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September 9th PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Main Event Can Be Viewed HERE
September 9th PitStopUSA.com Wingless Spec Sprint main Event Can Be Viewed HERE
September 9th General Hydroponics Dwarf Car Main Event at Petaluma Speedway Can Be Viewed HERE
September 9th Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks Main Event At Petaluma Speedway Can Be Viewed HERE
The DCRR Racing Radio Show
DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 138 by GenWhat
John Soares Sr. Memorial Set For Saturday Night
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...This Saturday night is a special event at Antioch Speedway. It is the John Soares Sr. Memorial Top Dog Race. Soares was the founder of Antioch Speedway, and the Top Dog is a reference to the big A Modified events he promoted at Petaluma Speedway. In fact, the elder Soares was the first promoter on the West Coast to run the Modifieds at his track in 1987.
Soares came from an era of some of the greatest racing promoters, including Bob Barkhimer, Bert Moreland, Jerry Piper and John Padjen. He opened Petaluma Speedway for weekly racing around the same time as Antioch in 1961 and ran that track with only a three year interruption until 2002. He promoted Antioch Speedway until 1980, and his son John Jr. has been the promoter since 1998. The elder Soares promoted and built multiple race tracks dating back to the 1950's
People tend to forget that John was also a championship winning race car driver. He raced Stock Cars, Midgets and Hardtops and won some of the biggest races back in the 1940's and 1950's before becoming a full time promoter. Soares is a member of several Hall Of Fames including the West Coast Stock Car, BCRA and Motoring Press Association.
In addition to the All Star Series A Modifieds, this week's show will also include Winged 360 Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.
Without much fanfare, Bobby Motts Jr. has been leading the A Modified championship race all season long. The goal all along for Motts and car owner Mike Ferry was to win this one for their fallen friend, Steven Cunningham, who died earlier this year from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Motts is coming off of his fourth second place finish last week and hopes to get his second win this week.
Defending race champion Scott Busby hopes to grab his third win of the season. If he can do it, Busby would take lone possession of the top spot on the track's all time win list at 73. There was word that Bobby Hogge IV was looking to run this race, which would make him the driver to beat. Hogge ranks third on the all time win list with 70 wins.
Hogge and Busby aren't the only past champions to watch this week. On the heels of his third win of the season, Kellen Chadwick would have to be a considered a top contender. Petaluma point leader Oreste Gonella and two time Petaluma champion Nick DeCarlo are two others to watch. DeCarlo has won three times this year. Second ranked Sean O'Gara, Mike Salazar, rookie Eric Berendsen and Gregg McElhaney are among the top regulars in the field to watch this week. Berendsen only trails Salazar by ten points in the battle for third in the standings, and Busby is 25 points out of third.
Art McCarthy remains in the hunt for the Winged 360 Sprint Car championship. McCarthy won his second Main Event of the last three races, and that puts the 2007 champion 27 points behind Marissa Polizzi in this year's title chase. Polizzi drove to a fourth place finish last week. Despite earning his fourth second place finish, Burt Foland Jr. fell one point behind McCarthy in the three car championship battle. After his third place finish last week, Dan Gonderman will be aiming for his first feature win, and top rookie Jacob Tuttle will be another driver to keep an eye on this week.
Jeff Decker is well on his way to the DIRTcar Late Model championship. Last week, Decker scored an impressive fifth win of the season ahead of reigning champion Richard Papenhausen. The two set such a rapid pace that third place Terry Kuntz was a lap down. While Decker appears to be headed for his third championship, there's an interesting battle between Shawn DeForest, David Newquist and Papenhausen for second. While the other two have finished as high as second, Papenhausen has two wins this season. DeForest leads Newquist by four points and Papenhausen by 27. Kimo Oreta, Joey Olschowka, Dennis Souza and Rob Norris are other drivers to keep an eye on this week.
In the B Modified point race, K.C. Keller is on the verge of clinching his first track championship. Keller picked up another third place finish last week, which was his 12th Top 3 finish in 13 starts. Trevor Clymens was battling him for the point lead before skipping a couple of races, but Clymens returned last week for his division leading fifth feature win. Mark Garner has taken up pursuit of Keller in the championship chase and finished second last week. However, a rough start to his season finds him 50 points behind Keller. With three wins, Garner's late season surge has him 30 points ahead off Chuck Golden for second. These four are anticipated this week along with Kevin Brown, Todd Gomez and Doff Cooksey.
The championship battle remains close in the Hobby Stock division. Four time feature winner Chris Sorensen maintained a 13 point lead over two time winner Brent Curran after last week. Curran finished a strong second in the Main Event, while Sorensen managed to earn a fifth place finish. Cameron Swank is still within 16 points of the lead after he won his heat race and finished fourth in the feature. Chris Long was working on his fourth win, but he had mechanical issues while leading and fell out. Long is still within 27 points of the lead and very much in contention. Gene Haney used his third place finish to keep within 16 points of Chris Bennett in another close battle for fifth. Melissa Myers was all smiles last week after the two time champion won her second Main Event. Most of these front runners are anticipated this week along with Billy Garner, Michael Cooper, Jordan Swank and Ken Rhoades.
Mike Corsaro has won three of the last six Dwarf Car races and has eight Top 3 finishes in his 11 starts. Not surprisingly, he leads rookie Devan Kammermann by 53 points as he closes in on his first championship. With six Top 5 finishes, Kammermann holds a ten point lead over David Michael Rosa and a 20 point lead over two time Street Stock champion David Rosa. The younger Rosa now has two second place finishes this year, but the teen Quarter-Midget graduate Kammermann recently won the Sportsman Dwarf Car feature at a WSDCA Regional event in Petaluma. Other stars to watch for this week include Charlie Correia, Chuck Conover, Chris Becker and Brian Gray.
Saturday night's racing program will be a good one as we remember the man who first opened the gates to weekly racing at Antioch Speedway back in 1961, John Soares Sr. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Merced, CA...After a week off for Labor Day and last week's big John Fore Jr. Memorial Sport Modified race, won by Fred Ryland, point racing returns to Merced Speedway Saturday night. The IMCA Modifieds are back this week, along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and California Sharp Mini Late Models. It should be another great night of racing on the Tim Ragsdale prepared quarter-mile clay oval.
Randy Brown is knocking on the door to his second straight IMCA Modified championship. He has been the model of consistency with eight Top 5 finishes and two wins, making it difficult for anybody to keep up with him. Brown holds a 27 point lead over Mike Villanueva. With four Top 5 finishes, Villanueva has a 25 point advantage on a Bruce "Bubba" Nelson in the race for second. Nelson has Hobby Stock wins this year, including the Mike Cecil Memorial at Watsonville. His only Modified win came at Chowchilla earlier this season. He's still searching for his first win at his home track, and the pressure is on him to hold onto third in the standings.
Nelson leads Ryan Porter by one point and 2012 champion Bill Egleston by five. Porter won the Main Event a few weeks ago. Third in points is the closest point battle at the moment. The competitive IMCA Modified division had 18 cars last time, and there are some good racers still looking for their first win of the season. This includes brothers Ramie Stone and Troy Stone. Ramie has looked goood after suffering through two blown motors earlier in the season. Ramie and cousin Paul Stone are both multi time champions, and Paul has two wins this season. Other hard chargers to watch for this week include Darrell Hughes II, Justin Villanueva, Jarod Fast and Ricky Thatcher.
Two time reigning IMCA Sport Modified champion Rick Diaz has won seven Main Events in ten starts. Despite that, he trails Fred Ryland by 31 points. Ryland has 11 Top 5 finishes, most of them Top 3's, and he also has two wins. Diaz missed a race for family reasons, but he has certainly put the pressure on Ryland not to make any mistakes. As the 2015 IMCA State champion, Ryland has proven to be cool under pressure. Third place Jeremy Hoff is 36 points behind Diaz. The past Antioch Speedway champion has six Top 5 finishes, but he's hoping to get a win.
Chase Thomas leads his younger brother Tanner Thomas by just 11 points in the battle for fourth. Tanner has finished as high as second this season, and both are a threat to win. Rookie Chuck Weir did get a win earlier this season as he maintains his Top 10 season. Teen leadfoot Cody Parker recently had a second place finish, and the Top 10 point competitor would have to be considered a threat to win. Other hard chargers to watch for this week include 2015 champion Josh Hensley, Patti Ryland, Jack Aguiar, Tim Ragsdale and IMCA State point leader Shane DeVolder.
Double points are on the line as the Mini Stock season comes to a close. Despite winning five races out of eight starts, reigning champion Chris Corder leads his sister Jennifer Corder by just six points. Jennifer is gunning for her brother, and if he slips up even a little bit, she hopes to stake her claim on her first championship. Lucy Falkenberg looked good last time out as she made her first start in one of the Corder Racing Team cars. Lucy has a pretty good hold on third in the standings, but after multiple second place finishes, she is hoping for her first win.
The same can be said for Destiny Carter. She is only three points behind fifth place Jason Womack, and she is coming off of her best career finish in third. Destiny has shown improvement this year, and a win may be just around the corner for her. Womack recently grabbed a win at Watsonville, and he's now 13 points behind Shawn DePriest in the battle for fourth. Other drivers to watch for include Helena Guzman, Tyler Jackson, Jeremy Perry, David Richards and Troy Tatum.
The California Sharp Mini Late Models round out the program. The roster is up to seven cars as Merced Speedway is the first track in the state to run this class. Tim Vaught has multiple wins this season. Riley Jeppesen is also a winner this year. Ian Shearer and Tim Crews have supported the class all season. The Shearer team his fielding most of the cars as the official car dealer, and that includes two newer cars that have been driven by different racers, including one time winners Troy Foulger and Rick Diaz.
Saturday night will be a great night of racing at Merced Speedway as the season nears an end. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
Orland, CA...Saturday night is a big night at Orland Raceway for a few reasons. It's Fan Appreciation Night. Track management introduced this race to the schedule last season, and fans got an opportunity to meet the racers. This year, it's a $5.00 general admission, It's also double points for all divisions. This is an opportunity for drivers to make a move up the point ladder. Divisions on the schedule include Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Micro Sprints and Wingless Gas Sprints.
Jeremy Langenderfer has led the Pure Stock point race since the season began. Despite missing the August 12th race, Jeremy still leads Shannon Collins by 30 points. The most recent race saw Langenderfer pick up another win as Collins had a bad night. The lead for Langenderfer is now 30 points, and this may be the last chance for Collins to make his move. Reigning champion Steve Martin holds a 23 point lead over Amanda Koop in another good battle for third. There are some good racers looking to get their first wins of the season, and other drivers to watch for include Brad Ray, Cody Bundy, Earl Adams, Chris Barnett and 2015 champion Paul Stevens.
Tom Davis has been so consistently fast this year that Sean Perry has done well keeping within 25 points of the leader. Davis has won his last two races from last starting. With double points on the line, a bad night for Davis could open the door for Perry to make his move. There are some drivers to watch in the race to win. Donovan Chilton has two wins this year and would love to win his third race this week. Barbara Crane drove her best race of the season last time as she led several laps before finishing second. Jason Libbee and reigning champion John Kirkpatrick are other drivers to keep an eye on this week.
Even when he had a rough start in the most recent race, Mini Truck point leader Keith Ross still finished a strong third in the Main Event. Ross has won most of the features this season, and now he leads reigning champion Dan Webster by 32 points. Webster came close to winning last time, but Jeff Bennett picked up the win in Olin Crane's truck. William Fogle has been consistent and has a good hold on third in the standings. Zach Baker and Nathan Skaggs are other drivers to watch for this week.
Jackie Whitson Jr. has had such an impressive season in the 250 Micro Sprint class that he could have a bad finish and still be leading. After winning the most recent race, Whitson leads James Barnes by 48 points. Barnes is the only driver to beat Whitson for a feature win this season. The steady Ronnie Heyer has a good hold on third in the standings. Dave McKinnon Jr., Jess Garland, Pax Gonzalez, Seth Libbee and Jackie Whitson Sr. are other drivers hoping to enter the win column this week.
The Micro 600 and Wingless Gas Sprints are both trying to build up their rosters this season and have struggled a bit. Leading the Wingless Sprint charge will be multi time champion Josh Jacobo, Josh Tucker, Rob Worthington and David Johnson.
Fan Appreciation Night at Orland Raceway is the perfect time to come out and enjoy a great night of racing. For further information, look up Orland Raceway on Facebook or go to www.orlandraceway.org.
Placerville, CA...The California Hardtops are back at Placerville Speedway this Saturday night. Joseph Shenefield and Dave Reed had their cars on display at Calistoga two weeks ago, then both drivers were at Antioch in support of the Chet Thomson Memorial Bay Area Hardtop race last week. In fact, CHA star Jason Armstrong was the driver scoring the victory for the second straight year.
Armstrong has been fast and smooth all season long with wins at multiple tracks, and this includes multiple victories at his home track in Placerville. He enters this race as the driver to beat. One of the drivers hoping to beat him will be his father, Dennis Armstrong. Dennis is a past Hardtop Main Event winner at Placerville.
Ron Ruiz has been getting faster and faster with each start. The CHA's last race was on the pavement of Roseville, and it was Ron's night to shine as he scored his first Main Event win ahead of J. Armstrong and Shenefield. Shenefield had reason to smile. Last time he was at his home track in Roseville, he had a little crash that knocked him out for a few races. This time around, he won his first Trophy Dash.
"The Rocketman" Ken Clifford has been at all of the CHA races this year and is about as enthusiastic a supporter as you will find for Hardtop racing. Whether first or last, Ken is having a good time living out his dream of racing Hardtops. Adding to that dream is the fact that he gets to race with his son Jason Clifford. Jason is a past feature winner with the group, but he hasn't been able to race as much as he'd like due to various projects. This includes building a shop for his father.
Dave Reed has had his moments in the former John Philbert #57 car, but he's had a bit of bad luck lately. He'll be out to turn that around this week. There have been a couple of new cars to debut in recent weeks, and other drivers to watch out for this week include Joe Hopp, Dan Whitney and Rhett Lange. The CHA is further excited to announce their return to Orland Raceway on October 7th. J. Armstrong won their last visit ahead of Ruiz and K. Clifford.
DCRR Racing Radio Show: Episode 138 by GenWhat
John Soares Sr. Memorial Set For Saturday Night
At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...This Saturday night is a special event at Antioch Speedway. It is the John Soares Sr. Memorial Top Dog Race. Soares was the founder of Antioch Speedway, and the Top Dog is a reference to the big A Modified events he promoted at Petaluma Speedway. In fact, the elder Soares was the first promoter on the West Coast to run the Modifieds at his track in 1987.
Soares came from an era of some of the greatest racing promoters, including Bob Barkhimer, Bert Moreland, Jerry Piper and John Padjen. He opened Petaluma Speedway for weekly racing around the same time as Antioch in 1961 and ran that track with only a three year interruption until 2002. He promoted Antioch Speedway until 1980, and his son John Jr. has been the promoter since 1998. The elder Soares promoted and built multiple race tracks dating back to the 1950's
People tend to forget that John was also a championship winning race car driver. He raced Stock Cars, Midgets and Hardtops and won some of the biggest races back in the 1940's and 1950's before becoming a full time promoter. Soares is a member of several Hall Of Fames including the West Coast Stock Car, BCRA and Motoring Press Association.
In addition to the All Star Series A Modifieds, this week's show will also include Winged 360 Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars.
Without much fanfare, Bobby Motts Jr. has been leading the A Modified championship race all season long. The goal all along for Motts and car owner Mike Ferry was to win this one for their fallen friend, Steven Cunningham, who died earlier this year from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Motts is coming off of his fourth second place finish last week and hopes to get his second win this week.
Defending race champion Scott Busby hopes to grab his third win of the season. If he can do it, Busby would take lone possession of the top spot on the track's all time win list at 73. There was word that Bobby Hogge IV was looking to run this race, which would make him the driver to beat. Hogge ranks third on the all time win list with 70 wins.
Hogge and Busby aren't the only past champions to watch this week. On the heels of his third win of the season, Kellen Chadwick would have to be a considered a top contender. Petaluma point leader Oreste Gonella and two time Petaluma champion Nick DeCarlo are two others to watch. DeCarlo has won three times this year. Second ranked Sean O'Gara, Mike Salazar, rookie Eric Berendsen and Gregg McElhaney are among the top regulars in the field to watch this week. Berendsen only trails Salazar by ten points in the battle for third in the standings, and Busby is 25 points out of third.
Art McCarthy remains in the hunt for the Winged 360 Sprint Car championship. McCarthy won his second Main Event of the last three races, and that puts the 2007 champion 27 points behind Marissa Polizzi in this year's title chase. Polizzi drove to a fourth place finish last week. Despite earning his fourth second place finish, Burt Foland Jr. fell one point behind McCarthy in the three car championship battle. After his third place finish last week, Dan Gonderman will be aiming for his first feature win, and top rookie Jacob Tuttle will be another driver to keep an eye on this week.
Jeff Decker is well on his way to the DIRTcar Late Model championship. Last week, Decker scored an impressive fifth win of the season ahead of reigning champion Richard Papenhausen. The two set such a rapid pace that third place Terry Kuntz was a lap down. While Decker appears to be headed for his third championship, there's an interesting battle between Shawn DeForest, David Newquist and Papenhausen for second. While the other two have finished as high as second, Papenhausen has two wins this season. DeForest leads Newquist by four points and Papenhausen by 27. Kimo Oreta, Joey Olschowka, Dennis Souza and Rob Norris are other drivers to keep an eye on this week.
In the B Modified point race, K.C. Keller is on the verge of clinching his first track championship. Keller picked up another third place finish last week, which was his 12th Top 3 finish in 13 starts. Trevor Clymens was battling him for the point lead before skipping a couple of races, but Clymens returned last week for his division leading fifth feature win. Mark Garner has taken up pursuit of Keller in the championship chase and finished second last week. However, a rough start to his season finds him 50 points behind Keller. With three wins, Garner's late season surge has him 30 points ahead off Chuck Golden for second. These four are anticipated this week along with Kevin Brown, Todd Gomez and Doff Cooksey.
The championship battle remains close in the Hobby Stock division. Four time feature winner Chris Sorensen maintained a 13 point lead over two time winner Brent Curran after last week. Curran finished a strong second in the Main Event, while Sorensen managed to earn a fifth place finish. Cameron Swank is still within 16 points of the lead after he won his heat race and finished fourth in the feature. Chris Long was working on his fourth win, but he had mechanical issues while leading and fell out. Long is still within 27 points of the lead and very much in contention. Gene Haney used his third place finish to keep within 16 points of Chris Bennett in another close battle for fifth. Melissa Myers was all smiles last week after the two time champion won her second Main Event. Most of these front runners are anticipated this week along with Billy Garner, Michael Cooper, Jordan Swank and Ken Rhoades.
Mike Corsaro has won three of the last six Dwarf Car races and has eight Top 3 finishes in his 11 starts. Not surprisingly, he leads rookie Devan Kammermann by 53 points as he closes in on his first championship. With six Top 5 finishes, Kammermann holds a ten point lead over David Michael Rosa and a 20 point lead over two time Street Stock champion David Rosa. The younger Rosa now has two second place finishes this year, but the teen Quarter-Midget graduate Kammermann recently won the Sportsman Dwarf Car feature at a WSDCA Regional event in Petaluma. Other stars to watch for this week include Charlie Correia, Chuck Conover, Chris Becker and Brian Gray.
Saturday night's racing program will be a good one as we remember the man who first opened the gates to weekly racing at Antioch Speedway back in 1961, John Soares Sr. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
IMCA Modified Classes Return,
Mini Stock Finale At Merced Speedway
Merced, CA...After a week off for Labor Day and last week's big John Fore Jr. Memorial Sport Modified race, won by Fred Ryland, point racing returns to Merced Speedway Saturday night. The IMCA Modifieds are back this week, along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and California Sharp Mini Late Models. It should be another great night of racing on the Tim Ragsdale prepared quarter-mile clay oval.
Randy Brown is knocking on the door to his second straight IMCA Modified championship. He has been the model of consistency with eight Top 5 finishes and two wins, making it difficult for anybody to keep up with him. Brown holds a 27 point lead over Mike Villanueva. With four Top 5 finishes, Villanueva has a 25 point advantage on a Bruce "Bubba" Nelson in the race for second. Nelson has Hobby Stock wins this year, including the Mike Cecil Memorial at Watsonville. His only Modified win came at Chowchilla earlier this season. He's still searching for his first win at his home track, and the pressure is on him to hold onto third in the standings.
Nelson leads Ryan Porter by one point and 2012 champion Bill Egleston by five. Porter won the Main Event a few weeks ago. Third in points is the closest point battle at the moment. The competitive IMCA Modified division had 18 cars last time, and there are some good racers still looking for their first win of the season. This includes brothers Ramie Stone and Troy Stone. Ramie has looked goood after suffering through two blown motors earlier in the season. Ramie and cousin Paul Stone are both multi time champions, and Paul has two wins this season. Other hard chargers to watch for this week include Darrell Hughes II, Justin Villanueva, Jarod Fast and Ricky Thatcher.
Two time reigning IMCA Sport Modified champion Rick Diaz has won seven Main Events in ten starts. Despite that, he trails Fred Ryland by 31 points. Ryland has 11 Top 5 finishes, most of them Top 3's, and he also has two wins. Diaz missed a race for family reasons, but he has certainly put the pressure on Ryland not to make any mistakes. As the 2015 IMCA State champion, Ryland has proven to be cool under pressure. Third place Jeremy Hoff is 36 points behind Diaz. The past Antioch Speedway champion has six Top 5 finishes, but he's hoping to get a win.
Chase Thomas leads his younger brother Tanner Thomas by just 11 points in the battle for fourth. Tanner has finished as high as second this season, and both are a threat to win. Rookie Chuck Weir did get a win earlier this season as he maintains his Top 10 season. Teen leadfoot Cody Parker recently had a second place finish, and the Top 10 point competitor would have to be considered a threat to win. Other hard chargers to watch for this week include 2015 champion Josh Hensley, Patti Ryland, Jack Aguiar, Tim Ragsdale and IMCA State point leader Shane DeVolder.
Double points are on the line as the Mini Stock season comes to a close. Despite winning five races out of eight starts, reigning champion Chris Corder leads his sister Jennifer Corder by just six points. Jennifer is gunning for her brother, and if he slips up even a little bit, she hopes to stake her claim on her first championship. Lucy Falkenberg looked good last time out as she made her first start in one of the Corder Racing Team cars. Lucy has a pretty good hold on third in the standings, but after multiple second place finishes, she is hoping for her first win.
The same can be said for Destiny Carter. She is only three points behind fifth place Jason Womack, and she is coming off of her best career finish in third. Destiny has shown improvement this year, and a win may be just around the corner for her. Womack recently grabbed a win at Watsonville, and he's now 13 points behind Shawn DePriest in the battle for fourth. Other drivers to watch for include Helena Guzman, Tyler Jackson, Jeremy Perry, David Richards and Troy Tatum.
The California Sharp Mini Late Models round out the program. The roster is up to seven cars as Merced Speedway is the first track in the state to run this class. Tim Vaught has multiple wins this season. Riley Jeppesen is also a winner this year. Ian Shearer and Tim Crews have supported the class all season. The Shearer team his fielding most of the cars as the official car dealer, and that includes two newer cars that have been driven by different racers, including one time winners Troy Foulger and Rick Diaz.
Saturday night will be a great night of racing at Merced Speedway as the season nears an end. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
Fan Appreciation Night And Double Points On Tap
At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...Saturday night is a big night at Orland Raceway for a few reasons. It's Fan Appreciation Night. Track management introduced this race to the schedule last season, and fans got an opportunity to meet the racers. This year, it's a $5.00 general admission, It's also double points for all divisions. This is an opportunity for drivers to make a move up the point ladder. Divisions on the schedule include Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Micro Sprints and Wingless Gas Sprints.
Jeremy Langenderfer has led the Pure Stock point race since the season began. Despite missing the August 12th race, Jeremy still leads Shannon Collins by 30 points. The most recent race saw Langenderfer pick up another win as Collins had a bad night. The lead for Langenderfer is now 30 points, and this may be the last chance for Collins to make his move. Reigning champion Steve Martin holds a 23 point lead over Amanda Koop in another good battle for third. There are some good racers looking to get their first wins of the season, and other drivers to watch for include Brad Ray, Cody Bundy, Earl Adams, Chris Barnett and 2015 champion Paul Stevens.
Tom Davis has been so consistently fast this year that Sean Perry has done well keeping within 25 points of the leader. Davis has won his last two races from last starting. With double points on the line, a bad night for Davis could open the door for Perry to make his move. There are some drivers to watch in the race to win. Donovan Chilton has two wins this year and would love to win his third race this week. Barbara Crane drove her best race of the season last time as she led several laps before finishing second. Jason Libbee and reigning champion John Kirkpatrick are other drivers to keep an eye on this week.
Even when he had a rough start in the most recent race, Mini Truck point leader Keith Ross still finished a strong third in the Main Event. Ross has won most of the features this season, and now he leads reigning champion Dan Webster by 32 points. Webster came close to winning last time, but Jeff Bennett picked up the win in Olin Crane's truck. William Fogle has been consistent and has a good hold on third in the standings. Zach Baker and Nathan Skaggs are other drivers to watch for this week.
Jackie Whitson Jr. has had such an impressive season in the 250 Micro Sprint class that he could have a bad finish and still be leading. After winning the most recent race, Whitson leads James Barnes by 48 points. Barnes is the only driver to beat Whitson for a feature win this season. The steady Ronnie Heyer has a good hold on third in the standings. Dave McKinnon Jr., Jess Garland, Pax Gonzalez, Seth Libbee and Jackie Whitson Sr. are other drivers hoping to enter the win column this week.
The Micro 600 and Wingless Gas Sprints are both trying to build up their rosters this season and have struggled a bit. Leading the Wingless Sprint charge will be multi time champion Josh Jacobo, Josh Tucker, Rob Worthington and David Johnson.
Fan Appreciation Night at Orland Raceway is the perfect time to come out and enjoy a great night of racing. For further information, look up Orland Raceway on Facebook or go to www.orlandraceway.org.
California Hardtops Return To Action At Placerville Speedway
Placerville, CA...The California Hardtops are back at Placerville Speedway this Saturday night. Joseph Shenefield and Dave Reed had their cars on display at Calistoga two weeks ago, then both drivers were at Antioch in support of the Chet Thomson Memorial Bay Area Hardtop race last week. In fact, CHA star Jason Armstrong was the driver scoring the victory for the second straight year.
Armstrong has been fast and smooth all season long with wins at multiple tracks, and this includes multiple victories at his home track in Placerville. He enters this race as the driver to beat. One of the drivers hoping to beat him will be his father, Dennis Armstrong. Dennis is a past Hardtop Main Event winner at Placerville.
Ron Ruiz has been getting faster and faster with each start. The CHA's last race was on the pavement of Roseville, and it was Ron's night to shine as he scored his first Main Event win ahead of J. Armstrong and Shenefield. Shenefield had reason to smile. Last time he was at his home track in Roseville, he had a little crash that knocked him out for a few races. This time around, he won his first Trophy Dash.
"The Rocketman" Ken Clifford has been at all of the CHA races this year and is about as enthusiastic a supporter as you will find for Hardtop racing. Whether first or last, Ken is having a good time living out his dream of racing Hardtops. Adding to that dream is the fact that he gets to race with his son Jason Clifford. Jason is a past feature winner with the group, but he hasn't been able to race as much as he'd like due to various projects. This includes building a shop for his father.
Dave Reed has had his moments in the former John Philbert #57 car, but he's had a bit of bad luck lately. He'll be out to turn that around this week. There have been a couple of new cars to debut in recent weeks, and other drivers to watch out for this week include Joe Hopp, Dan Whitney and Rhett Lange. The CHA is further excited to announce their return to Orland Raceway on October 7th. J. Armstrong won their last visit ahead of Ruiz and K. Clifford.
