First of all...
Just A Kid From The Grandstands: My Time In Auto Racing
Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover
Don's California Racing Recollections: Best Of The Blog And Beyond
Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback
Also, what could be a series of informative books...
Short Track History Project at Gofundme
Papenhausen Withstands Foulger's Challenge For Antioch Win
A cool evening in Antioch did nothing to prevent the action from heating up on the race track Saturday night as the DIRTcar Late Models paid their third visit to Antioch Speedway. After taking the lead from Troy Foulger on lap eight, defending champion Richard Papenhausen managed to lead the rest of the way and fought off late challenges from Foulger for the victory. Foulger made a strong move in Turn 1 on the last lap and ended up spinning to avoid taking out Papenhausen. This allowed last week's winner, Jeff Decker, to finish second, while Foulger recovered in third.
Another 12 car Late Model field put on an entertaining show. The heat races were no indication of what was to come as Foulger won his heat race by a straightaway ahead of Dennis Souza. Decker ran away with his heat race ahead of Papenhausen. Once again, Mike Hynes was a Main Event scratch. Paul Guglielmoni and Rob Norris shared the front row with Papenhausen starting third, Foulger seventh and Decker tenth. Guglielmoni led the opening lap before Danny Malfatti smacked the front wall for a caution flag. Dean DeVolder briefly gained second on Lap 2, but Foulger rode the outside line into second a lap later before Terry Kuntz spun in Turn 2 for a yellow flag. Guglielmoni pitted with a flat tire to hand Foulger the lead. Foulger chose the outside on the restart and led Papenhausen as Decker had managed to charge his way into third. Papenhausen made an impressive low move in Turn 1 of the eighth lap to take the lead from Folger, then closed the door on Foulger's attempt to regain the lead in Turn 2. Papenhausen began to pull away just a bit over the next few laps, but traffic began to slow him down. The leaders lapped fifth place Norris late in the race, and Foulger got a run on the inside exiting Turn 4 of the 19th lap. Foulger ran on the inside of Papenhausen entering Turn 1 on the last lap, but he ended up spinning from second in the process. Papenhausen brought it home to victory as Decker gained second before Foulger was able to recover in third. David Newquist rebounded from last week's disappointment with a lead lap fourth place finish as Norris and Rod Arnold were each a lap down in fifth and sixth, respectively.
The next event for the regular divisions at Antioch will be on April 4th and will feature IMCA Modifieds, BCRA Midget Lites, Northern All Stars Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. This event is being billed as Family Appreciation Night as part of Easter Weekend. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt in the infield, and the drivers will meet with the fans on the back stretch and sign autographs. Next Sunday is the first 2015 visit of the World Of Outlaws Sprint Car Touring Series. For all of the official information on these events and more, check the Official Oval Motorsports Website.
Non Stop Action Sees Myers and Simpson Score Antioch Wins
After running out of time in her charge from the last row to a second place finish a week earlier, two time division champion Melissa Myers won a non stop 20 lap Northern All Stars Hobby Stock Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The excellent preparation of John Soares Jr's one-third mile clay oval also produced a non stop Wingless Spec Sprint feature, and Klint Simpson scored the win in that race by a wide margin.
Hobby Stocks enjoyed their best turnout of the season so far and needed three heat races. Previous feature winner Nick Baldwin took the lead midway through his six lap heat and scored the victory ahead of Calvin Louis Jr. Two time defending champion Kimo Oreta won his heat race by a straightaway in front of Jason Jennings. The third heat was captured in equally impressive fashion by Myers, who won ahead of Russell Shearer.
As luck would have it, Myers shared the front row with Christopher Brown for the Hobby Stock Main Event. Myers led Brown and Oreta at the start, and the lead trio quickly pulled away, leaving Jason Jennings to battle with Louis until he pitted from fourth on lap four. Tenth starter Baldwin moved up to battle Louis and Shearer for fourth. By the mid point of the race, the leaders began working heavy traffic, and it nearly cost Myers the lead to Brown on a couple occasions. Meanwhile, Baldwin was up to fifth by lap 11 and pressuring Louis hard for fourth. Brown finally surrendered second to Oreta in Turn 4 of the 14th lap. Oreta made a couple of serious attempts to get past Myers, but she was not going to let this one go. Myers sped home to her second win of the season and her tenth career win in this division. Oreta was a very close second. Brown crossed the line in third, but he was later disqualified in tech. This gave Baldwin the third position ahead of the steady Louis, Danny Jones, Shearer, past division champion Chris Sorensen, Jeremy Jennings and Brian Zachary, the final lead lap car. Michael Cooper was a lap down in tenth.
The Wingless Spec Sprints saw the return of Jimmy Perry III for the first time in six years, and Perry won a battle of the #21's with Roy Fisher in his heat race. Simpson won his heat race ahead of the steadily improving Marcus Smith. Point leader Kyle Bakkie and Simpson shared the front row of the Main Event, and Simpson blasted out into the lead at the start. Bakkie was soon a comfortable second, leaving Rick Panfili to battle Dirt Modified ace Brian Azevedo for third. Further back, Ryon Siverling was battling the rest of the pack in an effort to hold onto fifth. By lap ten, Simpson was a full straightaway ahead of Bakkie, and soon he was right behind the fifth place battle. Knowing he had such a big lead, Simpson cruised home from there and let the fifth place combatants have their battle. Simpson dominated the race in victory, and Bakkie settled for his third straight second place finish. Likewise, Panfilli held off Azevedo for what would be his third straight third place finish, and Siverling kept Fisher at bay to finish fifth.
The next regular point race for the regular divisions at Antioch will be on April 4th and will feature IMCA Modifieds, BCRA Midget Lites, Northern All Stars Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. This event is being billed as Family Appreciation Night as part of Easter Weekend. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt in the infield, and the drivers will meet with the fans on the back stretch and sign autographs. Next Sunday is the first 2015 visit of the World Of Outlaws Sprint Car Touring Series. For all of the official information on these events and more, check the Official Oval Motorsports Website.
Ryland Dominates Sport Mods, Haverty Wins Thriller At Antioch
Saturday night, the IMCA Sport Modifieds finally returned to Antioch Speedway for the first time since early January, and the fans got to see what fans in Chowchilla and Merced have already seen, a dominant Fred Ryland. The IMCA Sport Mod National title hopeful and current State point leader led all but the opening lap to win the Sport Mod Main Event. Meanwhile, Thomas Leiby had sure victory plucked from his hands late in the Northern All Stars Dwarf Car Main Event by eventual winner Jack Haverty, who started 12th.
Two ladies who know a thing or two about how to win at Antioch Speedway are past Hobby Stock champion Megan Ponciano and two time Four Banger titlist Patti Ryland. Ponciano led P. Ryland for the 1-2 finish in their Sport Mod heat race. Meanwhile, Fred Ryland seemed headed for an easy heat race win before having trouble lapping rookie Tim Hammett, who spun in front of him in his first Antioch race. This gave the win to Al Johnson ahead of Chuck Golden.
P. Ryland and Johnson had the front row for the feature, and Johnson led a lap before a spin forced a yellow flag. Johnson went with the outside for the restart, and F. Ryland led P. Ryand into the 1-2 slots. Keith Brown Jr stalled with mechanical issues for a lap four caution flag. As the Rylands ran first and second, Johnson had his hands full in a battle with Ponciano, Paul Mulder and Al Sotomayor for third. Mulder stalled on the front stretch for a lap nine caution flag. F. Ryland chose the outside for the restart and continued to hold command as Sotomayor gabbed second. Johnson dropped P. Ryland from the Top 3 on a restart a lap later. Debris in Turn 4 caused a lap 13 caution flag, and Mulder made a front stretch move past Johnson for third on the restart lap. F. Ryland was never seriously threatened, though Sotomayor wasn't too far behind in second. Mulder was third as Johnson, Ponciano, Golden, KC Keller and P. Ryland rounded out the lead lap finishers.
The Dwarf Cars had the high car count of the night and ran three heat races with ageless veteran Charlie Correia winning his heat race ahead of Adam Teves. After the leaders tangled midway through the second heat, Kevin Miraglio won that six lapper ahead of two time Street Stock champion David Rosa. David Teves captured the third heat race ahead of Leiby.
Leiby and Rosa shared the front of the Dwarf Car feature as last week's 1-2 finishers, Danny Wagner and Travis Dutra, were back in the ninth row. Leiby led the opening lap, and Mike Corsaro took second from A. Teves on a lap two restart. Brian Tilsith and Correia crashed on the back stretch to end their race on the third lap. Leiby led Corsaro and A. Teves on the restart, and Haverty dropped Miraglio back to sixth on lap seven. Corsaro got out of shape and fell from the lead group on lap nine as A. Teves and D. Teves were now second and third. Haverty took third from D. Teves on a lap 11 restart as Wagner slipped into fourth. Haverty was pressuring A. Teves hard and made a low move in Turn 4 of the 15th lap to take the second spot from him. Rosa spun for the final yellow on lap 16. Leiby chose the inside on the restart and led them trough Turns 1 and 2. By the time they exited Turn 4, however, Haverty moved past Leiby on the inside for the lead. Once in front, Haverty brought it home to a satisfying victory ahead of Leiby, D. Teves, Paul Urdahl, Wagner, A. Teves and Jerry Doty, all on the lead lap.
The next regular point race for the regular divisions at Antioch will be on April 4th and will feature IMCA Modifieds, BCRA Midget Lites, Northern All Stars Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. This event is being billed as Family Appreciation Night as part of Easter Weekend. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt in the infield, and the drivers will meet with the fans on the back stretch and sign autographs. Next Sunday is the first 2015 visit of the World Of Outlaws Sprint Car Touring Series. For all of the official information on these events and more, check the Official Oval Motorsports Website.
Porter Prevails at Merced, Miguel Wins Wild Race
The IMCA Modidieds were back in action Saturday night at Merced Speedway, and this race featured a three car race up front that went down to the wire. When the checkered flag flew on the 25 lap event, it was local ace Ryan Porter grabbing an impressive victory. Despite a spirited duel with Watsonville racer William Kennedy, Darren Miguel collected his first Northern All Stars 20 Lap Hobby Stock victory. Taking full advantage of a pole position start, Jeremy Hoff won the IMCA Sport Mod 20 lap Main Event. Mark Garner returned and won his second straight Limited Late Model Main Event on the quarter-mile clay oval, while Marcus Lung won the Valley Sportsman Main Event as car count more than doubled in that division.
Merced's IMCA Modified division was invaded from all sides as John MacDougal came from up North to try for a second straight win, Kyle Heckman came up from Santa Maria and decorated champion Bobby Hogge IV came in from the west. Multi time Merced Street Stock champion Ricky Thatcher had a pole start for the Main Event and raced into the early lead ahead of Bob Williamson. Contact from Porter sent Williamson spinning into the infield off the back stretch on the second lap. Sean Wilson spun for a lap four caution flag. Thatcher chose the inside for the restart and continued to lead Porter as fourth row starter Hogge was now in fifth. Hogge made successive back stretch passes on laps eight and nine to leap from fifth to third, and a lap ten caution flag wiped out Thatcher's half straightaway lead over Porter. The restart lap saw Porter exit Turn 2 with the lead. The accordion effect exiting Turn 2 sent a car a spinning for a lap 14 caution flag. Porter led Thatcher on the restart, and an inside move on the back stretch of the 15th lap put Hogge into second. Hogge began to pressure Porter immediately, and point leader Bill Egleston moved in to briefly challenge Thatcher for third. Despite heavy pressure from one of the very best Modified drivers in the state in Hogge, Porter kept his cool and scored a well earned victory. Hogge settled for second ahead of Thatcher, Egleston and Heckman.
The Hobby Stocks provided one of the wildest races of the night. The evening started off with past Watsonville champion Kennedy winning his heat ahead of 2014 Merced champion Raul Rodriguez Sr. Mini Stock ace Miguel and Kennedy led the pack to the green and quickly settled into the 1-2 positions. Rodriguez pitted and a spin in Turn 4 forced a lap eight caution flag. Miguel chose the inside for the restart, and Kennedy briefly raced into the lead before George Silva and Jennifer Corder got together in Turn 4 for a caution flag. The restart saw Silva get a good jump, only to cross the front end of Kennedy's car and crash into the front wall. Miguel now had the lead ahead of speedway veteran Gary Hildebrand and Corder. Kennedy made his move past Corder for third on lap 14 and took second from Hildebrand two laps later. Miguel went on to collect the victory, trailed by Kennedy, Hildebrand, Corder and Kevin Joaquin.
The Sport Mod drivers already knew incoming point leader Fred Ryland and Keith Brown Jr. would choose their home track in Antioch once forced to, but 2014 track champion Rick Diaz was a surprise absentee. Heat winner Jeremy Hoff, himself a past Antioch champion, had the pole for the main Event and proceeded to enjoy a flag to flag romp for the victory. New point leader Josh Hensley had a good run in second, but he lost that spot to a last lap pass by third row starter Bruce Nelson. Duane Short and Watsonville racer Tim Cecil completed the Top 5, and Tim Prothero crashed into the wall coming out of Turn 4 before he could take the checkered flag.
Back to back division champion Roy Hart Jr. was back with his Limited Late Model and Scott Van Gelder had a few bugs worked out of his car, but neither were a match for last week's winner and point leader Mark Garner,. Garner won his heat race from fifth starting ahead of fellow Antioch racer Peggy Sue Jarred. Counting Antioch, Garner has won his last three starts, and he led flag to flag in this race after starting on the pole. Jarred, meanwhile, was a career best second with John Evans making it an Antioch sweet of the podium. Hart and Van Gelder rounded out the Top 5.
After two weeks with the only cars in the field, Marcus Lung and Kenny Birdsong finally had company. That didn't stop Lung from wining his heat race from the pole ahead of Eric Seely. Lung and Seely shared the front row for the feature and scored a 1-2 finish. Lung was never challenged, leaving the battle behind him. Jeff Bristow ran closely with Seely early on as Mark Odgers battled Kenny Birdsong for fourth. Bristow was making a run at Seely for second when Odgers got underneath Birdsong for fourth on the front stretch. Birdsong come down on Odgers, resulting in contact. Birdsong soon retired as Lung continued to lead Seely. Odgers began to challenge Bristow. A few laps later, Odgers made his move past Bristow for third, but he could only chase Seely before the checkered flag fell. Lung collected the victory ahead of Seely, Odgers, Bristow and Birdsong.
Next Saturday night, all but the Sportsman division will be back as IMCA Modifieds headline the show that includes IMCA Sport Mods and the Northern All Stars Hobby Stocks and Limited Late Models. For more information, check the Official Oval Motorsports Website.
DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 25 by GenWhat
