Dirt Modifieds, Hobby Stocks Back At Antioch This Week

I considered leaving the pre race thing alone this week since I was left with so little information last week, but I'll jump right back in for another week. To the readers here who attend Antioch, if you want to help keep the results out there, feel free to comment on this post with unofficial finishes from Saturday, or even post on the various forums. If nothing is posted on the official track page again, at least we'll have something. It's an idea anyway.

Five divisions are in action at Antioch Speedway this week, and I'm setting the Over/Under number at 54 cars. We didn't even hit 50 cars last week from what I could tell, so I was over, but I think it should be better with Dirt Modifieds and Hobby Stocks back on the card.

The Wingless Spec Sprints (14), Dirt Modifieds (16), Super Stocks (8), Hobby Stocks (10) and Mini Trucks (6) will share the spotlight this week.

LaLiberte Goes For Six, Who's Ready To Step Up And Beat Him?

Tommy LaLiberte is on a roll at Antioch Speedway. His last seven starts have been a second, four straight wins, a second and another win. With five wins he tops the field, and, not surprisingly, he leads past Watsonville and NCMA Select Series champion David Press by 30 points going into this week's race. When you think about it, though, that's not a very big lead, and that's because Press has been consistently finishing in the top five to lessen the point damage of LaLiberte's success.

Success, however, comes at a price for LaLiberte, and it's the same old story. Two time Spec Sprint champion Darrell Hanestad heard it. Spec Sprint original and many time NCMA champion Darryl Shirk heard it. Stock Car champion Bobby Hogge heard it. They all hear it when they win enough. Tommy's cheating. As with most winning teams, however, success comes for LaLiberte through all the preparation, getting the car set up just right, watching videos of his races, having a dedicated pit crew and good sponsors. This all pays off on race day when he can put the car wherever he wants and it sticks.

It's not a foregone conclusion that Tommy will win this week, and with 12-16 cars anticipated, if he has a bad night, all of the winning he's been doing won't matter. That lead could go away in one night. With two wins himself, Press could make it to the winner's circle again. A man who is no stranger to winning at Antioch, third ranked Jim Perry Jr., finished second again last week, but he is due for his first win of the season.

Fact is, at least half of this field is capable of winning, and fifth ranked Jeff Kindt does have a win this season. With a couple preliminary wins this year, 1999 champion Dan Gonderman could be ready to win. It could be somebody like Jeff Lee, Gary Nelson or Chuck Bradshaw, who have had some good runs of late. It could also be one of the rookies, such as Tyler Henriquez or Trevor Press, who has quietly worked his way into fourth in points. Whomever it is, they will have to earn it, as the competition at Antioch is among the best in the state in this division.

Dirt Modifieds Hope To Recover With Another Big Race Coming Soon

Last time out, it was heavy carnage for the Dirt Modified division. Bobby Motts Jr. and Troy Foulger crashed on the back stretch battling for the lead, resulting in a horrendous crash behind them that sent Joe Carr rolling and put him on the injured list. It also left top ten ranked rookie Sean Wilson with a badly damaged race car that he said he may be unable to repair. The winner when it was all said and does was Dan Gonderman, who lost a season opener that he had dominated when a car got into him in Turn 1 and sent him rolling.

The good news in all of this is that Foulger and Motts got their cars back together and competed last week in Placerville. Also, Carr is hoping to recover in time to enter the $3,500 to win shows August 28th and 29th and Antioch and Merced. The bad news for Nick DeCarlo was after his tangle with Aaron Crowell on the back stretch that left Crowell sideways in front of the pack a few laps before the big crash, he ended up being penalized to last place. The damage was such that he is now over 40 points out of the lead. Foulger now leads Jeff Thomas by 38 with DeCarlo 42 points back. This could well be the moment that ended DeCarlo's title hopes, but we shall see. Foulger is consistently at the front every week, so it will be a challenge reeling in 42 points on him.

Meanwhile, Norm Boeck, working on another top five season, is ten points behind DeCarlo, while Motts fell to sixth behind Rick Karnes after his crash. Last time out, Motts had looked faster than ever as he beat Gonderman to win his first heat race of the season, and he was in contention for his first feature win until the brutal end. Through it all, though, the top six drivers haven't missed a race yet this year, and any one of them could be in line for this week's feature victory. It's also very possible that some visitors could be at Antioch this week to get a look at the track before the big show at the end of the month. It should be interesting.

The Blue Knight Rides Again

I don't believe John Meyers calls him that, but back in the days of the Sportsman division, they called Mike Gustafson "The Blue Knight" due to his blue race car and firesuit. He was a champion then (in 1980), and he won championships in the Limited Late Models twice during the last decade. But, points have never been what Mike has been about, or it's likely he'd have another championship or two to his credit in Super Stocks and Late Models at Petaluma. He certainly won his share of races back then against such front runners as Mike Chisholm, Lee Olibas, John Soares Jr., Jim Tryon, Rod Aronld and Jack Dempsey.

Mike missed a few races at the start of the season as income tax season always keeps him busy, but he has closed to within 44 points of Lloyd Cline. Cline finished fourth in points last year and is looking for back to back top five seasons. His win in a heat race last week and third in the feature the previous race shows how much he has improved since the start of the season.

Meanwhile, when the points were added up last week, Mitch Machado's lead over Larry Damitz remained at 14 points after Machado was second ahead of Damitz in the Main Event. This is the battle that has kept this division interesting when car count was really low at the start, and it just may go down to the wire. Not to be forgotten is the nice job rookie two time winner Fred Ryland and the steady Eric Berendsen have done this year, ranked third and fourth, respectively. To date, we have seen 12 different cars this season, and a double digit car count is entirely possible this week.

Bentley's Surprise Performance

Last time out, Wes Bentley had the crowd on their feet in the Hobby Stock division as he competed for his first feature victory. Wes has a heat race win this season, but in the Main Event, he definitely looked like he had the car to beat. Every time he got a little ahead of second place, however, he, made little mistakes to allow them to catch up. When he felt the pressure, he'd start to pull away again, almost as if he was learning how to lead a Main Event. Unfortunately, past champion Dan McCown did know how to lead the Main Event and has won in previous seasons. Bentley's last mistake proved costly as McCown pulled along side him and beat him by inches to the line for his first win of the season.

It was valuable lap time for Bentley, and when he's in this position again, the outcome may be different. A pat on the back should also go to sixth ranked Joe Cancilla, who ran second for much of the race before getting a flat tire. Joe is six points behind Mike Rydman in the battle for sixth. It's been mentioned here before, but there are some good racers in this class searching for their first win, and a new winner could emerge this week.

At the front of the pack is the team #33 car of Melissa Hansen and Brad Myers, who both have won this season and lead two time winner Chris Sorensen by 26 points in the championship chase. McCown is actually within striking distance, 43 points out of the lead. The Team 99 car of Jack Jonker and Jim Freethy are 26 points ahead of Rydman. Car count was down a little last time out, but with a few weeks off, it is expected to rebound this week.

The Travis Dutra Show

Travis Dutra has done a nice job in a short field of Mini Trucks. The 2009 point runnerup has won the most Main Events this season and is leaving little doubt at this point that he will win the championship unless something happens. After his win last week, Dutra's lead is now 60 over Ray Bunn, who is still searching for his first win of the season. However, Dan Wagner has won this season, and if Bunn's not careful, he will lose second. Wagner trails him by just 16 points at the moment.

Coming between Dutra and Wagner in the most recent Main Event was an impressive effort by Ron Mayberry. That second place finish was a season best for Mayberry, and it moved him into fifth in the standings. Mayberry will move into fouth just by starting this week's feature, unless two time winner Tom Brown brings his truck back this week. If Brown doesn't show, Greg Williams will pass him by starting as well, finally bumping Brown out of the top five. Though truck count has been in the 6-8 truck area in recent races, there have been 16 trucks to compete this season. It would be nice too see more of them in action this week, and it would surely make the racing better.

Random Thoughts

Lots of different things happening to comment on, and this column could go on and on if I let it. Don't think that's going to happen, but I'll pick some topics and dive right in on some of the things happening in California.

Big Weekend Coming To Antioch & Merced in Late August

Never let it be said that John Soares Jr. doesn't put his money where his mouth is when it comes to racing. The son of a California racing Hall Of Famer has done it again. The Dirt Modifieds seem to be the division getting "the love" this season, and you really can't blame John for that. His June $5,000 to win race at Antioch was a resounding success. In fact, a few weeks prior, John held a $1,000 tuneup race and had a full enough field of Dirt Modifieds that a B Main was needed.

Well, John decided it was time to do it again. $3,500 to win, and from what I'm hearing, $300 to start Main Events on August 28th at Antioch and August 29th at Merced. If the same driver wins both events, a $1,000 bonus. This is another big opportunity for the racers to win some money and prestige racing a Dirt Modified in California, and it's John Soares Jr. promoting the deal once again. In fact, unlike Antioch, where the newspapers have all but forgotten there is a race track there, the Merced Sun-Star ran another big story, breaking the news.

I think it's great that Merced Speedway is getting so much love. Wish Antioch could even get half as much. I'll leave my criticisms out, but I would hope they would focus on things the fans at Merced will actually see there, or this will be more material for the bashes to use against an effort that I believe is really trying to make thing better. John is quoted saying 80 cars will show for this event, dubbed the West Coast Nationals. Well, 80 cars SHOULD show up for this one, but it's more likely to be in the 40-50 car range. Still, that would have to be considered a success.

I'm a little nervous about this one, but hopefully it should work out. I've noticed at times in the past down there that when big money is offered, the locals stay home thinking they have no chance. Lat me tell you locals a story about a guy named Mark Keyes, who once beat the POSSE Super Stocks in his NASCAR Late Model Stock Car at a race in Merced. That was huge. It can happen.

John says, and of this I have no doubt, it is his goal to put Merced Speedway back on the map and make it a place the racers want to be. I just hope the locals get on board with him. This race should be, and better be, huge. That's up to the racers.

It Would Be Nice To Get Spec Sprints A Big Race Too

Quietly, and without much fanfare, the Wingless Spec Sprints have been doing solid numbers at Antioch, a tick below Dirt Mods, while double digit turnouts also happen at the regular shows in Watsonville, Petaluma, Marysville and Chico. It wasn't that long ago when Chico booked a race that had 70 cars. So, I would love to see a $3,000 pay check waved in front of these drivers and see LaLiberte, Bernal, Schank, Howard, Wallace, Pettit, Press and so many other top notch racers get their chance to shine. Will it happen? I'm not holding my breath, but if I had the money to put up, THAT is where I'd put it. Well, that, and maybe a lisle something special for the Hobby Stocks as a companion class.

While we're at it, I'd love to see another track or two join the Hunt Magneto Wingless Spec Sprint Tour. Antioch would be nice. I noticed the Petaluma names in the field up north last week and have to wonder if maybe they will be the next track added. If "Dr. Dirt" Jim Soares did get involved in that series, it would not surprise me a bit. The man doesn't get enough credit for the good he's brought to the sport, but Petaluma was fading fast before he took over the place. The Sprint Car program they have there now is pretty good from what I've read, AND they have Late Models and a competitive Street Stock program as well. But, I digress.

Car Count Lower Than Hoped For At Merced

From what I've been able to deduce, Merced's Sunday program had less that 30 cars. I had worried that the IMCA Stock Cars were not a good idea. Turns out, I was right. I'm sure they learned a lesson there. I'd love to know what they were thinking on that one. I was also worried how running the night after a Chowchilla show that included all the regular classes would effect Merced since they draw from pretty much the same car pool. Chowchilla's car count wasn't huge either, but it turns out that it may have effected Merced's numbers. With no Chowchilla race this week and Street Stocks and Dwarf Cars as part of the six division show at Merced this week, car count should bounce back.

But, somewhere, I bet Chuck Griffin is saying, "I told you guys it wasn't gonna be easy."

Chuck gets lots of blame for everything bad that ever happened at Merced these last 25 years, and he's not entirely blameless. But, to pin the car count demise of the last two years entirely on him would not be fair either. Fact is, had he been able to hold onto half the sponsorship his track had, things may have turned out differently. Plus, there are several racers who ran last year that are still absent this year, some who were pretty darn good supporters of that track during the past decade. Times are tough, and there are lots of factors at play.

Having said that, I still believe Soares is doing right by Merced and making every move he can to bring things back. It won't be easy, and there are speed bumps ahead. The August show is a gutsy move by John considering everything, but he's gambling on Merced being a hit with the racers and the fans in the long run. If the racers don't come out and show support, they have only themselves to blame if the track fails. I believe Sunday was not a great day to race weekly, but it was the only real choice the track had under the circumstances. It really was. So, I hope everybody makes the best of it and the racers come out and support when they can. What goes on in 2011 will depend on how things go now.

The quarter-mile is tight, and racy from what people are saying, and it's only going to get more dialed in and faster in the weeks ahead. With Dirt Modifieds, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers, Dwarf Cars and Sport Mods on the card this week, it should be a good show with a much better turnout this time.

Sport Mod Drivers Have Spoken, Um.... Whispered

Well, Merced Speedway held it's first Sport Mod race last Sunday. Ten different cars have raced at Chowchilla so far this season. They didn't run this class the night before, and only two drivers bothered to show for this one. Seems like there's a lot of TALK about this class so far, and it's not like this is a new deal in the area. The previous management started this class at Merced four years ago, so take that information for what it's worth. The up side of this is the track ran these two cars with the Dirt Modifieds, and they got the $100 to start, the same as the rest of the Dirt Mod class. Plus, these two drivers earned Sport Mod points.

Not much of a statement by the drivers this time as to why other tracks should start this class, but a nice statement by track management about taking care of the drivers. The division gets another shot this week. We'll see how it goes.

Orland Speedway's Nice Rebound

A lot of tracks are struggling these days, so even the ones struggling the hardest are doing something just by opening up and having a race. At least 30 drivers competed in the four divisions last week at Orland Speedway, one of the best turnouts of the season, if not the best. A couple of nice things to report. There was a season best 11 Mini Trucks in action. The Mini Stocks reportedly paid a purse for their seven cars.

The one that caught my eye was seven Wingless Spec Sprint drivers in action. It was looking bad for a couple of weeks there, and I was wondering if the things that went down a few weeks back may have had something to do with it. As it turns out, Josh Jacobo was back and the four time champion won this race. There have now been 13 different cars in this class at Orland, and the four regular divisions have all had at least ten cars with several different feature winners this season.

It's not easy during any time period to run a race track, but these days especially. I do get a sense that the racers in the area are rallying behind this track, and if they keep at it, it will only get better. I still see some sort of deal hatched between Chico and Orland as a good thing in the future as Orland gets stronger. Both tracks do have Spec Sprints and Hobby Stocks, so something could be worked out where both tracks could gain a few drivers a couple times during the season. Perhaps at some point as things get better, Orland could become a part of the Hunt Series for Spec Sprints? Just a thought.

More information on the latest race at Orland can be read further down on this blog. An Enduro and Destruction Derby headline this week at Orland, but they have Dirt Modifieds races scheduled in August. I'm thinking the one on August 28th may need to be moved in light of the big announcement at Antioch and Merced.

Misty Wins Again At Marysville

Just passing along the information that Misty Castleberry won her tenth straight Mini Stock race at Marysville Raceway Park. The defending champion and current point leader has commanded this division, prompting the usual jeers from people claiming cheating, which always seems to happen whenever somebody wins a lot at any race track, but could it be that this lady can drive? In this case, she beat veteran Jeff Olschowka, who was making a surprise start to try and beat her. He settled for second. As Misty has proven her point in this division, hopefully she'll have the sponsorship for a move up next year, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was a top competitor in the next division she raced too.

While We're Mentioning The Ladies

Adrienne DeSousa did it again. Now in her third season in Four Bangers, she won her first feature at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville Friday night. This earned her a visit to The Motor Sports Show with Tony Karis on KNRY 1240 AM on Wednesday night. DeSousa is currently running second in points, not too far behind Sean Markley Jr. In addition to this win, she has also claimed wins at Antioch, Chowchilla, Madera and Merced. Adrienne's win at Merced came ahead of the 11 car field last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Michelle McClure won the Pure Stock feature Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. Like DeSousa, she ranks second in her division and within striking distance of the point leader, Chris Curtiss.

Placerville's Mixed Results Saturday Night

In a bit of a disappointment, the Placerville Speedway show Saturday night saw no Chico regulars support the $800 to win Dirt Modified race. What saved this race from complete disaster was the fact that a half dozen Antioch racers, and a past Late Model champion, who used to live in the Bay Area, were in action. It was that driver, Robert Miller, grabbing the win over Antioch point leader Troy Foulger and two time Antioch champion Kenny Neu. Fresh off a top three finish at Watsonville in the Mike Cecil Memorial Race, Junior Dawson was fourth.

The good news was that 25 Spec Sprints raced at Placerville as part of the Hunt Series, and it was Terry Schank Jr. adding to his point lead by besting the 25 car field. With 32 cars on hand on Friday at Chico, Schank won that race too. In an interesting stat, the Hunt Series race for the Spec Sprints on Friday outdrew car counts for the Golden State Challenge Series race at Marysville and the Civil War Race at Petaluma. Nice to see the Spec Sprints are alive and well in California and doing their part to represent Sprint Car racing.

By the way, Kyle Larson won the GSC race to take a slim point lead over 13 time Series champion Brent Kaeding. Larson is in a position to win not only the GSC title, but the Tao Bravo Series at Watsonville as well. Not bad for a driver who will be turning 18 soon. It will be interesting to see if he can pull of the double championship win, but it won't be easy. I'm sure Kyle wouldn't have it any other way.

Hayfork Speedway Finally Opens?

Hayfork Speedway was set to get things started last Sunday. Not sure if this has happened or not. With the two play days scheduled, they canceled them and mentioned it on their web page prior to the day. This was not the case with the opener. If we find any information, we'll pass it along here. Hayfork intended to run Mini Stock and Hobby Stock divisions to try and get things up and running. I will say one thing, the speedway put Hayfork on the map for me, as I had never heard of the place before news of this track surfaced. I'm hoping things work out for them as it's always nice to see a new race track open.

Free Passes For New Racers At Bakersfield Speedway

Bakersfield Speedway Management posted the following on the Late Model Racer forum:

Saturday August 7th I will be offering up again this season two FREE pit passes for this event to any STREET STOCK, HOBBY STOCK or MINI STOCK team that has not raced with us yet in 2010. Pit gates open at 2:00pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm, racing at 6:00pm. We will also be having our first ever Spectator Eliminator Race and it’s FREE PEPSI night. Come join us for a fun night of racing. Scott

I mentioned something about this on the DCRR Racing Radio Show earlier in the season. I think I mentioned discounted prices, but they are going the extra mile with free passes to drivers making their first start of 2010. Other tracks should try something like this. Get these drivers to "dig their cars out of mothballs" as Gary Jacob would say, and once they race that first time, hopefully they come back next week and pay full price.

Late Models Need To Regroup And Come Back Stronger

Seems to me Sandy Bainton wasn't the "evil witch" some people made her out to be when she ran the CarQuest Late Model Tour for several seasons before stepping away a few years back. I recall when Brynda wanted to work with her on something at Antioch back in the early 90's. Oh, what could have been, but could the male ego handle TWO ladies at the head of the premeire Dirt Late Model Tour of Californoia? Alas, we never found out.

But, Sandy ran that deal like clockwork. She always had more race date requests than she had dates to give, but she always tried to bring new tracks into the deal to see how it would work. She was one of the people who saved the division as far as I'm concerned, though Santa Maria and Petaluma NEVER gave up on the class either.

The point is, the leadership. whomever they are, need to regroup and put this thing back together. Several dates have been dropped this year. I'm not sure why, and at this point, I just don't care. What's done is done. Going forward, they need to fix this. It's nice to hear the Limited Late Model talk, but there are still several full on Late Models out there, and racing fans want to see them.

So, whomever takes charge of the Late Model Tour and whatever they call it in 2011, they need to check on what the schedules are at the tracks that still run the class, put this thing back together again, and make it a deal promoters can't refuse. I'd try to include the tracks that do still have Late Model races of their own with at least some visits as they are still keeping it alive, aren't they?

So, come on guys, use some commons sense and make this thing happen. There's no substitution for the real thing, and though I have nothing against Limited Late Models, let's keep the Late Models alive. If we can have a good Winged 410 Sprint Car Tour in this day and age, we can have a good Late Model Tour too.

Ventura's Neat Little Show

Somebody commented on the possibility of Ventura having a Late Model show on the Late Model Racer forum, and somebody commented on Jim Naylor "hating" Late Models. I highly doubt he hates them, but Midgets and Sprint Cars put that racy litle 1/5 mile clay oval on the may. Anybody remember Thursday Night Thunder and USAC Midgets and TQ Midgets at Ventura on ESPN? I do, and it was pretty darn cool. I miss the days when ESPN would actually show "good" racing. Calm down NASCAR fans, I just think they could use some good old fashion dirt track racing on the nation's #1 sports network.

These days, Naylor is streaming his racing live on the internet, and this is one heck of a show. The Wingless Sprint Cars are absolutely amazing the way they go 2 and 3 wide on that little track, and do so for several laps without crashing. Now THAT'S what I call racing. IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Jr. Dwarf Cars and Go Karts are just some of the classes they have there. They even have senior (55 years and older) Sprint Cars ad Dwarf Cars there. They are planning a Mini Modified (think smaller version of the old California Dirt Car class) division for next season.

I don't think Jim hates Stock Cars, but I do believe he's looking for classes that can give him a car count and put on a show. If he did add a Stock Car class, I'd expect it to be Hobby Stocks at this point, but the thought of a Late Model show on that track is intriguing. My first thought is the cars are too big and fast, but IMCA Modifieds do alright there, so who knows? At any rate, Naylor has things running well at Ventura Raceway, and that is infinately better than the stupid Ampitheater they were talking about putting in there about a decade ago. Good things can happen when people stand up together and fight for a good cause.

Mike Cecil Would Be Proud

We close this long winded column, but not before giving a pat on the back to Ocean Speedway for the Mike Cecil Memorial 50 lap race, won by Cody Burke ahead of Junior Dawson and Todd Hermosillo. So many cars were there that they even ran a pair of B Mains to fill the remainder of the Main Event field. Over 30 cars. A bit rough with 22 cars starting and 8 finishing. They ran 2 25 lap segments and the top 2 drivers at halfway had the option of restarting at the back in the second segment. If either won that way, they would receive a $1,000 bonus. Neither leader Burke nor Jim Pettit II would take that challenge.

Burke claimed he was prepared to if Pettit would, but Pettit felt the risk wasn't worth the reward with the level of competition out there. Unfortunately, Pettit still had problems and fell out, but his night was not a total loss. He won $500 in the special Dash For Cash ahead of Kenny Nott Jr. and Jim DiGiovanni, who won $300 and $200, respectively. Nott reclaimed the point lead from Brian Cass, and he was lucky to get the top five finish in the Cecil Race as he ran the last two laps with a front flat tire.

Taco Bravo Sprint Cars, IMCA Modofieds, Wingless Spec Sprints and American Stocks are all part of the show this Friday night at Ocean Speedway. The Johnny Key Classic for the Taco Bravo Sprint Cars looms in the near future, August 28th, and it's sure to be a must see race.

And He Was Also Fast In His Simulated Car

Okay, one more thing. After winning for I believe the third time in his American Stock this season, 2009 Ocean Speedway Four Banger champion Matt Sotomayor was a guest on the Motor Sports Show with Tony Karis on Wednesday. Matt gained very little ground on seven time winner and point leader Billy Nelson, who finished second. Whether Matt can catch Nelson at this point or not, he needs to be on top of his game, or Matt Kile and second generation racer Nick Silva are sure to pounce on him in a close race for second.

While Matt is the top rookie in the American Stocks this year, the second generation racer has actually been racing on line in a simulated race car for years. In fact, some of his online championships came in the CRO Racing League, which Joe Martinez and I started not long after we started CRO in 2000 as the best darn racing news site in the state. Matt was fast, if a little bit cocky back in those early days, but when I came back and helped refire up that league six years ago, I was impressed with how much he had matured. I knew when he got his first race car that he would be a winner.

On Tony's radio show this week, Matt commented that he would really like to get into a Sprint Car. I would love to see that happen, and perhaps that could come together at some point. In the meantime, look for him to battle Nelson, Kile, Silva, Tony Olivera and the rest of the competorors for more wins before the season is done.

A Good Night At The Races At Orland Speedway

Perhaps the best night of racing of the 2010 season took place Saturday night as the action resumed at Orland Speedway. The Wingless Spec Sprints were back in action, along with a solid turnout of Mini Trucks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. When the checked flag flew on another exciting evening of racing, it was Josh Jacobo (Wingless Spec Sprints), Keith Ross (Mini Trucks) and the hard charging duo of Rich Hood (Hobby Stocks) and Eric Hammond (Mini Stocks) collecting the victories.

The Wingless Spec Sprints rebounded this week as seven drivers competed in the popular division. A pair of racers from the Emery family were back in action for the first time since the season opener, and Dave Emery chased Josh Tucker across the line for a second place heat race finish. Pat Bisio was third in the heat race, but he was a feature scratch. A feature winner this season, Tucker continued his pursuit of a clean sweep with a Trophy Dash victory. However, it was four time division champion Josh Jacobo adding another feature win to his impressive Spec Sprint racing resume. Tucker settled for second. The third ranked driver in 2007, Don Emery, finished third in the feature, followed by newcomer John Hopkins, Dave Emery and Brian Kerby.

The Mini Trucks boasted a season high 11 truck field for this event, and they ran two heat races to qualify the four drivers for the Trophy Dash. Last week's feature winner, Richard Gale beat the combined Mini Truck/Mini Stock winner from last week, Dan Webster, in the first heat. Making his second start of the season, 2002 point runnerup Keith Ross won the second heat ahead of Clinton Earl. Earl won the Trophy Dash. Last time out, Ross finished a disappointing seventh, but he collected the feature victory on this occasion ahead of the hard charging Webster. Earl wrapped up a solid night in third as recent feature winner Jim Davis and the #22 truck completed the top five. Steven Woods was sixth ahead of Gale, Ross Vige, John Blevins, the #27 truck and Zack Webster.

Jimmy O'Reilly won the Hobby Stock Trophy Dash. At least five different drivers have enjoyed Main Event glory this season, and recent winner Rich Hood grabbed another win this week, followed by a driver with at least three second place finishes this season, Earl Adams. O'Reilly finished third as the #10x car and the #4 car completed the finishing order.

In Mini Stock action, the seven competitors all ran the one heat race, and Eric Hammond scored the victory ahead of Jarod Flower. Pole sitter Ken Johnson claimed Trophy Dash honors and provided some good competition for Hammond in the Main Event, but the two time winner Hammond would take the checkered flag in first. Johnson settled for second with Barbara Crain driving the #23 car to the final podium position in third. Joe Kneip finished fourth ahead of Flower, Don Runkle and Chad Arnold.

Next week, the track holds an Enduro Race and Destruction Derby. Regular racing resumes on August 7th with Wingless Spec Sprints, Mini Trucks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. A week later, the Dirt Modifieds will join those four divisions for their second appearance of the season.


These are NOT official points for Orland Speedway. To my knowledge, they are not keeping points this season. Using Antioch Speedway's Main Event point system (50, 48 46...), I took the Main Event finishes I had (a few are missing), just to get an idea how drivers might rank this season. Here's a look at the top five, but remember, they are not official.

Wingless Spec Sprints (6 Races) *

69-Josh Jacobo 284
74-Josh Tucker 228
7x-Brian Kerby 224
4xl-Pat Bisio 136
50-Don Emery 92

* At least 1 finish missing

Mini Trucks (8 Races)*

62-Dan Webster 360
97-Ross Vige 342
23-Richard Gale 314
00t-Tyler Pebley 240
5-Jim Davis 216

*1 Race Missing

Mini Stocks (8 Races)*

23-Don Runkle 318
86-Eric Hammond 242
93-Ken Johnson 192
82-Chad Arnold 170
14-Jarod Flower 168

* 1 race missing

Hobby Stocks (6 Races)*

12-Rich Hood 230
22-Earl Adams 192
2-Jake Van Tol 142
18-Brian Compton 138
44-Jimmy O'Reilly 136

* 2 races missing

LaLiberte, Gustafson, Dutra & Ryland Win Again At Antioch

I didn't have much information to work with, but I did what I could. I found some information and compared point listings from last week and this week. This is all unofficial. I debated whether to even bother, but I decided to go ahead and do it for whoever might give a darn at this point.

Another five division show entertained the crowd Saturday night at Antioch Speedway with some familiar faces collecting the victories. At the end of the night, it was Tommy LaLiberte (Wingless Spec Sprint), Mike Gustafson (Super Stocks), Patty Ryland (Four Bangers) and Travis Dutra (Mini Trucks) picking up the wins.

Jason Sneep grabbed the victory in the BCRA Midget Lites one appearance of the season ahead of Brian Corso, Dakota Albright, Joey Hoover and Zack Beard. The 11 cars ran two heat races with Sneep and Scott Kinney collecting the victories.

The big car count of the night belonged to the Wingless Spec Sprints, where 15 competitors were in action. They ran two heat races to set the grid for the night, and wins went to current point leader Tommy LaLiberte and 1999 division champion Dan Gonderman. LaLiberte continued his race towards the championship by holding off past champion, Jim Perry Jr. for his fifth feature win of the season. Gary Nelson was third, and Jeff Kindt and David Press finished in or near the top five. Press lost more ground to LiLiberte in the championship battle, now trailing by 30 points.

There were eight Super Stocks in action for this event, and the night started off well for fifth ranked Lloyd Cline, who won his first heat race of the season. Late starter Mike Gustafson, a three time champion at the speedway, picked up his second feature win of the season as he slowly gains ground on Cline for fifth in the standings. In the Main Event, Gustafson's closest rivals were this season's championship contenders, Mitch Machado and Larry Damitz, who finished second and third, respectively. Machado's lead over Damitz still sits at 14 points. Eric Berendsen, Fred Ryland and Jon Haney had top six finishes.

The Mini Truck field increased to seven trucks for this race, and Travis Dutra continued his dominance of the division with a heat race win and then another feature victory. Dutra's nearest rival, Ray Bunn, trails by 60 points. Ron Mayberry enjoyed his best finish of the season in second, propelling him into fifth in the standings, while Dan Wagner finished third. Wagner trails Bunn by 16 points for second in the standings. Despite rolling his truck, 2009 champion Gene Haney had a top five finish, as did Bunn.

The Four Bangers continue to have an interesting point battle. After missing a race for vacation, 2009 champion Patty Ryland dropped back to third in the standings, but she has steadily worked her way back towards the lead. 2009 runner up Ken Radabaugh won the heat race, but he was no match for Ryland, who held him off for the victory behind the wheel of her newly painted car. Mike Felt placed third in his first start as Devon DeOdosso and top five ranked Justin Silveira had top five finishes. Incoming point leader Dayna Andreesen was in action for the night but is not listed as having earned any points. Radabaugh now leads Ryland by 20 points.

Five divisions will be in action next Saturday night in a show headlined by Wingless Spec Sprints, Dirt Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Mini Trucks.

Looking Back: "The Big Dog" Ramie Stone

Ramie Stone #06 won the 2000 Street Stock championship at Merced Speedway. Photo by L&J Photography

Ramie Stone #06 won IMCA Modified four championships at Merced Speedway.
Photo by L&J Photography

When it comes to talking about the greats of Merced Speedway through the years, there are names that will immediately come to mind. Racers like Dennis Moomjean, Vern Willhoite, George Steitz, Ted Stofle and George Steitz are sure to come up from the 1960's and 70's. Doug Williams, Ray Morgan, Doug McCoun are a few who will be mentioned from the 1980's. Larry Folkner, Gordon Rodgers and Darren Thomas are a few who will surely be mentioned from the 1990's. Then, it really gets fun when you start talking about who was the greatest to race at the track. That, of course, is a matter of opinion.

But there are a few drivers from the last decade who deserve to be in that discussion, and one of those is the man they call "The Big Dog" and "Godzilla". He stood taller than about anybody in the pits, and behind the wheel of his green #06 car, he was hard to beat. That man is Ramie Stone, and he was part of the Stone Family invasion of valley racing that happened at the track in 1996. All four of the Stones went on to win at least one championship in their careers. Ramie became a champion in every division he competed. In 1996, Merced Speedway was in the second year of it's Little Truck division. Ramie and his brother Troy Stone were joined by cousins Paul Stone and Steve Stone.

That first season, he was eighth. A year later, his brother won the championship, while he was fourth behind Jack Stanford and cousin Paul Stone. A year after that, Ramie won the championship. While Troy and two time Merced champion Paul Stone had moved up to the IMCA Modified class, Ramie opted to go Street Stock racing in 1999, finishing second and topping the rookies that season. A year later, the Stones ruled the Street Stock division as Ramie won the Merced championship, while cousin Steve won the Chowchilla title. Ramie even ventured down to Chowchilla on occasion and won a feature there.

And Ramie would win several Main Events in his career. In 2001, he opted to go IMCA Modified racing, and he finished fifth, again topping all rookies in the class. It seemed like it didn't matter what kind of car you put him in, Ramie was going to find his way to the front of the pack. For the next two seasons, he dominated the IMCA Modified scene at Merced with back to back championships, ranking in the top five in the region, winning the IMCA State championship and even winning the DCRR State championship twice.

Having the honor of announcing the races at Merced during that time, I can tell you a win by him was something to see. While others were content to run down low on Chuck Griffin's smooth, dry slick 1/3 mile dirt oval, Ramie would put his car up on the outside and start driving his way to the front. It didn't matter where the green #06 car was starting, if things held together, it was going to the front of the pack. He continued to race at Merced for the rest of the decade.

In the most recent three seasons in which Ramie has chased points, he won championships in 2006 and 2008, and finished a close second to Garrett Steitz in 2005. He didn't chase points last season, but he was still a feature winner.

Looking at the impressive numbers of Ramie Stone, he won six championships at Merced Speedway among three divisions and ranked second twice, and he did all of this in 15 seasons of competition. He definitely belongs in the conversation of who is the best in track history at Merced Speedway, and even if you don't believe he's #1, it would be hard not to put him somewhere on the very impressive top ten list.

I'm not sure whether Ramie will be racing at Merced this season or in the future, but I can tell you if he does, watch out. This is a man who brings his best to the track, and he'd be almost certain to be a top contender on the quarter-mile dirt oval, no mater who he was racing against. Plus, he's always been one of the racers the fans enjoy watching at Merced Speedway.