 | -324 |
| 6 | Neill Barcellos | 7X,1X,50 | Atwater CA | 208.00 | -409 |
| 7 | Chris Parrigon | 1X | Atwater Ca | 135.00 | -482 |
| 8 | George Davis, Jr. | 1XD | Merced CA | 100.00 | -517 |
| 9 | Brandon Leonard | 2 | 71.00 | -546 | |
| 10 | J.C. Elrod | XX | San Jose Ca | 69.00 | -548 |
| 11 | Bert Henry Jr. | 1X,50 | Merced Ca | 67.00 | -550 |
| 12 | Steve Leonard | 2L | CA | 35.00 | -582 |
| - | Nicholas Robinson | 5H | CA | 35.00 | -582 |
| 14 | Gerado VelezSolis | 23 | 33.00 | -584 | |
| - | Richard Scott | 50S | Atwater Ca | 33.00 | -584 |
| 16 | Rebecca McLaughlin | 25 | Merced Ca | 32.00 | -585 |
| 17 | David Coleman | 88 | CA | 31.00 | -586 |
| |||||
| Pos | Driver | Car # | City, State | Points | Behind |
| 1 | Richard Altamirano | 6,07 | Morgan Hill CA | 475.00 | Leader |
| 2 | Tim Prothro | 23 | Merced Ca | 403.00 | -72 |
| 3 | Mike Henault | V8 | La Grange Ca | 393.00 | -82 |
| 4 | Don Epps | 8 | La Grange Ca | 324.00 | -151 |
| 5 | Michael Shearer | 67 | Los Banos Ca | 274.00 | -201 |
| 6 | Justin Shearer | 53 | Merced Ca | 221.00 | -254 |
| 7 | Greg Evans | 72 | Merced Ca | 101.00 | -374 |
| - | Bert Lopes | 69 | Delhi CA | 101.00 | -374 |
| 9 | Larry Pierini | 41 | Madera Ca | 60.00 | -415 |
| 10 | Ron Altimarano | 7 | Morgon Hill CA | 45.00 | -430 |
| 11 | Ray Tevis | 7 | Los Banos Ca | 36.00 | -439 |
| 12 | Mark Odgers | 57 | Mariposa CA | 29.00 | -446 |
| |||||
| Pos | Driver | Car # | City, State | Points | Behind |
| 1 | Shawn Bryant | 99 | Los Banos Ca | 441.00 | Leader |
| 2 | Mike Medrano | 3K | Los Banos Ca | 357.00 | -84 |
| 3 | John DiGiovani | 75X | Morgan Hill CA | 270.00 | -171 |
| 4 | Duane Short | 27M | Ceres Ca | 73.00 | -368 |
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Random Thoughts
I have a few different subjects to touch on here, so I guess I should just jump to it. It's going to be another long column. Like that's something new from me.
Just a quick note about the reopening of Merced Speedway. I have a post I will be posting later today. In the meantime, some 20 cars came out to play on Wednesday, and reports are that the racers loved the new quarter-mile clay oval. A couple comments about the track over at the Late Model Racer forum were that Alex Stanford timed in with laps in the 14.8 range in his Dirt Modified on the stop watch and this track will certainly offer close racing.
A press release was issued by the track and posted over at Racing West, stating, among other things, that promoter John Soares Jr. is "expecting 80 or more cars". If that turns out to be the case, this will be a huge success for the track. Our own expectations for the opener are in the 40-50 car range, but we certainly hope for as many cars as possible. There is a lot of excitement in the air, and Sunday's opener is sounding like it will be big for the track. Also, At the Merced Fairgrounds web page, there is a story talking about the improvements to the facility as they prepare to reopen.
Merced Has Playday And High Hopes For Season Opener
Just a quick note about the reopening of Merced Speedway. I have a post I will be posting later today. In the meantime, some 20 cars came out to play on Wednesday, and reports are that the racers loved the new quarter-mile clay oval. A couple comments about the track over at the Late Model Racer forum were that Alex Stanford timed in with laps in the 14.8 range in his Dirt Modified on the stop watch and this track will certainly offer close racing.
A press release was issued by the track and posted over at Racing West, stating, among other things, that promoter John Soares Jr. is "expecting 80 or more cars". If that turns out to be the case, this will be a huge success for the track. Our own expectations for the opener are in the 40-50 car range, but we certainly hope for as many cars as possible. There is a lot of excitement in the air, and Sunday's opener is sounding like it will be big for the track. Also, At the Merced Fairgrounds web page, there is a story talking about the improvements to the facility as they prepare to reopen.
Kings, I Mean, Giant Chevrolet Speedway Still Hanging In There
They are racing at Giant Chevrolet Speedway in Hanford this season. There's not a lot of hype there so far, but they are racing. Who is winning the races and who are the point leaders, if there are points, is not as clear. The only consistent bit of information coming from the track these days seems to be very nice pictures from Paul Trevino Photos and news releases from the Sprint Car groups racing there. In fact, Sprint Cars will be there Saturday night as USAC Sprint Cars headline along with the Dirt Modifieds and Mini Stocks.
For years, the track ran an IMCA sanction with their Modifieds as the first track in California to use IMCA sanctioning for the class. They still run an IMCA sanction on their Stock Car class, but the Modifieds are run with a set of rules that allow the cars to go from Hanford to Chowchilla and Tulare. Car count has gone up and down, and while not consistently where it was in the IMCA days, the Modifieds have had their moments and generally get enough cars for two heats and a main.
The IMCA Stock Cars came to the track a few years ago, and the sanctioning was brought in to attempt to keep the costs in line. The car count has been 6-10 per race. The Mini Stocks are also part of the show with 3-5 cars showing up. The low numbers here could be partly because new management has moved in and are reestablishing things. Thousands of dollars have been spent bringing the track up to date, and as they get things situated, those numbers should get better.
From everything I'm hearing, they are doing alright with the Sprint Car classes that have come to town, but we'll be taking a look at the Stock Car portion of things here.
Back in March on the 13th, the show opened with Dirt Modifieds, and IMCA Stocks and Mini Stocks as part of the show. Alex Stanford won the 20 car Modified feature ahead of Greg Mancebo and (Ryan?) McDaniel. The IMCA Stock Cars had seven cars and the Mini Stocks had five, including two trucks, but information on who won those events was never released.
On April 24th, the three divisions were back again along with the Street Stocks. The Dirt Modifieds produced a 22 car field with past track champion Paul Stone winning ahead of Mike Villanueva and veteran Steve Smothermon. Loren DeArmond has been the driver to beat in IMCA Stocks, and he bested a nine car field ahead of Robert Sylvester and Redding. When four Street Stocks were all that showed, the IMCA Stocks ran with them, and Chris Smith won an 11 car feature ahead of 2009 champion Tim Randolph and Lonnie Welch. This is the first season for Mini Stocks, and a short field saw Mezyk score the win ahead of Fagundes and Mendosa.
May 8th was a big night for the speedway as Late Models headlined the show along with the Winged Sprint Cars (Won by Tommy Tarlton) and IMCA Stock Cars. Mike Johnson won the 12 car Late Model feature ahead of John Lowrey and Robert Sanders. Ten IMCA Stock Cars competed with 2009 point runner up Loren DeArmond winning ahead of Ron Hurt and 2009 champion Troy Patee.
On a Friday, May 21st, the Golden State challenge Series headlined a show with the Stock Car portion of the show represented by the IMCA Stock Cars. Results of the IMCA Stock Car portion of the show were not released, but there were at least six cars with Loren DeArmond winning again.
On June 5th, the track ran a four division show, headlined by the USAC Sprint Cars, along with Dirt Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Mini Stocks. The Dirt Modified field slipped to eight cars with Alex Stanford winning ahead of Greg Mancebo and Bryan Burnes. Results weren't released on the other two classes, but at least seven IMCA Stock Cars competed with Loren DeArmond winning again. At least five Mini Stocks raced with the truck of Mendoza winning. There were at least three Mini Trucks in the field.
On June 26th, the Dirt Modifieds and Mini Stocks were part of the show and the Dirt Modifieds rebounded with 15 cars in action. Alex Stanford continued to be the driver to beat, scoring another victory ahead of Bobby Hogge IV and Rich Denman. Results were not released on the Mini Stocks, but at least 5 cars, including two Mini Trucks, were in action with an unidentified driver in the #3 car winning.
On July 9th as part of the county fair, the track held an Enduro and a hot lapping session for drivers who wanted to come out and hot lap. The Enduro was won by Rodney Angelo ahead of Craig Redding and 14 year old Tres Tadlock. Not sure how many cars competed in this race, but Hanford has had a long tradition of Enduro racing, which has included 3-4 races per season and track champions being crowned.
In June, the track canceled a Late Model Show that included the track's regular three Stock Car classes to make improvements to the facility. Also during this time, Scott Woodhouse, who had been very active in hyping up the track on message boards, became an investor in the track to try and help keep things going.
The people at Giant Chevrolet Speedway have a desire to keep this great tradition of racing at the Hanford Fairgrounds going strong, and they have spent plenty of money trying to build the foundation for a great future. It is with that desire that racing continues Saturday night with plenty more racing on tap for the remainder of the season. Hopefully, more information on race results we be made available, possibly even press releases, on the track's website.
Another Look At Sport Mods
While I still remain skeptical about the Sport Mod division, I will not ignore the small, but growing movement to bring this class to more tracks in California. I believe it was Merced Speedway that started the class back in 2006 after looking at some tracks in other states having success with it. The thinking being that even though the IMCA Modifieds have tried to be about affordable, but fast stock car type racing, the costs have steadily gone up for these cars. Perhaps not just because of motor, but costs for chassis and other parts.But, at Merced, this class limped out of the gate. Even when the Modified car count started to deteriorate there, the Sport Mods didn't seem to take up the slack. Last season, Chowchilla Speedway got on board with this "gateway" class. Perhaps "entry level" is not a fair description for Sport Mods, but "gateway" in that it's a place for drivers looking to move up from Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks and that type of class. You can even run a Sport Mod and move up to the Dirt Modified ranks, as John DiGiovanni did this year.
The voices are getting louder, and a few racers in the Petaluma area are sounding off about a Sport Mod class being needed there. A couple racers are even building cars that would be legal according to Chowcilla or Victorville rules. At Victorville this season, 14 cars have competed this season, and eight have run all 4 events. One of the track's top racers, Danny Quinn, has even spoken about wanting to make a trip up from Victorville to Chowchilla with a few drivers to provide some new competition. More on that in a moment.
What some of the Bay Area racers are saying in their quest to get the class started, possibly at Petaluma, is that there are plenty of older chassis sitting out there that may not be competitive against the newer cars in the Dirt Modified division, but they would be perfect for a Sport Mod class. Former Mini Stock racer Ford Cook is one such driver looking to get this class started, but there are others. One stumbling block could be the concern over the division dividing an already hurting Dirt Modified division, but proponents of Sport Mods will cite that most of the cars they will bring to their class are cars that you wouldn't have at the track otherwise.
With the addition of three new cars last week at Chowchilla, the Sport Mods now have over ten cars that have competed at Chowchilla, meaning a double digit car count could happen there before the season is out. Fielding a car for the first time was 2009 Merced IMCA Sport Compact champion Marissa Odgers. As numbers rise at Chowchilla to a certain point, promoters may begin to take notice. Some have even suggested the Sport Mod class could follow the path that the Wingless Spec Sprints laid out in bringing older chassis back to the track.
One weekend that looms on the horizon as a possible "coming out" party of sorts for Sport Mods is September 25-26. Chowchilla will run the class on Saturday and Merced on Sunday, and Quinn has indicated his interest in coming up to race that weekend along with a few others from Victortville. The stumbling block could be the $25 to start money. As it is quite a tow from Victorville, Quinn would like to see that money bumped up a little bit. If that can be worked out, this could be a big weekend for this division getting a little recognition.
The desire for more cars led to this division being added, and there are tracks across the country that do well with Limited Modifieds. I remain somewhat skeptical that this will do anything more that fragment the car count further among more divisions, but if numbers hit a certain level at Chowchilla and Merced, other promoters will take a look at things.
Orland's Car Count Concerns
Actually, the Sprint Car Fan forum had a thread pop up talking about car count at Orland. Some of the Marysville Mini Stock racers would love to run with Orland's Mini Stocks. The stumbling block being that Marysville's rules are open a little more than Orland, but Marysville's cars are welcomed into the Modified 4 Cylinder class at Orland. The problem is that this class is not the double digit car count that it was a few years ago, meaning the Marysville guys race against each other at another track with maybe two or three other cars.
I've seen it suggested that the guys just let them race and if they can['t do that, they should just park and watch from the stands. I've seen it said that you need to open the rules up to let the other guys come race, because you need the out of town cars to make a show. I've also seen it suggested they should switch to Sunday afternoons.
Well, the first suggestion is just ignorant. Rules are rules, and the local guys built their cars according to those rules. They aren't the ones with the problem. To the second point, you need locals to build the bulk of you car count, especially when we are talking about classes like Mini Stocks and Hobby Stocks. Classes like Sprint Cars and Late Models are another story, but for the other classes, the majority of your cars should come from a 20-30 mile radius of the track. Visitors should ALWAYS be welcomed and treated fairly as long as they race within the rules. Bending or switching the rules for them is NEVER a good idea and only leads to pissing off the locals.
Thirdly, Sundays aren't a bad idea on paper, but there are two problems. You'll need to run afternoons to get people home early due to work on Monday, and it's very hot up there in the afternoon during the summer. Plus, some people won't race anyway because they would rather relax on Sunday as they are working on Monday.
I've said it before, promoting will be the key to things at Orland. Maybe people see how well they really had it there a few years ago, and this is not meant to be a knock against the current leadership. Having a race track is still better than having no race track. It looks like the Spec Sprint thing is falling apart there, which is disappointing, and the Modified 4 Cylinder class is doing no better.
The classes that seem to have the most right now are Mini Trucks, Pure Stocks and Mini Stocks. It would be a good idea to step up now and get these drivers energized about racing. Contact anybody known to have a car in the last five years that has not raced and find out why. See if anything can be done to get the other two classes back on track, while you are at it, but strengthen the other three classes.
How? I've talked about some of this already. As a man I know used to say, what does it pay? Are the purses reasonable? Make the presentation a little better, meaning results posted and archived, press releases, race stories, driver profile stories. Racers do like to see their names in stories. Send the stories anywhere they can get printed. Get the point racing back. Even if there isn't a big point fund, though there should be something for the top drivers, racers do like competing for points.
And, just talk with the racers and see what they think. If there's something you can do to make it better, do it. Talk to the fans too and see what they think. It all adds up. As I said, I'm not out to criticize Orland management, because they brought a track back from the brink and have promoted some 25 events so far. But, polishing things up a bit and providing racers more reasons to go racing will make a difference.
Prentice Purchases Five Four Bangers
By the way, Ocean Speedway has a Taco Bravo Series/Civil War Series Sprint Car race Friday night, and it should be huge. This season has been a good one for the track, and credit should go to John Prentice and his crew for providing a track people want to race at.
After the Faster Pastor race last week, Jerry Supernaw's car was totaled, but Prentice stepped in and set Jerry up with a new car. He then put out a call for five race ready Four Bangers and has four of them as of this writing. John reportedly plans to have a race for some of the legends on Johnny Key Classic night, and they would drive these Four Bangers.
What this also does is gives Prentice the opportunity to have special media racers, races for track sponsors and local politicians or community leaders and that sort of thing, maybe even rent cars to fans. It's just another little touch in promotion that will help then track in the long run.
Dwarf Cars Come To Turlock
At The Stanislaus County Fair in Turlock on Sunday, the Dwarf Cars will be making another appearance in the little rodeo arena, maybe an 1/8 mile track if that. They brought ten cars last year and have raced there in the past as well. I know Antioch racer Charlie Correia has a win there. It's basically drivers from the Bay Area Dwarf Car Association, thought I'm not sure if BADCA sanctions this exhibition race. If I find any results, I'll probably post them. What I really think is cool about this is it's in Gary Jacob's old town of Turlock. Gary's probably looking down and smiling knowing they are doing this Dwarf Car exhibition race again.
I've given some thought to this recently, and I believe Racing Wheels Magazine could be brought back. I know Gary Jacob is gone, and that means dozens of stories weekly are gone too, but it's possible. What hurt Wheels really was two things. One, weekly full color covers was a bad idea and too expensive. Occasionally, maybe, but not all the time. Secondly, the internet took a lot of these magazines down. People didn't want to pay for something they could get on the net for free. Sound familiar?
One thing I have thought about is that if the net goes the way I've heard it could in the next few years, a weekly or bi weekly magazine will be very possible. Even if not, a joint effort marrying the magazine to the internet with exclusive content only available to subscribers is doable. You just have to figure out what you can offer that others can't, and I have a few ideas. Had we done this at CRO back in the day...
Anyway, as far as the printed magazine, several tracks still have publicity directors and weekly stories, and most have results and points available regardless. There are columnists out there who could provide more material. Several good photographers are out there too. Add the classified section and the all important ads for the big races coming up, and it can be done. The trick would be to do this on the most affordable budget possible, while making it something people want to subscribe to. Plus, getting it on sale at as many tracks as possible is a must.
It will be interesting to see what John does with this. Once Merced Speedway gets into a groove, he'll have a chance to take a look at things and put people into place to make it happen.
When certain people came knocking on my door late last year, it got me thinking. I was worried about Antioch Speedway. I was worried about Merced Speedway. Even though I didn't hear a good enough offer and declined, I couldn't shut my brain down to racing. I think sometimes people know that about me. Once I get going, I get focused, maybe too focused. So, this blog became a place for current news, rather than looking back at things as it was intended to be. That's okay though. I think I've done alright, and hopefully one or two people agree.
But, Antioch Speedway will live. Things are going okay there. Merced Speedway is back. Everything isn't as dire as it once looked. That is good news indeed. I am now looking for the exit. I need to step back here. This is becoming more work that I intended, and the pay sucks. Okay, I didn't do this for the pay, which is good or I'd be miserable. I only wanted to help a little and on my terms. The hours are now approaching what it took to do the magazine, and I'm not even going to the races. I'm fine with that though.
My main concern was that racing at two of my favorite places was in trouble, and things seem to be okay. Maybe not what they were in the past, but that's okay.
I again point out to anybody who cares that you can be a writer for your track. You really can. I've seen quite a few people who write four paragraph posts on message boards. If you can do that, you can write a story for your track. You've seen what I do here. My most recent review of Antioch was in the old "Gary Jacob Style" with my own touch to it, but you don't have to do it that way. Just find your own style.
Take notes at the track. Get all of the drivers names. Top threes in heats and dashes and B Mains and top 5 in the Mains. Note when the leader took the lead on what lap and where was the pass made. An interesting fact or two about the races, when the pass was made for second (if you want), how many cars started, how many yellows and that sort of stuff. Each division can have a paragraph. Lead with a paragraph mentioning who won the mains and end with a paragraph on when the next race is and any important information. You now have a story. It's not that hard.
If/when I do slow down here, and it may be soon, the blog is not going anywhere. I will refocus on past stuff and comment occasionally on current things too, but it will probably be more relaxed. I just wanted to let you know what was going on here. Hopefully, some of the things posted this year have been helpful to the cause as that has always been my intention.
At The Stanislaus County Fair in Turlock on Sunday, the Dwarf Cars will be making another appearance in the little rodeo arena, maybe an 1/8 mile track if that. They brought ten cars last year and have raced there in the past as well. I know Antioch racer Charlie Correia has a win there. It's basically drivers from the Bay Area Dwarf Car Association, thought I'm not sure if BADCA sanctions this exhibition race. If I find any results, I'll probably post them. What I really think is cool about this is it's in Gary Jacob's old town of Turlock. Gary's probably looking down and smiling knowing they are doing this Dwarf Car exhibition race again.
Racing Wheels Could Be Easier To Bring Back Than You Think
I've given some thought to this recently, and I believe Racing Wheels Magazine could be brought back. I know Gary Jacob is gone, and that means dozens of stories weekly are gone too, but it's possible. What hurt Wheels really was two things. One, weekly full color covers was a bad idea and too expensive. Occasionally, maybe, but not all the time. Secondly, the internet took a lot of these magazines down. People didn't want to pay for something they could get on the net for free. Sound familiar?
One thing I have thought about is that if the net goes the way I've heard it could in the next few years, a weekly or bi weekly magazine will be very possible. Even if not, a joint effort marrying the magazine to the internet with exclusive content only available to subscribers is doable. You just have to figure out what you can offer that others can't, and I have a few ideas. Had we done this at CRO back in the day...
Anyway, as far as the printed magazine, several tracks still have publicity directors and weekly stories, and most have results and points available regardless. There are columnists out there who could provide more material. Several good photographers are out there too. Add the classified section and the all important ads for the big races coming up, and it can be done. The trick would be to do this on the most affordable budget possible, while making it something people want to subscribe to. Plus, getting it on sale at as many tracks as possible is a must.
It will be interesting to see what John does with this. Once Merced Speedway gets into a groove, he'll have a chance to take a look at things and put people into place to make it happen.
In Closing
When certain people came knocking on my door late last year, it got me thinking. I was worried about Antioch Speedway. I was worried about Merced Speedway. Even though I didn't hear a good enough offer and declined, I couldn't shut my brain down to racing. I think sometimes people know that about me. Once I get going, I get focused, maybe too focused. So, this blog became a place for current news, rather than looking back at things as it was intended to be. That's okay though. I think I've done alright, and hopefully one or two people agree.
But, Antioch Speedway will live. Things are going okay there. Merced Speedway is back. Everything isn't as dire as it once looked. That is good news indeed. I am now looking for the exit. I need to step back here. This is becoming more work that I intended, and the pay sucks. Okay, I didn't do this for the pay, which is good or I'd be miserable. I only wanted to help a little and on my terms. The hours are now approaching what it took to do the magazine, and I'm not even going to the races. I'm fine with that though.
My main concern was that racing at two of my favorite places was in trouble, and things seem to be okay. Maybe not what they were in the past, but that's okay.
I again point out to anybody who cares that you can be a writer for your track. You really can. I've seen quite a few people who write four paragraph posts on message boards. If you can do that, you can write a story for your track. You've seen what I do here. My most recent review of Antioch was in the old "Gary Jacob Style" with my own touch to it, but you don't have to do it that way. Just find your own style.
Take notes at the track. Get all of the drivers names. Top threes in heats and dashes and B Mains and top 5 in the Mains. Note when the leader took the lead on what lap and where was the pass made. An interesting fact or two about the races, when the pass was made for second (if you want), how many cars started, how many yellows and that sort of stuff. Each division can have a paragraph. Lead with a paragraph mentioning who won the mains and end with a paragraph on when the next race is and any important information. You now have a story. It's not that hard.
If/when I do slow down here, and it may be soon, the blog is not going anywhere. I will refocus on past stuff and comment occasionally on current things too, but it will probably be more relaxed. I just wanted to let you know what was going on here. Hopefully, some of the things posted this year have been helpful to the cause as that has always been my intention.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Merced Speedway Playday
Merced Speedway is having a playday tomorrow (Wednesday) to put the track through its paces and give the drivers a chance to get some lap time on the new racing surface. I am working on a post for Merced that should be ready later this week. The buzz has been good so far. Marshall Weaver had some pictures posted on the Late Model Racer forum to give people an idea of how things are shaping up. It's looking good so far. It might be a good idea for the racers in the area to come out and play Wednesday.
One of the interesting changes at Merced Speedway, as shown in this Marshall Weaver photo, is the return to the quarter-mile clay oval and racing inside the old back wall. Drivers will get a chance to test things out at a playday on Wednesday.
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