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Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
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Sprint Cars, A Modifieds Headline Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway will be having their Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race this Saturday night. The event pays tribute to the man who raced in the Sportsman division throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s. Jerry was known as somebody who could do more with less equipment than most others on the track, and he was always willing to help his fellow racers.
The lineup of divisions this Saturday night includes the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The championship battles are in full swing in all divisions, and this promises to be another exciting race.
Last week, Matt DeMartini picked up his second Winged 360 Sprint Car win of the season in front of Burt Foland Jr. He used it to take over the point lead as two-time reigning champion Art McCarthy remains not too far behind him in second. McCarthy finished third that night, but he's still in search of his first feature win of the season. Despite some difficult luck, Tim Burcher remains in the Top 5 in the standings, but he will be in fourth as David Dias used a fifth place finish in the recent race to move into third. As is the case with these races, you never know who might show up for a run at the money this week.
Two-time Petaluma Speedway champion Nick DeCarlo drove a great race to pick up his third A Modified Main Event win of the season last week. DeCarlo is keeping the pressure on reigning champion Bobby Motts Jr. Motts won his heat race and came from the last row to finish second last time out. The battle remains close between these two.
With his third place finish last time out, Sean O'Gara strengthened his advantage in the race for third in the standings. Rookie Buddy Kniss used his sixth place finish to move up into the Top 5 in points. Both drivers will be looking for better results this week, and other racers to watch for include Raymond Lindeman, Trent Wentworth, Bobby Montalvo, Mike Salazar and Gary Hetrick.
B Modified point leader Trevor Clymens had his work cut out for him last time out. Having won three races in a row, he was starting back in tenth in the Main Event. He made his way up to battle for the lead, but nobody was stopping Merced visitor Tanner Thomas from winning. This included a great effort by Aaron Crowell to move by on the inside. Clymens picked up good points for his finish and stretched his lead to over 100 points ahead of Guy Ahlwardt. Ahlwardt came out the victim in a race for second that left him with body damage that he needed to make a pit stop to repair. Though he has a win at Watsonville, Guy is hoping to get one at Antioch.
They competition level in the B Modified division at Antioch has risen so much that it becomes perhaps the most entertaining race of the night when the stars all choose to come out in support of the show. Some of these great competitors include rookie Brent Curran, Ryan DeForest, Todd Gomez, reigning champion KC Keller, Kenny Neu and Chuck Golden. Work is proceeding on the Nick Caughman Jr car as he should make an appearance soon.
Hobby Stock point leader Chris Sorensen was forced to settle for second last week as reigning champion Cameron Swank won for the second time this season. However, Sorensen still stretched his lead over Michael Cooper, who received a black flag after a contact incident resulted in leader Billy Garner spinning. Garner has been getting faster with each race and seems poised for his first career feature win. He battled back to finish fourth at the checkered flag.
Another driver looking good last week with his second straight third place finish was Anthony Vigna. Anthony is off to a late start, but If he can continue this pace, a move into the Top 5 in the standings is within his grasp. Tanis Rangel was looking good in his heat race win, and it could be that he's the next rookie, following John Wacht, to get his first feature win. Other drivers to watch for include Breanna Troen, Chris Bennett and Josh Leach.
David Michael Rosa had been on the verge of his first career Dwarf Car Main Event win with several second place finishes. Last week, he finally got it done. To get the win he had to hold off point leader and four time winner Mike Corsaro. At this stage of the season, a second is fine for Corsaro, who has enough of a point lead to miss a race and still be leading.
Recently, 2010 champion Jerry Doty returned. Jerry raced Stock Cars back to the 1980s. He finished fifth this time. Another Top 5 star going back to the previous decade is Tony Carmignani. He finished third last week, and he is certainly somebody to watch in the battle for victory. Other drivers to watch for include David Rosa, Charlie Correia, Mario Marquez and Lonnie Tekaat.
Saturday night is an opportunity for Antioch Speedway to pay tribute to one of the great racers of the past. The Jerry Hetrick Memorial is a race that long time racers want to be a part of. It should be a great night of racing. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Dwarf Cars To Invade Merced Speedway This Weekend
Merced, CA...It's time for the return appearance of the Western States Dwarf Car Association Nationals event at Merced Speedway. The event, hosted by the South Bay Dwarf Car Association, pits some of the best Dwarf Car racers on the West Coast against each other in the spirit of great competition. Saturday's event will also include the Hobby Stocks, California Sharp Mini Late Models and the Valley Sportsman division.
Drivers start showing up on Thursday night, and the first race is on Friday night. They break the Dwarf Car groups into three with a Pro division, a Veteran division for the older competitors and a Sportsman division for the newcomers. Drivers who finish in the Top 10 on Friday night earn starting spots in the Fast Heat on Saturday to determine the first five rows of the Main Event. This becomes very important in the Pro division, which is expected to have enough cars for a B Main again this year. Last season, roughly 70 total competitors signed in for the two day show.
The records show that the Pro division 30 lap Main Event was won last season by Matt Sargent. Matt is a past South Bay champion who has been racing with the Sin City Dwarf Car group in Las Vegas. Reigning NorCal Dwarf Car champion Danny Wagner finished second and Oregon PHRA competitor Jake Van Ortwick ran third. Past NorCal champion Ryan Winter and St Helens, Oregon racer James Brinster completed the Top 5 as 24 drivers started the Main Event.
You might think that the Pro division is the main attraction, but the Veteran division offers some of the closest racing on Nationals weekend. NorCal competitors dominated the Top 5 at last year's race with Kevin Bender winning ahead of Mike Reeder, Kevin Miraglio, Scott Dahlgren and Buddy Olschowka. PHRA Dwarf Car racer Jake Tupper won the Sportsman Main Event ahead of NorCal racer Josh Wiesz and NorCal competitor Devin Kammermann.
The Dwarf Cars put on such a great show that they themselves are worth coming out to watch, but they will be joined by the track's Hobby Stock division on Saturday night. Through the consistency of being the only driver with six Top 5 finishes in six starts, Shannon Nelsen holds a 13 point lead over reigning champion and three-time winner Kodie Dean. Nelson is searching for her first feature win since 2015 and has come very close. Her teammate, Kristie Shearer, is 25 points out of the lead and 12 behind Dean. These three have been running strong all season long, but other drivers to watch include Mike Germait, 2016 champion Michael Shearer, Austin Van Hoff and Robbie Loquaci.
The California Sharp Mini Late Model division has a close three-car battle for the point lead. After picking up a win at the recent event, second generation racer Riley Jeppesen is only four points behind one time winner Tim Crews. Riley's father Robby is a past Street Stock champion at the speedway. Not to be forgotten in the mix is Carson Guthrie, who sits third and is only nine points out of the lead. Jesse Burks is a two-time winner, but a bad start in his season opening race leaves him 39 points out so far. These four along with Ian Shearer are anticipated this week.
The Valley Sportsman division has a rather interesting battle taking place. At the top of the list you will find Watsonville Speedway Hall Of Famer and four time Sportsman champion Jerry Cecil. Cecil leads newcomer Rick Elliott by five points, but both drivers are still looking for their first wins of the season. Reigning Champion Jeff Bristow has put Chris Falkenberg behind the wheel of his car, resulting in a pair of victories for Falkenberg. He leads one time winner Chris Birdsong by one point in the battle for third while rookie Chris Corder is only seven points out. The last time out, the division saw another Watsonville Hall Of Famer, Ray Johnson, make his debut. So far, there have been nine different racers, and there's at least a half a dozen others out there that could be a part of this show.
Dwarf Car Nationals weekend is a chance for fans of this style of racing to come and see the very best that Dwarf Cars have to offer. The fact that Saturday night will also include the other three divisions will make it even more enticing to the fans. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks Return For Five Division Program Saturday At Orland Raceway
Orland, CA...The fifth round of championship racing at Orland Raceway takes place this Saturday night. The fans are still talking after the race on June 2nd where the B Modified division made their debut at the track. They are asking for more, and they'll get their wish with the division's return on July 28th. This Saturday night, Mini Stocks and Mini Trucks return to the program along with the Pure Stocks, Wingless Gas Sprints and 250 Micros.
The Mini Truck division has been putting on some crowd pleasing shows so far this year. Reigning champion Keith Ross has picked up a pair of victories, while Jeff Bennett has also made it to the Winner's Circle. Truck count has improved into double-digits thanks to the addition of several newcomers. 2016 champion Dan Webster has a new truck this year and is hoping to add his name to the win column. The steady William Fogle, who ranked third in the standings last season, will be out to do the same. Newcomers like Kevin Kvalick, Tony Quinonez, Rocky Wagner and Justin Vance are making things interesting and giving the fans lots of excitement to watch on the track.
After picking up back-to-back wins to start the season, Barbara Crain finally met her match in long-time racer Paul Stevens. It seems as if Stevens has driven everything in his career, so a Mini Stock was the next choice for the 2015 Pure Stock champion. Two-time reigning champion Tom Davis is still looking for his first win as is another past champion, John Kirkpatrick. Car count has improved noticeably in this class as Dustin Hills and Sean Perry have been joined by such newcomers as Cindy Wagner, Les Fernandez and Scott Camper.
It was 2017 Battle Of The Axles winner Paul Stevens getting the win in the most recent Pure Stock race. He joins Richard Vanderploog and reigning champion Jeremy Langenderfer on the Winner's List so far this year. Langenderfer has won twice. Shannon Collins is still searching for his first win of the season here, but he picked up a win in the most recent race at Marysville. The competition level is top notch in this division with past champion Steve Martin, John Camper, Amanda McAbel and Bill Matlock in the field.
After four Wingless Gas Sprint races, the wins have been divided up equally between many time champion Josh Jacobo and Josh Tucker. Tucker has won the last two races. Can somebody new join the winner's list this week? RJ Baker, Taylor Thomson, David Johnson and Rob Worthington will be other drivers to watch.
It should be a great night of racing at Orland Raceway this Saturday night. For further information, go to www.orlandraceway.org or look the track up on Facebook.
All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Cars Back
At Antioch Speedway Saturday Night
Antioch, CA...The fourth round of the All Star Series Winged 360 Sprint Car schedule takes place at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night as part of the Jerry Hetrick Memorial event. So far, Matt DeMartini is leading the standings on the strength of his victories in the season opener and the most recent race. He leads reigning champion Art McCarthy by 18 points.
DeMartini won the season opener ahead Billy Aton and Burt Foland Jr. He finished fourth in the next race as two-time Watsonville champion Brad Furr picked up the victory. Last season's top rookie, Jacob Tuttle, made his season debut with a second place finish ahead of McCarthy. McCarthy again had a third place finish last week as DeMartini won ahead of Foland.
It's shaping up to be a battle between DeMartini and McCarthy for the championship while a couple of newer drivers, David Dias and Tim Burcher, are battling for third. Dias picked up a fifth place finish behind Tuttle last week to take a two point lead over Burcher in that battle. Tuttle's fourth place finish kept him within one point of fifth place Burt Foland Jr in the standings.
McCarthy may not be off to the best of starts this season, but he's still doing better than he did last year when he was unable to start the season opener due to mechanical issues. At one time, he found himself trailing by 60 points in the championship chase. However, he picked up three feature victories and had a strong late-season run to catapult him into the lead.
Nobody has won more Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Events at Antioch Speedway than McCarthy has, and it's generally known that to win the championship you need to get through him. He has been a fixture in the Top 3 in the standings since the division started having championship point racing again in 2014.
DeMartini has been traveling to various different tracks in recent seasons, but his decision to race more often at Antioch Speedway seems to be paying off. He may just be the driver to beat this week, but one driver looking to do it is Foland. Foland has five second place finishes and three thirds in the last two seasons, but he's still looking for his first win. Could that come this Saturday night?
Antioch Speedway has had some interesting results in this division in recent seasons as there have been a variety of drivers, some of them just getting started in the class, who have come to town and laid claim to the winner's prize money. It should be another exciting race this Saturday night. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
The Editor's Viewpoint
So here we are on the edge of Spring with Summer just a little over a week away as I write this. Before you know it, the year is going to be done. I'm not exactly sure how much fun I'm really having, but time does seem to be flying. I think it's been a little bit more stressful and busy for me this year, but things are getting done.
The media effort continues. It seems to me that some tracks are ignoring this, but I think it would serve them better to make some kind of effort. To the tracks that at least put the results up and the point standings, thank you. At least that's something. Do consider finding somebody out there to write. Having somebody put up at least the basic articles talking about the next race and doing race review articles can only help you. Also, it wouldn't hurt to do driver profile articles sometimes too. Anything to get the fans interested.
I think you can even benefit by using Facebook and other social media to keep people posted on what's happening. This doesn't mean you necessarily need to put a blow-by-blow update as a few places do on who is winning the races that night. People should be out there at the race track checking it out for themselves. But, leading up to the races, putting things out there couldn't hurt. And, be consistent about it.
I think it might be discouraging for people if they do make more of an effort in getting writing out there and working social media and they're not seeing results quickly. The goal is more fans in the stands and more drivers competing. It's going to take time. This isn't the only answer to the problem of getting more interest in the sport. But, it is a part of how you do it. Make the effort. Add some color to the statistics that are out there. It won't hurt.
There are undoubtedly young and eager fans out there who would love to help out in that way. Getting them into the races every week and perhaps throwing a few bucks at them is a worthy investment. And, you can tell them what it is that you would like to see written and give them a little guidance.
I've done the DCRR Racing Media thing, and it has encompassed many of the things that one of the links above my posts on the blog describes. About the only thing I'm not doing is individual racer publicity releases. This has become quite the thing as social media has gotten bigger. Drivers have somebody write a little bit about how their night went. How does this benefit the racer? You keep your fans and sponsors and friends updated. When you have sponsors, having them get thanked in each article shows them that they're getting something for their money. I recommend racers contact Daren Ricks Campbell on Facebook and hire him for this. He does good work.
When I saw that Petaluma Speedway had nothing out there in the newspaper I was a little bit surprised. They get little articles here and there, but nothing consistent. Rick Faeth does a great job with that track. I couldn't even begin to get into all that he's doing to keep things afloat. And, this is one of the tracks that is under threat of being closed. So, I can see where he's been stretched to a point where maybe a few things aren't being covered. Hopefully it's not a case of the track thinking it doesn't matter.
When Pops Soares ran the place, he was very keen on making sure publicity was handled. This guy usually had two or three writers on his staff at times. You had a guy doing racing magazine articles and a guy doing newspaper articles. You also had somebody announcing who was capable of writing if needed and had done so in the past. Basically, he knew that there was some value in having a little color out there about what's going on. He ran the track right up to the point where the internet had really become established.
I know Harlan Osborne wrote for a number of years and was of great value to that track. If and when Rick were to decide he wanted to do a Hall Of Fame for that place, which I would advise him to consider, Harlan is exactly the guy I would call for some information. He kept records and wrote articles for years. He got them in the newspapers and various magazines.
But I noticed that the newspaper recently didn't have much. They just had two big races that didn't have anybody out there covering them. I didn't want to let that one go, so I took the statistics that went out there and wrote something. Depending on Race Monitor for statistics is a bit shaky. It is unofficial, and Petaluma seems to get a few more glitches on that than other places. Unfortunately, they are slower than most tracks with the My Lap updates and there currently are no point standings updated. Hopefully things can improve in that area, because it wasn't quite this way a couple years ago. More information was there.
This racing media effort that I do is designed to make sure places are getting information out there. At least ways, letting the fans know in other media outlets that there is racing happening and here is some of what's going. It's a good thing. So, when I saw statistics available and some video footage, I put the article out about a week and a half ago for the Top Dog Nationals IMCA Modified race. I'm happy to report that at least one newspaper ran with it.
What was interesting was I got an email from IMCA through the track email up here asking about the fact that Petaluma had a break between 20 lap segments and ran other divisions during that time. I told them it did happen to give the drivers a chance to refuel and all of that, and they thought it was the weirdest thing. I've seen this happen before, but usually we're talking about bigger segments than that.
Anyway, I decided at the very last minute to put something together for them this time. Nothing was out there on Sunday night when I was trying to write an article. I cobbled together a little bit of information on Monday afternoon, though a couple of divisions were lacking information that I could have used. I had a few things to say about them and more on the Sprint Cars and Midgets. I sent it, and I'm happy to report that it got used in at least one media outlet too. This is what we do here.
I don't know how much newspapers would have reacted to what I'm doing 20 years ago. In fact, many more of these outlets would have had their own writers that they would pay to do it. But, the internet has affected papers so much that times have changed. Maybe the staffs aren't as big or something? I don't know. They use a combination of printed media and internet to stay afloat. They still look for contenent, and if you're consistent about it, they take it.
This is a lesson I learned when I was handling media for Chowchilla Speedway for two years. Send it to them consistently, and even if they ignore you for a while, they'll start using it. They'll take pieces of it. Whatever, at least they use some of it. So, this is what I do for these tracks. They will take the information, even if they're not offering any compensation. Many of them don't even offer a byline, but at least the story is getting out there. I love Petaluma Speedway, though it's been years since I've been there. I'm glad to be able to help them too.
In searching for information on Medford racing history, I found other tracks in other newspapers. There was a treasure trove of Petaluma Speedway out there, and I've gathered a bunch of it. I am greatly considering using some stuff to start a Petaluma Speedway Days Of Old page on Facebook. I think it's time. I don't know how much people are aware of the history that that race track had prior to the 1980s. But, there are some really interesting facts about that place. When you start a Facebook page, people start to come out of the woodwork and share their pictures and newspaper clippings. This could be the path that leads to a Hall Of Fame there, and at the very least, it can lead to people learning more about a great racing facility.
When you have people who don't understand the history of a race track, you get what happened at Antioch Speedway. There is a Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race, and it happens because promoter John M Soares raced against the guy and had respect for him. Jerry was a Sportsman division competitor throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s. Top 10 and sometimes Top 5 in points, a feature winner and also a track record holder at one time. He did it on a low budget. He did it with class and the respect of his fellow racers. He was a guy who would help others when he could too.
You have an announcer out there trying very hard to help. I've seen Wade put up videos sometimes telling people what happened last week and creating events to get people excited about the next race. So, Wade's working it. Problem is, he said that last week was Jerry's race when it's this week. Whoops. I'm not entirely sure that Wade knows much about Jerry and will tell the fans. I'm not sure he's going to ask anybody, but I doubt anybody is going to tell him either. This is a shame.
When I heard that John was doing the race for his dad a few years ago, I wanted very badly to be at the track. I wanted the microphone so I could tell people just some of the great things that the man had done in the sport throughout his amazing career. Again, I'm not sure how much was conveyed by Wade to the fans. When you have a memorial race, whether it's for Jerry, Pops Soares or Larry Damitz, talk about the person you're memorializing. That's why we're here, even if we're racing on a Saturday night, this night is special. So, make it that way.
In this column, I do speculate a little bit about Antioch, and will probably continue to do that in the future. I've heard John and Donna say that they thought that they might be the last promoters of that race track. This was back when I was working for them some 20 years ago. I said to myself, no way. You'll be a link in the chain, and a good link at that. But, somebody else will take the reigns one day and keep it going. That is my hope for Antioch Speedway.
I have a vision in my mind that maybe is lofty. Maybe I'll never get to see this happen or be a part of making it happen. I have a vision that includes having a Hall Of Fame there and honoring history. I'm sitting on a lot of it right now, waiting for the time to really share it and put things out there. There are people out there as keen as I am about this. There are people who want to have a Hall of Fame.
I believe both John and his father belong in there. I believe that this annual tradition will be an important part of the track. When I speculate about who's going to run the track in the future or the idea that there will be another promoter in the future, it's with hope that when John is ready to walk away, the track remains in good hands.
I'm not naming names, and I'm not trying to be sly about that. I know of interested parties in the place, but now isn't the time to put names out there. Now isn't the time for that, because it's not going to serve to be helpful. It won't help the current management and it won't help the future management to go speculating about which specific person is doing it and what they specifically want to do. So, I do generalizations here. When I hear more things, it will continue to be this way unless interested parties say otherwise.
But, I can speculate about something I'd like to see happen or at least I think might be interesting to see. Everybody it seems is gaga over the IMCA. IMCA sort of took over California gradually when NASCAR took a lower profile. I won't bash IMCA too badly since I know people know I'm not high on the sanctioning body. They have a good set of rules, but not much money at the end of the rainbow. Some states are just dots on the map to that association in my opinion. But, at least it's out there.
I'm almost of the opinion that you don't need a sanctioning body at a race track these days. Have a good set of rules and do things right, and the racers will support you anyway. When John took over Antioch, he pulled out of NASCAR. People raised holy hell over that, because of the feeling they got from being involved with NASCAR. I did look at the numbers and what was being taken out versus what was being put back and I didn't disagree with John's decision in the least. What he told me he was going to do is exactly what he did do. Increased purses, bigger point funds and all of that. The first three or four years were pretty damn good. Better than most tracks in the area.
I'm not sure what NASCAR even wants to do anymore, but I still believe that if they started to go back to the grassroots, it could only benefit them. This might include putting a couple of tracks back on the circuit that they took off. Tracks that had heritage and mattered. This might include them looking at whether The Chase is a viable thing to continue or weather going back to the older ways might serve them better. This might include looking at a way to get individual car teams back into this thing again. But that's just one factor.
The late Bill France would tell you that all of the short tracks across the country mattered to him too. If they didn't, he certainly wouldn't have been negotiating with Bob Barkhimer back in the 1950s to bring the California Stock Car Racing Association into NASCAR. He did that, because he saw the value in weekly racing and how it went hand-in-hand with the big NASCAR show that eventually was on TV. As NASCAR evolved, the third generation of the France family lost sight of that. Now we have a rumor of a sale of this organization.
And people need to realize something. What NASCAR does on the big level does have an impact on what we're doing here. You're seeing lower attendance on TV now when they have their various races. Well, I have a news flash. Attendance isn't doing much better on the lower level, and it's making it even harder for these tracks to stay afloat. Somebody in NASCAR would probably do good to realize that maybe the path to building things back up also includes bringing small tracks that want to be a part of NASCAR back into the fold. Reestablishing State, Regional and National points. It's not good enough to have the NASCAR West and East Series. You need the Weekly Short Track Racing Series too.
I still believe there is value to watching somebody build their name up at their local track for a few years and then going up to the West or East Series and getting some place. Seems to me that the path has been going through Go Kart racing with some money behind you and getting on TV. A lot of people don't necessarily identify with that. But, even if rising trough the ranks isn't something that may necessarily happen anymore, there's still value in a Weekly Racing Series and having a NASCAR license just like the guy on TV.
Last season, Coos Bay Speedway took a leap of faith. Drake Nelson and NASCAR made a deal. With that came some things that NASCAR and the Whelen All American Series does for these tracks. It also included the point funds being offered to at least four of the divisions on the card. I'd have to consult the information, but I do know there are funds offered to the Top 10 drivers in those classes and the premier class champion gets $3,000. There is also State money involved.
You put NASCAR on a race track, and people will take notice. But, people are looking around wondering who the first track is going to be. Unfortunately for Coos Bay, they were just a sprinkle in the bucket. Not much of a ripple came from there. Jerry Schram and his tracks continued on as they do. Nobody is jumping in with Coos Bay in Oregon, and I hear no rumors of anything being considered. So, another track with a bigger profile needs to take a look at this. Who might that be?
I return to the Barky Legacy tracks where it all started on the West Coast. One of the last to leave was Antioch Speedway. Antioch has a racing program ideal for NASCAR. Petaluma Speedway and Ocean Speedway currently do an Open Wheel thing and go with IMCA for some classes. Merced Speedway is so entrenched in IMCA that I don't see them taking this leap of faith initially. In fact, Ed Parker would be a fool to change this. Even though he looks at trends and is willing to try stuff, he isn't stupid. Merced racers would react negatively if he was the first to do this.
Down south, I look at Kern Raceway. They already have a NASCAR pavement program, so I wonder how it would be if they put NASCAR on the dirt track too. You have the two Modified classes and Hobby Stocks there. How would their racers react to that? They support it as an Outlaw track on Friday nights now. I'm intrigued at the possibility of them taking that chance.
But in the Bay Area, I look at Antioch Speedway. What a splash it would make if they raised a NASCAR Banner. What's interesting is that they gave John a proposal and he looked it over. John didn't bite on it, because I think he concluded that they were just recycling his money back to the track again. I think that's how he put it. But, I think there is a perception with NASCAR that might still ring of bell. You put NASCAR racing on your advertisement and then add the logo to your website. You have NASCAR colors at the race track and that banner. Could that help get fans excited again?
Of course with Antioch, you have eight divisions. The Late Models run a UMP DIRTcar sanctioning. They compete for Regional monies, though I don't know that the drivers fared very well last season in the restructuring of that. A change of sanctioning to NASCAR could make the Late Model championship worth $3,000. Would that entice more drivers to come to Antioch? Do you stay with UMP for that class and give it to the A Modifieds? I favor NASCAR on the Late Models, but I don't know. Would it be allowed by NASCAR to do UMP for Late Models and NASCAR for A Modifieds? NASCAR is a Stock Car organization, so I can see them leaning towards Late Models.
The second division could certainly be A Modifieds with a $1,000 prize at the end. This is where it gets fuzzy, because I know the fourth division gets $500 for their championship among the point find monies. Third is either $500 or $750, and the B Modifieds are the natural choice. Then, you leave Hobby Stocks and Limited Late Models to fight over what's left. Or, maybe there is a fifth division getting something out of it and both of these classes would do okay. All you have to do now is join NASCAR as a racer.
The negative to all of this is the NASCAR license. Unless you can switch your car over to the pavement and go down south to Kern or north to Coos Bay Speedway on the dirt, what other track can you visit for NASCAR points? It's about being able to compete for the Track and State points. The State championship in the number one class is worth $2,000. Rookie Of The Year for a driver in the top class who has never held a NASCAR license is $1,000. So, there is money to compete for.
The visitation factor is another thing to consider. You have to have a NASCAR license to race at that track. Most of the drivers are either going to have an IMCA license or no particular association license at all. They could buy a temporary license, which is either $25 or $50 for a night. I have to look that up, but that's what they would have to do. That is where Drake has a challenge trying to entice people to come race his Late Model class at Coos Bay. I don't think it's working out for Drake exactly like he'd hoped, but I don't necessarily think that Coos Bay was the best test case that could have been tried.
There is a reason you have tracks looking at NASCAR and not doing anything right now. They don't want to be the first. They look at the positives, but they look at the negatives too. They're waiting to see if anybody else is going to do it. If they approached John about this, I can pretty much guarantee you others were approached back then as well. Nobody took the bait. What would happen if Antioch Speedway jumped in and made it a NASCAR track again?
20 years ago, John was vilified for taking Antioch out of NASCAR. I know. I was there. It was ugly. Drivers went to San Jose Speedway because of it. Fans were even circulating petitions to get John removed. That's what NASCAR meant to the people then. Would it mean that much to them 20 years later?
This is all just speculation. I think it would be worth it for a track to give this a shot, but I also know it's a risk. I don't expect John to ever take this leap of faith. The next promoter? Not very likely either. In fact, I could see them going back to IMCA very easily.
It's all just speculation, and I've said enough. Until next time...The Editor's Viewpoint
Stockton 99 Speedway Race Results June 2, 2018
Late Model
Christian Roche
Ross Strmiska
Adam Coonfield
Sam Solari
Chris Lyon
Seth Holman
Larry Tankersley
Teddy Haflich
Dennis Byers
Gary Schafer
Steve Cabral
Dominic Lopez
Arron Shankel
Ben Lewis
Justin Philpott
Bombers
Ben Lewis
Rick Roberts
Joey Sarafin
Mikala Stearns
Kyle Singleton
Justin Scantlen
Jo Jo Stearns
Troy Walz
Rob Dueck
John Medina
jeana Ramos
Roy Worthy
NCDCA Dwarf Cars
Mike Reeder
Mike Grenert
Ryan Winter
Justin Winter
Devin Kammermann
Ryan Plexico
Kevin Miraglio
Kevin Bender
Buddy Olschowka
Wade Ehlrich
Toby Brown
Dan Zuger
Scott Dahlgren
Danny Wagner
Jack Haverty
Shawn Whitney
Vic Guerrero
Jeff Fitch
Robert Kosinski
Legend Cars
Cody Winchel
Camerron Austin
Braden Rogers
Chad Nacimento
Matt Winfrey
Kieth Clement
Pete Soto
Heather Hadley
Carlee Austin
Paul Dorrity
Brendan Ruzbarsky
Rob Nascimento
Johnny Morrisey
Kevin Travels
Phillip Morrissey
Michael Ray
Mini Cups
Arron Thomas
Aiden Phillips
Jayce McArthy
kash holman
Wyatt Sansom
Kenna Mitchell
Chase Lopez
B4's
Barrett Sogden
Andy Rumsey
Billy Rodrigues
Andrea Rumsey
