Friday, May 26, 2017

Pit Stops And A Special Looking Back Article


First of all...


On Sale At Reduced Price






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

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



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

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover


Also...

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

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion Can Be Heard HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Pit Stops

After the Memorial Day break, June could almost be considered Sprint Car month at Antioch Speedway with a nice Stock Car twist at the end.  June 3rd will feature the first visit of the season for the King Of The West Series Sprint Cars, presented by NARC.  All Star Series Hobby Stocks are supporting the show.  After the huge car count at the opener, the Sprint Car Challenge Tour will be coming alone on June 17th.  The All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars headline a five division show on June 10th that will also include DIRTcar Late Models. 

Again on June 24th, the All Star Series Sprint Cars and DIRTcar Late Models will be there with A Modifieds and Dwarf Cars. For added significance, this show will include a visit from NASCAR commentator/racer Kenny Wallace.  Kenny will be driving a Late Model and an A Modified that night.  June will be an exciting month at the fast three-eighth mile clay oval.

The King Of The West Series Sprint Cars are the pinnacle of Winged Sprint Car racing.  These high flying machines have 410 cubic inch motors, making them the fastest cars on dirt.  Last year was actually a milestone year for the series.  It was the 30th Anniversary of the founding of the Tour.  Billed as the Golden State Challenge Series back then, this division was still featured at multiple tracks in the 1980's, including the now defunct Baylands Raceway.  The promoters banded together to create big shows for the class, and the NARC Sprint Car Series supported it as well.

What's interesting to note is that after an hiatus of more than 15 years, NARC is back helping promote the series.  Perhaps the biggest name of them all, the legendary Brent Kaeding, should be a part of this show.  Through the years, Brent has racked up championships the way some drivers count feature wins.  He has 13 championships each with NARC and the King Of The West.  These days, his son Bud is the perennial title contender.  Bud finished second last year to three-time series champion Kyle Hirst, but he leads this year's chase by just 13 points ahead of Cory Eliason.  27 points back is rising young star Gio Scelzi, who won the Hanford championship last season.

These Top 3 competitors have all won races on the Tour this season along with Rico Abreu and Hirst.  Car count should be in the 18-24 car range, and the numbers have been up slightly this season.  There have been three B Mains at the first five events.  Other stars to watch for include Michael "Buddy" Kofoid, D.J. Netto, Willie Croft, Carson Macedo, Jarrett Soares and Bobby McMahan.  When NARC got involved with 410 Sprint Car racing again this year, there was immediately talk about reviving Speedweek again, and this popular week long series within a series could return in 2018. 

All Star Series Hobby Stock racing has been on the rise this year at Antioch Speedway.  For all intents and purposes, this is the Street Stock division that raced at the track some 25 years ago under a different name. The racing is just as close and exciting, and it's really hard to tell who might win on any given week.  Chris Long is making his first championship run ever and leads rookie Brent Curran by just six points.  Cameron Swank is within 20 points as 2010 champion Chris Sorensen and Michael Cooper are both in the Top 5.

Of the Top 5 drivers in the standings, only Swank is without a win, but he's been very consistent and is a multi time Top 3 finisher this year.  That win may be just around the corner.  Curran is a two time winner, and the rookie's most recent win came from 14th starting.  Brent isn't the only rookie making waves this season.  Only six points out of fifth is Chris Bennett in the Bob Hansen Tribute car.  Bennett has been fast so far this year, but a few tangles have kept him from getting another Top 5 finish since the season opener.  Fourth generation racer Billy Garner did finish fourth in the most recent race.

The talent level in Hobby Stocks is high this year, and there are a good ten drivers capable of winning on any given week.  Joey Ridgeway has also looked good so far his year, and he impressed with a Trophy Dash win during the Fair.  None of the the classes get dashes very often, so that trophy will look nice on the Ridgeway mantle.  The steady Ricky Foster is looking good in the Top 10 in points so far this year.  The way things are looking, there will be more new winners to come, and the next two opportunities are June 3rd and 10th.

The B Modifieds get booked about as much as Hobby Stocks at Antioch, so the fact that they only race once in June (the 10th), may be a relief to some of the racers.  Trevor Clymens is every bit as fast as he was last year, and the reigning champion has two wins to show for it.  However, Trevor is trailing the consistent K.C. Keller by a mere four points in the battle for the point lead.  Keller was the winner during the Fair, but Clymens was the one taking home the trophy in the dash.  The way these two are battling, this could be a battle that goes down to the finale.

After taking a year off from point racing, veteran Chuck Golden is off to a good start.  He leads Randy Brown by eight points and Mark Garner by ten in a good race for third.  Actually, all three of these competitors are still in the championship battle.  They'd all love to get a win this year.  Garner and Brown both have heat victories, and Brown has done it twice.  Both of them just need a few good breaks to go their way as they are running pretty fast this season.  Though the Top 5 point competitors might seem to be the favorites to win, Megan Ponciano, Aaron Crowell, Guy Ahlwardt, Ron Brown and Anthony Giuliani are among the others to watch for.  Past Street Stock champion Todd Gomez is a feature winner this season.

The trademark of the All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car division at Antioch Speedway is that this program seems to be the gateway for the Outlaw Kart racers to compete for their first Winged 360 Sprint Car wins.  Kyle Offill has been a star of BCRA Midget Lites racing in recent years, but he now has his first two Sprint Car wins at Antioch.   Tyler Seavey made an appearance and won that night.  What was interesting about Offill's most recent win was that it came only after a last turn pass on rookie Jacob Tuttle.  Another young Kart graduate, Tuttle was making his first start at Antioch, and a second place finish was still a good effort for him.

Marissa Polizzi was nipping at the rear nerf of heat winner Steve Jaquith in the most recent event, but he forced her to settle for a close fourth.  Polizzi is now just 18 points behind Offill in second, but she's being pursued closely by 2016 "Rookie Of The Year" Jenna Frazier, who is just six points back.  It's possible that Grants Pass, Oregon long tow Aaron Miller might be holding down second right now, but a tangle with Offill while running second in the most recent event ended his race early.  As it is, he's still just eight points out of second and 26 out of the lead. 

Burt Foland skipped the most recent race and fell to fifth, seven points ahead of 2007 champion Art McCarthy.  McCarthy is working to overcome a DNS at the opener, and he's 43 points out of second.  With two All Star Series Sprint Car races in June, the month could have a big impact on the point battle.  As always, you never know who might show up for the next race for a shot at a $1200 victory.

The Wingless Spec Sprints are off for the month of June, but after three races, it's a four car battle for the point lead.  This looks like a battle that could very well go down to the final race.  Coming off of his win at the Fair race, past Chowchilla champion Brandon Burd is tied with Alan Miranda for the lead.  Division original Rick Panfili and long time division competitor Roy Fisher are both within eight points of the lead.  It's not out of the realm of possibility that rookie Robert Floyd could make a bid for the championship either.  After his recent Top 5 finish in the old Jimmy Lavell car, Floyd is only 24 points out of the lead himself. 

One of the more compelling storylines in this division is the quest for Miranda and Panfili to get their first wins.  Miranda has been very fast at times, but something always seems to stop him when victory is within his grasp.  He led a race in 2015 for 19 and a half laps until an aggressive move by second place ended the race for both.  Earlier this year, Alan had the lead late in the race before having to pit.  He has finished as high as second as has Panfili.  Panfili has been supporting carbureted Sprint Car racing for over 20 years as a member of the 1999 roster and before that when he competed with the NCMA.  He won his heat race during the Fair.  Could he get that feature win and even a championship this season?

What is nice is this division has some good competitors capable of winning on any given week.  2004 champion Bob Newberry and 2014 Watsonville champion Bryan Grier are other feature winners this season.  Jeremy Newberry, Shannon Newton, Tyler Henriques, James East, Jeff Lee and Abigail Gonderman keep this division exciting to watch in it's 19th season at the speedway.

The Dwarf Cars have had three races so far, and the point battle is the spitting image of last year with reigning champion Kevin Miraglio leading Mike Corsaro by 12 points.  Both drivers have two Top 3 finishes with Miraglio winning one of those races. However, the second event was a missed opportunity as both drivers didn't finish,  It's interesting to note that long time Dwarf Car competitor Chuck Connover opened the season with back to back second place finishes before skipping the Fair race.  This opened the door for ageless veteran Charlie "The Hammer" Correia to follow Corsaro into third in the standings.  Charlie is only 14 points out of the lead.  One thing about Charlie is that nobody on the West Coast has more Dwarf Car experience than him.

David Rosa would love to make a move on the championship.   The two time Street Stock champion has won over 50 Main Events at Antioch Speedway through the years, but last year saw him win his first Dwarf Car race.  "Dynamite" David is only 16 points out of second with a pair of rookies in close pursuit of him.  Chris Becker is doing well so far, just four points behind Rosa.  Young Quarter-Midget graduate Devan Kammermann is only eight points out of third.  All of these drivers are hoping to make a visit to the winner's circle in one of the two June races.  You should also keep an eye on Mike's son, David Corsaro, who is just ten points behind Rosa.  David has driven a Dwarf Car from time to time, but he has his own ride this season.

The DIRTcar Late Model battle will kick into high gear in June with a pair of races, and it's already shaping up to be a battle between Jeff Decker and Richard Papenhausen.  Decker's win and third place finishes have him leading Papenhausen by just four points.  Papenhausen finished second in the Larry Damitz Memorial race, but he couldn't beat Bobby Hogge IV for the big payday.  Only 20 points out of the lead is Shawn DeForest, who was second to Decker in the opener.  However, Shawn isn't likely to be racing in the final June race as Kenny Wallace slips behind the wheel of the car.  Wallace is looking forward to going wheel to wheel with the likes of David Newquist, Joey Olschowka, Dennis Souza, Kimo Oreta, Mike Hynes, Paul Guglielmoni and others.

Wallace also gets the opportunity to race with the A Modifieds at the June 24th race.  At this point, the championship battle is between 2015 point runnerup Bobby Motts Jr. and Mike Salazar.  Motts is leading by a mere three points after four races.  Both are looking for their first win of the season.  Salazar had been declared the winner at the checkered and yellow flags in the opener, but official review gave the victory to Scott Busby.  After multiple bad races, Busby's championship bid is over.  At this point, Sean O'Gara is once again in third in the standings and within striking distance at 30 points back.  Rookie Eric Berendsen is fourth ahead of Kellen Chadwick.  Chadwick has won in both of his starts, but he's not expected to continue to be there for every race.  We'll have to see how this battle plays out.

IMCA Sport Modifieds will be racing at Merced Speedway on June 7th during the Merced County Fair.  You knew point leader Fred Ryland was not going to go winless, and he ended the suspense by winning the most recent race ahead of reigning champion Rick Diaz.  With no finishes outside the Top 5, Ryland holds a 38 point lead over Diaz.  Diaz has three wins this season, but he missed a race.  With a one point per position system, Diaz has his work cut out for him in catching Ryland, but if anybody can do it, it's him.  Next in line is Chase Thomas, 47 points out of the lead, but one ahead of Jeremy Hoff and three ahead of Tim Elias.

Tanner Thomas was the Thomas brother getting the attention with an inspired drive in the most recent race.  The talented teen second generation driver battled Mark Odgers throughout the race.  Even after being passed by Ryland and Diaz, Tanner still held off Odgers for a strong third place finish.  One can easily make a case for Merced Speedway having the most competitive IMCA Sport Modified program in California.  Any one of a dozen drivers could get a win on any given week, perhaps on Wednesday during the County Fair.  Chuck Weir and T.J. Etchison are already winners this year, and hard chargers like Paul Espino, Chris Falkenberg, Cody Parker, Anthony Giuliani, Jarred Tickel and Josh Hensley are other drivers to watch this week.

Joining the IMCA Sport Modifieds for the County Fair program will be the exciting Hobby Stock division.  Though he has certainly had some big moments in the last few seasons, it's likely that few people would have predicted that Kodie Dean would lead the point standings after five races.  Dean now has two feature wins, but his lead over reigning champion Michael Shearer is still just 12 points.  Despite no wins so far, Shearer has multiple Top 5 finishes and leads Robbie Loquaci by just six points in the battle for second.  Loquaci provided a scary moment recently when his car caught fire to end his race.  He did have a strong Top 5 finish in the Ted Stofle Classic.

It was Garrett Corn winning the Stofle Classic for his second win of the season.  Unfortunately, the third generation racer's bad luck has him trailing the leader by 40 points.  It's early enough in the battle that he could make up ground, but the competition for wins will remain tough.  When you have hard chargers like Shannon Nelson, Mike Stockton, Darren Miguel, one time winner Kevin Joaquin, Billy Nelson and James Stockton in the field, it's anybody's guess who will win from week to week.  Hobby Stocks will be a part of Night #2 of the WCDCA Dwarf Car Nationals on June 17th.

If you are a fan of Dwarf Car racing and want to see great competition, the Nationals on June 16-17 is the time to come check them out.  The best of the best on the West Coast will be there representing NCDCA, SBDCA, CDCA, SODCA and other groups.  This means you'll see Ryan Winters, Gene Pires, Buddy Olschowka, Brock Peters, Camden Robustelli, Matt Sargent, Shawn Jones, Cameron Diatte, Danny Wagner, Kevin Miraglio, Mike Corsaro and many other top notch competitors.

IMCA Modified racers get the month of June off, which will enable the competitors to head north and compete in the Wild West Speedweek Series.  It's not known who might go there, but the Oregon competitors would be understood if they were just a bit nervous at the prospects of having to compete with Paul Stone and Randy Brown.  Stone has been on fire with back to back wins.  Paul isn't chasing points this season, and with multiple Top 3 finishes, Randy Brown is the leader by 21 points over Mike Villanueva and 31 ahead of Bill Egleston.  Randy has finished as high as second, but it seems very likely that his first win will come soon.  Randy is the reigning champion, Egleston is the 2012 champion and Villanueva is a past champion at Hanford.

Last time out, the Modifieds joined the Sport Mods in producing a strong 29 car field, and this race was anything but boring.  Ryan Porter was in the hunt for his first win, but a lap 16 restart opened the door for both Stone and Brown to get by for first and second.  Porter settled for third, meaning he'll have to wait for another shot at joining Ethan Dotson and Ryan McDaniel on the Merced winner's list.  Darrell Hughes II, Bruce "Bubba" Nelson, Derek Nance and Jarod Fast are other drivers to watch in the battle for victory when the class returns along with Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks on Timmy Post Memorial Night on July 1st.  It's uncertain if four time champion Ramie Stone will be there following his second blown motor of the season.

Mini Stocks will have to wait until July 8th to race.  We've heard clarification that D.J. Keldsen's absence this past week was due to a two week suspension following a back stretch tangle with Jennifer Corder that sent him rolling and may have totaled his race car.  In Keldsen's absence, reigning champion Chris Corder won another feature to push his win total to three.  However, Corder still only leads Lucy Falkenberg by four points and Jennifer Corder by seven in a close battle.  Falkenberg enjoyed another second place finish last time to go with another heat race win, but she's determined to get her first feature win.  It may happen next time the Mini Stocks are at Merced.  As for whether Keldsen Racing will be back, we'll have to wait and see.  But, D.J. Keldsen and Cody Keldsen will both be tough to beat if they are there.  Other stars like Destiny Carter, Jason Womack, Shawn DePriset and Tyler Jackson make the Mini Stocks a fun division to watch.


This is a piece I wrote back in January of 2015.  I always wanted to comment on some things concerning Antioch Speedway's role in the demise of NARC.  Others may agree or disagree with my assessment.  What is interesting is NARC is back this year as part of the King Of The West Series this year, and they are returning to Antioch Speedway on June 3rd.  But, did they have to go away at all?  This is in Best Of The Blog And Beyond, and for the first time, it's on the blog...

Looking Back:  Who Killed NARC?

One of the things I considered putting into The DCRR Best Of The Blog And Beyond book was some NARC Sprint Car content.  This was THE Sprint Car group in Northern California for decades.  Oh, they had a good class at Baylands, and Chico was doing their thing.  They even had the Golden State Challenge Series bringing everybody together, but NARC was the king.

The reason I avoided it in the book was NARC really wasn't my thing. Really, I'm a Stock Car guy.  I would rather be at a Stock Car race, and yet I love Spec Sprints.  I helped found the class.  I'm a contradiction, I know.  If it helps, NARC purists were referring to Spec Sprints as a "Bastard Class" and not a REAL Sprint Car when Don O'Keefe Jr. and I were putting that thing together.

Also, NARC was well covered by Jim Allen, and other guys like Ron Albright had columns about this group too.  I did see who wasn't getting covered and would have went right to those drivers.  It was all about "the boys" back then.  They did deserve their ink, but everybody deserved ink.  So, that's where I would have been.  But, the open wheel media handled this group very well.  At times, I stayed home if NARC was racing at Antioch and there was not a Stock Car support class.

I say all of this to clarify where I'm coming from with the opinions I will offer here.  I respected this class.  In 1997 at Antioch, there was absolutely NO sign to the fans that this group was in trouble.  They were packing the fans in.  I had occasion to announce NCMA events when NARC was in town.  The very talented Bobby Gerould felt I knew more about them and could do them justice.  It only lasted a few times before John Myers suddenly got unbusy and started showing up.   I think he felt threatened, but I wasn't gunning for his gig at that time.  I wanted to help the NCMA.

Anyway, NARC had it all.  They had Brent Kaeding, Steve Kent, Paul McMahon, Kevin Pylant, Jason Statler, Jason Lund and so many great racers.  In fact, there is still a lot out there about how great these guys were, and the club has been gone for almost 15 years.  2000 was their last attempt at a season.

In the end, I started to appreciate how truly amazing these guys were.  When they got going under a long green flag period, the leader would catch traffic.  He may have a straightaway lead, but then he had to negotiate traffic.  A few laps later, second might be right on his rear nerf.  I prefer wingless Sprint Cars, but these guys were amazing when they had these lead duels in traffic.  Who is gonna go where?  One wrong move and you lost that lead.

Here's the statement you heard at the time in some circles.  John Soares Jr. killed NARC.  Um, no he didn't.  Now, it didn't help that Jim Allen put his foot in his mouth in his ill fated column or what NARC's Chief Steward had done to insult John Soares Jr. at Petaluma previously, but it was not a lost cause in my opinion.  It's called negotiation.  You are dealing with a new promoter, so sit down at the table and talk.  John knew the numbers at Antioch, but that pie needed to be sliced differently.

At one time, you had Allen hyping both NARC and GSC in press releases, so I believe NARC had a hand in scheduling the GSC.  The GSC was supported by many NARC racers.  At some point, control of that deal slipped to John Padjen and Dave Swindell.  I don't know what happened, but I do know NARC was no longer booked at Chico, Placerville and Hanford.  That hurt, and I don't believe John and Dave were gonna budge.  They had Sprint Car tracks, and they knew they would get support.

It all kind of hit at once, but Soares gets the blame.  I remember when John won the bid and Jim Allen nailed him in his column.  It was brutal.  John had said NARC was off the schedule, but he also indicated to me that he'd be interested in negotiations.  You see, this was the time to sit down and shut up.  Save the anger for when it is all over.

John had just won the bid, Reno came up and it was the season of negotiations.  Let's just see what can be worked out.  With what is around the corner, you need Antioch and Petaluma to save you.  You'll still have San Jose for a couple years, maybe a Watsonville date or two.  A trip to Bakersfield or maybe Tulare.  It's salvageable with Antioch and Petaluma.

Jim Allen torpedoed all of that.  I remember reading the NARC Newsline column in shock.  I don't remember seeing a column like that before.  It ran in Wheels.  I've always wanted to analyze and respond to that with my opinion.  I think now would be a good time for that.  I know they were pretty high on themselves at the time, but this was a little overboard.

Jim begins with this:

The main selling point about the Northern Auto Racing Club Sprint Car schedule is that it's been remarkably consistent.  Over the past decade, it has evolved to a point where open wheel enthusiasts know exactly where NARC is racing, without even looking at a piece of paper.  For instance, the middle of April kicks off the Golden State Challenge Series in Chico.  The first weekend in May and the Memorial Day weekend is all Calistoga.  Of course, Speedweek is based around Independence Day.  And, the Pombo-Sergeant Classic, the middle of July at Kings. The Outlaws in California, September of course.  Get the drift?

My response:

Of course.  It was a very good schedule, and big changes were around the corner, not just with Antioch.  And, yes, NARC always proved they could sell tickets.  So, yeah, I get the drift Jim.

Jim continues:

All that didn't happen by mere chance.  Most of the race promoters in California have realized the benefit of cooperation with their peers, so there are few conflicts between " big " racing events.  The best way to accomplish that was to lock specific racing events on specific weekends for the duration. 

My response:  

Of course.  Having been to Reno for the Promoters Workshop and having worked with clubs before, I know that you generally want all of the dates penciled in before Reno.  Reno is where you ink it all over lunch or dinner and then go hit the slots to celebrate.  I get it, Jim.   Hmm...  I wonder where he might be going with this?

Jim continues:

A decade or so ago, most track promoters operated like lone rangers.  They were isolated in their efforts and it wasn't uncommon to back door, or other word of your choice, other tracks out of their premier shows and racing stars.  However, through venues like the Promoters Workshops and awards banquets, most California promoters make it a point to trade information with their peers and sanctioning bodies.  True, there are still a few renegades in the bunch, but by and large, they all work together.

My response:  

This was 1997.  A decade before, one organization ran three of the tracks you raced at and another one that you may have visited a few times.  Plus, there was Baylands and you had good relationships with other tracks.  So, the only lone ranger I can think of is Mr. Clapp, and you seem to have gotten along well with him.  A decade before, there were even more tracks under control of that person.  Hmmm...  Were things slowly slipping away from him?  I wonder why?  Now, I'm curious.  Wherever can he be going with this?

Jim continues:


Where is this all leading? Well, I'm glad you asked.  A couple of interesting things popped up in November that have a major impact on the NARC-Budweiser Shoot Out Series schedule.  Heading the list was Antioch Speedway, a track that was coming up to bid with the Contra Costa Fairgrounds.  It appeared to be an automatic that Rick Farren and West Coast Speedways would agree to secure the lease.  With track manager Brynda Bockover at the helm, the quarter mile oval ran what this corner regards as one of the most successful weekly programs in Northern California.  After all, the place was always packed with enthusiastic fans, who loved their NASCAR sanctioned Grand American Modifieds and definitely, the NARC Sprint Cars.

My response:  

Good thing I wasn't drinking water.  I might have spit it out in laughter after reading that.  I don't even know where to begin with this.  Let's see...  You know that bid you were talking about?  These fairgrounds are state run and in business to make money.  Sanctioning bodies aren't what are important to them.  Money is.  So, every five years, they have a bid.  This is done to ensure that the fairgrounds is getting the best deal possible.  While I agree with you that NARC did well and NASCAR was just super, this is a business.  If West Coast Speedways was handling things well in the eyes of the fairgrounds, the bid of anybody else would NOT matter.  It's not like others hadn't tried to take the track before, but the fairgrounds stayed with who they had because it was the best deal for them at the time.  You see how that works, right?

Jim continues:

However, little to Farren's knowledge, Petaluma Speedway guru John Soares turned in a proposal for the facility as well.  And, for a substantial more amount of money.  As a result, the fairgrounds awarded the contract to Soares, less the food concessions.  The word cooperation didn't figure into this deal at all.  Off the record, many promoters feel Farren was back doored, or any obscene word you may want to insert.  One story has it that the proposal settled a longstanding 25 year old feud between Soares and Ken Clapp.  Who knows for sure? Better yet, who gives a darn, or word of your choice?

My response:  

Um...  Okay first, John Soares Sr. acted as a proxy for his son, who was in Australia racing at the time.  They kept pushing the date back, and John had prior commitments with his successful Australia venture.  So, his dad was there to make sure John was represented.  Nothing more.  Antioch would not be his track.  As for the money comment, well, see my response to the previous comment.  The fairgrounds is in business to make money.

Perhaps Rick should have been a little more aware or listened to his GM, who was there everyday?  Eventually, she figured it out.  It kind of helped that The DCRR finally let the cat out of the bag when the mystery bidder gave the go ahead to do so.  Yeah, I'm bad, but unlike NARC, I was there every week.  Change was needed.

I felt bad for Rick, because I kind of liked the guy.  At the time I didn't, but in hindsight, I feel bad for Brynda, because she really wasn't as bad as some of us thought she was.  She worked hard to maintain things, had to stifle ideas she had because that wasn't what WCS wanted and she knew what was coming.  As for Ken Clapp....  Hmm...  I had some care somewhere around here earmarked just for him.  I must have misplaced it.  Oh, wait.  No, I really don't care.  I would side with Soares any day of the week.  Ah, that felt good to say.  I wonder where this is going?

Jim continues:

That leaves the West Coast Speedway Corporation with San Jose and Watsonville Speedway in their stable.  Speaking of leaving, count on the NASCAR Grand American Modifieds to be shuttled down the road to one or both of those tracks.  Soares, and son John Jr., now support Petaluma and Antioch Speedway check books.

My response:

I'd let this comment pass, but I knew it was BS the moment I read it back then.  You see, for one thing, Rick was not doing well with San Jose to begin with.  Mismanagement?  I just think they didn't change with the times.  When the amphitheater threat hit, they weren't prepared.  As for that fleet of drivers that would leave, yeah, I remember the recruiting.  We made new stars and showed everybody that the track would not die.  One by one, they all came back.  Imagine that?  Antioch lived on without NASCAR, just as it would have in 1987 if somebody had taken it then.  I get the feeling Jim is going somewhere here.  Let's see...

Jim continues:

BUT WAIT, the story doesn't end there.  Within hours, the Soares'es canceled all of their NARC events at both tracks.  You heard me right, they canceled them, 86'ed them, hasta lavista, see ya later, goodbye!

My response:  

Oh dear.  Did they really?  By the way, I'm a fan of The Terminator too, so I loved the reference there.  Also, you can't assume that these exact dates are on the new promoter's schedule.  You have to...  Whats the word I'm looking for?  Oh yeah, negotiate.

Jim continues:  


Soares cited his inability to book "off night" events and races during October on Petaluma gumbo.  However, he wasn't willing to put them anywhere else on the schedule either, so that story doesn't hold water!  Did I mention that Petaluma is also the new "home" of the BCRA Midgets?

My response:  

So, you wanted a big date in October and Pops wasn't giving it to you?  Something tells me there's more to this story than that.  And, as for BCRA, the man won two championships with them and is in their Hall Of Fame, so what did you expect?  This isn't about them.  It makes me think of how Jimmy's mom lets him do it...  Childish.

Jim continues:

Over at Antioch, Soares Jr. stated that sound issues where the persistent problem.  The insinuation was that the NARC Sprint Cars where substantially louder than anybody else and NARC was the only problem.  Can you say scapegoat?  It appears a local lawyer and homeowner are playing the race card on a decibel meter.  This would be the same type of guy who would purchase a home next to an airport and then complain about the jets landing.  Farren stated that the rebel homeowner has been on the legal bandwagon for years.

My response:  

For one thing, I was at some of those fair board meetings.  The threat against the track was very real.  In fact, since Rick walked away, Watsonville nearly closed for such complaints and is ending racing early on race night to make the complainers happy.  So, call it a scapegoat all you want Jim, but these threats are real.  Also, the Sprint Cars were substantially louder.  You know that.  Plus, there was that incident the NARC official had with John Jr. previously at Petaluma over the noise issue that wasn't very respectful.  Can you say arrogance?.  The fact is, John started that first season by running Street Stocks and Pure Stocks last in order to have the quieter cars on the track later in the night.  I agree with your assessment of the kind of person that complainer is.  Those people suck, but they can and do get race tracks closed.

Jim concludes:

The bottom line is Soares knocked the heart out of NARC's Speedweek '98 schedule by canceling a pair of midweek premium events.  It also leaves the loyal Antioch fans high and dry in a big, big way.  No Grand Ams, no NARC, no loyalty?

My response:  

Yeah, so it's all Soares' fault?  Whatever.  The tone of this column was very arrogant and served to kill whatever chance NARC had to salvage anything at Antioch or Petaluma in 1998.  I have to wonder how much of an effort was made to compromise with John.  Since I never heard anything from him on the matter at the time, I'd say nothing was tried.

So, you can't get mid week dates, then why not weekend dates?  Friday night even.  Did you try to ask for anything?  If Speedweek fails or is altered, at least try to get some dates.  Compromise.  Swallow your pride.  Take a slight pay cut or get a sponsor to cover the loss.  Do something other than pointing a finger at Soares and saying it's all his fault.  That was NOT a smart move, and it was the beginning of the dominoes all being toppled for NARC.

Loyal Antioch fans?  People came to the track for racing, not sanctioning bodies.  And, yes Jim, there were Dirt Modifieds that next year, and all of those who left had returned within two seasons.  John offered a better purse than they had in 1997 and the racers appreciated that.  So, yes, there was loyalty.  Can you say over $2000 in point fund money, just for the Pure Stock champion, in 1998?  AND, Pure Stocks finally had a small purse each week.  Can you say Wingless Spec Sprints and eventually every other type of Winged Sprint Car getting race dates at the track?  So, yeah, Sprint Cars came back.

It is my belief, based on what I knew about John, that NARC could have had dates at Antioch in 1998 and even at Petaluma if they shown a little humility.  Yeah, they packed the stands, but the promoters gave them a place to race.  So, maybe you don't have a Speedweek in 1998 or it has a different look.  If you don't throw a public tantrum in the media and can get back in the gates at the two tracks, wouldn't it be worth trying?  Of course not.  They're NARC, and you must bow down to them.


NARC didn't go down because they had a bad show.  They had an amazing show with 30 cars or more showing up at Antioch and other places.  They died for not being willing to compromise. They died from bad leadership.  They never had to die.  It's sad to see what happened to them.  They had a great heritage and tradition.

Look at it this way, Soares wasn't the only John to tell them to hit the road.  Padjen would send them packing next as he and Dave Swindell provided race dates for the GSC Series, which lives today under a new name and the leadership of John Prentice.  NARC should be there with them.

That leader they loved so much let San Jose Speedway go without a fight and made it difficult for anybody else to try to do something there while the bogus amphitheater deal died.  Then, the grandstands were knocked down.  So, there went San Jose.  By 2000, there's no San Jose, Chico, Placerville, Hanford, Antioch or Petaluma dates, and NARC still thinks they are the king of something?  Humble yourselves a little?  Nope.

They came to Chowchilla, a track that probably wasn't ready for them.  Chowchilla was just getting started.  While it might have been a good track for a date or two that first season, it was probably too much to expect it to work as their home track.  NARC people put money into the place in the hopes that they could make it fly.  Then came the attitudes.  They didn't end up running every race they had booked there.  Like I said, the track was not ready for that kind of demand.  NARC leadership had messed up so badly that they had no other choice at the time.  It was over.

It's real convenient to say Soares did it or Padjen did it or maybe even Tom Sagmiller did it.  You know something?  When more than one promoter (and not of the same family) tells you to take a hike, maybe you should look in the mirror and ask yourself if maybe you are just a bit responsible too.

WCS didn't have to lose Antioch.  If they had put something into that track instead of milking it for all it was worth and acting like they were doing the fairgrounds a favor, they might still have the place today.  And, as for NARC, well, I think I made my point.

It's a damn shame there is no longer a NARC.  There should be.  The racing was always good and there was no shortage of cars.  The glory of racing with NARC was always good enough to gain new drivers.  If they needed to adjust and change with the times, they could have easily either added a 360 Sprint Car class or just switched over to that.  In any case, if the leadership had been a little better during the tumultuous years of change, they would probably still be here today.

That's just my opinion.  You know what they say about opinions?  It's funny that it was 15 years ago this year when they ran their last season. Where does the time go?

Monday, May 22, 2017

Burd, Keller Antioch Winners, Paul, Ryland Merced Winners And More


First of all...


On Sale At Reduced Price






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

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



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

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover


Also...

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

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion Can Be Heard HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show

Burd, Keller, Sorensen, Teves Win County Fair Races 
At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...May 19-20...Brandon Burd made a big gain in points with his first 25 lap All Star Series Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway.  The division ran a special Saturday night show with B Modifieds as part of the Contra Costa County Fair, and the past Chowchilla champion Burd had a front row start for the feature.  Trophy Dash winner Alan Miranda ended up on the front row with Burd after rookies Robert Floyd and William Fatu moved to the back for the start.  Burd led Miranda at the start, and the race saw an early yellow flag after contact in Turn 2 sent Fatu crashing to end his race.  Burd continued to lead as Miranda ran strong in search of his first win.  Heat winner Shannon Newton and Roy Fisher battled for third.  Burd drove a brilliant race for the victory.  Miranda settled for another second place finish.  Newton had a season best third as Fisher and Floyd rounded out the Top 5.

K.C. Keller had a great night with wins in his heat race and the 25 lap B Modified Main Event.  Mark Garner set the early pace, but a yellow flag flew for a tangle between heat winner Kevin Brown and Randy Brown.  Two time Limited Late Model champion Ron Brown made his first start of the year to make it three Brown brothers on the track.  Garner spun in Turn 4, moving Keller into the lead over Chuck Golden.  Keller took a step into the point lead with a hard earned feature victory.  Chuck Golden ran second for most of the race for a season best effort.  Trophy Dash winner Trevor Clymens made a last lap pass on Megan Ponciano for a third place finish.  Ron Brown finished fifth.

Chris Sorensen won the 25 lap Hobby Stock Main Event, which was part of the Friday night portion of the County Fair race along with the Dwarf Cars.  2010 champion Sorensen had a front row starting spot and set the pace from the start as Cameron Swank settled into second.  Heat race winner Chris Long quickly worked his way into third.  As Sorensen set a fast pace up front, Long battled Swank for second before making the pass.  Despite some mechanical issues, heat race winner Brent Curran steadily worked his way from 12th starting and into the Top 5.  Back up front, Sorensen maintained command and brought it home to a satisfying victory.  Long maintained his championship effort in second, followed by Swank, Curran and Billy Garner's best effort yet in fifth.  Joey Ridgeway won a special four lap Trophy Dash.

2015 Dwarf Car champion David Teves returned to the driver's seat of "The Unicorn" and sped to the 25 lap feature victory.  A week earlier, it was David's son Adam Teves getting the win.  This time, David had his hands full battling Mike Corsaro and reigning champion Kevin Miraglio as all three had to charge from further back in the pack.  Teves got there first and showed why he is still one of the top Dwarf Car pilots in the Bay Area with his impressive victory.  Corsaro rebounded from his DNF of a week earlier in second as Miraglio settled for third.  Travis Hensley and Jenna Frazier completed the Top 5.  Miraglio denied Teves a clean sweep by beating him in their eight lap heat race.  David Michael Rosa won his heat, while Teves held off rookie Devan Kammermann to win the four lap Trophy Dash.

After a week off for Memorial Day Weekend, Antioch Speedway is offering up a big King Of The West/NARC Winged 410 Sprint Car race on June 3rd.  All Star Series Hobby Stocks will run in support.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Race Results
Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat 1-Shannon Newton, Alan Miranda, William Fatu.  Heat 2-Rick Panfili, Brian Grosenheider, Roy Fisher.  Trophy Dash-Alan Miranda, Shannon Newton, Brian Grosenheider.  Main Event-Brandon Burd, Alan Miranda, Shannon Newton, Roy Fisher, Robert Floyd, William Fatu, Rick Panfili, Brian Grosenheider, Peter Carlotto, Abigail Gonderman.

B Modifieds
Heat 1-K.C. Keller, Trevor Clymens, Ron Brown.  Heat 2-Randy Brown, Mark Garner, Chuck Golden.  Trophy Dash-Trevor Clymens, K.C. Keller, Randy Brown.  Main Event-K.C. Keller, Chuck Golden, Trevor Clymens, Megan Ponciano, Ron Brown, Paul Mulder, Kevin Brown, Mark Garner, Randy Brown, Mike Mates.

Dwarf Cars
Heat 1-Kevin Miaglio, David Teves, Travis Hensley.  Heat 2-David Michael Rosa, Devan Kammermann, Brandon Anderson.  Trophy Dash-David Teves, Devan Kammermann, David Michael Rosa.  Main Event-David Teves, Mike Corsaro, Kevin Miraglio, Travis Hensley, Jenna Frazier, Charlie Correia, David Rosa, David Corsaro, Chris Becker, Mario Marquez.

Hobby Stocks
Heat 1-Brent Curran, Joey Ridgeway, Cameron Swank.  Heat 2-Chris Long, Billy Garner, Michael Cooper.  Trophy Dash-Joey Ridgeway, Chris Long, Brent Curran.  Main Event-Chris Sorensen, Chris Long, Cameron Swank, Brent Curran, Billy Garner, Russell Shearer, Chris Bennett, Gene Haney, Anthony Vigna, Rick Foster.


Stone, Ryland, Corder Share 
Merced Speedway Winner's Circle

Merced, CA...May 20...Paul Stone won his second straight 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Merced Speedway.  The three time Merced Speedway track champion made a charge from the fifth row to get the lead during the final ten laps.  Stone was joined deep in the pack at the start by point leader Randy Brown as fourth generation racer Ryan Porter held command early on.  A lap 16 caution flag changed the complexion of the race.  Stone made his move when green flag racing resumed and brought it home to a well earned victory.  Brown also made a move past Porter for second.  Porter settled for third as Darrell Hughes II, Bill Egleston, Derek Nance, Mike Vallanueva, Bruce "Bubba" Nelson, Joel Myers and Jarod Fast rounded out the Top 10.  Nance, Myers and Stone were eight lap heat race winners.

Fred Ryland finally recorded his first 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event win of the season.  The current point leader, Ryland raced from the fifth row with reigning champion Rick Diaz joining him on the move to the front.  It was a little over 20 years ago when Mark Odgers and Darren Thomas were battling for track championships.  Odgers was racing Darren's son Tanner Thomas at the start of the race in a good battle up front.  Ryland and Diaz steadily worked their way to the front before both got past Thomas and Odgers.  Ryland held off Diaz for a hard fought victory.  T. Thomas beat Odgers back to the line for a career best third place finish.  Anthony Giuliani was a solid fifth ahead of Paul Espino, Tim Elias, Jarred Tickel, Patti Ryland and Jack Aguiar.  T. Thomas, Ryland and Diaz won eight lap heat races.

Chris Corder won the 15 lap Mini Stock Main Event.  The current point leader, C. Corder has seemingly hit his stride after a bumpy start.  Corder and Lucy Falkenberg were once again six lap heat race winners, and Falkenberg raced into the lead at Doug Laidlaw's green flag.  A lap two yellow flag bunched the field, and C. Corder raced past Falkenberg on the outside to take the lead.  Jennifer Corder took second from Falkenberg on lap six.  A lap nine restart provided L. Falkenberg her opportunity to race past J. Corder for second as last starter Kyle Reeder also got by for third.  Reeder made an inside pass in Turn 4 of the 13th lap to take second from Falkenberg, but he had problems down the back stretch a lap later, allowing Falkenberg and J. Corder back into second and third.  C. Corder had a half straightaway advantage in scoring his fourth victory.  Falkenberg was a career best second once again as J. Corder, Reeder, Shawn DePriest, Jeremy Perry, Destiny Carter, Tyler Jackson, Jason Womack and 2015 champion Darren Miguel completed the Top 10.

Tim Vaught returned to the winner's circle with his 15 lap California Sharp Mini Late Model feature victory.  Vaught also won the six lap heat race for a clean sweep.  Tim Crews was a solid second ahead of Riley Jeppesen and Ian Shearer.

Chris Birdsong won both the 12 Main Event and six lap heat race for the Valley Sportsman division.  Jeff Bristow was second in both races.

After the Memorial Day Weekend break, racing resumes during the Merced County Fair on June 7th.  The Wednesday race will feature IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.

Race Results
A Modifieds
Heat 1-Derek Nance, Mike Villanueva, Harley Turner.  Heat 2-Paul Stone, Ryan Porter, Darrell Hughes II.  Heat 3-Joel Myers, Randy Brown, Troy Stone.  Main Event-Paul Stone, Randy Brown, Ryan Porter, Darrell Hughes II, Bill Egleston, Derek Nance, Mike Villanueva, Bruce Nelson, Joel Myers, Jarod Fast, Robert Marsh, Troy Stone, Buddy Thatcher, Justin Villaneuva, Harley Turner, Ricky Thatcher (DNS), Will Fryckman (DNS), Ramie Stone (DNS), Steve Streeter (DNS).

B Modifieds
Heat 1-Tanner Thomas, Patti Ryland, Chase Thomas.  Heat 2-Fred Ryland, Josh Hensley, Chuck Weir.  Heat 3-Rick Diaz, Mark Odgers, Anthony Giuliani.  Main Event-Fred Ryland, Rick Diaz, Tanner Thomas, Mark Odgers, Anthony Giuliani, Paul Espino, Tim Elias, Jarred Tickel, Patti Ryland, Jack Aguiar, Josh Hensley, Chase Thomas, Chuck Weir, Mark Condell, Cody Parker, Jason Pugh, Dale Grissom, Dave Smart (DNS), Tony Hornyack (DNS).

Mini Stock
Heat 1-Chris Corder, Shawn DePriest, Tyler Jackson.  Heat 2-Lucy Falkenberg, Jennifer Corder, Jason Womack.  Main Event-Chris Corder, Lucy Falkenberg, Jennifer Corder, Kyle Reeder, Shawn DePriest, Jeremy Perry, Destiny Carter, Tyler Jackson, Jason Womack, Darren Miguel.

Mini Late Models
Heat-Tim Vaught, Tim Crews, Riley Jeppesen.  Main Event-Tim Vaught, Tim Crews, Riley Jeppesen, Ian Shearer.

Valley Sportsman
Heat-Chris Birdsong, Jeff Bristow.  Main Event-Chris Birdsong, Jeff Bristow.


Eliason, Burke, Hagio, Oliveira Win Ocean Speedway Features

Watsonville, CA...May 19...Cory Eliason won the 30 lap Taco Bravo Sprint Car Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway.  Eliason chased D.J. Netto for five laps before making the pass for the lead.  Past champions Justin Sanders and Tommy Tarlton were running third and fourth with Mathew Moles fifth at a lap 12 red flag.  Eliason continued to lead Netto on the restart as Sanders moved into third.  Tarlton passed Sanders for third on lap 20 and quickly struck to second.  Kurt Nelson moved into fifth on lap 14 and took fourth from Sanders on lap 23.  On lap 27, Nelson put the moves on Netto for third, but Netto came back and regained the position.  Eliason ran a great race, and even with Tarlton close behind him, he was not letting this win slip away.  Tarlton settled for second ahead of Netto, Nelson, Sanders, Brad Furr, Geoff Ensign, Michael Kofoid, Jerry Bonnema and Moles.  Tarlton, Nelson and Furr were eight lap heat race winners, and Eliason held off Kofoid to win the six lap Trophy Dash.

Cody Burke won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event.  Nick DeCarlo won the eight lap heat race.  The Main Event was destined to go non stop, and DeCarlo raced out into the lead at the start ahead of Kyle Wilson.  DeCarlo set a good pace out front.  K. Wilson was hanging with him until Cody Burke made a move into second on lap 17.  Burke moved up to make a challenge on DeCarlo during the final few laps.  Burke put the moves on DeCarlo for the lead on lap 23 and brought it home to victory from there.  K. Wilson led brother Alex Wilson past DeCarlo for a 2-3 finish as DeCarlo settled for fourth.  Late Model ace Jeff Decker, Andy Obertello, Danny Wagner and Todd Hermosillo rounded out the finishing order.

Matt Hagio won his second straight IMCA Sport Modified Main Event.  Mark Hartman and State point leader Shane DeVolder started the night off with eight lap heat race wins, and Duane Bieser led a lap of the Main Event before being passed by DeVolder.  Hagio was quickly into second and made a move for the lead on lap five, only to see it negated by a yellow flag.  DeVolder led the restart with Hagio pressuring him until making the pass for the lead on lap eight.  Hagio began to pull away to over a straightaway advantage by the time the checkered flag flew.  Tim Elias made a last lap pass on DeVolder for second.  DeVolder settled for third ahead of Adriane Frost, Keith Brown Jr., Charlie Hunter, Bieser, John Ferro, Mike Kofnovec and Billy Robertson.

Tony Oliveira impressed with his 20 lap American Stock Main Event victory.  The race went non stop, and heat race winner Oliveira raced out to the lead at the start.  Devon Sanders was an early second, but heat race winner Rob Gallaher charged from fifth to second on lap four.  Oliveira had a little over a three second advantage at that point, but Gallaher had reeled him in by lap ten.  Despite pressure from the reigning champion during the final ten laps, Oliveira kept his cool for a well earned victory.  Gallaher settled for second with J.C. Elrod a strong third ahead of Katie Briggs, Jake Silva, Dexter Long, Austin Williams, Terry Traub, Tony Peffer and Devon Sanders.

Race Results
Tace Bravo Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Tommy Tarlton, Michael Kofoid, Geoff Ensign.  Heat 2-Kurt Nelson, Brent Kaeding, Justin Sanders.  Heat 3-Brad Furr, Collin Markle, Ryan Bernal.  Trophy Dash-Cory Eliason, Justin Sanders, D.J. Netto.  Main Event-Cory Eliason, Tommy Tarlton, D.J. Netto, Kurt Nelson, Justin Sanders, Brad Furr, Geoff Ensign, Michael Kofoid, Jerry Bonnema, Mathews Moles.

IMCA Modifieds
Heat-Nick DeCarlo, Todd Hermosillo, Kyle Wilson.  Main Event-Cody Burke, Kyle Wilson, Alex Wilson, Nick DeCarlo, Jeff Decker, Andy Obertello, Danny Wagner, Todd Hermosillo.

IMCA Sport Modified
Heat 1-Mark Hartman, Matt Hagio, Duane Bieser.  Heat 2-Shane DeVolder, Tim Elias, Mike Kofnovec.  Main Event-Matt Hagio, Tim Elias, Shane DeVolder, Adriane Frost, Keith Brown Jr., Charlie Hunter, Duane Bieser, John Ferro, Mike Kofnovec, Billy Robertson.

American Stocks
Heat 1-Rob Gallaher, Devon Sanders, Dexter Long.  Heat 2-Tony Oliveira, J.C. Elrod, Katie Briggs.  Main Event-Tony Oliveira, Rob Gallaher, J.C. Elrod, Katie Briggs, Jake Silva, Dexter Long, Austin Williams, Terry Traub, Tony Peffer, Devon Sanders.


Kern County Raceway Race Results May 19, 2017
A Mod

Main 30 Laps
Ethan Dotson
Brad Pounds
Scott Pounds
Garrett Jernagan
Nick Spainhoward
Leland Hibdon
Race Liberante
Steve Noland
Austin Keifer
Wayne Coffman
Cody Laney
Austin Manzella
Danny Lauer
Kyle Wood
Rob Sanders
Gage Cheek  DNS
Danny Okeefe DNS

Mod Lite
Main 20 Laps

Zach Forester
Jeff Thompson
Kaden Cochrun
Roy Maynard
Anthony Balcazar
JD Brown
Kenny Cochrun
Jerry Flippo
Marc McCaslin
Cheyenne Flippo
Kollin Hibdon
Tim Varney
Kyleigh Forester
Seth Poncetta
Cayden McCaslin

Junior Mini Dwarf
Main 12 Laps

HANK HALL
STRYKER CONLEY
Trenton Rickel
Cole Forester
JETT YANTIS
Adam Nohl
BRANSYN SPEER
Khloe Cotton
Seth Hansen

Senior Mini Dwarf
Main 15 Laps
Kennedy Cotton
BROEDY GRAHAM
SETH WISE
TAILER MORRISON
JAKOB CAREY
TRENTON EURTO
Austin Murch
Brayden Dominguez
NATHAN EDWARDS
Cade Lewis
SUNNIE SIMKINS DNS


Marysville Race Raceway Race Results May 20, 2017
360 Sprints

Bradley Terrell
Billy Wallace
Peter Paulson
Jeremy Hawes
Korey Lovell
Tyler Seavey
Jimmy Steward
Mike Monahan
Pat Harvey Jr.
Heath Hall
Alec Justeson
Kyle Standley
Raquel Hall

IMCA Sport Mods
Shane Devolder
Phillip Shelby
Damian Merritt
Mike Merritt
Mike Smith
Thomas Reynolds
John Johnson
David Derr
Raymond Benkowski

Hobby Stocks

Brian Compton
Mel Byers
Kyle Cheney
Matt Magenheimer
Anthony Doubledee
Eddie Creevon
Cy Cooper

Economy Sprints
Adam Ermolenko
Cameron Haney Jr.
Britton Bock
Jaylon Deas
Cameron Haney
Kevin Dozier


Placerville Speedway Race Results May 20, 2017
Winged 360 Sprint Cars

Greg DeCaires
Mason Moore
Andy Forsberg
Jimmy Trulli
Andy Gregg
Ryan Robinson
Justyn Cox
Kalib Henry
D.J. Freitas
Steven Tiner
Lucas Ashe
Cody Fendley
Mike Cook
Matt Peterson
Kaleb Montgomery
Chris Masters
Colby Wiesz
Jake Morgan
Sean Becker
Mike Benson

B Main
Mike Benson
Chris Masters
Kaleb Montgomery
Cody Fendley
Dustin Freitas
Justin Johnson
Adam Brenton

Limited Late Models
Ryan McDaniel
Matt Michelli
Tyler Lightfoot
Tom Tilford
Ray Trimble
Eddie Gardner
Mike Lightfoot
Rod Oliver

Pure Stocks

Dan Jinkerson
Scott Grunert
Nick Baldwin
Rick Grunert
Jason Palmer
Orville Owens
Ryan Peter
Chris Van Roenkel
John Ewing
Jay Bryant
Jesse Van Roenkel
Jeff Sly
Ken Bernstein
Travis Emery
Mike Stoeckle

NCDCA Dwarf Cars
Shawn Jones
Ryan Winter
Danny Wagner
Mike Grenert
Scott Dahlgren
Mike Reeder
Johnny Reeves
Buddy Olschowka
Doug Martin
Ben Wiesz
Josh Wiesz
Colby Wiesz
Jeff Fitch
Glenn Sciarani
Dan Brown Jr.
Danny Zuger
Chris Mello
Justin Winter
Toby Brown
Chris Fizer
Aaron Rupley
Dan Geil
Robert Johnson


Ventura Raceway Unofficial Race Results May 20, 2017

VRA Sprint Cars

1 39 Kyle Edwards
2 55 Kyle Smith
3 0k Kenny Perkins
4 15 Rick Hendrix
5 71 Brent Owens
6 3k Trenton Sparks
7 u47 Ed Schwarz
8 96 Charlie Butcher
9 93 Reed Broschart
10 3g Greg Andrews NS

VRA Pro Dwarf Cars
MAIN

1 56v LJ Billings
2 93 Jason Horton
3 41 Nick Velasquez
4 69 Johnny Conley
5 6 Dave Conley
6 18 Tom Morley
7 64 Trevor Fitzgibbon
8 12 Chase Lippert
9 0 Brad Curnel
10 48 Trent Morley
11 4 Tommy Velasquez II
12 91 Kody Cowan
13 16 Tom Stephens. Jr
14 88 Jeff Brink
15 14 Tommy Velasquez III
16 8 Tim Conley

Semi
1 88 Jeff Brink
2 0 Brad Curnel
3 4 Tommy Velasquez II
4 91 Kody Cowan
5 57 Jeff Hinz
6 44x Zach Curnel
7 45 Korey Cowan
8 38 April Banuelos

IMCA Modifieds
1 08 Dave Phipps
2 09 Luis Espinoza
3 7 Chris Crompe
4 55jr Jack Parker
5 14T Blake Thornell
6 14J Justin Dunn
7 8t Anthony Merritt
8 11 Andrew Greiman
9 70 Terry Hershberger
10 67 Brandon Becker
11 21 Austin Rodarte
12 29 Chuck Becker

VRA Senior Sprints
1 27 Steve Brown
2 2 Wally Pankratz
3 47 Ed Schwarz
4 66 Chris Meredith
5 3g Greg Edwards
6 4k Danny Parrish
7 85 Bill Holmes
8 67 Russell Martin


Petaluma Speedway Race Results May 20, 2017
PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Cars

1     #63 Geoff Ensign      
2     #7h Jake Haulot
3     #101 Klint Simpson
4     #5v Zack Lynskey
5     #52 David Lindt II
6     #29r Riley Matson
7     #12j John Clark          
8     #32 Norm Johns          
9     #9 Bret Barney  

McLea's Tire Service IMCA Modifieds
1     #16m Michael Paul
2     #23 Oreste Gonnella
3     #01 Terry Kaiser
4     #23m Michelle Paul
5     #2y Justin Yaeger      
6     #4x Anthony Slaney          
7     #18j Jeff Faulkner      
8     #b4 Bobby Montalvo        
 

Lumberjack's Restaurant Super Stocks
1     #22m Mitch Machado           
2     #46 Steve Studebaker
3     #25k Jeff Kendrick    
4     #06 Robert Sharp
5     #60 Shawn McCoy
6     #93 Roger Miller    
7     #00 Gary Adams
8     #17 Terry Decarlo     
9     #11c Sean Cook       
10     #22 Paul Hanley
11     #07 Manny Avila
12     #04 Dan Smith      
13     #0a Sid Hess            
14     #3 Matt While        
DNS    #49 Woody Woodward    

General Hydroponics Dwarf Cars
1     #75b Cameron Diatte      
2     #23 Dave Mosier  
3     #9xxx Chad Matthias
4     #21x Marcus Hardina
5     #22 Travis Dutra
6     #22z Zack Albers
7     #91 Zack Atcheson
8     #46b Marty Weisler  
9     #66 Scooter Gomes  
10     #81 Miranda Chappa  
11     #12 Brandon Gentry
12     #38d Ryan Klein
13     #79 Mark Hanson  
14     #27 Danny Marsh  
15     #10 Barry Waddell
16     #13a Mike Affonso  
17     #88n Adam Freitas          
18     #44b Bill Delfield      
19     #34 Brian Cook
      

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway, Orland Raceway, Hayfork Speedway Previews

First of all...


On Sale At Reduced Price






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

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



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

Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover


Also...

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

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion Can Be Heard HERE

The DCRR Racing Radio Show


Two Nights Of Antioch Speedway Racing 
During Contra Costa County Fair

Antioch, CA...Racing will continue during the Contra Costa County Fair at Antioch Speedway.  Oval Motorsports has decided to have two All Star Series events, starting with Friday night's show of Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.  On Saturday night, Wingless Spec Sprints and B Modifieds will be racing.  This will give racing fans an opportunity for a taste of auto racing and county fair activity prior to the Memorial Day Weekend break.

Perhaps the strongest division at Antioch Speedway so far this year has been the Hobby Stocks.  Over 20 different drivers have competed in the first three point races, including several new competitors.  Counting the non point New Year's Bash, we now have three different winners in four races, and rookie Brent Curran is the only two time winner in the group.  Curran was unstoppable in charging from 14th starting to victory last time out.  That was his second straight win.  Despite that, the 2014 Mini Stock champion trails Chris Long by two points in a close battle.  Long won the New Year's race and has been very consistent so far.

Consistency has also kept Cameron Swank in the battle.  The son of past Street Stock racer Glenn Swank, Cameron nearly won the second race of the season before getting sideways on the last lap and falling back a few positions.  Swank is in his third season at the speedway and still in search of his first win.  He's been fast since he started, and it's only a matter of time before that win will come.  At 16 points out, Swank is very much in title contention.  Sometimes you have to pay your dues before you finally get a victory.  Michael Cooper went four seasons before winning his first feature.  He also won the season opener this year to stay within 16 points of the lead.

Chris Sorensen is lurking, and that's bad news for the competition.  The 2010 champion is holding fifth in the standings, just 36 points out and six ahead of 2016 point runnerup Lindsey Buirch.  It's not a matter of if, but when Sorensen gets another feature win.  Chris is also preparing a B Modified, and we're looking forward to seeing him drive it when it's ready.  Don't count Buirch out.  This talented young lady has improved since her first few starts in 2015, and she's going to have a big moment out there soon.

Chris Bennett had a few people cracking jokes because this determined rookie is racing hard to finish further up in the pack and has spun a few times.  He probably would have had a Top 5 finish last time if not for a spin late in his battle with Sorensen.  Just as Bob Hansen won in that familiar #6 car that Chris pays tribute to, don't be surprised when he gets a win.  The field is filled with talented competitors like Joey Ridgeway, Jordan Swank, Billy Garner, Anthony Vigna, Ricky Foster, Frank Furtado and Lori Brown, and it should be a good race this Friday night.

Last Saturday night, young Adam Teves had the Dwarf Car competitors breathing a sigh of relief.  They don't have to contend with him or his two time championship winning father David Teves on a regular basis.  Adam jumped behind the wheel of the blue #08 car, nicknamed The Unicorn, and raced past reigning champion Kevin Miraglio for the victory.  It was Adam's first Antioch Dwarf Car start since 2015.  Miraglio lost second when he suffered a mechanical failure late and fell out.  Chuck Connover scored his second straight runnerup finish and has emerged as a championship contender.

Mike Corsaro and teammate Charlie Correia had a nice battle going at the front of the pack early on before Corsaro nudged ahead.  Unfortunately, Mike's motor gave up on him and earned him a disappointing DNF for the night.  Rookie Devan Kammermann, Brian Gray and Toby Brown were all making good laps last week, and they should be there to compete with other hard chargers such as David Rosa, Chris Becker, Roberto Monroy and Robert Coe this Friday night.

The Wingless Spec Sprints have an interesting battle in the works.  It looks like no past Antioch champions are in contention this season, and only two past Spec Sprint champions are making a run for it.  Not surprisingly, one of those drivers is Bryan Grier.  Grier is the 2014 Watsonville champion and leads the point race on the strength of his season opening victory.  There are five drivers within 16 points of Grier, led by NFL Pro Bowl Lineman Jeremy Newberry, past Chowchilla champion Brandon Burd, Rick Panfili, Alan Miranda and Roy Fisher.  Any of these drivers could write their name into the books as the 19th Spec Sprint champion of Antioch Speedway.  Only one of them, Panfili, has been a part of this division since it started.

Last time out, 2004 chanpion Bob Newberry made a surprise appearance and won both his heat race and the Main Event.  With Bob's impressive credentials going back to his days in a Street Stock, he's a threat to win any time he decides to come race.  Shannon Newton, Tyler Henriques and James East are others to watch.  The division also has a pair or rookies who haven't looked too bad in their first starts, Robert Floyd and Abigail Gonderman.  The Saturday Spec Sprint show should be another good one.

Trevor Clymens didn't have much luck in his West Coast Sport Mod Tour weekend effort, but the reigning Antioch B Mod champion alreday has a pair of victories.  This gives Trevor a slim two point lead over the consistent K.C. Keller going into Saturday.  Keller won twice last year, but he's looking to write his name onto the winner's list this season.  Randy Brown has a heat win this year, but he wants to put the Brown family name in the books as a B Mod feature winner.  Randy seems a bit faster this year, and the past Street Stock and Late Model racer could get a win at any time.  As it is, he's just 16 points out of the lead.

Only 18 points back are the tied Chuck Golden and Mark Garner.  Both of these drivers are more than capable of winning a Main Event.  Garner just grabbed a big victory in the Limited Late Model Larry Damitz Memorial last week.  His luck hasn't been so good in this class so far, but this is a new week.  Anything can happen.  Joining these Top 5 competitors this week should be hard chargers like Doff Cooksey, Kevin Brown and Mike Mates.    It's possible that we could see 2016 Hobby Stock champion Guy Ahlwardt and past Street Stock champion Todd Gomez as well.  Gomez won a Main Event earlier this season.

Fans have two opportunities to see some racing at Antioch Speedway during the Contra Costa County Fair.  Friday will be Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.  Saturday night will be Wingless Spec Sprints and B Modifieds.  For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.


IMCA Modifieds Back At Merced Speedway Saturday Night

Merced, CA...Saturday night is Steitz Towing Night at Merced Speedway, and it's also a night of IMCA Modified and Sport Modified racing.  Also on the program will be the Mini Stocks and the Valley Sportsman division.  Promoter Ed Parker has been shaking things up with lots of variety this year, and this will be another exciting night of racing on the quarter-mile clay oval.

It's not a big surprise to look at the top of the point list and see Randy Brown leading the IMCA Modified standings after three races.  When you don't finish outside the Top 3 in the Main Event in all of your starts, you will be hard to beat in a point race.  Brown made a couple of late passes in the Ted Stofle Classic to get second, but winner Paul Stone was off in another time zone.  A race earlier, Randy had a win in his sights until being passed late by Ethan Dotson.  You know the reigning track champion will get a win this season, but will it be this week?

The one point per position nature of the IMCA point structure puts Brown 16 points ahead of past Hanford champion Mike Villanueva.  Mike has always been around as a threat to win, but he's avoided point racing in recent seasons.  He certainly has the skill set to make a run at it if he has that goal in mind.  The two drivers behind Mike are past Merced champions Bill Egleston and Chris Shannon.  They are locked in a tie for third, 12 points out of second.  Chris has been enjoying racing more these days as his teen son D.J. is out there racing with him.  Chris was also a Late Model competitor when Merced had a divsion and then later with the CarQuest group.  Egleston has a Late Model, and he enjoys going down to Bakersfield when he gets a chance.  Either Shannon or Egleston could be a threat to win this week.

Bruce "Bubba" Nelson might have been thinking his first Merced win was just around the corner after winning a thrilling three-car battle for victory earlier this year at Chowchilla.  It may not have happened at his home track yet, but as a two time Hobby Stock champion and a feature winner in both Hobby Stocks and Sport Modifieds, Bubba has what it takes to win in this division too.  Hard chargers like Ryan Porter, Ryan Larimer, Derek Nance, Ramie Stone and Ricky Thatcher will make Saturday's show an exciting event.

Five races into the IMCA Sport Modified season, Fred Ryland holds a slim seven point advantage over Jeremy Hoff in the championship battle.  Neither driver has a win yet, but both are consistent Top 5 finishers.  Another thing these two leadfoots have in common is both are past Antioch champions in this division and both are feature winners in the past at Merced.  You won't keep these two out of the winner's circle for long.  Young Chase Thomas has quietly worked his way into third in the standings, 35 points out of the lead.  Merced championships are something the Thomas family knows all about.  Chase's father Darren Thomas is a three time Street Stock champ, and he's the proud father of two sons currently in the Top 10 in points.  Keep an eye on both Chase and younger brother Tanner Thomas this week.

Even when Rick Diaz misses a race, he's still not out of the title hunt.  The reigning two time champion has three wins to rank just 37 points behind Ryland.  The road to victory still goes through him.  However, rookie Chuck Weir and third generation racer T.J Etchison III both count themselves among this season's feature winners.  Some talented racers make Sport Mod racing at Merced exciting to watch, and other drivers to keep an eye on this week include Chris Falkenberg, Paul Espino, Tim Elias, Dwayne Short, Josh Hensley and Mark Odgers.

The anticipated showdown between reigning Mini Stock champion Chris Corder and reigning Watsonville Mini Stock champion D.J. Keldsen last week never happened.  Keldsen skipped the race and surrendered the point lead to Chris Corder.  Was it merely a case of avoiding the inevitable?  It's hard to say, but Corder sped to his third win of the season.  A Keldsen won at Watsonville last week, but it was Cody Keldsen doing the honors this time.  This just means that the next time the Keldsen's come to town, it will be twice as tough to beat them.  Jennifer Corder had her brother in her sights last week, but it all slipped away with mechanical problems in the Main Event.  Both Corder's had won heat races earlier in the evening.

It's a young and enthusiastic group of drivers in the Mini Stocks at Merced Speedway these days, led by second year racer Destiny Carter.  After her fourth place finish last week, Destiny is within a few points of third in the standings.  Lucy Falkenberg is still in front of her on the strength of a career best second place finish in her most recent start.  Speaking of career bests, Shawn DePriest did a great job in finishing second last time out.  Other drivers to watch for this week include Tyler Jackson, Helena Guzman and Jeremy Perry.

The Valley Sportsman division is back this week for their third appearance.  So far, feature wins have gone to Chris Birdsong and Jeff Bristow, who has his car up for sale.  We also got to see the beautiful #62 car of Eric Sealy last time out.  Kenny Birdsong announced that son Chris will be driving his Rod Poor Tribute Car this week.  Other drivers to watch for include Shannon Fry, Jeff West and two time champion Mike Friesen.

Merced Speedway will have an exciting show this Saturday night with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and the Sportsman division all in action.  For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.



Friday Night Fair Race At Orland Raceway

Orland, CA...It's time once again for the Glenn County Fair, and that also means racing at Orland Raceway.  Friday night will be a night of action on the one-fifth mile dirt oval.  The program will include Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks, Mini Stocks, Micro Sprints and a Powder Puff RV Destruction Derby.

The Pure Stocks at Orland have been doing pretty well at the track over the past few years.  Car count has been able to reach into the double digits, and there are some good racers in the field.  Leading the charge is two time reigning champion Steve Martin.  Steve figured to be the driver to beat this season, and he started the season off a couple weeks ago wth a Main Event victory.  Clearly, he's going to continue to be hard to beat.

However, Martin has some tough competitors in the field to contend with.  Drivers like Jeremy Langenderfer, Shannon Collins, Brad Ray and Keith Ross are on the roster this year.  Last season, Langenderfer, Collins and Ray were feature winners, and Collins won a few weeks ago in Chico.  Ray and Ross are both past Mini Truck champions.  Ray provided Martin with his toughest competition in the opener before finishing second ahead of Ross.  At this point, Ross is doing double duty in both Pure Stocks and Mini Trucks.

With the word getting out about how competitive the class is in Orland, there could be some drivers coming in from  elsewhere to test their skills.  They will also have to battle regulars like Amanda Koop, Cody Bundy, Chris Barnett, John Camper and Ethan Benzel.

Ross is part of a small but competitive Mini Truck class.  He won the season opener, but he had to battle reigning champion  Dan Webster and past champion Ross Vige to get it.  These three should be at the head of the pack this week, but William Fogle, Jeremy Callen, Nathan Skaggs and Olin Crane are others to watch for.

The big name in Mini Stocks is Tom Davis.  Tom was stopped in the opener, but it was mechanical issues that slowed the past champion in that case.  John Kirkpatrick is a two time defending champion, but what he's really looking for is a feature win.  He won the title last season despite not winning a Main Event.  He knocked on the door last time in second behind the flying Sean Perry.  One of the last Marysville drivers with a car, Donnie Fortney, was at the opener along with Barbara Crane.  Other drivers to watch for this week include past champion Robert Hunt, Eric Hammond, Seth Libbee and Donovan Chilton.

The Micro Sprints have two classes, and the 250's are doing it without wings for the first six races.  Jackie Whitson Jr. is one of the top stars in recent seasons and won the opener ahead of James Barnes, Jackie Whitson Sr. and Jess Garland.  The first 600's race of the year had just the two Michelet cars as Mavel beat Kyra Michelet.  We're hoping to see three of the top drivers in recent years on Friday, reigning champion Jeromie Chrismon, Skyler Richter and Tony Alosi.

When the racing is over on Friday night, the Powder Puff RV Destruction Derby will close the show.  The County Fair Derbies in recent years have been very entertaining.  Friday's program at Orland Raceway should be a good one.  For further information, go to www.orlandraceway.org.


New Season Begins Saturday Night At Hayfork Speedway

Hayfork, CA...Hayfork Speedway got national attention in a racing publication last month, but maybe a key point wasn't made clear enough.   They race at Hayfork Speedway.  It's a field of dreams for the people of Hayfork.  When Clyde Cordell began lobbying for this track some seven years ago, it was because he knew this would be good for the community.  It gives people a place to go on Saturday nights during the summer, and it offers people the opportunity to live out their dreams of driving a race car.  They race at Hayfork Speedway.

On Saturday night, the season begins at the Trinity County Fairgrounds racing facility with a program that will include the popular Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Enduro Cars, Pro Stocks and Quads.  The Speedway will have nine events this season, including the popular County Fair race (August 12th) and the Clyde Cordell Memorial.  Clyde would be pleased to know that racing is happening in his home town.  It was a dream come true for him.

Saturday night, the Hobby Stocks will do battle for another championship season.  Kevin Kasper enters the season as the reigning track champion.  Kevin won several times last season, but he had some good competition.  This included Russ "The Newmanator" Newman, who was also a feature winner last year.  Past Clyde Cordell Memorial winner Burl Richardson provided some good competition, as did hard chargers like D.J. Case, William Kasper, Carl Roberts and Brian Young.  During the offseason, 2015 champion Bill Kasper, the patriarch of the family, sold his car to Josh Smith.  Smith was one of the top drivers in the class before moving up to Pro Stocks last season.

The Mini Stocks provided plenty of excitement last season and should continue to do the same this year.  Jack Turner was the 2015 champion, but a driver from Orland named Ross Vige enjoyed racing in Hayfork so much that he came up and won the 2016 championship.  The battles between Young, Vige, Turner and Andy Blackburn last season were very entertaining.

The Enduros are a stock class that offers plenty of slam bang action.  Tim Kasper succeeded William Young as 2016 track champion.  Other competitors include Tommy Evans, Eric Brown, Joey Young, Donny Case and J.D. Hudman.  This is perhaps the easiest class for a new competitor to experience the excitement of racing at Hayfork Speedway.

The Pro Stocks had their first season last year, and Tressan Smith was the champion.  Josh Smith and Josh Michaels were also in on the ground floor of the new division.  Quads were added for the last few races last year, and they will become a regular part of the show this year.  Tommy Tremayne, Jordon Weibe and Jeff Tremayne are some of the competitors in the class.

Saturday night is the first race of what is sure to be an exciting season.  Gates open at 6:00 PM with the first race starting at 7:00 PM.  General Admission is $10, Seniors (60+) $8, Students (6-12) $5 and children five and under are free.