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Just A Kid From The Grandstands: My Time In Auto Racing
Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
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Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover
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Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
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Available via print on demand at Lulu in Hard Cover or Paperback
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Spec Sprints, A Modifieds Return
To Antioch Speedway Saturday Night
Antioch, CA...After a crowd-pleasing battle in last weekend's B Modified Main Event, won by Nick Spainhoward with a last turn pass, Antioch Speedway roars back into action with an exciting All Star Series racing lineup. Saturday's program will include the Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. There will also be a Drone Air Race.
It was Alan Miranda finally breaking through to win his first career Spec Sprint Main Event last time out. Miranda had to deal with the constant threat of 2004 champion Bob Newberry behind him. Newberry won the season opener, and people are calling him the driver to beat this week. However, there are some fast competitors in the field, and people are also saying that Shannon Newton is due to get his first win. Like Newberry, Newton was at the most recent Hunt Series event earning a Top 10 feature finish in a very competitive lineup.
After taking a nasty tumble on the opening lap of the Main Event last time out, word is that Rick Panfili will have his car together to try again. Panfili and Roy Fisher, who are the two oldest competitors in the group, both flipped at the last event, but Fisher got his car back together for a Top 5 feature finish. It should be a great night of racing for the Spec Sprints, and other competitors to watch for include Brandon Burd, James East and Scott Martin.
Nick DeCarlo got on a roll with back-to-back A Modified Main Event wins to start the season. Whether or not it was the lure of the $100 bounty, Bobby Hogge IV came out last time and ended the streak. Antioch Speedway will soon have a new leader atop the all time win list. Currently, Scott Busby is tied with JD Willis at 72 wins, but Hogge has 71. Busby has looked fast, but has thus far been unable to put it together for a win. Bobby Motts Jr has a second and a third so far and could easily be the winner this week. Other drivers to watch for include Sean O'Gara, Jeff Thomas, Raymond Lindeman, Trent Wentworth and Gary Hetrick.
Mark Garner is hungry for The Limited Late Model championship. After kicking things off with a win in the Larry Damitz Memorial, he lost a close battle with longtime competitor Mike Walko in the most recent feature. Walko is back, and he figures to make things very interesting in the battle. Not to be counted out is Kimo Oreta, who admittedly hasn't looked so fast thus far. However, he is the reigning champion. Other drivers to watch for include Ryan Cherezian, Jim Freethy, Lori Brown and John Evans.
The experience advantage seems to be working in the favor of Chris Sorensen and Michael Cooper in the Hobby Stock division. So far, these two drivers have been head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Neither has missed the Top 3 after four point races, and both have two wins. It was Sorensen coming out ahead of Cooper in the most recent battle. Reigning champion Cameron Swank has looked fast as well, but mechanical issues derailed his effort last week. Likewise, Chris Bennett is trying to get his ride back on track after problems encountered in his most recent visit to Watsonville.
While this goes on, there is an interesting group of new racers all vying for some glory. Matt Wacht won his heat race last time out, but some misfortune in the Main Event ended his race early. It was Joey Ridgeway finishing third last time out. Though a bit more experienced than the other new competitors, Joey hasn't run a full season. He would certainly have to be considered a threat to win as he has been fast at times. Haley Gomez impressed with her fifth place finish last time out. Other drivers to watch for this week include Little Smitty Jr, Eric Pitschner and Luke Brignoli.
Last week, Mike Corsaro reminded the competition who the Dwarf Car champion is. After winning his heat race, a lousy invert draw put him at the back of the pack in the Main Event, but he charged his way to the front and picked up a win. It may be difficult to dethrone the champ this season. However, there are some good competitors in the field, and Josh Miller looked impressive in finishing second last time out ahead of David Michael Rosa. Rosa is somebody to watch as he is capable of putting together a string of good finishes and is due to win the Main Event.
Back in action after being away for a few years is 2010 champion Jerry Doty. Doty is a past Dwarf Car competitor. The Dwarf Cars continue to bring good numbers to the track, and other drivers to watch this week include ageless veteran Charlie Correia, Chris Becker, Chris Mello, Mario Marquez and Street Stock legend David Rosa.
The Antioch Speedway season is in full swing, and Saturday's lineup of All Star Series racing promises plenty of excitement from the first green flag to the final checkered. Add in the Air Drone Race, and it's a night you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Ted Stofle Night On Tap At Merced Speedway
Merced, CA...There are several events sprinkled throughout the 2018 schedule at Merced Speedway that are special to this race track and its heritage. This Saturday night is such an event. The speedway pays tribute to perhaps the greatest California Stock Car racer of the 1970s and certainly one of the best of all time, Ted Stofle. Divisions competing this week will be the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, California Sharp Mini Late Models and California Hardtops.
When Merced Speedway finally begins inducting people into the track's Hall Of Fame, it's very likely that one of the first inductees will be Ted Stofle. Ted racked up six consecutive Stock Car championships and won over 100 Main Events during that run. While he was winning those championships at his home track, he was also winning championships at Watsonville, Madera and in the NASCAR State Of California race. In the fall of 1980, Ted died in a tragic hunting accident.
The race was originally an 89 lap event for the Stock Car division, and it was held from 1981 until 1992. It was 89 laps in honor of Ted's car number. That race car is still being maintained and will be at Merced as the pace car this Saturday night. The race might have been over, but Race Director Doug Williams, who competed with Ted back in those days, spoke with the family and got their blessing to bring back the special event. In recent seasons, The track has run 89 total Main Event laps between the IMCA Modified, IMCA Sport Modified and Hobby Stock classes. Format hadn't been announced as of this writing, but something special is in the works.
Certainly the driver to keep an eye on this week will be three time IMCA Modified champion Paul Stone. Last week, Paul put on a driving clinic in winning the Main Event by a straightaway ahead of third-ranked point competitor Brian Pearce. Another of the Stone family, cousin Ramie Stone, didn't look too bad in finishing sixth last week. Ramie has won four IMCA Modified championships at Merced and will be a force to be reckoned with if his car Is dialed in.
Getting a win on any given night is the goal for the racers, but winning a race as special as this one Is even more important. Two-time reigning champion Randy Brown finished third last week, and he's hoping to improve upon that this week. Others with their eyes on the prize include rookie Shane DeVolder, Jeff Streeter, Ryan Porter and Darrell Hughes II.
The season is just getting started, but the Thomas brothers have both left a mark on things in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. It was Tanner Thomas grabbing the win in the season opener, but Chase Thomas won last time out. Tanner shared the podium with him in third. However, both brothers have had problems that have put them out of the Top 5 in the standings after three events. The consistent Tim Elias has a pair of Top 5 finishes to lead Danny Roe by one point and Chris Falkenberg by 5. Falkenberg also has two Top 5s, and these three competitors are hoping to get the win in one of the biggest races of the season. Others to watch for include Jeremy Hoff, Bruce Nelson, Kelly Wilkinson and Chuck Weir.
Shannon Nelsen is enjoying a great start in the Hobby Stock division. Nelson now has two seconds and a third, giving her a ten point lead over reigning champion Kodie Dean. Dean has one win so far, but Nelson is looking to return to the Winner's Circle for the first time in two seasons. Likewise, third ranked Kristie Shearer hasn't won for a couple of seasons, but she's fully capable of changing that this week. Robbie Loquaci had no bad luck to speak of for a change, and he showed what happens when things hold together as he looked impressive In winning the most recent event. Other drivers to watch for this week include Mike Germait, John Hensley, James Stockton, 2016 champion Michael Shearer and hard charger Austin Van Hoff.
The track continues to offer up California Sharp Mini Late Model racing for some of the young competitors looking to transition up from Outlaw Kart racing. The season opener for the class was won by Tim Crews. Crews competed last season, but this was his first win. It came ahead of two new competitors to the division, Carson Guthrie and Jesse Burks. Burks also won the heat race ahead of second year division competitor Riley Jeppesen. Young Ian Shearer was also in the field In the opener, and word is there could be another new car or two this week.
Promoter Ed Parker actively reached out to the California Hardtop group to get them involved In a night of racing. The result is their scheduled appearance this Saturday night. The group enjoys a very active schedule on both dirt and pavement. Last week, Ron Ruiz was flying around Stockton 99 Speedway in winning impressively ahead of Jason Armstrong. A week earlier, Dave Reed was getting his first win in the group in a field of a dozen competitors at Placerville.
The drivers compete in old Chevy and Ford Coupes and Sedans, and these cars are what the drivers were running at Merced back in the 1950s and 1960s. Among the other drivers to watch for this week will be "The Rocket Man" Ken Clifford, Joe Shenefield, Roger MacShain, recent Antioch winner Ken Retzloff, Dave Mackey, Dennis Armstrong and Jason Clifford.
Shannon Pump Company is sponsoring the Ted Stofle Classic this week, and this is simply one of those dates on which you will want to be at Merced Speedway. It's a great lineup from the top to the bottom, and it's all about honoring one of the greatest drivers to ever compete at the speedway. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
The Editor's Viewpoint
I had something worked out here, but I decided on a rewrite. I get to a certain level where I think it's best to shut my mouth and stop whining so much. Because we do have a busy weekend this week, I had considered not running this column in this posting, but I'll see if I can do this and keep it short and sweet.
Somebody was telling me that a certain race track wanted to start doing live pay-per-views every week. I'll leave the name out of it, because this could be a rumor. Plus, they'll want to make their own announcement if they decide to go ahead with this idea. I do know that I've gone both ways on this topic. While I was gone from the sport, I started thinking that the internet could be used and this idea could cultivate virtual fans. In theory, it can.
The real issue is you have to put butts in the seats first. You need to get car count in the pits. If people tune in and don't see really good car counts, what are the odds they're going to give you $10 or whatever your fee would be to watch on the internet? Other people are making broadcasts that offer bigger car counts. I hate to use the name Bakersfield Speedway as the example, because not everybody can live up to their numbers. They do quite a few broadcasts live as does Cottage Grove Speedway. Then again, they have bigger car counts than most.
It was forwarded to me that the hope would be to get more people in the stands. Sure, in theory it works. You think about the people staying home from the races who end up watching a stream somebody else is putting up on Facebook. And, if you start getting all "Facebook Police" about things, you create a problem. So the people who are staying home that would watch the races are frequently watching somebody else's free stream. Plus, would they pay to see if they had to?Live streaming would probably do more to get you people who aren't in the area and couldn't watch your races, but you still need car count and a good announcer.
In the end, I think you need to look at other options for creating race track awareness. You need to work with the newspapers, use every social media and web outlet at your disposal, consider guerilla marketing with post card-sized ads and flyers, work with your sponsors and maybe have cars on display on Sundays sometimes or even look at the possibility of a billboard. It will be a combination as there is no "Magic Bullet" solution. Radio and TV ads are not cheap, but if placed in the right spot they can help. Perhaps you could even look into piggybacking off of one of your sponsor's ads? Share the cost.
I don't know that live-pay-per views as a regular feature are ultimately going to do something for you. It may over time build into something, but I don't see that putting butts in the seats. It is more for people out of town or conditioning people not to come and buy your food and concessions. Is that helpful? Bear in mind, I love the idea of some broadcasting and testing the water.
Another thing that can be considered is when you build up your Facebook and social media sites to a big level, consider doing live broadcast before the races where you interview drivers. Give people a sample, such as a couple of heat races. Create your own show where you talk about what's going on that week. It does not hurt to work Facebook right up until the green flags start flying on the races themselves. It's a method that I use up here.
I do see certain tracks in California that I would love to help, were I to be hired to do so. On the top of my list remains Antioch Speedway, because ultimately I want to move back to that area. Unfortunately, there is no opportunity awaiting me from management. However, I think I have ideas that would work. There's a few other places on the radar. I'm in the middle of things up here, but I do not see myself lasting long long term. They will always get 100% from me while I'm here.
One thing that hurts the ability to have big shows is when promoters book on top of each other's big races. Now, I understand that you can't stay dark all the time. It's impossible. If you really are worried about it, the tracks that are the closest to you are the ones you want to work with first and foremost. Stockton had this big $10,000 to win Sprint Car show while just about every other track and one tour were running that same weekend. Everybody suffered except for Stockton, which pulled in nearly 40 cars. It wasn't the smartest booking that could have been done, but I feel like Tony Noceti at Stockton maybe made the decision to run this race on late notice.
The All Star Modified Series booked a race at Tulare Thunderbowl this week. They only have four races this year, one at Watsonville and two at Calistoga Speedway. I'm not exactly sure what happened, because I thought they were doing okay last year. What disappoints me is the timing of this series race. To my knowledge, they pay $1,200 to win, which will attract people. Merced Speedway is not far from Tulare Thunderbowl, and they have a big race of their own, the Ted Stofle Classic. So, why book on top of each other? Unless I missed my guess, I would assume that Ed Parker would have gladly taken a race in this series, maybe even on this night?
As I said, things happen in booking even when you're trying to work together. However, I know how hard Ed works to specifically stay off of the John Prentice shows that are particularly big at Watsonville. Not sure what the story is behind the booking this weekend, but I hope both tracks manage to do okay.
Another thing that caught my attention was the Top Dog Nationals race at Petaluma Speedway on June 2nd. What surprised me was they pulled out the Top Dog name. This was a name put together by John P Soares when he ran Petaluma in the 1990s. It was actually a pretty big event that outdrew most of the other big Modified shows. It sort of went away when Jim Soares took over Petaluma in the 2000s.
What is interesting is that John M Soares picked up the Top Dog name as a way to honor his father with a special race at Antioch Speedway in September. I know one of the reasons he did this was because his father was the one that created that race and Petaluma Speedway wasn't using it. So, I'm wondering why Petaluma decided to pull out the name again? It might not be that big of a deal. I haven't heard John's thoughts on the matter. It does pay nicely at $1,500 to win, and Petaluma should get cars with Antioch Speedway not running their class that night.
It should also be pointed out that the number one division John wanted to run in a series with Petaluma was Modifieds. He told me so when I spoke with him back in November. However, John is not running IMCA sanctioning and Petaluma is. This may have been the sticking point. When it comes to the drivers wanting to travel, it seems like Petaluma drivers will go to Antioch and vice versa. So, a series would have been a natural fit. Petaluma has been hurting a bit on IMCA Modifieds in recent years, so I hope they do okay. I'm actually hearing more people calling for an IMCA Sport Modified class there, and I am a bit surprised Petaluma hasn't jumped in there yet.
I am excited about the idea that Merced continues to run the Ted Stofle Classic. Ted is a legend at Merced Speedway and a sure-fire first-ballot Hall Of Famer. Maybe they'll start inductions this year? The race was first run in 1981 after Ted died in a tragic hunting accident. The man won six championships in a row in Stock Car racing at Merced, not to mention other various championships. He also won over 100 Main Events during that time. He was perhaps the greatest dirt track Stock Car racer on the West Coast, and certainly one of the best of the 1970s.
The race was an 89 lap race in honor of Ted from 1981 to 1992. It went away for several years, but then General Manager Doug Williams brought it back a few years ago. I'm glad. One thing Merced does is honor it's great tradition with some of their special events. I know that sort of thing means a lot to Ed Parker, who is truly one of the good promoters. When I think about promoters who will keep this thing going strong in the future, Ed is one of the people I'm very happy to see involved and doing what he does for Merced Speedway. He's one of the best Promoters in the game today.
Ed has extended an offer to me to go to Merced Speedway for Legends Night for the third year in a row. I haven't been able to do that due to my busy schedule, but I would dearly love to make the August event. For one thing, being able to see Johnny Sass would mean a lot to me. I'm so grateful that I was able to announce with him a little bit when I did the show at Merced Speedway in 2015. I truly wish I could have taken the offer that Ed made to me to announce at Merced Speedway, but I wasn't able to financially make things happen and had to move here. It would have been fun working with Dale Falkenberg.
I can just say that if I were to hear that there was a Hall Of Fame happening this year, it would make me think twice about not being down there, despite my schedule. I really want to see the legends be honored, and I know some of the people who truly deserve to be on the first ballot. A few of them are still here, and if one of them were being inducted, I would consider it an honor to be able to make the induction myself.
Lots of great racing will be happening on the West Coast this weekend, so get to a track. I'll be busy at Southern Oregon Speedway, but the blogs will continue to cover many races, including the Ted Stofle Classic at Merced and the Billy Geyer Memorial Race for the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks at Siskiyou Motor Speedway. Enjoy the races wherever you go. Until next time...
