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Decker, Spainhoward, Sorensen Antioch Speedway Winners
Antioch, CA...April 28...Jeff Decker won the 20 lap DIRTcar Late Model Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The three-time reigning champion quickly moved into second and was trailing Dennis Souza by about a straightaway on lap two. Undaunted, Decker steadily reeled in Souza and made his winning pass in traffic in Turns 1 and 2 on the 9th lap. Once in front, Decker pulled away to the impressive victory. Souza enjoyed his best finish to date in second, followed by heat winner Rod Oliver, Paul Guglielmoni and David Newquist.
Nick Spainhoward scored a thrilling victory in the 20 lap All Star Series B Modified Main Event.The 2014 IMCA State Sport Modified champion out of Bakersfield moved by Todd Gomez for second during the first half of the race while reigning champion KC Keller paced the field. Keller had earlier picked up wins in his eight lap heat race and the 12 lap Sharp Shooter race and appeared to be headed for the clean sweep. As they hit the final turn, Spainhoward made a move to the inside and emerged with the lead. Spainhoward took the checkered flag in victory, followed by Keller, Guy Ahlwardt, Trevor Clymens and Brent Curran.
Championship contender Chris Sorensen won his second 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event of the season. Sorensen settled into the the early lead with two time winner Michael Cooper in close pursuit. The lead duo quickly pulled away from the pack and held a half lap advantage over the rest of the competitors by the waving of the checkered flag. Sorensen withstood the pressure of Cooper for a hard-fought victory. Joey Ridgeway made a late move on Little Smitty Jr to finish third as Haley Gomez scored her best finish yet in fifth.
Mike Corsaro charged to the victory in the 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event. The reigning champion won the first 8 lap heat race and then promptly drew a 12 for the inversion. Stuck back in the sixth row at the start, Corsaro methodically worked his way to the front and scored an impressive victory ahead of Josh Miller, David Michael Rosa, heat winner Miranda Chappa and Chuck Conover.
Ken Retzloff scored the victory in the Bay Area Hardtop Main Event. Retzloff led early on, leaving the battle between Terry DeCarlo, Dave Mackay and Doug Braudrick for second. Heat race winner Mackey ended up claiming second, followed by DeCarlo and Braudrick.
Racing resumes at Antioch Speedway with another exciting five division All Star Series event, featuring Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. There will also be a special Drone Air Race. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
Unofficial Race Results
DIRTcar Late Model
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Jeff Decker, Rod Oliver. Main Event (20 Laps)-Decker, Dennis Souza, Oliver, Paul Guglielmoni, David Newquist, Kimo Oreta, Mike Hynes, Rob Norris, Joey Olschowka.
B Modified
Heat Winners (8 laps)-KC Keller, Anthony Giuliani, Todd Gomez. Sharp Shooter (12 Laps)-Keller, Nick Spainhoward, Giuliani. Main Event (20 Laps)-Spainhoward, Keller, Guy Ahlwardt, Trevor Clymens, Brent Curran, Al Johnson, Fred Ryland, Aaron Crowell, Ryan DeForest, Chuck Golden.
Hobby Stock
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-John Wacht, Chris Sorensen. Main Event (20 Laps)-Sorensen, Michael Cooper, Joey Ridgway, Little Smitty Jr, Haley Gomez, Tanis Rangel, Billy Garner, Eric Pitschner, Wacht, Cameron Swank.
Dwarf Car
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Mike Corsaro, Miranda Chappa, Chris Mello. Main Event (20 Laps)-Corsaro, Josh Miller, David Michael Rosa, Chappa, Chuck Conover, Charlie Correia, Jerry Doty, Mello, Mario Marquez, Tommy Stevenson.
Stone, Thomas, Loquaci Win Merced Speedway Main Events
Merced, CA...April 28...Paul Stone scored the victory in the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Merced Speedway. The three-time Merced Speedway IMCA Modified champion took the lead from two-time reigning champion Randy Brown on lap six and led the rest of the way. Stone had a straightaway advantage at the checkered flag. Brian Pearce made a last lap pass on Brown to take second. Jeff Streeter finished fourth, followed by Shane DeVolder, four-time champion Ramie Stone, Harley Turner, Derek Nance, Troy Stone and Buddy Kniss. Eight lap heat race wins went to Paul Stone, Pearce and Brown.
Chase Thomas won the 25 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. He gained the lead on lap two as Jack Aguiar followed him into second. Thomas would hold off Aguiar through three yellow flags for the well earned victory. Chase's younger brother Tanner Thomas finished third ahead of Kelly Wilkinson, Jeremy Hoff, Bruce Nelson, Danny Roe, Tim Elias, Chris Falkenberg and Mark Squadrito. Nelson, Roe and Tanner Thomas each won eight lap heat races.
Robbie Loquaci withstood a late challenge from reigning champion Kodie Dean to win the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event. It seems like every time Loquaci has been close to a win in the last year or so, he's had bad luck. On this occasion, he gained the lead on lap two and led the rest of the way. However, Dean settled into second on lap 15 and began putting the pressure on Loquaci for the lead. Loquaci was up to the task as he stayed smooth down the stretch for the win. Dean was a strong second ahead of Shannon Nelson, Austin Van Hoff, Michael Shearer, Robert Gallaher, James Stockton, Mike Germait, Joe Gallaher and Craig Tatum. Dean, Van Hoff and Caleb Shelton each won eight lap heat races.
Robert Jackson was the happy winner of the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Jackson gained the lead from Allen Neal on lap three with Bryant Desaire following into second. Jackson led Desaire the rest of the way for the victory. Neal settled for third, followed by Ray Jackson, Jerry Tubbs, Tyler Jackson, Scott Roehrenbaeck, Devin Belton, Jennifer Rogers and Jason Belton Jr. There were four eight lap heat races with wins going to Neal, Jennifer Corder, Lee Ragsdale and Robert Jackson.
Next week is the annual Ted Stofle Classic, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, California Hardtops and California Sharp Mini Late Models. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
The following articles are based on line scoring and are subject to computer errors and officials' decisions. They are there for unofficial.
Scelzi, Johnson Win Keller Auto Speedway Features
Hanford, CA... April 28...Dominic Scelzi picked up the win in the 30 lap King Of Kings Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event Saturday night at Keller Auto Speedway. Steven Tiner charged out to the lead at the start ahead of Tommy Tarlton. After a lap 11 yellow flag, a brief battle developed between Cole Macedo and Tiner for the lead in which they exchanged the position a couple of times during the next couple of laps. Tiner had the lead on lap 13, but the two got a little too close in their battle and brought out a caution flag. Scelzi found himself in the lead on the restart ahead of Tucker Worth. Scelzi began to pull away, leaving the battle for second. However, a lap 23 caution flag bunched the field. Scelzi remained in command on the restart, as Tarlton and Matthew Moles raced into second and third. Scelzi made all the right moves and brought it home to victory ahead of Tarlton, Moles, Jace Vanderweerd, Craig Stidham, Kaleb Montgomery, Worth, Macedo, Steven Kent and Nathan Rolfe. The 18 car field ran three ten lap heat races with wins going to Moles, Worth and Scelzi. Tarlton scored the win in the six lap Trophy Dash. In qualifying, Tiner set the quick lap with a 14.507 effort, beating the 14.709 of Macedo.
Bakersfield champion Chad Johnson won to 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event. Johnson had the lead from the start ahead of Preston Martin. Chett Reeves slipped past Martin for second on lap 9. Despite four yellow flags, Johnson would not be denied as he maintain command and scored the win. Larry Thompson managed to take second from Reeves on a lap 17 restart and would finish there as Reeves fell back behind Allen Mendes and Brock Hamilton for a fifth place finish. Shawn Schwartzenberger was a respectable sixth ahead of Rod Bane, Martin, Pat Biggs and Steve Streeter. The IMCA Stock Cars had two heat races with Martin and Johnson winning the eight lap races.
Zack Forster impressed with the 20 lap Mod Lite Main Event win. Forster took the lead from Jacob Dimond on a lap three restart and would never relinquish the position in scoring the victory. Anthony Balcazar settled into second on lap six and ran solidly in that position to the end. Danny Valdez battled Diamond for the third place finish as JD Brown, Colby Lewis, Kaden Cochran, Kyleigh Forster and Tristan Kanthack completed the finishing order. Diamond and Zack Forster each won eight lap heat races.
Clinton Massey won the 20 lap Mini Stock Main Event. Shawn Schwartzenberger set the early pace before relinquishing the lead position to Massey on lap four. Schwartzenberger suffered mechanical issues and retired at that point with Brian Widdowson taking up pursuit of Massey. The battle was close to the end with Massey prevailing ahead of Widdowson. Andrew Boydston was a strong third, followed by Kit Murphy, Gene Glover, Paul Schwartzenberger, Shawn Schwartzenberger and Garrett Spurgeon. Eight lap heat race wins were posted by Glover and Massey.
The next race will be on May 12th and will feature the USAC West Coast 360 Sprints, IMCA RaceSaver Sprints, IMCA Stock Cars and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Johnson, Palmer, Winter Win
Placerville Speedway Main Events
Placerville, CA...April 21...DJ Johnson scored the victory in the 25 lap C&H Veteran Services Hunt Wingless Spec Sprint Series Main Event Saturday night at Placerville Speedway. Adam Christian raced into the lead at the start, followed by Scott Hall and Jake Morgan. Morgan took over second on lap seven, just before a caution flag flew. On the restart, Morgan raced into the lead ahead of Hall. The battle was close up front, and Hall put the moves on Morgan to grab the top spot on lap 14. Johnson was running closely in third and slipped passed both Hall and Morgan for the lead on lap 16. A lap 17 caution flag bunched the field, and Johnson led Hall and Shawn Jones on the restart. Despite pressure from Hall down the stretch, Johnson prevailed at the checkered flag. Jones settled for third ahead of Cody Spencer, Nick Larson, Shannon Newton, Brent Steck, Greg DeCaires, Brett Youngman in Bob Newberry.
There were 23 Wingless Spec Sprints in action, and Hall turned the tight quarter-mile clay oval with a quick lap of 12.330, beating the 12.403 effort of Jones. There were three eight lap heat races, and wins went to Johnson, Morgan and Troy DeGaton. Morgan scored the win in the six lap Trophy Dash.
Jason Palmer went flag-to-flag to win the 20 lap Pure Stock Main Event. The race was slowed down by four caution flags, but each time the race restarted, Palmer held off the challenges of Orville Owens, who settled for second. A pair of past champions, Scott Grunert and Nick Baldwin, settled for third and fourth, and Russ Murphy, Chris Van Roekel, Dave Silva, Rick Grunert, Lonnie Richards and Jesse Von Roekel completed the Top 10. Palmer and Owens won the eight lap heat races.
Ryan "Ice Chip" Winter won a good battle with reigning NorCal Dwarf Car champion Danny Wagner to collect the victory in the 20 lap Main Event. Past Marysville Sprint Car champion Colby Weisz set the pace for the first five laps before a caution flag bunched the field. On the restart, Wagner went motoring by for the lead. A lap eight restart provided Winter the opportunity to take second, and he began to put the pressure on Wagner for the lead. Winter raced past Wagner for the lead on a lap 12 restart and won a photo finish for the victory. Colby Weisz settled for third, followed by Kevin Miraglio, Mike "Spanky" Grenert, Scott Dahlgren, Buddy Olschowka, Josh Weisz, Ben Weisz and Justin Winter. The Dwarf Cars had a strong 26 car field, and eight lap heat race wins were earned by Ben Weisz, Justin Winter, Ryan Winter and Miraglio, Dahlgren won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Olschowka and Devan Kammermann.
In their second season at the speedway, the Mini Trucks produced their best count yet with nine trucks, and Derek Boarman won the 20 lap Main Event. Heat race winner Megan Curtis led the opening lap before Boarman raced by for the lead. Boarman led Curtis through a pair of mid-race yellow flags with Kelly Campanile settling into third on a lap 11 restart. Campanile took second from Curtis on lap 12, but she could only chase the flying Boarman for her second place finish. Curtis settled for third ahead of Aaron Rupley, Tom Stanwood, John Littlejohn, Chris Schaaf, Austin Struthers and Travis Emery.
Next week, the Winged 360 Sprint Cars are back in action, joined by the Limited Late Models, Pure Stocks and BCRA Midget Lites. It is Law Enforcement/Big Trophy Night at the races. For further information, go to www.placervillespeedway.com.
Sanders Makes Last Lap Pass To Take Sprint Car Win
From Thorson At Ocean Speedway
Watsonville, CA...April 27...2015 champion Justin Sanders scored the victory in the 30 lap Ocean Sprint Car, presented by Taco Bravo, Main Event at Ocean Speedway Friday night. Sanders ran second for most of the race before making a thrilling last-lap pass on race long leader Tanner Thorson for the victory. Thorson took the lead from Tanner Carrick on a lap six restart with Sanders following closely into second. Dominic Scelzi finally raced into third on lap 15. A lap 25 caution flag bunched the field one last time and gave Sanders a shot. Thorson paced the field at the green flag and through the next four tours before Sanders made his winning move and claimed the victory. Thorson settled for a disappointing second, followed by Scelzi, Kyle Hirst, Sean Becker, Cole Macedo, Matthew Moles, Jason Chisum, Cody Lamar and Koen Shaw.
Thorson was the third driver of 25 in qualifying and paced the field with a quick lap of 11.643, beating the 11.689 effort of Tanner Carrick for fast time. They ran three qualifying heat races, and Billy Aton won the first eight lap event ahead of Becker. Tommy Tarlton Jr won the second race ahead of Shane Golobic, and Macedo was the third heat winner ahead of Hirst. Tarlton also won the six lap Trophy Dash ahead of Tanner Carrick. The final Main Event positions were filled by the 12 lap B Main, which was won by Cody Lamar in front of Blake Carrick, Jeremy Chisum, Kurt Nelson and Jason Chisum.
Multi time IMCA Modified champion Bobby Hogge IV scored the victory in that division's 25 lap Main Event. Hogge was second behind Robert Marsh at a lap five caution flag. Hogge took the lead from Marsh on the restart, and four-time Antioch Speedway champion Troy Foulger moved the Bill Bowers Modified into second on lap eight. The lead duo was fast, and Hogge made no mistakes as he won just ahead of Foulger. Rookie Shane DeVolder claimed third ahead of Marsh, 2015 IMCA State champion Alex Wilson, Austin Burke, Kyle Wilson, Hermosillo, Raymond Keldsen Jr and Jeff McCoun, who was piloting the Jim Pettit II car. Hogge won his heat race ahead of two-time Merced champion Randy Brown, and Wilson won the other eight lap event in front of Foulger.
Reigning American Stock champion Rob Gallaher won that division's 20 lap Main Event. JC Elrod set the early pace with Gallaher in very close pursuit during the first 11 tours of the Tom Sagmiller prepared clay oval. After a yellow flag on lap 11, Rob Gallaher motored past Elrod for the lead. Though he couldn't quite shake Elrod, Gallaher won with Elrod a close second. Terry Campion finished third, followed by Matt Kile, Terry Traub, Kyle Reeder, Tony Oliveira, Jason Perkins, Joe Gallaher and John Farrell. Rob Gallaher won his eight lap heat ahead of Farrell, while Kile won the other race in front of Oliveira.
Gene "Punky" Pires claimed the victory in the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car feature. A past champion, Pires took the lead from the outset ahead of Zach Price. A yellow flag midway through the event bunched the field, and it was a close battle to the end between the Top 3 cars with Pires winning ahead of Price and Justin Yanez. Past champion Mark Biscardi finished fourth, followed by Doug Penny, Brady Beck, Eddie Claessen, Justin McKenna, and Ryan Amlen. Price won the eight lap heat race ahead of Yanez.
Next Friday night, the Ocean Sprints, presented by Taco Bravo, headline the program along with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Four Bangers and Police N Pursuit Cars. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Rain Claims Victory At Siskiyou Motor Speedway
Yreka, CA...Despite the best efforts of the crew at Siskiyou Motor Speedway, the scheduled four division program was claimed by rain last Saturday night. The competitors were all at the track and went through the usual routine of mud packing and hot laps. It got to the point where they staged the Mini Stock heat races, but rains came and put an end to that.
Reigning IMCA Sport Modified champion DJ Bottoms was making his season debut and figured to be in for some good competition from Justin McCreadie, Braxton Possinger, David Marble and Ryder Boswell, among others.
David Steele was in town to go for his third Mini Stock win of the season, and he was joined in competition by past champion Terry Kendrick and two-time reigning champion Marilyn Yawnick along with a host of up-and-coming new drivers.
For the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stock Association, this was a tune-up race for next week's Billy Geyer Memorial. Not only were reigning champion Dr Scott Lenz and 2016 title winner Steve Borror in town, but 2015 champion Jeffrey Hudson, Scott Flowers, James Flowers and Matt Harlow were among the others hoping to get a shot at victory. When this group returns for the big race next week, they will be joined by several members of the Nevada Outlaw Pro Stock Association.
Racing will resume next weekend with the annual Billy Geyer Memorial Race for the Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks. IMCA Sport Modifieds and Mini Stocks will also be on the card. For further information, go to www.siskiyoumotorspeedway.com.
Keller Auto Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 28, 2018
King of Kings 360
Dominic Scelzi
Tommy Tarlton
Mathew Moles
Jace Vanderweerd
Craig Stidham
Kaleb Montgomery
Tucker Worth
Cole Macedo
Steven Kent
Nathan Rolfe
Cody Fendley
Tanner Boul
Gary Nelson Jr
Geoffrey Strole
Steven Tiner
Zane Blanchard
IMCA Stocks
Chad Johnson
Larry Thompson
Alan Mendes
Brock Hamilton
Chett Reeves
Shawn Schwartzenberger
Rod Bane
Preston Martin
Pat Biggs
Steve Streeter
Renn Bane
James Elliott
Mod Lites
Zack Forster
Anthony Balcazar
Danny Valdez
Jacob Diamond
JD Brown
Colby Lewis
Kaden Cochrun
Kyleigh Forster
Tristan Kanthack
Mini Stocks
Clinton Massey
Brian Widdowson
andrew boydstun
kit murphy
Gene Glover
Paul Schwartzenberger
Shawn Schwartzenberger
Garrett Spurgeon
Placerville Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 28, 2018
Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprints
DJ Johnson
Scott Hall
Shawn Jones
Cody Spencer
Nick Larson
Shannon Newton
Brent Steck
Greg DeCaires
Brett Youngman
Bob Newberry
Sparky Howard
Angelique Bell
Adam Christian
Marcus Smith
Paul Vandenberg
Adam Teves
Robert Floyd
Kaimi Moniz-Costa
Troy DeGaton
Scott Clough
Jake Morgan
Ryon Siverling
Rick Gutzke
NCDCA Dwarf Car
A Main
Ryan Winter
Danny Wagner
Colby Weisz
Kevin Miragilo
Mike Grenert
Scott Dahlgren
Buddy Olschowka
Josh Wiesz
Ben Weisz
Justin Winter
Toby Brown
Jack Haverty
Jeff Fitch
Robert Johnson
Sam Wren
Devan Kammermann
Kevin Bender
Tom Vantuyl
Mike Reeder
Ron Jones
Dan Geil
Shawn Whitney
B Main
Scott Dahlgren
Buddy Olschowka
Devan Kammermann
Sam Wren
Ron Jones
Robert Johnson
Austin Quilty
Daniel Weger
Derek Droivold
Wade Ehrlich
Pure Stocks
Jason Palmer
Orville Owens
Scott Grunert
Nick Baldwin
Russ Murphy
Chris Van Roekel
Dave Silva
Rick Grunert
Ronnie Richards
Jesse Van Roekel
Chris Mcginnis
Kevin Jinkerson
Tommy Sturgon
Jesse Bryant
Lonnie Lennard
Mike Carpenter
Mike Stoeckle
Mini Trucks
Derek Boarman
Kelly Campanile
Megan Curtis
Aaron Rupley
Tom Stanwood
John Littlejohn
Chris Schaaf
Austin Struthers
Travis Emery
Merced Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 28, 2018
IMCA Modifieds
Paul Stone
Brian Pearce
Randy Brown
Jeff Streeter
Shane DeVolder
Ramie Stone
Ryan Porter
Harley Turner
Derek Nance
Troy Stone
Chester Kniss
Ricky Thatcher
Karl Rose DNS
Jarod Fast DNS
Michael Aldrich DNS
Darrell Hughes DNS
John Osgood III DNS
Josh Combs DNS
B Modifieds
Chase Thomas
Jack Aguiar
Tanner Thomas
Kelly Wilkinson
Jeremy Hoff
Bruce Nelson
Danny Roe
Tim Elias
Chris Falkenberg
Mark Squadrito
Mark Odgers
Richard Ragsdale
Dale Grissom
Jarrod Mounce
Cody Parker
Chuck Weir
Jason Womack
Mark Condell DNS
Courtney Burks DNS
Chris Corder DNS
Hobby Stocks
Robbie Loquaci
Kodie Dean
Shannon Nelson
Austin VanHoff
Michael Shearer
Robert Gallaher
James Stockton
Mike Germait
Joe Gallaher
Craig Tatum
Roy Hart Jr
Kristie Shearer
Cody Smiley
Cody Brown
John Hensley
Kalob Shelton DQ
Mini Stock
Robert Jackson
Bryant Desaire
Allen Neal
Ray Jackson
Jerry Tubbs
Tyler Jackson
Scott Roehrenbaeck
Devin Belton
Jennifer Rodgers
Jason Belton Jr.
Abigail Kennedy
Jennifer Corder
Lee Ragsdale
Lucy Falkenberg
Troy Tatum
Jeremy Perry DNS
Chris Corder DNS
David Richards DNS
Darren Chaves DNS
Shawn DePriest DNS
Kristina Cole DNS
Ocean Speedway Watsonville, CA Unofficial Race Results April 27, 2018
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo
A Main
Justin Sanders
Tanner Thorson
Dominic Scelzi
Kyle Hirst
Sean Becker
Cole Macedo
Mathew Moles
Jason Chisum
Cody Lamar
Koen Shaw
Billy Aton
Jeremy Chisum
Kyle Offill
Blake Carrick
Tanner Carrick
Shane Golobic
Bud Kaeding
Tommy Tarlton Jr.
Brad Furr
Kurt Nelson
Wayne Katen
Josh Chisum
B Main
Cody Lamar
Blake Carrick
Jeremy Chisum
Kurt Nelson
Jason Chisum
Josh Chisum
Wayne Katen
Eric Humphries
Chris Nelson
Richard Fajardo
IMCA Modifieds
Bobby Hogge IV
Troy Foulger
Shane DeVolder
Robert Marsh
Alex Wilson
Austin Burke
Kyle Wilson
Todd Hermosillo
Raymond Keldsen Jr
Jeff McCoun
Randy Brown
Cody Burke
American Stocks
Rob Gallaher
JC Elrod
Terry Campion
Matt Kile
Terry Traub
Kyle Reeder
Tony Oliveira
Jason Perkins
Joe Gallaher
John Farrel
DJ Keldsen
South Bay Dwarf Cars
Punky Pires
Zach Price
Justin Yanez
Mark Biscardi
Doug Penny
Brady Beck
Eddy Claessen
Justin McKenna
Ryan Amlen DNS
Police n Pursuit
Jesse Mueller
Jason Kelly
Cliff Sloma
Austin Beymer
Kyle Dorris
Mike Mount
Roy Iler
Tori Dellicarpini
Steven Fernandes
Chris Murphy
Nate Graham
Alex Martin
Scott Morasci
Jared Johnson
Justin Rhodes
John Hohmann
Ukiah Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 28, 2018
Bombers
Results are not official
1 #96X Mike Sullivan
2 #77 Erick Ray
3 #5 Jeff French
4 #88 Bob Mook
5 #96 RJ Randall
6 #17 Robert Byers
7 #66 Jimmy Sorrels
8 #75 Ron Portlock
9 #11 Raymond Rosales
10 #22 Scottie Cape
11 #8 Ericka Ray
12 #27 Loren Powers Sr
Jammers
Results are not official
1 #4 Raymond Taylor Jr
2 #48 TJ Buzzard
3 #88J Justin Moran
4 #4T Raymond Taylor Sr
5 #57K Kylei Keown
6 #23 Christian Sanchez
7 #61 Anthony Beno
Modifieds
Results are not official
1 #15A Jason Philpot
2 #55 Tyler Caturegli
3 #19 Jackson Long
4 #77 Erick Ray
5 #37 Sierra Furia
6 #88 Gene O'Dell Jr
7 #17 Tyler Shipley
8 #04 Cole Brown
Mini Stocks
Results are not official
1 #11 Brian Murrell
2 #5 Jordan Paiment
3 #15K Billy Shaul
4 #6 Trevor Eacret
5 #29 Mike Peterson
6 #13 Brian Murrell Sr
7 #15 Steve Paiment
Legend Cars
Results are not official
1 #7C Cameron Austin
2 #51 Scott Sabol
3 #86R Jaden Fisher
4 #10C Carlee Austin
5 #7D Dylan Washburn
Ventura Raceway Unofficial Results April 28, 2018
VRA Sprint Cars
Brody Roa
Kyle Smith
Jeremy Ellertson
Danny Parrish
Gage Rucker
Charlie Butcher
Joey Bishop
Kyle Edwards
Guy Woodward
Rick Hendrix
Tom Hendrick
Josh Lakatos DQ
VRA Dwarf Cars
Jason Horton
Tommy Velasquez III
Johnny Conley
Kevin Calvo
Trent Morley
Nick Velasquez
Gage Cheek
Tom Morley
Tommy Velasquez II
Korey Cowan
Kody Cowan
April Banuelos
Mike Long
Tim Conley
Jeff Brink
Lee Majors
Tony Pellegrino
IMCA MODIFIEDS
Luis Espinoza
Dennis Eckert
Andrew Greiman
Donald Houghton
Terry Hershberger
Brandon Hoekstra
Jack parker
James Stowe
Dave Phipps
Trevor Fitzgibbon
Focus Midgets
Jet Davison
Keoni Texeira
Miek Leach
Chris Tramel
Raymomo Baldiez
Phil Schack
Jessica Valentine
Gage Rucker
VRA Hobby Stocks
Mike Stanford
Ricky Lewis
David Bettencourt
Ernie Malone
Travis Avila
Heath Morton
Tom Stephens Sr
Petaluma Speedway Unofficial Race Results April 28, 2018
Sprint Car Challenge our
A Main
Willie Croft
Tim Kaeding
Shane Golobic
Kyle Hirst
Tanner Thorson
Tanner Carrick
Colby Copeland
Justyn Cox
Andy Forsberg
Tony Gualda
Justin Sanders
Chase Johnson
Michael Kofoid
Lucas Ashe
Jake Haulot
Zack Lynskey
Michael Ing
Sean Becker
Jodie Robinson
Matt Peterson
Bradley Terrell
Dustin Golobic
Klint Simpson
Kalib Henry
B Main
Michael Kofoid
Dustin Golobic
Jodie Robinson
Kalib Henry
Shane Hopkins
John Clark
Billy Butler
Dustin Freitas
Cody Lamar
Colby Johnson
Jason Toft
Kenny Drew
Blake Carrick
Mike Benson
David Lindt II
Bret Barney
Ryan Souza
Tony Gualda
Santa Rosa Auto Body 600 Micros
David Engstrom
Rick Cook II
Cody Gray
George Nielson
Carroll Mendenhall
Rick Alonso
Jenna Perkins
Adam Johnson
Kyle Grissom
Justin Adiego
Justin Wade
Brian Slubik
Amber Fields
Madera Raceway Unofficial Race Results April 28, 2018
RPM Mortgage Pro Late Model Open
Blaine Rocha
Austin Herzog
Jack Wood
Adam Lemke
Garland Tyler
Dillon Tucker
Racin Vernon
Rick Thompson
Ryan Hart
Logan Zampa
Nick Grossi
Shelden Cooper
Christian Roche
Toni Breindenger
Henk Gaalswyk Jr
Kevin Thompson
Erik Woods
Will Martyn
Howard Holden
Matt Erickson
Quintin Harris
Glen Cook
Tyler Herzog
Kyle Gottula
Shane Butler
David Lewellen
Jacob Smith
JR Late Model
Dylan Zampa
Kayla Eshleman
Kyler Berry
Lilly Mead
Kabe McClenny
Calvin Hegje
Jody Moen
Austin Edwards
Tyler Reif
Jesse Love
Tanner Reif
Anthony Guaimano
Olivia Manke
Hobby Stock
Josh Whitfield
Thomas Suarez
Steve Schermerhorn
Jon Schlundt
Dean Gould
Toyota Sedans
Jillaun Holden
Greg Tyler
Tim Curtis
Thomas Magray
Kyle Labrie
Manny Gonzales, Jr
WSRA Mini Cups
Riley Massey
Kale McClenny
Aaron Thomas
Joseph Holiday
Zachary Ginn
Aiden Phillips
Avery Vivian
Kena Mitchell
The Editor's Viewpoint
So, we ended up canceling due to weather conditions up here. Mike had made the determination based on the forecast on Wednesday, but we didn't make it official until just after noon on Friday. I've heard some comments from people who really don't have a clue, and it kind of irked to me a little bit. I was asked not to officially respond, and I said I'd honor that request. However, I am the editor of DCRR Racing News. In that capacity, I feel the need to comment on the DCRR Blog.
Before I get into that, I just want to talk a little about this week. It kind of sucks watching Uncle Rich leave for California. I loved working with him and having him around from day one. Also, my heart is very much in California. I'm a bit jealous that he gets to go to beautiful sunny Southern California. I do wish him happiness as he is pursuing the more romantic side of life and attempting to put racing in his rear-view mirror.
Uncle Rich did a lot of different things in the two years he was here. He was definitely an MVP on the team. I liked his view on things. I'm not always in such a happy and cheerful mood about things, and neither is he. So, our attitudes worked well together. We still got out there and got our things done to the best of our ability. But this year, he's not here. Mike said to me very early on in the first year, "The show will go on with or without you." So true. Personally, I don't care at this point if the show goes on without me.
That's not necessarily just from the standpoint of my involvement in this race track, but in racing in general. You have to understand that I will always give 100% of my effort while I'm involved in the sport. It doesn't matter how I feel inside or what I feel like I'm lacking in my life. Doesn't matter about any of this. I made a commitment to do some work to try and help the cause of auto racing, and I have.
There are many personal things I need in my life that aren't being taken care of, and they won't be taken care of as long as I'm heavily involved in the sport. Bottom line. So, the show goes on without me? Sure it will. I've always talked about bein a link in the chain. I'm one of them, and I'm okay with the chain continuing on without me. I'm part of what held it all together.
So, I had it in my head this week to get on that lawnmower and ride it all through the pits, the Grassy Knoll area and get the mowing done. It seemed like like a simple task to me. I'll just whip on through there and get it done. Of course, I learned a few things about what I wasn't doing right, which probably could have saved me a couple of hours out of the 10 plus that I rode, but that's okay. The job needed to be done, and it's a matter of pride to look at your completed work and know that you did it. You helped make it better for the racers to park and for the fans to watch on the hillside.
Riding a mower wouldn't seem like it would take that much of a toll on a person. You're on a seat turning a steering wheel and all of that. No big deal, right? With all the bumps and banging, I actually was aching pretty good after the first day. I even had bruises. But, a lot of work was done. I was pretty happy with that. The bigger issue is how baked I was by the sun. I got sunburned in a way I don't think I have in a long time.
Here in Oregon, it's generally pretty cool. So, I have gone from wearing a jacket even around the house and long pants, despite the fact that I am happier as a shorts person, to going out into 80 degree weather at the race track. Actually, it was closer to 90. It felt really nice out there, so I didn't think about how the sun was baking me. I also didn't have any sun tan lotion to protect myself. It was no big deal. I knew I would be going back down there and riding the mower the next day, so I recovered as best I could.
When I got back there, it was more of the same. Not as much riding, but there was still a lot of area to cover. Now, I'm only one person out here doing work. There is a whole team of people out there doing work. Mike is overseeing things. There is a lot of stress that he goes through to make sure everything is covered. I can't really get into all of the stuff except to tell you that there's a lot of stress in making sure everything is handled. Plus, Mike has projects he's working on and things that he's fixing for the track.
We had a crew out there working very hard to get the concession stands ready. You want to buy food on race night? We need to have the concession stands ready for it. We had a power wash guy cleaning the grandstands better than they've been cleaned in a long time, and the concession area too. So, the fan side was looking very good. Things were progressing. I also had the first edition of the souvenir program at the printer and ready to be picked up.
The race track is the thing. We have a good pit area all nicely mowed. How was the race track going to be? You have Mike conferring with our track prep guy, Jim Rodgers. This is the way we need it to be. During the offseason, we had loads of clay dumped on the track and off of Turns 3 and 4 for future use. Jim had to not only get the track ready for the season opener, he had to work in the new clay just right.
So, Jim is worried about whether he's making progress or not. He's worried about how the equipment is holding up and all of that. He wants to give these racers the best possible racing surface he can. And yes, there is some stress involved in all of this. How is it going to turn out? We are still proceeding on Wednesday as if we're going to have that opening day on Saturday, despite the fact that the forecast does not look good. Maybe something will turn around?
I still have a few things on my mind. I came up here for media, the website and social media and the souvenir programs. This was the main reason I came up here. And it's not that I mind doing the extra things that I've been doing, because they do need to get done. I'm as interested as anybody in making sure this thing goes smoothly. We're going to have the best possible show. The one thing we will know is that we all did our best. That's how I approach things.
In the DCRR Racing Media effort, we send to several different newspapers for several different race tracks, and we're already having success. I am not naive about DCRR Racing Media. I know it's a full on racing promotions operation. There is value to this. Newspapers are getting content that helps them sell. Race tracks are getting publicity that helps them in some way and I'm willing to do whatever I can to help those causes. There isn't much return coming to me in this endeavor. Though there is some sort of an revenue that will supposedly come in from the blog sites, it hasn't happened in 3 years. I've earned $0 there. There's been no help from the race tracks that we cover here, other than the Central Valley Mini Stocks, and there's been a few donations that are definitely very much appreciated.
Some newspapers do better than others, and some of the newspapers I struggle with are the ones up here. The weekly paper seems to do pretty good by us, and I found another weekly. The local paper prints articles the next morning after the races, which I find very cool. I used to see that kind of thing growing up when Charlie Zeno covered Antioch Speedway. It was a goal of mine to do the same thing, but a little help in getting a pre-race article printed in the big local paper would be helpful.
Printed media alone isn't going to get the job done. This isn't 1978, after all. But since it still exists, it is part of my strategy. Social media, specifically Facebook, is an invaluable tool. I use it during the week, and I use it very heavily on race night to try to attract last minute support. You go after every fan you can get. It is a little effective. I've also realized that if you can get television media involved, you go for it. We've had three such successes in the last 2 years. So, the goal this year was to get something for opening day.
Here's the thing, I had two TV stations in my sights, one of which was the one that gave us the three spots in the last 2 years. With the weather putting us in a holding pattern, I couldn't work the angle the way I wanted to. Why send them any kind of video clip, only to be hyping a rainout? It's a wasted effort. I still sent the printed articles to everybody involved, and I realized on Friday that we got a response from the other TV station. They want to do an interview. Sadly, we had the rain out, but they sound very interested in doing it next week.
TV time may be the best opportunity to publicize and promote the track. If you can get 30 seconds on the TV, that creates more race track awareness for you. When we got it last year at the end of the season, we were on multiple times. You also need to know that people are watching that particular channel, who have an inclination to go to the races.
I know this can probably drive a promotor up the wall. Where do you advertise and put the word out? You can spend a lot of money, but if you put it in the wrong place, you're throwing money down the hole. Regardless, I'm hoping we can get this TV spot next week as it looks like the weather will let us have this race.
So, everybody's worked hard, and I can see Mike is stressing as much as I am, if not more so. But I have to watch the comments on social media. He doesn't really let that get to him, but he has bigger fish to fry. As the media person trying to keep the faith between the track, racers and fans, I have to work this angle. I have to see every negative, snide remark that goes along with the positive comments. And when you make a rainout cancellation and do it early, the negativity comes flying in fast.
People want to go watch the races. I get that. When you tell them there will be no races because of weather, they're not going to be happy. When you do this a full day ahead of the races when there hasn't really been much rain, you're going to get more negativity. However, a promoter has to put the track in the best position possible to be successful. It is a business. Maybe association run race tracks or promoters who have money to burn don't care as much, but that's not every track in the world. I really do feel like the decision that was made was the best, but I was still not happy about it.
Part of the reason was a realization that I had. I felt pretty beat down after the days on the mower. I'm feeling a little bit better. If we were racing, I'd be there. But, I am getting increasingly disenchanted with putting forth the kinds of efforts that I do and not feeling very rewarded by them. At this stage in my life, total and complete involvement in the sport is not worth it without knowing that it's doing some good for me personally. In other words, I don't want to kill myself for a race track. It isn't worth it. So, along with the stress, there was some anger. Like, I busted my rear end to help get us open this weekend, and we're rained out this early?
Then, I have to hear from people who say we don't care enough. With all due respect, they have no idea. Now, Mike would tell me that they don't need to have any idea, and he's right. I understand that philosophy. The fan simply takes their money to the gate, buys their ticket and goes and watches. They're going to have whatever opinion they're going to have. All you can concentrate on is getting things ready to give them a show. So, I get why he would say that.
The problem is that this goes hand-in-hand with all the negativity that I see people who supposedly love the sport put out against it. It's a never-ending bashfest for some people. This goes on across most race tracks to one degree or another. Now, I'm not going to be as dishonest as to say that hardcore race fans are the problem with the sport. I've seen that meme put out there, and it's utter BS. Hardcore fans have the passion and come out and watch the races most times.
The problem comes from the negativity that they spew for others to read. If you are a casual fan who thinks that going to the races might be a good idea, one place you'll go is social media to see what's going on. Those same hard core fans are the ones slamming the race track, and I can guarantee you they have an impact on the person who went to social media to see what was going on. They aren't there every week, but they think this might be a fun show. We might get them out there a few more times if they try the first time. But they're looking for other people's opinions. When they see negativity, chances are that steers them towards a movie, dining out or whatever else.
It's work to get a race track ready on race day. People show up, and if you've done your job right, everything is there for everybody to see. They come in and enjoy the show without any idea what went on. They have no idea about the work that went in and things that may have arisen during the night that were dealt with to keep things flowing. So, when a fan arbitrarily says the race track crew isn't working hard enough to make a race happen, and you know how beat up you are in the effort of trying to make it happen, it gets frustrating and you want to respond.
You want to put on a show that has ideal conditions. Now, let's be honest here. You're not going to get ideal weather conditions for all 20-22 races that you might have. There are going to be nights when it's too cold. There are going to be nights when it's too hot. There are going to be nights when it might even be drizzling a little bit but you rolled the dice and ran. You're going to probably come out of this deal with maybe half of your schedule being in ideal weather conditions. Believe it or not, race tracks are now cancelling because it's too hot. We did that once in our first season. Who knows? We might do it again if we think it's in the best interest of the track.
We attempted to have a show last year with gloomy skies and cold weather. People were anxious to run this race. That's really not why we ran it, as far as I know. The forecast didn't say it was going to rain, so we went for it. This time, the forecast clearly called for rain, so we did what we thought was best. Last year, we had a dismal attendance, and even some of the racers didn't show up for that race. What good did holding that show do? We limped out of the gate, when we really needed something better than that.
So, we cancelled. I look out my window and see cloudy skies with some sun popping through. It hasn't been raining much. All but one track in Oregon canceled their racing events this week. Our closest neighbor at the northern border of California is rolling the dice and going for it. Then again, this is an association run track. It's run by the racers, and business models are different in this situation. Will they get it in? If they do, how many fans will come watch? If they do, will it rain a little bit? Was it the ideal conditions to run a race?
As a fan who was still learning more about the business, I can remember management at Antioch Speedway. I was just in the early days of doing the magazine, and our track manager had a knack for canceling on gloomy days, only to have the sun come out and the clouds break away after making that decision. This happened on numerous occasions. So, cancel due to rainy weather and then have the sun pop out. She was looking at the bottom line. You want fans to come watch. This is why you open a race track. You want fans to come watch the cars on the track. If something's going to hinder that, you do what you have to do.
And again, there are promoters who will be the hero at times like this. I watched a promoter run a race during cloudy and drizzly skies. And it did rain on him during one of the Main Events. He even cancelled the race in an announcement to the fans, only to be greeted by a chorus of boos. Then, it stopped raining. The quick thinker asked the fans if he should go get the drivers to come pack the track in again, and they cheered. I kid you not, they packed the track back in and ran the race. This is almost unheard of. At that point, the race is cancelled. In this case, people had already spent their money to come watch the race, so I guess why not finish the effort if you can?
You can be the hero by running the race. Some tracks have a hearty enough fan base that they are coming as long as you're going to try to race. If it's cold and gloomy, they still show up if you say there's a race. Other tracks, if it looks gloomy, they're not coming. So, what does the promoter want? If they want to be a hero to the people who do show up, they go for it. Being a hero will only get you so far.
It isn't a slam dunk to run a race track in 2018. Though there are a few tracks doing pretty darn well, a lot of tracks are just getting by from week to week with whatever car count they can get. They do what they can to sell that car count to the fans and get who they can in the seats. And this is the area that I am involved in. How do I present what we're offering on the track to the fans in a way that entices them to come watch? My mind was ready and working this week in the hopes that we could race, and this cancellation hurt. It's not because we made the wrong call, but because I guess I had my hopes up high. I know how hard I worked. I know how hard everybody else worked. So, to hear people even try to insinuate that we weren't working to make this race happen just infuriated me.
And it was ultimately the right decision to not respond in any sort of official capacity. All it can do is fan the flames of anybody who wants to be negative. There are a lot of people who thrive on that kind of mentality. But, my readers here know that I will give them my honest opinion about how I'm feeling or what I see going on in the sport. I felt like I needed to put something here to express myself. If I get to the point where I always censor myself when it comes to my opinion, what the hell am I even doing here?
We will regroup. There are many other races on the schedule, and there are several two race weekends at that. We're going to be knee-deep in racing. We already are making plans for next week. I have articles to write and social media to work, and it will get started. I am hoping that we get the kind of weather conditions that are the most desirable. Either way, if it's possible for us to race, I know the show will go on. We have a promoter who is dedicated to giving the fans the best show possible and doing what's best for that race track.
As this was written on Friday night, I have the opportunity to add a little bit more to the observation about rainouts and when to call for one. It's rather interesting, because the sniveling was still going on until Saturday morning. By about 4 p.m. on Saturday, it became obvious to people in the Medford area that it would have been a stupid decision to run a race. Think about it, you have a race, everybody assembles in the pits, it rains and vehicles have a harder time getting out. Plus, you have fans getting wet. Do you really want to try when the forecast is so specifically calling for rain? We were proven right.
The other side of the coin is what happened at Siskiyou Speedway. They gave it a shot. Most of the people who were planning to race showed up. They packed the track in and had hot laps. But as they ran the heat race for the Mini Stocks, it started raining. Now, you have a muddy mess. People are in a hurry to get their vehicles out of the pits before they get stuck there. Then, people are wondering about rainchecks or getting their money back. You have to deal with all of that headache.
Of course, the flood of negativity came in, the same as we had seen in Medford. In this case, it was people complaining that they even tried to run the race. We got called out for canceling early because we knew rain was coming. Who's right? Another thing to consider is that there are just people who are naturally negative. Because we have social media as an outlet on which they can vent, you're going to hear it. Maybe I can sum it up best by saying in these bad weather situations, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.
Perhaps I should call this a column, but I'm going to go ahead and talk a bit about Antioch Speedway. Kind of interesting looking at the Bay Area Hardtop effort with four cars. I talked about lack of leadership in this area. You see, John simply wants to book Hardtops. He is the promoter that gave the Hardtops their first regular dates in the early goings of this California revival movement. He is booking the dates, and he wants to see the cars show up. They had an important slot as the number five division last week. Doesn't mean the pressure was on them to deliver all the cars, but they need to deliver some. Otherwise, something else needs to be looked at as the fifth division.
I don't say this because I don't want Hardtops there. I do want Hardtops there, but the California Hardtop Association and its leadership has a different vision for where they want to race. They will support some Antioch, but not all. This Bay Area Hardtop movement was started because there were people who said they wanted to race more at Antioch. So, the onus is on them to deliver the race cars, not the California Hardtop Association. The California Hardtop Association can come support when they are available. The Bay Area Hardtop division is the one that has to deliver the cars to Antioch.
By my estimation, there are 10 or 12 cars that you could consider to be Bay Area Hardtops. Now, whoever is calling themselves the leader of this movement, whether that be Dave Mackay or Ken Retzloff or whomever, they need to be the one to pick up the phone for this next race date. They need to deliver more than four cars, or it could be possible that they will be taking all of their shows on the road in the future, that is unless John were to come up with another plan like having a fifth division already and making the Hardtops the sixth division for the night. I can only hope this Bay Area Hardtop movement gains some traction, but I'm confident the California Hardtops will motor on.
As for Antioch, we had this discussion during the offseason about the possibility of bringing Four Bangers back. I've gone back and forth on the idea, but I support it. There are bigger issues that need to be dealt with. Car count could be a lot better in some classes, but I think booking some classes too heavily takes a toll on them. Therefore, if you have more divisions to rotate, it makes it easier to take some of the burden off of certain classes. The easiest division to insert into the lineup is the Four Banger class.
There was discussion from a few drivers during the offseason about making this happen, but the talk disappeared. I really am of the opinion that this movement from the very beginning was botched. A few bad apples spoiled it for everybody. You can compare that to Watsonville and Merced, where this division has continued on for closing in on 15 years now. Four Bangers are most affordable class to get started in and should be the easiest one to build. Because they don't run for a purse, there's less burden on the promoter. At worst, they may be supplying a plaque to the winner.
The concern I have after getting a view of the grandstands, which were nicely painted, was the low crowd support. Considering the location of Antioch, even though people have negative things to say about that town, attendance should be bigger. There are a variety of opinions on this. Yes, people have moved on, but there are always new people moving to town. You need to work on race track awareness. How many people don't even know that there's a race track there? You have a problem. It's easy to say there should be more advertisement and all that, but I believe in using your promotional budget wisely and trying several different things in an effort to boost attendance.
But make no mistake, something has to be done about the situation. There are many aspects that need to be looked at and approved, but more has to be done to get the word out. This was something I took very seriously as I was mulling over a possible return to the sport way back in 2013. It took a couple of years before I finally showed up, but I had many ideas going through my mind. By the time I came back in 2015, the track was going the way it was. I just kind of jumped in and added to what was there, mostly for free. I'm still doing the things I do for that track for free.
I know people are going to tell you it's 2018 and times have changed. They are correct, to a point. However, it's still a heavily populated area that now has BART going out past the race track. There are people looking for things to do on the weekend, and for some, going to the race track is an appealing idea. Of course, they need to know that that is an option in the first place. Creating race track awareness is not as easy as just doing it. You have to look at all the factors, all of the various tools at your disposal and begin working on stuff.
Even then, you're not going to see a mass migration back to the track. It's going to be a process. But if nothing is done, there won't be much improvement. It will continue along and have good moments and bad moments. Now is the time to consider the possibilities and do something before it becomes unsalvageable. I don't believe it's hit that low just yet.
I've been noticing the B Modified support has gone up. There is a good caliber of racer involved in this class in Antioch. I'm disappointed the division has been booked so heavily that it doesn't really encourage all of these great drivers to show up for every race. Were that to be the case, you might actually have a great championship battle to entertain the fans. As has been the case for years, close point battles are a way to engage the fans and make them want to be there. Then again, if they don't know what's going on, they're not coming.
I was somewhat critical of the Sharp Shooter Tournament at first. This isn't because I think it was a bad idea, but because you've essentially picked one special race for what is essentially the Number 5 division in the pecking order. Is this what's going to engage the fans? On the other hand, it's still something. Something is better than nothing. I would love to see what other sorts of ideas might be attempted with the other classes that are there. They have Air Drone Races coming up, but is that a novelty type of thing that will get the people?
I'm still waiting for results as I work on this article on Sunday night. Orland Raceway had their opener on Saturday. They were threatened by rain, but they managed to get this one in. Once Diamond Mountain Speedway in Susanville and Hayfork Speedway get their races going, all of California will be in racing season. I have an off week on July 28th, and the thought of going to California is very appealing to me. Due to budget and a busy schedule, I'm not sure what's possible. Orland may be the best candidate, and they have a B Modified race happening that week.
I think it's a shame that the special series that Brian Cooper had worked on was crushed by IMCA. It looks like all of the non IMCA sanctioned events that were booked are still scheduled. They ran a race at Stockton on the dirt so far, and I believe they go back there, Placerville and Orland. Would have been interesting had they went ahead and had a 6 or 8 race series. So you don't call them Sport Modifieds or refer to the IMCA banner. But, I understand why this didn't happen. It's just frustrating to see people's efforts to try and help promote this sport get crushed.
I keep looking at the Hobby Stock division and wondering who might step up and try a series with them next. It could be very intriguing having a 6 or 8 race schedule at select tracks, and maybe just one race at each track. I think 30 plus Hobby Stocks showing up for special events would be pretty awesome. I could elaborate on that, but it's time to close this column down for the week.
Before I go, I have a few thoughts on the DCRR books that I would like to release. I wrote the lion's share of a sequel to Just A Kid From The Grandstands before coming up to Oregon. It's more of the same style of that first book, which I consider my autobiography of my time in racing. I added other things that weren't included in that first book, some dealing with my time being involved in the sport and others based on observations of things that were going on on the track. Since coming up here, I have also added a number of chapters.
Just when this book might get edited and released, I can't say. I could probably attack it if I were given a full week where I didn't have to do any current racing stuff, but I don't have a full week. The title has already been picked out. I'm calling it My Apologies - A Written Retraction. In small print after My Apologies is, For Being Detrimental To The Sport Of Auto Racing. It's an inside joke that will be explained in the book. Because that would be too long for a title, the main official title is as stated, My Apologies - A Written Retraction.
Best Of The Blog will see sequels. I don't know that I'll have some monstrous 400-page book. But, by the time I get through with this season, there will be four full seasons of racing coverage at several tracks. So, the sequel will cover much of that, and I may even pull out the 2010 season that I ghost wrote for Antioch Speedway and Orland Raceway. I'd have to go through all of that, but it's a taste of racing history.
The other idea that I had is what I'm only calling the California Short Track Racing Almanac. This will be a pretty cool little book. I'm not anticipating this will be a huge book, but the pages will have lots of cool information. It's just possible that I will attack this book after the My Apologiesb book. I still want to get into the history subject, but I think I need to be away from the sport and have time to do other things and be able to work on the history stuff rather than the current stuff. It becomes very overwhelming after a while.
So basically what this means is there will be more books coming down the pipeline. Once I get the sequel to my racing autobiography done, I want to move away from books where I'm getting too much into commentary type of stuff. I'd rather do stuff that is racing history that might only have a couple of pages of commentary. Nobody needs to read that stuff. I think I will have made my point by the time I release the next book.
It's going to be a very busy season. It already is, and we haven't started racing in Medford yet. I've been going pretty crazy. I will give it 100%. I made the announcement before the season that this will be my last year doing regular racing coverage, and I intend to stick by that. I definitely need change, and I can't even pursue that change when I'm knee-deep in everything. When I land on my feet, who knows what could be possible? Until then, I'll just be giving it my best and hopefully doing the kind of job that Gary Jacob would be proud of this year.
That's all for now...
