Saturday, April 22, 2017

Hogge Wins At Watsonville, Forsberg Wins At Chico, Abreu Wins At Tulare


First of all...


On Sale At Reduced Price






Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

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Just A Kid From The Grandstands:  My Time In Auto Racing

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover


Also...

If You Like Reading Our Articles, Feel Free To Leave A Tip In  ---  The Tip Jar
 

The April 17th Edition of the Southern Oregon Speedway Audio Show can be heard HERE

Peter Murphy article in the Fresno Bee on the eve of the Peter Murphy classic in Tulare right HERE

Tony Karis article on Ocean Speedy in Santa Cruz Sentinel can be read HERE

Bako Motorsports Power Hour Coverage Of Bakersfield Speedway can be viewed HERE 


The DCRR Racing Radio Show

DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 108 by GenWhat

Stories all based on the unofficial live scoring loops, subject to computer error and post race DQ's...



Hogge, Hagio, Kyle, Jones Open
Ocean Speedway Season With Victories

Watsonville, CA...April 21...Reigning champion Bobby Hogge IV won the season opening 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway.  Hogge also won his heat race.  It was Merced Speedway champion Randy Brown setting the early Main  Event pace ahead of Andy Obertello and rookie Danny Wagner.  Hogge was up to fourth on lap four and took third from Wagner on lap six.  Hogge slipped past Obertello for second on lap nine and was right on Brown's rear bumper.  Hogge put the moves on Brown for the lead on lap 11.  Brown and Obertello tangled for a lap 12 caution flag.  Hogge led Wagner and Joe Antonetti on the restart.  Robert Marsh and Cody Burke made it a close three car battle with Wagner for second, but Wagner's race up front ended on lap 21.  Hogge led the rest of the way for the victory, and Burke was a strong second ahead of heat winner Alex Wilson and Antonetti.  Anthony Copeland finished fifth as Raymond Keldsen Jr., John DiGiovanni, Wagner, Marsh and Nick DeCarlo rounded out the Top 10.

Matt Hagio drove to victory in the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event.  The talented second generation racer is the 2015 division champion.  Hagio won his heat race, then he followed Igor Gradzuk for five laps in the Main Event before making his move into the lead.  Hagio pulled to about a two second lead in the non stop event and cruised to victory.  Gradzuk settled for second.  Mike Kofnovek was third for seven laps before being shuffled out of the Top 5 by Shane DeVolder, reigning champion Jim DiGiovanni and Mark Hartan, who finished third through fifth.  Duane Beiser made a last lap pass on Kofnovek for sixth as Jonathan Mulder, Billy Robertson and Charlie Hunter completed the Top 10.

Matt Kile battled for the 20 lap American Stock Main Event victory.  Nick Triolo won a heat race and set the early pace ahead of reigning champion Robert Gallaher and heat winner Bobby Huckaby.  Kile took third on lap two, and the lead three racers ran close in what would be a non stop event.  Kile took second from Gallaher on lap five and briefly grabbed the lead from Triolo on lap 10.  However, Trioio regained the top spot on lap 11 as Gallaher fell back from the lead battle.  Kile continued to pressure Triolo hard for the lead as Huckaby was back in third.  Kile made his winning pass on lap 14 and pulled away just a bit to the checkered flag.  Triolo settled for second ahead of Huckaby, Gallaher, Jerry Skelton, Devon Sanders, J.C. Elrod, Wally Kennedy and Katie Briggs.

Shawn Jones picked up the win in the 20 lap SBDCA Dwarf Car Main Event.  The 2011 champion followed Cameron Diatte and Marty Wesiler early on, but he passed Weisler for second on lap three.  The yellow flag slowed the pace after 3 laps.  Jones put the pressure on Diatte on the restart and made a quick move into the lead.  Ryan Winters pressured Weisler for second before finally making the pass on lap nine.  Nor Cal Dwarf Car star Winters stayed with Jones, but Jones would not be denied the victory.  Diatte settled for third ahead of Weisler, Scott Dahlgren, David Taylor, Kyle Jones, Bill Belfield, Chris Dorto and D.J. Lebow.



Race Results
 IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat 1-   Heat 2-Matt Hagio, Igor Gradzuk, Jim Digiovanni.  Main Event-Hagio, Gradzuk, Shane DeVolder, DiGiovanni, Mark Hartan, Duane Beiser, Mike Kofnovek, Jonathan Mulder, Billy Robertson, Charlie Hunter.


IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-Bobby Hogge IV, Nick DeCarlo, Andy Obertello.  Heat 2-Alex Wilson, Cody Burke, Randy Brown.  Main Event-Hogge, Burke, Wilson, Joe Antonetti,  Anthony Copeland, Raymond Keldsen Jr., John DiGiovanni, Wagner, Marsh, DeCarlo.


SBDCA Dwarf Car
Heat 1-Cameron Diatte, Marty Weisler, Shawn Jones.  Heat 2-Mark Biscardi, Matt Sargent, Scott Dahlgren.  Main Event-Jones, Ryan Winters, Diatte, Weisler, Dahlgren, David Taylor, Kyle Jones, Bill Belfield, Chris Dorto, D.J. Lebow.
American Stock
Heat 1-Bobby Huckaby, Matt Kile, J.C. Elrod.  Heat 2-Nick Triolo, Robert Gallaher, Nick Silva.  Main Event-Kile, Triolo, Huckaby, Gallaher, Jerry Skelton, Devon Sanders, Elrod, Wally Kennedy, Katie Briggs.

Forsberg, McCllain, Marino, Allen Score
Silver Dollar Speedway Wins

 Chico, CA...April 1...Andy Foreberg was a surprise entrant Friday night at Chico Silver Dollar Speedway.  The nine time Civil War Series champion decided to race with the 410 Sprint Cars, and he scored the victory on the 25 lap Main Event.  Heat race winner Michael Ing set the early pace in the Main Event ahead of Brad Bumgarner and Forsberg.  Forsberg settled into second on lap two as Red Bluff 500 Open Kart champion Chase Majdic was third.  Forsberg was sizing up Ing for the pass, and he put the moves on him to take the lead on lap 12.  Madjic followed Ing until making his move into second on lap 15.  Madjic stayed a close second, but Forsberg drove a great race for the victory.  Ing settled for third ahead of Bumgarner, heat race winner Tanner Carrick, Adam Brenton, Jim Richardson, Bradon Enos, Brandon Powell and Ryan Souza.

Casey McClain made a late race pass on Jeremy Wilson to win the 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event.  Don Emery set the early Main Event pace ahead of Wilson and McClain.  Wilson and McClain both charged past Emery for the 1-2 spots on lap five.  Brent Steck took third on lap six.  As Wilson and McClain battled for the lead, Tony Richards found his way into third by lap 11.  McClain was about to make his move as they headed towards the white flag when a spin brought out a late yellow flag.  McClain took the lead on the restart and led the final two laps for a hard fought victory.  Richards made a last lap pass on Wilson for second.  However, Richards was disqualified in post race tech, elevating Wilson back to second ahead of Terry Schank Jr., Emery, Chris Swim, Brett Youngman, Angelique Bell, Steck, Rick Swigart and Jeff Crossman.  Schank and reigning champion Bell won heat races.

Past champion Phil Marino won a spirited duel with Matt Micheli for the victory in the 20 lap Street Stock Main Event. Marino had earlier won the heat race, and he chased early leader Corey Hall in the Main Event.  Marino, Micheli and Brett Lawrence shuffled Hall out of the Top 3 on lap six.  Hall returned to third on lap ten as Micheli was pressuring Marino hard for the lead.  On lap 15, Michelii found his way past Marino.  Marino stayed right with him, but Micheli's lead was short lived as he faded with a flat tire on lap 18.  Marino brought it home to victory with Hall second and Lawrence a solid third.  Mike Slingtom finished fourth as Gary Newman, Richard Workman, Fritz Zanker, Matt Micheli and Devin Koranda completed the finishing order.

Kyle Allen swept Hobby Stock action with heat race and 20 lap Main Event victories.  Three time reigning champion Brian Compton had been on a hot streak with two wins at Marysville this year, and he set the early Main Event pace ahead of Allen and James West.  Allen shadowed Compton's every move until making his winning pass on lap 13.  Compton stayed with him the rest of the way, but Allen drove a flawless race for the victory.  Compton settled for second ahead of West, past Orland Mini Truck champion Keith Ross, Shannon Collins, Jeremy Langenderfer, Mike Chase and Darren Ballentine.

Reigning champion Wyatt Brown won the 15 lap Winged Economy Sprint Main Event.  Brown led the entire distance through two yellow flag periods.  Scott Gannett was an early second, but he lost the spot to Mike Ficklin on a lap six restart.  However, Gannett regained second just before a lap 9 yellow flag.  Brown led the restart and won by a straightaway ahead of Gannett, Ficklin, Mike Sayre, Cameron Haney Jr. and Jeff Rommell.  Gannett was disqualified in post race tech, shuffling the finishing order..

Race Results 
410 Sprints
Heat 1-Tanner Carrick, Andy Forsberg, Jim Richardson.  Heat 2-Michael Ing, Chase Majdik, Ryan Souza.  Main Event-Forsberg, Majdic, Ing, Bumgarner, Tanner Carrick, Adam Brenton, Jim Richardson, Bradon Enos, Brandon Powell, Ryan Souza.
Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat 1-Terry Schank Jr., Tony Richards, Brent Steck.  Heat 2-Angelique Bell, Casey McClain, Chris Swim.  Main Event-McClain, Jeremy Wilson, Schank, Don Emery, Swim, Brett Youngman, Bell, Steck, Rick Swigart, Jeff Crossman, Richards (DQ)


Winged Economy Sprints
Heat-Wyatt Brown, Scott Gannett, Mike Ficklin.  Main Event-Brown, Ficklin, Mike Sayre, Cameron Haney Jr., Jeff Rommell, Gannett (DQ).
Hobby Stock
Heat-Kyle Allen, Brian Compton, James West.  Main Event-Allen, Compton, West, Keith Ross, Shannon Collins, Jeremy Langenderfer, Mike Chase, Darren Balletine.
Street Stock
Heat-Phil Marino, Corey Hall, Brett Lawrence.  Main Event-Marino, Hall, Lawrence, Mike Slingtom, Gary Newman, Richard Workman, Fritz Zanker, Matt Micheli, Devin Koranda.



Abreu Out-duels Becker 
For Sprint Car Challenge Win At Tulare
Tulare, CA...April 21...Rico Abreu thrilled the Tulare Thunderbowl crowd with his late pass on Sean Becker for the 35 lap Sprint Car Main Event victory Friday night.  It was the third round of the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Series, Presented by Abreu Vineyards.  Abreu steadily worked his way to the front as he made his first appearance in the Top 5 on lap 12.  He settled into second behind Becker on lap 26 and stalked him until making his winning pass on lap 31.

2016 Chico Sprint Car champion Becker led the 22 car field to the Main Event green flag ahead of Justin Sanders and Steven Tiner.  Ryan Bernal grabbed third on lap two.  Jason Meyers dropped Tiner back to fifth on lap six.  Becker was setting a good pace, two seconds ahead of Sanders.  Meyers made a move back into third on lap 11 and led 2016 King Of The West Series champion Kyle Hirst past Sanders for second and third on lap 12.  Abreu was fifth at that point and took over fourth on lap 15.  The yellow flag flew on lap 19.  Becker continued to lead the restart, but Hirst and Abreu were now second and third.  The final caution flag flew on lap 25.  Abreu raced past Hirst and into second as Becker continued to lead the way.   Becker had his most serious pressure of the race as Abreu shadowed his every move.  On lap 31, Abreu made his winning pass for the lead.  However, he wasn't in the winner's circle just yet.  Becker stayed close behind, waiting for a mistake that never happened. Abreu scored the well earned victory ahead of Becker, Hirst, Cory Eliason, Bernal, Giovanni Scelzi, Shane Golobic, Mason Moore, Carson Madedo and Tony Gualda.

The 50 competitors ran five ten lap qualifying heat races.  Gualda won the first heat ahead of Taylor Molsam.  Colby Copeland cruised to a win in the second heat ahead of Cory Eliason.  Willie Croft won the third heat ahead of Tiner.  It was Abreu getting the win in the fourth heat over Sanders, and Hirst won the final heat ahead of Meyers.  The first 12 lap C Main went too Jared Peterson after a last lap pass on Michael Faccinto.  Michael's brother Mitchell Faccinto won the other 12 lap C Main ahead of Matt Peterson.  Scelzi was the 15 lap B Main winner ahead of Maccedo, Moore, Andy Gregg and Michael Kofoid.

Zane Blanchard won the 20 lap IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Main Event.  The 2016 point runnerup won his heat race earlier and was third behind Mike Schott and Jared Faria at the start of the feature.  A red flag flew after two laps.  After a lengthy delay, Schott led the restart, but he was soon shuffled back by Blanchard, 2015 champion Jesse Mack and Albert Pombo.  A lap seven caution flag flew.  Blanchard continued to lead Mack and Tanner Boul.  Boul moved past Mack for second on lap nine, but he would bring out a lap 18 yellow flag to end his race.  Blanchard scored the victory ahead of Mack, George Tristao, Schott, Nathan Rolfe, Pombo, Jacob Tuttle, Scott Meisner, Doug Gandy and Jared Faria.  Reigning champion Blake Robertson and Matt DeMartini were the other heat race winners as 21 cars were on hand for this race.
Race Results
Sprint Car Challenge Series
Heat 1-Tony Gualda, Taylor Molsam, Kurt Nelson.  Heat 2-Colby Copeland, Cory Eliason, Sean Becker.  Heat 3-Willie Croft, Steven Tiner, Ryan Bernal.  Heat 4-Rico Abreu, Justin Sanders, D.J. Netto.  Heat 5-Kyle Hirst, Jason Meyers, Shane Golobic.  C Main 1-Jared Peterson, Michael Faccinto, Herman Klein.  C Main 2-Mitchell Faccinto, Matt Peterson, Billy Butler.  B Main-Giovanni Scelzi, Carson Macedo, Mason Moore, Andy Gregg, Michael Kofoid.  Main Event-Abreu, Becker, Hirst, Eliason, Bernal, Scelzi, Golobic, Moore, Macedo, Tony Gualda.

RaceSaver Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Blake Robertson, Jessie Mack, Chris Faria.  Heat 2-Zane Blanchard, Mike Schott, Albert Pombo.  Heat 3-Matt DeMartini, Jacob Tuttle, Eric Correia.  Main Event-Blanchard, Mack, George Tristao, Schott, Nathan Rolfe, Pombo, Tuttle, Scott Meisner, Doug Gandy, Jared Faria.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Antioch, Merced, Chowchilla And Yreka Racing Previews


First of all...


On Sale At Reduced Price






Don's California Racing Recollections:  Best Of The Blog And Beyond

Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback



Just A Kid From The Grandstands:  My Time In Auto Racing

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover


Also...

If You Like Reading Our Articles, Feel Free To Leave A Tip In  ---  The Tip Jar
 

The April 17th Edition of the Southern Oregon Speedway Audio Show can be heard HERE

Peter Murphy article in the Fresno Bee on the eve of the Peter Murphy classic in Tulare right HERE

Tony Karis article on Ocean Speedy in Santa Cruz Sentinel can be read HERE

Bako Motorsports Power Hour Coverage Of Bakersfield Speedway can be viewed HERE 


The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Sprint Cars, Modifieds Headline Antioch Speedway Show

Antioch CA...People are still talking about the 58 car Sprint Car Challenge event that opened the 2017 season at Antioch Speedway.  After a rainout, followed by a break for Easter, six divisions will be featured this Saturday night on the fast three-eighth mile clay oval.  The Winged 360 Sprint Cars will be headlining the show along with A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Bay Area Hardtops.

The Winged Sprint Cars will be competing in their fourth consecutive championship season.  One of the drivers we'll be watching for is a driver who has won Sprint Car championships at both Antioch and Petaluma, Art McCarthy.  McCarthy has been a good supporter of Sprint Car racing at Antioch since Oval Motorsports began promoting races here in 1998.  Art finished a close second to Billy Aton in points last season after winning three Main Events.  He also finished second in points in 2015.

Winning the 2015 championship was third generation racer Shawn Arriaga.  Arriaga impressed at the Sprint Car Challenge race a few weeks ago by winning his heat race and then finishing tenth in a talent loaded Main Event.  After his best season yet in the class with a third place ranking last season, Dan Gonderman will be back to try for his first win in the class.  Jenna Frazier was last season's "Rookie Of The Year" winner, and she will be doing double duty in Sprint Cars and Dwarf Cars.  Several others are anticipated, and Antioch will likely see several young up and coming racers make visits in the quest for their first wins.

Leading the charge for the A Modifieds is likely to be five time champion Scott Busby.  Busby's big win in last year's John Soares Sr, Memorial Race moved him to within two wins of J.D. Willis for the track's all time win record.  Busby could very well be the driver to beat in his quest for an unprecedented sixth division championship, but there are some good drivers lining up for a shot.  Of course, Carl Berendsen II has said he's not planning to run for points after winning his second championship, but he'll probably be there this week.

Last year's "Rookie Of The Year" winner, Bobby Montalvo, has his car ready for a new season, and another of last year's Top 5 stars, Trent Wentworth, is also ready to go. Wentworth came very close to winning on several occasions, and it won't be a surprise to see him score a victory this year.  The fact is that this division has several drivers capable of winning on any given week, including two past Top 3 point earners, Mike Salazar and Sean O'Gara.  Other drivers to watch for include hard charger Brian Cass, Nick Viscusi III, Shawn DeForest and 2015 point runnerup Bobby Motts Jr.  Brian Pearce is back in an A Modified after his Top 10 season in a B Modified.

Trevor Clymens comes into the season as the defending B Modified champion who won seven times.  The third generation racer will be hard to beat, but this week he may face some competition in another third generation star, Mark Garner.  K.C. Keller is stepping up his program and could be another driver to watch in the championship battle.  Speaking of champions, we have past Street Stock champion Todd Gomez and 2016 Hobby Stock champion Guy Ahlwardt in B Modifieds this year.  Other drivers to watch for from the growing roster include Danny Jones, Mike Mates, Kevin Brown, Chuck Golden and more.

Hobby Stocks will be an interesting division to watch as we will probably be crowning another first time champion in the division.  Veteran Stock Car racer Danny Jones might be the driver to beat if car owner Ryan Thomason decides to make a run.  Chris Long would seem to be another serious contender after his New Year's Bash victory.  However, this roster has several racers capable of getting to the front.  Following his second straight Top 3 season, Jordon Swank could be a major player in the battle.  After notching his first career win last season, Frank Furtado may also be ready for a title run. 

Michael Cooper was also a winner for the first time last year and was once again a top 5 point runner.  If he makes every show, he's almost certain to be in the title hunt.  Past Limited Late Model champion Lori Brown is coming to the Hobby Stocks, and rookies such as fourth generation racer Billy Garner, past Mini Stock champion Brent Curran and Chris Bennett are also joining the class.  This season, Steve Perry is getting a car ready so that he can race his wife, Natalie Perry.  The two Perry's will be joined by such hard chargers as 2016 point runner up Lindsey Buirch, Robert Niven, Cameron Swank, Chuck Templeton, Russell Shearer and Anthony Vigna.  2010 champion Chris Sorensen just confirmed that he will be there this week.

Dwarf Cars never fail to put on an exciting show, and that shouldn't change when they kick off their 20th championship season this week.  Reigning champion Kevin Miraglio leads another talented roster of drivers that includes 2016 runnerup Mike Corsaro, Josh Miller, Tim Reeder, David Rosa, Brian Gray, Jenna Frazier and Wade Humphrey.  Devan Kammermann will be making his debut in the class with a few other newcomers, and past Hobby Stock champion Robert Coe reportedly has a new car in the hopes of stepping up his program and making a run for some wins.

Some of the local Hardtop racers have made the commitment to Antioch Speedway this year and were given five dates.  Dave Mackey won multiple times last year and leads the charge.  Kimo Oreta takes the wheel of the #100 Larry Damitz car, while Gene Haney has purchased a car from Bill McLaughlin.  Due to another group scheduling a date on top of Antioch, car count will be effected.  Hardtop star Tommy Thomson will be out for a while as he recovers from surgery.  Long time Hardtop supporter Dan Williams, Steve Cloyes and Doug Braudrick are others who could be there.  The local roster is about a dozen cars, and 5-8 cars are anticipated for this race.

The six division show this Saturday night at Antioch Speedway should be a good one.  All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars lead the charge.  The A Modifieds will bring more excitement along with the B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Bay Area Hardtops.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.


BCRA Midgets, IMCA Sport Modified Headline 
Merced Speedway Show Saturday Night

Merced, CA...On the heels of one of the biggest car counts in the history of Merced Speedway last week, racing returns this Saturday night with another four division show.  The oldest California based racing organization, the Bay Cities Racing Association, makes a visit with their "Mighty" Midgets.  IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Valley Sportsman cars will also be in action.

Back in 1942, the Bay Cities Racing Association began sanctioning Midget racing in the San Francisco Bay Area.  After taking two years off during the war, they returned in 1945 and have been sanctioning Midget racing every year since.  No track was off limits for the high powered race cars.  They ran small indoor tracks and tracks as big as a mile through the years.  In 1949, BCRA added the Hardtop division to its ranks and was sanctioning races for both classes every day of the week throughout the 1950's.  By the mid 1960's, they abandoned Hardtop racing to focus on the Midgets.  These days, Midget Lites, which come to Merced twice this year, and Vintage Midgets fall under the BCRA umbrella.

Shannon McQueen has announced that she will be there for this race.  The three of the past four champions, Floyd Alvis, Frankie Guerreni and Bobby Wilson, are anticipated for this race.  The other two champions had to beat ageless veteran Alvis to win their championships.  Alvis is a BCRA Hall Of Fame member and nine time champion.  The BCRA has a Dirt Track Championship, and Brian Gard won that title with only 24 points separating Gard from Cory Elliott and Taylor Wilson last year.  All three should be there along with other notables hard chargers such as Maria Cofer, J.R. Williams and Alex Schutte.  USAC is not scheduled, meaning some of it's drivers may also compete and grow the car count.

We were expecting Rick Diaz and Fred Ryland to be at the front of the IMCA Sport Modified pack this season, but there's one driver that may be surprising everybody.  He's Chuck Weir. Weir has spent recent seasons competing in the Dwarf Car division, but he got a Sport Modified and joined the action at Merced late last season.  Last Saturday, Weir shocked a star studded 30 car field with his first career win in the division.  He ran a great race with Jeremy Hoff closing in fast.  Hoff, a past Antioch Speedway champion, was last a feature winner at Merced in 2015.  Hoff had a fourth place finish in the season opener.  Driving the way he did last week, you have to believe his next win is just around the corner.

2015 IMCA State champion "Fast" Freddy Ryland has been consistent with a second and a third place finish putting him on top of the point list after two races.  Just being up front isn't good enough for a guy like Ryland.  He's won over 30 Main Events in the last two years alone, and it's just a matter of time before he adds to that.  Season opener winner Rick Diaz got caught in traffic last week and could only muster an eighth place finish.  Chase Thomas also has a pair of Top 10 finishes, while T.J. Etchison and Tim Elias have a Top 5 each.  The roster has a slightly different look this season, but a field 20 or more cars is anticipated this week, including other stars such as Paul Espino, Tanner Thomas, 2015 champion Josh Hensley, Chris Falkenberg, Cody Parker, Anthony Giuliani and Dwayne Short.

Kodie Dean had three time Watsonville champion Billy Nelson chasing him last week, and despite that, he scored his first Merced Hobby Stock feature win of the year.  Dean lost a heart breaker in Chowchilla a week earlier after being passed in the final turn.  During that race, Dean enjoyed a nice battle with reigning Merced champion Michael Shearer.  Shearer shows no signs of slowing down this year after a third at Chowchilla and a fourth last week at Merced.  He could still prove to be the man to beat.  The Shearer cars are all competitive and driven well.  Michael's wife Kristie Shearer and Shannon Nelson both had Top 10 finishes last week, and both ladies want to return to the winner's circle after winning back in 2015.

Two drivers up from the Mini Stocks this year are James Stockton and Mike Gemait.  Stockton also had a Top 10 finish last week.  Robbie Loquaci came close to the Top 5 last week before ending up sixth.  He'll be another driver to watch in the battle for victory.  The fact is, there are some very talented racers in the Merced Hobby Stock division, including 2015 champion Kevin Joaquin, Darren Miguel, Jerry Tubbs and rookie Tony Peffer.  Austin Van Hoff and Garrett Corn both had nights they'd rather forget last week, but both should rebound.  The duo are both feature winners previous to this season.

Only three drivers made the call for the season opening Valley Sportsman race a few weeks ago.  Chris Birdsong was the winner that night ahead of Shannon Fry and two time champion Mike Friesen.  We should be seeing others this week, but who those will be remains to be seen.  Jeff West and Jeff Bristow are a couple other other names to watch for.  We would like to send our best wishes to 2016 champion Kenny Birdsong as he is dealing with an illness.  Kenny has been a strong supporter of this class for the psst few seasons.

The BCRA Midgets get around the track at a rapid pace and put on a good show wherever they go.  With IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Valley Sportsman cars also on the lineup, this will be a show you'll want to see.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.



Six Division Racing Program 
At Siskiyou Speedway Saturday Night

Yreka, CA...After a rainout and a break for Easter Sunday, racing season kicks off in a big way at Suskiyou Motor Speedway this Saturday night.  If you like racing and want to see a bunch of race cars, this is the night to come enjoy a big show.  The track's regular IMCA Modifieds, O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds and McDonald's Mini Stocks classes are all on the card, but it doesn't stop there.  The Outlaw Pro Stocks make their first of eight scheduled appearances at their home track for 2017, the SODCA Dwarf Cars are in town for their first of three visits and the new Hornets class makes their Yreka debut.

There are good things happening with the O'Reilly Auto Parts Sport Modifieds.  They get a chance to race for $500 to win once car count reaches 13, and there's a good chance that this could happen this week.  The track's past two IMCA champions, Colter Boswell and Jimmy Lipke, should be on hand along with the past two SCMA Association champions, Doug Franklin and Garrett Hamilton.  These four are no strangers to the winner's circle.  Boswell's winning ways stretch back to Mini Stocks, where he also won a championship.

The new talent coming into this class is a good thing for the future of the race track.  Second generation racer Colton Cheffey showed his ability last year with several Main Event and Trophy Dash wins.  Some are speculating that this young man could be the driver to beat this year.  Ryder Boswell, D.J. Bottoms and Jack Waldon III are some of the other "young guns" to keep an eye on.  With Mike Colson adding his name to the growing roster, it's believed there could be over a dozen cars on Saturday, and that's not counting potential visitors coming in from Medford.

Mini Stocks always offer up plenty of excitement when they are on the race track.  Ethan Killingsworth is the rising young star everybody is talking about as a potential champion.  He was a close second to Mini Stock veteran "Big Mac" Marilyn Yawnick last season.  Yawnick joined fellow Mini Stock competitors Terry "The Holy Terror" Kendrick, "Magic" Mike Whitaker and David Steele on the champions list.  Whitaker is hoping to put the bad luck of last year behind him.  More good news in the family is that we should be seeing more of past Top 3 racer Anthony Whitacker this year, along with hard chargers like Brian Jorgensen, Mike Frost and Amber Waldon.

The Outlaw Pro Stocks have a strong contingent of Klamath Falls based competitors planning to be here for what is a tuneup race for the May 6th Billy Geyer Memorial 50 lap race.  Steve "The Bullett" Borror won most of the races here last year, including the Geyer.  Not surprisingly, Borror won the championship, but he had to get through veteran Scott Flowers to do it.  Scott's son James barely lost a battle with Matt Harlow for third in points last year, and both drivers are anticipated this week along with 2016 "Rookie Of The Year" Julia Flowers, Roy Bain, Scott Bennett, John Bowers, NASCAR veteran Rocky Nash and more.

When the SODCA Dwarf Cars pull into town, "Fast" Freddy Hay will be among the group.  The popular 70 something year old leadfoot missed most of last year after he flipped in a race at Chico and broke his neck.  Hay was seen in Yreka a few weeks ago making practice laps.  The Dwarf Cars bring a talented roster of racers, including 2016 champion Brock Peters, two time champion Josh King, two time point runnerup Camden Robustelli, Kalvin Morton, Chad Cardoza, Ryan Smith and Randy Slater.  Young guns Ashley Strain and Cody Peters are also anticipated for the Dwarf Car season opener.

The challenge has been issued to the IMCA Modified racers.  Who has what it takes to handle Siskiyou Motor Speedway?  Many great racers have come to town over the years in the battle for glory.  Last season, it was Albert Gill writing his name on the list as a two time track champion.  He snatched that championship from Duane Orsburn on the final night as Orsburn settled for second.  Word is we could be seeing Ray Kniffen Jr. and possibly others from the Medford area, and Klamath Falls based racers such as 2015 champion Nick Trenchard, Zach Fettinger and Jeremy Ohlde.  Local stars such as John "Pudge" Toolanen, Stan Gunderson and Roger Lorenzini Jr. still have cars and may be there as well.  It will be interesting to see who is up to the challenge.

The Hornets division is featured at just about every track in Oregon and also at Shasta Speedway.  SCMA officials asked racers if they were interested in starting this class, and a few Medford based competitors answered in the affirmative.  It is hoped that a field of at least four cars will be there for the first race, and word is that Joby Shields and Gabe Nelson may be among those on hand.  Shields is a four time winner and ranked third in Medford last year.  We've heard reports of Yreka racers building cars, and this is the perfect entry level class to introduce new racers to the sport.

Saturday night is a show you won't want to miss.  IMCA Modifieds, O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds, McDonald's Mini Stocks, Outlaw Pro Stocks, SODCA Dwarf Cars and Hornets are all on the schedule, meaning the pits will be much fuller than usual.  For further information, go to www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com.

Chowchilla Speedway Announces Eight Race Summer Schedule

Chowchilla, CA...Starting with this Sunday's races, Chowchilla Speedway has just announced an eight race Summer Schedule for the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and 600 Micro Sprints.  Promoter Joe Diaz Jr. and Kris Koontz announced an ambitious schedule to start the season.  After analyzing the data from three races, it was concluded that building the program up with these four classes was the best course of action.

Chowchilla Speedway has a long history with the Modified and Hobby Stock classes, which were part of the program when the place opened in 2000.  Not included at this time are the Mini Stocks.  When Diaz opened the track, he proudly proclaimed the speedway to be a family friendly place to race.  However, the actions of certain competitors two weeks ago gave cause for concern.  Though the decision to not include them could change in the future, the divisions for now are as announced.

The A Modifieds have put on some memorable shows from the very first season, when racers like Paul Stone, Mike Johnson, Mark Hamblin, Marcus Aue, Fred Lind and Steven Williams battled at the front of the pack.  This trend continues this year as evidenced by the season opening battle through traffic between eventual winner Ryan McDaniel and Cody Laney.  Last time out, Bruce "Bubba" Nelson won a battle with Ryan Porter and past Chowchlla champion Randy Brown.  The A Modifieds are a popular class with the fans.

Chowchilla Speedway is noteworthy as one of the two tracks (Victorville being the other) that spurred the B Modified craze in California.  Both tracks managed to get over ten cars for the first time in 2011, and the B Modifieds temporarily supplanted the A Modifieds as the top Modified class at the track.  Gary Hildebrand wrote his name in the books as a champion in the class that year.  Last week, two time Merced champion Shawn Bryant, one of the first drivers in the state with a B Modified, was a part of the B Modified roster along with Mark Condell.  Condell is noteworthy as an original Chowchilla Speedway investor and the only driver last time out to have competed at the track back in 2000.

You still get some hard chargers in the B Modifieds.  They don't come any faster than two time Merced champion Rick Diaz and 2015 IMCA State champion Fred Ryland.  Diaz won the opener ahead of Chowchilla's Tim Elias and young gun Gavin Espino.  Last time out, Ryland beat his 2015 rival Keith Brown Jr. for the victory.   Newcomers like Espino, Jack Aguiar and Kalin Lopez demonstrate just what a growing class this is.

Tom Sagmiller's decision in 2000 to buck the Merced Pure Stock rules and allow Camaros into his Hobby Stock class led to a revolution in the valley.  Cars started coming from everywhere to battle local stars "Rebel" Red Williams and Jerry "Hood Pins" O'Hagan for wins, and B Mains became a regular thing in 2001.  The most recent race offered an example of what could be when 16 drivers came to compete.  Nick Baldwin won with a last lap pass on Kodie Dean as Merced Champion Michael Shearer and 2015 champion Kevin Joaquin followed.  There's a Chowchilla connection here with Dean, 2015 point runnerup Austin Van Hoff and rookie Troy Tatum hailing from there.

Sprint Car fans are left scratching their heads in wonder of where they fit in.  Adding the popular winged class was a gamble, but the fact is that this division requires a hefty purse.  Even at half the purse ($600 to win), it's not cheap to run.  The bad news is there were up and coming drivers and some RaceSaver Sprint racers looking to come race.  The good news is management hasn't ruled out putting them back in the future.  They are in a tough position as they have to pay the bills or nothing will race there.  The Wingless Spec Sprints are also a casualty of this decision.  However, Micro 600 Sprints will continue to be included as the belief is that this class will grow if given a chance.

Getting back to Mini Stocks and again hearkening back to the beginning, Sagmiller fine tuned this class for a few years, but it was always believed that this class had a place on the card.  At one time,  the track offered three different types of Mini Stocks, but the basic class has been a part of things since the beginning.  Local area residents have built cars, and there are still people building cars.  It's because of that fact that the Mini Stocks will probably be brought back once things are put back in order.  Local racers means more locals will come out to watch.  Local fan support is desperately needed if this track is to survive long term.

The first two races belonged to the Corder family.  Chris Corder won the first race ahead of Paul Lauretti while sister Jennifer Corder won the next race ahead of Cody Keldsen.  More noteworthy was the spectacular six time rollover by C. Corder in the heat race that ended his night and may have retired the red, white and blue #48 car.  Newcomers such as Helena Guzman, Devin "The Ghost Rider" Belton and Tyler Jackson were in the field last time.  Belton finished third after a good battle with Jackson, who was back after a heat race rollover.  Guzman hit the wall in her first ever heat race, but this tough young lady came back and finished fifth in the Main Event.  Don't count Mini Stocks out just yet.  It's likely that they will be back.

In the meantime, Chowchilla Speedway will be back this Sunday afternoon with a show featuring the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and 600 Micros.  For further information, go to https://chowtown58.wixsite.com/chowchillaspeedway.


2017 Chowchilla Summer Schedule
A Modified, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and 600 Micros

April 23rd
May 7th
May 21st
June 4th
May 18th
July 2nd
July 16th
July 30th


All Star Series Sprint Car Opener Saturday Night 
At Antioch Speedway

Antioch , CA...Oval Motorsports will present the first race of the 11 race All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car season this Saturday night.  Promoter John M. Soares remains committed to building up an injected, Winged 360 Sprint Car class alongside the Wingless Spec Sprint class that he started back in 1999.  There are an additional three winged races as the King Of The West/NARC Sprint Cars have dates on June 3rd and August 5th.  Antioch also hosted the first Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Series event on April 1st.  Cory Eliason won that race as a track record 58 cars competed.  The Sprint Car Challenge returns on June 17th.

The 11 race All Star Series will again crown a track champion.  The last three champions are Chris Magoon, Shawn Arriaga and Billy Aton.  The common denominator in all three seasons is the fact that the champion had to beat 2007 champion Art McCarthy for the prize.  McCarthy and Aton battled closely last season, and both were three time feature winners.  Aton used his win in the final race to seal the deal, adding that championship to his 2009 Wingless Spec Sprint crown.  McCarthy has already made a couple starts this season, and the two time Petaluma Speedway champion is ready to go.

With a growing car count in the 10-14 range, Soares is offering up a $1200 to win first prize.  Last year, that led to various different up and coming racers coming to town and leaving with the money.  We've seen fourth generation racer Chase Johnson looking impressive in Winged Sprint Cars, but in the first September race of last year, Colby Johnson brought home the winner's prize.  Brayden McMahan, Kaleb Montgomery, Riley Matson, Shawn Conde, Koen Shaw, Matt Barber, Seth Nunes and Sprint Car veteran Bobby McMahan all paid visits at various times and were part of the list of ten drivers to win Main Events in the 14 races.  Really, you never knew who was going to show up or who would win, but is was usually very entertaining.

McCarthy is ready, and Dan Gonderman will be back to see if he can improve on his third place ranking of last season.  Gonderman has been racing at Antioch Speedway since the late 1980's.  In addition to being a two time Wingless Spec Sprint champion, Gonderman has won Main Events in Spec Sprints, A Modifieds and Street Stocks.  Gonderman is hoping to add a Main Event win in this division to his resume.  His father, 1970 Sportsman champion Ken Gonderman, remains an important part of the crew.  Third generation racer Shawn Arriaga has said that he plans to run the Sprint Car Challenge Series, but being based in Antioch, we will likely see the 2015 champion in action for some regular shows, possibly including this week. 

Having won "Rookie Of The Year" honors as one of the Top 10 drivers last season, Jenna Frazier will be back behind the wheel of the Jimmy Paniagua owned Sprinter this season.  Jenna will be doing double duty as she also pilots a Dwarf Car.  Last season, she displayed her toughness.  After a crash at another track in her Dwarf Car left her with a concussion, Jenna came back and won a Dwarf Car Main Event at Antioch.  As she gets more comfortable in a Sprint Car, Jenna will be mixing it up at the front of the pack.  Another talented lady who was ranked among the Top 10 last season was Marissa Polizzi.

After finishing fourth in points last season, Burt Foland Jr is among the anticipated drivers for this week along with Ricky Brophy and Tim Burcher.  The Sprint Cars are coming to Antioch Speedway this Saturday night, and it should be a good show.  It's also a great opportunity for newer racers to get some good seat time and compete for a good purse.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Antioch Speedway
All Star Series Sprint Car Schedule

April 22
May 6
May 13
June 3 King Of The West
June 10
June 17 Sprint Car Challenge
June 24
July 29
August 5 King Of The West
August 19
August 26
September 9
September 16
September  23

2016 Antioch Winged 360 All Star Series Points
Antioch Speedway


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

Past Champions
1998-Gary Geving
2007-Art McCarthy
2010-Craig Smith
2013-Chris Magoon
2014-Chris Magoon
2015-Shawn Arriaga
2016-Billy Aton

Recent Feature Winners
April 1, 2017:  Cory Eliason
September 31, 2016:  Billy Aton
September 17, 2016:  Colby Johnson
September 10, 2016:  Matt Barber
August 27, 2016;  Billy Aton
August 20, 2016:  Riley Matson
August 13, 2016: Art McCarthy
August 6, 2016:  Seth Nunes
July 30, 2016:  Art McCarthy
July 16, 2016:  Brayden McMahan
June 25, 2016:  Kaleb Montgomery
June 18, 2016:  Bobby McMahan
June 4, 2016: Shawn Conde
May 21, 2016: Koen Shaw
April 23, 2016: Billy Aton
April 2, 2016: Art McCarthy
August 29, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 8, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
July 11, 2015: Jake Haulot
June 20, 2915: Austin Liggett
June 6, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
May 16, 2015: Jake Haulot
April 25, 2015: Alissa Geving
March 7, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 2, 2014: Zack Lynskey
June 21 2014: Bradley Terrell
June 10, 2014: Chris Magoon
April 5, 2014: Kurt Nelson


Dwarf Cars Enter 20th Championship Season 
At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...Some people my be surprised by the fact that the second longest continued yearly presence at Antioch Speedway is the Dwarf Car division.  They were added to the All Star Series roster by Promoter John M. Soares back in 1998, the year that he became the promoter.  Prior to that, they had nearly monthly visits at the track for five years under the Pacific Coast Dwarf Car Association banner.  Some of the racers expressed interest in racing more at Antioch, which led to the class being added to the track's own roster.

In the PCDCA days, you had some impressive competitors.  There were hard chargers like Billy Wright, Rick Rogers, Mark Chaves, Bill Baughman, Jim Saitone, Ray Etherton, Jim Barton, Jim Diffenderfer, Shawn O'Leary and long time division booster Jim Soares.  Even John Soares competed and won with the group.  Most notable were the head to head races the PCDCA had with the stars of the NCDCA that produced 30 car fields.  Those events helped put Dwarf Car racing on the map in Northern California as NCDCA stars like Frank Munroe, Michael "Spanky" Grenert, Howie Ross and Charlie Correia competed.  There was also a rising young star named Damion Gardiner, who experienced both victory and being put into the wall by a member of the rival PCDCA club.

John Anderson became the first champion at Antioch in 1998.  PCDCA stars Rogers, Chaves and Jim Barton won the prize.  Barton was a two time champion, but it was his teammate, Ricardo Rivera, who rewrote the Antioch Dwarf Car record book with over 50 victories and five championships in a six year span, punctuated by Ed Johnson's championship of 2007.  Jerry Doty won a good battle with Rivera and Nick Squatritto in 2010, and Squatritto, who is also a Watsonville champion, won the 2011 title.  Nick Davis followed before Mini Truck star "Captain Chaos" Danny Wagner rolled to back to back championships.  David Teves enjoyed the 2015 championship and Watsonville title last year, while his teammate Kevin Miraglio won the most recent Antioch championship.

This is where we are now.  Only Rivera, Barton and Wagner have multiple championships, but Miraglio is poised to join this elite group as we enter the 20th championship campaign.  Miraglio was a model of consistency last season, rarely finishing outside the Top 3.  Mike Corsaro enjoyed his best season to date, but he came up short in second.  Corsaro is expected this season and would have to be considered a threat to Miraglio's repeat effort.  There's another driver who is very familiar to winning at Antioch.  His name is David Rosa.  Rosa has won about 60 times at his home track through the years.  He's been struggling to figure out the Dwarf Car, but he won his first feature in the class last season.  He's not the only family member in the division as son David Michael Rosa was fifth in points last season.

Tim Reeder is coming off of a strong Top 5 season that could have ended in third had the track not booked over a pair of WSCDA events that he attended.  His brother, Josh Miller, collected his first win last season, and both are anticipated this week.  Another driver entering the winner's circle for the first time last year was the talented Jenna Frazier, who also drives a Sprint Car.  There will be new drivers such as Devan Kammermann this season, and returning stars like Robert Coe, Brian Gray  Charlie Correia and Wade Humphrey.

A good turnout is anticipated for the opener, which will set the pace for what is sure to be an exciting season of Dwarf Car racing at Antioch Speedway.  Who will take their place at the top of the 20th championship point ladder?  We'll be watching to see how this goes.  For further information about the Dwarf Cars and other happenings at the track, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

2016 Dwarf Car Points
Kevin Miraglio 580
Mike Corsaro 508
Buddy Kniss 472
David Michael Rosa 434
Tim Reeder 412
David Rosa Sr. 408
Charlie Correia 398
Timmy Ryan 298
Josh Miller 288
Robert Coe 261

Antioch Speedway
Dwarf Car Champions
1998-John Anderson
1999-Mark Chaves
2000-Mike Schwarz
2001-Rick Rogers
2002-Jim Barton
2003-Jim Barton
2004-Ricardo Rivera
2005-Ricardo Rivera
2006-Ricardo Rivera
2007-Ed Johnson
2008-Ricardo Rivera
2009-Ricardo Rivera
2010-Jerry Doty
2011-Nick Squatritto
2012-Nick Davis
2013-Danny Wagner
2014-Danny Wagner
2015-David Teves
2016-Kevin Miraglio

Monday, April 17, 2017

Merced Speedway, Placerville Speedway, Dixon Speedway Results Articles And More


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 McDaniel Wins All Star Series Race At Merced Speedway,
 Weir Beats Big Sport Mod Field For Impressive First Win

Merced, CA...April 15...Reigning All Star Series IMCA Modified champion Ryan McDaniel impressed by leading most of the way in victory Saturday night at Merced Speedway.  McDaniel grabbed the lead early from Duane Cleveland with reigning track champion Randy Brown settling into second.  Ethan Dotson joined the battle up front and took second from Brown on lap ten.  By then, four time Antioch champion Troy Foulger and reigning Watsonville champion Bobby Hogge IV were both running in the Top 5, and Foulger made a move past Brown for third on lap 15.  Foulger had problems and faded on lap 18 as Brown was back in third ahead of Hogge.  Kellen Chadwick and Robby Sawyer had a spirited duel for fifth in the final laps, but the win went to the impressive McDaniel ahead of Dotson, Brown, Hogge, Sawyer, Chadwick, Paul Stone, Cleveland, Mike Villaneuva and Chris Crompe.

With 48 IMCA Modifieds signed in, they ran two 12 lap B Mains, and Hogge had to win the first one ahead of Sawyer and Brian Cass to get into the feature.  The second B Main win went to 2016 Wild West Speedweek champion Chadwick ahead of Stone and recent Chico All Star Series winner Cody Burke.  Brown won the first heat ahead of Tim Cecil.  The second heat win went to M. Villaneueva ahead of Clay Daly.  McDaniel claimed the third heat ahead of Foulger, while reigning Antioch champion Carl Berendsen II was the fourth heat winner ahead of Jeff Decker.  Crompe won his eight lapper ahead of Dotson, and Cleveland won the final heat ahead of Austin Burke.

Chuck Weir surprised the crowd with an impressive drive to his first career IMCA Sport Modified Main Event victory as part of Shannon Pump of Merced Night At The Races.  Weir had a front row start and led all the way through only two yellow flags in the fast paced event.  Anthony Giuliani had second until surrendering the spot to Chase Thomas on lap six.  Rookie Guy Ahlwardt grabbed second on lap eight, but he was shuffled out of the Top 5 on lap ten as past Antioch champion Jeremy Hoff gained second.  The last ten laps went caution free, and Hoff cut a two second lead to finish right behind Weir at the checkered flag.  2015 State champion Fred Ryland was a solid third ahead of T.J. Etchison, Giuliani, Ahlwardt, Jordan Hagar, reigning champion Rick Diaz, C. Thomas and Phillip Shelby.

There were 30 Sport Modifieds in action, and Marysville star Shelby earned his feature start by winning the B Main ahead of Shane DeVolder and Tim Elias.  Hoff won a heat race ahead of Etchison, Giuliani held off Todd Cooper to win the second heat, Ryland charged to victory over Weir in the third nine lapper, Diaz claimed the honors over Paul Espino in the fourth heat and the final heat race victory went to Ahlwardt ahead of C. Thomas.

Kodie Dean picked up his first 20 lap Hobby Stock feature win in nearly two years.  A week earlier in Chowchilla, Dean led most of the way before being passed in the final turn and settling for second.  This time, he was not going to be denied.  Dean set the early pace ahead of Watsonville star Nick Triolo and Shannon Nelson.  Reigning champion Michael Shearer settled into third on lap six, but past Watsonvlle champion Billy Nelson shuffled him back to fourth on lap 16.  B. Nelson moved by Triolo for second, but he couldn't catch the flying Dean.  Triolo settled for third ahead of M. Shearer, another past Watsonville champion William Kennedy, Robbie Loquaci, James Stockton, S. Nelson, Dave Bettencourt and K. Shearer.  Dean's heat win came ahead of B. Nelson, and Austin Van Hoff won his heat ahead of Anthony Vigna.  Triolo won a photo finish with 2015 champion Kevin Joaquin for his heat win.

D.J. Keldsen returned and won the Mini Stock Main Event.  The reigning Watsonville champion won the season opener a couple weeks ago.  Keldsen won the heat race, and he followed that up with a feature victory.  2016 point runnerup Paul Lauretti finished second ahead of recent Chowchilla Speedway winner Jennifer Corder.  Lucy Falkenberg and reigning champion Chris Corder rounded out the Top 5 finishers.

Racing resumes next week with a special appearance from the BCRA Midgets.  The IMCA Sport Modifieds will be back along with the Hobby Stocks and Valley Sportsman divisions.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.



Race Results 
All Star Series IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-Randy Brown, Tim Cecil, Jeff Streeter.  Heat 2-Mike Villanueva, Clay Daly, Anthony Copeland.  Heat 3-Ryan McDaniel, Troy Foulger, Ryan Larimer.  Heat 4-Carl Berendsen II, Jeff Decker, Cody Burke.  Heat 5-Chris Crompe, Ethan Dotson, Bobby Hogge IV.  Heat 6-Duane Cleveland, Austin Burke, Chris Shannon.  B Main 1-Hogge, Robby Sawyer, Brian Cass, Tim Balding, John Piker.  B Main 2-Kellen Chadwick, Paul Stone, C. Burke, Chris Shannon, Ryan Porter.  Main Event-McDaniel, Dotson, Brown, Hogge, Sawyer, Chadwick, Stone, Cleveland, Villaneuva, Crompe.
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat 1-Jeremy Hoff, T.J. Etchison, Todd Gomez.  Heat 2-Anthony Giuliani, Todd Cooper, Trevor Clymens.  Heat 3-Fred Ryland, Chuck Weir, Jordan Hagar.  Heat 4-Rick Diaz, Paul Espino, Chris Falkenberg.  Heat 5-Guy Ahlwardt, Chase Thomas, Brian Cooper.  B Main-Phillip Shelby, Shane DeVolder, Tim Elias, Jerry Bartlett, Keith Brown Jr.  Main Event-Weir, Hoff, F. Ryland, Etchison, Giuliani, Ahlwardt, Hagar, Diaz, C. Thomas, Shelby.
Hobby Stocks
Heat 1-Austin Van Hoff, Anthony Vigna, Kristie Shearer.  Heat 2-Kodie Dean, Billy Nelson, Shannon Nelson.  Heat 3-Nick Triolo, Kevin Joaquin, Michael Shearer.   Main Event-Dean, B. Nelson, Triolo, M. Shearer, William Kennedy, Robbie Loquaci, James Stockton, S. Nelson, Dave Bettencourt, Kristie Shearer.
Mini Stocks
Heat 1-DJ Keldsen, Jennifer Corder, Paul Lauretti.  Main Event-Keldsen, Lauretti, J. Corder, Lucy Falkenberg, Chris Corder, Jason Womack, Jeremy Berry, Destiny Carter.

 
NASCAR Star Larson Takes Sprint Car Challenge Win 
At Placerville Speedway 
Simpson Scores Second Hunt Series Victory

Placerville CA...April 15...The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Series, presented by Abreu Vineyards, came to Placerville Speedway for their second race ever, and they rocked the house with an incredible night of racing.  NASCAR stars Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu came back to California to put on a show, but King Of The West Series champion Kyle Hirst had other ideas.  Hirst led the throughout the first half of the race, followed closely by Abreu and Larson, but just past the halfway point of the 40 lap feature, things changed and Larson made a move into the lead.  Larson led the rest of the way for the victory.  The C&H Veteran Ent. Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event win was collected by defending champion Klint Simpson in impressive fashion.

With over 60 cars on hand for the second event for the Sprint Car Challenge Series, they ran five 10 lap heat races.  D.J. Netto claimed the first win ahead of Shane Golobic.  Justin Sanders held off Justyn Cox for the second heat race victory, while Kyle Hirst had his hands full holding off Larson for the third heat race win.  Reigning Placerville champion Mason Moore won the fourth heat ahead of Chase Madjic, and nine time Civil War Series champion Andy Forsburg won the final heat ahead of Rico Abreu.  Andy Gregg won the first 12 lap C Main ahead of Jimmmy Trulli, and the second C Main win went to Shawn Arriaga in front of Michael Ing.  Ryan Bernal scored the win in the 15 lap B Main ahead of Kaleb Montgomery and Jake Morgan.

The lineup for the front of the Main Event was set by the two Dash finishes.  Rico Abreu won Dash 1 ahead of Larson, while Hirst won Dash 2 ahead of Golobic.  Hirst charged into the Main Event lead at the green flag with Abreu and Larson in close pursuit.  There were a pair of yellow flags during the first ten laps, but the lead trio remained the same with Golobic in fourth.  The complexion of the race changed on lap 18 when Abreu spun going for the lead and collected Golobic.  Hirst led Larson and Cox on the restart, but Larson put the moves on Hirst to take the top spot on lap 21.  The final 14 laps went caution free, and Larson pulled away to a straightaway advantage by the time the checkered flag waved.  Gio Scelzi made an impressive late move around Hirst for second.  Sanders was also in the second place battle before settling for fourth ahead of Bernal, Croft, Moore, Cox, Golobic and Sean Becker.

The C&H Veteran Ent. Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint car count grew to 30 cars for this race, and Kalib Henry appeared to be the driver to beat by holding off Simpson to win both his heat race and the Trophy Dash.  Chico winner Austin Liggett won his heat in front of Brent Steck, while Shayna Sylvia won the third head ahead of Michael "Buddy" Kofoid.  The final heat win went to Casey McClain over Scott Hall.  Jake Morgan earned a feature start with his B Main win ahead of reigning Chico champion Angelique Bell and reigning Marysville champion Josh Vieira.
Henry's Trophy Dash win gave him the Main Event pole with second place finisher Simpson on the outside.  However, Simpson charged into the lead at the drop of the green flag.  Liggett ran third behind Henry until a lap six yellow flag.  On the restart, Liggett slipped past Henry for second.  Another caution flag on lap 10 bunched the field.  As Simpson continued to hold command, Henry reclaimed second with McClain settling into third.  McClain took second from Henry on a lap 14 resart as Liggett settled back into third.  McClain didn't let Simpson get too far ahead, but he wasn't quite able to make the challenge down the stretch.  Simpson was the happy winner for the second consecutive race as McClain settled for second ahead of Liggett.  Kofoid finished fourth ahead of Henry, Thomas Leuby, Bell, Scott Hall, Steck and Chris Kerr.

The Sprint Car Challenge Series and Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Tour team up again for a race on May 27th at Stockton 99 Speedway dirt track, which is the next race for the Hunt Series.  The Sprint Car Challenge will be in Tulare this Friday, April 21st, and Petaluma Speedway on April 29th.  Sprint Car Challenge news can be found at their official website, https://www.sprintcarchallengetour.com.
Race Results 
Sprint Car Challenge Series
Heat 1-D.J. Netto, Shane Golobic, Gio Sceli.  Heat 2-Justin Sanders, Justyn Cox, Mitchell Faccinto.  Heat 3-Kyle Hirst, Kyle Larson, Colby Copeland.  Heat 4-Mason Moore, Chase Madjic, Herman Klein.  Heat 5-Andy Forsberg, Rico Abreu, Greg DeCaires.  Dash 1-Abreu, Larson, Sanders.  Dash 2-Hirst, Golobic, Scelzi.  C Main 1-Andy Gregg, Jimmy Trulli, Matt Peterson.  C Main 2-Shawn Arriaga, Michael Ing, Billy Butler.  B Main-Ryan Bernal, Kaleb Montgomery, Jake Morgan, Willie Crift, Bradley Terrell.  Main Event-Larson, Scelzi, Hirst, Sanders, Bernal, Croft, Moore, Cox, Golobic, Becker.
C&H Hunt Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat 1-Kalib Henry, Klint Simpson, Cody Spencer.  Heat 2-Austin Liggett, Brent Steck, Adam Christian.  Heat 3-Shayna Sylvia, Michael Kofoid, Terry Schank Jr.  Heat 4-Casey McClain, Scott Hall, Matt Streeter.  Trophy Dash-Henry, Simpson, Liggett.  B Main-Jake Morgan, Angelique Bell, Josh Vieira, Jimmy Christian, Trey Walker.  Main Event-Simpson, McClain, Liggett, Kofoid, Henry, Leiby, Bell, Hall, Steck, Kerr.


Timmons, Gonella, While, Ohlinger Petaluma Winners


Petaluma, CA...April 15...Some of the local area Sprint Car drivers took off their wings to run a Wingless 360 Sprint Car race Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway.  Second generation racer Ryan Timmons paid the track a visit and ended up scoring the victory in the 25 lap Main Event.  Timmons won by about half a lap ahead of past Mini Stock champion Kenny Drew.  Bill Cornwell was a solid third ahead of long time speedway supporter Norm Johns, Bob Davis and Eli Deshaies.  Johns set the fast time of 16.403 on the three-eighth mile adobe oval, besting the 16.715 of Timmons.  Johns then barely held off Timmons to win the heat race.  Sparky Howard was on hand, but his night ended with mechanical issues in the heat race.

Reinging Lumberjacks Restaraunt Super Stock champion Matt While had a nice battle with Dan Smith all night.  After barely beating Smith back to the line to win his heat race, While held off Smith again to collect a well earned 25 lap feature victory.  A trio of multi time track champions completed the Top 5 as Steve Studebaker, finished third ahead of Jim "Woody" Woodward and Shawn McCoy.  Gary Adams finished sixth as Manny Avilla, Robert Sharp, Michael Drew and Mitch Machado rounded out the Top 10.  Machado cruised to victory in his heat race ahead of Avilla.

Reigning two time champion Oreste Gonella won the 25 lap McLea's Tires IMCA Modified Main Event.  After winning the heat race with Anthony "The Animal" Slaney right on his bumper, Gonella won the Main Event by just under a straightaway with the "General Lee" of Terry Kaiser finishing second.  Rookie Justin Yaeger was third ahead of 2016 Antioch Speedway "Rookie Of The Year" Bobby Montalvo, Slaney and David Spriggs.

Austin Ohlinger is off to an impressive start in the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks after his second 20 lap feature win.  The talented second generation racer won the Main Event by over half a lap ahead of heat race winner Sean Hale.  Mike "Squirrely" Curley continued his strong season start with a third place finish ahead of Danny Naron, Samone Chrisman and Dave Spindell.  Hale's heat race win came ahead of Spindell.

Tony Soper and David Engstrom battled all night in the Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micro Sprints class.  Soper won their heat race with Engstrom following closely behind.  Soper continued the trend by holding off Engstrom for a 20 Main Event win.  Jim Beck was a solid third as Nick Robfogel just beat heat race winner Danny Potts back to the line for fourth.  George Nielson was sixth ahead of Scott McIntosh, Justin Adiego and Amber Fields.  A past Mini Stock and Street Stock champion, Potts won a photo finish with Nielson for his heat race win.  Rick Alonzo, Chris Sieweke and Dolan McIntosh were all Main Event scraetches.

After two rainouts, the track will again attempt to open the PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint and Wingless Spec Sprint seasons this Saturday night.  It's also the first race of the four race Shoot Out Series for both classes, meaning bigger purse money is on the line.  Also scheduled to compete are the McLea's Tires IMCA Modifieds, Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks and General Hydroponics Dwarf Cars.  For further information, go to http://www.petaluma-speedway.com/.
 

Tuttle, Lewis, Grenert Grab Dixon Speedway Wins

Dixon, CA...April 14...The USAC Super 600 Micro Sprints co headlined an eciting Friday night of racing at Dixon Speedway.  Jacob Tuttle captured the Trophy Dash victory and followed that up with an impressive 25 lap Main Event win.  He took the checkered flag by nearly a straightaway ahead of Michael Laughton.  Jessica McMannus was third ahead of Kenny Wanderstadt and Kyle Kennedy.  Heat race winner Ryan Wiliams was sixth as Billy Sellers, Angela Dempsey, Kinser Kennedy and Rick Alonso completed the Top 10

The USAC Wingless 600 Micros had a strong turnout, and it was the Lewis family leading the pack in the 25 lap Main Event.  Heat race winner Kalvin Lewis won the feature ahead of Trophy Dash winner Robbie Lewis.  R. Lewis finished just ahead of Clinton Heck in a close battle for second as Michael Sellers and Trent Everett rounded out the Top 5.   Norman Harley Rose finished sixth ahead of Cody Gray, heat winner Randy Sims, Tyson Davis and Jeremy Chapman.  Spec Sprint veteran Jason McIntosh won his heat race, but he was a Main Event scratch.  Heck earned his feature start after winning a close battle with Sellers for the 12 lap B Main win.  Gray finished third ahead of Dolan McIntosh and Everett.

Dwarf Cars made a special appearance at Dixon Speedway to run a 30 lap race on the one-fifth mile dirt oval.  The drivers were asked if they were interested just a few days earlier, and ten competitors turned out, mostly from the NCDCA Dwarf Car group.  Long time Dwarf Car veteran Michael "Spanky" Grenert followed up his heat race win with an impressive feature triumph ahead of two time Antioch champion Danny Wagner.  Buddy Olschowka had a good night with wins in the Trophy Dash and his heat race before finishing a solid third ahead of 2016 Petaluma point runner up Miranda Chappa, multi time Sprint Car champion Colby Wiez, Toby Brown, Josh Wiesz, Bobby Johnson, Mark Hanson and Ben Wiesz.

The Merced based California Sharp Mini Late Models brought their four cars to Dixon for what wouuld be their first race in the state.  Outlaw Kart veteran Tim Vaught won the heat, dash and 15 lap Main Event with Timmy Crews finishing second in all three races.  Brody Armtrout took the wheel of the Robby Jeppesen owned entry and finished third ahead of Ian Shearer.

In 600 Restricted Micro Sprint action, dash winner Ashlyn Rodriguez won the 20 lap Main Event.  Brody Petrie won a close batte with Isak Johnson for second as Brody Armtrout was fourth.  Devon Cournier finished fifth ahead of Taylor DeCarlo, Cody Parmley, Rylee Whitehouse and Jonathyn Cobb.



Chowchilla Speedway announcer Ken Bonnema mentioned that there is a race on Sunday next week, so I did an article for some of the media outlets to spread the word.  I'll share it here.

Racing Resumes This Sunday At Chowchilla Speedway

Chowchilla, CA...The next race is set for this Sunday at Chowchilla Speedway.  Promoter Joe Diaz Jr. has booked a four division show that will include the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and 600 Micro Sprints.  Furthermore, Diaz has announced a new eight race summer schedule.  It will also include dates on May 7th and 21st, June 4th and 18th and July 2nd, 16th and 30th, and these will be the four divisions scheduled for those Sunday events.

Two weeks ago, the A Modifieds and Hobby Stocks were thrilling the crowd with some exciting finishes.  Bruce "Bubba" Nelson made a late pass on fourth generation racer Ryan Porter to take the victory in the A Modified feature.  Porter just beat past Chowchilla champion Randy Brown back to the line to place second.  Nelson has also won in B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks in his career and is a two time Merced Hobby Stock champion.  In fact, he won a pair of Hobby Stock races at Chowchilla in 2015.  Brown, meanwhile, hails from Chowchilla and is the reigning champion at Merced Speedway.

Brown wasn't the only Chowchilla resident battling for victory last time out.  Kodie Dean came within a straightaway of winning the Hobby Stock feature last time.  He was passed in the final turn by Placerville champion Nick Baldwin.  Dean settled for second ahead of Merced champion Michael Shearer.  However, the son of former Chowchilla racer Tim Dean returned to Merced Speedway last week and won that Main Event.  Dean and fellow Chowchilla resident Austin Van Hoff are both anticipated on Sunday.  Austin had a Top 5 run going last time until a flat tire ended that effort.

The last time out, 2015 champion Fred Ryland raced to the B Modified feature victory ahead of Keith Brown Jr. and Anthony Giuliani.  The field also included Mark Condell, who was the only driver competing that day who competed at Chowchilla Speedway when the gates opened back in 2000.  Three newcomers have been at both races this year.  Jack Aguiar finished fifth last time out.  Teen racers Gavin Espino and Kaylin Lopez didn't do as well.  However, Gavin, who's father Paul Espino also races B Modifieds, finished third in the first race this year.

In addition to the three popular classes, the track has been trying to establish a Micro Sprint division.  Danny Carroll won the first race ahead of Koen Shaw, but it was Shaw winning the most recent race ahead of newcomer Tyler Boyd.  The Shaws, Koen and Kyler, both race Winged Sprint Cars as well.  We haven't seen Kyler in a Micro Sprint yet, but Gloria Shaw finished third last time out and Brandon Shaw was third at the opener.  This is an opportunity for the class to run on a bigger track than the one-fifth mile ovals they usually run on.

The four division show offers racing fans some excitement on a Sunday afternoon.  Gates open at 11:00 AM with the first race starting after practice laps at around 1:00 PM.  Grandstand admission is $10.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors and military, $5.00 for children 6-12 and under 6 free.  For further information, go to www.chowtown58.wixsite.com/chowchillaspeedway.


Chowchilla Speedway Information

Summer Schedule
April 24th
May 7th, 21st
June 4th, 18th
July 2nd, 16th, 30th

Divisions
Micro's, Hobby Stocks,
A Mods & B Mods

Gate Times
9am Pit Gates Open
11am Grandstands Open
12n Drivers Meeting
12:30pm Practice

***PAYOUT SCHEDULE***
Micro's 15 car UNDER 15 car

1st. $400            $200
2nd $200           $100
3rd $100             $50
4-20 $40             $30

Hobby's 15 car UNDER 15 car
1st. $300            $150
2nd $200            $100
3rd $100              $50
4-20 $40              $30

A Mod's 15 car - UNDER 15 car
1st. $500              $250
2nd $300             $150
3rd $200              $100
4-20 $40                $30

B Mod's 15 car - UNDER 15 car
1st. $400              $200
2nd $250              $125
3rd $150                 $75
4-20 $40                 $30

Did a special article mainly to see if it could get any play in the media outlets, but I'll share it here.  The weekend preview will be released later this week.
Soares Reaches Milestone As Antioch Speedway Promoter

Antioch, CA...When the gates opened for the first race of the season at Antioch Speedway three weeks ago, it marked the 20th year for John Soares Jr. as promoter.  Soares took the reigns of the Speedway back in 1998, and he has been keeping the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds racing facility going ever since.  Saturday night, Soares is offering up six divisions of racing for the fans to enjoy, and racing will continue almost weekly through the end of September.

Racing has been in his blood since before he could walk.  John was raised at various race tracks in California.  His father is West Coast Stock Car "Hall Of Fame" member John Soares Sr.  The elder Soares promoted races at several venues, including Petaluma and Antioch Speedway.  The senior Soares opened Antioch Speedway in 1961 and promoted the track for 20 seasons until walking away to focus on promoting Petaluma for another 20 plus seasons.

John learned from his father.  Not only was the elder Soares a respected promoter and track preparation guru, he was also a racing champion. The younger Soares's first title was California Sportsman Division champion in 1969, but he won several other track championships along the way.  John also ranks third on the All Time Sportsman Division win list with 20 wins at Antioch.  He beat some of Antioch's best ever in highly competitive fields, and he trailed only Gary Pacheco and Dennis Furia in wins.  From there, he moved on to NASCAR West Racing and won a race on that circuit as a Top 10 point competitor.

In the 1990's, John started organizing Team USA for a series of winter events at various racing venues in Australia.  He maintained four race cars for his teammates, and they would take on he best Australia had to offer in the entertaining country versus country competition.  Not surprisingly, he was a champion there as well, but he also began to fine tune his promotional skills.  This is where he began thinking about the next stage of his racing career as a promoter.  John won the contract for Antioch Speedway prior to the 1998 season, and with his wife Donna at his side, he has remained committed to giving the spectators some of the best racing that the Bay Area has to offer.

Through the years, Soares has promoted some of the biggest Sprint Car and Modified races in the state.  This includes a new track record of 58 Sprint Cars for the inaugural Sprint Car Challenge race three weeks go.  In his first few seasons as promoter, Soares attracted the biggest car counts in track history on a regular basis.  Soares prides himself on providing the fans with a great racing environment.  This includes a delicious menu at the two spectator concessions stands.  On the track, the All Star Series banner covers everything from the fast Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Late Models all the way to the more racing budget friendly Hobby Stocks.  The track will crown eight champions again this year.

This Saturday, the Winged Sprint Cars headline the show, along with the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars and the Bay Area Hardtops.  John and Donna Soares do many things during the week to make sure that everything is ready for a night at the races.  It is due to their unseen efforts each week leading up to the races that things flow smoothly on race night.  John also handles the track preparation, which means he's on the grater and the water truck during the week to make sure the three-eighth mile clay oval track is just right for the racers.  If needed, he'll fix the track during intermission to make it that much better.

Family is the name of the game at Antioch Speedway.  The Soares family has promoted the track for 40 of its 56 years of operation, and we see families now three and even four generations strong competing in the various classes.  Third generation racer Trevor Clymens is the reigning B Modified champion.  Another third generation racer, Mark Garner, will compete in a B Modified this week and is racing for the Limited Late Model championship.  His son Billy Garner will make it four generations when he competes in the Hobby Stock class this week.  You also have racers such as Sprint Car star Art McCarthy, A Modified legend Scott Busby and Limited Late Model veteran Mike Gustafson who have been racing at Antioch Speedway and other venues for many years.

A night at the races at Antioch Speedway offers something for everybody.  You get a variety of different types of race cars, affordable and delicious food at the concessions stands and a fast paced show.  Soares likes to keep things moving with the goal of sending the fans home with smiles on their faces after a fun night at the race track.  There are lots of big nights planned this year, including three more special Sprint Car races, some big Modified and Late Models shows, the May 13th Larry Damitz Memorial race and more.  Gates open at 5:00 PM with the first race starting at 7:00 PM.  For further information on Saturday's show, check out www.antiochspeedway.com.