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DeMartini, DeCarlo, Thomas Win Antioch Speedway Races
Antioch, CA...June 9...A good crowd turned out to watch All Star Series racing Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The Winged 360 Sprint Car division was back to make their third appearance of the season, and Matt DeMartini gained the point lead with his second 20 lap Main Event victory. DeMartini and fellow second generation racer Burt Foland Jr each won eight lap heat races to grab front row starts for the Main Event. After a few new drivers spun for early yellow flags, It was DeMartini winning the battle with Foland, who settled for second. Reigning champion Art McCarthy finished a solid third ahead of Jacob Tuttle and David Dias.
Nick DeCarlo returned to the Winner's Circle in the 20 lap A Modified Main Event. DeCarlo got the pole for the race after Eric Berendsen scratched due to mechanical issues in his season debut. DeCarlo charged into the lead from the start as point leader Bobby Motts Jr came up from the fourth row. Motts managed to get up to second, but there was no way he could stop DeCarlo from getting his third win of the season. Sean O'Gara was a solid third ahead of Brian Cass and Bobby Montalvo. Cass and Motts were heat race winners.
Merced Speedway star Tanner Thomas came to Antioch Speedway about 25 years to the date from the night his father, Darren Thomas, scored an unlikely Street Stock win from the back of the pack. This time, Tanner Thomas had a front row start and led all 20 laps for the feature win. However, he had to contend with 2004 Modified champion Aaron Crowell, who made several attempts to get by on the inside before settling for second. Trevor Clymens battled from tenth starting to finish third, followed by Brent Curran and Kenny Shrader. Thomas, Todd Gomez and Tommy Fraser were heat race winners.
Reigning champion Cameron Swank picked up his second 20 lap Hobby Stock feature win of the season. Billy Garner charged into the lead at the start and led for seven laps ahead of Anthony Vigna. However, on a restart, Michael Cooper got together with Garner, resulting in a Garner spin in Turn 2. Cooper was black flagged from the race. Vigna had the lead, but it wasn't long after the next restart when Swank charged past him and pulled away from the pack. Point leader Chris Sorensen also made a move around Vigna for second during the final ten laps of the race. Vigna settled for third ahead of Garner and Anthony Wellborn. Wellborn, Swank and Tanis Rangel won their heat races.
David Michael Rosa finally picked up his first career 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event victory. Rosa started back in the fourth row and worked his way to the front. Once he got there, he had to contend with four time feature winner and point leader Mike Corsaro. However, Rosa was up to the task as he held off Corsaro for the victory. Tony Carmignani finished third ahead of Lonnie Tecaat and 2010 champion Jerry Doty.
Next week is the Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial Race. All Star Series divisions include Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series
Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Matt DeMartini, Burt Foland Jr. Main Event (20 Laps)-DeMartini, Foland, Art McCarthy, Jacob Turtle, David Dias, Kurt Nelson, Tim Burcher, Geoffrey Strole, Ryon Nelson, Chris Nelson NS.
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Bobby Motts Jr, Brian Cass. Main Event (20 Laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Motts, Sean O'Gara, Cass, Bobby Montalvo, Buddy Kniss, Tim Balding, Eric Berendsen NS.
B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Todd Gomez, Tanner Thomas, Tommy Fraser. Main Event (20 Laps)-Thomas, Aaron Crowell, Trevor Clymens, Brent Curran, Kenny Shrader, Chuck Golden, Guy Ahlwardt, Doff Cooksey, Mike Mates, Robby Senn.
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Anthony Wellborn, Cameron Swank, Tanis Rangel. Main Event (20 Laps)-Swank, Chris Sorensen, Anthony Vigna, Billy Garner, Wellborn, John Wacht, Josh Leach, Ed Letterman, Lindsey Buirch, Breanna Troen.
Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Mike Corsaro, Lonnie Tekaat. Main Event (20 Laps)-David Michael Rosa, Mike Corsaro, Tony Carmignani, Tekaat, Jerry Doty, Chris Becker, Chris Mello, Mario Marquez, Timmy Ryan.
Hirst, Cofer Win Petaluma Speedway Races
Petaluma, CA...June 9...Kyle Hirst captured the 30 lap King Of The West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series Main Event victory Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. Driving the Roth Investments Sprinter owned by Dennis and Teresa Roth, Hirst had the outside front row starting position and proceeded to lead all 30 laps for the $3,000 win. It was his third win of the season as he maintains the point lead.
The battle was for second, and Colby Copeland had to come from the fourth row. By lap 10, Copeland had made it to third, and he executed a beautiful slide job pass on Michael "Buddy" Kofoid to grab the second position on lap 13. However, Copeland was no match for the flying Hirst and had to settle for second. Shane Golobic finished third ahead of reigning series champion Bud Kaeding and Chase Johnson.
Reigning BCRA Midgets champion Maria Cofer scored a popular victory in their 25 lap Main Event. Geoff Ensign set the early pace with a good battle going on for second behind him. Cofer was fifth early on, and a slowing Chase Johnson forced lap six caution flag. Cofer was third at that point, and she made a beautiful three-wide pass on the inside as they went down the backstretch on lap seven. Cofer gained the lead and stretched her advantage to over a straightaway by the time a final yellow flag flew on lap 23. Even that couldn't stop her as she led the remaining two laps for the win, followed by Ensign, David Prickett, Robert Dalby and USAC Speed2 champion Jesse Love IV
Reigning General Hydroponics Redwood Dwarf Car champion Mike Mosier picked up another 20 lap Main Event victory ahead of Adam Teves and Chad Mathias.
David Spindell outran Tom Brown to win the Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stock 20 lap feature.
Up next week will be be C&H Hunt Magneto Wingless Spec Sprint Series. Also on the card will be the McLea's Tires IMCA Modifieds, Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks and Jake's Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.petaluma-speedway.com.
Johnson, Hagio, Gallaher Win Ocean Speedway Main Events
Watsonville, CA...June 8...Colby Johnson scored the victory in the 25 lap BCRA Midgets Main Event Friday night at Ocean Speedway. Johnson shared the second row with Shannon McQueen as Robert Dalby and reigning champion Maria Cofer were on the front row. A good battle developed up front between the four competitors. Johnson set a fast pace and had the fastest lap of the race at 15.339 as he won feature race, followed closely by Cofer. Dalby settled for third with McQueen following him closely in fourth. Newcomer Jackson Dukes outran USAC Speed2 Midget champion Jesse Love IV for the fifth place finish as Randi Pankratz, Dwarf Car star Matt Sargent, Marvin Mitchell and Kyle Billman rounded out the Top 10.
Johnson won a competitive qualifying session with a lap of 13.423. McQueen was a close second at 13.436. David Prickett outran Pankratz to win the first eight lap heat race. McQueen won the second heat in front of Dalby.
Two-time IMCA Sport Modified champion Matt Hagio won that division's 20 lap Main Event. Hagio started back in the fifth row as Aguiar wrestled the lead from Austin Williams. Aguiar was going for his third win of the season, but Hagio was able to make the pass for his second win. Aguiar settled for a very close second. Point leader Jim DiGiovanni won a good battle for third ahead of Danny Roe and Williams. Merced star Tanner Thomas finished sixth, followed by Justin McPherson, Tim Burk, Adrianne Frost and Charlie Hunter. Williams won a close battle with Aguiar in the first eight lap heat race. Giuliani outran Frost to claim the win in the second heat.
Reiging American Stock champion Rob Gallaher won the 20 lap Main Event, but he had his work cut out for him to do it. Gallaher started back in the sixth row outside as ageless veteran Tony Oliveira set the early pace ahead of Matt Kile. Gallaher steadily worked his way up to the front and made his move around Oliveira in the later stages of the race. Gallaher was picking up his third win in a seven race span. Oliveira was a season best second, followed by Kile, John Farrell, Joe Gallaher, Chris McCabe, Jerry Skeleton, DJ Keldsen, JC Elrod and Norm Ayers. Keldsen won his eight lap heat race ahead of Farrell, while Kile outran Jason Perkins for the second heat race victory.
Zach Price picked up the win in the 20 lap South Bay Dwarf Car Main Event. Gene "Punky" Pires set the early pace, but he eventually surrendered the lead to Price with Eric Weisler also getting by Pires second. Pires was a close third, followed by Eddie Claesson, Mac Maceves, Trafton Chandler, Doug Penny, Mark Biscardi and Brady Beck. Price won an eight lap heat race ahead of Pires, while Biscardi won his heat race ahead of Chandler.
Nicole Beardsley won her first 15 lap Four Banger Main Event. Beardsley led most of the way for the win as championship hopeful Dakota Keldsen was a strong second. Abigail Kennedy had a good hold on third as Bill Beardsley, Ray Bunn, point leader Kate Beardsley, Richard Keldsen and Justin Williams completed the order. Williams won his heat race ahead of Dakota Keldsen.
Mike Mount won the 15 lap Police N Pursuit Main Event in a good battle with Cliff Sloma. Mount represents the Sand City Police Department, while Sloma is running the Capitola Police Department colors. Steven Fernandez was a solid third ahead of Chris Murphy, Kyle Dorris, Mike Hoopes, Dan Anderson, Bryce Danenhouer, Josh McKim and Tony Weir. Sloma won a heat race in front of John Hohmann, and Roy Iler won the other six lapper in front of Mount.
After being absent from the previous three races, the Ocean Sprint Cars, presented by Taco Bravo, return next Friday night along with the American Stocks and Four Bangers. For further information, go to www.racepmg.com.
Massey, Baronian Win Central Valley Mini Stock Races
At Hanford And Lemoore
Lemoore, CA...June 10...The Central Valley Mini Stock Association had the opportunity to run a doubleheader weekend. It started with an event at Kings Speedway during the Kings County Fair in Hanford on Saturday night and concluded on Sunday afternoon with the race at Lemoore Raceway. It was Clinton Massey scoring the victory in the 20 lap Main Event at Hanford. Greg Baronian won his second Lemoore Raceway 25 lap Main Event.
Massey is a regular Mini Stock competitor at Hanford won a Main Event there earlier this season. He jumped out to the early lead ahead of Ryan Doglione. The race had just one yellow flag slow down on lap four. On the restart, Massey pulled into the lead again. During the second half of the race, Massey was negotiating heavy traffic in the 19 car field, but he made all the right moves to score the win ahead of Ryan Doglione, Rod Baronian, Danny Myrick, Logan Doglione, Robert Jackson, Dan Myrick, Shawn DePriest and final lead lap finisher Chris Goldsmith.
Greg Baronian was the only driver to turn a 21 second lap on the big track with his 21.823 effort. Massey had a 22.042 to claim second quick as 21 drivers qualified. Logan Doglione, Dan Myrick and Chuck Doglione won their six lap heat races.
On Sunday afternoon, they returned to the familiar territory of the 1/5 mile dirt oval at Lemoore Raceway. It might have been another Baronian battle up front, but Rod Baronian had problems on lap eight to retire early from the 25 lap race. Greg Baronian set a rapid pace up front as he posted the victory. Ben Davis won a good battle with Ryan Doglione to score a season best second place finish. Jeff Durant was a solid fourth, followed by Scott Glenn, Dan Myrick, Merced Speedway racer Lee Ragsdale and final lead lap finisher Chris Goldsmith.
Greg Baronian set the fast time of 15.732, beating Rod Baronian's 16.275 lap. Rod Baronian won the four lap Trophy Dash and his eight lap heat race. Greg Baronian and Ryan Doglione were the other heat race winners.
Central Valley Mini Stocks return to Lemoore Raceway for their fifth event of the season on July 21st. For further information, go to www.centralvalleyministocks.com.
Ocean Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 8, 2018
BCRA Midgets
Chase Johnson
Maria Cofer
Robert Dalby
Shannon McQueen
Jackson Dukes
Jesse Love IV
Randi Pankratz
Matt Sargent
Marvin Mitchell
Kyle Beilman
David Prickett
J.R. Williams
Tyler Slay
IMCA Sport Modified
Matthew Hagio
Jack Aguiar
Jim DiGiovanni
Danny Roe
Austin Williams
Tanner Thomas
Justin McPherson
Todd Burk
Adriane Frost
Charlie Hunter
Travis Meyerhoff
Courtney Burks
Steven Allee
Markus Frazier
Anthony Giuliani
Austin Manzella
American Stocks
Rob Gallaher
Tony Oliveira
Matt Kile
John Farrell
Joe Gallaher
Chris McCabe
Jerry Skelton
DJ Keldsen
JC Elrod
Norm Ayers
Terry Traub
Mark Reist
Kyle Reeder
Ken Orr
Jason Perkins
South Bay Dwarf Cars
Zach Price
Eric Weisler
Punky Pires
Eddy Claessen
Mac Aceves
Trafton Chandler
Doug Penny
Mark Biscardi
Brady Beck DNS
Four Bangers
Nicole Beardsley
Dakota Keldsen
Abigail Kennedy
Bill Beardsley
Ray Bunn
Kate Beardsley
Richard Keldsen
Justin Williams DNS
Police N Pursuit
Mike Mount
Cliff Sloma
Steven Fernandes
Chris Murphy
Kyle Dorris
Mike Hoope
Dan Anderson
Bryce Danenhaur
Josh McKim
Tony Weir
John Hohmann
Roy Iler
Scott Morasci
Madera Raceway Unofficial Race Results June 9, 2018
Lucas Oil Modifieds
Taylor Miinch
Justin Johnson
Ryan Schartau
Jason Irwin
Cody Kay
Michael Mitchell
Eddie Secord
Wes Miller
Aaron McMorran
Kyle Tellstrom
Victor Machado
Dave Arce
Mark Allison
William Guevara
Jeremy Kay
Scott Winters
Shelby Stroebel
Chris Cook
Dylan Cappello
Blake Rogers
Brian Collins
Adam Coonfield
Doug Carpender
Sierra Furia
North State Modifieds
Cameron Austin
Eric Price Jr.
Kris Price
Eric Johnson
Brian Collins
Terry Deal
Jason Phlipot
Darrin Sullivan
Ian Elliot
Keith Bloom
Dustin DeRosier
Rich Cobb
Herman Pulyer
Adam Coonfield
Rick Avila
Eric Hamilton
Darrin Knight
Aaron McMorran
360 Super Modifieds
AJ Russell
Donnie Large Jr
Lance Jackson
Ed Rodriguez
Mike Funkhouser
Donnie Large
USAC Speed2 Midgets
Adam Lemke
Joey Iest
Cody Jessop
Blake Brannon
Johnny Nichols
Legends Of Kearney Bowl Super Modifieds
Heat 1
Cary Christman
Mike James
Wayne Kalustian
Steve Johns
Tony Pereira
Heat 2
Duane Gerhardt
Gary Hildebrand
Randy Woodward
Bob Hutton
Curt Taylor
Richard Stumphauser
Santa Maria Raceway Unofficial Race Results June 9, 2018
Ron Otto Memorial
USAC 360 Sprints
Results are not official
1 #83 Austin Liggett
2 #29T Ryan Timmons
3 #3 Kaleb Montgomery
4 #39E Kyle Edwards
5 #67 Britton Bock
6 #33B Brandon Wiley
7 #13 Trent Carter
8 #7 Shannon McQueen
9 #81 Scotty Farmer
10 #72 Ryan Stolz
11 #88K Koen Shaw
12 #7k Hobie Conway
13 #5J James Herrera
14 #51 Austin Ervine
15 #10J Jordan Linson
16 #57 Steve Hix
17 #15 Tristan Guardino
18 #12 Jake Swanson
IMCA Modifieds
Results are not official
1 #20 Cody Burke
2 #22D Ryan Daves
3 #44s Shane Devolder
4 #25 Austin Burke
5 #77 Kenny Kirkpatrick
6 #111 Logan Drake
7 #4RX Chad Weber
8 #3 Ryan Lauer
9 #7c Clint Reichenbach
Hobby Stocks
Results are not official
1 #8 Tom Grizincic
2 #98 Gary Rayburn Jr
3 #3 Taelor Janes
4 #9.75 Eddie Williams
5 #25B Corey Brough
6 #15C Chris Whitford
7 #118 Robby Cervantes
8 #56 Greg Noah
9 #51 Mike Keebler
10 #87 Matt McEwan
11 #18A Aaron Bruce
12 #55M Mack McGeary
13 #57 Greg Teller
14 #91 Scotty Preast
15 #11 Billy Nelson
16 #19 Pat Fausel
Mini Stocks
Results are not official
1 #43P Jarod Pack
2 #23c Chris McElreath
3 #5 Mike Weigel
4 #38 Justin Jackson
5 #35 Bill Barnhill
6 #89 Megan Burgett
7 #10 James Headrick
8 #77 Aaron Calvert
9 #46 David Kavanagh
10 #43 Levi Burgett
NMRA TQ Midgets
Results are not official
1 #21 Anthony Lopiccalo
2 #55 Dave Lambert
3 #59 Scott Niven
4 #37 Chuck West
5 #36 West Evans
6 #20 Taelor Janes
7 #40 Parke Thomas
8 #11 Don Mosely
Kings Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 9,2018
RaceSaver 305 Sprints
Results are not official
1 #15 Blake Robertson
2 #35 Albert Pombo
3 #67G Grant Duinkerken
4 #45 Monty Ferriera
5 #7Z Zane Blanchard
6 #53 Michael Pombo
7 #10F Jared Faria
8 #75 Brendan Warmerdam
9 #86 Chris Ennis
10 #67D Grant Champlin
11 #38 Kyle Rasmussen
12 #22 Mike Schott
13 #14K Kevin Macintosh
14 #67 Vaughn Schott
15 #11 Blaine Fagundes
16 #9S Rick Bray
17 #5S Mauro Simone
18 #4X Richard Weddle
19 #95 Anissa Curtice
20 #5 Cole Danell
Central Valley Mini Stocks
Results are not official
1 #777 Clinton Massey
2 #27 Ryan Doglione
3 #29 Rod Baronian
4 #1 Danny Myrick
5 #55T Robert Jackson
6 #18X Dan Myrick
7 #11 Shawn DePriest
8 #56 Chris Goldsmith
9 #0 Jeff Durant
10 #68 Brent Myrick
11 #04 Ben Davis
12 #8 Dax Blank
13 #11T Greg Baronian
14 #23 Kristina Cole
15 #18 James Smith
16 #5X Chuck Doglione
17 #22 Logan Doglione
18 #32 Garrett Spurgeon
Irwindale Speedway Unofficial Race Results June 9, 2018
Southwest Tour
Eric Schmidt
Ricky Schlick
Jeremy Doss
Kyle Neveau
Jeff Bischofberger
Dan Holtz
Carlos Vieira
Cale Kanke
Cole Moore
John Moore
Jason Gilbert
Jack Wood
Scott Sanchez
Jim Wulfenstein
Jacob Gomes
Kayla Eshleman
Blaine Rocha
Craig Raudman
Bob Lyon
Keith Spangler
The Editor's Viewpoint
It's Friday and I'm headed to the track. I get to announce the Outlaw Kart races. I wasn't familiar with the different classes in kart racing. I'd never even witnessed one of these races, One of the things that I was brought up here to do was announce the little track. Gary Jacob used to make trips just to watch these races at various venues and even came up here to cover a few races.
I have built up an appreciation for this type of racing. You get the youngest of young out there. I'm talking five years old. I know back at my old stomping grounds at Antioch, a few of the drivers racing there now, such as Kellen Chadwick and Nick DeCarlo, started out very young racing Beginners Box Stock Karts at Stockton Delta Speedway. I would read about them, but I never made it to one of their races.
You get kids out there that young and you never know what's going to happen. Some kids are not intimidated at all and they get after it. Other kids are so intimidated that they don't even get into their karts to race the first time they come out. I have a feeling I would have been in that category had the opportunity been presented for me to race at five years old. I respect all of these kids for going out there and racing, and it doesn't matter how fast they go. They're just out there doing it.
This is also a training ground for future stars at the big track. One of the drivers Gary used to follow when he'd go to these races is Kyle Larson. I think we know where he ended up. Now, most of these kids won't get there, but some of them can become stars at the bigger track in their city one day. There have been a few that have come through the ranks at this track to become stars on the bigger track. I think it's an important part of keeping the sport going. We need to attract new drivers into this sport and keep young people engaged and involved. This will become a concern one day when the older audience is unable to come out anymore. You better have the next generation of racers and fans ready to go.
Several tracks in Oregon also have kart programs. I think they have the right idea. Roseburg has an indoor program that was originally started by Mike McCann during the fall and winter months. Cottage Grove and Willamette have smaller tracks in the infield, and we have smaller tracks elsewhere on the property at Southern Oregon Speedway and Siskiyou Motor Speedway. I think there are tracks in California that can benefit from this idea. Maybe even Antioch Speedway?
They do have a nice program down at the little track at Delta Speedway in Stockton. I was down there some 20 plus years ago to witness the Mini Stocks racing there along with Dwarf Cars and Mini Sprints. This was a few years before the kart program really took hold there. Seeing the Mini Stocks on that track makes me wonder how a Hornet race would do at the little track at Southern Oregon Speedway. I've had drivers express interest when I have floated the idea in the past, and this could be something pursued in the future.
I know the thing I would like to see pursued in the future is a little series between five different tracks. This is something that I've been wanting to see for a long time. I call this the Barky Cup in honor of legendary promoter Bob Barkhimer. Barkhimer has gotten his accolades through the years as a member of the Hall of Fame for the Bay Cities Racing Association. He's also in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. I know there's others that I'm not remembering here.
People do not hear his name mentioned at all these days, and it's a shame. We are finally having races that honor legendary Antioch and Petaluma promoter John Soares, and I think we would do well to find something for Barkhimer and maybe even Bert Moreland. Barkhimer was the man who put together the California Stock Car Racing Association with Jerry Piper back in the 1950s. He had over 20 tracks in his group back then.
Eventually, Bob made a deal with NASCAR founder Bill France to bring all of these West Coast tracks into NASCAR. He still had a strong group under his leadership when he sold the operation back in the 1970s. Sadly, with his departure, his name became more and more of an afterthought. Even the association he created, Bob Barkhimer And Associates, was renamed as he was phased out of the dialogue.
What I envision Is some of the remaining tracks in what he founded running a one race per track series. I'm zeroing in on Antioch Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Ocean Speedway, Merced Speedway and the dirt track at Stockton. Stockton wasn't running the dirt track then. It was the pavement track, but I think it would be pretty cool to include the dirt track as Stockton had a big presence In the NASCAR group back in those days.
Divisions I would probably choose would be IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds as you could put together a big show right out of the gate. We're only running one race at each track, so the other tracks stay dark when these two divisions are running a series race. If I were to add a third division, Hobby Stocks would be my choice. You can just do these five races and make them real special. Even have cup trophies at the end of the series for the champions with Bob's name on them.
The biggest challenge you have in making something like this happen is getting these five promoters to agree. I'm not going to single anybody out here, but I know who the easiest promoters would be to get this thing started and who might present challenges. But, each track would be able to get a bigger event, and they would all be helping honor the heritage of our sport. Could something like this happen? It all depends on the promoters involved. Where there's a will there's a way.
The track unity thing is something I've always felt strongly about, but I understand the reality of the deal. The reason we had unity for all of those years was Bob Barkhimer. If you were a member of his family of tracks, then you worked with the tracks closest to you. The pavement tracks had a circuit and the dirt tracks had a circuit. So, everybody had a shot at a big race where others traveled to come visit.
What I learned as I was getting so frustrated with the sport that I eventually walked away for quite a while at the end of the 2003 season is that we have individual promoters who do their own thing. They are by and large not much interested in working with others. A few promoters show more signs of working together than others, and then you have to worry about the cutthroat tactics.
What I've seen up here with Mike is a main focus on the track up here. He's always been worried about building his own program, not so much working with other tracks. It's not that he's looking to sandbag anybody, but he has made deals and been let down in the past. So, you make sure your own bases are covered and go from there. We have three tracks in Oregon owned by the same person, and sometimes they book on top of each other at key moments, so you can't even have unity when it's owned by the same guy.
I can talk unity all I want, but when you're dealing with five different individuals at five tracks, you're going to have a difficult time. It doesn't matter if there's one guy really into it, there's one guy who will work on sandbagging the whole thing. Even when you're talking about five races at five different ranks, somebody's going to make it difficult for the others to do it. It really wouldn't take but 30 minutes to sit down and hash out a plan and make the Barky Cup happen. I could look at the schedule as it exists now and figure out how to do it in 2019, but one of the promoters would say how wrong the idea was. Another promoter would suggest changes. Another promoter would be all in. The other two promoters would be indifferent to the whole process. That's what you work with in 2018.
I made the comment last week about whether the Winged 360 Sprint Cars are a needed part of the All Star Series roster at Antioch Speedway. Believe me, I don't ask that question because I hate the class. They have put on some good races in Antioch through the years, and I know they are popular. My biggest issue is building the program and weather what John is doing right now is building something up. Or is it just a case of people taking the money and running?
The thing about John is he made the commitment to this class. I recall in 2015 him paying $1,200 to win these races. Even when car count went down to seven cars one night, he paid as advertised. My concern is that when you make this sort of commitment, you're hoping that it sticks. People see that you're committed to paying a purse, and they therefore want to be a regular part of the show. But, I'm not seeing new people come out there and stay there.
You have a base of four to six drivers who seem somewhat supportive. And if one or two of those drivers leaves to do other things, they're usually replaced by somebody. But, the base isn't growing. I had hoped that by now there might be anywhere from 15 to 20 drivers showing up anytime the class was booked. That's not happening. When you get a group of drivers committed and fans know those drivers are coming, they may be more apt to come out and cheer on their favorite driver.
On the other hand, your possibly getting the fans who just want to see Sprint Cars. They might know that Art McCarthy is going to be there, but they also have grown used to the fact that you never know who might show up next. There have been a few teen newcomers who have come out there these last four seasons and picked up their first win at Antioch, but generally they move on to one of the other Sprint Car shows. They're not staying out there and helping be a part of the show. The lone exception seems to be Jacob Tuttle.
From my point of view, you want a division that has a certain group of drivers who are there. This way, you can get the fans used to seeing those drivers. When you're investing this kind of money in the division, you hope to get that kind of value out of it. On the other hand, if attendance is going to go up regardless of who the drivers are in the class just as long as the class is there, maybe I'm worried over nothing here? In the end, John writes the checks, and he must be happy with the way things are going so far. They had 10 cars last Saturday night and a decent crowd.
But, when you look at the future of the race track and the next promoter, I still say they're going to have to sit down and take a hard look at everything on the roster. Renting that facility from the fairgrounds does not come cheap. It's one of the most expensive fairgrounds to rent in the state of California. So, you're going to look at all of the factors when you decide what will be on your schedule. You invest something and you expect a return on that investment.
One person I had heard of as a potential promoter, and I'll leave the name out of it, definitely has a liking of Sprint Car racing. That person might look at the fact that the class is there and see what they can do to get more people to stay. They've certainly demonstrated their willingness to take risks on big Sprint Car races when other tracks are running and done well with those shows. Another promoter might look at things differently.
Two potential promoters that I know of might have more of a leaning towards the Stock Car end of things. Modifieds would continue to be a staple class, and my belief is that if either one of these people took the track after John left, the Modified division might see an increase in car count initially. But, Sprint Cars and maybe even Late Models might be on the chopping block due to the price tag and the concern that you're not getting enough bang for your buck.
What we have seen through John in these recent seasons is that he's getting the numbers that he needs to get to keep things going. The formula for what he's running works for him. There are people who worry about whether anybody else can even come in there and make this thing work after John leaves. But I believe where there's a will there's a way. There's enough stuff to work with that Antioch Speedway can not only continue, but it can become more successful than it's been in recent years. It's all in how you approach it.
There is something to be said for having a track that runs Late Models and Sprint Cars, sometimes even on the same bill. In Oregon, Cottage Grove, Coos Bay and Southern Oregon Speedways do the same thing. In California, the Late Models have fallen on such hard times that Bakersfield is down to four or five cars. The writing may be on the wall. Placerville is having better success with Limited Late Models, and some of these drivers will come to Antioch for the occasional Late Model race.
Late Models have unfortunately priced themselves nearly out of existence, and the thought process ought to be about how to get this style of racing back and at least a little bit more affordable. Maybe Placerville is on the right track with what they're doing. Maybe it's going to have to recycle down to the the Pro Stock deal that they're doing at Bakersfield or what we call Limited Late Models in Antioch or Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks at Petaluma. Maybe that's our way of getting it back?
What baffles me is how Oregon seems to be more successful than California in Late Models. Then again, maybe there is more older equipment being used and the rules haven't gotten as far out of hand? Whatever the case, just about every track in the state is running some form of Late Model racing. The idea of making a Speedweek for this class was floated a year or so ago, and I think it would work if booked right. Then again, there are already 3 different Speedweeks happening in Oregon. There's such a thing as too much.
Seems to me that the social media thing you can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Dan Myrick had a discussion going about the big weekend that they just had for the Central Valley Mini Stock group. Dan created a nice series for the class at Lemoore Raceway and was able to make a two race weekend with Hanford. Then, the comments degenerated as some people felt the need to bash the rules.
Let me go on record as endorsing the rules that Dan has created for his group. The idea is to keep this basic and affordable and grow a car count. But you have to understand that Dan is aware of the situation and is not happy with turning racers away. Therefore, he is in the studying process of perhaps adding a more unlimited Mini Stock class to the roster in 2019. This could happen.
The problem with people running their mouths in negativity on Facebook is they do damage to the sport. They can claim free speech all they want, because they have that right. But, they do damage to the cause. In this case, a sponsor of the Central Valley Mini Stocks division threatened to pull out because of the negativity in the thread. What's sad is the people who spew the negativity really do love the sport. They just don't stop to think about the damage they're doing.
It's time once again for the Rodeo Arena Mini Stock Figure 8 at the Alameda County Fair. We have a group of racers coming from Porterville to support this thing. They only asked for about a half a dozen of these racers to come out for a quick 15 lap Main Event for three consecutive nights. It's just a little added attraction to what they're already doing with their Destruction Derby, but it's pretty cool.
You're not going fast enough on that track to do too much damage, but there is fender banging and paint being exchanged between the racers. They put on a good show, and the crowd reaction lets you know that they are being entertained. I am a believer in this style of Fairtime entertainment, and I believe a resourceful racer might even consider trying to begin a tour of various rodeo arenas to put on similar events at various California Fairs. You don't even need 20 drivers. A half a dozen or eight cars will do just fine.
I haven't been able to find out much about the Salinas Rodeo Arena race. This is an oval race that they call an Agra Race. They raise funds for various charities, and this has been quite successful over the past few years. It's just something different to do. Understand, I'm in favor of running on the big tracks, but if you can get racing's foot in the door in a rodeo arena, you damn well better believe I'm going to back that. I'm still working on the idea of a Hornet race at the little Southern Oregon Speedway track.
Other than that, I'm probably just running my mouth too much at the moment. I'm going to end this column now. Until next time...
