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Late Models, Sprint Cars Headline Antioch Speedway Show
Antioch,CA...On the heels of last week's action packed Winged 360 Sprint Car race, another exciting six division program of All Star Series racing takes place at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night. Two of the top divisions racing anywhere in California these days are Winged 360 Sprint Cars and DIRTcar Late Models, and the speedway will have them both this week. Also in action will be the Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars.
As we have been saying, they're coming from everywhere to do battle at Antioch speedway in the Winged 360 Sprint Car division. Last Saturday night saw Seth Nunes make an appearance. Hailing from Medford, Oregon, Seth has been driving for Petaluma car owner Jim Van Lare this season and competing at several different race tracks. On this occasion, he was joined by another Petaluma speedway mainstay, Roberto Kirby, at the front of the pack. Kirby led much of the way with Nunes shadowing his every move. Kirby was headed for his first feature victory when Nunes made a last lap pass to take it away from him. This makes eight different winners in nine races.
Point leader Billy Aton has a knack for grabbing Top 3 finishes this season, and he maintained his point status with a solid third place finish, while rival Art McCarthy, the only two time winner in the division this season, finished back in fifth. With McCarthy also winning a heat race, the points didn't shake up too much. Aton is due for his second win of the season, but it just may be that you should watch last week's fourth place finisher this week. For the second straight week, third ranked Dan Gonderman drove to a Top 5 finish in fourth.
The Gonderman family name is one longtime fans can appreciate. Dan's father, Sportsman legend Ken Gonderman, won the 1970 Sportsman division championship. In fact, you can usually find Ken in the pits with Dan on race day. Dan's brother Dave Gonderman won Sportsman and Street Stock Main Events through the years, and even his daughter Abigail and nephew Nathen have competed at the track. When it comes to Dan's accomplishments, he has won two Wingless Spec Sprint championships at the track and is a two time feature winner in that division this year. Though he has won Main Events in three different divisions, he is still trying to get his first win in the Winged 360 Sprint Car class. Given his ability, it could happen at any time.
Zack Lynsky is another talented racer who has won Main Events at Antioch Speedway and looked like he could be a feature winner last week when he won his heat race. The Main Event didn't go so well for Lynsky as he put his car on its lid on the opening lap. Bob Newberry took his first laps of the year in a Winged Sprint Car. Newberry, much like Gonderman, has risen through the ranks from Street Stocks to Dirt Modifieds and Wingless Spec Sprints and has won races in all three classes and a championship in the Wingless Spec Sprint class. He finished a respectable sixth last week in his maiden run.
It's always interesting to see who will show up and race each week in the Sprint Car class. The roster of drivers who have competed so far this year is nearly 40 now, and other racers to watch for this week include Adam McCarthy, Tim Burcher, Matt Barber, Matt DeMartini, Burt Foland Jr., Rick Brophy and reigning champion Shawn Arriaga.
It's time once again for another appearance of the DIRTcar Late Models. These high horse powered Stock Cars are the pinnacle of Stock Car racing on the dirt track, and Antioch usually gets anywhere from 8-12 competitors for any given race. If it's Late Models, you know Richard Papenhausen will be in competition. Papenhausen is the current point leader and 2014 champion in the division. He has one win, but he's usually battling for the lead if he's not winning and has multiple second place finishes. Not surprisingly, second in the standings at the moment is reigning champion Jeff Decker. Decker is also a feature winner this season and still very much in the championship hunt. These two competitors are anticipated this week.
The steady Dennis Souza is the last of the Pescadero contingent of racers who started racing Street Stocks at Watsonville in the 1990's. Dennis has been racing Late Models these past few seasons and having a blast. At the moment, he leads Mike Hynes by just 15 points in the battle for third. Hynes has been rather quietly earning his points and sneaking up the point ladder. Third did belong to Chester Kniss, but after rolling his car and discovering more problems, Chester skipped the most recent race making repairs. We haven't heard when we might see his Late Model again.
Much like the Winged Sprint Car division, you never know what drivers might show up on any given week. The house car has made a few appearances, most recently with Dirt Modified veteran Ed Daviess behind the wheel. Unfortunately, his night ended on the unhappy end of a tow truck hook. It's likely that that car will be back again this week, but it remains to be seen who will be driving it. Other competitors to watch for include Denny Malfatti, David Newquist, past Dirt Modified champion Rob Norris and Paul Guglielmoni.
Early in the season, past Wingless Spec Sprint champion Jim Perry Jr. got off to a good start the and is a multi time winner. Unfortunately, Jim went into a bit of a slump with some motor issues at the same time as Marcus Smith started coming on strong in the Richard Basden owned car. The two time winner Smith finds himself trailing Perry by just 18 points in a close championship battle. Perry seems to be getting things sorted out, and that means we could have an exciting battle between these two drivers this week. As it is, Smith has been enjoying the races up front with teammate Dan Gonderman as both drivers have wins in recent weeks.
Another battle is developing for third between Rick Panfili, past Chowchilla Speedway champion Brandon Burd and one time feature winner Roy Fisher. Panfili leads Burd by just eight points with Fisher trailing by 16. Much like Perry, Panfili is rebounding from a couple of bad races, and he'll be hoping to make another play for his first career feature win this week. There are some very competitive racers in this division, including James East, reigning champion Kyle Bakkie, one time feature winner Jeremy Newberry, Shannon Newton and Alan Miranda. Two races ago, top rookie Adam Teves blew a motor, and the team has been scrambling to get him ready with a new motor. It was uncertain whether Adam would be ready for this week or not, but he remains Top 10 in the points.
It is still a three car race in the Limited Late Model division. Ageless veteran Larry Damitz is the current point leader and has won four of the last five championships. Last time out, Damitz picked up his fourth victory of the season ahead of his closest point rival, Mark Garner. Mark has not given up on his quest to bring the championship trophy back to the Garner household, but he knows every race he starts will be important in his quest. Garner has already won three Main Events, but perhaps as big a highlight for him this year is the fact that his son Billy Garner has joined him for some racing this season.
It is interesting to note that Billy runs the number 76jr car. This is a tradition started by Mark when he began racing Dirt Modifieds in the 1990's. Mark's father, Jerry Garner, put the jr on the end of his number since he was a rookie. Jerry told Mark that he would have to earn those letters being removed. Of course, it wasn't long before Mark was running up at the front of the pack. Billy is continuing the family tradition by running the letters. As he gets more comfortable behind the wheel and gets faster, the letters will be removed.
If Mark had a good mentor in racing, the same holds true for rookie Kimo Oreta. Oreta is learning from the man he parks next to every week, Larry Damitz. In fact, Oreta is running the Sundrop logo on the hood of his car the same as Damitz, who has had the nickname "The Sundrop Kid" for years. Oreta picked up his second heat race win last time, and the next goal is to win his first career Main Event in this division. Nobody has won more Hobby Stock Main Events at Antioch Speedway then Oreta, who has over 20 of them, and it's just a matter of time before he adds a Limited Late Model win to that.
The Limited Late Model roster has been up and down this year, so it's unknown who might show up this week. It's likely that you'll see fourth ranked driver John Evans and fifth ranked driver Mike Gustafson. Mike is a two time champion with a win this year, and nobody has won more Main Events in this division through the years than he has. Other drivers to watch for include one time winner Jim Freethy, Lori Brown, Calvin Louis and John Keith.
In the B Modified division, Trevor Clymens has hit his stride, and that just may be bad news for the competition. Last week, Trevor won for the sixth time this season as he puts a little bit more distance between himself and second in the standings. Al Johnson came into the night second in the points, and he blew a rear end taking the checkered flag in fourth last week. The driver who may be taking up the chase of Trevor could be Shane DeVolder. DeVolder scored his fifth second place feature finish. Shane is getting lots of seat time at other race tracks, and though he has second place finishes elsewhere, he's still searching for his first feature victory.
Double division racer Danny Jones is quietly earning a fourth place ranking so far in the B Modified division. With the Hobby Stock division off this week, Danny has an opportunity to focus more on the B Modified and see if he can pick up the pace a little bit. K.C. Keller is a feature winner this year and is a threat to win on any given week. Other hard chargers to watch for this week include two time winner Anthony Giuliani, Brian Pearce, Lloyd Cline, Chuck Golden and Randy Brown.
The Dwarf Car division point battle was shaken up last week after the date was removed and then put back on the schedule at the last minute. Point leader Kevin Miraglio and third ranked Tim Reeder had already committed to the Dwarf Car Nationals in Medford, Oregon. In their absence, the show went on. Mike Corsaro took advantage of the opportunity to close the gap on the point leader as he finished fourth in the Main Event and won his heat race. Rookie Buddy Kniss used his career best third place feature finish to overtake Reeder for third in the standings. Though Miraglio continues to lead the standings, it got much closer. As a two time winner, he knows he needs to add to that total to stay ahead of the pack.
The star of last week was Jenna Frazier. Jenna won her heat race for the second time this year, but the best was yet to come as she won her first career Main Event ahead of David Rosa. Rosa's credentials in the Street Stock division are second to none. The winner of over 40 Main Events in that class and two track championships, Rosa was fifth on the track's overall win list coming into the season. The Dwarf Cars have presented a challenge to him, however, as he struggles to get his car dialed in. In the previous race, David had his then best finish in third, and his second place finish last week seems to indicate that a win is just around the corner for him.
There are some good drivers on the Dwarf Car roster at Antioch Speedway, and other competitors to watch for include Robert Coe, David Michael Rosa, Charlie Correia, Timmy Ryan and Chuck Weir.
Saturday night racing at Antioch Speedway is sure to be exciting with the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, DIRTcar Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars all in action. For further information, check out www.antiochspeedway.com.
All Star Series Antioch Speedway Points
Winged 360 Sprint Car
Billy Aton 422
Art McCarthy 397
Dan Gonderman 270
Burt Foland Jr. 206
Shawn Arriaga 189
Rick Brophy 174
Matt Barber 136
Bobby McMahan 136
Matt DeMartini 120
Chris Magoon 118
DIRTcar Late Model
Richard Papenhausen 310
Jeff Decker 294
Dennis Souza 202
Mike Hynes 187
Chester Kniss 171
Bobby Hogge IV 162
Andy Obedrtello 144
David Newquist 139
Rob Norris 126
Paul Guglielmoni 116
Wingless Spec Sprint
Jim Perry Jr. 426
Marcus Smith 408
Rick Panfili 368
Brandon Burd 360
Roy Fisher 352
Dan Gonderman 290
Adam Teves 245
James East 244
Kyle Bakkie 224
Jeremy Newberry 208
B Modified
Trevor Clymens 698
Al Johnson 684
Shane DeVolder 658
Danny Jones 532
K.C. Keller 454
Randy Brown 292
Anthoy Giuliani 269
Lloyd Cline 266
Brian Pearce 228
Chuck Golden 210
Limited Late Model
Larry Damitz 462
Mark Garner 438
Kimo Oreta 438
John Evans 340
Mike Gustafson 282
Jim Freethy 272
Lori Brown 237
Paul Hanley 82
Billy Garner 80
Steve Studebaker 54
Dwarf Car
Kevin Miraglio 426
Mike Corsaro 404
Buddy Kniss 316
Tim Reeder 296
David Michael Rosa 270
Charlie Correia 248
David Rosa 234
Brian Gray 233
Robert Coe 239
Jenna Frazier 216
Merced Speedway Is back With Legends Night
This Saturday Night
Merced, CA...After a two week hiatus, Merced Speedway is back in a big way with the annual Legends of Merced Speedway night at the races this Saturday night. Some of the biggest names who have competed at the track in its 65 plus year history will be in attendance as the speedway pays tribute to some of the greats who have made the track such a special place to be. The roster of divisions will include the Valley Sportsman division, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks.
The Sportsman division serves an important role on Legend's Night. When the first event took place in 2014, the current drivers of the Sportsman cars let the legends run a couple laps in their cars before parking on the front straightaway to be interviewed. Serving as the on track interviewer that night was legendary announcer Johnny Sass. Johnny was back again last year to speak with the fans, and word is we will see him again this year.
Current sportsman point leader Kenny Birdsong drives a race car in tribute to his racing hero, "Rapid" Rod Poor. From 1968-78, nobody won more Sportsman Main Events at the speedway than :Poor. Poor was a part of the Sportsman division revival in 1999, driving the Bill Baker own race car. Poor will enter the track for the interviews behind the wheel of the Birdsong owned car. Also confirmed on this night is 1968 champion Jerry Holzer, who raced wheel to wheel with Poor back in the day. Another legend anticipated for this event is four time champion Dennis Moomjean.
We haven't seen a list of legends who will be there, but several others are anticipated. Among those in attendance last year were Larry Peirini, Gordon Rodgers, Tom Friesen, Mike Friesen and longtime racer and promoter Chuck Griffin.
Car count for the Sportsman division is anticipated to be strong for this race. Last time out, two time division champion Mike Friesen scored the victory in his newly painted yellow and purple #121 car. Friesen is big in the vintage movement as he also has a Hardtop and a Super Modified. 2008 division champion Mark Odgers is anticipated for this race as is fellow Mariposa resident Tim Prothro. Prothro hadn't been seen since the opener and recorded a second place finish ahead of point leader Birdsong in the most recent event. Birdsong's closest rival in the points, Jeff Bristow, didn't fare so well last time as a tangle with Birdsong left him sixth at the finish.
Another legend anticipated for the big event has been competing in the Sportsman division this year. That is four time Watsonville Speedway champion and all time Sportsman feature win leader at the track, Jerry Cecil. The 1970 Merced champion Cecil is coming off of back to back fourth place finishes as he continues to dial in the Jeannie Canepa-Reveal owned entry. Other drivers to watch for this week include Eric Seely, Mini Stock graduate Jeff Amos and division newcomer Shannon Fry. The Sportsman division will likely have strong support for this event.
If 2014 IMCA Sport Modified champion Rick Diaz was going to slow down following the loss of his ride earlier this year, he has shown no signs of it. The most recent event was the 10th race of the season, and Diaz won the Main Event for the fourth time this year. This has left him with a 34 point lead over second place Mike Drake. Dias entered the season with hopes of winning the championship and dedicating it too has fallen friend, John Fore Jr. By all accounts, he is on his way to achieving that goal.
Steve Stone was a Main Event winner earlier this year, but he has struggled with three consecutive non Top 10 feature finishes in his most recent starts. In fact, he fell all the way to third in the standings behind the consistent Drake. Driving for George Medeiros, Drake has a pair of Top 3 finishes this year and is zeroing in on his first win of the season. Drake knows he has to keep consistent or he could fall back very quickly. Ten points behind Drake in fourth is Tim Elias, 11 points back is reigning champion Josh Hensley and 13 points back is longtime Merced Speedway competitor Gary Tucker. All of these drivers are still searching for their first Main Event wins of the year.
Reigning California IMCA State champion Fred Ryland made the decision a couple weeks into the season to start racing at Merced Speedway regularly. He has competed in seven of the last eight Main Events and has three wins and two second place finishes to show for it. With Ryland and Diaz in the field, that has left only three wins for the rest of the competition. Ryland is just one point behind Dwayne Short for seventh in the standings. Two races ago, Short had his best effort of the year in third and led for several laps in that race.
Merced Speedway has one of the most competitive IMCA Sport Modified shows in California, and the field has needed B Mains for most of the races this year. Other competitors to watch for this week include, Top 10 ranked Alex Odishoo, Tanner Thomas and brother Chase Thomas, Paul Espino, Danny Roe and Chris Falkenberg.
Shifting gears to the highly competitive Hobby Stock division, some of the fastest cars in this class have been fielded by the Shearer Racing Team. Not surprisingly, it is Michael Shearer leading the point standings ahead of his wife Kristie Shearer. Michael won the season opener, but has been shut out of the win column every week since then, settling for second at the checkered flag four times. In fact, Michael is coming off a back to back second place finishes as he searches for his way back into the winner's circle. Wife Kristie Shearer is 40 points behind Michael in the standings. Kristie's best finish so far was second at the opener. Teammate Bruce "Bubba" Nelson is in the midst of his "Rookie Of The Year" campaign in the IMCA Modifieds, but that hasn't stopped him from jumping into one of the Shearer race cars and winning two Main Events in the Hobby Stock division. There's a good possibility that Bubba will be racing this week as well.
The last time the Hobby Stock division hit the race track, it was fourth generation racer Garrett Corn holding off Michael Shearer for his first career win in this division. The son of past Chowchilla Speedway Street Stock champion Nathan Corn, Garret is a graduate of Merced Speedway's Mini Stock division. At this moment, only 22 points separate Garrett from second place Kristie Shearer as he is currently fifth in the standings. One time winner Robbie Loquaci is only 12 points behind Kristie in the race for second, while reigning champion Kevin Joaquin finds himself 14 points back. After winning nine races on the circuit last year, Joaquin is still without a feature win this year.
The Hobby Stock division has had a strong car count for most of the season but likely needed the two week break that they are returning from to help some of the racers get their cars back together. There are at least a dozen drivers in the field capable of winning on any given week, and multi time division champion Raul Rodriguez Sr. has three victories of his own so far this year. Fortunately for the competition, the man they call Showtime didn't commit to the points this year. As 31 points separate third place of Loquaci from 11th place Cody Parker, there's still plenty of opportunity to advance in the standings. Other competitors to watch for this week include Kodie Dean, Ted Stofle Classic winner Phil Vaughn, one time winner Darren Miguel, Austin Van Hoff and Dexter Long.
There is no truth to the rumor that they are considering renaming the Mini Stock division the Corder division. During the one week hiatus, Chris Corder was picking up a Main Event victory at Ocean Speedway and also buying yet another new car. The 2014 champion has won five of the seven Main Events held so far this year and holds a commanding lead in the championship battle. However, the battle for second is still very close between the consistent Paul Laoretti and one time winner Curtis Thornhill. Laoretti leads by just eight points, while Thornhill and rookie Destiny Carter are tied for third. These four drivers are all anticipated this week.
We have not seen teammates James Stockton and Mike Germait since the fourth event of the season. Both drivers figured to be tough competitors in the race for wins and each has one second place finish so far. It is hoped that this duo will be out there this week along with Jennifer Corder, Lucy Falkenberg, Bryan Widdowson and the truck of Tony Peffer. Word was that Jennifer Corder was looking for sponsorship to help her make the final three races. Considering her record of being able to get her cars to the finish every week, it would seem that she would be a driver worthy of sponsorship. Jennifer was second in Mini Stock points at Merced in 2014 and was second and the "Rookie Of The Year" in Hobby Stocks last year.
Legends Night at Merced Speedway is a special night where the fans get to see some of the competitors who have made this race track so special through the years. The racing should be top notch with the Valley Sportsman division, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks all in action. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
Merced Speedway Points
IMCA SportMod
Rick Diaz 372
Mike Drake 338
Steve Stone 334
Tim Elias 328
Josh Hensley 327
Gary Tucker 325
Dwayne Short 269
Fred Ryland 268
Alex Odishoo 262
Tanner Thomas 239
Hobby Stock
Michael Shearer 189
Kristie Shearer 149
Robbie Loquaci 137
Kevin Joaquin 133
Garrett Corn 127
Kodie Dean 125
Phillip Vaughn 121
Darren Miguel 115
Austin Van Hoff 112
Dexter Long 108
Mini Stock
Chris Corder 126
Paul Lauretti 94
Curtis Thornhill 86
Destiny Carter 86
Joy Alger 66
Tony Peffer 64
James Stockton 59
Mike Germait 57
Jennifer Corder 52
Lucy Falkenberg 48
Valley Sportsman
Kenny Birdsong 95
Jeff Bristow 86
Mike Friesen 75
Eric Seely 49
Tim Prothro 37
Jerry Cecil 34
Shannon Fry 30
Jeff Amos 29
Mark Odgers 20
Mike Palmberg 17
Hardtops Entertain At Placerville Speedway,
Johnny Soares Classic At Petaluma This Saturday Night
Petaluma, CA...August 11...The California Hardtop Association will be part of the annual Johnny Soares Classic event set for Petaluma Speedway this Saturday night, along with the 50 lap Joe Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint series race, All Star Modified Series and Dwarf Cars.
The Hardtops invaded Placerville Speedway last week and put on a show for the fans that didn't disappoint. When the checkered flag flew on their Main Event, it was two time Antioch Speedway winner Dave Mackey picking up another victory. Mackey became the first three time winner on the Hardtop circuit this year. To get that win, he had to stay smooth to keep Placerville area resident Jason Armstrong behind him. Armstrong was debuting a new car and would finish a solid second in the Main Event. Armstrong led the third lap, but Mackey made a Turn 3 pass a lap later to take the lead. Moments later, Armstrong spun, but he quickly charged back to second after the restart. Earlier in the evening, Armstrong won the heat race ahead of Mackey.
Taking third place in the heat race and feature at Placerville was another Armstrong, Jason's father Dennis Armstrong. The longtime Placerville Speedway Stock Car competitor drove a smooth race for the podium finish. Ken Clifford got off to a rough start when he spun coming out of the second turn attempting a pass on leader Joe Hopp on lap two and was clipped in the rear end by Jason Armstrong, who had nowhere to go. Fortunately for Clifford, he was able to get it back going for the fourth place finish. Russ Kraft made a last lap pass in the 12 lap race to take fifth from Joe Hopp as both did a great job in earning lead lap finishes. Joseph Shenefield made his long awaited debut, but a transmission problem on the heat race pace lap ended his night early.
With the Placerville event in the books, the Hardtops head to the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds race track in Petaluma for the first time in a couple of seasons. The occasion is the Johnny Soares Classic. Soares is a name that Hardtop history buffs will remember as a two time champion with the Bay Cities Racing Association some 65 years ago. After retiring, Soares became a promoter and ran Petaluma Speedway for over 40 years. The race track has a good reputation as being hooked up, and it's likely to draw a decent field. Plus, drivers are not coming over the bridge to compete.
Two good possibilities for this event are Hardtop veteran Tommy Thomson and Dan Williams. The last time Thomson competed at the track in his Hardtop, he took a tumble in turns 3 and 4. Thomson has won many Main Events in his Hardtop in the modern era, and he also drove his current car to wins at the old Vallejo Speedway in the late 1970's. As for Williams, he is a past Mini Stock champion at Petaluma Speedway and competed in Mini Stocks there before that. Both of these drivers are generally running near the front of the pack when they compete. Other drivers to watch for this week include John Turner, Ron Ruiz, Steve Cloyes and John Turner.
This is the busy point of the California Hardtop Association schedule. After the Johnny Soares classic at Petaluma, they return to Antioch Speedway on August 20th. After that is the Louis Vermeil Classic at Calistoga Speedway on Labor Day Weekend. Then, the group revives the Chet Thomson Memorial Race, which ran from 1967-79 at Vallejo Speedway. This event will take place at Antioch Speedway on September 10th. It's an exciting time for Hardtop racing in Northern California, and the race at Petaluma Speedway should be a good one.
Schmitke Memorial Race For A Cure Night
At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...Saturday night racing continues at Orland Raceway, and it's a special night at the track. In addition to the Hobby Stock, Mini Stock, Mini Truck and Micro Sprint divisions, it is also the Schmitke Memorial Race For A Cure Night.
Thomas Schmitke was a beloved member of the community who passed away back in 2010 after a battle with Cancer. He was 23 years old. Thomas left behind a two year old daughter, Lexi. Friends and family started a fund raiser for his daughter, and they've also given back to the community through various charities through the years.
This year, they are working with the race track to raise money and promote awareness. Many in the community have lost loved ones to Cancer or know somebody who is fighting that battle today. This year's charity is St. Jude's. This will also be a night for the family as there will be face painting for the kids, a bouncy house and other fun activities.
On the track, there will be exciting racing on the recently resurfaced one-fifth mile clay oval. With six races in the books, only Shannon Collins has won more than one Hobby Stock Main Event. In fact, he is carrying a two race win streak into this race. With four seconds and one win, Steve Martin leads Cody Bundy by a 62 point margin. Bundy is just 18 points ahead of one time winner Jeremy Langenderfer, and Collins is already fourth after a late start.
It seems like every year Dan Webster is in the hunt in the Mini Truck division. Despite missing the opener, Webster is only ten points behind the consistent William Fogle in the championship battle. Webster won his third Main Event last time to make it closer. At this rate, he will be in the lead soon if Fogle can't find the winner's circle. Two time winner Olin Crane is just three points ahead of reigning champion Keith Ross in the battle for third.
John Kirkpatrick, is in the hunt for his second Mini Stock championship as he leads one time winner Robert Hunt by 21 points. Hunt is also a past champion in this division at Orland. Jeff Bennett is only nine points behind Hunt after six races. Chttps://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3368036438765895065#editor/target=post;postID=7910465610791304170;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=postnameoming off of his third win of the season last time, Tom Davis is fourth in the standings.
Word is that there should be a few more Micro Sprints to challenge reigning champion and current point leader Jeromie Crismon. Crismon stretched his advantage to 52 points following another win last time out. Tony Alosi, Dean Slinkard and 250 Micro point leader Andrew Love are others to watch for this week.
The Race For A Cure Night will be a fun night to bring the family to see some good racing and support a good cause. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. with the first race to start at 7:00 p.m. General admission is $7.00 with Kids 7-12 $5.00. Kids 6 and under are free. For further information, check www.orlandraceway.org.
Orland Raceway Points
Hobby Stock
Steve Martin 288
Cody Bundy 226
Jeremy Langenderfer 208
Shannon Collins 155
Mini Trucks
William Fogle 273
Dan Webster 263
Olin Crain 213
Keith Ross 210
Ross Vige 150
Mini Stock
John Kirkpatrick 280
Robert Hunt 259
Jeff Bennett 250
Tom Davis 216
Eric Hammon 144
600 Micros
Jeromie Chrismon 210
Skyler Richter 162
Toni Alosi 108
Dean Slinkard 103
Rick Gutzke 53
250 Micros
Andrew Love 242
Dave McKinnon 103
Robert Baker 101
Jess Garland 95
Ronnie Heyer 94
Collier, Cook And Atchison Rocky Hill Speedway Winners
Porterville, CA...August 6...Kevin Collier scored the victory in the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event Saturday night at Rocky Hill Speedway. Collier was joined in the winner's circle by Mini Stock 20 lap winner Jason Cook and Super 4 winner Roy Atchison.
Last season, we didn't see Kevin Collier very often with his Hobby Stock as he was in Bakersfield winning the track championship there. This year, the Porterville resident has been competing at his home track more often and is usually near the front of the pack. On this occasion, he batted reigning champion Raymond Noland Jr. to win his second Main Event of the season. Collier is closing in on the Top 5 in the standings and may be there after this win. Noland was coming off a win at Bakersfield a weak earlier. Noland was also second last time out and would finish there again ahead of previous feature winner Michael Scruggs. Jake Peters continued his strong second place point effort as he finished fourth in the feature ahead of Jared Plumlee, American Stock point leader Bob Ellis, Travis Avila, third ranked Karl Noland Jr. and Gene Glover. Dave Schyler suffered mechanical problems in preliminaries to end his night early.
Jason Cook is marching towards the Mini Stock championship. The point leader held off one time feature winner Lance Gonzales to score his fourth 20 lap Main Event victory. Todd Minchew had his best effort in third ahead of Steven Scott and Clinton Massey. Wade Moore and Scott are in a tight battle for second in the standings, but Moore struggled back in seventh behind double division racer Kit Murphy. Candy Noland-Soares, Matt Hearod, Chris Rutledge and Clifton Massey completed the finishing order.
Roy Atchison continues to dominate the Super 4 rankings as a runaway point leader and winner of a majority of the races so far. Lance Gonzales backed up his second place Mini Stock finish with a second in the Super 4 feature ahead of Justin Atchison and Kit Murphy.
Racing resumes with "$15 Car Load Night" next Saturday night (August 13). The Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Super 4's and American Stocks are all in action.
Race Results 8/6
Hobby Stocks
1#18 Kevin Collier
2-#5 Raymond Noland Jr
3-#91 Michael Scruggs
4-#19 Jake Peters
5-#1 jared Plumlee
6-?#?19X? Bob Ellis
7-#20 Travis Avila
8-#25 Karl Noland Jr
9-#9 Gene Glover
10-?#?8X? Dave Schyler **DNS
Super 4
1#24 Roy Atchinson
2#18 Lance Gonzales
3#57 Justin Atchinson
4#00 Kit Murphy
Mini Stock
1-?#?32X? Jason Cook
2-#18 Lance Gonzales
3-#23 Todd Minchew
4-#46 Steven Scott
5-#88 Clinton Massey
6-#00 Kit Murphy
7-#13 Wade Moore
8-#5 Candy Noland Soares
9-#77 Matt Hearod
10-#66 Chris Rutledge
11-#7 Cliff Massey
Collins First Repeat Hobby Stock Winner At Orland Raceway,
Webster, Davis Claim Third Victories
Webster, Davis Claim Third Victories
Orland, CA...July 30...Orland Raceway closed the month of July with another four division program on the one-fifth mile dirt oval, and some familiar names returned to the winner's circle. Shannon Collins won his second straight 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event to become the first repeat winner in the class. Dan Webster gained significant ground in the Mini Truck championship battle with his third win of the season, while Tom Davis also won his third Mini Stock Main Event of the year. Reigning 600 Micro Sprint champion Jeromie Crismon won their 20 lap Main Event.
Point leader Steve Martin opened the evening with another eight lap heat race win over reigning 250 Kart champion Jess Garland. Martin only has the one feature win this season, but he has been the model of consistency. To win at Orland, you have to go through him to do it. Shannon Collins cleared a path and won another battle with Martin for his second straight feature triumph. Martin settled for his division leading fourth second place finish ahead of Garland, newcomer Amanda Koop and Cody Bundy.
Despite missing the opener, Dan Webster has been gaining steady ground on point leader William Fogle in the Mini Truck division. Webster battled reigning champion Keith Ross all night, starting with his win in the eight lap heat race. Ross has things dialed in much better lately, but he was still no match for Webster in the Main Event as Webster won for the third time this year. Rich Hood made his first start of the season with a nice third place finish ahead of point leader William Fogle, who leads Webster by just ten points in the championship battle. Brent Allinger finished fifth ahead of Jeremy Callen and Jeff Bennett.
After winning the first two races of the season in the Mini Stock class, Tom Davis disappeared. He recently resurfaced at Susanville, where he was Main Event winner. Davis returned to Orland and won his heat race ahead of point leader John Kirkpatrick. Davis continued that momentum with his third Main Event win ahead of title contender Robert Hunt. Barbara Crane took the wheel of the team's #23 car that had been piloted by Jeff Bennett this season and drove to a solid third place finish ahead of Steven Spears, Kirkpatrick and Seth Libbee.
The 600 Micro Sprint action found Rick Gutzke winning the eight lap heat race ahead of point leaer Jeromie Crismon. Crismon won the battle with Gutzke for the Main Event victory. 2500 Kart point leader Andrew Love was third as Rick Alonzo was a feature scratch.
Saturday night, August 13th is the Thomas Schmite Memorial Race. Thomas was a beloved Orland resident who lost his fight with cancer in 2010. He left behind a daughter, Lexi, who was only two years old at the time. Every year, the family holds a fund raising event in his honor where they give back to the community. The Schmitke Memorial has donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Fight for Chris, Prayers for Paislee and Ty Roenspie. Divisions on the card this week include the Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks and 600 and 250 Micros. For further information, check out www.orlandraceway.org.
Olexewicz Two For Two In July
At Diamond Mountain Speedway
Susanville, CA...July 4 & 23...The month of July meant special 4th Of July and Lassen County Fair races at Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville, and both events were crowd pleasers. Past IMCA Modified champion Chris Olexiewicz won both of his division's events and was the only double winner in the three classes. The Fair Race on July 23rd saw Dan Dias win the Strictly Stock feature and Orland visitor Tom Davis come out ahead in the Mini Stock race. The July 4th race saw reigning champion Richard Longacre win the Strictly Stock Main Event while past champion Larry Whitebird was the Mini Stock winner.
Susanville's IMCA Modified division is quietly having a solid year so far after six races. There were 15 cars for the July 4th event and the July 23rd Fair Race offered up 13 competitors. In the Fair Race, it was a pair of past champions battling at the head of the pack as Chris Olexiewicz scored the win ahead of reigning champion Wade Kennemore. Larry McCracken held on for a season best third place finish ahead of Late Model veteran Bill Pearson and Chris Nieman. Quincy star Jeff Olschowka was sixth ahead of point leader Matt Murphy, Quincy point leader Chase Nieman past champion Jeff Chew and Mitch Murphy. The July 4th race was another win for Olexiesicz, and this time he was pursued closely by Pearson in what was his best finish at the track this year. Mitch Murphy out ran Chris Nieman for fourth as Neven Kennemore rounded out the Top 5. Past Quincy champion Erica Buhr finished sixth in front of Matt Murphy, Galen Hainline, Chase Nieman and Steve Bejeck. Olexiewicz is the only repeat winner in this division so far after six races.
The July 23 podium for the Strictly Stock division was also a season best effort for all three drivers. Dan Dias won his first Main Event of the season ahead of Chris Annas and James Huffman. Jason Emmott was fourth in the 11 car field ahead of Shayna Robertson, reigning champion Richard Longacre, Ian Upton, Fred Kresge, Nathan Howard and Larry Foster. July 4th turned out to be a big night for Longacre as he won his heat race and scored his second feature win of the season. After three third place finishes this season, Nathan Howard improved on that with a season best second in front of the season best third for Skeeter Bethel. Jim Erie was fourth in front of Mike Nichols, Emmot, Chico visitor Earl Adams, heat winner Annas and Kresge.
Orland Raceway competitor Tom Davis had a couple of nice visits to Susanville in July Mini Stock action. The Fair Race was the highlight for Davis as he battled local star Larry Whitebird for the victory. Wyatt Spaulding matched his best finish of the season in third as Joe Marlow and Billy Gibson completed the Top 5. Megan Wilson was sixth in front of reigning champion Kyle Belli, Trenton Longacre and Bob Feller. The July 4th race featured a solid 13 car count with Whitebird and division rival Belli winning heat races. Whitebird won for the second time this season with Davis in close pursuit. Feller held off Belli for the third place finish, and Marlow began a good month with his fifth place finish. Larry Foster, Gibson, Raymond Talavera, Gabrielle Lewis and Tyler Eckles made up the rest of the Top 10.
For more information on when these three divisions race again, go to the official website at https://lassencountyfair.org/interim-events/diamond-mountain-speedway/
Winged 360 Sprint Car Drivers Lining Up For Shot
At $1200 Payday At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA... A steady stream of different visitors have come to compete at Antioch Speedway in the first nine All-Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car races this season. During that time, only past champion McCarthy has won more than once. McCarthy finds himself locked in a close championship battle with point leader Billy Aton. What presents these two drivers with even more of a challenge is that they never know who is coming to town for the $1200 in first prize money awarded to the Main Event winner. The roster looks different every week.
Last week, it was a pair of Petaluma Speedway competitors at the front of the pack, and Roberto Kirby found himself battling Seth Nunes late in what would be a thrilling finish. Hailing from Medford, Oregon, Nunes won the Sprint Car championship at Cottage Grove Speedway last season and landed the ride in the Jim Van Lare car this season. Still looking for his first feature victory, Kirby led much of the way, but Nunes made his charge at the end. A last lap pass earned Nunes the winner's paycheck, forcing Kirby to settle for a personal best second place finish. By all accounts, this was the most exciting race of the night.
While the lead duo was putting on a show, Aton turned in a solid performance with his third place feature finish. Aton was coming off of the second place finish the week before behind his closest rival McCarthy. McCarthy made sure the points didn't change much as he won his heat race and then finished fifth in the Main Event. This has every appearance of a battle that will go down to the final checkered flag this season. Between these two drivers in fourth at the finish last week was the Dan Gonderman. It was the second straight Top 5 finish for Gonderman, who is hoping to make a run for his first feature win in this division. Considering his background as a feature winner in three divisions at the track and as a two time Wingless Spec Sprint champion as well, it will not be a surprise to see Gonderman get a victory.
Like his two fellow Petaluma Speedway competitors at the front of the pack, Zack Lynsky figured to be in the battle for victory as he was coming off of a win a night earlier in Chico. A past feature winner at the track, Lynsky started his night off with a heat race victory. Come Main Event time, he was ready to go, but his race ended on the opening lap as he flipped his car. It was a disappointing outcome for Lynsky, but a decent debut for Bob Newberry. Newberry rose through the ranks at the speedway in the same three divisions Gonderman has competed at and was a winner in all three classes. Much like Gonderman, he is a past Wingless Spec Sprint champion, and he took the checkered flag in sixth on this occasion. Newberry was behind the wheel of the car owned by teammate Chris Magoon, who is the 2014 champion.
Rookie Tim Burcher continues to get better with each start and would take the checkered flag in seventh ahead of Matt DeMartini. Lynsky was credited with a ninth place finish. Stephen Ingraham and Adam McCarthy both had mechanical issues in preliminary events that kept them from starting the Main Event.
Promoter John M. Soares remains committed to establishing this division, and there have been some good races so far. This Saturday night should be another great show, and other drivers who could be in action this week include Burt Foland Jr., Rick Brophy, reigning champion Shawn Arriaga and Steve Jaquith. And, of course, you never know who else might show up from week to week with $1200 on the line to the winner. For further information on this week's race and other happenings at the track, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
2016 Antioch Winged 360 All Star Series Points
Billy Aton 422
Art McCarthy 397
Dan Gonderman 270
Burt Foland Jr. 206
Shawn Arriaga 189
Rick Brophy 174
Matt barber 136
Bobby McMahan 136
Matt DeMartini 120
Chris Magoon 118
2016 All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car Schedule
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
Recent Feature Winners
August 6, 2016: Seth Nunes
July 30, 2016: Art McCarthy
July 16, 2016: Brayden McMahan
June 25, 2016: Kaleb Montgomery
June 18, 2016: Bobby McMahan
June 4, 2016: Shawn Conde
May 21, 2016: Koen Shaw
April 23, 2016: Billy Aton
April 2, 2016: Art McCarthy
August 29, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 8, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
July 11, 2015: Jake Haulot
June 20, 2915: Austin Liggett
June 6, 2015: Shawn Arriaga
May 16, 2015: Jake Haulot
April 25, 2015: Alissa Geving
March 7, 2015: Art McCarthy
August 2, 2014: Zack Lynskey
June 21 2014: Bradley Terrell
June 10, 2014: Chris Magoon
April 5, 2014: Kurt Nelson
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
