Articles about the Antioch Speedway Hall Of Fame Inductees from 2019 and 2020
2020
Donna Soares Memorial Hall Of Fame Night
At Antioch Speedway October 5th
Antioch, CA...In October, Antioch Speedway has a special event to close the 2019 championship point season. It comes a week before the big $12,000 to win A Modified show. On October 5th, Antioch Speedway will remember Donna Soares with the first Memorial race in her honor. Competing divisions will include a $1,500 to win A Modified race, DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Bay Area Hardtops. Furthermore, this will be Hall of Fame night at the speedway where a group of 15 individuals will be inducted into the track's Hall of Fame.
Donna Soares was the wife of Promoter John M Soares. The two had been married for 50 years, and when Oval Motorsports was formed to promote Antioch Speedway prior to the 1998 season, Donna was the one who ran the front office. She was very much John's partner throughout his storied racing career. She passed away last October.
Donna was a popular person among the racers at the speedway, and many people made it a point to go into the office just to say hi to her and enjoy a good conversation. She was the one who kept things running in the office while John was busy with track preparation and other duties. She is truly missed by the racers at Antioch Speedway, and this night will be a special night for all who knew and loved her.
During the intermission, there will be a Hall of Fame ceremony, inducting ten racers and five other individuals who played important roles behind the scenes in helping make Antioch Speedway the special place it has been for these past 59 seasons.
Leading the induction list this year is Dennis Furia, or as he was known throughout his racing career, Dennis "Foot In It" Furia. Dennis won an amazing 25 Sportsman Main Events throughout the 1970s and was the 1979 champion. You could start him last on the grid, and he would still find his way to the front. He ranked second behind only Gary Pacheco on the division's all time win list. After an absence of about 15 years, Furia came out of retirement and competed in the Dirt Modified class. He won ten Main Events and was also Top 5 ranked in points.
Richard Johnson will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Back in the 1970s, they called him "Rapid Richard" Johnson, and he was a two-time Stock Car champion at the speedway. Johnson traveled to other tracks and and won the State championship in Stock Cars in 1973 and was also the 1980 and 1981 State Sportsman champion. He won 26 Main Events during those years at the speedway. After going away and racing Sprint Cars, Johnson was one of the first drivers in the newly formed Dirt Modified division in 1990. He won the championship that year before retiring again.
The 1980s era has been opened for consideration this year, and Jim Pettit II becomes the first driver from that era to be inducted into the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame. As a 16 year old Stock Car racer, Pettit won his first Main Event in Antioch in 1981. He went on to win 46 Late Model features, making him first on the all time win list. Pettit was the 1984 NASCAR Winston Regional champion and won track championships at Antioch in 1987, 1988 and 1991. He went on to a successful Southwest Tour career and currently still competes in Dirt Modifieds at Watsonville.
Pettit was always quick to credit "The Sun Drop Kid" Larry Damitz for his role in helping him win the 1991 championship. Larry had a storied career that started back in 1954 at the old Costra Costa Speedway in Pacheco. Damitz raced Hardtops for 20 years, and he was racing Late Models when he first started racing at Antioch in 1984. He'd already won several championships by then. In 1986, he won ten Main Events in finishing second in Late Model points. Larry raced until he was 87 years old and won five of the last seven Limited Late Model championships he completed for, winning over 50 Main Events at Antioch Speedway alone.
Bruce "The Phantom" Curl will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Curl raced Stock Cars at Antioch throughout the 1970s and was frequently Top 5 ranked, winning a total of 11 Main Events in that division. Teaming up with car owner Pete Paulsen, Curl won the 1981 Stock Car championship. He continued to be one of the top drivers and was even a car owner for JD Willis for two of his wins in the 1980s. Curl ran the successful Curl Racing shop, which repaired and built race cars throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. He built some of the first Dirt Modifieds that competed in that division in 1990 and finished second in points that year.
Also being inducted this year is Jerry "The Maverick" Garner. Jerry started racing Stock Cars in the 1960s and won the prestigious 1969 California State Stock Car championship. Jerry continued to compete in Stock Cars and Sportsman cars in the 1970s and was Top 5 ranked during that time and a feature winner. He went back to Stock Cars in the 1980s and was still one of the top drivers, winning a 50 lap Late Model race in 1982. When Jerry retired, he mentored his son Mark Garner, who currently competes at the speedway. Jerry's grandson, Billy Garner, also competes as the family has been a fixture at the speedway for many years.
The Gonderman family has also been at the speedway for many years and is three generations strong. The patriarch, Ken Gonderman, started racing in the 1960s. He was one of those drivers who built his race car from the ground up, and he bears the distinction of snapping what could have been a four year championship streak for Gary Pacheco when he won the 1970 Sportsman title. Ken continued to race throughout the 1970s while getting his son Dave Gonderman involved in the sport. Dave was a two-time feature winner. In the 1980s, he got his son Dan Gonderman involved as well. Ken still took turns behind the wheel and had some good efforts throughout the 1980s. However, he was also somebody who built a good race car and was knowledgeable about engine building. Ken is still involved in his son Dan's racing program today, and Dan is a two-time Antioch Speedway Wingless Spec Sprint champion.
Dennis "Fireball" Close was one of the top drivers in the 1970s. Though not a champion, he was always in the hunt for the title and won ten Main Events. He was Top 5 ranked for four seasons, ranking second in 1975 and 1976.
From 1960s era, Dave Logan is being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Logan only had a brief career, but he won 17 Main Events at Antioch Speedway. During a two year span, he was the champion at both Vallejo Speedway in 1966 and Antioch Speedway in 1965. Sadly, Dave died in a race car crash at Calistoga Speedway. He was somebody many people believe could have been in an IndyCar at some point in his career and is still remembered as a great racer and gentlemen of the sport.
Lyle Lister will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lister was the 1966 Sportsman champion at Antioch Speedway and won 14 Main Events. During that time, he was one of the big stars on the circuit, and he won two championships at Antioch's sister track, Petaluma Speedway.
Vic Noon will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Noon raced in the 1960s. He went on to pick up the flags and become one of the top flagmen in the state. He handled the starter duties at the speedway throughout the 1970s and was known as somebody who could control the race track and was a no nonsense flagman.
Bill Bowers will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bill was a car owner, builder and engine man throughout his career at the speedway. He teamed up with Hall of Fame racer JD Willis, and they won several races and championships together. Bowers was somebody who helped many racers through the years, and they too were winners thanks to him. He was one of the most respected figures within the racing community. The Bowers family tradition continues on as his son Billy Bowers fields a successful championship winning Modified team.
Gerry Delanoy will also be going into the Hall of Fame. Gerry was known as the Dow Chemicals Goodwill Ambassador throughout the 1970s. He would give away different products to the racers and the fans every week. If the track needed him to help, he was quick to jump in. He did many things, including writing articles for the speedway. When he passed away, they started running the Salute to Gerry Delanoy 50 lap Stock Car race in 1982.
Charlie Zeno will be going into the Hall of Fame. One of the things that helps the sport is having somebody out there spreading the word about what is happening. Zeno wrote for the Contra Costa County Times and other newspapers from the 1970s until he retired at the end of the 1993 season. He would send his stories wherever he could get them printed and wrote many review, preview and driver profile articles throughout his decorated career. When he retired in 1993, management presented him with a grandfather clock in recognition of his service to racing.
Also being inducted is motorsports journalist Gary Jacob. Gary started writing about racing in the late 1960s when he saw that the Stock Car side of things wasn't getting the coverage that the open wheel side received. He started at one or two tracks, but Gary would soon be covering many tracks for Racing Wheels, DCRR Racing News and several racing publications. He continued to write until 2006. He wrote about Antioch at least a time or two every year during his career, and sometimes he was a regular at the speedway. The last race he covered was in June of 2006. It was a Late Model show, and it happened at Antioch Speedway.
One of the things that keeps the sport going is family and the people who show the commitment week in and week out. October 5th will be a special night because we will remember Donna Soares and the dedication she had to helping promote the sport. We furthermore honor 15 individuals who helped make racing memorable, fun and something people wanted to be a part of.
With the divisions that are running, this will be a special night that you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
2019
Hall Of Fame Night Comes At Antioch Speedway
On October 13th
Antioch, CA...There's a long and storied history to Antioch Speedway. The track has been open for weekly racing during the late spring, summer and early fall months for 57 years since it opened in 1961. Before that, the track ran several races during 1952 and 1953. The original promoters were John P Soares and Jerry Piper, and they worked under Bob Barkhimer's California Stock Car Racing Association. It was eight years later when Soares was tabbed to run the track again for Barkhimer under the NASCAR banner.
The elder Soares had less than a dozen cars for the first race in 1961, but he had a full pit by the end of the season. In those days, a promoter had to try many different things to entice the fans to come watch. Thrill Shows, Special Powder Puff Races for the ladies and long distance races were some of the things promoted back then. It worked well. The grandstands were frequently packed with spectators, and there would be over sixty cars in the old Hardtop Auto Claimer class.
John P Soares guided the track for 20 seasons before retiring at the end of the 1980 season to focus on Petaluma Speedway, a track he promoted for 23 more seasons after Antioch. The track went from featuring the Hardtops to the winged Sportsman class, to Late Models and eventually Modifieds. There have been many other divisions that have competed on the clay oval. In 1998, John M Soares followed in his father's footsteps as he promoted the speedway under Oval Motorsports.
The younger Soares, now 76, has seen it all in his time. Like his father, he was a championship winning driver who won races on the NASCAR Cup circuit, built winning race cars and has excelled at track preparation. Combined, both Soares men have promoted Antioch Speedway for 40 years. Given the history of the race track, it was only a matter of time before people would start being inducted into the Antioch Speedway Hall Of Fame. That time is now.
The occasion will be Fall Brawl on October 13th. This is the season finale for the track, and its expected to attract some top notch competitors to the speedway for a run at the money. It will also serve as an historical night of sorts. On the concessions stand side of the main grandstands, there will be boards on display featuring clippings of several racing articles and pictures from through the years. As this event grows, more boards will be added. As a bonus, long time announcer John Myers will be there to announce.
Heading up the 2018 Hall Of Fame class with be John P Soares and John M Soares. Without the vision of the elder Soares, the track may not have made it through the challenging early seasons. So beloved was he that when he retired from Antioch in 1980, several top Antioch racers followed him to Petaluma Speedway a year later. The younger Soares ranks third on the Sportsman division All Time winner's list with 20 victories. Getting a win in that class was not easy with the competition level as high as it was. John won his first race in 1965, and he managed to win races in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s. He's the only driver in track history to accomplish that.
Perhaps the greatest Sportsman driver of all time was "The Mighty Mite" Gary Pacheco. Gary won three championships in a four years span and 30 Main Events at Antioch. He's the All Time winner in that division.
Another of the greats was Bill Brown. He's the patriarch of one of the three Brown families that has been a part of the speedway for decades. He was a two time track champion with 19 Sportsman wins. Sons Dale and Keith and grandson Keith Jr. have all raced at the speedway and won Main Events. The Brown family is third only to the Hogge family and the Perry family in feature wins at Antioch.
When it comes to who the greatest of all time was, JD "Ubetcha" Willis will get the vote of many. His 72 career wins at the speedway is the most all time in a three way tie with Scott Busby and Bobby Hogge IV. JD was consistently winning from the time he started in Stock Cars in 1968 through his final race in a Modified in 2004. He won five track championships.
Championships were not the main goal for Dean "The Blinker" Cline. Having fun and winning races were the goal. Dean built winning cars and twice sold them while leading the points, rather than winning those championships. He won over 40 Main Events through the years and one championship. His son Lance picked up his knack for building race cars and was known for building championship caliber cars as well.
Willie "The Silver Fox" Myatt was another driver who built winning cars. He won a a Stock Car championship in the 1970's before moving up to the Sportsman division where he won multiple races. In the 1980's, he returned to Stock Cars and continued to win. His sons, Jeff Skaggs and Vince "Ratsoe" Skaggs, picked up his love of racing and got their own cars.
Chuck Smith was a top competitor in the Stock Cars in the 1970's. He won races there and in later years in the Enduro class. However, Chuck may be better known for his custom built push buggies that he's been building since the 1980's. Chuck was a fixture at the speedway for many years pushing cars and helping keep the show running. His wife Sharon, who sadly has since passed away, was a scorekeeper at the track for years, and son Ellis Smith raced Street Stocks. As you can see, family is a very important part to what keeps racing going at Antioch Speedway.
One of the people announcing the show for years was John Myers. John announced longer than anybody in the track's history at nearly 20 years. He gave several drivers nicknames for the fans to identify with and had popular catch phrases that the fans sometimes chanted along with. To many, he was the voice of Antioch Speedway, but he also spent time as a track official and worked on various pit crews before grabbing a microphone.
The Speedway has inducted two people into the Hall Of Fame. Darryl Shirk was inducted after he passed away in 1999. His wife Emily was presented with an award. Harvey Mason was also inducted. Harvey was one of the original local drivers on the 1961 roster. He moved on to track maintenance and was known for providing smooth, hooked up racing surfaces for the drivers. He served as assistant manager for several years as well. The Family Section was named after him, but the Mason family was never presented with a Hall Of Fame award for Harvey. That will happen on Saturday.
These ten people will be honored for their contributions on October 13th as the track has its final race of the season. It will begin a new tradition at the speedway that will honor those who have helped make the track such a special place through the years. For fans who want to get a taste of history to go with a great night of racing, the Fall Brawl season finale will be a race you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
