Thursday, July 28, 2016

Sprint Cars, A Modifieds Look For First Repeat Winner This Saturday Night At Antioch Speedway


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

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

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Sprint Cars, A Modifieds Look For First Repeat Winner 
This Saturday Night At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...There's an interesting streak happening in the All Star Series racing program at Antioch Speedway. In the A Modified division as well as the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, there has yet to be a repeat Main Event winner. Both divisions will be competing this Saturday night along with the B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. Coming off of last week's 70 plus car program, this should be another great show for the fans.

When promoter John M. Soares began his commitment to establishing a Winged 360 Sprint Car show on his fast three-eighths mile clay oval, he envisioned that some of the younger drivers would come out to get their first laps and some of the veterans would come out to give the younger racers a run for their money. This is exactly what has happened this season as veterans such as Art McCarthy and Bobby McMahon have battled wheel-to-wheel with Micro Sprint graduates Kaleb Montgomery, Giovanni Scelzi, Koen Shaw and others.

Another thing has happened in this division. In seven races, there have been no repeat Main Event winners. The division has seen a steady flow of different drivers coming out from race to race as the roster has reached into the 30 car territory. Leading the point standings right now is a past Antioch Speedway Wingless Spec Sprint champion, Billy Aton. Like his closest rival McCarthy, Billy is a Main Event winner. He is coming off of a strong second place finish last time behind second generation racer Brayden McMahon. For McMahon, that was his first win in car #18 in what was his 18th start. The numbers lined up for him.

While McCarthy and Aton battle for supremacy at the top of the point ladder, another second generation racer, Burt Foland Jr., has moved into third in the standings. Foland has raced Midgets and Sprint Cars throughout his career, and he could be in line to become the eighth different feature winner. The two drivers he is battling for third in the standings, Dan Gonderman and Rick Brophy, are two others who have gone winless so far this year. Gonderman is still licking his wounds following his flip three races ago.

There are some talented racers who come through the gates of Antioch Speedway, and you never know who will show up next. Other drivers to watch for this week include reigning champion Shawn Arriaga, 2014 titlist Chris Magoon, Ricky Brophy, Matt Barber and Tim Burcher.

In the A Modified division, there's a similar phenomenon. After nine races, there have been nine different Main Event winners. The most recent was Brian Cass two weeks ago. He held off a driver still looking for his first career feature win in this division, Carl Berendsen II. Berendsen switched to a new car a few weeks ago as he tries to take his championship season up a notch by winning some races. Second place in the most recent race was Carl's best feature finish. As Scott Busby, Raymond Lindeman and Trent Wentworth were all missing at the previous race, the door was left wide open for Carl to increase his championship lead.

Despite the fact that some drivers have come and gone during the course of the year, the A Modified division continues to keep up a respectable car count. And, there are some talented racers who could be next to win their first Main Event. Among those drivers are Anthony Slaney, Sean O'Gara, Bobby Montalvo and Norm Boeck. Of course, chances are that eventually this streak is going to end. You never really know who might show up from week to week, but if a hard charger such as Bobby Hogge IV, Josh Combs, Aaron Crowell, Busby or Oreste Gonella shows up, they might just get their second win of the season at the speedway.

Last week, Al Johnson was doing what he needed to do in the B Modified division,. Having won his heat race earlier in the evening, Al led the feature for several laps with his closest rival, Trevor Clymens, right behind him. However, Cymens has been fast all season long with three feature wins going into the night. Johnson was still looking for his first win, but Trevor denied that to him as he made the pass and scored the victory. The closest championship battle at the speedway is between these two, and though Johnson leads, his advantage at the moment is less than 10 points.

When you talk about drivers who could be in line for their first win, Johnson's name is certainly at the top of the list. Another driver to keep an eye on is the driver who crossed the line third last week, rookie Shane DeVolder. Shane is right there in contention as he has been scoring regular Top 5 finishes. Much like Johnson, Shane has finished as high as second, but the checkered flag has eluded him so far. Perhaps Saturday night will be his night to shine?

The are some good drivers in the field, and one of those drivers chased Clymens across the finish line last week for a second place finish. That would be two time feature winner Anthony Giuliani. Giuliani might be there again this week to go for win #3, and other drivers to watch for this week include Ron Brown, Randy Brown, Lonnie Leonard, Lloyd Cline, Chuck Golden and Paul Mulder.

In the Limited Late Model division, Mark Garner is not giving up on his quest to win the track championship. Following up on a very disappointing night in the results department two races ago, Mark did everything he needed to do to set his ship sailing in the right direction. After winning his heat race, Garner battled Kimo Oreta and Larry Damitz to win his third Main Event of the season. With Damitz finishing behind Garner, he didn't gain too much, but every point counts at this stage of the season.

These Top 3 drivers should be back out there this week, and Oreta is another driver who seems close to his first win in this division. The three time Hobby Stock champion led the Main Event for several laps last week before slipping back to third. Other drivers to watch for this week include ageless veteran Mike Gustafson, the steady John Evans, Lori Brown and John Keith.

Last week was a sentimental night for reigning Dwarf Car champion David Teves. Teves is setting up the #4 car for its new owner, and this is a car that was formerly owned by his good friend Brian Tillseth, who passed away suddenly while working on the car a few years ago. That car was actually driven by one of the division's all time greats, Ricardo Rivera. David followed Rivera's example as he won his second Main Event of the season last week. He is anticipated for this event, as is current point leader Kevin Moraglio.

Moraglio has been the model of consistency in the Dwarf Cars this year. Though he only has one Main Event win, it's not very often that you see his #40 car outside of a Top 5 finish. This has served him well in leading the standings ahead of Mike Corsaro in the biggest point lead at the track. The driver currently third in the standings, Tim Reeder, saw his luck from 2015 resurface as he flipped his car early in the Main Event last week. Hopefully, he will be ready to go this week.

There were several drivers ready to go in the Dwarf Cars last week as 18 competitors signed into the pits to compete. There are some good drivers looking for their first win at the speedway this year, and other drivers to watch for this week include rookie Buddy Kniss, Charlie Corriea, Brian Gray, David Rosa, Josh Miller and Jenna Frazier.

Danny Jones has been racing Stock Cars for many years, and he knows the fastest way around the speedway. This year, Danny is doing double duty as a Top 5 point runner in the B Modified division and a championship contender in the Hobby Stocks. Despite a rocky start, Danny has come on strong. He charged from tenth starting last week to score his second straight feature win and third of the season. In doing so, Jones has taken over the point lead in a bid to win his first championship.

Rookie Guy Ahlwardt has won four races and was the point leader coming into the most recent race. He was eliminated late in the race by a crash. Guy was on his way to the front when another driver decided to use him as a wall. His car sustained heavy damage, and though he has much work to do on the car to get it ready, he has confirmed that he is going to race this week.

Chris Sorensen has been a real joy to watch in his #00 car as he has earned four straight Top 5 feature finishes. Sorensen spun earli in last week's Main Event, but he still managed to charge back up to a third place finish behind another Chris, Chris Long. Long was a feature winner earlier this year, and he came within a whisker of doing it again last week before losing out in his battle with Jones. The Hobby Stock division has been very competitive all season long, and there are several drivers in the field capable of winning on any given week.

Other drivers to keep an eye on this week include veteran Rob Waldrop, who is rapidly climbing up the point ladder, Michael Cooper, Anthony Vigna, Lindsay Buirch, Jordan Swank, third ranked Cameron Swank and Natalie Perry.

There's a little bit of excitement in the air for fans of the old Vallejo Speedway. On September 10th, the California Hardtop Association will run the Chet Thomson Memorial Race. The effort to bring this race back after being gone since Vallejo Speedway closed in 1979 has been spearheaded by Hardtop racers Dave Mackey and Tommy Thomson. Tommy is the son of the Hardtop champion from the 1960's. In fact, the car that Tommy drives is the same car he drove in the late 1970's at Vallejo Speedway.

Details are still being hashed out, but sponsorship is being secured for this event. It's going to be just a little bit more special for the Hardtop drivers. Much like the August event that the division had at Antioch Speedway last year, car count is expected to reach into the teens as competitors such as Larry Damitz, Dan Williams, Ken Clifford, Jason Clifford, Dennis Armstrong, Jason Armstrong, Rob Waldrop, Ron Ruiz and John Turner are anticipated. You might want to mark this event on your calendar as the September 10th program is sure to be another stacked event with the Hardtops among the six divisions scheduled that night.

To recap, Saturday night will feature an exciting Winged 360 Sprint Car program at Antioch Speedway along with the high octane A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Antioch Speedway
All Star Series

Winged 360 Sprint Cars

Billy Aton 322
Art McCarthy 293
Burt Foland Jr. 206
Dan Gonderman 180
Rick Brophy 174
Shawn Arriaga 141
Matt Barber 136
Chris Magoon 118
Adam McCarthy 102
Koen Shaw 100

A Modifieds
Carl Berendsen II 348
Scott Busby 281
Bobby Montalvo 274
Sean O'Gara 264
Trent Wentworth 248
Raymond Lindeman 236
Troy Foulger 226
John McDougall 194
Josh Combs 190
Norman Boeck 178

Hobby Stock
Danny Jones 435
Guy Ahlwardt 432
Cameron Swank 368
Lindsey Buirch 352
Michael Cooper 346
Chris Sorensen 333
Jordan Swank 322
Natalie Perry 321
Rob Waldrop 298
Anthony Vigna 242

B Modifieds
Al Johnson 594
Trevor Clymens 586
Shane DeVolder 554
Danny Jones 458
K.C. Keller 410
Randy Brown 292
Anthony Giulani 233
Lloyd Cline 226
Chuck Golden 210
Brian Pearce 176

Dwarf Car
Kevin Miraglio 374
Mike Corsaro 300
Tim Reeder 256
Buddy Kniss 232
Charlie Correia 210
Robert Coe 192
Josh Miller 182
David Michael Rosa 170
Tommy Ryan 168
Chuck Weir 163

Limited Late Model
Larry Damitz 408
Mark Garner 388
Kimo Oreta 386
John Evans 296
Mike Gustafson 282
Jim Freethy 272
Lori Brown 237
Paul Hanley  82
Steve Studebaker 54
John Keith 40

 All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars Return 
To Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...The All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car division returns to the fast 3/8 mile clay oval Antioch Speedway this Saturday night to headline a six division program.  Once again, $1200 is being offered up to the Main Event winner, and so far there have been seven different drivers claiming that paycheck in seven races.  As promoter John M. Soares builds his Sprint Car division, a group of young Micro Sprint graduates have been coming in from week to week and making a name for themselves at the speedway.

In the most recent event, it was Brayden McMahon playing the numbers to his advantage as the Main Event winner.  It was his 18th start in car #18 and he had to contend with.leader Billy Aton, who finished second.  Kaleb Montgomery returned to make a run for his second Main Event win, but the Micro Sprint star instead flipped spectacularly to end his race.  Aton gave it everything he had, but McMahon kept his cool for the big win.  Aton nonetheless did what he needed to do maintain his lead in the championship battle.

Art McCarthy finds himself forced to make up some ground after his failure to start the Main Event two races ago.  On this occasion, the past Antioch Speedway champion picked up a heat race win, but the best he could manage was sixth in the Main Event.  Aton managed to make a slight increase in his lead, but the past Wingless Spec Sprint champion would love to get another feature victory.  He and rival McCarthy are two of the seven different Main Event winners so far this year.

Back in third was Petaluma Speedway Sprint Car star Jeff Ensign.  Car owner Brett Lay made a last minute decision to come out and race, and he was happy he did after the team's good showing.  The Lay car was driven to a feature victory last year by third generation racer Alissa Geving.  Ensign is one of those multi talented Sprint Car competitors who can win with a wing and without a wing.

Another driver with both wingless and winged experience in Midgets and Sprint Cars was fourth place finisher Burt Foland Jr.  Foland used his fourth place feature finish to move into third in the standings as Dan Gonderman continues to repair his damaged Sprint Car from his flip three races ago.  Foland is getting things dialed in more, and he'll be hoping to become the eighth different winner this week.  Right on the heels of Foland last race was another newcomer, Dalton Hill.  This young up and coming competitor won his heat race before finishing fifth in the Main Event.

Stephen Gerris was credited with the seventh place finish ahead of Monte Ferreira, rookie Tim Burcher and Montgomery. The roster of drivers in this division so far has reached into the thirties, and you really never know who will show up on any given week.  Last time, several of the track's regulars weren't even in attendance, and visitation still kept the car count in double digits.

This week should be another good show, and some of the regulars who could be in action this week include reigning champion Shana Arriaga, 2014 champion Chris Magoon, Ricky Brophy, Rick Brophy, Matt Barber and Gonderman.  For further information on this and other happenings at Antioch Speedway, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.




2016 Antioch Winged 360 All Star Series Points

Billy Aton 322
Art McCarthy 293
Burt Foland Jr. 206
Dan Gonderman 180
Rick Brophy 174
Shawn Arriaga 141
Matt Barbber 136
Chris Magoon 118
Adam McCarthy 102
Koen Shaw 100


2016 All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Schedule
 

July 30
August 6
August 13
August 20
August 27
September 10
September 17
September 24


Past Champions

1998-Gary Geving
2007-Art McCarthy
2010-Craig Smith
2013-Chris Magoon
2014-Chris Magoon
2015-Shawn Arriaga



Last 25 Feature Winners


July 16,2016:  Brayden McMahan
June 25, 2016:  Kaleb Montgomery
June 18, 2014:  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
May 4, 2013: Shawn Arriaga
April 13, 2014: Chris Martin
September 17, 2011: Billy Aton
July 30, 2011: Craig Smith
September 15, 2010: Jeremy Burt
August 25, 2010: Craig Smith
April 24, 2010: Craig Smith
March 27, 2010: Craig Smith
March 20, 2010: Ryan Risconi
September 26, 2009: Jeremy Burt
August 29, 2009: Jeremy Burt




Championship Battles Taking Shape At Orland Raceway

Orland, CA...July 28...The second half of the season at Orland Raceway officially begins this Saturday night with round #6 of racing for the track's regular Hobby Stocks, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks and Micro Sprint Car classes.

Considering the racing program had pretty much been written off for this year, promoter Rich Hood and his crew have done an amazing job of getting things going. With about a month left to prepare for the season when the contract was awarded in May, the hard working crew got things going in time for the season to open on June 4th.

The new management has been dedicated to keeping things family friendly, and they've already done a few things for the kids this year. One of the popular things has been the bike giveaways, which will continue as the season unfolds. At the most recent race, they had the local Girl Scout Troop selling sweets to raise money for their group. The little girls also served as trophy kids for all the Main Event winner's that night. 
Management continues to work at coming up with other ideas to keep things family friendly. They've also improved the racing surface with more clay to promote better racing on the one-fifth mile oval track. They've held five successful races and are already considering more races for the future in addition to the five events remaining.  With five races in the books, there are some close championship battles taking place.

In the Mini truck division, consistency has been the key to William Fogle leading the point battle over "Rollin" Olin Crane, 226-213. Crane is already a two time feature winner this year. Not to be left out of the mix is two time Main Event winner Dan Webster, who has 208 points and is only 18 points out of the lead despite the fact that he missed the season opener. Reigning champion Keith Ross has an eight point lead over past champion Ross Vige, 158.-150, in the race for fourth.

Consistency has also been key to Jeff Bennett leading past champion John Kirkpatrick in the Mini Stock point battle, 250-234. Neither of these drivers has yet to win a Main Event this season. One driver with a Main Event win is 2012 champion Robert Hunt, who finds himself third with 207 markers. Two time winner Tom Davis and Eric Hammond currently round out the top five, and Davis leads Hammond, 161-144 in the battle for fourth. Though not in the point battle, Donovan Chilton has two wins in his two appearances.

With a feature win to start the season off, past Hobby Stock champion Steve Martin currently has a 37 point lead over one time Main Event winner Jeremy Langenderfer, 245-208. Langendefer is not too comfortably ahead of Cody Bundy in the race for second, 208-184. Bundy is driving the #12 car previously driven by Hood, who finds himself too busy with promotional duties to get much racing time. Mel Beyers is holding a one point lead over Earl Adams, 137-136 in the race for fourth. With Brad Ray, Jason Armstrong and Shannon Collin also on the winner's list, we have yet to see a repeat winner in the competitive class.

While the Hobby Stock division is one of the stronger classes at the track, Micro Sprint racing is still trying to establish a car count this year. There is a nice battle going on between point leader Skyler Richter and reigning champion Jeromie Crismon in the 600 Micro Sprint division. Richter leads Crismon, 162-156. In the last few years, these two drivers have been battling for supremacy in this class. A feature winner last season, Tony Alosi runs third in the standings with a 108-103 margin over Dean Slinkard. Meanwhile, Andrew Love leads the 250 class by a wide margin over Dave McKinnon, 192-103. McKinnon finds himself leading Robert Baker by just two points, 103-101, and reigning champion Jessie Garland is only 8 points out of second

Considering that Rich Hood and his crew got a late start in getting everything ready, they've done a great job of getting Orland Raceway back up and running with five races in the books. Five more races remain on the schedule, but there is word that Hood is negotiating possible additional dates and also considering adding other divisions to the mix.

For now, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks and the two Micro Sprint Car classes are on the schedule for this Saturday night.  Gates open at 5:00 p.m with the first race to start at 7:00 p.m. General Admission is $7:00 with children 7-12 just $5.00.  Children six and under are free. For further information, go to www.orlandraceway.org.
 

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Obertello, Clymens Gonderman Antioch Winner, Plus Merced, Yreka, Rocky Hill, Orland


First of all...



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

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover

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


Also...

If You Like Reading Our Articles, Visit The Tip Jar at Go Fund Me to support our efforts

DCRR Racing Media And PR Consulting  HERE



Obertello, Gonderman, Clymens Share 
Antioch Speedway Spotlight

Antioch, CA...July 23...Andy Obertello returned to Antioch Speedway and held off a challenge from Troy Foulger to win the 25 lap DIRTcar Late Model Main Event Saturday night.  Dan Gonderman battled teammate Marcus Smith to collect his second 20 lap All Star Series Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event victory.  Trevor Clymens gained more ground in his bid for the B Modified championship with his fourth feature win of the season.  Mark Garner held off point leader Larry Damitz for his third 20 lap Limited Late Model win.  David Teves scored a sentimental victory in the 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event, while Danny Jones battled Chris Long for his third 20 lap Hobby Stock feature triumph.

Andy Obertello won a hard fought battle for the 25 lap DIRTcar Late Model feature victory.  2008 champion Obertello set the early pace ahead of point leader Richard Papenhausen and Troy Foulger, and a yellow flag flew early for a Dennis Souza spin.  A lap later, Dirt Modified veteran Ed Davies hit the back wall in the House Car for another yellow flag.  Obertello continued to lead the restart as Foulger moved into second.  Jeff Decker took third from Papenhausen on lap six, and Souza stalled on the front stretch for a lap 11 caution flag.  A lap 23 caution flag flew for Mike Hynes, giving Foulger one more shot at Obertello.  However, Obertello was too much to handle as he scored a hard fought victory over Foulger.  Decker earned a third place finish ahead of Papenhausen and Rob Norris.

Dan Gonderman won his second 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event of the season.  Two time champion Gonderman raced into the early lead, and a yellow flag flew early for a spin by rookie Kevin Box.  Gonderman continued to set the pace ahead of teammate Marcus Smith and point leader Jim Perry Jr.  Smith was coming off of his second win of the season last week, while Perry has been trying to sort out some motor issues in recent weeks.  Perry won his heat race earlier in the evening.  Despite Smith's best efforts behind the wheel of the Richard Basden owned car, Gonderman stayed smooth and collected a satisfying victory.  Perry came home third, followed by Rick Panfili, Jack Clark and Brandon Burd.

Trevor Clymens scored his fourth 20 lap B Modified feature victory, and in the process chipped away a little more at point leader Al Johnson's lead.  Johnson set the early pace ahead of Clymens.  Early spins by last week's winner K.C. Keller and Ron Brown brought out a pair of yellow flags.  The yellow was out for a third time after Anthony Giuliani and Joel Hannagan tangled, collecting Nick Tucker in the incident.  Johnson continued to lead, but he could feel the pressure of Clymens behind him.  Midway through the race, Clymens slipped by for the lead, and a Tucker spin forced a lap 12 caution flag.  Giuliani made a nice recovery from his early crash as he moved into second, but it was Clymens scoring a well earned victory.  Heat race winner Shane DeVolder reached the podium once again in third as Hannagan, Johnson and Danny Jones followed.

Danny Jones won an eventful 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event.  It was his third win of the season and will enable him to gain some ground in the championship battle.  The race was led early by Rob Waldrop ahead of Chris Long.  Spins by Chris Sorensen and point leader Guy Ahlwardt punctuated the first ten laps with two yellow flags as Waldrop surrendered the lead to Long.  By midway through the race, previous winner Jones passed Long for the lead.  On lap 16, Michael Cooper spun for a yellow flag, giving Long one more shot at the lead.  However, Jones led the single file restart and maintained his cool for his second straight win.  Long settled for second, while Sorensen charged back to a third place finish.  Two time Super Hobby Stock champion Gene Haney finished fourth ahead of Waldrop and Bob Brown.

Mark Garner scored the victory in the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event.  Coming off of a bad night last week, Garner needed to come up with a big night to put his title hopes back on track.  He got just what he needed as he won the heat race and then scored his third Main Event win of the season.  The win didn't come easy as rookie Kimo Oreta led the way in a quest for his first win of the season.  Just past the midway point of the race, Garner found his opening on a restart and beat Oreta into Turn 1 for the lead.  Larry Damitz would get by for second and take up the chase of Garner.  However, Garner was not to be denied as he scored the much needed victory.  Point leader Damitz settled for second ahead of Oreta and John Evans.

Reigning Dwarf Car champion David Teves won the 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event.  Driving the #4 car that he is setting up for it's new owner, Chris Becker, Teves scored his second feature win of the season.  The car has sentimental meaning to Becker as it belonged to good friend Brian Tilseth, who died unexpectedly while working on it.  Teves agreed to repair the car and get it up and running provided he could drive it a couple times. Teves is currently leading the SBDCA Dwarf Car point standings and runs a relaxed schedule at Antioch this season.  Point leader Kevin Miraglio maintained his championship effort with another second place finish ahead of Joey Dale.  Heat winner Jenna Frazier and Toby Brown rounded out the Top 5 at the checkered flag.  Third ranked Tim Reeder provided the excitement early in the race when he flipped.  He was not injured, but he was done for the night.

Racing continues next Saturday night with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks all in action.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results, July 23rd

Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Jeremy Newberry, Jim Perry Jr.   Main Event (20 Laps)-Dan Gonderman, Marcus Smith, Perry, Rick Panfili, Jack Clark.

DIRTcar Late Models
Heat Winner (8 Laps)-Jeff Decker.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Andy Obertello, Troy Foulger, Decker, Richard Papenhausen, Rob Norris.

B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Shane DeVolder, Al Johnson.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Trevor Clymens, Anthony Giuliani, DeVolder, Joel Hannagan, Johnson.

Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 laps)-David Teves, Kevin Miraglio, Jenna Frazier.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Teves, Miraglio, Joey Dale, Frazier, Toby Brown.

Limited Late Models
Heat Winner (8 Laps)-Mark Garner.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Garner, Larry Damitz, Kimo Oreta, John Evans.

Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Jeremy Jennings, Danny Jones.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Jones, Chris Long, Chris Sorensen, Gene Haney, Rob Waldrop.



Villanueva, Diaz, Corder Victorious At Merced Speedway


Merced, CA...July 23...Four divisions of racing competed at Merced Speedway as the track gets ready to take a two week summer break.  However, Saturday night was time for racing, and Mike Villanueva scored the win in the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event.  Point leader Rick Diaz made his last start in a borrowed car a winning effort in the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified feature.  Chris Corder won another 20 lap Mini Stock feature, and Carson Guthrie won the ten lap Box Stock Kart Main Event. At press time

The IMCA Modifieds ran two nine lap heat races with Karl Rose winning the first one ahead of Troy Stone and rookie Ryan Larimer winning the second heat ahead of title contender Bill Egleston.  Coming off of his third place finish a week earlier, past Hanford champion Mike Villanueva knew he was a contender for Main Event glory, but to get the win, he would have to do battle with incoming point leader Randy Brown.  Villanueva was up to the challenge and he ran a smooth race and picked up his first win of the season.  Brown drove to a solid second ahead of a career best third for Larimer.  Josh Combs has been visiting several tracks this year, and his Merced visit netted him a fourth place finish.  Ramie Stone rebounded from his DNF of a week ago to finish fifth ahead of rookie leader Bruce "Bubba" Nelson, Dereck Colvin, Ricky Thatcher, Antioch Speedway point leader Carl Berendsen II and Jarod Fast.

It was business as usual for incoming point leader Rick Diaz in the IMCA Sport Modified division  Diaz won his heat race ahead of Patti Ryland.  When reigning State champion Fred Ryland won his heat race ahead of Steve Stone, it set up a showdown between Diaz and F. Ryland.  Gary Tucker was the other heat winner ahead of Mike Drake.  The star for several laps of the Main Event was second generation racer Chase Thomas.  Thomas led the way as Diaz and Ryland worked their way into second and third.  The two veterans got past Thomas, who still managed to cross the line in third at the checkered flag.  Diaz beat Ryland back to the line for his fourth victory.  This is Diaz's final start in a borrowed car as he intends to have his new ride ready for the next race.  C. Thomas was a career best third ahead of Bakersfield visitor Jordan Hagar and P. Ryland.  Drake would end up with a sixth place finish as Tim Elias, Tucker, Chris Falkeberg and Tanner Thomas made up the remainder of the Top 10.

Chris Corder continues to be the star of the Mini Stocks as he won the heat race ahead of Paul Laoretti and followed it up with another great drive for his fifth feature win of the season.  The night featured hard crashes that ended the race for both rookie leader Destiny Carter and Lucy Falkenberg.  Meanwhile, Tony Peffer enjoyed his best finish as he brought his truck home in second in front of Jennifer Corder, Laoretti, Falkenberg, previous winner Curtis Thronhill and Carter.

The Box Stock division brought six Karts to do battle on the smaller track in the infield.  Atwater point leader Aiden  Larimer led the way for several laps before being slowed just a bit in traffic.  This allowed Carson Guthrie to race by for the victory.  Larimer settled for second ahead of Kennzziie Brown.  Second ranked Atwater competitor Lela Shearer finished fourth.

After a two week hiatus, the track runs one of its signature events.  It will be Legend's Night, featuring IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Valley Sportsman cars and a visit from some of the greats of the past.  For further information, check out www.racemerced.com.



Borror Wins Geyer Memorial Race 
At Siskiyou Motor Speedway

Yreka, CA...Steve Borror is $2500 richer following his win in the 50 lap Billy Geyer Memorial race Saturday night at Siskiyou Motor Speedway.  It was the fifth win of the season for the current Valley Boys Auto Sales Outlaw Pro Stock point leader, and it was the biggest win of his career.  Borror battled with Friday night preliminary feature winner Brian Johnsen early in the race with Scott Flowers settling into third.  Borror led at by the halfway mark of the race.  After a break, the drivers returned and Borror continued to lead the way.  Jeffrey Hudson made a couple of big passes to grab a nice $800 paycheck for second, but he was no match for the flying Borror.  Flowers wrapped up a good showing with a $600 third as his son James Flowers and John Bowers were the only other drivers to stay on the lead lap.  Making up the remainder of the top 10 were Johnsen, Matt Harlow, Tyler Lockwood, Miles Deubert and Mitch Machado.

The Friday night portion of the Pro Stock show saw the drivers run two heat races each to set the stage for the $500 to win, 25 lap preliminary feature.  Hudson won his two heat races, while Borror and S. Flowers split the other two eight lappers with wins in front of Johnson.  After Borror claimed the four lap Trophy Dash, Johnson locked himself into the big show with his victory in the 25 lap preliminary feature.  S. Flowers was a strong second ahead of Borror, J. Flowers and Hudson.  Johnson actually earned the pole for the big show on Saturday by winning his eight lap scramble in a very close battle with Borror.  After running strong early in the big race, he faded to his eventual sixth place finish.  Hudson and Petaluma visitor Machado won the other scrambles that determined the starting order for the big race.

The O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds competed for a $700 first prize on Saturday, and young Colton Cheffey battled speedway veteran Jesse Morton before claiming his second win of the season in an impressive performance.  Medford visitor Glen Severson finished third ahead of heat race winner Jack Walden Jr. and Chris Jorgensen.  Cheffey  turned in a perfect performance on Saturday with his win ahead of Jorgensen in the eight lap Trophy Dash. Reigning champion Colter Boswsll outdueled Cheffey in another good battle to grab his first 20 lap feature win of the season on Friday night.  Morton finished third ahead of Joregensen, rookie Ryder Boswell and point leader Jimmy Lipke.  Cheffey's impressive weekend also included a Friday night Trophy Dash win, while Garrett Hamilton and C. Boswell were the heat race winners.

The McDonald's Mini Stocks were on the card on Saturday night, and title hopeful Terry Kendrick had his truck back together following his rollover in the previous race.  Kendrick gave it a good effort in the Main Event, but he was no match for reigning track champion David Steele, who collected his fifth 20 lap Main Event win of the season.  Young Ethan Killingsworth was right behind Kendrick in third as Dennis Jorgensen, Dan Borror and incoming point leader Marilyn Yawnick followed in the Top 6.  Killingsworth and Steele were heat race winners, but Kendrick claimed Trophy Dash honors.

The track will be dark until coming back on August 27th with a program that is being billed as Fan Appreciation Night.  On the card that night will be McDonald's Mini Stocks, O'Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds and Pitman Races.  For further information, check out the new website at www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com.



Forster, Scruggs, Cook Win At Rocky Hill Speedway

Porterville, CA...July 23...A four division program was on tap to entertain the fans Saturday night at Rocky Hill Speedway in Porterville.  The program also included the third visit of the season by the Mod Lites division, and Zach Forster won their 20 lap Main Event.  In other action, it was Michael Scruggs winning the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event, while Jason Cook was the winner of the 20 Mini Stock feature.  Roy Atchison continued to roll with his latest Super 4 Main Event triumph.  The winners in each division were awarded some very nice trophies.

The Mod Lites competed at the Kern County Raceway dirt track the night before and still provided an 11 car field for Rocky Hill Speedway on short notice.  Zach Forster was second on Friday night, and he took it up a notch by holding off Anthony Balcazar for the Main Event win on Saturday night.  Bakersfield Speedway point leader Jerry Flippo finished third ahead of Jeff Thompson and former Mini Dwarf star J.D. Brown.  Brown had a strong third place showing the night before.  Kyhleigh Forster finished sixth, followed by Jake Pike, Kenny Cochran, Roy Maynard, Kaden Cochran and Matt Mayo.

It seems like the road to Hobby Stock Main Event victory goes through reigning Rocky Hill champion Raymond Noland Jr. and reigning Bakersfield champion Kevin Collier.  The duo usually finish up near the front of the pack.  Saturday night, Michael Scruggs entered the fast lane and raced by both of them for his first feature win of the season.  Noland would take the checkers in second, followed by Collier.  Jason Purvis had his best showing of the season in fourth, followed by Jake Peters, rookie Jared Plumlee, Jack Roberts, Karl Noland Jr., American Stock point leader Bob  Ellis and Gene Glover.

Mini Stock point leader Jason Cook seems to be reestablishing some momentum.  Coming off of his second place finish to Lance Gonzales last time out, Cook charged to his third win of the season. Clifton Massey returned to action and finished a strong second ahead of Memorial Day Weekend winner Zack Westlake.  Gonzales is listed as being disqualified from the 12 car field, while Steven Scott and Wade Moore completed the Top 5 in the finishing order.  Clinton Massey was sixth, followed by Cory Mata, Matt Brumley, Candy Noland-Soares and Kit Murphy,.

In the Super 4 division, the Roy Atchison Victory Train kept right on rolling.  The point leader drove to another 20 lap feature win ahead of Kit Murphy and Justin Atchison.  Darren Esterman and Lance Gonzales were Main Event scratches.

Racing continues on August 6th with a program featuring Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Super 4's and American Stocks.


Saturday night results

Race Results, July 23
Hobby Stocks
1#91 Michael Scruggs
2#5 Raymond Noland Jr
3#18 Kevin Collier
4#99 Jason Purvis
5#19 Jake Peters
6#1 Jared Plumlee
7#8X Jack Roberts
8#25 Karl Noland Jr
9#19x Bob Ellis
10#9 Gene Glover


Saturday night results
Modlites
1#11 Zac Forster
2#70 Anthony Balcazar
3#13 Jerry Flippo
4#12 Jeff Thompson
5#4 JD Brown
6#1 Kyleigh Forster
7#23p Jake Pike
8#Kenny Cochran
9#17 Roy Maynard
10#23K Kaden Cochran
11#13M Matt Mayo



Saturday nights results
Mini stocks
1-‪#‎32X‬ Jason Cook
2-#7 Clifton Massey
3#19 Zack Westlake
4#46 Steven Scott
5#13 Wade Moore
6#88 Clint Massey
7#23 Cory Mata
8#41 Matt Brumley
9#5 Candy Noland Soares
10#00 Kit Murphy
11#66 Chris Rutledge
12#18 Lance Gonzales**DQ**


Saturday night results
Super 4
1-#24 Roy Atchinson
2-#00 Kit Murphy
3-#57 Justin Atchinson
#7 Darren Esterman *DNS*
#18 Lance Gonzales *DNS*

Current mini stock points
Top 10
1-Jason Cook 582
2-Wade Moore 540
3-Steven Scott 530
4-Candy Noland Soares 510
5-Clint Massey 506
6-Lance Gonzales 400
7-Andy Boydston 380
8-Shawn swartzenberger 360
9-Chris Rutledge 328
10-Matt Harod 314

Current point standings
Hobby stock top 10

1-Raymond Noland Jr. 588
2-Jake Peters 552
3-Karl Noland Jr.500
4-Jared Plumlee 472
5-Colby Quinton 446
5-Gene Glover 446
7-Kevin Collier 442
8-Michael Scruggs 406
9-Karl Noland 358
10-Joe Robinson 198




Ray, Webster, Hunt Orland Raceway Winners

Orland, CA...July 2...Orland Raceway held another exciting racing program on Fourth Of July Weekend, and the regular divisions entertained the crowd.  An increased car count in Hobby Stocks saw the Main Event win go to Brad Ray, while Dan Webster collected his second Mini Truck feature win of the season.  Robert Hunt added his name to the Mini Stock feature winner's list.  Skyler Richter scored the win in the 600 Micro Sprint Main Event.

For the first time this season, the Hobby Stock car count reached ten, and it was previous feature winner Jeremy Langenderer winning his heat race ahead of Mel Byers.  Top 5 Chico competitor Brad Ray bested Marysville title contender Shannon Collins to win the second heat race.  Collins was one of the Top 3 competitors in points last season at Orland, but as a feature winner, Ray had his moments too.  In the 20 lap Main Event, Ray wrapped up a great evening by holding off Collins for the victory.  Langenderfer scored a respectable third place finish.  Cody Bundy piloted the Rich Hood #12 car to a fourth place finish ahead of Earl Adams, Byers, Jared Flower and reigning 250 Outlaw Kart champion Jess Garland.  Past champion Steve Martin had his worst finish of the year in ninth, and Steve Kincaid was a Main Event scratch in his season debut.

In the Mini Truck division, reigning champion Keith Ross showed signs of breaking out of his slump with a heat race win ahead of Dan Webster.  Unfortunately, Ross saw his night take a turn for the worse once again.  Webster, meanwhile, battled rival Olin Crane to score his second feature win of the season.  Crane settled for second ahead of past champion Ross Vige.  William Fogle brought it home in fourth ahead of Brent Allinger and Ross.

People may have forgotten that Robert Hunt is the 2012 Mini Stock champion, but he reminded them of that fact in a big way.  Hunt won the heat race ahead of the Hornet of Dustin Hills.  The two cars again ran at the front of the Main Event pack with Hunt again prevailing ahead of Hills.  Jeff Bennett drove the Olin Crane #23 car to a solid third place finish ahead of Eric Hammond, past champion John Kirkpatrick, Steven Spears and Seth Libbee.

Only one 250 Outlaw Kart showed up, and he raced with the 600 Micro Sprints.  Reigning champion Jeromie Crismon won the heat race ahead of rival Skyler Richter.  However, Richter turned the tables on Crismon by holding him off to win the Main Event.  Andrew Love drove his 250 Kart to a third place finish ahead Dean Slinkard.

The next race for Orland Raceway will again feature the regular divisions on July 30th.  For further information, check out www.orlandraceway.org.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Antioch Speedway And Merced Speedway Previews



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DIRTCar Late Models Lead Six Division Show 
At Antioch Speedway Saturday Night


Antioch, CA...The DIRTcar Late Models make their sixth appearance at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night as part of a six division show on John Soares's fast 3/8 mile clay oval.  Joining them on the card will be the Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.

So far there have been four different winners in the five Late Model races held so far.  A very competitive Late Model race was held two weeks ago, won by Bobby Hogge IV ahead of point leader Richard Papenhousen.  Papanhausen has been consistent so far this year, though he has just one win.  Twice he has finished second to Hogge, the first time losing the lead to Hogge with two laps remaining in the Main Event.  He is doing what he needs to do to reclaim his spot as track champion, but if you know Richard, you know he wants to win races.

Jeff Decker has been in enough point battles in his time in Late Models to know it's about getting consistent finishes.  Last time out, he failed to make the Top 5 and lost a little bit of ground to Papenhsusen.  Decker is a Main Event winner this season, and he's hoping to rebound with another victory this week.  At the moment, Decker is in no danger of losing third in the standings, and he trails Papenhausen by just 20 points.  Like last year, this could be a battle that goes down to the final race of the season.

Despite a few difficult moments, including rolling his race car,  Chester Kniss finds himself holding down third in the standings.  Kniss leads Late Model diehard Dennis Souza's by just seven points, with Hogge only nine points back.  You never know when Hogge is actually going to show up, though it seems unlikely this week.  Kniss picked up his first heat race win earlier this year, but he's hungry to get his first Main Event victory.  He is definitely up to speed with the leaders, and that win can happen at any time.

It's hard to say who will show up and race this week as the track has seen some surprise visitors, including Andy Obetello, who finished third last time out, and one time feature winner Clay Daly, who rarely shows up at the track.  Drivers to watch for this week include Mike Hynes, David Newquist, Denny Malfatti, Paul Guglielmoni and Rob Norris.

If anybody thought the Wingless Spec Sprint battle was over, Marcus Smith served a very big reminder last week that he is still in the hunt with past division champion Jim Perry Jr.  Perry has had a rough go of it in the past few races, though he did manage a fourth place finish last time out.  Driving for Richard Basden, Smith had three straight third place finishes leading up to last week's Main Event win.  It was the second feature victory of the season and makes things just a bit closer between he and Perry.  The Perry lead over Smith is 16 points at the moment.

Though Rick Panfili continues to hold down third in the standings, the last race was not a very good one for him.  After another strong showing in third, Roy Fisher has moved back to within 10 points of Brandon Burd for fourth in the standings.  Burd is only 26 points behind Panfili at the moment.  With Smith now engaging Perry in the championship battle, it will be interesting to see how Perry responds this week.  However, there are some other drivers, in addition to the Top 5 competitors, very capable of winning Main Events, and other drivers to watch for this week include James East, Alan Miranda, Shannon Newton and Dan Gonderman.

The Wingless Spec Sprint class has a pair of rookies in its midst, led by 16 year old Adam Teves in the Lloyd Beard Special.  Adam was coming off of a Top 5 finish the last time out, but unfortunately he blew a motor in his heat race last week to end his night.  Word was he could be out of action for a race or two getting another motor back together.  Meanwhile, rookie Kevin Box was making some good laps in only his third start at the speedway last week.  The Wingless Spec Sprint division has been a good launching pad for some competitive Sprint Car racers, including past champions Ryan Bernal, D.J. Johnson and Billy Aton.

The B Modified point battle continues to get closer with each race.  Despite missing a race, Trevor Clymens is closing in slowly on leader Al Johnson.  Though Johnson has three second place feature finishes, Clymens has three feature wins, and he's coming off of a second place finish last week.  Johnson did win a heat race earlier in the night and grabbed a Top 5 feature finish, which kept the point damage down to a minimum, but he still only leads Clymens by 14 points at the moment.  Johnson is still looking for his first feature win, and he may need it to keep Clymens at bay.

Shane DeVolder is hanging in there in the battle and coming off of his latest Top 3 finish.  DeVolder is another driver looking for his first win, and he has a pair of second place finishes at Antioch Speedway so far this year.  The driver of the moment last week was K.C. Keller, who drove a great race from the back of the pack to pass Clymens late and score his second feature win of the year.  Will Keller be able to grab his third win this week?

Last week, Anthony Giuliani was headed for his third feature win when mechanical issues slowed him down.  Giuliani has been spending some of his Saturday nights down at Santa Maria Raceway, where he's been in contention for the track championship.  Drivers to watch for this week include Lloyd Cline, Danny Jones, Randy Brown and Lonnie Leonard, who picked up a heat race win last week.

Last week, it was a proud moment for the Garner family.  Limited Late Model title contender Mark Garner was joined in the division by his son Billy Garner, making it three generations of the Garner family to compete at Antioch Speedway and four generations of the family to race.  Though it was not the best of nights as far as results, Mark was still happy to be out there racing against his son.  However, he cannot afford to have many bad nights like he did last week, or it's going to wipe out any hope he has of winning the championship.

When you have a driver with the skill set of Larry Damitz, you have to be on your game.  Despite the fact that he is 87 years old, Larry leads the point standings as he searches for his fifth championship in six seasons.   "The Sundrop Kid" drove to his second feature win in a row and third of the year last week, coming from the back of the pack to do it.  Chasing Larry across the finish line was the division's all time feature win leader and two time champion Mike Gustafson.

Still keeping his name in contention is three time Hobby Stock champion Kimo Oreta.  Though he is in his rookie season, Kimo is in contention for the track championship.  He didn't hurt his cause by finishing third in the Main Event last week.  Oreta knows a thing or two about what it takes to win championships, and being a consistent Top 3 finisher is one of those things.  He has yet to win his first Main Event in this division, but his heat race win two weeks ago shows that that a feature win may be just around the corner.  Other drivers to watch for this week include Lori Brown, Jim Freethy, John Keith and the steady John Evans, who currently sits fifth in the point standings.

It has been a while since we've seen the Dwarf Car division at Antioch Speedway, but they are still very much a part of the show.  With the time off, point leader Kevin Miraglio was keeping his skills sharp by grabbing Top 5 finishes in recent starts at Petaluma Speedway and with the NorCal Dwarf Car group.  Miragio actually won the Main Event last time out and holds the biggest point lead at the track with a 40 point advantage over one time feature winner Mike Corsaro.  The championship battle is very much between these two drivers, and Kevin knows he must stay on the top of his game or Corsaro could real him in.

Having a "Most Improved Driver" kind of season in third is Tim Reeder.  Reeder had nothing but bad luck last season, but he has stayed consistent this year and holds a 24 point advantage over Corsaro's teammate and open wheel veteran Charlie "The Hammer" Correia.  Also hanging in there back in fifth in the standings, 34 points behind Reeder, is Buddy Kniss.  Buddy suffered a wrist injury in his last start at the speedway, but he has since had the cast removed and has been engaging in his other passion, baseball.

The Dwarf Cars always put on an exciting program at the speedway, and you never really know who could win on any given week.  Drivers to keep an eye on this week included Josh Miller, past Hobby Stock champion Robert Coe, David Rosa, Brian Gray and rookie Timmy Ryan.
Speaking of the Hobby Stock division, Danny Jones has engaged the battle with rookie Guy Ahlwardt for the track championship.  Four time feature winner Ahlwardt was on his way to the front of the pack once again last week, but he did not get the repeat performance of the previous feature when Jones surrendered the lead on the last lap.  This time, the Stock Car veteran Jones held on and recorded his second feature win of the year.  The race is getting just a little bit tighter following the latest event.

While the battle for first is close, there's also a good battle going on for third in the standings between Cameron Swank, Michael Cooper and Lindsay Buirch.  Cooper certainly helped his cause with his Top 5 finish and heat race win last week.  If not for his work schedule keeping him from making some of the races, Cooper would likely be in the title battle right now.  Young Buirch is doing a great job of contending for a top five ranking in what is her first season at the track.

Meanwhile, 2010 champion Chris Sorensen had another solid performance in fourth last week, coming off back to back third place finishes.  He finished behind third place finisher Rob Waldrop last week.  Both drivers will become players in the race to make it into the Top 5 in the standings if they keep up this pace, but more importantly, either one of these two drivers could win a Main Event on any given week.  Other drivers to keep an eye on this week include Jordan Swank, Frank Furtado, Natalie Perry and rookie Anthony Vigna.

When racing resumes at Antioch Speedway this week, the fans will get to watch DIRTcar Late Models along with the All Star Series Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars and Hobby Stocks.  It should be another great night of racing at the speedway.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.


Antioch Speedway Points
All Star Series


Wingless Spec Sprint
Jim Perry Jr. 374
Marcus Smith 332
Rick Panfili 332
Brandon Burd 316
Roy Fisher 310

DIRTcar Late Model
Richard Papenhausen 362
Jeff Decker 342
Cbester Kniss 171
Dennis Souza 164
Bobby Hogge IV 162

Limited Late Model
Larry Damitz 356
Kimo Oreta 338
Mark Garner 332
Jim Freethy 272
John Evans 252

B Modified
Al Johnson 546
Trevor Clymens 532
Shane DeVolder 502
Danny Jones 416
K.C. Keller 374

Hobby Stocks
Guy Ahlwardt 408
Danny Jones 379
Cameron Swank 334
Lindsey Buirch 318
Michael Cooper 310

Dwarf Cars
Kevin Miraglio 320
Mike Corsaro 280
Tim Reeder 234
Charlie Correia 210
Buddy Kniss 200


Modified Championship battles Heat Up At Merced Speedway

Merced, CA...  Merced Speedway is preparing for a two week summer break, but before they do, there's one more point race opportunity for three of the track's regular divisions this Saturday night.  As we've reached the halfway point of the season, the championship battle for the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds have gotten intense.  Last week saw a tie get broken and a driver jumped from third to first in the two IMCA sanctioned divisions.  Joining these two classes on the card this Saturday night will be the Mini Stock division, while the Box Stock Karts will run on the smaller infield track.  The Hobby Stock division is taking a well deserved break, but they will be back for Legend's Night on August 13th.

With Bill Egleston leading the IMCA Modified point battle going into last week and multi time champion Ramie Stone a close second, people may have forgotten the driver in third place.  However, they know very well who he is now.  Last week, Randy Brown drove a masterful race and scored his third feature win of the season.  A past champion at his home track in Chowchilla, Randy is gunning for the Merced title this year, and his win catapulted him above Egleston and Stone into first place.  Neither of the other two drivers could even score a Top 10 feature finish last week, and Brown now holds a 4 point lead over Egleston. The last two weeks have not been very good for Egleston and Stone, and they will need to step up their game this week and establish a little momentum going into the break.

A Top 3.ranking is not out of the question for either rookie Bruce "Bubba" Nelson or last year's point runner up Ricky Thatcher.  Thatcher enjoyed one of his best finishes of the year in sixth last week, which moved him into a tie with Nelson for fourth in the standings, 17 points behind Stone.  The way Nelson has looked this year, a feature win for him would not be a big surprise.  Another driver that it would not be a big surprise to see claim the glory would be fourth generation racer Ryan Porter.  Porter has only made the last three races, but he has earned Top 5 finishes in all three.  Last week was his best effort yet in second.

There are some very competitive racers in the track's IMCA Modified division, including Mike Villanueva, who also has only run the last three races.  A past Modified champion himself, Villanueva kicked it off with a pair of sixth place finishes, and took it up a notch last week with his third place finish.  Past Top 3 ranked driver Troy Stone is another veteran competitor who has just run the last three races.  Through the years, Troy has won his share of Main Events, and he could be a threat to win a feature on any given week.  Other drivers to watch for this week include D.J. Shannon, Harley Turner, Karl Rose, Jarod Fast and Robert Marsh.

In the IMCA Sport Modified division, it appears as if 2014 champion Rick Diaz is beginning to hit his stride, while Steve Stone has struggled with back to back non finishes.  This has shaken up the points as Diaz has built up a 25 point lead over Stone.  A new battle has developed between three drivers for second.  Though Stone still holds that position, Mike Drake used his fifth place finish last week in the Georgia Medeiros car to move to within four points of second, while reigning champion Josh Hensley is only 10 points out of second.  Stone is the only one of the three drivers who has won a Main Event this year, though Drake has finished second.  Not to be left out of this battle is Tim Elias, who is 13 points behind Stone, and Merced Speedway veteran Gary Tucker, who was only 15 points out.  In this very competitive division, it's anybody's guess who might end up second in the points, and the championship battle is far from over.

For that matter, there are some good drivers still battling to get their first feature wins this season.  With three time winners like Diaz and reigning IMCA Sport Modified State champion Fred Ryland in the field, it's difficult for anybody else to break through and get that win.  Ryland picked up his second straight Main Event win last week, and he did it after starting back 11th.  Merced Speedway has maybe the most competitive IMCA Sport Modified division in the state of California, and you have to be on your game to get a victory here.  Danny Roe recently had his season best second place finish, and last week saw an impressive performance turned in by last year's third place point competitor, Dwayne Short.  Short won his heat race, and then led several laps in the Main Event before falling back to a still respectable third place finish ahead of 2015 point runner up Mark Odgers. 

The division is still getting B Mains, and Top 10 competitor Alex Odishoo recently had to win a B Main to get into the Main Event.  Odishoo is a past of Mini Stock champion at the speedway and is another driver to keep an eye on, as well as young up and comer Tanner Thomas.  The competition level is fierce at Merced Speedway, and drivers like Nick Tucker, Chase Thomas, Mark Squadrito, Andy Welch and Chris Falkenberg are others to keep an eye on.

With four feature wins in six starts, 2014 Mini Stock champion Chris Corder continues to lead the way.  Corder is simply one of the best Mini Stock drivers in the state of California, and he's a big supporter of the division as his team usually brings two or three cars to the track.  Last time out, Corder did win his heat race, but he struggled and finished out of the Top 3 in the Main Event.  This opened the door for other drivers to take the spotlight, and Curtis Thornhill shined brightly with his first Main Event win ahead of hard charger Brian Widdowson.  Making Widdowson's second place effort even more impressive was the fact that he rolled his car earlier in the race.

Corder is slowly pulling away from the field and has a big enough point lead that he could skip this week and still be leading.  The battle right now is for second, where Paul Laoretti has an advantage of five points ahead of rookie Destiny Carter and a six point lead over Thornhill.  Carter is driving one of the Corder cars as she lives out her dream of racing at the track at which she grew up.  Car count was a bit light last time, but more cars are anticipated this week.  Drivers to keep an eye on include Jennifer Corder, Lucy Falkenberg, Mike Germait, James Stockton, the truck of Tony Peffer and Jason Lewis.  Lewis is the other Main Event winner this year and also has a second place finish. 

We haven't heard much as far as who will be racing in the Box Stock division, but we do know that third generation racer Aiden Larimer won the Main Event last time out.  Aiden has been racing at other tracks in the area including Chowchilla and Atwater.  Drivers from the neighboring tracks could be a part of the show, and if we happen to get any information on who is running and who wins, we will pass that along here.

To recap, before the track hits the two week break, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and a Box Stock race on the infield track will race at Merced Speedway this week.  When the track comes back from the two week break on August 13th, it will be Legend's Night, featuring IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Valley Sportsman cars.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.


Merced Speedway Points

IMCA Modifieds

Randy Brown 281
Bill Egleston 277
Ramie Stone 266
Bruce Nelson 249
Ricky Thatcher 249
Jarod Fast 228
Paul Stone 188
Jeff Streeter 183
Harley Turner 135
T.J. Etchinson III 125

IMCA Sport Modifieds
Rick Diaz 332
Steve Stone 307
Mike Drake 303
Josh Hensley 297
Tim Elias 294
Gary Tucker 292
Dwayne Short 246
Alex Odishoo 234
Fred Ryland 229
Tanner Thomas 208

Mini Stocks
Chris Corder 106
Paul Lauretti 77
Destiny Carter 72
Curtis Thornhill 71
Joy Alger 66
James Stockton 59
Mike Germait 57
Tony Peffer 45
Dennis Copus 44
Brian Widdowson 43

Hobby Stocks
Michael Shearer 189
Kristie Shearer 149
Robbie Loquaci 137
Kevin Joaquin 133
Garrett Corn 127
Kodie Dean 125
Phil Vaughn 121
Darren Miguel 115
Austin VanHoff 112
Dexter Long 108

Valley Sportsman
Kenny Birdsong 95
Jeff Bristow 86
Mike Friesen 75
Eric Seely 49
Tim Prothro 37 



New winners At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...July 15...Racing resumed at Orland Raceway with a Friday night event.  It was Round #5 of the scheduled ten race season, but there is word of Promoter Rich Hood potentially adding a race or two and possibly adding divisions to some of the dates.  On Friday night, Keith Ross won his first Mini Truck Main Event of the season, while Shannon Collins was the fifth different winner in five Hobby Stock races.  Donovan Chilton won his second Mini Stock Main Event while Skyler Richter won the 600 Mini Sprint race ahead of reining champion Jeromie Crismon.  The Local Girl Scout Troop, Daisy Troop #70359, was on hand to sell cookies and raise funds for their group.  The girls also served as trophy kids for the night.

Since winning the Mini Truck championship last year, Keith Ross has struggled this season to get a win.  A week earlier, he broke through to score a $500 victory in a race at Hayfork Speedway.  On Friday night, he battled two time winner Dan Webster to get the victory.  Webster beat Ross to win the heat race, but Ross was not to be denied the Main Event win.  Webster was a strong second ahead of past champion Ross Vige, two time winner Olin Crane, William Fogle, Leroy Beck and Nathan Skaggs.

It seems like Steve Martin may not be winning all the Hobby Stock races this year, but the winners have to go through him to get the victory.  One time winner Jeremy Langenderfer held off Martin to win the heat race.  Shannon Collins was third in points last year, and he's competing for the Marysville championship this season.  Friday night gave him an opportunity to come back to Orland, and he would battle Martin to become the fifth different winner of the season.  Martin settled for another second ahead of Langenderfer, Cody Bundy and Mike Gomez.

Donovan Chilton had a great night in Mini Stocks, which started when he held off the Hornet of Dustin Hills to win his heat race.  Jeff Bennett won the other heat ahead of Eric Hammond.  Hills was feeling pretty racey in his Hornet, but Chilton came to win.  Two races ago, he won for the first time this season, and Chilton returned to the winner's circle once more.  Hills settled for a season best second ahead of past champion John Kirkpatrick.  Bennett placed fourth ahead of previous winner Robert Hunt, Hammond and Seth Libbee.

Results are still forthcoming from the July 2nd event, but winners according to pictures were Skyler Richter (600 Mini Sprints), Andrew Love, (250 Karts), Brad Ray (Hobby Stocks), Dan Webster (Mini Trucks) and Robert Hunt (Mini Stocks).  We're still working on getting more details.  Racing resumes on Saturday, July 30th, with the regular divisions back in action.  For further information, go to www.orlandraceway.org.

Monday, July 18, 2016

McMahan Cass Antioch Winners, Brown, Ryland Merced Winners, Plus Watsonville News



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McMahan, Cass Keep Streak Alive At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...There's an interesting streak going on in two divisions At Antioch Speedway that continued Saturday night.  There have yet to be any repeat winners in either the All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars or A Modified divisions.  In the Winged 360 Spint Car 25 lap feature, it was Brayden McMahan getting the win ahead of point leader Billy Aton.  He is now the seventh winner in seven races.  Not to be outdone, Brian Cass became the ninth different winner in nine races with his 20 lap A Modified feature victory in front of point leader Carl Berendsen II.

Second ranked Marcus Smith outran his teammate, Dan Gonderman to win his second 20 lap Wingless Spec Sprint feature in the Richard Basden owned entry.  K.C. Keller made a nice drive from the back and passed Trevor Clymens late to win his second 20 lap B Modified Main Event.  Danny Jones held off the challenge of four time winner Guy Ahlwardt to win his second 20 lap Hobby Stock feature.  Larry Damitz added to his Limited Late Model point lead with his third 20 lap Main Event win. 

The track's Winged 360 Sprint Car division continues to see different visitors come out every week to keep the car count up.  Many younger drivers getting their first Sprint Car laps are making it a point to come race on John M. Soares's fast three-eighth mile clay oval.  This time around, it was 21 year old Brayden McMahan making his 18th start in car #18.  With point leader Billy Aton in hot pursuit, McMahan scored an impressive win in 25 lap Main Event.  He is now the seventh different winner in seven races.  Petaluma visitor Geoff Ensign ran closely behind the lead two cars to the checkered flag.  Burt Foland Jr. used his fourth place finish to move into third in the standings as heat winner Dalton Hill rounded out the Top 5.  Title contender Art McCarthy took a checkered flag in sixth after earlier winning his heat race.  The Main Event had a red flag midway through when young Kaleb Montgomery flipped his car six times.  He wasn't injured in the crash.

The A Modifieds have an amazing streak in progress this season.  In nine races, there have been nine different winners.  In the latest 20 lap feature, past Hanford and Watsonville champion Brian Cass scored the victory ahead of point leader Carl Berendsen II.  Cass also won his heat race.  Berendsen is still in search of his first feature win, but he won his heat race earlier in the evening.  Josh Combs rebounded from a rough race a week ago with a third place finish as Sean O'Gara and Norm Boeck rounded out the Top 5.

With Jim Perry Jr. struggling in recent weeks, second year racer Marcus Smith has been closing the gap in the Wingless Spec Sprint championship battle.  This week, Smith stepped it up even more by driving the Richard Basden owned #20 car to victory ahead of teammate Dan Gonderman.  Gonderman drives the car that Smith intended to run before getting the ride in Basden's car.  Last week's winner Roy Fisher held off Perry to finish third as heat winner Brandon Burd rounded out the Top 5.   Fisher was the other heat winner.

In the B Modified division, the championship battle continues to tighten between point leader Al Johnson and Trevor Clymens.  Johnson won his heat race earlier in the evening, but Clymens was going for his fourth feature win of the season.  Unfortunately, he lost a late race duel with eventual winner K.C. Keller.   Watsonville competitor Anthony Giuliani led much of the way before surrendering the lead to Clymens as Keller worked his way from the back.  Once Keller got into second, he stalked Clymens on the inside line.   The duo ran side by side for several laps before Keller made his winning pass.  Clymens settled for second ahead of Shane DeVolder, Igor Grandzuk and Johnson.  Lonnie Leonard was the other heat race winner.

Larry Damitz won for the second time in a row and third of the season in the 20 lap Limited Late Model feature.  Starting back in the last row, he worked his way to the front and held off fellow Limited Late Model veteran Mike Gustafson for the win.  Gustafson also won his heat race.  Rookie Kimo Oreta had another solid run in third as Lori Brown and Jim Freethy completed the Top 5.  Paul Hanley was the other heat winner.

After losing the win last week on the final lap of the Hobby Stock Main Event, Danny Jones was looking to avoid a repeat in this week's 20 lapper.  Jones held the lead, and it wasn't long before point leader Guy Ahlwardt managed to make it up to second from the back of pack.  This time, however, Jones held on and scored his second feature victory of the season.  Ahlwardt settled for second after winning his heat race earlier in the evening.  Rob Waldrop finished third ahead of Chris Sorensen and heat winner Michael Cooper.

Racing continues next Saturday night with Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars, B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks all in action.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results, July 16th

Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Dalton Hill, Art McCarthy,   Main Event (20 Laps)-Brayden McMahan, Billy Aton, Geoff Ensign, Burt Foland Jr., Hill, McCarthy, Steven Harris, Monty Ferreira, Tim Burcher, Kaleb Montgomery.

A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Brian Cass, Carl Berendsen II.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Cass, C. Berendsen, Josh Combs, Sean O'Gara, Norm Boeck, Bobby Montalvo, Eric Berendsen, John Bellando Jr., Terry Kaiser (DNS).

B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Al Johnson, Lonnie Leonard.  Main Event (20 Laps)-K.C. Keller, Trevor Clymens, Shane DeVolder, Igor Grandzuk, Johnson, Anthony Giuliani, Leonard, Brown, Paul Mulder (DNS).

Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Brandon Burd, Roy Fisher.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Marcus Smith, Dan Gonderman, Fisher, Jim Perry Jr., Burd, Dusty Green, Rick Panfili, Kevin Box, Adam Teves (DNS).

Limited Late Models
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Paul Hanley, Mike Gustafson.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Larry Damitz, Gustafson, Kimo Oreta, Lori Brown, Jim Freethy, Mark Garner, Billy Garner, Hanley, John Bellando Jr. (DNS)

Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Michael Cooper, Guy Ahlwardt.  Main Event (20 Laps)-Danny Jones, Ahlwardt, Rob Waldop, Chris Sorensen, Cooper, Jordan Swank, Lindsey Buirch, Anthony Vigna, Cameron Swank, Jason Jennings, Frank Furtado, Mitch Loccicere (DNS).



Brown, Ryland Win Third Merced Speedway Features

Merced, CA.  July 16... A great turnout of over 60 cars filled the pits at Merced Speedway Saturday night for a four division program.  It was a night for three time winners in the two Modified divisions as Randy Brown took a step into the IMCA Modified point lead with his third 20 lap Main Event victory, and reigning California IMCA Sport Modified champion Fred Ryland won his third Main Event.  Fourth generation racer Garrett Corn held off multi time Hobby Stock champion Raul Rodriguez Sr. for his first career Main Event win, while two time Sportsman division champion Mike Friesen won their 12 Main Event.

The IMCA Modified division ran two 9 lap heat races with rookie Bruce "Bubba" Nelson winning his heat race ahead of incoming point leader Bill Egleston.  Karl Rose held off Ricky Thatcher to score the win in his heat race.  Past Chowchilla Speedway IMCA Modified champion Randy Brown has been on a roll lately.  Brown started back in the third row and was third behind D.J. Shannon and Karl Rose on lap two.  A low pass in Turn 2 of the third lap gained Brown second, and he made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the seventh lap to take the lead from Shannon.  Ryan Porter, himself a three time event winner last season, gave it a good run from ninth starting.  Porter grabbed second from Shannon on lap 13 and chased the flying Brown to the checkered flag for a second place finish.  Mike Villanueva settled into third on lap 16 and would finish there.  Past Watsonville champion Robert Marsh finished fourth ahead of Rose, Thatcher, Troy Stone, Mike Meazell, Shannon and Nelson.  With both Ramie Stone and Egleston finishing outside the Top 10, Brown emerged from the evening with the point lead.

Last week, Fred Ryland gained the IMCA Sport Modified Main Event win with the disqualification of a Mark Squadrito for coming in light at the scales.  Ryland started the evening off by winning his nine lap heat race ahead of Jared Tickel.  Dwayne Short began a good evening with a win in his heat race ahead of Gary Tucker while Alex Odishoo won his heat race ahead of Rick Diaz.  Ryland remains a force in California IMCA Sport Modified racing, but he had to earn this one.  Short grabbed the lead from Odishoo early on, and Mark Odgers took third from rookie Tanner Thomas on lap six.  An inside move on the front stretch on lap nine gained Odgers second from Thomas.  Ryland finally made his first Top 3 appearance from 11th starting on lap 11, and a low move in Tun 4 of the 12th lap put Ryland into second.  Ryland made a Turn 4 pass on Short to take the lead as point leader Diaz moved by Odgers for third on lap 15.  Diaz made a lap 19 pass on Short for second, but Ryland was a straightaway in front by then.  Ryland sped to his third victory ahead of Diaz.  With Steve Stone suffering his second straight non finish, Diaz increased his point lead.  Short still had his best finish of the season as he finished third ahead of the 2015 point runner up Odgers.  Mike Drake continues to be in the title hunt aboard the George Medeiros owned car as he finished fifth, followed by defending champion Josh Hensley, G.  Tucker, Odishoo, Tickel and Marysville regular Jerry Bartlett.

The Hobby Stocks ran three nine lap heat races with Phil Vaughn beginning a strong night with his heat race victory ahead of George Silva.  Kristie Shearer held off Mike Stockton to prevail in her heat race, while Raul Rodriguez Sr. won the third heat race ahead of Donnie Shearer.  Rodriguez was gunning for his fourth Main Event win of the year, but the surprising Garrett Corn was there to keep that from happening.  The fourth generation racer Corn won a hard fought battle to grab the checkered flag ahead of Rodriguez.  Rodriguez took the lead from Donnie Shearer on lap two.  Corn was third on a lap four restart, and he made an inside pass in Turn 2 of the fifth lap to take second from D. Shearer.  Kristie Shearer suffered mechanical problems and stalled on the track for a lap 12 yellow flag.  Rodriguez led one more lap before a high move in Turn 2 put Corn into the lead.  Corn sped to his first Hobby Stock win with Rodriguez an apparent second.  Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he was disqualified in tech for having an illegal rim.  This moved point leader Michael Shearer into second and Vaughn into the final podium position.  With Michael's wife Kristie Shearer failing to finish, he will add more points to his lead in the championship battle.  Reigning track champion Kevin Joaquin finished fourth as D. Shearer rounded out the Top 5.  Stockton placed sixth ahead of Robbie Loquaci, Kodie Dean, Cody Parker and Darren Miguel.

In the popular Valley Sportsman division, title hopeful Jeff Bristow battled Mike Friesen to score the win in the heat race.  That was the last time Friesen would settle for second.  Coming off a runner up finish in the previous Main Event, the two time champion Friesen impressed with his first win of the season.  Bristow led two laps before Friesen used a low pass in Turn 3 of the third lap to take over.  Contact between point leader Kenny Birdsong and Bristow saw Bristow spin in Turn 1, and his race was over.   After rearend problems sidelined him for a few races, Tim Prothro rebounded in a big way.  Prothro was second on the restart and challenged Friesen the rest of the way.  However, Friesen grabbed his first win with Prothro a close second ahead of Birdsong.  Watsonville Speedway Sportsman division legend Jerry Cecil finished fourth ahead of rookie Shannon Fry, Bristow and Jeff Amos.

When racing resumes next weekend, the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds will be back in action along with the Mini Stocks and a Kart event on the smaller track in the infield.  The track then takes two weeks off before coming back for Legend's Night on August 13th.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.

Race Results
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners-Phil Vaughn, Kristie Shearer, Raul Rodriguez Sr.  Main Event-Garrett Corn, Michael Shearer, Vaughn, Kevin Joaquin, Donnie Shearer, Mike Stockton, Robbie Loquaci, Kodie Dean, Cody Parker, Darren Miguel

IMCA Modifieds
Heat Winners-Bruce Nelson, Karl Rose.  Main Event-Randy Brown, Ryan Porter, Mike Villanueva, Robert Marsh, Karl Rose, Ricky Thatcher, Troy Stone, Mike Meazel, D.J. Shanon, Nelson.

Valley Sportsman
Heat Winner-Jeff Bristow.  Main Event-Mike Friesen, Tim Prothro, Kenny Birdsong, Jerry Cecil, Shannon Frye, Bristow, Jeff Amos.

IMCA Sport Modifieds

Heat Winners-Dwayne Short, Fred Ryland, Alex Odishoo.  Main Event-Ryland, Rick Dias, Dwayne Short, Mark Odgers, Mike Drake, Josh Hensley, Gary Tucker, Odishoo, Jared Tickel, Jerry Bartlett.

Article is based on unofficial statistics from live scoring on Race Monitor.  Results are unofficial and subject to computer error and official's decisions.

Hirst Wins Howard Kaeding Classic For 
Civil War Sprint Cars At Ocean Speedway

Watsonville, CA...July 15...Kyle Kirst won the Howard Kaeding Classic Civil War vs Taco Bravo Sprint Car 30 lap Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway.  He led all the way in victory with Bud Kaeding finishing second.  A good field of 37 cars competed, and there were four ten lap heat races.  Shane Golobic won the first heat ahead of Tyler Walker.  Bud Kaeding held off Mason Moore to win the second heat.  Reigning track champion Justin Sanders won the third heat over Civil War Point leader Andy Forsberg and local leadfoot Jerry Bonnema won the fourth heat ahead of King Of The West point leader Hirst.  Hisrt came back to win the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Bonnema.  Steven Tiner scored the 12 lap B Main victory ahead of Buddy Kofoid, Chase Johnson, D.J. Freitas and Bradley Terrell.

Hirst raced into the lead at the start of the Main Event with Brent Kaeding grabbing second from Bonnema on lap three.  Bud Kaeding struck quickly to third and finally took second from his father on lap 15.  Despite a few yellow flags to slow the pace, Bud Kaeding was unable to make a move on the flying Hirst.  Ryan Bernal gained third on a lap 16 restart and would hold on for the final podium finish.  Sanders finished fourth ahead of Brent Kaeding, Tiner, Forsberg, Johnson, Moore and Terrell.

Terre Rothweiler won the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Association Main Event.  The lead four cars ran closely in the waning laps of the race with past champion Nick Sqauatritto leading the way ahead of Rothweiler, reigning champion Gene "Punky" Pires and point leader David Teves.  Rothweiler made his winning pass around Squatritto on lap 18 and brought it home to victory.  Teves made a last lap pass on Squatritto for second as Squatritto settled for third.  Making Teves's performance even more impressive was the fact that he rolled his car on lap 4 and still finished.  Pires was fourth, followed by Joey Dale, Mark Biscardi, Kyle Jones, Eric Weisler, Ryan Klein and Justin Yanez.  Pires won an eight lap heat race ahead of Yanez, and Teves won his heat race ahead of Weisler.

Terry Campion won the 20 lap American Stock Main Event.  Campion also won the eight lap heat race ahead of Robert Huckaby.  Jerry Skelton was a Main Event scratch, and Tony Oliveira led the early laps of the Main Event as Katie Briggs ran second.  Campion moved by Briggs for second on lap five, and he made what turned out to be his winning pass on Oliveira for the lead on lap eight.  Nick Triolo was fourth by lap ten, and he took third from Briggs on lap 12.  Campion set a good pace up front and scored a well earned victory ahead of Oliveira, Triolo, Huckaby, Briggs, John Ferrell, Charlie Hunter and Randy Fernandez.